IG heavy weapons teams

[Deleted]

having just returned to warhammer 40k after a 3 year lull, i decided to start me up a brand spanking new IG army (i fancied something a bit more interesting than the basic bold space marine colour schemes, but still a basically humanoid army).
As you've probably guessed im a bit more into painting than gameing, but chiefly because ive never done it properly, and my old space marines were 'wow this model looks cool' not 'wow this will own some *insert race here*.
I was wondering which of the heavy weapon options people prefered and why, as im naturaly inclined to go for a heavy bolter, cause it looks cool, but in game terms do any of the options have a clear advantage over the other?
Cheers for your help
Chris

[majorjav]

Before all, welcome mate!!
As for heavy weapons, I like them all!!!
Heavy bolter: cheap and lots of shots.
Autocanon: 2 shots, good range and good strength
Missile launcher: very versatile
Lascanon: good strength, low AP, good range
Mortar: good against swarm armies but quite weak and fun!!

In game terms, I would better go for missile launchers and autocanons mostly are they are versatile to destroy light and medium vehicles. Some heavy bolters for swarms and lascanons for tough targets...
So in my opinion, take a bit of everything or restrict to certain heavy weapons according to fluff...

Hope that helps!

[Deleted]

cheers mate, that helps alot! My basic fluf is a military police style army, flown in to quash really nasty riots and small uprisings of non human thingies, so in terms of fluff im not really limiting myself - they can use heavy bolters, 'cause when they crush a riot, they really crush it, lascanon, autocanon, misile's and mortars can be put down to building/baracade clearing. The only thing im not allowing myself are conscripts, incase they revolt half way through the riot and chop all my goodies to bits, and possibly sentinals, cause there useful, but im not too keen on the look of them (also might strugle manuvering in a riot situation, as opposed to a tank which wouldnt bother manuvering at all)!
Somewhere along the line, i hope to convert some rough riders, give them sheilds and the like and use cadain models rather than the rough rider models, to form some kind of mounted unit!
anyway, this is going off topic, but i think for my first set of three il go for the autocanon, as a bit of an all round weapon.
thanks again!

[Commissar]

I say heavy bolter, it looks fanceh...and it gets many shots, aside from that, the missile launcher, urban combat fear me!

[Deleted]

Police force eh? i would go for heavy weapons. Fluff wise, its great. I wouldnt use the autocannon because its used more for anti-armour rather than mere rioters and demonstrators.

as for painting wise...r u gna be doing an urban style? pavements/ruins/sandbags...cos heck thats gonna be awesome

[majorjav]

So Military police force!! great! It would be thus better to take only missile lauchers and heavy bolters as they are the weapons used by the arbites...
Could you tell us your doctrines?

[Commissar]

You could use the autocannon, I mean, its like a massive anti-tank rifle that can pretty much smoke anything.
But, what about snipers?

[shockwave]

Looking for riot supression?? Mortars they cause pinning! Also Heavy bolters.

[Woz]

My Infantry squads have ML's but I take Auto cannons in my HW squad. I prefer the extra range and the higher strength makes it useful against all but the most heavily armoured armour.

[Deleted]

i figured autocannons could be justified in blowing open doors and attacking baracades and this kind of thing! missile launchers are an option for hw squad two, but i fancy playing around with somehting new for starters.
snipers...hehe, me loves them! theres definitely gonna be more than one of them roaming the streets, and as for the paintjob, its black, drybrushed with somethingorother blue, to give it a tint of 'copper with codex grey armour, apart from the right shoulder pad, which is painted red (cant decide on blood or gore yet) to give it that mp feel! Ended up using bronzed flesh for the face and hands, wheras by the sounds of things most people use the dwarf/elf combo, cause i like the rugged and dirty look it gives with a black undercoat! very definitely urban themed, and no knives/ammo and waterbottle pouches either! i dont know why, but i prefer it that way, and il probably end up making a 'stores stash' on a larger base with one or two men on guard detail around it....hmm, too many idea's!

[Deleted]

Riot/military police guardsmen? Sweet! (Wish I had thought of that). I's say grenade launchers for special weapons, for teargas, smoke, and good 'ol frag.

[fatuous]

Personally I love Autocannons and take at least 1 sqaud. Missile launchers are also great and versatile. I tend to keep Heavy bolters for my infantry squads.

U cant go wrong with mortars tho, they look cool, and are an Imp Guard only weapon that are so much fun to use. Not as useful against foes with decent armour and Ld tho.

[Deleted]

yep, my nade launchers are fully cleaned up, and halfway through being painted. Been in hospital all weekend, which has slowed down progress somewhat, but my first platoon is very very nearly ready for gaming. might need a bit of touching up paints wise, but il do that after ive built some tanks....tanks *drools*
getting a bit frustrated with the amount of cleaning im having to do on my ig figures though! seriously, i swear i didnt do half as much on my old sg's! ah well, we suffer for our art...or something like that??
Morters...hmmmm i dunno, im quite tempted to take some because there ig only, and i feel i ought to support the cause (know what a mean..?) but having said that, the only geezers i can think off with really rubbish armour and pretty poo ld are...impy guards? maybe orks? but mainly imp guards....hmmmmm
we shall see!

[Deleted]

Mortars are cool but they are generally pointless against MEQs, which is what I generally play. I put heavy bolters in my infantry platoons, because having 8 guys stand around while the HW team fires 1 BS3 lascannon shot at a vehicle seems pointless. I keep my infantry platoons for fighting infantry, and rely on support for taking out vehicles.

[Deleted]

my platoons arnt having heavy weapons support at all (as in, they'l be made up of guardsmen with lasguns - even the srg's [there gonna get slaughtered in CC anyway, why waste the shots just so tey get slaughtered a bit less]) the hw squads will be independant, and hopefully supported by some sentinals or something to stop them getting charged and dead'd. hmmm. incidentally, i know everyone loves doctrines, and i genuinely think that there a good way to get individual and unique, but as someone whose not used to using ig, reckon anyone'l mind if i just field standard armies, until i find what units i like and want to get doctrines specialising in?? the vibes im getting at my local gw is that its not worth it, cause your army wont be specialised enough and will get slaughtered..??

[Deleted]

in my squads i usually go for the heavy bolter since i am a firm beleiver in accuracy by volume.

that said i usually bring a ML squad with my command and give them sharp shooters.

[Rolling Thunder]

It dose'nt pay to put you heavy weapons all into concentrated squads. Those squads die faster than six lemmings sprinting accross a minefield to even the lightest firepower. Take 'em with normal infantry (The nine-man flak jacket technique). Then your enemy won't know who to shoot. Then he'll charge. then he'll die.
(If you can't see us, its because we're behind you.)

[ssgtdude (M.I.A)]

Basic rule of thumb. Superior fire power... It doesn't matter what your ballistic skill is if you have lots of weapons. Sooner or later you will hit something. the game is nothing but numbers and odds. The more you throw at the enemy the more they are going to have to deal with the loss of a lot of folks. beat down through superior ammunition. beat em down by putting lots of the same weapons together. (lascannons, Autocannons, Heavy Bolters) Group them with like weapons. The odds increase.

If you look at it with the Ballistic skill of your basic guards man the chance of him hitting something is 50% so half the shots you throw will hurt someone. Most of the weapons only have a 50% chance of hurting most armies as well. So you then look at it like this: 6 shots 3 hits 1 wound, 12 shots 6 hits 3 wounds. 20 shots 10 hits 5 wounds). this goes on and on...

With the guard you can do this because you have the numbers.

Considering you have a lower armor than other armies you need to put these units into cover. That way when they are shot as lemmings you have the chance to survive it. Nothing beats a 4 up cover save from ruins.

[Commissar]

I like to use bolters and MLs.
Its a great combo and I loves it!
Also a few teams of lascannons to handle heavys.

[Deleted]

You could consider having a tank or 2 in your list. I just recently read a bit of fluff where part of a planetary defence force was rebelling and their armoured might was pounding an arbrites precint to rubble. It turned out the arbrites had a couple of tanks stored in one of the precint's outer buildings and they were to be used in a situation such as this.

[Commissar]

Yeah, I got tanks.
Chimeras are cool...
Mobile pill boxes.

[twerd]

hehe yeah and having a lasscannon team in your armoured fist squard can pop out to nail tanks to ahh life is good agian in the imperial guard

[Deleted]

Ever thought about veterans armed with shotgun!? fits the fluff right? imagine a squad of these guys bursting open a door and swarming it SWAT style, taking out all hostiles in the way, etc. Great for other fluff too, close quarter fire fights, that military police feel...think about it, SHOTGUNS. =D

[knight (M.I.A)]

That will be an expensive Forgeworld order...

[Deleted]

i would defiently recommend useing the mortar. its great when you get 3 direct hits and alot of partials. just keep rolling and somethings bound to die.

sentinels would actually be great in urban combat to give the troops support where tanks cant go.

if your looking for rough rider models may i suggest the empire horse, yeoman legs, cadian torsos heads, brettonian shields and high elf silver helm arms and lances with grenades attached to the end for hunting lances.

doctrines i would really suggest iron discipline to keep your men from running, and close order drill. its free and it actually suits your fluff i would think