Charge of the light brigade! (Rough Riders?)

[Deleted]

So, I'm starting a Guard army, and as I'm sure you are all aware, that means painting loads and loads of cheap-as-dirt infantry. With 2-3 hours of painting time on each guy (yeah, I'm crazy, I know) that means that I'll be painting Guard infantry for a completely unreasonably long time, and so to break it up a bit, I'm considering putting together a squad of Rough Riders on the side. That way, when I tire of painting cookie-cutter miniatures, I can take a break and have some fun converting/painting a cavalier.

However, before spending time and money on this project, I'd like to know if they're any good on the gaming table. I tried the seach function, as well as flipping through quite a few pages in the various sub-forums, but I couldn't find anything of relevance. Anyway, I've never played a game of 40K so I might be completely off here, but they seem to me like the best thing since sliced bread! They're cheap, outragously fast and should hit pretty much anything with the more force than a speeding truck - even most vehicles, since they'll be hitting the rear armour with S5. A bit vulnerable to shooting, sure, but I figure that can be remedied with a flanking manouvre or carapache armour (you can give it to RR's exclusively, thus keeping the infantry nice n' cheap).

That's the theory, anyway... does it hold up in a fight, then? What are your experiences with the cavalry of the Guard? How often do you use them, and in what squad configurations? Tried flanking with them? Any cool war stories you'd like to share (everyone loves cavalry saving the day in the nick of time!)? And so forth and so on.

Please, chime in!

[RedsandRoyals]

I've never used them, so I can't really say anything for sure

I CAN direct you to a wonderful article written by the IGMB's own Suneokun about the Rough Rider. here it is
pathfinder-devilin.blogspot.com/2008/10/getting-old-school-and-new-websites-too.html

Just out of curiosity, what models were you planning on using for them? I personally can't stand the "Attila the Hun" models...

[Deleted]

Thanks for the link!

Haven't made any specific plans regarding the modelling, but I won't be using the stock minis (furry pizza hats = fail). I plan to make the mounts part of an army-wide theme, but what that will be I've yet to decide.

One idea I have is using a large number of somewhat similar beasts in the force. Basically I choose a range (lizardmen, beastmen, kroot ... perhaps even tyranids) and try to incorporate them whereever possible. Using the kroot as an example, that could mean putting the rough riders on kroot/cold one hybrids (that should look cool), mounting infantry heavy weapons on kroot oxen, sprinkling kroothounds on bases here and there, and so forth. Coming up with a plot device shouldn't be too hard - "the inquisition did it" goes a long way.

Another possibility would be archeo-tech. AdMech aren't the only ones digging up the toys of the past after all, and archaic looking technology (hovercraft tech, perhaps?) would compliment the low-tech look of my grunts nicely I think. It would require a bit of creativity, but I think it could work. I might do a test mini (I'm thinking a rocket launcher - flip a tau gun drone upside down, add RPG, paint brass - booyah) and see how it pans out.

Or, I could combine the two and theme my force with stolen technology from a particular enemy. Yep, you guessed it - I'm thinking Tau.. having my RR's riding hovering Gun Drones chained to Kroothounds would be pure awesomesauce. Not sure if the Sisters of Battle I plan to include would approve of that, though... heh, the funny thing is that I just thought up this last option while I was writing the first part of the post, and it actually seems like a damn cool idea! It would also make it far easier to model distinctive carapache armour and such. And how about a banged up broadside with chicken legs being used as a sentinel! Hell, I might be on to something here!
edit: and captured fire warriors as conscripts! Welcome to life without a hand-cannon, you fishy bastards. Now storm that daemon-infested trench - aim for the eyes and pray they're epileptic!

[RedsandRoyals]

Heh, it sounds like you've got plenty of ideas. My personal favorite is the hover chariot being pulled by kroothounds. Add the battlesuit in and that conscript idea, and it sounds like you've got a regiment that saw some pretty serious fighting during the Damocles Gulf Crusade! (Or, human troops that have turned traitor and now fight for the Tau...)

I've also seen people make lance-wielding Rough Riders on motorcycles (like that scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), but I think the guide on how to make them was deleted when the new GW site was launched