Introduction

The Imperial Guard is the largest standing army in the Imperium. It is drawn from the forces of many diverse worlds, and some of these worlds supply unique troop types. But most Imperial Guard regiments fight in very much the same manner as all other Imperial Guard regiments.

When you choose an Imperial Guard army, it must be built around the Command Structure, where for every Command Squad or Command HQ Squad you can include up to 3 Squads of that regiment type. For each regimental squad, you may include one other squad. The Command Squads and the regimental squads are known as the Battle Line, and the other squads are additions to it.

Command

Command HQ Squads

You must have a Command HQ to lead your army. This may be led by a Colonel or a Captain. It includes 4 Imperial Guardsmen along with the Colonel or Captain. The officer is armed with a laspistol and a sword, and the Guardsmen have lasgun and frag grenades. You have the option to form heavy weapon squads within this Command Squad, and you may arm any troops in this squad that are not using heavy weapons with special weapons or assault weapons. One Guardsman may be given a Battle Standard, and should be given a Battle Standard. You also may give one Guardsman a commlink. This is another item I consider to be a must. You may also give this Command HQ a Chimera. Whether you do this or not will depend on the mission. You may, and should, upgrade the Command HQ Squad to Veteran status. You should choose wargear carefully. The survivability of your leaders is very important to an Imperial Guard army. Their Ld is very important to the army's staying power.

Any Imperial Guard unit within 12" of the Colonel/Captain may take Break tests using the commander's Leadership value.

A Battle Standard will also allow rerolls of Break tests for units within 12".

Command Squads

The army may include any number of Command Squads, but may not include more Command Squads than it has Imperial Guard squads, including heavy weapon squads. The Squad is made up of a Lieutenant and four Guardsmen.

Weapons: Lieutenant - laspistol and sword.
Guardsmen - lasgun and frag grenades.

The Lieutenant may have one Wargear card. You should choose wargear carefully. The survivability of your leaders is very important to an Imperial Guard army. Their Ld is very important to the army's staying power.

You have the same weapons and equipment choices for the Command Squads as you do for the Command HQ. I would say at least some of these should be given commlinks, and being able to purchase Chimeras for them gives you an extra bit of firepower and staying power.

Any Imperial Guard unit within 12" of the Lt. may take Break tests using the Lt.'s Leadership value.

A Command Squad can be raised to Veteran status, and probably should be in most circumstances.

Rough Rider Command Squads

You may not include more Rough Rider Command Squads than you have Rough Rider Squads. A Rough Rider Command Squad consists of one Lieutenant and four Imperial Guardsmen.

Weapons: Lt. - Hunting Lance, laspistol and chainsword.
Guardsmen - Hunting Lance, laspistol, chainsword and frag grenades.

The Lieutenant may have one Wargear card. You should choose wargear carefully. The survivability of your leaders is very important to an Imperial Guard army. Their Ld is very important to the army's staying power. In the case of these squads, it is often a good idea to give the Lt. wargear that will increase his assault capability.

You should always include a unit standard for the +1 to hand to hand combat score it adds. You can give weapons from the Assault Weapons or Command Weapons section to the Lt.

Any Imperial Guard unit within 12" of the Lt. may take Break tests using the Lt.'s Leadership value. If the Command Squad includes a standard in it, then it may reroll any failed Break tests.

A Command Squad can be raised to Veteran status, and probably should be in most circumstances. For the Rough Riders, I would suggest the Hardened Fighters or the Grizzled veteran ability.

Primaris Psyker

Primaris Psykers may only be included as part of a Command Squad. A Primaris Lord may only be placed with the Command HQ. The Primaris Psykers can be very useful to counteract enemy psykers and to bolster the Imperial Guard's fighting ability.

Commissars

Your army may not include more Commissars than it has Command Squads, including the Command HQ. Commissars are individual characters who can move over the battlefield or join with units in accordance with the game rules. They do not have to be included as part of a Command Squad. Commissars are very important to the Imperial Guard army, due to their Ld 10 and their good fighting abilities. The most important thing, though, is their Ld.

Battle Line

When choosing your squads you must adhere to the Chain of Command in the chart above.

Imperial Guard Squads

And Imperial Guard squad consists of a Sergeant and 9 Guardsmen. The squads can be included either as a regimental unit or as an additional unit. The sergeant carries a laspistol, sword and frag grenades. The Guardsmen have a lasgun and frag grenades. They all have flak armour. The sergeant may be given additional or alternative weapons from the Assault Weapons section of the wargear list. Two of the Guardsmen may form a heavy weapons team, and one Guardsman may exchange his lasgun for a special weapon chosen from the Special Weapons section of the wargear list at the appropriate cost. You may upgrade the squad to Veteran status. The Veteran ability you choose will depend on the mission you have given the squad. You may also include a Chimera to transport the squad. The Chimera will give the squad extra firepower.

Imperial Guard Heavy Weapon Squads

Imperial Guard Heavy Weapon Squads consist of 6 Guardsmen with three heavy weapons. The squad may be raised to Veteran status. The Veteran ability should be chosen to fit the heavy weapons the squad has and their mission. The squad may have a Chimera.

Rough Rider Squads

A Rough Rider Squad consists of a Sergeant and four Rough Riders riding warhorses. Rough Rider Squads can only be included as regimental units together with a Rough Rider Command Squad, or as additional units. The Rough Rider Squad is armed with a Hunting Lance, laspistol, chainsword and frag grenades. They wear flak armour. They may be raised to Veteran status. In my opinion the only three to choose would be Hardened Fighters, Grizzled or Crazed.

Ogryns

Five big, mean and tough fighters. I like to give these guys Hardened Fighters and turn them loose on my enemy. Also, with their Ripper Guns they have a weapon that always hits within 6", and has 2 sustained fire dice. That means ten sustained fire dice for the squad that will automatically hit anything that is within the 6" range for a S4 hit.

Ratling Snipers

These little guys usually hit what they're shooting at. Five Ratlings with needle sniper rifles and the Veteran ability Dead Eye Shots can be very dangerous to your opponents and make him think twice about moving into the open. The only down side to these guys is their low Toughness of 2, so put them in some good cover.

Storm Troopers

A squad consists of a Sergeant and nine Storm Troopers. Storm Trooper Squads can only be taken as additional units. The Sergeant is armed with Hotshot laspistol, sword and frag grenades. The Guardsmen are armed with Hotshot lasgun and frag grenades. They all wear flak armour. The Sergeant may be given additional or alternative weapons from the Assault Weapons section of the wargear list. The whole squad may be equipped with Krak grenades at an additional cost. You may also form a heavy weapon team from two of the Storm Troopers. One Storm Trooper may exchange his lasgun for a special weapon from the Special Weapons section of the wargear list. The Storm Trooper Squad must be raised to Veteran status. You should choose the Veteran ability dependant on the mission you have assigned to the Storm Troopers. The squad may be mobilized by including a Chimera.

Leman Russ

The Leman Russ is a very versatile tank, with heavy armour, that can have a variety of weapons combinations to suit almost any need. You should choose the weapons options according to the enemy you will be fighting. There is no need to over arm the tank, making it so expensive that it limits your options in choosing the rest of your army.

Leman Russ Demolisher

All that was said about the Leman Russ goes for this tank also, except the fact that its Demolisher Cannon makes this tank slightly less versatile and narrows its mission. The mission of this tank is heavy destruction and the demolishing of enemy fortifications, tanks, and their battleline. Its main drawback is its very short ranged weapon and the fact that the Demolisher cannot fire the Demolisher Cannon if it has moved. The tank is also slower than the standard Leman Russ, but it has better all-around armour.

Griffon

The Griffon carries a more powerful version of the Imperial Guard Mortar. The Griffon also has the ability to direct fire at anything that it has a line of sight to. One drawback, though, is its inability to fire at anything that is within 12" of it. The vehicle carries a heavy bolter for close-in defense, but you should support it with infantry and keep it in your deployment zone.

Chimera

The Chimera is an armoured infantry fighting vehicle that mounts a turret with a multi-laser, and has 6 lasguns that can be fired by the passengers. It also mounts a heavy bolter on its bow. The Chimera is a very good addition to any Imperial Guard squad.

Basilisk

The Basilisk carries the powerful Earthshaker Cannon, which can fire twice in any combat round, and will do at least a 1d3 damage roll even if it does not penetrate a vehicle. It also mounts a heavy bolter for self-defense and anti-infantry fire.

Hellhound

The Hellhound mounts the Inferno Cannon in its turret. The Inferno Cannon is a special flame cannon that uses the heavy flamer template, but fires it as a moving blast of flame that will leave a fire swathe through the area that it moves through. You place the template touching the front of the cannon and roll an artillery dice for how far it moves. If you roll a Misfire, the template does not move. This vehicle also causes fear, as described in the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook. It also mounts a heavy bolter in the bow.

Sentinel Squadron

High mobility, and mounts an assault cannon. These can be very useful for flanking and cutting down enemy infantry, and they also can be used against light vehicles.

Support

Support for the Imperial Guard amounts to their allies and the Imperial Agents.

The Sisters of Battle and the Assassins are even allowed in the Grand Tournament rules.

Since the release of the Sisters of Battle, the Imperial Guard now have the perfect allies/support. The Sisters compliment the Guard by giving them power armoured troops that aren't as expensive as the Space Marines.

Special Characters

Lord Commander Solar Macharius

Macharius is a strong character for an Imperial Guardsman. He has a high Ld, and good staying power. His hotheadedness can be at times a winning factor, and at other times can let him down. His hotheadedness also means that he rolls a d6 for strategy rating, and if he rolls a 4+ he will plunge right into the battle, forgetting about pre-battle barrages. Also, if he rolls a 6, no vehicles may be held in reserve, they must all be deployed on the table immediately.

Commissar Yarrick

This is just one very powerful character. His special rules make him one of the best characters you can choose. He can be your army commander, and his Ld 10 makes him a good commander. His force field is very random, deducting anywhere from 1 to 6 from the Strength of the enemy shot. He also has his Bale Eye, his Battle Claw, he is immune to all psychology, he may take up leadership of any unit, and he is an inspirational leader, meaning that if he is out front of the squads, any unit that can see Yarrick will pass any Ld test automatically. He also has an Iron Will that will keep him fighting when most others would have been killed. If he rolls a 1-4 he will carry on fighting, even if he has been reduced to 0 Wounds, but if he rolls a 5-6, he is removed as a casualty.

Nork Deddog, Ogryn Bodyguard

This guy is big, and mean, with a T5. He must always be within 2" of your commander, and if your commander is hit by shooting, Deddog will take the wound if he is within 2".

Captain Al'Rahem of Tallarn

Al'Rahem may be included in any Command HQ instead of the normal Captain for an additional cost. His special wargear makes him a good deal for an army commander. His sword causes fear in the enemy.

Captain Chenkov of Valhalla

Captain Chenkov may be included in any Command HQ instead of the normal Captain for an additional cost. Captain Chenkov has the ability to hold an army together, which means the Imperial Guard player is allowed special rerolls against any Ld based test. At the start of the game, the Imperial Guard player rolls a d6. The score is the number of rerolls he is permitted during the game. In addition, so long as Chenkov is alive, one reroll is added every time the enemy receives Victory Points for wiping out or breaking a unit. Chenkov may be given up to two Wargear cards.

Colonel Shaefer's Last Chancers, Penal Squad

Colonel Shaefer may be given up to three wargear cards, and he may have weapons from the Assault Weapons or Command Weapons sections. Colonel Shaefer may lead a Penal Squad.

The Penal Squad is chosen from the Battle Line section as a normal Imperial Guard Squad. The squad and Colonel Shaefer form a coherent unit and must stay within squad coherency of each other. So long as the Colonel is alive, the squad will automatically pass any Ld-based test. So long as Colonel Shaefer is alive, any member of the penal squad may reroll any miss when shooting and any fumbles in hand to hand combat. The rerolled score must be accepted.

Stumper Muckstart, Ratling Sharp Shooter

Stumper is a sharp shooter extraordinaire, and a master of Infiltration. Stumper may fire d3 shots per turn instead of just one, or as an alternative he can go for one carefully placed shot, not only picking his man, but also finding that weak chink in his target's armour. If the shot hits, then the enemy's armour save is reduced by a further d3 (e.g -2 to -4).

Captain Mogul Kamir

Captain Mogul Kamir can be included in a special Attilan Rough Rider Command HQ. He lost his right eye fighting Orks, and an arm fighting Chaos. He has the Eye of the Falcon, which gives a +1 to all shooting. He also has the Crushing Arm of Kamir, which will do extra damage to the enemy on a special die roll.

Tactics

Choose Veteran abilities based on your style of play and who you think your average opponent will be. Do not try to get too specialized with your Veteran abilities. Instead, try to plan for all contingencies. It is always best to be flexible with your plans and tactics, and this is one of the strengths of the IG army. It is a versatile army, with many things that you can do with it.

Make sure that you include enough command squads to cover the battlefield with Ld zones to increase the morale of your troops.

One obvious tactic to always remember is the pregame bombardment. Do not forget it! And remember, you can count all artillery both on the table and in your reserve. All battlecannons, Earthshaker Artillery, etc.

Also, giving your command squads commlinks can be a great aid to the Imperial Guard.

Choose your targets carefully so that you will do the most damage to your opponent. Commanders, psykers, battle standards, enemy artillery, and tanks are obvious targets, but don't forget those dangerous infantry troops. Anywhere your opponent has massed his troops is a prime target for barrages. The same can be said for your artillery all through the game. Concentrate fire on important targets, do not scatter your fire trying to hit too many targets.

Heavy Weapon squads made up of mortars are great for taking out masses of lightly armoured infantry. These are perfect for taking out other IG, Cultists, Orks, Tyranids, etc.

When you deploy your infantry, set up killing zones where your squads can overlap their firepower and concentrate the firepower of multiple squads on targets. Set up your heavy weapon squads especially in this way. Give these squads Veteran abilities that will aid them in increasing the accuracy of their fire.

An Attilan command squad and squad with Hardened Fighters and standard makes a good assault group. A charge of 16", they fight with a +3 bonus on the first round of combat (+1 for standard, +2 for Hunting Lance), they have a S6 weapon with a -2 save modifier, they may reroll any single attack die, and they cannot be parried. The Hunting Lance can also be used to destroy light vehicles such as those used by Orks.

You can use your Ratlings to worry your opponent and possibly channel his advance into the direction that you want it to go by setting them up in good cover where they will be able to cover an area of the battlefield with their needle sniper rifles.

You can also use some of your command squads as Assault squads by arming them with assault weapons and giving them the right Veteran abilities.

When you are facing armies like the Tyranids, use masses of barrage fire, both pregame and barrages called by commlinks, lots of sustained fire weapons, template weapons, and flame weapons. Weapons like the Demolisher Cannon, Earthshaker Cannon, Heavy Mortar, and mortars are very good choices against the Tyranids. Lay down lots of templates on them and pour all the firepower you can into them.

Arrowhead Blitz

A good tactic with your armour is to blitz them on to the battlefield from a reserve in an arrowhead formation with your most heavily armoured vehicle at the point of the arrow. Your enemy will have to shoot at this heavily armour vehicle due to the targeting rules. This can also be a good formation at slower speeds to advance your tanks while firing. A Demolisher makes a good point vehicle, even though it cannot fire the Demolisher Cannon while moving. It has a lascannon plus two sponson weapons for firepower while moving. Once you have it in position, it can then stop and use the Demolisher Cannon.

Pincers

Often when you are against an enemy that will have expensive troop types a good tactic is to place powerful armour on your two flanks, or better yet, bring them in as reserves and speed across the battlefield so that you can encircle both of the enemy's flanks.

The Pincers Forces will normally be made up of more than one vehicle each.

Hammer and Anvil

Another good tactic is the hammer and anvil. Set up on one flank an anvil. This is a defensive position made up of heavy weapons, infantry in cover with such Veteran abilities as Stealth and Guerilla Fighters, and heavy tanks such as the Demolisher, and then come on from the opposite flank with a blitz of vehicles such as Leman Russes and Hellhounds. Use the hammer to drive the enemy toward your anvil. This is a very good tactic against armies with large numbers of infantry.

The Hammer Force and the Anvil Force will actually be multiple vehicles in most battles.

Tricks for Causing Destruction by Turn Two (or, How to Mess Up Your Opponent's Day)

A dirty trick, if you may, is to put an Ogryn Squad in a Chimera, blitz across the battlefield on turn 1 at Fast Speed, and dump out the Ogryn in amongst your enemy's troops, where they will be within 6" of an important target, and then let rip with ten sustained fire dice from the Ogryn, and five more from the Chimera, for a total of fifteen sustained fire dice in amongst your opponent's troops on turn 1 or 2! The Ogryn will probably take some hits when you dump them out, but they have three Wounds and they will not take more than one each.

Another devastating maneuver to use against your enemy is to blitz a Hellhound, or a squadron of Hellhounds, that has had the heavy bolter replaced by a heavy flamer across the battlefield and into your opponent's battle line on turn one and open up with the heavy flamer and Inferno Cannon.