Chem inhalers and how they vex me

[Deleted]

The chem inhaler doc is one that I really find amusing/enjoyable. The idea that my army has been using dangerous chemicals to enhance combat effectivness is something that I most likely would do as an evil overlord.

What I really enjoy about them is the fact that it keeps my guys around, giving my army a better chance to surpress the enemy. Lets face it, an IG squad shot at by a unit of marines is going to be making a break check. God help them if they are hit by anything that gives leadership penilties.

Now as much as I love them and how they keep my men grounded I have come accross a disturbing trend. If I get changed into hand to hand combat my guys do exactly what I have been saying, they stay around. The chem inhalers keep them from suffering all the LD penilties for being outnumbered, and being below half strength. The only problem with this is that to few are left thus ON MY TURN get slaughtered. This means my opponent gets a consolodation move that much closer to me and then on HIS TURN move up and assaults something else.

Without chem inhalers my guys would break and run/die on the turn they get assaulted allowing me to double tap/rapid fire into that unit on my turn. At the very least it would allow me to turn heavy weapons onto them and tear something up.

Even against genestealers this happens. The stealers kill everything they can but never get the whole squad. My guys take a deep breath, smile, and float forward in the consolodation move.

Chem inhalers are great, I prefer them over iron dis and diehards. If you are to play with them you will have to understand that if you get assaulted you need counter assault units ready and waiting, otherwise your guys are just meat shields.

[Commissar]

Yeah, they work well for those reasons, but i never cared for them.
I would sooner field ogryns.
My gods...25 bucks an ogryn...sickening...
Anywho, I might end up using chem inhalers.

[Rolling Thunder]

Good idea incoming..... (light bulb appears above head). Ogryns with chem-inhlaers!

[knight (M.I.A)]

Erm you get assaulted as IG?! I never get assaulted, I assault first with a suicide squad. Life is cheap in the Guard and you should use it a the best way possible. So if you charge, your opponent first loses his attacks for charging. Since your guys won't run away, they'll stay in CC until the opponents turn and will get slaughtered then. And now your opponent has a problems since he is in rapid fire range of loads of flashlights...

[Deleted]

you said it knight, anyways, ive never actually tried that special equipment, i might try it out in a game, see what happens

[Deleted]

ogryns cant take chem inhalers. I wish they could, but they're not "IG Infantry."

Counter-assault units are a must, regardless of what you do (in my own humble opinion).

[knight (M.I.A)]

There is no line that restricts chem-inhalers for any troop types.
Every unit has to take chem-inhalers. Regardless they're guard infantry, ogryns, ratlings, techpriests, or rough riders.
Everyone unit that isn't a vehicle has to take chem-inhalers.

[Deleted]

you, sir, are correct. there isn't anything in the codex forbidding non IG infantry from taking chem inhalers.

my bad.

[Commissar]

Wow, ogryns with chem inhalers...die hard!

[Rolling Thunder]

thats what they are... the IA renegades list has ogryns with similar abilities to arco-flagellents thanks to thier chem-inhalers...

[Turtleboy(AWOL)]

knight hit it spot on with his tactic, but there's also another thing to mention: remnant squads! if you're going to be assaulted, let a remnant squad be the one to jump out and take it in the grill. they can be small enough that the enemy will kill em to a man and get their massacre move and be left open to your massed rapid fire in the next turn (and now you charge them with a full squad so that you utilize the tactic that knight explained).

all this is well and good, but ultimately hard to pull off in the commonly non-moving formations of the IG main battle line and it is where, ultimately, I point to mylesproweers post about the necessity of counter assault units in the IG army - man, that should be in big bold neon lettering, in my opinion, or get it's own topic or something, cuz it really is that important.

since I'm commonly found with the cadian doctrines, I typically use conscripts. but with chem-inhalers, that's kinda like putting a little counter-attack in all your squads...not much, but just a little. the tactic knight explained is really how you want to use chem inhalers to perform in a counterattack capacity. when you're looking at everything you're going to do in a turn, and the enemy is within 12", you MUST designate which squad is going to suicide charge (or squads in the case of enemy termies or something ultra-killy like that) and set them aside FIRST. don't even think about their firepower and 'losing' it in the shooting phase. just write them off at the outset of the turn.

vs. those complicated units that may well chew thru a whole squad in a round (even not on the charge), you may want to send 2 squads in. these squads can tend to be slower (terminators) at times so fleeing from them with the rest of your dudes isn't a bad idea if you're positioned to rain massed heavy weapon fire on them from a neighboring firebase. just do the carrot on the stick and keep the enemy chasing your retreating dudes. know that if your dudes are caught, they'll do one thing, and that is stall the enemy and buy time for the rest of your guys to get a head start at fleeing laterally across the table towards your next firebase.

good luck

[Rolling Thunder]

If you want us to find this counterassault post, pray put a link in to it so we can find it.....

[knight (M.I.A)]

Like Tboy said squads that are chosen for that are stats (veterans know what I'm talking about)
Its unlikely that a squad will survive, if it should somehow survive its great for now, but you should either leave them where they are or get them away back to your main batteline (and watch those nasty bikers, there is nothing more ugly then a squad of bikers that moves 12", assaults another 6", massacres a squad and moves another 3" or 4"). Such an incident could really hurt your plans and troops.

Rolling Thunder there have been loads of counter attack threads until now. And all said the same like TB and me already said in this post.

[Deleted]

Guard Infantry consists of officers any attached advisors, anti tank squads, fire support squads, special weapon squads, mortar squads, hardend vets, Infantry platoons, and armored fist squads. (p 55 IG codex)

With that said under chem inhalers (p57) it states "... any guard infantry unit..."

Regretably it does not allow Ogryn to use them. If I could use them for my Big Uns I would. Alas they must be just to dull witted to force brain eatting chemicals on. Hate to see an ogyn on withdrawls and nothing but time on his hands

[knight (M.I.A)]

Not in my codex (German) and not in any errata (English & German). I even phoned the guys in red and asked in my local GW store and all told me the same: Chem-inhalers aren't restricted.

Only restriction I got is "May not be combined with Iron Dicipline and Die Hards."

[Deleted]

just an FYI.If it is like carapace armour( a regimental doctrine) then all have to have it.i don't have the dex close to me but i'm pretty sure it is.