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Making Unorthodox Armies Work
By Ross Watson
Squig-at-Large
One of the cool aspects of the new Codex: Imperial Guard
is that it contains such a wide variety of options for unit choices
and tactical emphasis. Never before have Imperial Guard players
had such an opportunity to customize their army. Add in such elements
as the doctrine choices and nearly any kind of human-oriented force
can be built with Codex: Imperial Guard.
The beauty of this flexibility is that it allows you to go way
beyond the standard footslogger miniatures. The doctrines available
in the Codex give you the ability to legally field such armies as
Adeptus Mechanicus Skitarii, Tau Human Auxiliaries, and the evil
Blood Pact.
Many of the classic Imperial Guard units (such as the Mordians
and the Tallarn) and their own special doctrine choices have recently
been showcased in White Dwarf. We thought we might inspire
you with some less conventional concepts. Below, you will find several
ideas for armies utilizing the new unit doctrines options.
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ADEPTUS MECHANICUS
ARMY
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A
Tech-Priest Enginseer directs the forces of Mars.
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Mars, the premiere Forge World of the Imperium, is home to the
Adeptus Mechanicus. Devoted to the cult of the Machine God, the
priesthood of Mars deifies technology and has thereby become its
sole custodian. Their Forge Worlds are scattered throughout the
galaxy, and crank out arms and other industrial products under the
protection of the great Titan Legions.
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RESTRICTED TROOPS:
Enginseers
The army can now include Tech-Priest
Enginseers.
ALTERNATE ORGANIZATION:
Mechanized
Infantry must be entirely mounted
in Chimeras.
SKILLS AND DRILLS:
Sharpshooters
Infantrymen have been enhanced with
targeters.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Carapace armour
Infantrymen have Carapace armour
instead of Flak armour.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Cyber-Enhancement
Infantrymen have a 6+ invulnerable
save.
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The Adeptus Mechanicus also deploy Explorator Fleets to scour
the galaxy for lost technical knowledge. The armies of Mars
that accompany such expeditions are known as the Skitarii.
Obviously, officers and veteran sergeants in this army will
have Bionics, and Master-Crafted wargear would likely be present
as well. The Sharpshooters doctrine accounts for the
targeting systems that are built into the soldiers, while
the Special Equipment: Cyber-Enhancement and Carapace
armour doctrines correspond to systems designed to keep
the soldier alive.
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The Adeptus Mechanicus can field a great number of vehicles if
they wish, so the Mechanized doctrine makes sense and keeps
the Skitarii mobile. Of course, Tech-Priest Enginseers accompany
each expeditionary force to oversee any discoveries that are made.
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NECROMUNDA
SPIDERS ARMY
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Years
of brutal gang warfare yield valuable (albeit unruly) troops
on the battlefield.
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One of the many Imperial Guard regiments with a long and proud
history is the Necromunda 8th, “The Spiders.” Necromunda
is a Hive World, and large gangs control many of the planet’s
industrial resources. “The Spiders” recruit heavily from
the Spider Clan of the Palantine Hive Complex, known for producing
some of the hardiest and most aggressive soldiers in the Imperium.
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RESTRICTED TROOPS:
Conscript Platoons
The army can now include Conscript
Platoons.
RESTRICTED TROOPS:
Sanctioned Psykers
The army can now include Sanctioned
Psykers.
RESTRICTED TROOPS:
Priests
The army can now include Priests.
SKILLS AND DRILLS:
Veterans
May include more than one Hardened
Veteran Unit.
SKILLS AND DRILLS:
Light Infantry
A squad can become adept with stealthy
tactics.
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The Conscripts doctrine represents hive gang Juves
(new recruits) that are often found on Necromunda, while the
Veterans doctrine symbolizes the hive gangers themselves,
many of whom have been involved in more battles than the average
soldier. The Sanctioned Psykers doctrine represents
the many Psykers (known as Wyrds) who often haunt the hives
of Necromunda, while the Priests doctrine illustrates
the large amount of Redemptionist cultists on the planet.
Hive gangers from Necromunda are also skilled at avoiding
rival gangs, Arbiters, and other threats in the underhive,
so the Light Infantry doctrine seems appropriate as
an example of those stealth skills.
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BLOOD PACT
ARMY
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Blood
Pact troopers wear fearsome masks to strike terror in their
foes.
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Among the various dread forces of Chaos, there are entire armies
of Imperial Guard who have fallen under the influence of the Ruinous
Powers. One of the most skilled and feared of these traitor armies
is known as the Blood Pact. Consisting of highly trained, vicious
soldiers, the soldiers of the Blood Pact know no fear or hesitation.
They have overrun entire worlds and caused the forces of the Imperium
no small amount of suffering and woe.
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SKILLS AND DRILLS:
Iron Discipline
Infantrymen can survive longer in
battle.
SKILLS AND DRILLS:
Die Hards
Being outnumbered doesn't affect
the unit.
SKILLS AND DRILLS:
Hardened Fighters
Infantrymen have a better WS value.
ALTERNATE ORGANIZATION:
Grenadiers
Stormtrooper squads are commonplace.
SKILLS AND DRILLS:
Veterans
May include more than one Hardened
Veteran Unit.
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Blood Pact soldiers are well known for their fearlessness
– the Iron Discipline and Die-Hards doctrines
represent that quality well. The Blood Pact troops are also
cruelly cunning warriors, and the Hardened Fighters
doctrine symbolizes these skills. Finally, the Blood Pact
includes vast numbers of troopers who are the equal of even
the finest Imperial Guardsmen – the Grenadiers
and Veterans doctrines represent that fact. The Blood
Pact has been extensively featured in many of Dan Abnett’s
Gaunt’s Ghosts novels from the Black Library.
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TAU GUE'LA
AUXILIARY ARMY
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As
the Tau expand their fledgling empire, unlikely allies are
added to their armies.
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principle, the Greater Good makes no distinction between Tau and
other races. Thus, the expanding Tau Empire has incorporated races
they have encountered into their society and even military. Humans
(known as Gue’la in the Tau tongue) who have accepted the Greater
Good now serve along the border as auxiliary infantry.
Since the Gue’la have yet to prove themselves, they have limited
access to advanced Tau technology like pulse weapons and hover vehicles.
However, they do have some Tau equipment and parts (you could even
modify a Sentinel with a few Battlesuit bitz to represent this).
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SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Carapace armour
Infantrymen have Carapace armour
instead of Flak armour.
SKILLS AND DRILLS:
Close Order Drill
Infantrymen have been trained in
close combat.
SKILLS AND DRILLS:
Xeno-Fighters
Infantrymen are trained to tackle
specific alien threats.
RESTRICTED TROOPS:
Special Weapon Squad
The army can now include Special
Weapon Squads.
RESTRICTED TROOPS:
Heavy Weapon Platoon
The army can now include Heavy Weapon
Platoons.
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The Special Equipment: Carapace armour represents modified
Fire Warrior armour made available by the Tau regulars. Gue’la
auxiliaries are trained to Tau standards, symbolized by the
Close Order Drill doctrine. Tau Water Caste merchants
ensure a steady flow of black-market weaponry from the Imperium,
illustrated by the availability of Special Weapons Squads
and Heavy Weapons Platoons. Finally, the Tau Empire’s
most determined foes at present are the Orks -– the
Xeno-Fighters doctrine represents the auxiliary’s
experience defending the border.
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GENESTEALER
CULT ARMY
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Tim
has converted some Genestealer Hybrids for his Veteran Sergeants.
He also adapted many Mordheim and Necromunda models to represent
the brood brothers and cultists!
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Tim “Hivemind” Huckelbery of the US Marketing Team designed
a themed army based on the Genestealer Cult from past 40K incarnations.
He found that Codex: Imperial Guard could be adapted to accurately
depict such an unconventional army.
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RESTRICTED TROOPS:
Conscript Platoon
The army can now include Conscript
Platoons.
SKILLS AND DRILLS:
Hardened Fighters
Infantrymen have a better WS value.
SKILLS AND DRILLS:
Veterans
May include more than one Hardened
Veteran Unit.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Chem-Inhalers
Infantrymen have a better chance
with Leadership checks.
RESTRICTED TROOPS:
Heavy Weapon Platoon
The army can now include Heavy Weapon
Platoons.
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For his army, Tim chose doctrines that closely match common
attributes of a Genestealer Cult. The Conscripts doctrine
represents the recent Brood Brother recruits inducted into
the cult. The Special Equipment: Chem-Inhalers doctrine
doesn’t mean that the troopers wear any actual equipment.
Instead, the effects of Chem-Inhalers are used to represent
the control of the Hivemind over the cult members. The Veterans
doctrine is used to indicate how many Genestealer Hybrids
have grown from long-standing members of the cult. The
Restricted Troops: Heavy Weapon Platoon indicates that
the cult has infiltrated the highest echelons of the planetary
government and can thus acquire this weaponry.
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Brood Brother fanaticism is easily matched by the Hardened Fighters
doctrine, and the presence of Heavy Weapons Platoons indicates that
this cult has reached far into the planetary government to the point
they can acquire such weaponry.
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