The Words of Faeit is a weekly post, dedicated to my thoughts on the strategy and tactical side of the game. They are not to be written in stone as "No plan of operations extends with certainty beyond the first encounter with the enemy's main strength" (or "no plan survives contact with the enemy"). Quoted from Helmuth von Moltke.
Today's Words of Faeit is going to be an example of a list, (the one I used at Ard Boyz), and how it works, plus a few comments on performance and possible changes at the end.
The list really is a Hybrid list, between armour and infantry. It fields almost 100 troops and 14 vehicles. So lets get into it.
First off, This army started out as a reach out and punch someone style of list. Both Veteran teams are meant to be put into Vendettas, scouted forward and deployed to wreck havoc amongst a line section of the enemy. They are equipped with plasma guns, 10 melta bombs, and a demo charge. Not to mention that the veteran sergeant is equipped with dual power fists, and the entire squad is in carapace armour. When they hit, they hit hard, and amazingly enough, they tend to survive quite a few games.
Next we have the Platoon. 4 Lascannons, 4 meltas and a ton of lasguns. The Commissar Lord equipped with a camo cloak is meant to join this combined 40 man unit somewhere in any ruins or cover. This gives the unit a 2+ cover save when going to ground, and a ldr 10 when ordered to get back into the fight. Also do not forget that the Commissar Lords 6" Aura of Discipline, means any unit within 6" of him uses his leadership for both orders and morale.
So you have two units out ready to hit the enemy hard, while you have one strong stationary unit that is nearly impossible to get rid of.
The Psyker Battle Squads. If you are not fearless, watch out. These are here to make my shooting more efficient. Kill a unit or two near the board edge, and these guys are here to make sure that they run. Soulstorm is a back up, as it is not that effective. They are in chimeras, with a 36" range with weaken resolve + it is not a shooting psychic power, so can be used after the chimera moves 12". This means they are effective at reaching anywhere on the board.
Creed and Command. Creeds 24" orders give you plenty of range when you have two veteran squads far out front hitting the enemy. It also gives you the extra orders needed to regroup anything falling back from the battle front.
Also Creed gives scout to a unit. This is normally in this list given to a unit of Hydra Flak Tanks that will be sitting in front of my artillery. The Hydras with scout will simply be adjusting to the enemy, and two of which will be popping smoke to give the Artillery Battery and the Hydras cover in round 1.
Vendettas: Primary role, drop off the two veteran kill teams, and shoot as they move back into better firing positions. They normally do not live long enough to do this.
Fire Support. Hydras and Artillery. This is pretty cut and dry. Hydras blow up light armour, the Artillery kills what comes out. note that the extra hydras make the unit efficient and statistically likely it will blow up an AV11 vehicle per round. The extra artillery increases it's hit percentages drastically. A single or even two artillery pieces, makes barrages rather unlikely. Three however, makes the unit very effective.
2500 Pts - Imperial Guard Roster - Imperial Guard 2500pts
Company Command Squad @ 240 pts (Unit Type: Infantry; Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x2; Lasgun x2; Lord Castellan Creed; Officer of the Fleet)
Veteran Heavy Weapon Team (Missile Launcher; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
Lord Castellan Creed (Carapace Armour; Frag Grenades; Refractor Field; Hot-shot Laspistols x2; Supreme Commander; Tactical Genius)
Officer of the Fleet (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon; Laspistol; Intercept Reserves)
Chimera (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank); Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Turret Multi-Laser; Heavy Flamer; Amphibious; Mobile Command Vehicle)
Lord Commissar @ 80 pts (Unit Type: Infantry; Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Refractor Field; Bolt Pistol; Close Combat Weapon; Camo Cloak; Aura of Discipline; Independent Character; Summary Execution; Stubborn)
8 Psyker Battle Squad @ 155 pts (Psyker (Santioned Psykers Only); Unit Type: Infantry; Flak Armour; Close Combat Weapon x8; Laspistol x8; Psychic Choir; Ultimate Sanction; Soulstorm; Weaken Resolve)
Overseer (Flak Armour; Close Combat Weapon; Laspistol)
Chimera (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank); Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Turret Multi-Laser; Heavy Flamer; Amphibious; Mobile Command Vehicle)
8 Psyker Battle Squad @ 155 pts (Psyker (Santioned Psykers Only); Unit Type: Infantry; Flak Armour; Close Combat Weapon x8; Laspistol x8; Psychic Choir; Ultimate Sanction; Soulstorm; Weaken Resolve)
Overseer (Flak Armour; Close Combat Weapon; Laspistol)
Chimera (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank); Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Turret Multi-Laser; Heavy Flamer; Amphibious; Mobile Command Vehicle)
Veteran Kill Team 1 @ 205 pts (Unit Type: Infantry; Carapace Armour; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x9; Lasgun x6; Demolition Charge; Melta Bombs; Plasma gun x3; Demolitions; Grenadiers)
Veteran Sergeant (Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Carapace Armour; Melta Bombs; Power Fist; Power Fist)
Veteran Kill Team 2 @ 205 pts (Unit Type: Infantry; Carapace Armour; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x9; Lasgun x6; Demolition Charge; Melta Bombs; Plasma gun x3; Demolitions; Grenadiers)
Veteran Sergeant (Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Carapace Armour; Melta Bombs; Power Fist; Power Fist)
Infantry Platoon @ 360 pts
Platoon Command 728 (Unit Type: Infantry; Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x2; Lasgun x2)
Heavy Weapons Team (Autocannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
Platoon Commander (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Laspistol; Close Combat Weapon; Junior Officer)
Infantry Squad 609 (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x7; Flak Armour; Lasgun x6; Meltagun x1; Combined Squad)
Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Laspistol; Close Combat Weapon)
Infantry Squad 541 (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x7; Flak Armour; Lasgun x6; Meltagun x1; Combined Squad)
Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Laspistol; Close Combat Weapon)
Infantry Squad 501 (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x7; Flak Armour; Lasgun x6; Meltagun x1; Combined Squad)
Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Laspistol; Close Combat Weapon)
Infantry Squad 450 (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x7; Flak Armour; Lasgun x6; Meltagun x1; Combined Squad)
Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Laspistol; Close Combat Weapon)
Vendetta Gunship @ 130 pts (Deep Strike; Grav Chute Insertion; Scouts) (Extra Armor; Searchlight; Twin-linked Lascannon x3)
Vendetta Gunship @ 130 pts (Deep Strike; Grav Chute Insertion; Scouts) (Extra Armor; Searchlight; Twin-linked Lascannon x3)
Hydra Flak Tank Battery @ 225 pts
Hydra Flak Tank (Auto-targeting System; Heavy Bolter; Twin-Linked Hydra Autocannons x2)
Hydra Flak Tank (Auto-targeting System; Heavy Bolter; Twin-Linked Hydra Autocannons x2)
Hydra Flak Tank (Auto-targeting System; Heavy Bolter; Twin-Linked Hydra Autocannons x2)
Hydra Flak Tank Battery @ 225 pts
Hydra Flak Tank (Auto-targeting System; Heavy Bolter; Twin-Linked Hydra Autocannons x2)
Hydra Flak Tank (Auto-targeting System; Heavy Bolter; Twin-Linked Hydra Autocannons x2)
Hydra Flak Tank (Auto-targeting System; Heavy Bolter; Twin-Linked Hydra Autocannons x2)
Ordnance Battery @ 390 pts
Basilisk (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank, Open-topped); Earthshaker Cannon; Heavy Bolter;)
Basilisk (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank, Open-topped); Earthshaker Cannon; Heavy Bolter;)
Colossus (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank, Open-topped); Colossus Siege Mortar; Heavy Bolter)
Total Roster Cost: 2500
Mistakes can cost you here, however, the list has a very strong and solid base. The 40 man unit is a multiple objective getter. In the last tournament, this unit was able to reach its own objective, plus two others in the second mission. Overwhelming number of guys, did well in close combat, and the firepower was able take down quite a bit of armour.
The Psyker Battle Squads broke quite a few units off the table, but was shut down pretty hard against Grey Knight Dreadnaughts. Otherwise performed normally.
Heavy support, well its heavy support. For the most part it did extremely well. The only change in the list that would do, is change out the Colossus for another basilisk. Its more efficient when it comes to the duality of being able to fire directly.