Rough riders

[Deleted]

I like them but they die so freaking fast. Now I find myself putting them on the chopping block for doctorin points. Weigh in with what you think about them and why. I want feedback from other players on this.

Cheers

[fatuous]

I still haven't finished converting mine, but assume they will die as quick as any other guardsman, so keeping them in cover (don't fleet if the roll is bad, etc.) and maybe go for carapace also would work. Best option may be to take a max sized squad, but only add hunting lances, etc... to a handful of them. Ten leave ur self a few to take as casualties.

[Deleted]

Yeah i like them too, there the only IG CC unit that actually kills stuff in return rather than being a massive pile of flesh roadblock (Ogryns). Although the actual models are crap you can model them pretty easily. Use them as flanking units behind cover there lifespan increases a lot. All in all i like them a lot.

[BobaHat]

Well yes they die fast but what Imperial Guard (non-tank) unit doesn't? I love rough riders. They usually tear a unit to shreds in the first attack turn and then get shot to bits in the second. But I think they are worth their points if used properly.

[Deleted]

Well the few times I have fielded them I have loved what they did.... if they got there. Sometimes cover just is not in your favor. Anyway they are the only IG unit that beats marines in initative even if only on the first turn. Combine that with a hefty strength and shucking the marines right out of their power armor makes them devistating the first time they are used.

Last time I used them my friend had never encountered them before but knew the hunting lances were mean (just not what they did). His marine assault squad came at me and oblitorated the first unit they came accross. I am sure you can all relate to this as from this point it usually turns into "Follow up, jump, kill, follow up, jump, kill" as they roll up your army (something I have seen done to me more than once, hence the rough riders).

His squad was sitting at 6 and a chaplin when I charged in with my mounted lizard unit. 20 lance attacks just above his initative tore the unit to pieces and I lost no one.

So far they seem more like cruise missiles. One shot whammies that make "it" (whatever your it happens to be) go away. Either that or they make a great counter charge unit in case you know your opponent is going to have fast movers.

At 11 a model they seem rather expensive for one shot guardsmen. I would like to turn a unit of them anti tank with some melta bombs but I cant ever see them without lances and so 15pts for a meat puppet that wont be getting armor saves outside of CC is a rather large pill for me to swallow.

Has annyone had success with them as tank hunters? If you are going to be fleeting is a meltagun really worth it since you wont be fireing it?

[twerd]

i enjoy playing with rough riders becuase theyre really good at taking out low armour saves (terminators etc.) so they are really a must have unit for the asssualt phase.

[mardaddy]

I migrated over from playing VOID, and there is a similar mounted unit in the Junkers forces that uses "thermite lances." The VOID versions are anti-armor units; so after I got over the force tasking leap that the mounted IG w/lances are DEFINATELY NOT anti-armor, and used them like other say here - as one shot stoppers for a threatening unit. They seemed to do very well in that role.

I do, however, give one a meltagun just in case I do have to head off some other armor that is more forward-deployed.

[Commissar]

Yeah, RR are tremendous against termies!
Boom!
*Dead termie!*
Tanks too, flank those guys in city fight, oh god, its gonna be ugly!

[sammy1979]

i'm a fan as well normally stuck behind the bigest lump of cover then when the inevitable drop pod/deep strike combo comes right ontop of your smurfy killing bassies or command squad, you get the opertunity to use those hunting lances, though i nfind the one trick ponies die veryeasy after that

[ssgtdude (M.I.A)]

Against enemies that you need to worry about AP they work wonderfully. Such as Zoenthrope...

But then again a battery of Lascannon's do the trick as well.

RR are great for keeping near vulnerable troops to enter combat and make your attack to relieve them from being crushed by a unit you should have hit before they got to your lines, or for hitting that unit that got to your lines before you could react to it. (turn one assault by Eldar, Dark Eldar).

[Commissar]

They are also cool for coming in just in the nick o time to save some guys in combat.