Hammer of the Emperor: Support Units

Anyone who has fought with the Guard, or against them, knows that Guardsmen are not something to be feared when isolated from support. Ten models at Toughness 3 dealing damage at Strength 3 on a 50/50 hit ratio is laughable. A squad of guardsmen are easy prey for the roaming Warrior Brood or Assault Squad, Eldar/Tau Shooters, or Heretic/xenos Psykers. As mere mortals in the face of these threats, we in the Imperial Guard have options. Tactician Delta is back again with more insight into the Imperial Guard. As with any post with a guest author anything I say will be in this red lettering.

In a previous post I talked at length on how to create and maneuver an infantry line including its self supporting heavy weapons platforms. Now it is time to open a discussion on the potential uses of some of the Imperial Guards support choices ranging from Storm Trooper hit squads and Vendetta Gunships all the way to the little used and less known Griffon Heavy Mortar system as well as how they can work in concert with your assaulting infantry squads. (Assaulting guardsmen...those are some brave fellows.)

Storm Troopers

Storm Troopers are high risk/high reward support options that can fill multiple rolls in an army. They can be equipped with standard issue Guard special weapons including Plasma and Melta weapons. In addition they are armed with S3 AP3 Hot-Shot las guns that will make even Space Marines think twice before moving to engage them. (So true. Since these guys are ballistic skill 4 they are hitting on 3's and get twice as many shots inside of 12 inches, they can pile on the hurt.) When fighting a force of that brought long range fire support in the form of Artillery vehicles or Broadside Crisis suites it is possible to deep strike a force of Storm Troopers behind your opponents guns and blast away with melta or Plasma fire. If your enemy commander is a single model hero like a Daemon/CSM/SM then it is possible to use these world class assassins to create a trap. Lure the warlord in question into your kill zone then Deep strike your storm troopers into the vicinity. Concentrate the firepower of your other support mechanisms and unload on the warlord. If you are unlucky and the warlord survives then you will probably lose your Storm Troopers. For that reason, these tactics should only be used with squads of five models in order to minimize the cost to you in the event of failure. (It is also important to remember that deep striking can prove to be catastrophic by either having your squad not be in the right position or they flat out die.)

Storm Troopers can additionally be used similar to your squads of Guardsmen. In this case the squad should be filled out with as many models as you think to be effective and then stationed behind your advancing Platoons. In this case when a squad becomes threatened by an advancing enemy the Storm Troopers will advance and unleash their withering AP3 fire over the heads of the endangered friendly unit. Always try to maneuver your units to provide clear fields of fire for other models, but if necessary it is not a great loss to your killing power to allow your opponent a cover save from shooting through your own models. (This sort of formation also protects your back end of the board against deep striking or outflanking units.)

Gunships and Assault Carriers Imperial Guard has access to some of the most powerful flyers in the game. 3 Twin linked las cannons can put the hurt on any vehicle that your opponent chooses to field. As we have seen with the emergence of new codices there are an increasing number of options for ADA, Air Defense Artillery. With this in mind there are two options for us in the Guard. The first option is to not field flyers and hope that in tournaments that our opponents will write their lists with at least one if not more ADA options in them. Best case scenario a Space Marine player will give multiple devastator squads Sky Fire missiles and bring an anti flyer vehicle option only to find out that he has wasted those points against our lists that are packed to bursting with tanks artillery and infantry. (That would be a pretty silly player that did that. I think most people have already written off the sky fire missiles. Taking a 70ish point Air Defense tank shouldn't set you back too far since you can easily adapt it to make it moving cover for an assault squad.)

The second option is to somehow overwhelm our opponents ADA options before, or immediately following, the arrival of our air assets. This can be achieved in two ways. First, Storm Trooper hit squads can deep strike and attempt to wipe out any ADA vehicles prior to the arrival of any flyers on our side of the field (The issue with this one would be that if they are coming in from DS they are coming in at the same time as the flyers. Emperor forbid that they have a gun with the interceptor special rule because that gun will get a free shot at every unit that comes on the board from DS.) or concentrated artillery fire can attempt to create the same effect. The second option is to field more flyers than our opponents ADA systems can handle at a given moment. If your primary or secondary support option is a squadron of Vendetta Gunships then their first target should immediately be enemy assets that are a direct threat to them. Upon arrival they should immediately engage any ADA vehicles or enemy flyers in an attempt to secure the airspace. Once the enemy loses his ADA options then your Gunships will be able to prosecute targets with impunity, be they vehicles, Warlord command squads, or enemy assault squads that are getting a little to close to your lead elements for comfort.

When choosing the type of flyers you want to use for a given list you should look closely at their available weapons options. Valkyrie Assault Carriers come armed with a Multi Laser, Hellstrike Missiles x2, a search light, and Extra Armor for a cost of 100 points, potentially 3 to a squadron. For 30 points they may replace their Hellstrike Missiles with Multiple Rocket Pods, and for 15 points may replace their Multi Laser with a Las Cannon. Hellstrike Missiles are 72” S8 AP3 1 shot each. Vendetta Gunships cost 130 points and come armed with Twin-Linked Las Cannons x3, Search Light, and Extra armor. the Vendetta may replace 2 of its Twin-Linked Las Cannons with Hellfury Missiles which are 72” range, S4 AP5, but ignore cover. Both flyer options may take a set of heavy bolters that are mounted on the sides for 10 points.

When fighting horde armies it is in your interest to utilize the Multiple Rocket Pods on the Valkyries in order to lay two Large Blast template attacks at S4 AP6 bye bye orks!). The stats on these weapons are only mediocre at best when fighting Space Marines and Tau but are fully capable of removing an entire squad of Guardsmen, Eldar, Tyranid, or Orks, in a single turn of shooting. On the other hand the potential damage and versatility of 3 Twin-Linked Las Cannons is hard to pass up in any list. Vendetta Gunships can serve as dedicated Tank hunters but are fully capable of turning their guns on on high toughness and high armor save units.

Tanks and Artillery -

If your infantry and Flyers are your sword then your Tanks and your Artillery are your shield. The Leman Russ is perhaps the single best tank in the game when combined with the Infantry of the Imperial Guard. The Leman Russ MBT (Main Battle Tank Variant) costs 150 points and has an armor value of 14/13/10 with 3 hull points. The Lumbering Behemoth rule means that you wont be tempted to out run our infantry units and leave your tanks vulnerable. Tanks should be deployed where you think the enemy main thrust is coming. If your opponent deploys with his forces heavy on a single flank then this is the place for your Armor. Place your tanks in positions where they will be able to provide your infantry with cover saves and block the line of sight of anti infantry weapons. Targets should be prioritized in a way that will blow large holes in the enemy line and allow your infantry assault to push through. Enemy units that are clumped together, Heavy weapons, and thin skinned vehicles, all make great targets for Battle Cannon templates. In return your Infantry will keep the suicide assault squads from assaulting your tanks with Melta bombs. Heavy Bolter Sponsons will provide your infantry with covering fire as they advance, and front mounted Las Cannons will add your forces independent operational viability.

Artillery, unlike tanks, should be placed where the fighting is least likely to be fierce. Basilisk Earth Shaker Cannons have a minimum range of 36” and a max range of 240” meaning that they are more likely to be countered because the enemy is too close for them to be engaged. In order to prevent this from happening it is necessary to deploy your Basilisks far from the fighting, and consequently, far from any aid that could save them from Deep Striking enemy units. In order to get the most for your money in a list that is designed to assault the enemy with infantry and provide them close support it is best to utilize the Medusa Siege Cannon. The Medusa takes a huge hit on its range in comparison to the Basilisk but is able to to fire at any target within 36 inches of it. The Mesusa launches S10 AP2 mortar rounds into the enemy and can opt instead to fire Bastion Breacher Shells at S10 AP1 Blast, Range 48”.

Another option exists that would allow guard players to more cheaply, and potentially more accurately, create a lethal shield of high-speed fragmentation for their advancing front line units, Griffon Heavy Mortars. Griffon Heavy Mortars are the older, more deadly, brothers to the worthless heavy weapons platforms that fire S3 small Blast templates. Instead, the Griffon is capable of lobbing a S6 AP4 Large Blast Ordinance/Barrage, round anywhere between 12” and 48” inches. Additionally, Griffon heavy Mortars have a special rule called “Accurate Bombardment”. The comparatively light ordinance launched from Griffons allows them to reroll the scatter die for every shot if the player chooses to. Compared to the Medusa cost of 135 points the Griffon Heavy Mortar costs only 75 points a model. You wont be denying Terminators their armor save, but you can place withering fire on an enemy unit when, and where, you need it using this platform. (IG is more about having your priority targets in line than any other army. If you already have some Russ tanks and Valkyries you might not need another high strength low ap gun to shoot marines with, especially in a tournament setting. Having an accurate AP4 weapon that takes away cover saves will root out Fire Warriors, Storm Troopers, 'Ard Boyz, and other such units that your opponent will find more valuable then the standard grunt.)

The short range on the Medusa and Griffon ordinance platforms is a huge turn off for a lot of players but can easily be turned into a huge advantage by a flexible commander. (The longest range weapon in my army is 24 inches...) The short range on these weapon systems allows for the platforms in question to regularly draw line of sight on their targets and reduce the scatter of their shots by 3” inches. Any guard players knows that the scatter die is simultaneously your best friend and your worst enemy, there for any opportunity that skews the die away from misses and toward a hit means that more bad guys are dying every turn. More dead bad guys means fewer targets for your infantry, which in turn means that infantry squads can double and triple up their Las fire against the remaining hostile forces. Suddenly your opponent will be considering using units that should have been countering your infantry assaults and capturing objectives to engage your artillery, which is conveniently surrounded by a squad of Guardsmen, and 20-50 of their friends, some of which brought tanks.

Potential List Options: In a previous post about IG lists I focused on the infantry side of the Army and ended with just over 1,000 points. In the Imperial Guard Codex there are many more options for supporting your infantry line than there are options for forming your infantry line. The following list should not be viewed as a list to take verbatim but as a list of options to choose from when filling out the desired amount of support for your army. Remember that when selecting what kind of ordinance battery you are taking that you can mix and match weapons platforms, meaning that you can take 2 Griffon Heavy Mortars and a single Medusa platform or 2 Medusa Cannons and a single Heavy Mortar.

Elites 1: 120 Storm Trooper Squad (x5 Storm Troopers): 85 Plasma Gun x2: 30

Elites 2: 120 - Storm Trooper Squad (x10 Storm Troopers): 165

Fast Attack 1: 130/260/390 - Vendetta Gunship Squadron (x1-3 Gunships): 130 each

Fast Attack 2: 100/200/300 -- 130/260/390 - Valkyrie Assault Carrier Squadron (x1-3 Drop Ships): 100 each - Multiple Rocket Pods: 30/60/90

Heavy 1: 185/370/555 Leman Russ Battle Tank Squadron (x1-3 Tanks): 150 each Side Sponson Heavy Bolters: 20 Hull mounted Las Cannon: 15

Heavy 2: 135/270/405 Medusa Siege Battery (x1-3 Siege Mortars): 155 each

Heavy 3: 75/150/225

Griffin Heavy Mortar

I think that this part of the IG codex really is what can make or break a list. If you put too much artillery in your army it will leave you without any teeth if they get sniped by las cannons or rail guns. the same could be said of tanks. If you go air heavy you may lack a potent turn one and even a tun two depending on your reserve rolls, it also limits your ability to combat assault based armies that may be charging your guys before your powerful las cannons can take their toll. I am a big fan of the Imperial Guard because there is a lot of different ways besides just maxing out on plasma guns to make an effective list, at least I like to think so. A big thank you to Tactician Delta for getting this post finished. Thank you all for reading and have an Emperor blessed day!