Advisors: Pro and Cons

[kenshin620]

Want to know what advisors do to be useful, and to be a nuisance

[That_Guy]

Advisors are, generaly, a good choice to throw into a command squad. Lets go in order from the codex.

Sanctioned Psykers: Here, well, you get what you pay for. Its a cheap unit that can either get you an okay ability or will be entirely useless. It is very random at what ability you could get, so you may not get what your looking for. Abilitys like Telepathic order is what you are shooting for, as well as psychic ward. Any other ability is mediocre at best. The only time id use them is if I have enough extra points to fit one with the honorifica and its force weapon.

Commissars: A very nice unit. Will boost the squads leadership he is attached with an extra point. This affects the leadership 12" ability. Great to keep the men in line. Though, if the Commander fails his own leadership test for falling back, the commissar initiates summary execution. Your commander is dead, and the commissar takes charge, and they never fall back. Give the Officer a trademark item, and the command will never fail morale cheaks. If you have a psyker in the group, the commissar will execute him if he falls to a perils of the warp. Take note that the Leadership bonus does not transfer through the vox network, so if you have vox's, better to leave the commissar at home.

Priests: They are great at bolstering the assaulting power of the squad. I would definatly throw them into my command squads and platoon command. It turns the group into awesome close comabt monsters. Definatly a great counter assault unit. The fanatical ability well make shure you hit your enemy. Because of righteous fury, your squad will have to assault anything in range of them, so you may have to be a bit tactfull on were you place them. This also means you cannont use a heavy weapon in that squad. Rosarius gives the priest an invernerable save, but it is expensive. Id do it only if you have enough points in the end. Holy relic will give any troops in the area of affect a bonus attack in assault. It is hard to set up and to find the right time to use it, but when you get it right, your enemy will feel it. Also expensive.

[hairyyahoo]

priests and commissars are also a good place to put power fists (of eviscerators in the case of priests) as they aren't independant characters so can't be picked out in an assult.

[r4wr89]

i love independent commisars..the fact that i don't love psykers just makes them better. put an independent commisar into a gropu of conscripts and have yourself the dirt cheapest army of ld 10 infantry ever ! :]

edit :for priests though, while the eviscerator is awesome, getting into CC with the guard just doesn't seem to be that great an idea, unless you're like erus, who decided to write a CC IG army..hahaha

[That_Guy]

Of course Imperial Guard is not suitable for close combat. I would never charge guardmen into CC unlees im absolutly shure to win it. Command squads have the option, however, to kit every soldier in it for CC, and with the added benifits of Priests, they become excellent Counter Assault units. Once an opponent slams into my lines, the next turn, they can expect a face full of chaines by the command squad. If they don't finish it, the other guardsmen will. It helps so you dont have to focus all your forces on this one group. Of course, any dedicated assault unit from any other army will slaughter the squad, but I dont expect them to anyways.

[Templar Mikeel]

Commisars are a great choice. Not only do they give you great Ld bonuses, but they can also be a great CC unit. Give them a Power Fist, Storm Bolter, Carapace armor, and something that will give him an invulnerable save, and you're good to go.

[kenshin620]

wont that be alot of points though?

[Templar Mikeel]

The wargear adds up to about 40 pts(IRC). Add that to the model and you get...80 or 120 pts. I can't remember at the moment. But for a powerfist wielding unit that can't be singled out in CC? The storm bolter is also a good choice if you're going to stand back and shoot instead of charge. The Carapace armor and invulnerable save wargear just add to his survivability, letting you get more out of him.

A good deal, IMO.

[r4wr89]

Originally Posted by That_Guy

Of course Imperial Guard is not suitable for close combat. I would never charge guardmen into CC unlees im absolutly shure to win it. Command squads have the option, however, to kit every soldier in it for CC, and with the added benifits of Priests, they become excellent Counter Assault units. Once an opponent slams into my lines, the next turn, they can expect a face full of chaines by the command squad. If they don't finish it, the other guardsmen will. It helps so you dont have to focus all your forces on this one group. Of course, any dedicated assault unit from any other army will slaughter the squad, but I dont expect them to anyways.

right. i totally agree with you, i just worded my response funny. basically yea, IG are not meant for CC but with the proper squad arrangement and tactical skill then your command squads can do at least pretty well :]

and yea, commisars can add up to lots of points, kenshin. you just have to watch out. i personally wouldn't equip them with carapace armor or anything terribly expensive, but powerfists would be great. leading a conscript platoon, and give him like a bolter or some such great ranged weapon and have a great fire support squad.
even though they have a BS of crap, you're bound to hit something with that many guns :]

[Templar Mikeel]

Originally Posted by r4wr89

even though they have a BS of crap, you're bound to hit something with that many guns :]

the summary of the Imperial Guard, in one sentence.

[experiment 626]

Originally Posted by Templar Mikeel

The wargear adds up to about 40 pts(IRC). Add that to the model and you get...80 or 120 pts. I can't remember at the moment. But for a powerfist wielding unit that can't be singled out in CC? The storm bolter is also a good choice if you're going to stand back and shoot instead of charge. The Carapace armor and invulnerable save wargear just add to his survivability, letting you get more out of him.

A good deal, IMO.

- the storm bolter hurts the commissar's combat ability as it denies him an attack - and he's still stuck at only 2 base attacks...

- the carapace armour actually makes him easier to single out due to mixed armour + small unit size; 6 wounds and he's forced to take one of them himself! at least with his 5+ basic save, unless your opponent is smart, you can just let the regular guardsmen bite the dust!

- the refractor field isn't much use either on a UC. if you're at the point where your commissar can be picked out and needs that invulnerable save, then odds are he isn't going to live to swing that fist anyways...

the only time i'd tool-out a commissar with the field would be if you're taking enough that you can through him into say a storm trooper or armoured fist squad... they at least have the numbers to survive more than the 1st round of combat - something the small command squad doesn't!

cheers!

[Templar Mikeel]

There is no sense in argueing with Stitch. I do have a few points to bring up. 1) Stitch is right. 2) You don't just have to arm your command squads for CC. 3) A storm bolter and power fist is only usefull if: whatever the target is is too nasty to take on in CC. ex: Daemon Prince, Blood Thrister et c.

[That_Guy]

Don't get me wrong, you guys can do what the heck you want with your CS. I tool mine for CC because even with rough riders and ogryns, it still isn't enough to counter assault enemy forces.

[Timber-WoIf]

advisors would definatly be useful in a cc squad, but, sense i tool my guys strictly shooty, i find them to be not worth the points. when i have to choose between a commisar with a power fist, or another squad of 10 guardsmen, i take the guardsmen.

[experiment 626]

Originally Posted by Templar Mikeel

There is no sense in argueing with Stitch. I do have a few points to bring up. 1) Stitch is right. 2) You don't just have to arm your command squads for CC. 3) A storm bolter and power fist is only usefull if: whatever the target is is too nasty to take on in CC. ex: Daemon Prince, Blood Thrister et c.

LOL! at least it's good to know that after 10 years in the hobby, i have learned a few things and know a tactic or two!

well, i find a storm bolter is good for a shooty squad; something that's going to sit back and not get close except maybe to drop say a few flamer templates on someone!
for a really nasty "giant, rampaging death gribbly of 'uber doom" counter, i like massed plasma/melta fire, or else use the 'independant commissars' doctrine and stick him at the very back of a nice big unit of 30 conscripts! it'll take that prince/tyrant/wraithlord/whatever, all day to chew through that many men. plus, a failed moral test simply means one more poor sap gets the emperor's justice!

plus, with that many attacks, you're quite likely to also put a few wounds on the squishier death gribblies like princes/greater daemons/tyrants etc...

cheers!

[lynxrpken]

Originally Posted by hairyyahoo

priests and commissars are also a good place to put power fists (of eviscerators in the case of priests) as they aren't independant characters so can't be picked out in an assult.

unless you use the independent commisars doctorine and than they are treated as independent even if they are being played as "in" a squad