Imperial Guard - Questionable content

[Sir_Servo]

Greetings all you 40k Freak and Freakets out there,

Well the title is a bit misleading, but not so much.

Over the past few weeks as I return to 40k and peruse the forms here I have noticed something strange in a number of different Guard lists. The lack of Heavy weapons. DId something happen when I was on leave? Is there some huge strategy that I am missing that states throw down as many troops with out all the bells and whistles as possible and you win?

I won't name names or even point fingers, but I have seen quite a few lists that go something like this:

HQ squad (lots of assault/rapid fire weapons)
Add on a few Fire support squads.

kk, this is standard nothing new here

Troops

Jonior officer (More assualty type weapons)
Platoon 1 - Lasguns and maybe a plasma or grenade launcher
Platoon 2 - see above
Platoon 3 - see above

Jonior officer - see above
Platoon 1 - dito
Platoon 2 - dito
Platoon 3 - dito

Whats this I see no heavy weapons again! I just don't get it... please fill me in every one, what is the deal with no Heavy weapons in Troops squads

then some more junk thrown in that isn't a heavy weapons.

So my question to you is why the missing content (ahh hha, I did fit in a link to the title)? Please, help me, help myself.

I Love and will be hard pressed to give up all my glorious Autocannons, Lascannons, and Missle Launchers.

Thanks for your time,
Servo

PS: EDIT - Armoured Companies and Mechanized Comapnies excluded from the above question/concern

[Word Bearer 81007]

i believe people do this because the cost of 4 autocannons is another squad of ten troops. they want the number, angry flashlight armies.

[Sir_Servo]

Originally Posted by word bearers 81007

... angry flashlight armies.

LOL, don't get me wrong I love flashlights. I have seen them take down a Bloodthirster, but come on 10 flashlights for the cost of 4 autocannons, two less shots, but more than double the strength, range and a crap load more AP than Flashlights.

My two cents,
Servo

[r4wr89]

lol i know i'm guilty of this. personally i feel like i inherently avoid heavy weapons in IG armies, i really don't know why. the only thing i run is HB's in every squad, or at least as many as possible, lol. i think it's just cause i don't like entrusting a guardsman with such a terrible save with a 10+ point weapon ! then again, i started planning IG AFTER getting used to my happy marine armor save :P

[thebarnet]

i always take hevery wepons in my guard as it means i can kill more stuff

[experiment 626]

for me it depends on what the squad/s in question will be doing... if their going to start on-table & provide fire support, then i give my infantry heavy bolters. but if their going to deep strike, then why bother with heavy weapons as at best i might get 1 shooting phase out of them?!?
also, if you plan on using say a platoon as mobile infantry, then again, why buy them a heavy weapon they're likely to only fire once or twice a game?!

so bsically, i don't dish out the big guns to my troops unless they are reliably going to sit still for at least 5 turns!

cheers!

[thebarnet]

that tends to be my tactic when playing 40k

[Sir_Servo]

I can completely understand wanting to have mobile units that can react to enemy advances and shoot while on the move, but the most reliable stratdgy I have found so far is putting down 2 platoons with 3 squads each equiped with Heavy weapons and then either fielding some Storm Troopers or Armoured Fist squads or even tanks for moblie firepower.

Like I stated before in the orginal post I just haven't seen army lists that are using heavy weapons period and I am trying to figure out why.

Pondering the absence of his Boom Boom Platoons,
Servo

[JoeGuardsman]

In my case I'm worried about accomplishing a mission. If I have to play a Recon mission I can only afford to stand still once and hope to accomplish the mission, and that is only if I have open ground to run over the whole way. We know that is never the case because they wouldn't survive to accomplish the mission. The same can be said for Secure and Control and Cleanse. In these moving scenarios a special weapon is the only thing that will get its points back. If I'm playing an old fashioned kill 'em all then I'll take heavy weapons and hope I can find a good place to deploy them.

[kenshin620]

Are you kidding? I love heavy weapons! I just dont put them in infantry platoons. Unlike most Guard players, I dont believe in filling you heavy support with all tanks. I usally bring one tank (for psycological reasons) and 2 heavy weapon platoons. One is all heavy bolters and the other is all missile launchers and they work very well with each other.

[Dan296]

well ive played against both kinds of guard armies, the armoured attack and static infantry heavy defense.
to me the mobile armies are harder to break with my types of forces. yea your autocannons are hard but i have 3+ saves. the point of flashlights is to make them take as many saves as possible, and some are going to go down.
i can literally wade through your heavy weapons and then beat you over the head with a crozius.
however, the heavy weapon armies would be much better against GEQ combat oriented forces like tyranids and eldar. THEN those heavy bolters will come into their own and take down the little scuttlers...

[experiment 626]

Originally Posted by Sir_Servo

Like I stated before in the orginal post I just haven't seen army lists that are using heavy weapons period and I am trying to figure out why.

Pondering the absence of his Boom Boom Platoons,
Servo

stitch's excuse: i'm a drop trooper... deep strike renders big guns silent but makes the shorter-ranged stuff quite tasty!

so basically, i'm a nutter!

cheers!

[135th Armenian Rifles]

Are heavy weapons stationary or can they move, becuase if they can it would of help me last night, as played with my brother and a friend, i used two HB and one AC, and it would of helped men if they could of moved.

[Jericho199]

Originally Posted by 135th Armenian Rifles

Are heavy weapons stationary or can they move, becuase if they can it would of help me last night, as played with my brother and a friend, i used two HB and one AC, and it would of helped men if they could of moved.

They can move just like any other infantry. Being heavy weapons, however, they can't move and shoot in the same turn.

Persoanlly, when taking HW teams I like to take a couple fire support squads from my command platoon slot and place them where they can give the rest of my infantry some back-up fire. I haven't used mortars at all yet but I'd like to try 'em out.

[Rhaalidor]

Mortars are good, just keep them in the back field. (They're not good mobile weapons.) As for the other HW (AC, LC, HB, ML), I use them in a "Stand and Shoot" force. If I need to be mobile, I leave them at home. The lack of HW in a guard army isn't necessarily anti-fluffy, as it does add to an armor (tank) heavy force, for mobility's sake. (Move and shoot)

[The Bringer Of Death]

HW and Guard
Like PENUT BUTTER AND JAM
they need each other but to much of one just spoils it
I do like the standard sit and kill but i do not win much
but it is good fun

[Spartan-11755]

it depends on the Guard army and of course Cash for 3 heavy weps is the same price for 20 guardsmen.. anyway... When I run HW its Heavy Bolters all the way. you think about it 9 shots from a hb support platoon and you can take iirc without looking at the codex 3 from heavy and 3 for Each command so thats alot of shots that scare alot of armys.

[Spartan-11755]

Originally Posted by experiment 626

stitch's excuse: i'm a drop trooper... deep strike renders big guns silent but makes the shorter-ranged stuff quite tasty!

so basically, i'm a nutter!

cheers!

Hoorah Drop troops ftw!!

[Sir_Servo]

Thanks for the imput all. I guess I must just have an unusall gaming group up here in the midwest. I bring a list that throws over a dozne heavy weapons in it along with 2 Armored Fist squads and it seems to do quite well for me.

But I might have to look into fielding some of the other kinds of lists, just to see how they play out in my circle of friends.


My two cents,
Servo