Brand new to IG looking for advice on a 750pt list.

[emmetkt]

First off Hello!

Have to say some excellent info on this site especially the guides on troops and getting started on IA has really helped my understanding of the army.

So I'm new to 40k started playing around March and have built up a nice Tau army which I'm kind of happy with save maybe a few more pathfinders. I'm still learning how to play them properly but I'm just more or less done with the collecting side. I also wanted a second army so that I could get my brother into the game at the moment we play Tau vs tau and its kind boring.

So I went on ebay and just kind bought up a load of already painted models really cheap, not really knowing what I was getting. So far I have got:

1 x Hydra
1 x leman Russ
2 x sentinels
5 x ratlings
3 x heavy weapons squad
1 x cadian command squad
35 x cadian troops
5 x cadian veterans (well i think there are 5 veterans its hard to tell in this photo.... i think its 10 x troops and 5 x veterans?)

Anyway I've got a small amount of money left and I'm wondering what should I go for to make this a functional and well rounded army at the cheapest price.

I was thinking maybe a tank commander and 2 more Russ', a commissar, and 2 priests?

I will be playing against Nids, Tau, Necrons, Blood Angels and Eldar. I'd love your input and if some of the stuff I've got isnt worth usng then please let me know.

[howscat]

It would be helpful to know what weapons everything has. It's a good starting group and there are lots of ways you an field them from what you have. It would be easier for you to figure out a theme or play style that fits you and build your army from there. Getting more tanks and guardsman is always safe and the basic commissar to lead the guardsman blob is a good idea. I would hold off on buying priests until you have more experience with the guard. Do some play testing against different armies and find what you like, then invest in some more models.

[Casiarius]

Tau and Imperial Guard are the two shootiest armies in 40K and they often employ similar tactics. So, you may want to focus on Guard units that are different than what the Tau have, just to keep things interesting.

With the miniatures you have available, you can build a modest-sized infantry blob (an Infantry Platoon with all the squads combined into one big squad). That's a viable basis for an army, though they will tend to stand around a lot and shoot guns (rather like the Tau). You just need some characters to give that blob some backbone, and a Senior Officer to yell orders at them.

I strongly recommend getting at least one Primaris Psyker. They're quite effective in battle and they're very un-Taulike so it will help to make your two forces play differently. Any of the various Sanctioned Psyker models will work for them.

Commissar Yarrick is an excellent character in this codex. He's the only senior officer that is also an independent character, so he can be attached directly to your blob of Guardsmen and run around with them. Normal senior officers are much more breakable and are stuck with a small command squad they can't leave. There is a Yarrick miniature, though any Guardsman with an officer's cap and a power fist can make a suitable stand-in. (Power fists are not cost-effective upgrades for Guard characters so it's unlikely you'll have much need for power fist minis.)

Tank commanders are good, and Pask in particular is nasty, but you must take two Leman Russes so you're dropping about 400 points for the basic unit. How big do you want these forces to be?

There are no veteran Imperial Guard models. You can use whatever Guardsmen you want as vets. Unfortunately you don't have any transports, which limits the usefulness of Veteran Squads as opposed to the large blob of regular Guardsmen on foot. Without any Vets or transports to carry them, this force will have a difficult time holding objectives.

[jenburdoo]

Better to say Veterans are a matter of modeling and background. It's easy enough to denote a model as Veteran, but it feels and looks better if it's modeled that way -- trophies, specialized equipment, or a unique color scheme.

Don't forget that you can easily play with Tau allies, although this may lean you even more towards a static army. It's up to you though.

Welcome to the IGMB, newcomer! (salute)