HW's in squads YAY or NAY

[Sappmer]

My army consists of no HWs at all. The only thing that makes a bang is my Leamon Russ and my basilisk

[Turtleboy(AWOL)]

tell me how that works out for you - it's definately unconventional!

[Sappmer]

lol, i havent used them in any game yet. But it is very infantry heavy. I might add a couple of flamers or a few granade launchers to my 1000 pt army but I will have to get rid of somthing.

[Turtleboy(AWOL)]

one thing to look out for is how will you deal with a landraider if your russ and basilisk go down early? lots of people have deep striking anti artillery units and a russ can die quick vs tank hunter troops. I like having some infantry based AT power simply because it's a bit more padded with extra wounds and overlooked when there's things like russes and bassies.

[Goddess of Darkness]

The times that i don't have any HW in my squads (only off 1 platoon though) is when we play objective missions and i need to move quickly.

[Commissar]

The Leman Russ is very versatile, thats the good thing about the Imperial Guard.
I tend to take alot of missile launchers in my army, with grenade launchers and alot of Commissars.
I have a support squad of lascannons for any pesky tanks or dreadnaughts.

[knight (M.I.A)]

I think it's depending on the mission you're playing if you should take HW in squads or not.
If you have to move and take quarters or any other kind of objectives, than NAY. Use HW squads and other kinds of HW platforms
If you just have to survive or something similar than YAY...

[majorjav]

For me, I think that we should include one HW per regular squad because they have to be versatile in combat like in real life (we do have one HW per combat group- MG or ML)
You naver know if that particular squad intended for assault would not be more useful to fire for example...Depends on everyone!!

[Commissar]

Thats why you need a 55 man platoon bristling with bolters, autocannons, missile launchers and lascannons with a couple of commissars and flamers too!
Take up hold in a building and whittle down the enemy until they are soft and storm out in a sea of guardsmen!

[commissar666]

Well in real world terms its common practice to take a heavy machine gun (support fire) in a mobile infantry squad of over 5 men.


He looks like a happy auto cannoner to me!!!!

In games terms I would never forgo my 9 man meat shield equipped with launchers and vox-casters (he he they look too darn pretty on the box not to use). A Guard army that jumps out of the trenches before letting of a few heavy weapon volleys sounds mighty anti-fluff to me and should be spanked…..

[Goddess of Darkness]

I'm not to sure of i understood that totally but ....what is the point in having a nine man meat shield if there isn't the big guns there to back them up? Numbers and Shooting is the guard forte IMO.
We should outman and outgun our enemy so they don't get us into combat range...
If i have totally misunderstood what you have said then I'll accept the spanking ....lol

[commissar666]

me said:

I'm not to sure of i understood that totally but ....what is the point in having a nine man meat shield if there isn't the big guns there to back them up? Numbers and Shooting is the guard forte IMO.
We should outman and outgun our enemy so they don't get us into combat range...
If i have totally misunderstood what you have said then I'll accept the spanking ....lol

I’m rarely understood, but if the image of strapping 9 men as armour for an autocannon came to mind then you’re on the mark. What's more you get spankings either way!!!

[fatuous]

Wow, this is a good thread, it's good to hear other peoples opinions.

Personnally I try to have a mix. I have put HWs in all my squads in the past, and have been badly out manovered and then mauled in CC. BUT this is because I just couldn't not fire a HW.

My answer was to put a HW in a couple of squads, and then flamers in a couple of others. So in a platoon I'd have a CS for counter assult, a HW squad and a mobile squad with a flamer.

HWs in squads are great cos they will keep on firing till the last man, so in some ways are better than having HW squads.

In future, I'm going to look into putting a HW in every squad, and just try to remember, just cos it has one, doesn't mean it cant move.

[Goddess of Darkness]

fatuous said:

In future, I'm going to look into putting a HW in every squad, and just try to remember, just cos it has one, doesn't mean it cant move.

It took me ages to realise that they didn't have to shoot...but to be on the safe side....one platoon with and one without for me

[Woz]

I use HW's in all my squads. But I get the squads to work in pairs so when one squad moves forward another squad covers them.

[Deleted]

woz said:

I use HW's in all my squads. But I get the squads to work in pairs so when one squad moves forward another squad covers them.

I second that. That's if i move at all. I usually use stormies in chimeras to roam the battlefield.

[Deleted]

I say yay.

-Ben

[Turtleboy(AWOL)]

in larger games, I'm totally with madman strategically speaking. guardsmen in flak jackets make a great 'background' force - if there's something that I've learned from 3 years of playing battles with nothing but my all infantry guard army, it's that guard infantry is made to 'hold the line.' you ask them to take ground and you commit them to their deaths. they're good in a treeline, or hunkered down taking cover from a hill or hedgerow, but you move them forward out of cover and they die in wasteful droves.

I agree with madman, leave the offensive manoeuvering for the storm troopers/grenadiers supported by armor.

let your standard guard infantry main line sit back and blend with the background and just sit there and UNLOAD for the entire game on the enemy that's occupied with the carapaced offensive elements of your army.

thusly, heavy weapons for all if you feel like utilizing this strategy.