The Tactica of the Guard

[Deleted]

I started loving the Guard in Dawn of War: Dark Crusade. I simply loved the lines and lines of Guardsmen freeming away with their Lasguns and dropping the forces of xenos and chaos alike!

But as I stare at the stats of my real, table-top Guardsmen, I'm at a loss as to what I should do. When I make a plan to battle the Tau, I see myself losing to Chaos. When I try to battle the Space Marines in my head, I find myself losing to the Necron.

I don't have the money to buy a ton of options and switch them when the situation calls for it. I also don't have the time to paint 5000 pts worth of models!

Is there any way to put together a Guard army that can match each other army equally?

[Turtleboy(AWOL)]

tanks.

that's the short answer.

the strong unit in the IG are the battle tanks. a basilisk is also a strong option. a hellhound is strong as well, but more situational.

if you take 3 heavy support choices full of armor then you'll move up a rung as far as your overall army strength. yes tanks might not be optimized vs. all opponents but they're at least decent vs all opponents which will enable your army to succeed as an 'all rounder' list that's able to take on any opponent and stand a chance.

the infantry is the weak side of the guard but can be employed in certain situations to actually be more effective than tanks. chances are that as you play, you will begin to identify these situations/opponents and start filling in the heavy weapon squads in your command platoon as time passes. till then, rely on your tanks.

hope it helps!

[Warmaster Stabwhiskers]

TB does have what it takes to be a guard player, trust mi, he's like a god amongst nerds, no pun or offense intended! ;D imma nerd miself. But yes, the armour is what packs the punch in the guard. Another option is specialisation in ur unit options. Tactics are more important than brute force, pen, my friend, is always mightier than the sword, but a baneblade helps! lol im kiddin bout the Baneblade part, but when yu engage an enemy, try to make sure yu prioritize yur targets, those that seem to get too close to ur line, take them out first, but watch if ur enemy tries to flank or engage yur counter units.

[Deleted]

All right. Now, then, next question-

Ratio of squishies to elites? Should I try to overwhelm with basic troops or try to surgically strike with a lot of elite Kasrkin, Ogryn, and/or Hardened Vets?

Also, what Doctrines are awesome and which are crap? I'm kinda leaning towards this set-up:

Light Infantry/Jungle Fighters
Hardened Fighters
Iron Discipline
Conscript Squads
Ogryn Squads.

[twerd]

i'd go with the light infantry as the option to deep strike is extremly cool having entire platoons of guard drop down and create another fire base

[Deleted]

Light infantry only get to infiltrate to my knowledge

[Deleted]

I took a look at the Ogryn once more. 3 wounds is nice, but I think it'd be better if I fielded more heavy weapons via Sents.

Here's my new list:

Light Infantry
Hardened Fighters
Independent Commissars
Iron Discipline
Conscript Squads

Attach the Comm's to my Conscripts squads, load them down with Flamers, use them as cheap shock troops while my Sentinel's laz0rs go pew pew pew!

[fatuous]

I vote tanks and cheap infantry over special troops. If i was starting an army again from scratch I'd get 2 hellhounds, a couple of lemanrusses and loads of infantry.

If u take normal platoons, u will have at least 55 guys in ur army, add a couple of heavy weapons squads and ur up to nearly 70 guys.

Missile launchers are probably the most verstatile HWs so I'd prob start with a squad of them, and either heavy bolters or autocannons, I love autcocannons .

Mortars are great weapons, but if u want verstility then maybe not the best option. I try to always use them in 2 sqauds of 3.

Add a few docs and that lot would prob take u up to 2kish.

Ogryns are prob not the best option if u want a versatile army. They are good, but v expensive, and not all that great in close combat. Rattlings are much cheaper and can be really effective, I love em, but are more effective against some armies than others. Always good for shooting up rhinos tho

Chem inhalers are really good, with a HSO, commisaar and vox net, ur squads will be really tough to break, even in close combat, they prob won't run.

Sharp shooters is sooo useful, especially on HW teams.

Light Infantry or drop troops does make ur army alot more unpredicatable, altho I haven't really managed to get them to work too well.

Carapace does make ur guys last longer, but really adds to the cost of a unit. Nice to have an armour save tho .

If u ever have a free doctrine, always take close order drill or/and drop troops, cos they're free .

Easiest and cheapest way to tailer ur army, is to have multiple special weapons, get one of each, and switch them for different games. Plasma for tough troops like marines, flamers for nids and orks.

sry, bit of a long one....

[Deleted]

Posted by fatuous

Easiest and cheapest way to tailer ur army, is to have multiple special weapons, get one of each, and switch them for different games. Plasma for tough troops like marines, flamers for nids and orks.

This is exactly what I wanted to know! Thanks!

Also, what are the uses of Sents? I was thinking of using them to tie up ranged infantry, but with their light armor, I might be just wasting potential HW platforms.

[dethklok]

well it depends on what you want to do. I used to use the Sents as moving turrets and give them scatter lasers which is potentially devastating to infantry. The Anti Tank setinal is alright just a fast las cannon is all. the Catachan pattern is awesome in the City cause it is a fast heavy flamer. The Cadian pattern is the ideal heavy fire support which is alright you have 6 S7 Ap4 shots being generated and thats nothin to scowl at. And finally i come to the mars pattern one of my favs. 12 shots being generated from a squad of 3 is pretty good if you ask me.

And just a little side note. if you plan on useing meltas there is no need to by the metal ones you can just cut up the flamer and boom instant melta. if you like i can give you a run down on how.

Cheers, Dethklok

[Deleted]

-snip-

Read my codex ::thumps forehead:: Coulda had a V8...engine!

[Deleted]

Ok well my suggestion is too just go out there and start gaming. No general (especially IG ones) ever got good from not getting first-hand experience. Yull probably lose a couple of times, but dont get discouragcause yu will improve. This also goes for video games too.

[Deleted]

Bill555's has the right idea, really. You need to go out and experiment, and find what you enjoy. Even a few games will teach you a lot and you'll be able to draw out more from advice as you can relate to some of it. If you enjoy infantry you can be directed towards some more detailed advice on that, if you enjoy tanks and so on and so on. But unfortunately no army can ever be good against everything...

(on a side note, I am kind of curious for more details on these plastic melta guns...)

[dethklok]

the plastic metal gun is easy pm me and i will give you the instructions [if i can find em]

[Deleted]

IDEA GET!

I'll just buy six sentinels and magnetize the weapons so I can switch them out when I need them, that way I can build my squads around a central idea and leave the options to my Sents.

[Deleted]

cool, cool, sounds like a great idea. But definilty get extra armour, cause those sentinels will be dust after a couple of lascannon rounds (or other races equivalent)

[Deleted]

I've got a Leman Russ. Thought I'd get a Hellhound. I'm not too big on armor. The Sents are basically there to act as highly mobile HWTs.

[Deleted]

my point remains, but it sounds like a cool idea

[Deleted]

bill555 said:

Ok well my suggestion is too just go out there and start gaming. No general (especially IG ones) ever got good from not getting first-hand experience. Yull probably lose a couple of times, but dont get discouragcause yu will improve. This also goes for video games too.

I agree. Keep playing! Learn from your mistakes.

Also I think Guard works best in numbers. They're paint scheme is that of the Soviets for a reason. Numbers. Quantity > Quality. The Quality of Quantity. Then again this is what I think, and I don't win that much.

[Commissar]

Guard rellies on tactics.
That and doctorines!

[Rolling Thunder]

Or, if you want my opinion (which you probably don't) you give your line infantry both spec and heavy weapons, some kind of extra survivability doc (carapace or cameoline) and waste your enemies from long distance, and when they get close you waste them at close distance.

[Mabus]

And what happens when they come up against Tau? I'll tell you they get absolutley slaughtered due to mass pulse rifle fire!

[Commissar]

Nope, then you take some heavy artillery, get your damned men into some serious cover and blow those hoofed freaks outta their fortress!

[Deleted]

I've got a de-Chaos'd Basilisk and another one on the way for me Birthday. Also got a Leman Russ. So I'm pretty set for armor. Use the Leman to run raise hell and stick a squad each around the Basilisks, which will be usually set up on two flanks, so he can't take all my artillery out with one group of deep-strike Termies.

Also gonna go for very cheap Guard. Going to avoid any sort of defensive upgrades, focus on putting out as much lead, las, and plasma as possible. Dakka dakka dakka!

Also, ChimOgryn FTFW

[Rolling Thunder]

Against tau you either
a) sit in heavy cover with cameoline and obliterate them with griffons, hellhounds and masses Ap4 heavy weapons,or
b) Deepstrike in using highconcentrations of shortranged weapons and tear a hole in their plastic asses.or
c) My fave. a combo of the two...