Age of Darkness-Warhammer 30k/2.0 Tactics/Imperialis Militia

"It is of paramount importance that the worlds of the Imperium shall look to their own defence as well as the shield of Terra to protect them. They shall also look to the defence of the wider Imperium, and the prosecution of such wars as the Emperor in his wisdom shall decree. To this end, it will be the prime responsibility of every Imperial Commander to ensure the raising of a militia according to the resources, rank and nature of their world…"

– Preface to the Lex Imperia Munuimenta

"In return Mayvin Khelen, last Regent of Thramas, spoke a single word: "No"."

– The Planetary Governor of Thramas, after the Night Lords demanded her unconditional surrender. Followed by her captain general shooting the Night Lords Praetor in the face.

This is the current tactics page for the Imperialis Militia in HH 2.0. The 1.0 tactics can be found here.

Why Play Imperial Militia

• Pros
  • Insane customisation. This list covers nearly everything from Squats, Mutants, Mech Guard stand-ins, Death World Cavalry, WW1 artillery armies, and pretty much whatever else you can imagine, often in combination. Want Ogryns as Troops? You can have them in cyborgs, mutant, alchem, or bestial varieties. The same applies to pretty much every other unit type.
  • CHEAP! The cheapest unit comes in at 2 points per model, even the vehicles come in at a discounted price compared to other armies. You can be quite certain that you will always have the numerical advantage.
  • Lots of variety in ranged weapons, with many of the standard options being rather good, or in some ways useful. In particular, you have access to Pinning and/or Concussive weapons for multiple units in every slot. With so many guns you are likely to be able to force at least one check every turn.
  • There are more choices for melee armies this edition. But even with the new melee options, the dangers of melee combat are seriously dire for you.
  • None of your vehicles confer any victory points for their destruction. With the right Provenances it is possible to spam disposable Leman Russes, Rhinos, and/or Land Raiders. Added with the extra irony of your Superheavies not being worth anything to your opponent.

• Cons
  • Low Leadership everywhere. Which gets even worse when you factor in Militia sub-type. Everything with a Ld value generally runs at the drop of a hat, and if it's anything more serious than that, don't expect them to come back.
  • Your Third Line vehicles are more easily penetrated, and don't have especially good options either. Generally coming as lesser versions of existing vehicles.
  • Almost a total lack of Skyfire options means that if your opponent takes lots of flyers you are going to be completely outclassed. Your only source of Skyfire suffers from the above problem of being a third-line version of a flyer that is better in other armies.
  • You have no Dreadnoughts, and your options of dealing with them are limited. Even tarpitting is less valuable of an option now.
  • New Necromunda and IG models shoehorned in made some of the older ones invalid, unless your friends allow you to proxy Cargo-8 Hauler with an Aurox.

Warlord Traits

• Ruthless Tyrant: The Warlord gains a special form of Fear (1) that lets them affect friend and foe alike. If a friendly unit Falls Back while affected by this Fear (1), you can sacrifice D6 models or a model in a Monstrous sub-type unit to keep them in place. Grants an additional Reaction in the Assault phase.
  • Turns your Warlord into an IC-sized Discipline Master, also letting you mitigate the Militia sub-type and its restrictions against Regrouping while under half strength; since you automatically pass the Morale check by shooting D6 models, you don't Fall Back in the first place and thus don't need to Regroup.
• Merchant Princeling: All of the Warlord's weapons are now Master-crafted and must deploy attached to a Militia sub-type unit. This unit - his Lifeguard - gains the Heavy sub-type and can re-roll 1s To Hit, but now your Warlord may never leave them. Make sure that this squad won't ever run away. Grants an additional Reaction in the Assault phase.
  • Re-rolling 1s means you're incentivized to do two things: get bigger guns and improve the BS of whatever your Lifeguard is. Good thing you have two Provenances that let you do exactly those.
• Beloved of the People: If the Warlord dies, the entire army gets a big sad-on with a +1 to WS and S as well as Feel No Pain (4+) until the end of the owner's next player turn, potentially giving two turns of awesomeness. Normally grants an additional Reaction in the Shooting phase, but lets you take an additional Reaction in the Assault phase instead after the Warlord dies.
  • Not as bad as it sounds, as the Force Commander is good for nothing except Compulsory HQ and granting Provenances, so unlike the White Scars trait granting Fearless to everyone who sees the Warlord die, you're not losing some tricked out melee character.
• Marcher Lord: Gains Battle-hardened (1); in a pure Imperialis Militia army, this also makes the entire army immune to Fear (X) because you're a strong and independent Planetary Governor who don't need no Imperium. Keeping your Warlord alive also lets you auto-pass your first Pinning check each turn as well giving an additional Reaction in the Shooting phase.
• Connoisseur of Alien Curios: Once per turn, you can have the Warlord roll a D6 to activate a special randomized result:
  • 1: Instant Death self-destruction, coupled with a nuclear blast that automatically hits every unit, friend or foe, within 12" of the Warlord for D6+1 S8 AP4 hits.
  • 2-3: A single unit, friendly or enemy, within 12" and LoS of the Warlord suffers D6+1 automatic hits at S8 AP4 with the Deflagrate rule. If there are no units within 12" and LoS of the Warlord, then the Warlord must take the hits.
  • 4-5: Rage (2) and Furious Charge (2) for the Warlord and his squad for the rest of the game turn.
  • 6: Permanent Eternal Warrior and Feel No Pain (4+) with future rolls of 6 boosting Strength and Toughness to a maximum of six. Grants an additional Reaction in the Movement phase.
  • While your Force Commander can get 3++ and can reliably survive the self-destruct, it can and will rout huge chunks of your army, while Astartes, Custodes and Sisters opponents simply get their 3+ save. It's also pretty unreliable as a source of melee buffs, as you only get the unit-wide buff a third of the time. Think very carefully about taking this one.
• Robber Baron: The Warlord's unit gains +1 Strength on a turn where they charged. Instead of Sweeping Advances, you MUST roll a D6 and, on a 4+, the unit scores you D3 VP. Grants an additional Reaction in the Movement phase.
  • The value of this varies, as it's fundamentally a melee trait in an army that, barring Provenance buffs, wants to be as far from melee as possible and where the two units with AP melee either don't benefit from bonus Strength (Lance Cavalry) or can't normally be joined by ICs (Ogryns).

Special Rules

• Militia Sub-type: All of your units have this, and it's not good. Units that are below half their starting number of models that begin to Fall Back will never be able to Regroup. They just keep going back until they leave the table. Stack up on the Ld bonuses and re-rolls; you'll need them.
  • A unit that is Falling Back that is charged by the enemy is simply removed, without any further Leadership test being taken, regardless of the remaining number of models.
  • A unit locked in close combat, that is charged by another unit, has to test Morale or will immediately begin Falling Back as if it had lost combat, while also being subjected to Sweeping Advances.
• Mechanised Sub-type: A bit of an oddball mix of Infantry and Dreadnought. All Poisoned (X) and Fleshbane attacks must re-roll To Wound, as do any Armourbane (X) attacks. Like a dread, it can fire Heavy and Ordnance weapons after moving and can charge after shooting. They can also be affected by Haywire, Battlesmith (X), and Detonation like one.
• Third-Line Sub-type: Given to most of your tanks, and it's not good either. Any Glancing Hits are now considered Penetrating Hits, which is terrible. Your only consolation is that losing these tanks doesn't give your enemy VPs.

Provenances of War

This is where the modelling opportunities for this army come from. Your Force Commander can take (no points cost anymore) up to two Provenances of War that apply their effects on any model in the Detachment with the Militia sub-type that does not also have the Mechanised sub-type; in other words, your Infantry and Cavalry, unless the Provenance specifies otherwise.

They can all massively impact the rest of the army and can radically change the army build and the options you can take. Some Provenances lock you out of certain things or are mutually exclusive with one another, but some also allow units to buy their own unique options.

<tabs> <tab name="Warrior Elite">

The Planetary Governor actually gave half of a shit about training his private army. Of course, in a game where Space Marines are the main faction, humans can only get so "elite", but it's a good Provenance simply because it helps with your units' greatest weakness; namely, them running for the hills at the first opportunity. Same old Provenance as in 1.0, but you need the Ld buff now more than ever.

• Benefits:
  • All eligible units gain +1 Ld (to a maximum of Ld9).
    • Very simple, very good. In the grim darkness of the far future, you want to give your army as much encouragement as possible to stay on the field. This means your Discipline Masters are Ld9 and can re-roll it with Instil Order, so you're even harder to rout than Space Marines.
    • Alternatively, this is a great way to improve morale for Allied Detachments of Militia, who can't take Discipline Masters due to Force Commanders being the only HQ choice without Support Squad and you only having one HQ slot in the Allied Detachment.
  • Grenadiers lose the Support Squad rule, allowing them to be taken as Compulsory Troops.
    • Grenadiers also benefit from several other Provenances, so this is always an easy go-to combination option if you want good Grenadiers without having to pay Troops taxes on other units first.
• Limitations:
  • Levy Squads gain the Support Squad rule.
    • Not a downside, as you already took Grenadiers as Compulsory Troops. Even if you didn't, you took Infantry Squads anyway because Levy Squads don't have Line, so you probably have enough units to fulfill the Compulsory Troops tax regardless.

</tab> <tab name="Legacy of the Great Crusade">

The planet was settled by a regular Imperial Army unit during the Great Crusade and their descendants have retained some of their skills. Not particularly good on its own, as it does nothing for anything other than your "elite" infantry, but can help other Provenances (read: Warrior Elite/Armoury of Old Night) become very powerful. That said, it carries no downsides other than possible clashes with other Provenances.

• Benefits:
  • Grenadiers, Command Cadres, and Discipline Masters gain BS4.
    • Lets your elites match Space Marines/Veletaris in marksmanship. Not very significant with the stock lasgun, but it becomes better with the stubcarbines or bolters, while getting downright disgusting with Armoury of Old Night.
  • The Force Commander gains Initiative 5.
    • Not particularly useful because your Force Commander should never be in so much as spitting distance of the enemy. However, if his attached unit (read: allied unit) has Hit & Run, you can roll it against his I5 and re-roll it with a cyber-familiar, which is basically an auto-pass. Moreover, if for whatever reason you really want him in melee, he now hits before Space Marine sergeants, which is something.

</tab> <tab name="Clanfolk Levy">

In game terms: The world has a strong mounted tradition. In real life terms: in Warhammer Fantasy you played Bretonnia, or you were that one crazy bastard who ran the Krieg Death Rider Squadron FOC in 7th, and you miss your old army. As you'll almost definitely be spamming Cavalry, pairing this with either Feral Warriors or Debased Rabble for the bonuses To Hit is almost mandatory. Of course, you can have ranged weapons on your cavalry, but why didn't you just take infantry if you wanted to spam guns?

• Benefits:
  • Cavalry Squads can be taken as Compulsory Troops, where they gain +1 Ld.
    • No Line sub-type, so you have to take something else to take objectives. That said, this opens up taking Grenadiers, as you already filled the Compulsory slots. Infantry Squads are dirt cheap anyway.
  • Four extra Fast Attack slots, which you can only use to take Cavalry Squads.
    • Lets you take Cavalry without giving up your ability to take aircraft/Sentinels. Not a downside, as there's no requirement whatsoever to make use of the four extra slots.

</tab> <tab name="Gene-crafted">

GM soldiers, except instead of Space Marines or 1.0's +1S/I, you get a crapshoot because the designer was some random Dark Age of Technology/Age of Strife scrub and not the Emperor. You roll a D6 for every eligible unit you have, and you get...

• Benefits:
  • On a 2-5, the unit gains their choice of the Fleet (2), Move Through Cover, or Night Vision special rules.
    • Kind of a no-brainer, as Night Fighting is determined before deployment, while you roll for this after deployment. If it's at night, give everyone Night Vision. If it isn't, choose between the other two depending on how open the table is.
    • Remember, your other units DON'T get this. Your tanks still can't see further than 24" at night, nor can your Lascannon Sentinels.
  • On a 6, the unit either gains ALL of the special rules from a result of 2-5, or the choice of Relentless, Stubborn, or Adamantium Will (6+).
    • Stubborn is great for obvious reasons. If you're lucky enough to get this on a unit with tons of Heavy weapons, give it Relentless. Melee units can benefit from taking all three rules from the 2-5 range, as Move Through Cover and Fleet (2) can let them get into combat much more easily. Just don't take Adamantium Will (6+); a 6++ save is worthless.
• Limitations:
  • On a 1, the unit starts the game Pinned (regardless of unit types or other rules that would normally prevent Pinning), while units Embarked on vehicles immediately Disembark and are still Pinned. Sucks to be them. Units in Reserve suffer no ill consequence.
    • Take duplicate units, so that you don't get screwed over because that one unit you really need in action (Fire Support Squad, Cavalry, etc.) is Pinned.
    • You can overcome this by buffing your Ld. Discipline Masters are the obvious choice, but Warrior Elite can also help your units get back on their feet.

</tab> <tab name="Cyber-augmetics">

The cyborg army, which is tougher and slower than most mortals. Generally pretty good, as your ranged army doesn't really mind losing the ability to Run.

• Benefits:
  • All eligible models get Feel No Pain (6+). An interesting change from 1.0's 6++; you get tougher against small arms because you get to use Feel No Pain (6+) in addition to your armour save, but you have zero protection against the big guns.
    • Lets you skip taking Medicae, and moreover gives it to units that couldn't take Medicae to begin with, like Ogryns and Cavalry. Otherwise, you also save 12 points per squad you would have attached a Medicae to, which is never a bad thing.
    • Also good with Kinfolk Helots, as your models will get their Feel No Pain (6+) against all of the rapid-fire S6 and S7 weapons out there.
  • Mechanicum become Sworn Brothers.
    • Lets you cross your units over with buffs from Mechanicum allies. Archmagos Draykavac can provide a much better version of the Ruthless Tyrant Warlord Trait to mitigate the Militia's perennial morale issues, while the Opus Viscera ability from the Lacyraemarta High Techno-arcana now allows your Battlesmith (X) units to "repair" Ogryns!
• Limitations:
  • All eligible models get Slow and Purposeful.
    • Calling this a limitation is somewhat an exaggeration, as your units want to shoot anyway and thus don't Run to begin with. However, your melee units will miss it, and your units generally could shoot on the move anyway due to using Assault/Rapid Fire weapons, so you lose the ability to Run for nothing.
    • Lets you charge after firing your Rapid Fire weapons. Could actually make bayonets a competitive choice.
    • Actually becomes a buff when paired with Armoury of Old Night, given it completely negates the lasrifle's Heavy type as well as all of the cool Heavy weapons available to Grenadiers and Command Cadres. Similarly, it's actually really good on Fire Support Squads and Field Gun Batteries; you still only get 4" Movement, but it's better than having to fire Snap Shots.
  • This Provenance cannot be combined with Gene-crafted.

</tab> <tab name="Alchem-jackers">

The 30k Penal legion returns from 1.0, whose battle worthiness is ensured via copious consumption of Drugs. Given how poor Imperialis Militia leadership is in general, this is better than it sounds. Discipline Collars are no longer a thing, so remember to take Discipline Masters. Has no downsides, so take this when in doubt.

• Benefits:
  • Units do not suffer negative penalties to Leadership in the Assault phase.
    • Lets your Discipline Master units survive one more round of combat with that Assault Squad, as you can test on his base Ld8 no matter what, and then re-roll it. Doesn't actually make you any better in close combat, so don't get overconfident.
    • Complements Ruthless Tyrant well, as that works during the Shooting and Movement phases. Your army's incredibly brave, if only because they're drug fiends who will get shot in the head the moment they try to run.
    • Oddly good with Warrior Elite, as your pseudo-Stubborn benefits a lot from higher base Ld.
  • If a unit fails a Morale check in the Shooting phase and still has over half their models, they are Pinned instead of Falling Back. If they lose more than half, they Fall Back as per normal.
    • Mitigates the Militia sub-type, as your unit won't get wiped out on being charged while Falling Back if they weren't Falling Back to begin with.
    • Remember that Cavalry and Monstrous units (Ogryns) cannot be Pinned, so this Provenance renders those types virtually immune to Morale in the Shooting phase (at least until they drop below half models).
  • Frenzon: Roid rage, represented by units being able to buy Furious Charge (1) for 25 points. As most of your units are behind their opponents in terms of WS, Strength, and Toughness, this merely closes the gap for one Assault phase.
    • You can capitalise on this with Feral Warriors for added Weapon Skill and chainaxes for even more strength and accuracy for that charge. Though the costs add up quickly, remember that even a baseline human with WS 4, Furious Charge (1) and a chainaxe with sidearm will be getting 3 attacks on the charge at S5 with Shred. Yes, they'll still be I3, but if you take shotguns on another unit (or give them to Grenadier Squads), with luck you'll be hitting on 3s and getting hit on 5s while wounding on 3s with re-rolls. That means your buck standard 20-man Infantry Squad just killed almost 12 marines (not accounting for the 2-3 casualties you'll take when they strike first)... and it only costs you 155 points for that squad. Throw them at the similarly costed 10-man Tactical Squad with bolters and watch your shitty mortals beat Marines in CQC... as long as they don't die horribly on Overwatch (13 dead Militiamen on average before you swing). But you took Kalliope mortars and grenade launchers for that, didn't you?

</tab> <tab name="Survivors of the Dark Age">

Your army is from a world with tons of Dark Age of Technology equipment. Suffered a big change from last edition with its weapon upgrade aspect spun off into a whole other Provenance and the armour upgrade being gone entirely. That said, considering how powerful it was and how Provenances don't cost anything now, it is only reasonable. While it has no drawbacks, it also confers no inherent benefits, instead giving you a bunch of upgrades. Unless you have a specific plan, this isn't a very good idea. If you do, however, it suddenly becomes the Legions' Armoured Spearhead Rite of War but for humans.

• Benefits:
  • 10-man Grenadier Squads and Command Cadres can take Rhinos, Termite Assault Drills, and Land Raider Proteus Carriers as DTs.
    • Considering that the army doesn't have any Dedicated Transport options any more, this Provenance could be worth it on that point alone. However, those vehicles gain the Third-line sub-type and drop their BS to 3, while not receiving any kind of discount for the downgrades. Still, it allows for mass deployment of Land Raiders that even some Astartes armies cannot afford thanks to the lower taxes that need to be spent on mortal units.
    • Easy access to Land Raiders as Dedicated Transports is a solid alternative to taking the Industrial Stronghold Provenance if you want an armour-focused list. AV14 all around is still a tough nut to crack even with Third-line, and the Militia list otherwise lacks platforms for lascannons that can stand up to concentrated firepower. Since you can still charge after jumping out of Land Raiders, this is also a good option for melee-oriented lists needing a way to deliver chainaxe-wielding Grenadiers right into your opponent's face.
    • Third-line Rhinos will explode from a stiff breeze, but they're a cheap and perhaps more importantly small transport option compared to the Cargo-8s in the Fast Attack slot. They can also mount weapons like multi-meltas to provide some firepower that can catch an opponent off guard, but be aware that this almost doubles the Rhino's price.
  • Voidjumpers: For an extra 20 points, your Recon Squads using this Provenance can be given Militia jet packs, granting them a 12" move range that ignores terrain. They also swap their weapons for two laspistols or two autopistols, the latter of which gives them the firepower of a full 20-man lasgun squad. While the added mobility is nice, especially on Light Infantry that can already Infiltrate, they remain fragile guardsmen, and that weapon swap puts them perilously close to literally everything that can take them out. You can withdraw out of realistic charging range of advancing melee units, but that won't save you from being shot in the face.

</tab> <tab name="Armoury of Old Night">

Where Survivors of the Dark Age is about how the world the army is from managed to keep all of its advanced vehicles and equipment, this one is about all of the insane weapons the world needed to survive the Age of Strife. While it really only improves your infantry's ability to shoot other infantry, it does so on an incredible level, all at no downside except Provenance clashes. As long as you're building a ranged army, this is always worth it and almost always an auto-take.

• Benefits:
  • All eligible models may replace their lasgun with a lasrifle for free.
    • This limits mobility somewhat, but extends their 2-shot range to 30" and grants them a S6 alternate firing mode. Suddenly, every soldier in the army becomes a threat to nearly everything for no additional cost.
    • As mentioned earlier, Heavy becomes irrelevant if you took Cyber-augmetics.
  • Relic Arms: For an additional cost of 30 points per unit, Grenadier Squads and Command Cadres may replace their lasguns with assault needlers or volkite chargers and swap their laspistols for volkite serpenta or needle pistols. They may also swap their sniper rifles for needle vulnus and may switch heavy stubbers with volkite culverins or needle cannons. These options effectively give you one over on nearly every opponent, all at a cheaper cost than giving a 20-man squad boltguns.
    • While it's not very consistent in that it replaces your 30" lasrifles with 15" volkite chargers and 18" assault needlers, but also grants significant buffs to long-ranged special/heavy weapons, the options are so good you want to pay the 30pts regardless. For a more detailed analysis, move over to the Armoury of Old Night section of the Ranged Weapons list.
    • Pairs very well with Warrior Elite (letting you take Grenadiers as Compulsory Troops) or Legacy of the Great Crusade (makes everyone with Relic Arms BS4).
  • Heirlooms of Past Glory: Force Commanders using this Provenance can replace a power sword with a paragon blade for 10 points. They may also replace a laspistol with an archaeotech pistol for 10 points. While a paragon blade is nice, you still have to pay for the power sword first, and that becomes a lot of points to spend on a squishy character with WS4. Even with archaeotech pistols being good, Force Commanders already have access to the widest range of pistols in the blast, needle and flame categories, so you really have to think about this option's worth.
    • The paragon blade becomes better when you have Legacy of the Great Crusade, as you get AP2 at I5, which for once makes your Force Commander a passable melee character. You'll still die horribly to Marine ICs and TEQ sergeants, but you can kill 1W Artificer Armour sergeants no problem.

</tab> <tab name="Feral Warriors">

An army of screaming barbarians... IN SPACE! Requires you to move away from your normal ranged focus dramatically, but being a Provenance that buffs both your To Hit (improved WS) and To Wound (+1S Shred) for all of your infantry, it's almost mandatory for any melee build.

• Benefits:
  • All eligible units gain +1 WS when charging.
    • Very, very, very good. Lets your Levy Squads get out of the WS2 shithole of being hit on 2+ and hitting on 6+ by literally everything from the Space Marine list, while allowing your other humans to hit at a Marine-tier WS4. Particularly good on Cavalry (who need all the help they can get to hit with their charge-only lances) and Ogryns with their base WS4, hitting Marines on a 3+. Bonus points for taking the dreaded Thunder Hammer Ogryn Boss, who can wipe out almost any generic character in the game when given the chance to attack.
    • Filthy Traitors can get lots of mileage out of combining this with Debased Rabble, as Hatred (Everything) is also an enormous To Hit buff that only works on the first round of combat.
  • Chainaxes: Any model with a close combat weapon (practically everyone, really) can buy a chainaxe for 2pts per model or replace a chainsword with one for 1pt.
    • This can get expensive quickly (at least relative to usual Militia costs), as chainaxes cost the same 2pts as the potential Levy wielding it! However, the boost to killing power for either weapon option can be huge (it can actually double the aforementioned Levy's damage output against T4), and very much worthwhile for any unit that you expect to deal damage in melee, rather than just being bullet/charge sponges.
• Limitations:
  • If your unit is within 12" of an enemy unit during your Assault phase, you must charge if possible.
    • Weaselling out of this is very difficult, as almost everyone will have swapped out their rifle for a pistol and CCW to get the chainaxe, which means they can and therefore must charge. That said, remember that this doesn't apply to anyone who fired Heavy/Rapid Fire weapons, e.g. Fire Support Squads, nor does it apply to your big guns like Sentinels or tanks.
    • Like with other faction abilities tied to successful charges, this Provenance demands a lot of attention to detail in both army composition and movement. Being forced to charge means you should never leave infantry sitting within 9-12" of an enemy, as it leaves them exposed to a forced (and likely failed) charge that opens them up to Overwatch, or even worse an enemy charge the next turn that completely negates your +1 WS bonus. Ensure your units can follow up with easy charges on any turn that you enter the 12" "danger zone". It is worthwhile investing either in units with innately good movement (like Cavalry), or to take Provenances that help with Movement indirectly, such as Gene-crafted for the Fleet (2) option or Survivors of the Dark Age for Land Raiders.

</tab> <tab name="Kinfolk Helots">

Literally just Squats this time around. Your army gets tougher as a whole, but everyone else hates you because you're a bunch of ugly abhumans. The perfect opportunity to break out your (Chaos) Dwarf minis.

• Benefits:
  • All eligible models gains +1 Toughness.
    • Your infantry become that much harder to kill, simple as that. Has synergy with Medicae/Cyber-augmetics, as you get Feel No Pain (6+) against S6/7 now. 6+ is not much, but it's better than nothing.
  • Every Character, i.e. all squad sergeants and attached advisors, gain Battlesmith (6+) while Independent Characters instead gain Battlesmith (5+).
    • Consider taking this with the Survivors of the Dark Age or Industrial Stronghold Provenances; your shitty infantry spam can repair your Third-line tanks and undo all of the Weapon Destroyed and Immobilized results you'll take from all of the Penetrating Hits you'll suffer.
• Limitations:
  • All eligible models drop their Movement and Initiative by -1.
    • As a gunline army, you don't really mind losing Movement. If you really do, take a Cargo-8 or three.
  • May not be taken with the Ogryn Conscripts Provenance. They're Squats, not Halflings.
    • Doesn't actually prevent you from taking T6 Ogryns, just that they can't be taken as Troops.
  • Space Marines and Solar Auxilia treat you as Distrusted Allies.
    • As mentioned, the normies don't like you. Doesn't say anything about Mechanicum, so you can still get Sworn Brothers with Cyber-augmetics and repair their stuff in the bargain.

</tab> <tab name="Abhuman Muster">

The Beastmen army. Geared heavily towards melee, so choose your other Provenance accordingly. Like Kinfolk Helots, people hate you for being filthy mutants, so don't expect allies. In an odd display of 40k being less Grimdark than Fantasy, you can take Loyalist Beastmen.

• Benefits:
  • All eligible models gain +1 Strength.
    • Very simple; you hit harder in close combat. Unfortunately, it's not useful on lance Cavalry (fixed S7) and Ogryn Bosses (Thunder Hammer is already S10), which make up the only non-Character models with AP melee weapons in your army. That said, your other S6 Ogryns can ID humans in melee now.
  • All eligible Character models gain Hammer of Wrath (1) with Independent Characters and Monstrous units instead gaining Hammer of Wrath (2).
    • Remember to make it with the +1S you gain from taking this Provenance.
    • Ogryns don't benefit, seeing as they already have HoW (2)...
• Limitations:
  • All eligible models gain Bulky (2) if they didn't already have a different version of Bulky (X).
    • Prevents you from taking transports easily. Not a big deal, as this is a melee Provenance and nothing you had was an Assault Vehicle anyway.
    • Can actually help you against Night Lords by counting as 2 models each for the purpose of being outnumbered, thus denying their Legion trait.
  • This may not be combined with the Ogryn Conscripts Provenance, but the bonus still applies to Ogryns that you might take anyway.
  • All eligible models suffer -1BS, to a minimum of BS1.
    • You probably swapped out your rifles for a pistol and CCW on most of your units anyway because this is a melee Provenance. As your pistols weren't very good anyway, not a major loss.
    • Remember that this only applies to your infantry! It's a lot more lenient than it sounds when your Sentinels (specifically not affected by Provenances), tanks and Rapiers (do not have Militia sub-type) keep their BS3 and they were the ones with the big guns in the first place.
  • Space Marines and Solar Auxilia treat you as Distrusted Allies.
    • Again, normie no likey mutie. Doesn't say anything about Mechanicum, so you can still get Sworn Brothers with Cyber-augmetics and repair their stuff in the bargain.

</tab> <tab name="Debased Rabble (Traitors only)">

Insane cultist army, part one. Drives you to fight in melee, but doesn't actually make you any worse at shooting the enemy.

• Benefits:
  • All eligible models gain Crusader and Hatred (Everything).
    • Lets your Feral Warriors models hit at WS4 Hatred (Everything) and thus very reliably hit Marines. Particularly good with Cavalry and Ogryns, who have actual AP in melee. Also good with Abhuman Muster, as Hatred (Everything) makes up for not getting the +1WS and you get the same +1S, if not the Shred, while saving the 2pts per chainaxe; the chainaxes can add up to a lot when, as pointed out under Feral Warriors, the Levy model holding it was 2pt in the first place. In the unlikely circumstance you win combat, you're also more likely to Sweep, which is always nice.
    • Works great on your lance Cavalry, who only get their lances on the charge anyway.
• Limitations:
  • Grenadier Squads may not be taken at all. Unsurprisingly, the insane cultists don't have crack infantry.
  • Must charge if able. See the Feral Warriors tab for how to counteract this. If you were taking Feral Warriors, you suffer from this anyway, so not a downside in that circumstance.
  • May not be combined with the Survivors of the Dark Age Provenance. As stated, you're leading a pack of insane cultists and insane cultists don't tend to preserve millennia-old technology well. No, don't ask us why Armoury of Old Night isn't barred too.

</tab> <tab name="Tainted Flesh (Traitors only)">

Insane cultist army part two, now with mutations! Very spooky to anyone in their right mind, but very heavily restricted in what they can take. Again, the raving madmen very strangely don't shoot any worse than models from most other Provenances...

• Benefits:
  • Eligible units gain Fear (1) and Furious Charge (1).
    • Sounds good, but competes directly with Feral Warriors/Debased Rabble, which simply offer more melee buffs. True, Furious Charge (1) is more general than chainaxes because it works on other weapons too, but your units are either on basic CCW (all of your infantry, Ogryn included) and thus would have taken a chainaxe anyway, have fixed Strength (lance Cavalry) or don't need more Strength (power weapon Ogryn Boss).
    • That said, the two Traitor Provenances can combine to be pretty good; Furious Charge (1) and Hatred (Everything) make up for losing +1WS and chainaxes from not taking Feral Warriors, while Fear (1) and Crusader make it more likely for your units to Sweeping Advance the enemy.
• Limitations:
  • All Compulsory Troops must be Militia Levy Squads.
    • Remember, these guys can't take objectives due to lack of Line sub-type, so take other infantry for that.
    • You still have Grenadiers despite being Chaos mutants. Consider taking them and using their 4+ saves to stay on objectives.
  • The Detachment may not include more other Infantry-type units than it already has Levy Squads.
    • Explicitly doesn't effect your HQ units and does NOT say anything about taking Cavalry or Vehicles, the latter of which operate as per normal. However, remember Sentinels are Infantry now, not Vehicles.
  • The only permitted HQ choices are Force Commanders and Rogue Psykers.
    • Losing Discipline Masters can really hurt, given the disaster that is Imperialis Militia leadership and the fact that you'll be deploying tons of Levy Squads. Make up for it with your Warlord Trait and/or your other Provenance.
  • May not be taken with the Survivors of the Dark Age, Gene-crafted, Ogryn Conscripts, or Alchem-jackers Provenances.
    • You CAN take Warrior Elite to make up for the fact that you have no Discipline Masters. No word on how to resolve Warrior Elite making your Levy Support Squad while this makes you take Levy as Compulsory Troops.

</tab> <tab name="Ogryn Conscripts">

Ogryns as Troops. Surely you can see where this is going? No downsides other than Provenance restrictions, but there are a ton of those; check the other Provenance before you start salivating about combos. Consider bringing out your Ogre Kingdoms minis.

• Benefits:
  • Ogryn Brute Squads can be taken as Troops choices, with those taken as Compulsory Troops gaining the Line sub-type.
    • Three-quarters of the selling point of the Provenance. The two units taken as Compulsory Troops are going to be very difficult to shift from objectives, given how beefy Ogryns are.
  • Discipline Masters, Militia Medicae and Force Commanders can join Ogryn Brutes, ignoring the usual restrictions.
    • The other quarter of the selling point. Medicae are useful because Ogryns will get Feel No Pain (6+) against basically everything and it will stack with the 5++ they get from boarding shields. Discipline Masters prevent your 500 point Ogryn squad from breaking because they fluffed a round of combat, while being able to attach your Force Commander means you can confer Warlord Traits.
• Limitations:
  • Space Marines and Solar Auxilia treat you as Distrusted Allies.
    • Still doesn't say anything about Mechanicum, so you can still get Sworn Brothers with Cyber-augmetics and repair their stuff in the bargain.
    • You have Ogryn troops. Do you really need allies to help you?

</tab> <tab name="Industrial Stronghold">

You know the story of how the Soviets at Stalingrad drove their tanks right off the assembly line into battle? Basically this. Enjoy being one of the few armies that can take more tanks than the Solar Auxilia.

• Benefits:
  • Leman Russes can now be taken in squadrons of up to six tanks, rather than being one per slot.
    • Singlehandedly invalidates taking any other tank in the list. The Vanquisher is so powerful it's not even funny, and now you get six of them per slot. For people who are bored of spamming the same cannon on twelve tanks, the Executioner is also a good choice for wiping out most infantry units.
  • You gain two Heavy Support slots solely for Leman Russes.
    • So you can take your twelve Russes without compromising your ability to take Rapiers/artillery. Bring out the big guns; your Provenance is named Industrial Stronghold for a reason.
    • Consider pairing this with Kinfolk Helots, so you can use your infantry to fix up all of the Penetrating Hits you'll take from having twelve tanks with the Third-line sub-type.
• Limitations:
  • May not be taken with the Unending Horde, Debased Rabble, Tainted Flesh, or Ogryn Conscripts Provenances.

</tab> <tab name="Unending Horde">

The stereotypical Imperial Guard human wave attack, now in 30k. Combine this with the Ruthless Tyrant WT, and you have Commander Kubrik Chenkov, or at least his distant ancestor.

• Benefits:
  • Militia Infantry Squads and Militia Levy Squads that are destroyed can be returned to Reserves on a D6 roll of 4+. They retain their wargear options, though any attached advisors are lost.
    • As anyone who has done mathematical series in school knows, the sum of the series of (1 + 1/2 + 1/4... 1/2ⁿ) is 2. So here's the deal; if you take the maximum 18 squads of Infantry/Levy to start the game, your opponent has to statistically kill 36 squads to actually get rid of all of them. It's true that your units come on from Reserves and therefore from your own map edge, but good luck to your opponent if he wants to advance into your deployment zone.
    • Particularly good with Levy; as they all self-destruct upon Falling Back, you can summon another one from Reserves immediately without having to wait for them to fall back off the map edge.
      • As your Endless Horde (4+) units come on from your own map edge, find ways for them to get into action quickly. Armoury of Old Night can help by making all of them have 30" range, while Gene-crafted can help them run back into the fight with Fleet (2).
    • As your Medicae/Discipline Masters don't come back, try to take a Provenance/Warlord Trait and replicate what they do instead. Cyber-augmetics/Kinfolk Helots is great for making your guys more durable, while Warrior Elite/Alchem-jackers/Ruthless Tyrant can help prevent your units from running.
• Limitations:
  • Grenadier Squads become Elites choices when using this Provenance. Not too bad, as there aren't that many good choices for Elites in this army list anyway, so it essentially just stops them competing with your Troops.

</tab> </tabs>

Wargear

Ranged Weapons

This army has staggering variety of less than staggering small arms, allowing you precise control over the balance and type of your firepower to affordability. The big guns have generally been severely nerfed since 1.0, but many are still usable and the non-template ones have, if anything, been greatly buffed.

Auto Weapons
What we would call firearms today. As expected, use varies widely based on size, rate of fire and caliber, but has poor AP with one very large exception.

• Autorifle: Reskinned Lasgun with the same 24" Rapid Fire S3 AP-.
• Autopistol: 9" S3 AP- Pistol 2. Any unit that has access to a Laspistol generally may take an Autopistol instead if they choose to. The 3" loss in range will barely matter in most instances, particularly if either party intends to get into assault, as either player will try to close to a comfortable distance to make sure that charge distance roll actually succeeds. So the Autopistol is usually the better choice for attackers and units performing overwatch reactions.
• Stubcarbine 12" S3 AP- Assault 3. Pistol range, but beats out Lasgun/Autorifle once it gets there. If you anticipate being this close then it is the clear winner. Though you are certain to be counter attacked and chewed up from being this close.
• Shotgun: 12" S3 AP- Assault 2, but with Concussive (1). They can potentially reduce the WS of their target unit by one if they fail a leadership save. Obviously everyone has better WS than Militia, so if you can actually get this to work, it can make a fight against a non-elite melee opponent slightly more manageable, if not winnable. But everyone also have better Ld than Militia, so it is unlikely to really come into play a lot. If you actually intend to get into combat with some units, then it may be worth taking. Otherwise a Stubcarbine is strictly better at the same range.
  • On the flip side, while a single unit cannot force multiple Concussive tests...multiple units CAN. So if you're taking Shotguns, go all in. A squad of Grenadiers might only have a 25% chance to make Marines fail a LD test...but if they're backed up by an Infantry Squad who also shot the Marines then you now have a 43% chance (75% x 75%). Not to mention Ogryn's can take Thunderstubs with Concussive, so you can back them up with this same tactic.
• Sniper Rifle: The same gun from the Legion list. Has the most armor-piercing ability of your Sniper choices thanks to Rending (5+), so it's your default choice against Marines.
• Heavy Stubber: A modern day HMG. It's an OK anti-infantry option with Heavy 3 S4 AP6, but as a squad heavy weapon it clashes with the 24" Rapid Fire of the stock Lasgun/Autorifle (everything else has even shorter range) and is underpowered compared to the Heavy Bolter/Multi-laser as a Fire Support squad/vehicle option. That said, if you so much as kill 1 Marine, you've made back your points. Is that likely? Up to you to decide.
• Autocannon: The S7 AP4 Heavy 2 classic, except now with Rending 6+ so you peasants without Assault Cannons can also roll random crits. A good choice on your Fire Support squads given its price, high rate of fire making up for poor BS and the relative lack of S6/S7 shooting in the list. More questionable on vehicles and Sentinels, as you're already paying so much for the platform it comes in and you might as well get a better gun.
• Battle Cannon: Has been nerfed into the ground because it countered MEQs too hard in the previous edition. Its S8 AP4 is frankly useless against Dreadnoughts/Automata, its 3" blast is too small for anti-infantry, while it's simply not as good against vehicles compared to...
• Vanquisher Cannon: An absolutely excellent choice against literally anything bigger than an MEQ. Heavy 2 Brutal (2) means you have respectable wound volume, while S9 AP2 means reliable wounding against Dreadnought/Automata and ID against Terminators. Sunder makes it formidable as an anti-vehicle option too. Unless you're playing against Sisters of Silence, there will always be a good target for the Vanquisher. Take it.

Artillery Cannons
Various heavy ordnance that don't fit under Auto weapons for whatever reason. A lot of these are specific to a single unit, so look in those entries instead.

• Demolisher Cannon: Like the Battle Cannon, it was seriously nerfed from 1.0, this one because it countered TEQ too hard. However, the rework is a usable weapon, as S12 Ordnance means you will penetrate basically any vehicle, while AP3 Sunder gives it 1-shot potential against smaller Automata. It's not generally as good as the Vanquisher, but don't discount this when playing against Mechanicum or Imperial Army.

Bolt Weapons
The classic automatic rocket launcher. A better anti-infantry option than Las/Auto, but don't expect to use it as anything other than that.

• Boltgun: The Marine-standard S4 AP5 24" Rapid Fire. Generally worth it on the models that can get it, as it is indeed that much better than the lasgun.
• Bolt Pistol: 1-shot 12" pistol version of the above. Most models with access to Bolt Pistols have access to Blast Pistols for the same cost. Unless you think you need the extra 3" range, then the extra shot and strength will always be the better choice.
• Heavy Bolter: At Heavy 4 S5 AP4, it's one of the better anti-infantry options on your Fire Support Squads. Also available as a vehicle/Sentinel mount.

Las Weapons
Pretty similar to Auto weapons at the lower sizes, but changes to high strength with good AP as it gets bigger.

• Lasgun: The good old Imperial Guard weapon everyone knows from 40k with 24" S3 AP- Rapid Fire. All of your Troops have this as standard. However, most units can replace them with better options.
• Laspistol: 12" S3 AP- pistol that everyone knows. Better than nothing. Really more for the +1A than for the actual pistol. Don't expect to see this often, as the Autopistol is generally better.
• Blast Pistol: Available to several kinds of squad sergeant, as well as Discipline Masters. 9" range with S6 AP4, Pistol 2. Vastly superior to the stock las/autopistol in nearly every aspect and are a reliable threat against everything up to light vehicles, they usually come in cheap at 5 points for the upgrade which is definitely worth the price.
• Lascarbine: 18" S3 AP6 Assault 2 lasguns. So you trade some maximum range for more shots at the mid range, and the freedom to charge after.
• Long-las: Laser sniper rifle. Loss of Rending compared to the stock Sniper Rifle means it's less effective at piercing armour, but S6 AP4 means it's murder against both flavors of Imperial Army by piercing Carapace/Void Armour and causing Instant Death, denying Feel No Pain in the process. Also has Sunder which isn't much on a S6 platform, but may sometimes be useful for light vehicles.
• Multi-laser: A generally respectable anti-light infantry weapon with its S6 AP6 Heavy 3, sharing duty with the Heavy Bolter as the resident medium strength high volume anti-light infantry weapon. Not as good as the Heavy Bolter, but many units don't feature both as an option, so you take what you can get.
• Lascannon: The big-boy anti-vehicle/Dreadnought/Terminator Heavy weapon you know and love. S9 AP2 Sunder means it can very reliably blow up vehicles and cause wounds on anything with a Toughness value, while 48" lets you do it from very far away. Your cheapest way of getting some is on Fire Support Squads, but you can also take them on Sentinels and vehicle mounts.
• Gravis Lascannon: 2-shot version of the above. Unfortunately competes directly with the objectively superior Vanquisher, so don't expect to see this often.

Melta Weapons
S8 AP1 weapons with Armourbane at half range. Good against vehicles as expected, but has taken over from Plasma as the anti-TEQ option thanks to retaining the ability to ignore 2+ saves and having ID against T4.

• Meltagun: 12" Assault 1 form. The competitor of the Plasma Gun as the anti-TEQ infantry squad special weapon; it's generally better, and is priced as such. You don't nearly get enough of them to actually threaten Terminator units, so just treat them as a source of additional firepower rather than an actual counter.
• Multi-melta: 24" Twin-linked form; it's also Heavy 1, but everyone who can take one is a vehicle or a Sentinel, so you don't care. Actually a good weapon, as Twin-linked makes up for your mediocre BS3.

Missile Weapons
Self-propelled munitions with an exploding warhead. Not generally as good as a specialized weapon and can get screwed over by specialized wargear that protects against missiles in particular.

• Missile Launcher: 48" Heavy 1 weapon that can switch between S4 AP6 3" Blast Pinning Frag, and S8 AP3 Krak. Occupies its customary role between the Lascannon as an anti-vehicle choice and your various quick-firing weapons as anti-infantry. Unfortunately no longer a source of anti-air, as you do not get Flak Missiles.
• Hunter-killer Missile: One-use Krak missile for your vehicles. Won't do much given your BS3, but can be good fodder against Weapon Destroyed.

Plasma Weapons
High strength AP4 Breaching (4+) weapons, with a propensity for exploding. Unlike marines, you don't get an armour save against Gets Hot! because the resultant wound is AP4, so see if you can find some way to mitigate it, like Feel No Pain.

• Plasma Pistol: 12" pistol form. One of the best pistols that a character can be given as it can reliably kill the typical models that the rest of the squad will also be shooting at, but if the weapon explodes it is unlikely that the model carrying it will survive. But the model carrying it was unlikely to survive very long from being within 12" of the enemy in any case.
• Plasma Gun: 24" Rapid Fire form. Available as a special weapon on your infantry and is really one of your only ways of killing TEQs in an infantry-sized package. Unfortunately not very good at that anymore due to losing flat AP2 and TEQ being 2 wounds, and competes directly with Meltaguns in that role.

Exotic and Miscellaneous Weapons
The stuff that GW couldn't be assed to classify.

• Grenade Launcher: A mini Missile Launcher, with a S3 AP6 3" blast Pinning Frag shot and S5 AP4 Krak shot. Absolutely not worth it for 10 points in a game where Plasma Guns are 10 points.

Melee Weapons

Chain Weapons
Weapons with no AP, but Shred and possibly improved strength. The chainsword is character-exclusive, but the chainaxe is available to anyone with a CCW as long as you take Feral Warriors.

• Chainsword: One of the most iconic weapons of the franchise, now with Shred to reflect the fact that a chainsaw should really hit harder than a knife. Entirely not worth it at 5 points, when a Power weapon is 10 and compared to...
• Chainaxe: The above, except +1S and 2pt per model. As you took Feral Warriors for the purpose of building for melee anyway, this is absolutely worth it on any and all of your units, except on characters and maybe Cavalry. Take it and take it by the ton.

Power Weapons
Otherwise normal weapons with a matter disruption field, translating in game as AP2/3. Character-only.

• Power Sword: Same old S:User AP3, except now with Rending (6+). Not a good idea, as lacking the strength bonuses of the Spear and Maul means you will have difficulties with wounding, while your I3 means you hit after everyone else and you might as well take the Axe.
• Power Axe: Same old S+1 AP2. Gives your characters a fighting chance against MEQ sergeants... as long as you survive going last. Can be improved with your extensive list of strength bonuses from Provenances and/or Warlord trait too.
• Power Maul: S+2, but now AP3, meaning you can actually hit pretty hard against MEQs. Assuming you don't get stuck in a challenge, you can do serious damage with this. Can also do OK against Automata.
• Power Lance: One of the premier anti-MEQ weapons with S+1 AP3 Reach (1), allowing you to hit at the same time as MEQ. That said, if you're not in a challenge you can just allocate wounds to the random scrubs and make sure your character survives to use his Maul, while anyone in a challenge will likely need AP2 to fight Artificer Armour sergeants. However, if you're fighting GEQ, going first can give you the edge.

The following is not available to Discipline Masters, and is instead only available to Force Commanders and Grenadier/Command Cadre sergeants.

• Power Fist: Its Sx2 AP2 cannot usually cause ID against MEQ/TEQs, as you have base strength 3, and even if you get strength bonuses you're liable to dying before you can attack at I1. Think very carefully before taking this on anyone who isn't your Force Commander, as you're very likely paying 15pt for a weapon you won't get to use.

Exotic and Miscellaneous Weapons
The stuff that GW couldn't be assed to classify.

• Melta Bomb: The same 1 S8 AP1 attack at I1, except it now causes ID because Dreadnoughts have normal statlines now and the Melta Bomb should be useful against them. Available on Force Commander, Discipline Masters and Grenadier/Command Cadre sergeants; you can't mass it like Space Marines, but you really have no better choices against a Dreadnought.
• Bayonet: Turns your lasgun/autorifle/bolter into a spear. +1S is good, but Two-handed is not, particularly when you can't normally shoot the gun it's attached to before charging (Rapid Fire), while anyone who actually wants to be in melee will make the free trade to pistol+CCW and not have a bayonet in the first place. Becomes better with Cyber-augmetics, which allows charging after firing Rapid Fire weapons; it costs more and still isn't as good as pistol+CCW, but it may be worth it if you really want to keep your rifle.
• Militia Lance: Remember that glorious bastard who took Warhammer Fantasy handguns as Auxilia Rifles on his infantry in 1.0 and started gunning down Space Marines? You can do that now with your knight models, except your S7 AP3 Brutal (2) lance is actually capable of killing Marines, all with a cool Sudden Strike (2) to make sure you go before those Marines. What's the problem? Ungainly, which limits you to using it on the charge, and then only making 1 attack. This means it's only really good on your rank and file Cavalry models, as all of the mounted characters who can take one can and should take something that grants more attacks. Even then, it's a close call between this and Feral Warrior chainaxes against 1W MEQs, not to mention anyone wearing other armour. That said, it's also amazing against Mechanicum, as it will wound Automata reliably, ignore their armour and cause tons of wounds.

Armoury of Old Night

This section lists weapons that are only available when you take said Provenance. Generally very good weapons that live up to the name of the Provenance, allowing you to pack much more firepower than usual.

Lasrifle
Lets you pretend your infantry are Solar Auxilia. At Heavy 2 30", it has a lot more firepower at range than the 24" Rapid Fire lasgun. It also gains a Blast Charger mode, giving it 18" range, S6 AP4. Imagine having a whole army with S6 weapons for free? While the range is short and marines still get their saves, in bulk this weapon can easily threaten everything they fire at. Even T6 Primarchs should be wary about charging into a massed unit of these, while you can laugh at any enemy GEQs trying to get into melee as you Overwatch them with ID wounds that ignore their armour.

• Particularly useful with Levy squads, as fitting all 50 models into range is a lot easier when you have 30" Heavy 2 instead of 24" Rapid Fire. Moreover, as they are BS2, don't be afraid to shuffle some models around and fire Snap Shots on them, so you can fit more models into the firing line.

Relic Arms
Grenadier/Command Cadre specific choices. The Pistol choices replace the laspistol/autopistol, the Assault choices replace the lasgun/autorifle, the Culverin/Cannon replaces Heavy Stubbers and Vulnus replaces Sniper Rifles. As noted in the Provenance entry you pay 30pts flat, so it pays to take large units. Remember both units come with a tri-weapon setup, so you can take the pistol upgrade together with whatever longarm/heavy weapon/special weapon upgrade you take.

• Needle Weapons: Generally quick-firing weapons with no AP, but various levels of Poisoned (X) so you can stack up the wounds and force saves. Also has Pinning as a general trait.
  • Needle Pistol: The only one that can be taken without Armoury of Old Night, by your Force Commander and Discipline Masters. As a 2-shot Poisoned (3+) pistol, it competes directly with more powerful options like Blast/Plasma Pistol, which also wound reliably and have better AP. An excellent choice for non-Assault Needler Grenadier/Command Cadre units, as it's also a very good backup weapon to the Lasrifle and can potentially Pin charging opponents on Overwatch.
  • Assault Needler: The absolute best you can get on infantry (barring special/heavy weapons) in this list. Assault 3 means it outguns its main competitor in the Volkite Charger (not to mention the shitty Stubcarbines and shotguns you get by default), while Poisoned (3+) lets it wound more reliably. Pinning is just the cherry on the cake, letting you snare any assault units who might try to take advantage of your 18" range. All this for 30 points on the entire squad, meaning you pay 1.5 points per weapon to upgrade from the Lasrifle on full squads. Almost a bigger selling point for the Provenance than armywide Lasrifles.
  • Needle Cannon: A somewhat questionable choice, as it's not that much stronger than the Assault Needler with 1 extra shot, while its short range and Heavy will screw you over as you fire Snap Shots when you move into range. Moreover, it overlaps heavily with the (generally superior) Volkite Culverin, and competes with Melta/Plasma as a close range special weapon.
  • Needle Vulnus: A variant sniper rifle. Has less armour piercing than the Sniper Rifle due to being Breaching (6+) instead of Rending (5+) and cannot ID GEQs like the Long-las, but makes up for it by being 2-shot and pseudo-Fleshbane with Poisoned (2+).
• Volkite Weapons: Medium strength quick-firing weapons with poor AP, and therefore have significant overlap with Needle Weapons. Mostly boils down to whether you want flat strength or flat Poisoned rolls, and how much you value Deflagrate.
  • Volkite Serpenta: 9" 2-shot pistol with S5 AP5. Not generally as good as the 12" Needle Pistol, but take this on Assault Needler units because the Needle Pistol is a weaker Assault Needler and the only time you'll use your pistol is when your Assault Needler can't handle whatever you're targeting, like light vehicles or units with resistance against Poisoned weapons.
  • Volkite Charger: Turns your Grenadiers into knockoff Veletaris. Not a good choice, as the Assault Needler is superior in almost every circumstance and you can simply use your Volkite Serpenta for those circumstances when you really need S5 shooting.
  • Volkite Culverin: 45" S6 AP5 5-shot weapon. A truly excellent weapon that equals almost 5(!) Lasrifles in firepower and is thus worth taking on Lasrifle Grenadier units to buff up their firepower. That said, on Assault Needler units, it competes with Melta and Plasma, where its high rate of fire is mitigated by being forced to fire Snap Shots while on the move and having poor AP. As you only get 1 of them on Command Cadres, it's not worth paying 30 points.

Heirlooms of Past Glory
This option is exclusive to Force Commanders. This allows you to switch out their power sword (that they still have to pay points for) for a paragon blade and swap out their laspistol or autopistol (presumably, anyway) for an archaeotech pistol, each only costing 10 points.

Equipment

• Carapace Armour: Plate armour in SPEHSS and so is made of futuristic ceramics/plastics instead of steel. 4+ save available to Grenadiers by default and to a bunch of other units as upgrades. Almost always worth it, as it gives you a save against the dreaded Volkite that counters everything you have smaller than a Sentinel.
• Flak Armour: Classic T-shirt 5+ save. Default on basically everyone who isn't a Grenadier.
• Militia Vexilla: The standard "+1 CR banner" you get like in other armies. Worth considering on Discipline Master units or melee builds, but arguably not worth it on other ranged units because you'll usually lose combat by so much +1 doesn't matter.

Unit Analysis

HQ

• Force Commander: You need one of these in your detachment in order to use Provenances, and all other HQ choices have the Support Squad rule, so you need one anyway. Thankfully Provenances are free this edition, so that's less of a worry. This guy has lots of good options, so he can easily be customized out the way you want him to be, and also has some of the best pistol choices in the army. The problem is that he is WS/BS4 I3, so cannot really compete in an environment that includes Space Marines, Custodians, and Primarchs. So unless you can match up some Provenances to gear that makes him marginally impressive, sometimes it's better to just go cheap and focus your attention on your flavourful squads instead.
  • A Charnabal Saber is actually a good melee weapon for him, with S3 he only tends to wound on 5+ anyway. This weapon then makes all of those wounds AP2 with Breaching (5+), and with Duellist's Edge (1) it can even the playing field somewhat against Marine sergeants. If you really want to go first, Charnabal Glaive is also an acceptable choice.
  • With Legacy of the Great Crusade his Initiative jumps from 3 to 5, which suddenly puts him ahead of most basic units in other armies, giving him a fighting chance against random sergeants who might think he is easy pickings. Moreover, Iron Halo + Cyber-familiar gives him a 3++, so he gets a strong save against literally anything the enemy can throw at him.
    • Alternatively, Marcher Lord gives him Battle-hardened (1), which when combined with Kinfolk Helots makes him tougher than Praetors for ID purposes. This makes him impossible to kill with Power Fists and Thunder Hammers, as he's still a 3W IC with a 3++ and possibly 6+++. Bonus points for taking Abhuman Muster, making him S4 and thus able to ID Marines with a Power Fist.
  • With Armoury of the Old Night, he can buy a Paragon Blade and/or an Archaeotech pistol. These become added expenses that probably don't justify their points on a model that won't really utilise it properly.

• Discipline Master Cadre: The Imperial Army's version of Commissars, Discipline Masters are cheap, flexible, and indispensible thanks to their special rules boosting the Militia army list's mediocre (but very important!) Morale. Starting at 20pts, with the option to include up to 11 more in the same "squad." They have a wide variety of upgrades available, and their survivability can be cheaply and substantially increased with carapace armour and refractor fields. At WS4, they can hold their own in melee, though power weapons are relatively pricey at +10pts apiece. Their ranged options are less costly, but really you're getting Discipline Masters for their two very important special rules, rather than upgrades. Those special rules are:
  • Instil Order: When a squad with an attached Discipline Master fails a Morale check, the check can be re-rolled at the cost of D3 wounds inflicted on the squad with no AP. This is a small price to pay, given that Falling Back for units with the Militia sub-type is often a death sentence. This massively boosts a unit's ability to stay in the fight, as a re-roll for the Discipline Master's own Ld8 means you're giving Space Marines a run for their money in sheer grit.
    • Note that these Wounds can't be applied to other attached Characters or the Discipline Master himself. The average lasman is not encouraged by their Discipline Master whipping himself, sadly. Moreover, as it's D3 AP- wounds, your models get their 4+ Carapace/5+ Flak save against it, as well as any Feel No Pain they may have. While life is cheap in the 31st Millennium, it's always good to know you can potentially pay nothing for the reroll.
  • Among the Ranks: Discipline Masters are individually assigned to units with the Infantry Type and Militia Sub-type before Deployment, though this can be extended to Cavalry by an upgrade and Ogryns through a Provenance. Discipline Masters gain the special rules of units they're attached to, so Fire Support and Field Gun squads will keep their Heavy bonus even with a Discipline Master making sure they don't abandon the guns.

• Imperial Militia Command Cadre: Basically Grenadiers you can take from HQ. The largest differences are losing 1 special weapon and Line, but being able to take the Militia Standard, which is the Militia Vexilla except with Stubborn. Combined with a Discipline Master's Ld8 and reroll, this unit can be surprisingly difficult to shift. Otherwise, treat them like Grenadiers; the sergeant-specific upgrades aren't really that special.
  • Can also serve as Retinue to your Force Commander, so that you can free up HQ slots for Discipline Masters and/or Assassins.

• Rogue Psyker (Traitors only) The Rogue Psyker is equal parts good and bad at the same time. If you want to take Daemons in the detachment, then you'll need at least one of these to be able to summon them to the battlefield with the Breach the Veil power. While their offensive psychic powers are either the safe-but-basic Aetheric Lightning that only risk Perils of the Warp if they want to double the strength of the attack to S6, or the bullet spamming Void Darts that risks Perils every time they use it. However, with the Rogue Psyker's terrible BS2 he is unlikely to hit much with either power. They can also purchase Force Weapons for a not-insignificant 10 points, but with WS2 they are not likely to ever hit anything either. So looks like the best use of them is to get those Daemons onto the table.
  • They do have Fear (1) as an inherent special rule, so can drop enemy Ld values within 12" by one with their mere presence. This allows for useful combinations with other weapons that have Concussive or Pinning to get better use out of those weapons, depending on what squad you attach the Rogue Psyker to.
  • If you don't attach the Rogue Psyker to a different squad, he is more than capable of bringing his own. He can buy up to nine Wardens at five points each, and they are quietly better than nearly every other squad in the army. They all have Ld7 as standard, and each warden has a pistol and close combat weapon as well as two attacks basic. They also can each buy a Blast Pistol for the bargain basement cost of 2 points, giving a whole squad of guys who can throw out two S6 pistol shots each. Admittedly this is not a range you want the Rogue Psyker to be within, but it does mean that his squad has a surprising amount of punch.

• Expeditionary Navigator (Militaris Attaché) Made available to all factions as part of the Legacies of the Solar Auxilia list. Currently this is the only way for loyalists to get a "psyker" in the detachment, and for 50 points you aren't getting much, a fragile conscript model with a 5+ invulnerable save, and the ability to interfere with enemy Deep Strike within 12". Given your complete lack of Augury Scanners, you want all the help you can get against Deep Strike.
  • He only gets one power: the Lidless Stare, which is S2 using the flame template and has Pinning. It also has Force if you want to risk the models only wound to double the strength to the overwhelmingly massive score of four.

• Davinite Lodge Priest (Militaris Attaché) Like the Navigator, the Davinite Priest is available thanks to the Legacies of the Solar Auxilia list, this time a Traitor exclusive. A one wound model with a statline that is comparable to everything else in this army list, their only psychic power: "Ritual Healing" is able to restore a single wound to a single model, which is seemingly not very helpful to an Imperialis Militia detachment, as any model that takes a wound is liable to be dead outright...
  • ...until, of course, you remember you can take Ogryns. If you're building some form of Deathstar out of them, the Lodge Priest becomes significantly more useful.

Troops

• Militia Infantry Squad: The core Troops choice. For 80 points you get twenty models with a variable loadout depending on your taste, and they are one of your only sources of Line for claiming objectives. With Strength in Numbers you may also take up to three squads per Troops slot. Which means you can get your objective claiming needs sorted out while leaving yourself plenty of other slots for spamming the better support units.
  • Lasguns/Autorifles have the traditional balance of range vs number of shots, and can outrange all of the other standard weapons, which can be good for keeping the enemy out of charge range. Furthermore, these weapons can purchase bayonets to give the squad +1 strength in melee. Not quite a winner, but doesn't cost you anything because it's the default and is the only choice with 24" range, so it's a decent choice for just sitting on objectives.
  • Lascarbine only has 18" range, but actually gives you more firepower from 12" to 18" because you get 2 shots. Considering how pathetic one S3 AP- shot per model is, taking the Lascarbines is actually a significant improvement in your ranged firepower because you don't want to be within 12" in the first place.
  • Shotguns have Concussive so are potentially able to reduce the enemy WS by -1 for a turn. At that range it can be a lifesaver when you inevitably get counter charged, as most common opponents could be reduced to equal weapon skill. Not entirely reliable as a lot of units are going to pass the test, or simply not care. But if you are going melee focussed for your army, this could be the better choice, as you can simply take lots of squads and force multiple tests.
  • Stubcarbines have more firepower than Lasguns within 12", but remove your ability to shoot from 24". If you're running ranged builds, this gives the best chance of reducing the enemy numbers before that inevitable counter volley/charge.
  • Taking pistols and melee weapons means committing the squad to melee, for an army that really doesn't like it. You should really only choose this if you're building the entire army around a melee build (like Feral Warrior/Alchem-Jackers).
  • One model can also choose to take a special weapon from the standard list. The choice should match the weapon the rest of the squad takes. So longer ranged weapons like Heavy Stubbers and Sniper Rifles will do better alongside lasguns, while Flamers work better with the other weapon upgrades due to similar ranges. Melta/Plasma are probably not worth it because the rest of the squad are unlikely to harm whatever the Melta forces them to shoot at, and only getting 1 special weapon per squad means you won't really be threatening anyone.
• From a statistical standpoint, Infantry are behind Levies on toughness (Grenadiers have 4+ saves, Levies have twice the models at the same cost) and firepower (Grenadiers have better guns, Levies have twice the models). What they offer, however, is the ability to spam Line infantry, as Grenadiers come in singular squads and Levies do not have Line at all. This means for builds where your killing power comes from elsewhere (eg. Fire Support Squads, Industrial Stronghold, allied detachments), Infantry are the way to go. Given that, think carefully about giving them weapon upgrades; if you actually wanted your squad to do something, you shouldn't be taking Infantry to begin with, except possibly as a cheap source of shotguns.

• Militia Levy Squad: 20-50 conscripts at 2 points per model with a Lasgun, autogun, or a pistol and melee weapon. You can't really get cheaper than that. And with Strength in Numbers you can take up to three squads per slot, so you can really bulk up on the model count if you want to cover an impressive amount of ground. Like last edition, they are still expendable, so do not confer any victory points for their destruction.
  • Changes to the basic rules mean that there is considerable risk to taking them though. The Expendable rule also means that if they ever fail a morale check, they just get removed entirely, so the downsides of Militia subtype just get overwritten with worse outcomes. This makes it hard, if not impossible to use them as a tarpit unit. They do not have Line so can never score objectives, and with changes to Weapon Skill rules, they are less likely to hit anything in melee, while being more easily hit back.
  • On the bright side, they are actually more cost-effective as ranged units than normal Infantry Squads, simply because they're 2/3 as accurate but cost a lot less than 2/3 of Infantry models. This means they're both cheaper than Infantry squads for the same firepower, and more slot-efficient because you theoretically more firepower per squad and therefore per FOC slot, on top of being tougher because you have more models with the same Ld6 and T3 5+.
    • However, this is contingent on getting all of the Levy models into range, and fitting 30 or more models into 12" of the enemy is a lot harder than doing the same with 20 models. Moreover, Infantry Squads can pull closer by taking Stubcarbines. This changes if you have Armoury of Old Night, as 30" 2-shot range makes getting your models into range a lot more forgiving.

• Militia Grenadier Squad: Your other Line choice, but this one has the Support Squad rule, so cannot be taken as a Compulsory unit unless you also selected Warrior Elite. These guys are the Stormtrooper analogues, and all come with 4+ saves and +1 Leadership when compared to regular troopers. They have all the same weapon selections as regular Militia Infantry squads, so the same advice applies here, with the possible exception of remembering that with 4+ saves they are more likely to survive up close against bolter fire. Combined with the fact that Grenadiers don't pay for weapon upgrades, this means you really should take the carbines; if you want lasguns, take Infantry.
  • The Bolter sounds tempting, but you're paying 175pts for 20 BS3 Bolters when Space Marines pay 200pts for 20 Tacs and get an improved statline, 3+ saves and 2 special rules in the bargain. Moreover, if you do the math, you can get roughly the same amount of damage against T4 on Stubcarbines within 12", except you don't pay for Stubcarbines.
  • Grenadiers are subject to far more changes from Provenances than any other unit, so their roles can change wildly depending on the Force Commander. With Warrior Elite they become the Primary objective takers, Legacy of the Great Crusade makes them more accurate, Survivors of the Dark Age turns them into Mechanised Mobile troops, while in Armoury of Old Night they gain incredible firepower that lets them outgun any other Line unit and quite possibly any other Troops unit in the game. In Debased Cults and Unending Horde armies they become less common, or unavailable altogether.
  • Note that they get both their long arms alongside a pistol and basic close combat weapon. This is important for some Provenances, for example with Feral Warriors they can take the god combo (at least for this army) of Chainaxe and Shotgun.

• Fire Support Squad: Your heavy weapon squads, just like with Imperial Guard, but as Troops choices with no platoon tax. Unfortunately as Support Squads they cannot be Compulsory choices. They come in units of 3-10 teams and have the full range of Guard crew-served heavy weapons usually for 10pts each, plus some extras like multi-lasers and the stock heavy stubbers. These units have good potential, but even with 2 wounds per "team," their inherent squishiness and the punishing Emplaced rule mean they should be kept as far back as possible and usually in numbers less than the full 10 available per squad.
  • Like with the Field Gun Battery, the Fire Support Squad is subject to the Emplaced rule. This prohibits their Reaction choices to Return Fire, Overwatch, or Interceptor, which admittedly are the only ones you'd want to use anyway. It also means that if they ever have to fall back for any reason, they abandon their weapons and are removed from the game. Even more so than other units in this list, invest in Discipline Masters or other ways to boost Leadership.
    • Heavy Stubber: The stock option. It'll murder another Militia player's Levy Squads, but its niche of "high volume, low damage" is better done by other options here. At the very least Heavy Stubbers look cool.
    • Mortar: Its ability to avoid danger thanks to the Barrage rule is somewhat mitigated by only having 36" range. However, it's the cheapest upgrade available at only 5pts, wounds Space Marine statlines on a 4+, and can be a plentiful source of Pinning. Due to the last of these, they're best taken in MSU to force multiple Pinning tests.
    • Heavy Bolter: The premier choice for mulching other mortals thanks to AP4. Against Space Marines, the 36" range means this squad is usually close to the fighting, so try your best to keep them in cover so their meagre 5+ armour isn't blasted apart by basic bolters.
    • Multi-laser: A better choice against Space Marines thanks to its S6, it still suffers from only 36" range.
    • Missile-Launcher: A versatile option, but sadly lacking Flakk Missiles.
    • Autocannon: At the same price as Heavy Bolters/Multi-Lasers but blessed with 48" range and Rending, Autocannons are the better choice against anything but total chaff units.
    • Lascannon: The priciest at +15pts, Lascannons are as good as ever. However, be mindful of the Fire Support Squad's BS3, and that the perceived threat of Lascannons mean this unit will likely draw much more fire against a squishy and now-expensive target.

• Reconnaissance Squad: Your "elite" troops choice. Coming with shotguns as standard, they all have Scout, Infiltrate and Moves Through Cover as well as having the Light subtype, giving them more mobility if they decide to Run and Gun. However, 50 points for five GEQ models is an awful lot to ask, and those sniper rifles come in at 10 points per model meaning this squad can easily become fragile point-sinks that have to work hard to justify their cost. Even so they are still one of the cheapest Troop choices in the game. Just have a plan for them.
  • It's worth remembering that Sniper Rifles and Long Las weapons are two very separate weapons in this list. Sniper Rifles are more appropriate for taking out high value officers with their 72" range and Rending (5+) rule. While the Long Las is more effective at taking out light vehicles with S6 and Sunder. This means that Infiltrating into a good position at the start of the game can be crucial depending on the chosen target, such as getting a good angle on weaker rear vehicle armour. Not taking either Sniper choice is a bad idea, as you could more cost-effectively get shotgun/stubcarbine/lascarbine on Infantry Squads.
    • You get 5 Sniper Rifles/Long-las regardless of how big the squad is. Strongly consider not taking any extra models if you want to snipe, particularly with the 72" Sniper Rifle, as you will be out of range of anyone shooting back.
    • There is a marginal case for the stock shotguns in support of your Cavalry, as Light subtype and Scout/Infiltrate make Recons quick enough to accompany Cavalry, while a full squad has just enough volume of fire to force a Concussive test on MEQ even if you have to Snap Shot due to Running. 75 points to make sure your Cavalry take out that Heavy Support Squad is arguably worth it. That said, for literally any other melee unit, just use normal Infantry.

Dedicated Transports

You don't normally get any, but 10-man Grenadier/Command Cadres get some Space Marine vehicles if you take Survivors of the Dark Age. As noted in the Provenances section, the vehicles are penalized with BS3 and Third-line, without the discount your other vehicles normally get as compensation. That said, you don't care if your Rhino dies, the Termite is simply a Deep Strike method and the Land Raider is tough enough regardless.

• Legion Rhino Transport: 35 point metal box, now with 12 seats so attached characters (read: your Discipline Masters and Medicae) can ride too. A questionable choice, as your infantry units typically want to shoot the enemy from as far away as possible, which defeats the point of taking a DT. However, it's cheaper than a Sentinel and is therefore your cheapest way to take Multi-meltas. If you expect Terminators, it may be worth it just to shoot them with glorious Twin-linked S8 AP1 from 24" while being largely immune to their return fire. Also changes if you have Armoury of Old Night, as Assault Needler Grenadiers are one of the strongest close range Troop units in the game.

• Legion Termite Assault Drill: Lets your units Deep Strike by coming out of the ground. Unfortunately has the same problem as the Rhino; your infantry don't want to be anywhere close to the enemy, which defeats the point of Deep Striking. Again, this changes if you take Armoury of Old Night.

• Legion Land Raider Proteus: The Legions need a Rite of War to get these as DTs for Power Armour units, and normal humans just get it because their world is rich? Seems legit. While you don't have any elite close combat units that would benefit from Assault Vehicle (no, 12 Feral Warrior Infantry models with chainaxes don't count, and you have to take 5 Ogryns to get a Thunder Hammer Boss), it's a good way to bring tons of high strength AP2 firepower (2 Gravis Lascannons, Twin-linked Lascannon in front, pintle Multi-melta), particularly if you don't feel like taking Industrial Stronghold. Benefits from Kinfolk Helots, as the squad inside it can repair it too; Battlesmith (6+) is a lot better than it sounds when you have 3 characters (sergeant, Discipline Master, Medicae) per squad, and then there's the random scrubs outside the vehicle.

Elites

• Ogryn Brute Squad: 3-10 Ogryns with big sticks and flak armour, with a squad upgrade option to take Carapace armour for a set cost. They don't get a squad leader unless their unit size is five or more. Each model can take a single wargear choice for five points, and mixing is allowed. Generally speaking, Thunderstubs or Ripper Guns would be the best choice. As the former grants an extra attack in close combat, while the latter has a sufficient rate of fire that it overcomes the Ogryns appalling BS2. Thunderstubs are very cool, but are so short ranged that you may never get a chance to use them.
  • Never take a second basic CQC weapon on them, because due to the usual FW proofreading it costs as much as a Thunderstub which gives you +1 attack and a short ranged Concussive (1) shot. The Thunderstub is OK because you don't have to cause unsaved wounds, so its relatively poor AP4 is not a deal breaker, while its high S6 means it can likely wound. However, the Ogryns' Orktastic BS2 means you statistically need 3 to expect 1 hit, so you need to take several, whereas they're mutually exclusive with Boarding Shields, which you also want because it's a 5++ you can use against the enormous list of weapons that will ignore your poor 5+/4+.
    • You can mix and match the weapons options, so consider throwing one or two boarding shields into a unit with Ripper Guns or Thunderstubs to tank those AP5+ (or AP4+) shots.
  • An Ogryn Boss has a separate list of wargear to choose from, but can still select an item from the standard Ogryn gear. So it is possible, and probably recommended, to pair up a better close combat weapon (read: Thunder Hammer) alongside a Boarding Shield to make an effective challenger.
  • They still have Militia subtype, so have to be wary about failing morale checks and losing models, and unfortunately they cannot have attached advisors unless you expressly use the Ogryn Conscripts Provenance. Thankfully they have the Stubborn rule, so unlike the rest of the army, they can have the most reliable morale, despite having the same scores as everyone else. So if you want some modicum of longevity, then best to stack up on models and go for the Boss to get the Ld boost. If push comes to shove, Ruthless Tyrant still works on them.
  • Ogryns do well in combination with several other Provenances, so look for best ways to help them out. Feral Warriors for instance lets them swap those basic close combat weapons for chainaxes, giving them S6 and Shred, without actually taking up one of their weapon upgrade choices, on top of +1WS on the charge. While Warrior Elite adds that valuable +1 Ld to a squad that cannot normally gain Ld boosts from anywhere else, which they cannot lose thanks to Stubborn.
  • While a lot of Provenances say that they cannot be combined with Ogryn Conscripts. That doesn't actually stop you from taking Ogryn squads and gaining the benefit anyway. So you can get Ogryn Brutes in Kinfolk Helot armies and have Toughness 6 and Battlesmith (6+) on their Boss. Or setting their base Strength to 6 when using Abhuman Muster.
  • As usual, Ogryns are the diamond in the rough of the baseline human list. With Feral Warriors and Alchem-Jackers, you can get a 220 point (read: similar cost to a 20 man Despoiler Squad) unit of five WS5 Absolute Units with Chainaxes and Thunderstubs. This gives you a total of 30 attacks at S7 with Shred. Assuming you used a second unit with Shotguns and/or your Thunderstubs to dump Concussive on your victim target unit, you will not care about the fact you're striking second because you're hitting on 3s and those Marines are now hitting on 5s...and you're also wounding on wounding on 2s (with a re-roll). Yes, Marines will get their saves, but that doesn't help them much when they've just been hit with an average of 20 wounds (plus another 8 from HoW). Ironically this is less wounds than an Infantry Squad can shit out for less points, but Ogryns are more durable and can take Carapace Armour for another 25 points.
  • If you want to, you can also add a Boss with a Thunder Hammer and Boarding Shield to the above for another 70 points. Do this if you want someone to challenge Marine Sergeants or even no-name Centurions and Praetors, because apparently the Emperor's genetic engineering loses out to several millennia of life in an environment where "natural selection" meant "tard strength". Or to translate, he'll be dumping 5 S10 AP2 Brutal (2) attacks at WS5, enough to squash three Sergeants or Centurions or even almost two fucking Praetors. And most importantly, even when that Praetor (who costs at least twice as much as the Ogryn Boss) hits back with his own Thunder Hammer, he'll only take off about 1 wound, because your fat retard has Strength 10 so will ID the Praetor's T4, but the Praetor has Strength 8 so won't ID your fat retard's T5. This means it's not just the no-name Praetors that Joe Ogryn can beat, even named Praetors who don't have Eternal Warrior or a weapon with the ID special rule (or Murderous Strike and a good number of attacks) will likely fall to this beast. Anyone else starting to think Emps may have failed to see the real evolution of humanity?

• Imperialis Militia Medicae Detachment: 3-12 field medics that you can disperse to other infantry squads in your army to grant them Feel No Pain (6+) that cannot be combined with any other version of the rule, nor can multiple medics be stacked on the same unit. Given his fragile your infantry are, any addition to their survivability is usually a welcome one. But a 6+ save is unlikely to reliably affect any outcomes.
  • Medics inherit the rules/subtypes of whatever unit they get attached to, so bear this in mind. So yes, that Provenance that lets you attach them to Ogryns also means you get Ogryn medics. Maybe kitbash them from Ogre Kingdoms Butchers?

• Field Gun Artillery Battery: A Rapier analogue with two key differences, the first being that the gun crew and weapon all count as a single model (effectively making them an even bigger version of the Fire Support squad), and the second being that these are Emplaced guns which lack the Rapier's Relentless mobility. The Emplaced rule means the unit is also instantly destroyed if it has to Fallback, but having Heavy, 3 wounds, and very cheap carapace armour means they're rather tough by Militia standards. In terms of weapons they have three choices - one of which is the clear winner, and the other two having niche uses that can be helpful if you lack the points or FOC slots for alternatives:
  • The basic Thunderblast Cannon is a safe but unremarkable bet. It is a S7 AP4 Blast (3) weapon with Barrage and Pinning. Its 72" range means it can be kept far from trouble, but having only a 3" Blast template and S7 means its damage output is minimal. Use this if you want long-range guns in an Elites slot, and you've already used your Heavy Support slots for tanks, or bigger guns that do the Thunderblast's job better.
  • The Heavy Lascannon is pretty much a normal Lascannon with S10. It is inferior in stopping power to a Laser Destroyer but has better range. The unfortunate downside is the added cost of effectively 60 points per gun, which adds up in bulk. You otherwise could have had regular Lascannons in Fire Support squads for 35 points per gun, which usually does the job just as well. That said, S10 ID is valuable against Custodes as well as Daemons and weaker Automata.
  • The Kalliope Mortar is the standout star of the Field Gun options. It's analogous in many respects to the Rapier Quad Mortar, having the same strength and AP, and both use the Large Blast template. The Quad Mortar has longer range and Shred, but the Kalliope has a trick up its sleeve in the fact that it causes Pinning with Shell Shock (1) meaning that it can reliably shut down enemy squads. It doesn't cost any extra either, so it allows for peppering quite large areas when taken in multiples per unit, and ends up being cheaper than multiple Rapiers for potentially a better outcome.
    • It can't be overemphasized how important the 5" Large Blast is for the Kalliope relative to the Thunderblast. Outside of edge cases needing very long range or higher Strength for bullying a vehicle's top armour, the Kalliope will deliver much better results with S5, Large Blast, and Shell Shock (1).

Fast Attack

• Cavalry Squad: At last! Rough Riders are a part of the Imperial Militia. You get a proper fast moving unit that has a surprising amount of punch. They all have a pistol and close combat weapon as standard, but can choose an additional weapon on top of that. Shotguns, Lascarbines, and Stubcarbines are all perfectly viable options, though the unit gets access to the unique Militia Lance, giving them S7 AP3, with Brutal (2) and Sudden Strike (2), meaning when they charge they now hit at Initiative 5 and have a respectable chance of killing any MEQ in a single hit before they get struck back. Ungainly means they only ever get one attack with this weapon, and only ever when charging. So it pays to match up units that use it with accuracy boosting Provenances like Feral Warriors or Debased Rabble.
  • Much like Grenadiers, they take their long arm (or Lance) separately to their pistol and close combat weapon. They can also take Carapace armour for a fixed cost, overall meaning in some builds you can just treat them as faster Grenadiers. It helps that their sergeant has Ld7 base.
  • Feral Warriors also allows them to swap their basic combat weapon with a Chainaxe, which makes a perfectly serviceable back-up weapon if you can't use, or don't take, the Lances. Not having Lances opens up the possibility of shotguns and therefore Concussive and is moreover cheaper (even if you take Chainaxes), so it's a decent idea if you are willing to stomach losing Sudden Strike.

• • Remember that they are still Militia, so if you use them as a melee unit, they are still likely going to break and be destroyed very easily when the opponent strikes them back. Luckily Discipline Masters can be added to them if they buy their own mounts.
• Cargo-8 Hauler Squadron: Channel your fiercest Gorkamorka energies and mount no less than 22 models in the back of a hulking and very fragile freight truck. At a measly 50 points to start, with +40pts for two more Haulers in a squadron, these are priced to move. Not that they'll move especially quickly with 10" of Movement, or safely with only 12AV on the front (still better than a Rhino). You can upgrade to an Armoured Container for +10pts to get 12AV all-around and the option to buy two extra Heavy Stubbers, but any effect on survivability this will have is negligible, and it comes at a steep cost of cutting the transport capacity down to just 12 models.
  • The best use for Cargo-8s is to keep them cheap and keep them moving. Dozer Blades are just +5pts and will save you the embarrassment of having 22 men footslogging because the Cargo-8 hit a rock. They will die the moment any halfway serious anti-vehicle firepower comes there way, so make the most of that 10" move to get your transported infantry where they need to be.
  • Interestingly, the Cargo-8 can be used to transport up to four Sentinels if it doesn't have an Armoured Container. The Cargo-8 is quicker than the Sentinel and the Sentinels don't care that it's not an Assault Vehicle, so it's worth considering if you absolutely must deliver Sentinels somewhere. That said, Sentinels are pretty tough due to not being vehicles anymore, so it's not really necessary.

• Arvus Lighter: It's a flying transport for 40 points. It has no weapons to speak of, and can't even be jury-rigged like last edition.l, effectively turning it into a rather expensive drop pod. With that in mind, there aren't really many ways to get Deep Strike in this list without taking Survivors of a Dark Age, so if you want to vary your deployment this is it. Because of its capacity of 12 it can only really transport Grenadiers, Recon squads and HQ units.

• Sentinel Squadron: The chickenwalkers are back, and GW has even released a much chunkier refresh of the old model. They're perhaps a touch overpriced at 60pts per Sentinel (with no discount for additional walkers), but they at least come with fairly solid statline and the benefits of the Mechanized Unit Type. They're the only unit in the army to come with a native 3+ Armour Save, and when paired with T6 and W3, they can shrug off small-arms almost entirely and even handle things like Autocannons or Volkite Culverins to some extent. Being Mechanized, they can also fire their solid weapons options on the move, which is especially helpful if you take advantage of their Scout rule to Outflank and hit enemy vehicles in the sides or rear.
  • The Multi-Laser comes stock, and can be swapped at no cost with either a Heavy Flamer or Autocannon. These are all solid anti-infantry options, though the Heavy Flamer is risky due to needing close range, and the Sentinel lacks any sort of melee weapon upgrade.
  • The Missile Launcher is the first "paid" upgrade at a very reasonable +5pts for Frag & Krak Missiles. The Lascannon and Multi-Melta both come at a pricier +15pts, but definitely benefit from being mounted to a fairly quick and durable platform, especially when it comes to getting close enough to take advantage of the Melta's Armourbane at half-range. In particular, the Multi-melta's inbuilt Twin-linked remedies the Sentinel's BS3, so it's stronger than it sounds.

• Thunderbolt Fighter: Compared to the Astartes version, it gets a 50 point discount for effectively the same skeleton of a unit. 120 points is a more reasonable cost for your only serviceable flyer. However you are BS3 and have the Third Line rule in exchange for that discount. GW also didn't fix the inherent problem of having more guns than you can fire.

• Beastmasters: Quite frankly a very bad unit for a number of reasons, you get three militia for 50 points, before factoring in what animals you want to add to the unit. You also need one Handler for each creature that gets added in, so you have to buy more of the crappy dudes in order to get more Beasts. Unfortunately the militia and beasts have mutually exclusive subtypes, special rules, and profiles: With the exception of the Caiman, all Beasts are faster than their human handlers and are therefore stuck at the slowest speeds. Most Beasts have Light which would allow them to get +1 Initiative when running but are prevented from doing so as long as any humans remain in the unit. Furthermore, any Provenances taken by the Force Commander will not apply to Beasts because they lack the Militia subtype which would make them eligible, but the Beasts will still suffer from the drawbacks inherent to Militia subtype as long as the unit contains any models with the rule, therefore they are liable to being removed from play under certain situations while they are stuck with their Handlers. Best case scenario? Kill off the Handlers as soon as possible and let the animals run wild!
  • Mastiffs, Felidae, and Raptors all have Fleet (1), but as above, are unable to use the rule while any models without the rule remain in the unit.
  • Mastiffs have Furious Charge (1), which allows them to strike at S5 on the charge.
  • Felinids have Rage (1) which does nothing because Rage replaces your +1A on the charge, so Rage (1) is business as usual and can get the attack in before the enemy at I5, but because they are only S3 their odds of hurting anything is quite slim.
  • Raptors have Shrouded (4+) so they get an actually good damage mitigation save against shooting. They don't have an armour value at all, but it's fairly irrelevant when the other animals have 5+/6+ saves which are ignored by simple Bolters. Raptors also have three attacks base, so have equivalent or better damage output to Felidae, just at a lower initiative.
  • Caiman have S5/T5, two wounds, and Feel No Pain (5+), so they are clearly the hardest hitters of the bunch and are the hardest to kill under regular circumstances. They also have the slowest speed and aren't Light so they lose the least while still being attached to their Handlers.

Heavy Support

• Rapier Battery: Your mobile artillery unit. Regardless of the weapon you choose, they always have Relentless so they can move and shoot. They start with Gravis Multi-lasers, but you can swap them for Heavy Bolters, Laser Destroyers, or Quad Launchers. Of these, the Laser Destroyers have the most useful niche, as AP1 and two twin-linked Ordnance shots outperform both the Lascannon and Heavy Lascannon in a comparable role without even factoring in Exoshock (6+). The other choices aren't bad by any means, but other options exist to do their job for cheaper and in less high-demand FOC slots.
  • It's difficult to overstate how important the Laser Destroyer Rapier is in this list. You only get so many sources of AP1/2, and the Laser Destroyer ranks high on durability (Rapier model has 3+ save, unit can become majority T5 after you remove crewmen), firepower (Twin-linked Ordnance 2), availability (6 per slot) and cost-effectiveness (55 points/model). If you don't have Industrial Stronghold, taking a full battery is almost mandatory to counter the Terminators and Dreadnoughts that populates literally every single Marine list. Even then, the Rapier gets you more bang for your buck than even the mighty Leman Russ Vanquisher, and the Rapier no longer exists in competition with the Russ for slots, so it's still worth considering.
  • Unlike most of the other artillery units, this one doesn't suffer from any variant rule where they abandon their guns if they fall back. They are still Militia so morale is a worry, but at least this gives you a second chance if there are enough models in the unit.

• Heavy Ordnance Battery: Earthshaker guns that have the longest range out of the entire armoury. Able to strike pretty much anywhere on the table, Earthshakers are very likely to wound their targets with S9 and Shred, and at 75 points for the initial cannon, and 65 for each additional one, they are very reasonably priced. They are Immobile though, and the Ld7 crew have a special rule where if they fall back the guns are simply lost, this makes them really fragile, which probably accounts for the cost. They can buy up to twenty crewmen for only 2 points per model, so arguably should be stocked up as much as possible to avoid those 25% shooting morale checks. The Medusa is a hard sell, as its 36" range can be tough on an immobile platform and Rending (6+) really isn't that impactful even if it were a swap, but you're paying 25pt/model.

• Imperial Militia Leman Russ: Leman Russes, everyone's favourite, chosen from the Vanilla, Annihilator, Exterminator, Demolisher and Vanquisher flavours. Of these options, only the Vanilla option with the Battlecannon is truly bad in every sense of the word. However, the Vanquisher is good. Really good. Good to the extent that it outperforms every other variant through (oh the irony) sheer versatility, consistency, and cost-effectiveness. The other options can work well, and you shouldn't feel guilty about using your preferred options in an army very much leaning towards creativity over competitiveness, but you really just can't go wrong with the Vanquisher for anything but killing chaff (and why aren't you using the rest of your army to do that?).
  • Note that unless you take the Industrial Stronghold Provenance, Leman Russes are purchased individually. With that Provenance, you can take Russes in squadrons of 6, which is equal parts insane and hilarious.
  • For whatever reason, Militia Russes can no longer take sponson weapons. As for the hull-weapon, the Heavy Bolter and Heavy Flamer options are unremarkable, while the Lascannon costs a frankly scandalous +20pts for a single shot at BS3. Purchase it with clenched teeth, because it at least means Weapon Destroyed damage results won't automatically nuke your turret weapon.

• Malcador Heavy Tank: One highly customisable vehicle, for 185 points, which is a significant reduction when compared to the 245pt Legion and 225pt Solar Auxilia versions of the same tank. You get a lot of guns on a Reinforced chassis (meaning it's immune to 2/3 of the Vehicle damage table, and with Third-line AV13 you will be rolling on it a lot), and every weapon on the tank can be swapped out for something else. However this variant doesn't get the Independent Fire Control of other versions so you may actually be better served by keeping the left and right sponson weapons as Bolters, Multi-lasers, or Flamers as they are Defensive weapons that can still fire at the nearest target independently of the main turret(s) in front.
  • The Vanquisher cannon may not be the best idea, despite its awesomeness. With BS3 you can only hit half the time, otherwise you might be better with 125 points of a Leman Russ, that gets a coaxial weapon to give more accuracy. That said, because you can only take 1 Russ per slot, the Demolisher/Vanquisher Malcador may be a necessary compromise to get a tank that can counter Terminators, Dreadnoughts and Automata if you don't have Industrial Stronghold.
  • Malcadors are actually the one of the fastest units in the army list with a movement speed of 14.
  • The tank also has the Support Squad rule, which in most cases is meaningless, since Heavy Support slots are not usually compulsory unless you are playing some unique mission variant.

• Gorgon Heavy Transporter: The classic "LCA on tracks" returns to duty in 2.0, now as a dedicated Heavy Support choice instead of a DT. At 8" it's not much quicker than your infantry, but if you wanted to move quick, you'd have taken some Cargo-8s instead. What you take this for is to get a seemingly invincible transport (Third-line AV15 rounds out to basically AV14, except immune to Glancing Hits from S8) that will make sure your infantry units make it to the frontline in one piece. This implies you want to load up on the close-quarters units who actually need the help getting into range, like Assault Needler units in Armoury of Old Night; otherwise, consider simply taking more squads (seriously, 250 points can buy you 3 more Infantry squads) instead of taking the Gorgon so you can spend your Heavy Support slots on something else.
  • Unlike most transports, GW didn't give the Gorgon extra slots for attached characters, so you cannot fill it with 2 full squads of 20 and then add ICs/Discipline Masters/Medicae. Build your army accordingly.
  • The Gorgon can take up to 6 extra Lascannons for 65 points in total. Due to being a Superheavy, it is immune to the Vehicle damage table and can therefore never lose damage output and can also fire at full effect while moving at full speed to transport its passengers. Given the general lack of AP1/2 in the list, worth considering if you were taking a Gorgon in the first place; for reference, a Lascannon on a Fire Support team costs 35 points.
  • GW forgot that Open Topped isn't a thing anymore, so because it isn't an Assault Vehicle that big ramp is meaningless. Don't put your Ogryns inside in expectation of charging them out.

Lord of War

• Militia Baneblade: - This edition it comes with the Third Line drawbacks, but it's still a Superheavy Vehicle it is less bothered by penetrating hits, so the downside is mitigated somewhat, while it also means you don't pay The Price of Failure for losing a Lord of War. Though outclassed by the Legion Fellblade, the Baneblade is still a nasty proposition to face and since it's only 400 points, this is the only reasonably priced Baneblade available to any army. Sporting a Baneblade cannon, Autocannon, Demolisher Cannon and a twin-linked heavy bolter, the option of two Lascannons and two more twin-linked heavy bolters/flamers (the sponsons don't come as standard here), optional pintle mounts, AND optional Hunter-killer missile, it is a rolling fortress of death.
  • That said, it competes with the far more point-efficient Russ in Industrial Stronghold lists, as the Russ can take weapons with more useful AP in this game of Terminators and Dreadnoughts. Even though it's your only superheavy, it's still not an autotake.

Allies

The Militia is a bit of an oddball in terms of alliances. While considered part of the Imperial Army, taking the Kinfolk Helots, Abhuman Muster or Ogryn Conscripts provenances immediately dump your friendship with the legions and Solar Auxilia forces to Distrusted Allies.

Legio Custodes & Sisters of Silence

One word: Don't.

The Custodes treat the Militia as by the Emperor's Command, so you can't do anything for them aside from being a disposable meatwall.

The Sisters of Silence can't do anything for the Militia just by the simple virtue of the Anathema sub-type. Considering how shit your Leadership is, this won't ever end well for you.

Ruinstorm Daemons / Bound Daemons

Daemons are available both both as Allies and an in-detachment option depending on whether you have taken Rogue Psykers or not. They are always Sworn Brothers as Agents of the Warmaster, but are prohibited from joining each others units because of the limitation built into the Daemon subtype.

Whether you take them as Ruinstorm Daemons or as Bound versions, you get access to dedicated melee units that your own army is unlikely be able to match. Daemon Regents and Brutes are superior in melee to naked Ogryns and they are able to fill glaring gaps in your army list and be customised on a per-unit basis thanks to Aetheric Dominions rather than depend on a all-unit Provenance granted by the commander.

Tactics

• Pin 'em down!: You have Pinning weapons from 4 slots and you will need to utilize them basically regardless of the army you build. Your melee units need it to deny Reactions because your units die horribly to basically any form of Overwatch and basically all of your melee provenances only work on the charge, so Hold the Line removes all of them. Your ranged units need them, because they die horribly to basically any form of Return Fire and anyone engaging them in melee. As mentioned the Kalliope is your premier choice, but don't forget your various types of snipers and Earthshakers; in particular, the Sniper Rifle's Rending (5+) means 5 rifles can statistically kill any 1W model that only has an armour save, so snipe the enemy sergeant and force Pinning to be tested at lower Ld. Force multiple Pinning tests on one or two enemy squads (preferably from outside their range to avoid Return Fire), then unload with the rest of the army once they're Pinned. This of course doesn't apply to Vehicles as they cannot React with >S7 weapons (basically all of their good weapons), don't usually have that much small arms fire and cannot be Pinned anyway; feel free to shoot them with your anti-tank weapons.
  • Particularly relevant with Armoury of Old Night, where your Assault Needler Grenadiers/Command Cadres become enormous sources of Pinning weapons. You don't get a lot of range at 18", but that's still quite a lot if you're using it to counter melee units, on top of it being genuinely a very killy weapon.
  • A similar principle applies to your enormous list of Concussive weapons and how literally all of your infantry/Cavalry can get one. Forcing multiple tests to take the enemy down to your WS can actually be a competitive choice compared to taking Feral Warriors and gaining WS.
• Swamp 'em!: There are units that you can't really avoid taking enormous casualties against; for instance, without Industrial Stronghold, Heavy Bolters/Volkites counter basically your entire army. However, despite the emphasis in the above point about Pinning your enemy to deny Reactions, your enemy only has so many Reactions at the end of the day and your units are cheap enough that you can throw multiple at them. Tough luck, your opponent's 20 Volkite Chargers gunned down your entire Levy squad on Overwatch. Good thing you charged them with 2 squads and the other squad is ripping into them with 50 Chainaxes. Your opponent killing one squad of Infantry on Return Fire doesn't help him when there's 4 more squads shooting at his unit.
• How do I kill him if I can't see him coming?: Like with Solar Auxilia, your opponent knows you're playing an army that's generally good at range and will try to take it away from you with Deep Strikes, Infiltrate, etc. Unlike Solar Auxilia, you don't get Augury Scanners to counter it by spamming Interceptor. As charging from Deep Strike is a thing now, expect to lose a few units; just make sure you don't lose important units. Do this either by spreading out so far that the Deep Strike can't get to of your important units (eg. don't put all of your Rapiers/Field Guns in the same spot), or conversely concentrate your army in one place so your opponent has to get through all of the less important Infantry/Levy before reaching your big guns; in any case, try to make sure that once the Deep Striking units break the unit they charged, they're in range of your whole army ready to be blasted off the table next turn. Alternatively, take a melee list and "no u" your opponent's melee units with copious chainaxes/Cavalry/Ogryns. Of course, the easiest way is to take allies who do have Augury Scanners, but some of us play Marcher Lord.

Building your Army

USE YOUR DAMN IMAGINATION! Want an army of Jetpack Beastmen? Abhuman Muster and Survivors of the Dark Age. This army is about as customizable as you could possibly get but, they're restricted by the biggest source of customization being army wide. The units can take a startling rainbow of standard weapons, but like a rainbow, many of the options are almost the same. Its entirely possible (albeit better for friendly counts as games) to proxy a fantasy army, such as the Empire or possibly Skaven. Look at the stuff available on GW's website. Empire, Elf, Guard, Skaven, (some) Skitarii, even ORKS (with some converting) can work! Since many tournaments ban forgeworld anyway, look to other model sites if it suits your fancy. All of it works, all of its totally fluff friendly. WoC? Feral worlders. Infinity stuff? Technological advanced enclave. A WW2 model range? You get the idea. If you ever wanted to make an army thats truly "you", a one of a kind masterpiece, et cetera, this is for you. You may not exactly win, but you sure as hell wont be forgotten. Hell, make your army a bunch of chicks with swag armour and do a proto-sisters of battle army. Then piss people off and give them gene-crafted for Sister Marines, alchem-jackers with frenzon for RED RAGE sisters, or cyber sex gals. If you're using Survivors of the Dark Age and decent armor, why not make an army of Arbites? Survivors of the Dark Age and Abhuman Helots work for an army of Squats. Any combination of Tainted Flesh, Abhuman Helots, Feral Warriors and Cult Horde could give you an army of Beastmen. Want something vaguely Calibanite? Warrior Elite and SotDA works well to that end.

Warhammer 30,000 Tactics Articles
General Tactics	General (7E) Movement (7E) Psychic (7E) Fortifications (7E)
Imperium	Legiones Astartes (7E)
	Legio Custodes (7E) Sisters of Silence (7E) Mechanicum (Legio Mechanicum • Taghmata Omnissiah)
	Questoris Knights (7E) Solar Auxilia (7E) Imperialis Militia (7E)
Chaos	Ruinstorm Daemons (7E • 7E Codex) Warp Cults(7E)