"Roughnecks" 3rd Cavalry Regiment

[Lhorke The First]

Hello all,

 

After years of hacking and slashing my way across the Imperium with a World Eaters army, I have decided to branch out, take the plunge, and build a Guard army. I think it will be refreshing to play a shooty army for a change!

 

I have nothing against the Cadian, Catachan, or various other regiments out there, but I want to make my army relatively unique. After thinking for a few weeks I've come up with a rough idea. My regiment is raised from a system of loosely unified planets within the Imperium called the New Federal Republic (Not an independent state, just a political entity within the Imperium of Man) consisting of two planets. Each planet has a governor and elected representatives for each continent who meet in the Chamber of Representatives to discuss political matters, trade, etc. The troops raised by the NFR refer to themselves as "Roughnecks" and are equipped with weapons and equipment produced by their industrial world. Additionally, the bulk of these regiments are mechanized cavalry (I plan on running the army as Steel Legion) excelling in rapid assault, reconnaissance, and tank combat. I will be building B Company of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment.

 

In order to represent the unique equipment of the roughnecks, I have ordered components from Anvil Industries and plan to use bits from some other sources.

M17 Plasteel Helmet: Brodie helmets w/ gas masks from anvil

M03 Springfiled Lasrifle: phase carbines from Anvil

M18 Autogun: 28mm BARs i have acquired over the years. I plan to modify them to fit the 40k look more closely.

Salamander Recon Vehicle: possibly and M10 tank destroyer or M3 Stuart tank from Tamiya?

Chimera: GW model

Leman Rus: GW model

 

I've always liked the aesthetic of the Steel Legion and happen to have 20 troops that I acquired about 3 years ago. I've also got 20 DKoK to throw in as well. I plan on running them all as Steel Legion (maybe represent them as advisers to the Roughnecks).

 

Does this sound reasonable? Is Steel Legion the best way to go for a mechanized force?

[Halfpint100]

For mechanised forces either steel legion or Tallarn work best. Steel legions has buffs for both infantry and vehicles. While tallarn heavily buffs your vehicles.

 

Chimeras are expensive though, clocking in at 91 point each with 2 heavy bolters, if you don't want to run them with heavy flamers, I would recommend Tallarn to ignore the heavy penalty

[duz_]

Welcome to the guard!

 

Hrmm what is this elected representitives? Sounds like a breeding ground for heresey....

(Must make note to notify =][= of this NFR system...)

As HP pointed out Tallarn and SL are best for mobile guard.

Although mounted guard in this ed is questionable, given the high cost of transports and increased durability of infantry :)

 

Anvil do some great sculpts! Your idea sounds great though can't wait to see some pics! :) 

[WarriorFish]

Welcome to His Guard :tu: Sounds like you've got it well planned out so looking forward to seeing you get started. As mentioned vehicles are a bit pricier which isn't great for mechanised Guard, but the Steel Legion trait adds value to them nicely. I think it's one of the better regimental traits, more so if you like tanks as you'd expect!

[Tallarn Commander]

Lhorke, welcome to the IG. Ironically, I'm adding a small World Eaters contingent this spring. So we're sort of swapping places.

 

You've already gotten some great feedback, especially the bit about augmenting your mechanized forces with some cheap infantry squads on foot. As a World Eaters player you probably already knw the value of cheap chaff units like Cultists, and the guard also benefits from these units.

 

I look forward to seeing your M10 Salamander Scout kitbash.

[Hatarus]

Welcome to the Guard.

 

i Do think if you want to run Mechanized Infantry with tank support Steel Legion is the best way to go they have some pretty good orders too if you can pull the stuff off

[Lhorke The First]

Thanks for the feedback everybody. I have yet to grab the codex so I am a little unfamiliar with all of the specifics in terms of orders etc. I'm also a pretty casual player and usually do lore driven stuff over competitive gaming. I just want this force to be at least playable. Based on the responses so far I will probably go with Steel Legion for now. 

 

Are there any units that you all feel are auto-includes?

[duz_]

Bullgryns! B)

Lord Commissar with powerfist a close 2nd. :D

[Tirak]

Bullgryns!

Lord Commissar with powerfist a close 2nd.

But why do you want to shoot your own men? :P

 

In all seriousness autoincludes are going to vary depending on your army style. Leman Russes are a very good unit in this edition thanks to Grinding Advance, and we have multiple turrets that are viable. Catachan's will run you the best Battle Cannon Russes, Cadian's field the best Annihilators, Tallarn and Vostroyan's the best Punnishers. Mordians will run you the best reactive Russes and Steel Legion field the best anti Necron Russes.

 

Chimera's should be avoided, they're overcosted too much to be useful, though if you really want to because you think they're cool, go ahead.

 

Conscripts and Commissars should be avoided like the plague. With Chapter Approved, Conscripts now cost the same as regular guard troops so you may as well bring normal guardsmen. Taking either of these units will actively hinder your army bar some very specific playstyles.

 

Manticores are a favorite, though with the price increase they are more difficult to field, their rival the Basilisk is also a very good pick, though both are overshadowed by the wonderful Leman Russ.

[Halfpint100]

I find you need a few things in most games of 8th.

 

Psychic defense/ attack

Redundancy (this unit looks cool, take 3!)

Bodies (objectives and screens)

Good number of orders to squad ratio (hopefully 1 order per unit, but 2 orders per 3 units can also work)

 

And my personal tip: HELLHOUNDS! Burn everything! Auto hitting and explosions are sooo much fun

[Major_Gilbear]

My top tip is sadly more prosaic than others here; get a copy of the Codex and have a read-through first! :P

 

Although you just cannot go wrong with a handful of infantry squads, commanders and Leman Russ tanks, there is a fairly reasonable variety of equipment and weapon choices available to you depending on which regiment you pick to apply to your own forces. Decisions like whether to have sponsons on your Russes or whether to have special and/or heavy weapons in your infantry squads will be influenced by what regiment you choose.

 

Another thing to keep in mind is that you can choose a different Regiment for each of your detachments. I'm not looking to stir the pot of controversy here, so I'll just say that you will do best if it's crystal clear what's what; for example, all your infantry and transports are in one detachment which is Steel Legion, and all your tanks are in a separate detachment which is Tallarn. This is clear and easy to remember (even if the whole army is painted in one style) and doesn't confuse anyone. However, if you have one squad of SL be SL, and a different squad of SL be Catachan for example, it will just be confusing and earn you some choice words from baffled opponents. Having different Regiments between detachments also gives you flexibility to mix and match the different Regimental features to suit your own forces better, and also provides you with more variety between games.

 

Each of the Regiments has different bonuses for your troops and vehicles, and you may well therefore find that some of the less obvious choices can still be interesting. For example, the Steel Legion has bonuses and such that mostly apply to mechanised forces. However, the Catachan bonuses may well provide a tempting alternative if you want to run troop squads in Chimeras with double heavy flamers for example.

 

Finally, don't forget that as well as Chimeras, the Imperial Guard also have access to the Taurox for light transportation. There are also Valkyrie flyers and Stormlord super heavy tanks which can transport troops too.

 

I look forward to seeing your forces when they arrive and you get them painted up!

[Feral_80]

The current state of the game makes long-range fire essentially useless for BS 4+ armies. If you are going to play against players who know their business, avoid all artillery and long-range support. Only Mortars/heavy bolters are still ok because they are so cheap. Avoid other heavy weapons teams, commissars, and pretty much anything with a range of 48" or more.

 

Currently, the (few, actually) great AM units are limited to Hellhounds, Bullgryns, mobile (no heavy) infantry squads, plasma Scions, a few short-range LR variants, and of course officers. This is what keeps us in the competitive game at the moment. Chimeras are actually quite poor, but if you want to use them I'd consider the triple-heavy bolter variant (Forgeworld).

 

Everything of course might change after March. The new round of game adjustments might well screw up some or all of the above, or (less likely) bring back some underperforming units.

[duz_]

 

 

Bullgryns!

Lord Commissar with powerfist a close 2nd.

But why do you want to shoot your own men? :P

 

My Lord Commissar has never killed a Mordian! Too disciplined you see. :D

Witches on the other hand... that's a different matter. ;)

[AstraWlad]

The current state of the game makes long-range fire essentially useless for BS 4+ armies. If you are going to play against players who know their business, avoid all artillery and long-range support. Only Mortars/heavy bolters are still ok because they are so cheap. Avoid other heavy weapons teams, commissars, and pretty much anything with a range of 48" or more.

Well, my own experience is totally opposite: LRBT is a king (Command Tanks with Catachan doctrine) and artillery can be quite useful as well. Mortars are good only when taken in bulk and with Cadian order for re-rolls. 

 

In any case I recommend topic starter to find a way to play some games using proxy or borrowed minis and do his own conclusions. It will be much better than reading forum advice.

[Inso]

Welcome aboard, Lhorke the First :)

 

I always enjoy watching unique armies grow so I am looking forward to a few WIP images of your troops and vehicles.

 

I am not a gamer (just a hobbyist) so my battlefield advice is limited. That said, i have always been an exponent of building an army that you enjoy and learning to field it, rather than building the most rules savvy list and fitting your army into it. That way, you build a bit of an emotional attachment to your troops and are more keen to learn tactics to avoid them all dying, rather than using spam to just tick the boxes. 

 

A good general uses his resources wisely and doesn't have the luxury of picking best of everything.

 

The general rule is that you will always need some infantry to shield your armour.

 

If I was building a mechanised army, I would do it in blocks:

 

1. Command squad with leader attached (could be elite or HQ) and two squads of infantry (all mounted in transport). escort tanks, front and rear (could be LRBT or Hellhound variants).

2. LRBT Squadron (3 tanks with Tank commander in one).

3. Artillery Sqn (3 artillery tanks with an Engineseer/servitors and an additional HQ miniature and possibly a command squad, all in transport).

4. Sentinel sqns/Ratlings/Ogryns/Bullgryns (Add to the infantry block, as required).

 

Just add blocks to each other to build the army. It gives it a solid core and is a more realistic way of putting together an army... Mechanised troops, artillery support, armoured support, recon/auxiliary support.

[Feral_80]

 

 

Well, my own experience is totally opposite: LRBT is a king (Command Tanks with Catachan doctrine) and artillery can be quite useful as well. 

 

 

How so, considering that the strongest armies regularly inflict you -1 to hit (or worse)? That artillery will hit on 5+ base. That terribly expensive LR commander will hit on a 4+ base. And as they get damaged - and they will quickly, because even LR are no that tough really - things will only get worse. some long-range armies shoot better than you and/or inflict -1 hit, so you do not want to engage them from distance. Good assault armies either get -1 hit too or have many ways to infiltrate, so you won't be fighting at a distance either. Add the general suggestion to play with a good amount of line-of-sight blocking terrain, and long range quickly disappears as a priority. Most of my games are played at 24" or under.

 

The only LR I use with some success is the Catachan Conqueror, which again has an effective range of 24". Any other variant seems to struggle to earn back its point.

[duz_]

Lhorke seems to be looking for general intro and not an in-depth discussion on the finer points of the current meta.

 

We have plenty other threads floating around where we discuss that. ;)

[Tirak]

Sadly Conqueror Turrets aren't sold anymore, so trying to get your hands on some for tourneys like Adepticon are nigh impossible

[Lhorke The First]

Wow blown away by all the feedback! I really appreciate it. Went to the local store this afternoon and picked up a LR, and tomorrow I'm borrowing by brother in law's AM codex and doing a little list building. I do really like chimera's, but if they are not necessarily worth the points I may look into fielding a few more cheap infantry squads (possibly play as Valhallans?).  I've got a game coming up in the next couple of weeks in which I will field what I've got. Hopefully I'll get a better idea of how i will want to play. At the moment I've got a LR battle tank and LR punisher along with 40 guardsmen. I've also got twenty on the way from Anvil Industries with all of the desired bitz.

 

I also uncovered my box of old Dust Tactics models. I had a modest Allies force, so I may be able to re-purpose some of it for the guard. I've got a small walker that may work for a sentinel and a USMC officer with two machetes that could represent a company commander.

[duz_]

Gents,

I asked nicely to take the to hit modifiers elsewhere.

Unfortunately it looks like some of you missed the memo.

If you want to continue the discussion please go here:

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/344129-ig-and-to-hit-modifiers/

[Lhorke The First]

I won two lord commissars with bolt pistols and power swords off of ebay for a really low price. I've heard these guys aren't necessarily all that great this addition, but I love the look of this particular model. I to leave one as is and convert the second into a company commander and replace his head with a brodie helmet w/ gas mask.

 

My Anvil Industries parts have shipped and I've got a squad of DkoK Grenadiers primed as well as a LRBT and a LR punisher put together. I'll try and post some pictures of my progress when I get home tonight.

[duz_]

I still like running 1-2 Lord Commissars

They're suprisingly good in CC and their aura buff certainly helps leadership

 

Although you are correct, with the current Errata the summary execution rule is a bit of a liability compared to what it once was. 

As a results, regular commissars have no real redeeming qualities at the moment.

[Halfpint100]

Lord commissars look so good. Plus guard can afford so many units that some can be for fun rather than 100% competitive units

[Lhorke The First]

Ok so my Anvil order and ebay commissars both came in yesterday. I've put together a few of the Anvil troops and I must say they are probably some of the best minis in terms of quality I have ever worked with. I will definitely be ordering a lot more from them.

 

Sorry for the really poor quality photos, the two light bulbs in my apartment are shot (going to the hardware store today) so I'm having to rely on the camera flash for any light.

 

All of the Anvil troops I had time to assemble plus my two Russ tanks.

Line sergeant

Sniper rifle and heavy stubber

Bayonets!

 

Additionally, here is some stuff I've had for a little while now.

 

Dust Tactics marine officer with dual machetes. I was thinking about using him as a company commander, but I'm not so sure that he will fit with the rest of the army.

Marine leading some Death Korps Grenadiers.

 

I'm thinking the uniform paint scheme will be winter combat themed. I will probably go with white overcoats with OD green pants/undershirt and either OD or camo helmets.

This is the kind of camo pattern I was thinking for the helmets (not my photo, pulled it off of google images).

 

 

 

 

[Lhorke The First]

Newly assembled squad led by Sgt. York

 

Heavy stubber gunner and sniper

 

 

Count-as scout sentinel

 

Count as scions. I'll be fixing the base issue soon.

 

Also played my first game as Astra Militarum today. It was an open play narrative game against my friend's Death Guard army consisting of mostly poxwalkers along with Typhus and a few other buffing characters. I pretty much just took along any units that I had as my army is not all that substantial yet. I had six 10 man guardsman squads, a leman russ battle tank, a leman russ punisher, a scout sentinel, and a commissar. I ran them as Steel Legion. That 18" rapid fire range came in handy.

 

We were fighting over four objectives on the board. After slugging it out, my guardsmen controlled two and the Death Guard controlled two, resulting in a draw.

 

We both had a good time trying out new and unfamiliar armies and I was able to make plans for some future acquisitions.