Warhammer 40,000/6th Edition Tactics/Imperial Guard

This is the latest Edition's tactics. 5th Edition Tactics are here.

Why Play Imperial Guard

When recruits are inducted into the Imperial Guard, they are given four things. Their regulation flashlight (commonly referred to by the troops as "lasguns" for some reason), their regulation cardboard box (which certain regiments have taken to cutting up and wearing into battle, calling it "flak armor"), a large stack of toilet paper (which the recruiters refer to as the "Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer"), and the regulation extra large wheelbarrow that allows them to cart their massive brazen balls into battle.

From a gameplay perspective, the Imperial Guard army is a flexible force known for having either hordes of cheap infantry, waves of tanks, or a medium in between. The army is easy to learn while having a lot of options and tactics being discovered frequently (melta veterans in Chimeras are not the sole option in the Guard army after all).

That's why you play the Imperial Guard.

Additionally, you are the second most powerful army in Apocalypse, and the standard by which all other apocalypse armies are measured. You are absolutely spoiled for forgeworld choices with everything from the dinky little lightning fighter to the unholy rape machine that is the Imperator Class Titan. And why is Chaos better than you? Because of a small footnote by the side of the Vindicator Linebreaker Formation. In short, it details that Chaos armies may use ANY AND ALL Imperial Datasheets as long as they have spieks on them. Building your Lightning Fighter wing? Chaos get that with their Hell Talon support. Imperator Titan? Chaos can subvert one with fuckhueg spikes. Fortress of Arrogance? Chaos Yarrick makes you his bitch. Daemon Lords? You don't get those. For once, Chaos is the one giving not receiving.

So the only way to be better than the Imperial Guard in Apoc is to use Imperial Guard units plus daemonic bullshit. Still a win for IG.

Unit Analysis

HQ

• Company Command Squad: This squad provides leadership to the many. It orders around those who can order around others.This unit gets orders. It gets an ample selection of gear, and extra dudes. This includes a 30pt template weapon, penalize the enemy reserve rolls and bonuses to your own. This unit can have its leader switched out with other named leaders with awesome powers and gear. Simply because most other HQ choices lack the capability to survive on their own, either due to lack of invulnerable save and/or relatively weak statline in comparison to HQs of other factions, this should be your HQ of choice. The only sad part is that you can only take two of them up to 2000 point level.
  • Ursarkar E. Creed: For a decent point cost, one Company Commander may be upgraded to Creed. Creed is pretty nifty for being able to use a lot of douchebaggery with his Tactical Genius special rule. But he should be known for his massive 24" command bubble and his 4 orders per turn. Seriously. You don't have to use his ability to run a Leman Russ into their flank (being able to 'genius' a Leman Russ Demolisher Squadron in the enemy's flank can be useful,though), you can also send your tanks in with a Scouts move. No one expects it, and it can help you get the drop on enemies or even force someone's hand. If you have the first turn, you can position your Leman Russ tanks to do some serious damage to the enemy line (very important for Punisher and Demolisher tanks), or even move your Heavy Weapons squads into a better position for that first-turn fire. Creed might be fun for being a dick, but when you're running a solid force, he is an excellent asset for blob guard or mech lists that might need the extra orders deep in enemy territory. But outflanking with a Warlord Titan certainly helps too!
  • Sergeant Kell: Kell is a decent upgrade to any force. He can be bought as a veteran upgrade for any Company Command Squad. Basically, he makes people in your Company Commander's order radius use the Company Commander's Leadership for orders. While Creed is usually the best choice (Leadership 10 for orders at 24"? Oh HELL yes!) You could also do some silly things like put him in a unit with Straken. A Powerfist for the unit is always good.
  • Colonel "Iron Hand" Straken: In 6th, Straken has been considerably buffed, being one of the only units in the game that has a CC weapon that ignores all armour saves now that power weapons are only AP3, and most AP2 CC weapons are I1. Straken makes Hammernators crap their metal pants. Of course, he is unlikely to survive unless his squad is optimized for such an occasion, so it would be a good idea to have 3-4 Melta Guns (being able to bring down some terminators before an assault far outclasses the extra attack from the pistol) and 2 Bodyguards or Nork Deddog to accompany him. This way, you can charge most CC units and get away with it. Pansies, Dark Pansies and Space Egyptians may give you trouble though. Also, you may have to bite your tongue if you come up against a squad full of power weapons, i.e Space Marines. Instead, pull back, shoot them to pieces, and then throw a pie plate on top of them. Don't forget you can measure their threat distance to be sure.
  • General Myndoras Odon (Forgeworld): Patton of 40k. Killed a bunch of Eldar on some ice ball then died next campaign when his transport flipped. A kinda cheap upgrade to a CCS (not counting the upgrades to the squad, Odon is only 30 points) but the gear on his squad is chosen for you: krak grenades, a vox, a meltagun & a reg banner. You can still pick advisors so stick at least a MoO with him for laughs as he can't take a heavy weapon. He's sorta a poor man's Creed. He has the same order bubble as Creed, the same standard orders, the same Ld & can give up to 3 orders per turn. He's not a tactical genius but he re-rolls Seize the Initiative. If you have points to spare, give whatever you plan to order a vox. Oh & he can take a dedicated Chimera or VALKYRIE! Take the Valk & let some vet/spec wep squad jack it. Take him as one CCS & Creed/Kell in another for two 4' order bubbles with 2' bubbles of re-roll morale/pinning.
  • Nork Deddog: Nork is one o' da smartest Ogryns. He and da commanda have a bond. When he dies, he attacks every bad guy trying to hurt the commander. If your command squad is going to be in the fray of battle, take this somewhat expensive body guard. Doesn't get along well with Commissars, so be careful if you take them both.
  • COMPANY COMMAND ADVISORS
    • Bodyguard: He's just a little Sergeant, but if you want to wreck shit with an suprising-as-hell assaulty command squad, add two of these to Straken (if you don't take Nork) and watch the other player's reaction when the little man-things suddenly start whipping everything else. Comes armed with a close combat weapon and laspistol, basically being a sergeant without any extra options. Plus, he can jump under the bus for your Company Commander if he gets hit by something stupidly big and instakilling, or he gets smacked up in close combat (possibly including challenges).
    • Officer of the Fleet: Why AREN'T you using these?! Officer of the Fleet is a great asset to add to a command squad. The Officer forces a -1 on enemy reserve rolls, and could seriously jeopardize their well-thought schemes. However, he won't stop drop pods and if the enemy doesn't reserve anything you've wasted the points. In combat, the Officer is as good as dead - use him as another warm body to stop a shot for your commander in the back of the squad. Amazingly enough, he counts as a character for the purposes of challenges and Glorious Intervention. If reserves are all rolled and your Company Command is engaged - hell, why not? Challenged by a Daemon Prince? Yeah, the Officer of the Fleet just drew his rapier. If by some hilarious chance, the enemy fails to inflict any wounds in challenge, you may end up rolling over them if you have Regimental Standard (so you will count as winning the close combat). He is also a massive fuck you towards Daemons players.
    • Astropath: Why AREN'T you using these?! The Astropath is the best advisor, along with the Officer of the Fleet, and the two added together make for serious trolling. While the Officer of the Fleet forces the enemy's reserve rolls to be higher, the Astropath makes YOUR reserve rolls lower. So while the enemy is butthurt about not getting his precious reserves, suddenly yours are arriving on the table much more easily. If you take Storm troopers, you NEED this guy. In combat, the Astropath is as good as dead, another meatshield for the squad. Same note as above applies here. It's amusing to envision how blind Astropath tries fruitlessly to defend himself with a stick against a Power Fist or a Meltagun. And possibly win.
    • Master of Ordnance: This guy is like a tiny Basilisk. Once per turn he is able to call down a Basilisk-type attack on the enemy, subject to scatter. Not very good unfortunately, but can be fun for spamming pie plates. However, since the bombardment has an unlimited range, if you place Master of Ordnance correctly ANYWHERE, it can be used to troll Ork and Tyranid swarms with a Strength 9 plate of instant death, since it's likely to land on something or other. Again, once in close-combat or perhaps, if your Company Command Squad gets dismounted or shot at, just push him in front of a bullet. He's useless if there's nothing to shoot at or if you have to run around.

• Lord Commissar: Lord Commissar is a Independent buffed out Commissar, the key ability of him makes everyone around him LD10 and Stubborn. And that is awesome. The main issue is that he is a kill point himself and he takes away a slot of HQ for more Company Command Squads. Let it not be said that he doesn't have his own uses, though. You want a blob-platoon to do REALLY well? Bind 'em into one giant squad, put a Lord Commissar in there and run it all over the place killing everything in sight. Seriously. 30 guys means 3 Sergeants with Power Weapons, 60+ attacks on the charge and a Lord Commissar with a Power Weapon as gravy. Combined Squad of 50 lead by Lord Commissar is likely to make the opponent cry. It's also Stubborn, so watch your friends complain about how the squad is still coming at them despite missing half of the guys once in it. If you're feeling particularly threatened, stick him in the middle of a Combined Squad so he will never be shoot at (except by Snipers and Characters who rolled 6 to-hit), and you can ignore challenges in favor of a slightly less potent Leadership of generic Commissars in the squad - particularly useful, as unlike Chaos Champions and such, you will lack the capability to take damage that will easily go through your armor (Initiative 3 forcing you to take first hits doesn't help much, either). For this same reason, using Lord Commissar to keep Conscript Squads useful is not a good idea. Additionally, if you're not taking Creed or Yarrick and you ARE taking one of these guys, he IS your Warlord. Leadership 9 on Company Commander, be damned.

• Commissar Yarrick: Awesome, fluffy man. Costs quite a bit. Very close combat oriented. He can come back from the dead... a lot. He has some nifty gadgets. Yarrick also has a reputation of being nasty as crap in close combat; he can take on Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka one-on-one and have a fighting chance of coming out on top. He's got a power-fistklaw, a decent WS, and he's got Eternal Warrior and his come back from the dead bullshit. But he still only has an average initiative and no invulnerable save, meaning that some marine sergeant with a power sword can ruin his turn.

• Primaris Psyker: Puts out fucking good punch in the form of Lightning Arc, has a decent stat-block, and all for a nice low price. Solid overall stats with minimal upgrades needed out-the-box (if you call placing a guy in a Guardsman Squad to take hits for him, an "upgrade"), which makes him damned efficient. While considered to be at its best in small games, where a player can take two and run them around firing 4d6 S6 lightning hits on anything not lucky to be in range on that turn, the real punch in the Primaris comes from his cost and the availability of Nightshroud, which can protect critical units for a turn and help fuck with enemies trying to damage mission-critical targets like the Vehicle he is currently inside of or a Command Squad he joined. Also offers a Force Weapon, for dissuading CQC attackers, since players will be hesitant to send a killy IC into combat against a squishy guard unit if it means they could lose it to a Force Weapon strike. Keep in mind that the new Force Staff rules make the Psyker strike at Strength 5, with AP 4, and with Concussive Force (Thunder Hammer rules). Like the Lord Commissar, the Primaris frequently isn't as useful as a standard Command HQ, but can still be fuck-mothering useful if you use his abilities to their fullest. In 6th edition he can be twice more powerful because of his ability to take a psychic power from a discipline, meaning that your opponent may end up in an unexpected situation.

• Ministorum Priest: This guy is somewhat iffy. His abilities are mostly all effective, but he costs 60 points when he is at his peak. Put this guy in a huge squad of Guardsmen. Make them stubborn as shit, and for the low cost of 15 points, you can be the new owner of a two handed giant chain-sword counted as a Chainfist, very useful for a blob squad that can only have power weapons. Still, not as effective as a Lord Commissar in this regard, but he doesn't take an HQ spot and can help your guardsmen to not get stomped in a single charge. Place him in Conscript Squads to keep the Grots in line line held.

• Techpriest Enginseer: Sadly, not that many people use it. There can be a point to bring a Techpriest and some servitors if you have a mech-heavy list, but most cases than not, he won't see any action, as he can't really keep up with vehicles, is pretty vulnerable to incoming fire (despite having only other 3+ save in the entire codex besides Straken), and more expensive than he's really worth. His biggest use is actually when he's paired up with a squad of gun servitors; they count as carapace armored and it's a reasonably cheap way to get a plasma cannon or infantry held multi-melta onto the field. It's not terribly points-efficient, but is a useful method to get some extra heavy weapons if you absolutely, positively need them, so don't forget about 'em. They can alternately work as a close-combat squad, but the squad itself is small and tends to be vulnerable - so it's generally better to load it up for fire support if you wanna use one, or place them in an extra Chimera to get yourself some highly mobile, yet powerful weaponry on the field.

Elites

Just to let you know, the IG Elite choices are the worst section of units in the codex. They cost a lot point wise, and model wise. If you like fluff, you might enjoy a few of these. If you like to fuck with your opponent and laugh your ass off, these may be for you.

• Ogryn Squad: Big meaty men things with pretty awesome assaulting guns, Terminator Marine equivalents of sort. Assaulty wall of meat that crumples most things it collides with, including blobs and tarpits. Lovable to the end, which will be soon, seeing as these guys are a firing magnet and usually don't fit into Chimeras - expect them to footslog if you take a full squad. Keep them the fuck away against anything that could Instant-Death them, and get them into melee as soon as possible. However, even there they might have some problem against opponents like Necron Warriors, but at least they will be keeping them busy and away from glancing your Leman Russ tanks into scrap.
  • If you do want to take Ogryns, it's best to take a squad of 6 Ogryn total (which is a total of 250 points - so use them wisely and carefully), fit them into a Chimera you jacked from a Platoon Infantry Squad, and rush them towards the enemy, hopefully through some cover. Drop Ogryns next to their goal, torch the designated squad/secondary squad that supports your designated target, and let the Ogryns crumple their way through. With toughness of 5, most of the infantry weapons will have hard time wounding, provided they do hit (which can be a godsend against Tau). With offensive grenades and some luck, you are likely to get to the enemy, and with Furious Charge and strength 6 - you are going to gib most of the enemies you are going to wound. Remember that once you win the combat, Ogryns can be fired at, so try using the Chimera to catch bullets.
  • Or have a ten Ogryn blob with 2 Primaris Psykers (Biomancy) and a Terminator Rune Priest (Divination) and watch them kick the enemy's ass so hard, that their grandchildren are gonna feel it. Mind you, at such point cost it's likely that the enemy could do quite a bit of damage before you get to them.

• Ratling Squad: Those guys are snipers - and while cool in theory, they wound everything on a 4+ - even against Gaunts or Grots. Even with rending, you should have Meltas or Lascannons to take out big things, not a paper thin squad of inbred midgets. Also most competitive armies have Fearless, so say goodbye to your beloved pinning. Ratlings are just too soft (T 2 so fucking bolters, flayers, and shootas will instagib them) and too cowardly (LD 6) to really have a place in the guard. If you want snipers, you're better off using Vets, Command Squads, Special Weapon Teams, or Vindicare Assassins like in Dawn of War (Just use the Allies rule, explained better further on). Just Say "No" to inbred space hobbits.
  • Alternate Take: A squad of BS4 Sniper Rifles for 100 points is not that bad of a deal. By simple statistics, you should land at least 6 shots, and at least one rending shot that you can choose to allocate to certain targets. Use this to take out high-point, low-numbered enemy squads. Despite what AP6 may make you think, shooting Gaunts and Grots is just a waste of time. To lessen the problem of T2, place ratlings into Ruins for a 4+ cover save, but try to have them cover as much firing area as possible. Don't send them into close combat - they don't have a Close Combat Weapon, so their pistol does not give them an additional attack. Place them on a second floor of a ruined building and laugh how enemy keeps scattering off harmlessly into the air. Finally, don't buy the silly metal hobbit models, but make a kitbash of some small models with Guardsman bitz.

• Psyker Battle Squad: A full Psyker Battle Psyker Squad in Chimera costs like a Leman Russ, while not having the same degree of survivability. Psychic Defenses can give them trouble, as do many other issues. So why bother taking these poor saps?
  • The first reason would be if you wish to take a Large Blast, but don't have left-over Force Organization slots in your Heavy Support Section. A reason for this would be should your army choose to take Manticores or Hydras. Depending on the foe at hand, and your ability to throw other high-priority threats (including Veteran Squadrons or Vendettas), you *should* be able to afford keeping them disembarked in cover, where they now have the option to benefit from Orders, "Fire on My Target" turning them into a wannabe Eradicator...
  • The most popular reason these Psykers get taken is because of Weaken Resolve. The ability to lower enemy Leadership for the remainder of the game turn has a lot of utility, both offensively and defensively. Remember that Weaken Resolve works only for the Imperial Guard turn, so it has no effect on enemy psychic tests. It does, however, affect Pinning, which combines with the 'inbred space hobbits', The Emperor's Glorious Field Artillery and the humble mortar for fun times. Also, the gimmick of Weaken Resolve + Psychic Shriek is crap. Don't do it.

• Storm Trooper Squad: Those guys are very underrated, mainly due to their price and small number of special weapons available to them. Consider this: for 15 points more than a Veteran Squad, you get half a squad of non-scoring infantry with a rerollable deep strike, access to two meltas, AP3 guns all around (Strength 3 still, mind), Frag and Krak grenades, and 4+ saves that can buy chimeras and give them to Special Weapons Squad (which can't buy their own). Right off the bat you can see both the negatives and positives, and it's up to you to play up the advantages while covering the downfalls. If you're facing a gun line army, deep strike behind it and kill their fire support. If you need them to, they can scout or outflank, instead. They may be expensive but when it comes down to it, if you take even one infantry platoon, (so, almost always - unless you go full mech) then you might want at least a squad of these guys. Do remember that since they are likely to fight alone and without any support from Independent Character traits, they can get stomped in an assault as easily as a basic guardsman, and unless you sink points into them, you won't have many Stormtroopers in the squad to begin with. At the worst, they'll mess with your opponent's battle plan.

• GUARDSMAN FUCKING MARBO: Rambo is a strange unit in and of himself. There can only be one. He is 65 points, the same cost of a bitchin' 10 man squad with a grenade launcher and a power weapon. And Rambo is a kill point that you practically give your opponent. On the other hand, he is the shit. He swoops in and drops a pie plate of death anywhere on the board (str8 ap2). But beware, He can only throw the demo charge 6 inches. If unlucky on the dice rolls, Rambo himself can fall to his own demise from this attack. If he can last the next turn, he can fuck some units up in close combat until he dies a fucking glorious death, surrounded by the dead bodies of enemy squads he got to assault. If Lady Luck and Admiral Awesome are on your side you should take him. If you don't, you can go join the unmanly players at the not imperial guard table. Its up to you.
  • With the coming of 6th edition, Sly has gotten both better and worse at the same time. First of all, he is a Character - that means that he can allocate some of the wounds, meaning that the opponent cannot just allocate everything to bodyguards and save his character from quick and painful death. This makes Marbo one of the few great character/command squad assassins. Hell, he doesn't even have to enter assault - a single lucky shot may allow you to immediately take out the enemy Squad leader, who is probably the character you were gunning for. If your opponent is foolish enough, he may try to charge you (although a few units like bikes, do get a single I10 attack, so beware) making your life easier, as your 5 (4A + Pistol), 2+ wounding attacks (at I5, letting you strike first most of the time) cut down the opponent. Considering that many squads won't even be able to wound him once, you can wipe out entire squads. However, if the enemy chooses to shoot at him, you are going to run into problems.
  • And here comes the negative part - while in Assault, Sly can crush entire squads through the sheer close combat power, he lacks the capability to take those attacks. Beside WS5 that let's you evade most of the assault-based attacks, Sly has a statblock that befits a Guardsman (2 wounds and high initiative notwithstanding). Instant Death is very much a thing and most ranged weapons (including lasguns) will wound with ease. Even worse, Marbo's only save is 5+ armor save (dont forget he's got stealth). And he can never join a squad to take hits for him. This is even worse when you are charging a big enough squad - while Overwatch means that entire enemy squad is BS1, considering the possibility of Flamer Weaponry/lucky shots, it's quite possible for Marbo to die before he reaches the enemy. If you are lucky, he'll live through with just one wound. And then die to a lucky Fire Warrior or Kroot. If you are unlucky, his Assault roll might not be enough to reach the enemy, and he'll stop right in front of the opponent's gun barrels.

• Hades Breaching Drill (Forgeworld): Remember the Tyranid Mawloc? Well the IG looked at it and said "we need something like that but even more destructive." Yes this thing has rhino armour and 2 HP, but when it comes in it puts a fucking pie plate blast with S10 AP1 melta. This little fucker even destroy terrain, like D-strength blasts in Apocalypse. And then your vets pop out of the holes it leaves behind. The ultimate fuck you towards gun lines. Once it enters, it can go around blasting people with it's meltadrill, but it's probably going to die afterwards...assuming anything is left standing. And on top of this, drill only counts elites: it don't take up the slot in force organization.

• Heavy Quad Launcher(Forgeworld): Immobile artillery. Dirt cheap and spams enormous amount of anti-infantry blasts with extra -1Ld for pinning test penalty (for total -2). Sadly, they can only fire once per two turns, but 12 S5 blasts would kill a ton of bugs/orks/other guard (especially under «fire on my target»), and have a good chance to pin down heavier infantry (like, say, terminators). Take them to nostalgia about the passed times of Thudd Guns.

Troops

• Infantry Platoon: Basic core of army. Consists of a multitude of parts and options. Think of it as a force organization chart in your force organization chart, so you can write yo list while you can write yo list. Can add on extra squads of Heavy and Special Weapon Squads to support Infantry Squads' lasgun spam. You could also put your heavy weapons in Infantry squads, but then you'll have to waste lasgun fire if you need to engage heavy opponents and tanks.
  • Platoon Command Squad: This unit can be tricked out much like the CCS (barring options for Camo-Cloaks or Carapace), yet do not have the accuracy of Veterans. Additionally, the Platoon Commander is less efficient at issuing orders, only being able to make one per turn from a limited pool of choices. There are two unique Platoon Commanders, one of which can be taken as replacements to the Platoon Commander; they provide a degree of specialization.
    • Captain Al'rahem: Al'rahem is the long-standing rival to Ursarkar Creed, laughing at the former's antics. Creed can Outflank a Leman Russ or Scout some Hellhounds forward. Al'rahem always Outflanks his entire platoon. Order-wise, he replaces the standard Platoon Command orders in favor of Bring it Down and his unique order Like the Wind. This ability allows a Guard unit to shoot, then move d6 inches, as though it were running with Fleet of Foot; this would allow a unit to spread out after disembarking, peel back away from enemy units, hug cover with small Grenade Launcher teams, or to help your get into assault faster. Ultimately though, Al'rahem is for players who *really* love Outflanking. On a final note, while he *does* have a cute Power Sword with the potential to get lucky and one-shot an non-TEQ enemy model, the squishy nature of his squad makes using his unit for assassin duty very risky; if you *really* wish to use him in such a manner, a Priest is a must, so his squad doesn't get bogged down in the fighting.
    • Commander Chenkov: Do you want to take that point? I mean, REALLY take that point? Seriously, how many dudes do you want to throw at that point? Chenkov can throw that many guys at the point, AND MORE. Including him is a fun way for your Conscripts to get some action besides sitting on a point, by the way of charging them suicidally at the enemy. Because you can. And because Chenkov lets your Conscripts come back from the dead, well, only if the whole squad gets wiped out. But if you get sick of waiting, you are allowed to just destroy them yourself. It's a lot of awesome for a lot of points (200 points 50-man squad + 75 points for Send In Another Wave). You can drown your enemy in so many bodies it isn't even funny (for them, at least), because even Orks need time to chop through the 50 warm bodies that may pop back up into the fight. The only problem is getting them into the fight. So, use them to stand in front of vehicle to provide cover for them and to bog down enemy assault units in tarpits. Attach a Priest so they have more than a laughable 5 Leadership as well as rerolls for the imminent 5+ To Hit (Conscripts are only WS 2). For the motherland! Er... I mean, Emperor!
  • Infantry Squad: If you play blob guard, this is going to be your bread and butter, if you play a balance of blob and mech, you are still going to take these dudes, because they make it happen. They are paper thin, only hit half the time, and they run away if it can't be helped. But its for fucking sure that they can be made a monster. They can become Stubborn and get a Ld of 9 with a Commissar, the squad can be combined with other squads of the same kind to make huge tar pits. With 30 men, First Rank Fire, Second Rank Fire can make them fire 84 shots in one turn. That's a whole lot of diddley. They can take a heavy weapon and a special weapon. This can be combined to make many different options. A basic set up would be a Grenade Launcher or a Flamethrower, to be able to provide additional firepower to the backbone of lasgun spam. On top of that, If the squad is going to be a gun line, add in an Autocannon for front-line squad, or LasCannon/Rocket Launcher for the guys cowvering in the back. You could also take a Priest with an Eviscerator to give the squad a Power-Chain Fist, in case an enemy drops a Dreadnought next to you. You can get plenty of Power Weapons in there as well, for the Sergeants and Commissars, but you cannot get your hands on a Power Fist in an Infantry Squad.
  • Conscripts: A platoon may take one unit of Conscripts, or human Grots as they're affectionately called. If there is anything thinner than paper, it would be Conscripts. Good thing there are a lot of them. They are one point cheaper than a regular guardsman, so only take them if you are full on the others (how did you do that) or if you are using Chenkov's "Send In the Next Wave". Priest is a must. Do not expect them to pull miracles, but with Rank Fire, they can ignore their terrible BS of 2.
  • Heavy Weapon Squad: This is where the awesome firepower comes from. Some don't like them because they die rather quickly if they are in front of the Squad. But if you buy Heavy Weapon Squad instead of putting heavy weapons in your Infantry Squad, they can target big things and not waste the lasgun fire. Lascannons are nice here. In fact the only one that isn't that good to take here is the heavy bolter (which is already provided by almost every vehicle you can field). They are slower than Sentinels, but they are cheap for what they do (per-model), can be modified to engage any threat, and don't take up an important Force Organization slot by themselves.
  • Sabre Gun Platforms (Forgeworld): This guys could replace Heavy Weapon Teams in your platoon. They cost more, but with twin-liked guns they are also deadlier, have skyfire/interceptor, and being artillery, they can endure absurd amount of enemy shooting. On the other hand they are immobile (but can somehow scout move), and die like a bitches when charged (but vanilla heavy weapon teams have exactly the same weakness). Sabre platforms require careful positioning, because of their zero mobility, but they are great source of anti-air and fire support. ALWAYS take second guardsman to each gun: your enemy could and would outflank Sabres to shoot down lightly armored crew instead of W2/Sv3+ guns.
  • Special Weapon Squads: It's a 65 point team of meltaguns (everything else can be provided better by Veterans). Find them chimeras and drive them forwards so they can make cheap melta drive-by's with less accuracy than Veterans. There is only 6 of them (and only 3 can carry melta), but they can bring specialized firepower when it's needed. Give them a Demolition charge and drop their Chimera in the middle of enemy formation. Next turn: Laugh Maniacally (provided that Chimera withers the pncoming hail of fire or the opponents fataly ignores it).
• Veteran Squad: Key to most mech lists. Slightly superior to regular guard due to higher BS of 4 and have an even better selection of gear and options. Stick them in chimeras and try to see where Lady Luck will take them. Only downside to this choice is that you only have six troop choices if you go full Vet before reaching 2000 points (with 70 points for a stock squad, it's a point which can be reached very easily). You could also do the smart thing and mix 2-3 Veteran Squads with an Infantry Platoon, giving you unholy amounts of Melta (Veterans), Chimeras and bodies everywhere (Everyone). They're generally less specialized than storm troopers, but they score and can get much more gear. Always take at least two. Up to two Veteran Squads may replace their Sergeant with an Special Character. Just like Platoon Commanders, those characters provide a degree in specialization and allow the Veteran Squad to function on it's own accord away from the rest of the battle force.
  • Gunnery Sergeant Harker: He gives the squad stealth, move through cover, and infiltrate. Together with an Autocannon team and 3 plasma guns this makes a very nice thorn in the enemy's backside, especially when placed in good cover for a 3+ save. Use his squad to claim an objective and sit on it all the game and rain death on whatever comes in range. If you really need to keep them alive, buy camocloaks for his squad to get a +2 to cover save (in effect, giving the squad Terminator Armor in regards to being shot when in ruins). Suddenly even the forests aren't that bad anymore. Alternatively, keep him in reserves as Infiltrate gives his unit Outflank and come in on a 3+ (2+ with an Astropath, who you should probably be using anyway) with meltaguns and maybe a lascannon, to pop a vehicle or two the moment they come in. A little expensive, but hilarious. Chimera optional, but you should give it to Special Weapon Squad, instead.
  • Sergeant Bastonne: Expensive at 60 points, but comes with Carapace and a Power Sword. He can also give any order to his own squad, meaning that he can switch between shooting and running efficiently. The Power Sword will let you do some damage in Assault against MEQs, but that's not your primary goal with Bastonne's Squad. Use him to breach enemies who get between your forces without wasting your orders on the squad. Remember that he is still affected by Incompetent Command, though and can only issue orders after everyone else already did. Don't take him if your HQ slots are exclusively Company Command Squads without Creed- he'll be forced to become the Warlord due to his high leadership.
• Penal Legion Squad: You have to roll a d3 to see what these prisoners are good at. You don't have that kind of extra change to throw at Lady Luck during a game. This squad of cons can go fuck themselves. And even if you roll what you want it's still shit. Melee with A1, S3, I3 and WS3 still sucks even with rending. Compare to a orkboy and burst in tears.
  • If you still want to try them out though and have points to waste (what is wrong with you?!), you can have some fun with those guys. Gunslingers can hug cover and exploit the range of their 24 inch Assault 2 lasguns. If they get shot at, they have stubborn. Still, their only use is to shoot up and then tie down choppy squads for a turn or two. And that's not really worth the 80 points.
  • Knife Fighters are even more luck-based, but since they Scout (and therefore can Outflank), they can end up taking down some expensive target. With a charge, that's at least 3 auto wounds that can ruin some expensive, low number squad's day. Don't forget to evade your opponent's raging fists if you end up shanking his foot slogging Terminator unit in the first round of combat. Still, the cons lack the staying power, and are likely to get killed to a man the moment enemy retaliates. Even then, with I3, the enemy will get to hit you first no matter what. Again, not really worth the points, especially since you are playing Guard and every point counts.
  • Psychopaths are trash, and you might as well just remove the squad as casualties if that's how they roll. Extra Strength and an Attack will still hit last, and without rending you don't even have a chance to get a "free" kill.

Dedicated transports

• Chimera: This is the gem of the MEHTAL BAWKS world. It makes the Guard competitive at high end play. Heavy Bolter Snap firing with Multi Laser? This has become hate machine it was supposed to be. But nothing stops you from Snap Firing Multi Laser with Flamethrower. Or use Hunter-Killers to demolish enemy vehicles. Other points of this fine vehicle:
  • Cheap (point-wise). You can spam them, get lots and lots of multilasers (it will please you), and a solid wall of AV12 metal in front.
  • Makes otherwise-slow Guardsmen mobile.
  • You can fire all your important shit (special weapons, which is, Melta and Plasma) out the top hatch. Letting you fry while staying safe from retaliation. Heck, Commanders can even give orders out the top hatch.
  • They also count as tanks, meaning that once your troops are in position, you can tank shock the enemies off the point and even crush some Ork vehicles and scare off the mobs.

Fast Attack

• Scout Sentinel Squadron: With such weak armor, most likely they are going to die on a second turn. Fun choice of weapons. Key part here is that they have Scout - so three Sentinels outflanking from the side or scouting into cover blasting away, causing havoc in the enemy ranks, is a good idea. But still - they are going to die. They are open topped. They are going to die. They have 10 armor. They are going to die. But they may as well take a tank or two down with them. If you want to be insane, having Heavy Flamers all around can result in hilarious infantry murder. Otherwise, most of the time you'll take them as a 40 point autocannon on legs since they are cheap and effective against most things.

• Armored Sentinel Squadron: Armored Heavy Weapons Team, practically. Can move around and fire, unlike Heavy Weapon Teams, but you only get one for the price of the whole squad. Can do decent in close combat, stomping on or bogging down the enemy. Now this works only with fearless units without krak grenades or other S6+ weapons (like, say Thousand Sons, gaunts, or Ork boys without klawnob). Even better choice of awesome weapons when compared to Scout Sentinels, such as plasma cannons - though, you can overheat and lose one of the two Hull Points you have, making you even more dangerously paper-thin. Use Lascannon against vehicle, Rocket Launcher or Autocannon if you can't decide what you want to do with them. Never hurts to take Hunter-Killers in case you end up fighting vehicles. Take in threes so they can be generally more efficient in anything you want them to do.

• Tauros (Forgeworld): Dirt cheap buggies with twin heavy flamers and Scout USR. If you want to scout flamer sentinels to ruin someone’s day, this guys would do it much better, for they are faster and deadlier for the same cost. Though, don’t expect them to survive any longer: with AV10 all-round, open-topped and only two Hull Points, they are dead men riding. One upside to the Tauros is the fact that they can take homing beacons, so if you're running a drop troop army like Elysians, these are good to take. The Tauros can be upgraded to a Tauros Venator, adding two extra wheels, +1 front armor and a twin-linked Multilaser or Lascannon. You are likely to be able to trick enemies into running after you, while you are blasting a Lascannon at them. Then you die because even AV11 is still laughable.
  • Alternate Take: The Tauros Venator is a damned fine fire-support unit. Being fast, and coming with 2 Hunter-Killer missiles as part of the bargain, it can act as a fire-support annoyance for targetting vulnerable rear armor or for sniping a pesky independent character. Lascannons and high mobility make for a fine combination too - if you exploit the max range of the Lascannons, something is going to get cooked in short order. Keep it away from enemy fire and use its mobility and range, and you'll find it hilariously good at taking out specific targets.

• Rough Rider Squad: Poor misbegotten Rough Riders. Yes they're cavalry, yes they're dirt cheap, yes they might end up with a 24' charge range, if they get extremely lucky... but they are ultimately a one-trick pony that is difficult to hide in cover, is fragile in close combat (statline-wise, basically being Guardsmen... and that's it), near-useless against actual dedicated assault troops (go ahead and charge Genestealers with them), and should they be tarpitted, tard out in moments and die painfully. Perhaps the only way to reliably use them is with Creed, Glory for Cadia and all - and even now, they don't get extra initiative from Furious Charge, rendering them last to hit in combat. And for that investment, couldn't one buy another Hellhound? Alternatively, you can use them as a one-time anti-vehicle suicide squad, since Sergeant can carry Melta Bombs. Still, you can probably find a much better Fast Attack slot choice. 6th edition makes their Hunting Lances power weapons, but having a chance to kill half a squad of marines ONCE is not worth it.

• • Mogul Kamir When you first see him, Mogul doesn't look that bad. An improvement over a generic Sergeant he replaces, with a Bolt Pistol instead of a LasPistol, 3 attacks + 1d3 attacks on the charge due to his Cyber-Steed. He grants Furious Charge and Fearless to his unit. And he isn't that expensive for a an upgrade character. Then you notice that he has "Rage" rule, and with 6th edition, Rage is a good thing. Beside lacking Melta Bombs, using Mogul Kamir will help Rough Riders not to tard out too early. So, you can actually afford to have one unit of Rough Riders for fluff reasons (they are still inferior to everything else on Fast Attack list, though).

• Hellhound Squadron: The Hellhound tank variants give you access to Fast Tanks. This has a lot of advantages, as you use them for movement-blocking, tank-shocking, or simply blasting enemies to oblivion. A low profile makes finding cover for it relatively easy, though cover-hugging isn't exactly the best use of this tank. There are three variants, each with a unique turret weapon, and the choice of hull-mounted Heavy Bolter, Heavy Flamer, or Multi-melta.
  • The standard Hellhound is a very handy infantry-killer. If they're not Marine-equivalents (and even they will be hurting once the wounds pile up and they start failing saves), and not in a transport, they will die. The range of the Inferno Cannon means that you can expect them to hit enemy infantry starting on turn 1 (move 12", fire 12", cover another 8" with flame template). Ran in support of longer-ranged anti-tank weapons for popping enemy transports, Hellhounds can also serve to finish off units from disembarked vehicles. In 6th edition fast vehicles can now fire 2 weapons at full BS at cruising speed, so enjoy the possibilities of hull weaponry combinations. Using Creed to outflank a squadron of these is hilarious against horde armies. Do it - that's an order.
  • The Banewolf sacrifices the extra range of the Hellhound's template for it's own poisoned AP3 flamer template. Banewolves will kill any infantry short of Terminators or similarly well-armored units. Their armor and speed give them unparalleled ability to be used for flushing enemy infantry from cover. This said and done, this may be the one variant you can afford to specialize; having a hull mounted flamer gives you the chance to throw two really mean flame-templates. This tank is the epitome of offence over defense - on one hand it can destroy an entire SM tactical squad in one turn. If there is an independant character in the squad, force them to take all the hits for the squad by attacking from their side, melting them alongside anyone else who "Look Out Sir" into their own gooey death. On the other hand - it can easiy be put down by a Lascannon head-on. They are well known for making Tyranid and Chaos daemon players cry as you gib their monstrous creatures with as much ease as their cannon fodder. But then again, what doesn't make Tyranids and Daemons cry in 5th edition?
  • The Devil Dog is the last one out, eschewing a short-range flamer, for a Melta Cannon. This weapon is unique in 40k, for being a blast weapon with the Melta rule. These tanks are great for sending into the center of an enemy armored formation and intimidating your opponent into breaking up, lest he find himself losing multiple tanks! Alternatively, assuming one has reliable long-ranged anti-tank, the Devil Dog can be used for finishing off survivors of destroyed enemy transports. Add a hull-mounted Heavy Flamer, and the Devil Dog can flush troops out of cover (though not as efficiently as the Banewolf). While not a flashy vehicle, it gets the job done. Probably the best variant for most games that includes vehicles on both sides.

• Fliers: With the new IA:Aeronautica book the IG is the most flier-happy army in the game, with only the Orks seriously threatening their title. Fliers can be divided into two categories: "Gunships" and "Jetplanes" - Gunships get a beefy AV of 12, Hover Mode and Vector Dancer USRs, while jet planes get supersonic. In 40k games it is best to stick with gunships as the extra mobility of Jetplanes mainly comes into play only in abnormally large or apocalypse maps.
  • Valkyrie Assault Carrier Squadron: Goddamnit, why don't you have one (because it's inferior to Vendetta, below)? Valkyrie seems like a relatively expensive flying Chimera, but it is well worth it. It has BY DEFAULT Extra Armor in its profile, which means the bad bitch can never be stunlocked. If you keep your Valkyries zooming around the table, it's rare for them to die. Keep them alive to support your armor with a hard-hitting blast from its Multiple Rocket Pods. Valkyries eat infantry and shit brass and work best with Stormtroopers or Veteran Squads, deep-striking the squad in the most annoying place possible, and then flying off to rain hell on the enemy. Unfortunately, it's totally outclassed for anti-infantry by the Hellhound. That said, it does upgrade (sort of) to the...
  • Vendetta Gunship Squadron: 3 twin-linked Lascannons. This is quite possibly the best unit in all of Warhammer 40k at this point. Carries Guardsmen. Outflanks. Relatively cheap. Comes in squadrons of up to three. There is no better option for fielding mobile anti-tank than this behemoth. Base height can be an issue as the only cover save you'll ever see is from Flat Out movement, but AV12 front/side arc and it's default Extra Armor help to mitigate this drastically. Use Vendettas when the enemy fields Vehicles or Masses Monstrous Creatures - especially if they can fly as well.
  • Valkyrie Sky Tallon (Forgeworld): Dedicated flying transport for Tauroses and Drop Scout Sentinels. For 70 pts each they are cheapest fliers in the entire game, and they don't even take any force chart slots, as they are treated as dedicated transports. Swap their rockets for MRLs, and mow down infantry. Just remember, that you probably should not deploy them with their cargo inside.
  • Vulture Gunship (Forgeworld):Essentially a 40k Apache Gunship, comes with strafing run USR, nose mounted heavy bolter, and 4 wing pylons that are divided into two sets of 2 pylons that give space for one twin-linked weapon (one pylon on each side) and one set of missiles. This machine is very modular, able to adapt to ANY situation; Green Tide getting you down? Well, instead of two twin-linked weapons, you can actually attach a twin-linked punisher cannon! The ammo boxes do take up the other missile pylons, but twin-linked and BS4 against ground targets means 18 shots hit instead of Leman Russes 10 (on average without Pask). Other weapons that only take up one of two spaces include:
    • Multilasers
    • Autocannon
    • Missile launchers
    • Lascannon
    • 6 Hunter-killers (3 per pylon)
    • 6 Heavy bombs (3 per pylon)
    • Hellstrike missiles (1 per pylon)
    • Hellfury missiles (1 per pylon)
    • Multiple rocket pods (could be taken both at gun and missile pylons, up to four MRP's)
    • And of course, the single twin-linked Punisher Cannon
    • I would personally recommend buying spending too much on all possible weapons and not gluing them in place - maybe use magnets or some other such method, just make sure you can change the vulture's armament easily to ensure it is never left wanting in a battle. Because the main strength of the Vulture is its adaptability.

• Thunderbolt Fighter (Forgeworld): The Imperium's standard for Fighter craft, this workhorse of the Imperial Small Craft Fleet is meant to be able to do any job asked of it, whether it be bombing, ground attack, interception, or air superiority. But it is a bit pricey, and properly kitted Vendetta or Vulture could do ONE of it's jobs better. But this neglects the true strength of the thunderbolt, sheer immediate versatility, while the Vulture can claim to be versatile, it's likely going to be kitted out to do one role on the battlefield, while a thunderbolt can do four simultaneously. But the place where Thunderbolts really shines is in Apocalypse, where they are the bane of superheavy fliers (be wary of Harridans, they'll laugh at your Autocannons and the Lascannons are at best only going to take one wound off.)
• Lightning Fighter (Forgeworld): A nippy little air fighter, it defines the trope of "fragile speedster" with a small armament, paper-thin armor and only two HP. It is supposed to the cheaper and longer ranged companion of the Thunderbolt, carrying more missiles to compensate for a fewer number of guns to allow it to (briefly) pack the same amount of firepower, it does however, has serious survivability issues, and even the Big Shootas on an Ork Bomma will send one crashing down. And of course once it blows it's missile load it's firepower drops dramatically, but hey - do you expect this thing to last for much more than one turn?
• Avenger Strike Fighter (Forgeworld): Your dedicated AtG Jet Plane with a tasty Strafing Run rule. It comes stock with an absolutely useless defensive rear-mounted Heavy Stubber (Even Hellblades can only get glanced by it), two Lascannons, and the AVENGER BOLT CANNON, which is basically half of a VULCAN MEGABOLTER. This means it packs SEVEN Megabolter and two Lascannon shots at BS4 for only 150 pts, to ruin the day of anything with less than AV14 or a 2+ armour save. Do you really need any other reason to buy it?
• Aquila Lander (Forgeworld): Who the hell designed this piece of shit? For 10 points more then Valkyrie you get an all around worse transport flyer with pathetic armor, weak guns and a claustrophobic transport capacity of 7. It could be taken as dedicated transport for a Company Command Squad, but without the "Command Vehicle" rule there is no reason to do so.
• Arvus Lighter (Forgeworld): Oh, you thought the Aquila was a piece of shit? Meet the Arvus: No armor. No weapons. No supersonic. And no fucking role on the battlefield - it is quite literally the worst flier in the whole of 40k. It looks pretty however, so it's likely meant to be more of a shelf-warmer/display piece than anything you would actually bring onto the battlefield.

Heavy Support

• Leman Russ Squadron: Leman. Fucking. Russ. It's a big tank. Holds the proud title of best tank in the galaxy for its size and cost. Side effects include: Templates, lots of dice, lots of AV, lots of choices. As an addition, Knight Commander Pask can be added to any one tank that you field. He is a nice little upgrade to the BS, helps reduce drift, and he's a tank killer. Put him in a Demolisher, Vanquisher, Executioner or Punisher for the best bang for your buck. Though, nothing is wrong with putting him in a Battle Tank or even Punisher. In 6th edition, Leman Russ lost "Lumbering Behemoth" rule, and became a Heavy vehicle, instead. This means that you are limited to only 6 inches of movement. However, you can fire all your non-ordnance weapons at the same turn, as if you haven't moved, meaning that non-ordnance Russes (Exterminator, Punisher, Executioner, Eradicator, Vanquisher) are made even more rapetastic, at slight disadvantage of Ordnance ones (Battle Tank, Demolisher). Remember this, and kit out your tanks accordingly.
  • Leman Russ Battle Tank: Though it comes in many flavors, the basic tank is the most useful. With its S8 AP3 72" gun and thick armor, it is good against anything for decent points. This is your runner-and-gunner, your go-to tank, and the majority of your Leman Russ pool at any time should be these or Executioners. Kit em out with heavy bolters all around, since you are going to be forced to snap fire non-cannon weapons, so up the volume of fire.
  • Leman Russ Exterminator: Armed with a 4 shot twin-linked Autocannon means this thing is death incarnate for 4+ armour and light vehicles. Kit it with 3 extra Heavy Bolters for beautiful infantry shredding. If you feel like it, add Pask - and watch it destroy Predators and Falcon grav tanks with ease, while standing a chance to glance Land Raiders (!). While twice the points and not as long-ranged as a Hydra, it's got better front and side armor and isn't hindered by the lack of the Interceptor special rule (so it can shoot at things on the ground, where majority of enemy forces usually are). It doesn't have Skyfire or a Targeting Computer, so it may be lacking in roles usually occupied by Hydra, but you will still put a big dent on anything you do end up hitting.
  • Leman Russ Vanquisher: A Melta (which always provides +1d6 armor penetration) with a devastating range. Thus a bit costly for 1 shot at BS3 (works well with Pask, but only useful against vehicles). Not very useful really considering the amount of melta you should already have, if you use it primarily against vehicles. Give it a Lascannon as well as Plasma Sponson - and you get a unit perfectly fit to fight against Heavy Infantry. Combine with Pask for instant Monstrous Creature solution.
  • Leman Russ Eradicator: Kind of a Hellhound that hits worse, is slower but better armored. And you can add a Lascannon for versatility. Strange tank that has a weaker version of Battle Cannon that eats your enemies' cover saves. Consider for Cities of Death games or when fighting cover-camping Tau/Eldar. Can be useful for gunline enemies hiding behind fortifications as well.
  • Leman Russ Demolisher: For +15 pts. to the basic Russ you get a cannon that lays waste of everything on the battlefield and immunity vs S4 melee units - though sometimes 24" is too close to the enemy. The Demolisher is tried and true, and should ALWAYS lead the armored charge into the enemy. Works great alone, works even better in threes. You don't really need to upgrade it, since fucking DEMOLISHER CANNON doesn't get much assistance from other weapons, but being able to finish off the scattered survivors by hail of ill-aimed gunfire can also be useful.
  • Leman Russ Punisher: Shares the cons but only few of the pros with the Demolisher (it does keep the additional back armor, which helps). Heavy 20 may sound cool, but on average, you end up with 10 S5 hits with no AP (making it difficult to even glance vehicles to death, but why would you target vehicles anyway?). Everything except Grots is butchered better with the cheaper and better ranged Battle Tank. However, unlike most Russes, it gets better if you sink the points in it: Kit one out with Pask and a full triple Heavy Bolter set and a Heavy Stubber, at which point the machine will reduce to dust anything, from Terminator Squads to full-size Ork Mobs every turn, and will stop 'Nidzilla in it's tracks through sheer dice output. Well, that or you'll be killed by the enemies anti-tank and waste 250 points on something the rest of your army should be doing anyway. Punisher can glance AV12 to death, if driven about by Pask, a fact that should not be lightly discarded. Also, by far the coolest looking Russ. Can also be a fun choice against fliers, if much less cost-effective than the Hydra or Fortifications' Emplacements.
  • Leman Russ Executioner Oh hell... what devastation this brings. This thing lays waste to whole Terminator Squads and no matter what the enemy has - this one will hurt badly. The only problem might be that he is a bit costly and if the enemy has nothing with 2+, the Battle Tank is the better choice for points spent. Same might be true if the enemy has 2+ - the Demolisher (which can also, you know, demolish tanks) might be a more priceworthy alternative. However, if you have spare points - take one (and you should always have spare points for tanks). Even against those plasma-syphoning assholes take one and pray for the Emperor's blessing on your scatter dice. Give it Plasma Sponson, pray to Emperor that you won't overheat, and nothing will get in your way. This is also one of the Russes (alongside Battle Tank, Demolisher, and Eradicator) for whom it's best not to take Pask.

• Thunderer (ForgeWorld): It's Leman Russ chassis with hull-mounted demolisher cannon. Unlike LR Demolisher it have no front/side sponsons, and cannot be squadroned, but for some reason it's also NOT heavy - meaning you can move it 12" and even flat out another 6" to get round two shot. Obviously this is your Vindicator, and like all IG vehicles its all around better then his SM analog, due to the combination of superior armor and sufficient speed.

• Ordnance Battery: "Infantry win firefights. Tanks win battles. Artillery wins wars," or so the old saying goes. The Imperial Guard is noted for being able to bring really big guns to the battlefield, their firepower able to remove small sections of the opponent from the playing field. This said and done, the Imperial Guard artillery units are slow (sometimes outright static) and fragile for their cost due to being Open-Topped, a drawback which becomes increasingly noted should one wish to take artillery in a Squadron (and with the exception of the Griffon, Ordnance has the same cost issues with squadron up vehicles); this said, one can remove the Open-Topped Status. Artillery in itself will not make a Guard army due to its fragile nature, but they provide excellent firepower should the rest of the army be able to protect them. There are numerous artillery-pieces available, including the following:
  • Basilisk: Jokingly called the penis-enlargement gun by veteran Guard Players, the Basilisk is noted for having a really big gun. This gun is also known for being long-ranged, having the option for direct or indirect fire, and having AP 3 (meaning it can kill Marines in the open, or pummel Crisis Suits). However, having the worst minimum-range requirements has the potential to often relegate the Basilisk to being a direct-fire weapon, a task the Medusa tends to do better in most cases for a marginal upgrade in cost; this said, the Basilisk's direct-fire does have a longer range than the Medusa. Unless it's apocalypse, you don't need more than 36" though, so get a Medusa, or a Leman Russ Battle Tank, which can do the same or even better job, considering that either way, you are dropping S8 AP3 Big Blast at the enemy within '72 at most.
  • Colossus: Games Workshop has a checkered history when it comes to Marine-Killer weapons. Their emphasis on certain units being designed for killing Marines in the open, has lead to horridly inflexible units like Vespids, Flash Gitz, Thousand Sons, and now the Colossus. At first glance, the Colossus looks like a fun gun. With the ability to ignore cover, and Marine Power Armor saves, it will utterly devastate Marines should it land properly. On the other hand, having a wide minimum range and the inability to fire directly means the Colossus falters against a lot of Marine Armies. With the exception of some foot-slogging Space Wolf armies, many Marine armies are very fast, and noted either for operating as a mechanized army, fighting by Drop Pods, speeding forth towards your lines on Bikes, deepstriking in by Jump Packs, or otherwise excelling at fighting at short range. While the Colossus can be used for indirect-combat if kept isolated from the rest of the battleline with an infantry unit or two to watch over it, it isn't too popular in tournament armies for this reason.
  • Griffon: The cheapest artillery-piece the Guard get, the Griffon is also the most accurate on most accounts; the ability to reroll Scatter Dice is a handy ability in most cases. Like the Colossus, the Griffon is unable to fire directly, yet its shorter minimum range makes it more usable against rapidly advancing armies. Should a player wish to take a Griffon (or a pair of them, which isn't as point-intensive as squadding other artillery), they work as part of a handy one-two combo for finishing off infantry from a destroyed transport, or in support of Hellhound-equivalents being used to Tank-shock enemy infantry into clustered formations.
  • Medusa: A pure direct-fire weapon, noted for having Strength 10 and AP 2, the Medusa is arguably the most popular form of Ordnance on account of its raw firepower. While having the same issues with accuracy most blast weapons have, whatever it hits will suffer on account of it. For those who wish to trade accuracy and flexibility for raw tank-busting firepower, the regular firing mode can be replaced with Siege Shells, turning the Medusa into a heavy tank hunter. With an AP 1 blast template, and the normal Ordnance bonus replaced by rolling 2d6 for armor penetration, the potential to kill enemy vehicles is incredible, and the threat of losing multiple vehicles to a well-placed shot does a lot to intimidating opponents into spreading their vehicles out. This said, like with the Devildog's Melta Cannon, the accuracy issues inherent with the Medusa mean it tends to work best in support of, rather than being the primary source, of ranged anti-tank.

• Heavy Artillery Battery (forgeworld): This is artillery variants of Basilisk and Medusa and in 6th edition, artillery is awesome (until someone charges it). They are immobile and need crew, which could be killed (though, they use gun's Toughness 7 against enemy shots), but they are also cheap. And for being non-vehicles, they can take orders. Earthshakers and Medusas with "Bring it down!" and "Fire on my target!" could make for miracles on the battlefield if used properly. Or die pointlessly, if used incorrectly. Oh, and don't forget that they only have ld7 with no sSargeant or Commissar options, so you NEED a Lord-comissar or Kell to make them listen to your orders most of the time.

• Hydra Flak Tank: Back in 5th edition, Hydra was a relatively popular vehicle for a key reason: Providing dual, twin-linked Autocannons and a Heavy Bolter at an extremely efficient price, even before you take it's ability to ignore cover generated by Turbo-boosting or moving Flat-Out, Hydra is great for reliably dealing with enemy light vehicles at range, or disabling/stunlocking medium armor until Melta weaponry can get close to finish the job. A squad of these are excellent for chipping away at Monstrous Creatures and unlike many other vehicles, squadding the Hydra won't be excessively expensive. On the other hand, it competes with other popular Heavy Support options, and like all Autocannon units except Exterminator (who could get buffed by Pask) is useless against AV 14. If Hydras are taken, make sure that your list has the means to deal with these threats. That said, for the same price as a basic Leman Russ, you're getting 8 twin linked autocannon shots with range of 72", which can always get cover from (but still fire over) chimeras. 3+ saves give you trouble, but really that's always true unless you've got access to say, a lot of melta, plasma and AP1/2 template weapons (so, almost always in well-kitted out army). Easily the best choice for most armies - go buy some. Now. - Hurr, it's Forgeworld only! Grab an Aegis Defence Line, plant the quad-gun on the back deck of a Chimera for a quick and dirty Hydra.
  • However since the coming of 6th edition, Hydra became both very useful and useless at the same time. Increase in staying power of the fliers, Hydras are recommended to scare off those who try to exploit their new capabilities, since targeting computer rules still apply, making them an effective counter. For extra confusion, Hydra Autocannons are listed as only Skyfire, but Immobile Hyrda Guns from Forgeworld have the additional Interceptor rule... more screw-ups on GW's side. Skyfire makes you snap-fire ground-targets, but you can still use it for it's intended role - destroying Skimmers, Jetbikes, and fliers. Or you can take an Aegis Defense Line or Bastion with Quad Gun/Icarus Lascannon instead, and get more range and firepower. Also you should notice that without interceptor rule Hydras cannot, well, intercept fliers. When a Necron Shuttle Fleet blast all your Hydras on turn two, you would realize, that Interceptor rule is REALLY a must for Ground-to-Air tank. However for 75 points, you really can't complain too much (not that you shouldn't, lack of interceptor IS bullshit). Jink Saves are annoying, you get to counter them, or Intercept. This is implied to be relevant to a thing called "Balance". So pick one.

• Manticore Missile: Mixed-bag. Good for the points, bigger blast range then hell, but can't deal with marines. Drop it back by your Basilisks or Heavy Weapons, since it's not gonna do much good at the front lines. Good points are simple: They're not open-top, compared to artillery. They have HUGE blast ranges and they can virtually ensure that you're going to be making people spread out their firepower - great for you to focus on one group at a time. Downsides are just as bad as the upsides, though. Limited ammo CAN be a problem (rarely, either because either Manticore or the enemy ends up demolished). If enemy is spreading their units out, it causes you to lose a lot of rocket's effectiveness. Seriously, it can only shoot 4 out of 5-6 turns (unless your opponent isn't retarded, in which case it'll be gone a great deal sooner). Overlooked a lot, but can be powerful on those first few crucial turns. On a high note, Manticores DEMOLISH Necron Warrior elements or Ork/Nid/Guard blobs.

• Deathstrike: The Deathstrike Missile Launcher tends not to be taken in a lot of tournament builds, being viewed as too unreliable a weapon. Its main selling point is that it (eventually) fires a Strength 10 AP 1 superlarge blast (to put this in context, while a normal Ordnance Blast has a 2.5" radius, a Deathstrike Missile has a radius of 4-6" depending on the luck of the die), ignoring cover, and operating at full Strength against any and all vehicles caught in the explosion; should it go off, it has a high chance of devastating the opponent. On the other hand, it's chances of properly firing are random at best, it won't be firing on turn 1, and the Deathstrike is a one-shot weapon. It mostly gets used either for casual games on account of this unreliability, as a gamble, or for psyching the opponent out into spreading his forces out. But if you're a favored champion of the dice gods, received the blessing of Admiral Awesome, the benediction of Lady Luck and have balls of ceramite, you might just hilariously wipe half of your opponent's forces early in the game. In 2k+ games, combine 3 Deathstrikes with 4 units of Demo Charge-packing Special Weapon Squads in Vendettas, and watch your enemy's face drop as he realizes the the might of pie plates - as he has to deal with either 3 nukes or 12 S9 AP2 large blasts + 12 twin linked Lascannons on turn one. Unless you get first turn of course, in which case he has to deal with 3 nukes having already been hit by 12 large blasts. And from then on, it only gets better...

Fortifications

• Aegis Defense Lines:In case you forgot to get a Hydra, an Aegis will help you out with annoying fliers. In addition, you get a nice piece of cover for Guardsmen, which you can use as a forward assault base of sorts. Pretty cheap point-wise, and can be a good choice if you want to have some foothold without turning into gunline guard.
• Skyshield Landing Pad:On one hand, you practically give your Guardsmen an Invulnerable Save(!) - on the other, you don't have many units you can deepstrike, and shooting up the enemy after outflanking is just what guard does. A bit of a mixed bag, but you are certainly within gunline guard territory.
• Imperial Bastion:Ridiculously cheap, can mount a Quad Gun that can pop transports and flyers, gets 4 free heavy bolters which can be legally placed all on one facing, gives your men the advantage of height and cover, and if you play air cavalry the Comms upgrade is a must, letting you modify your reserve rolls by +1.
• Fortress of Redemption:Expensive both in points and actual cost, this huge model doesn't exactly bristle with guns as you would expect - but now you are able to dominate everything on the table - tanks will be sniped with the '96 lasgun, fliers will be decimated by BS4 AA guns (you did garrison veterans in there, right?), and everything else will have to eat Heavy Bolters. And that thing launches missiles. Oh, and all Imperial units get various buffs and saves, meaning that this thing is the ultimate say in the world of gunline guard. If you never had given anyone a reason to field a Super-Heavy in a non-Apcalypse game, congratulations, you have done it.

Apocalypse units

• • Marauder Bomber:Heavy bomber, imagine the massive bombers that dropped massive amounts of bombs on cities during the Second World War, the Marauder is basically the same thing, but with much bigger and less dinky and useless guns. Also happens to share the same name as one too. It's not good for its point cost though, even in apocalypse. Those bombs just don't hurt tanks.
    • Maurauder Destroyer Heavy attack plane. While the standard Maurauder is the Imperium's B17, this one is basically a flying Manticore with three twin-linked autocannons on its nose. Instead of bombing, this sucker flies in and strafes with craptons of fire and flies away. Better than the bomber in every way (looks, armour, actual AA mount guns, horrific bombing runs).
  • Baneblade:ECKSMETALBAWKS HUGE KILLDOZER WITH A FUCKTON OF GUNS. Orgasms aside, the Baneblade is one of the most feared tanks the Imperium and Chaos posers have to offer. Sporting a Baneblade cannon, co-axial Autocannon, Demolisher Cannon, two Lascannons, three twin-linked heavy bolters, and optional pintle mounts AND optional Hunter-killer missile, it's a rolling fortress of death. Comes standard with three structure points, AV14 front and AV12 side armor. Can be commandeered by a Commissar to REALLY motivate your troops.
    • Hellhammer: Baneblade without the Baneblade cannon. This has, instead, the Hellhammer cannon (equivalent to the Eradicator cannon) The Hellhammer cannon is shorter ranged but has a smaller template, better strength and AP. But why take this when the Stormsword right down the corner is so much better?
    • Banehammer: Fun for trolling mech armies with it's Tremor cannon. With a 60" range and S8 AP3, the Tremor cannon may not seem like much, but that's when it's special rule "Earthshock" come in. Everything within 4d6" of it's 7" blast gets caught within a shockwave zone which is treated as dangerous terrain to vehicles and difficult to all else. Not the best super heavy to take, but is fun.
    • Banesword: Designed especially to reach out and fuck someone's day over. With a range of 180" on it's main cannon (called the Quake Cannon) as well as S9 AP3, Barrage, and 10" Blast, someone is going to have a really bad day. And for shits and giggles, you can kill that annoying Tau player's army 2 tables over.
    • Stormsword: Best at street fighting and siege warfare, what this bad boy lacks in range (a sort of pathetic 36") is made up for in firepower. It's cannon launches a enormously painful S10 AP1 10" blast primary weapon shot which denies cover saves and instagibs vehicles on a 3+ and is at the very least ripping off a weapon, and will turn anything with less than T6 inside out. So in other words, it's a great way to say screw you to that annoying as fuck Vindicare assassin camping in those ruins. The blast template is in fact so huge that it is actually physically incapable of missing it's original target with it's main cannon, which is awesome. Firing this thing once can wipe it's cost in units off of the gameboard, which is even more awesome. Pretty much everything you love about the Leman Russ Demolisher is taken up to eleven on this baby. If you can get these guys in range, they will never fail to impress with the incredible amounts of destruction they will unleash.
    • Doomhammer: This super heavy isn't sure if it's supposed to be a scary ass tank or dedicated transport... but does decent as both. With a transport capacity of 25 models, it certainly isn't too shabby especially with it's fire points (well, fire point really) allowing 10 models to blast away from it. It also counts as open topped for (dis)embarking purposes. It's primary cannon (named the Magma cannon - yeah, it's the Volcano cannon's baby bro) has a range of 60" and is S10 AP1 5" blast. So yeah... Something caught between a Stormsword, Stormlord and a Shadowsword... So for a jack of all trades, this is a decent choice (though the Baneblade is probably better at it).
    • Shadowsword: Like the Baneblade but instead of a turret and hull weapon, mounts a fuckhuge Volcano cannon (yes, it is as powerful as it sounds). The volcano cannon is range:120" S:D AP1 large blast. The Titan killer and possibly one of the most useful Baneblade-based vehicles.
    • Stormlord: Shadowsword chassis with Vulcan Mega bolter instead of Volcano cannon (Yes, the mega bolter is as insane as it sounds, imagine a vulcan minigun with Heavy Bolters for each barrel), the mega bolter is range:60" S6 AP3 type: heavy 15, and if the stormsword doesn't move, it can fire twice at different target, or the same target. However, the most lulzy thing about this beast is that it can transport FORTY troops. 20 of which can fire from a rear mounted firing platfotm. To really maximise it's epic lulz potential, team up with a Space Marine player and let him shove 20 devastator Marines in it. For obvious reasons, this thing will then be chucking out more fire than an entire Imperial Guard regiment.
  • Malcador: Basically a bigger Leman Russ, half the size of a Baneblade. Like the Russ, it has a Battlecannon, but has the option for sponson heavy stubbers or sponson lascannons. Malcadors have a limited turret traverse, due to their weird design.
    • Malcador Defender: Instead of a Battlecannon, has a bunker on the top with five heavy bolters and a demolisher cannon in the hull.
    • Malcador Annihilator: Has a twin-linked lascannon turret weapon, and a hull-mounted Demolisher cannon.
    • Malcador Infernus: Take a Malc, throw out the turret and give it a titan-sized Inferno Cannon. It's a GIANT flamethrower tank, like a Hellhound on steroids. Also has sponson weapon options.
    • Valdor Tank Hunter: Like a smaller Shadowsword, or specifically, like a bigger Destroyer Tank Hunter. It has a fuckhuge laser cannon. No sponson weapons.
    • Minotaur Artillery Tank: Basilisk on crack. Carries two Basilisk cannons on a Malcador hull.
  • Macharius Heavy Tank: Comparable to the Malcador, except with moar gunz. Standard Macharius has two sponsons and a TWIN. LINKED. BATTLE. CANNON. Unlike the Malcador, the Macharius has a full 360-degree traverse so it can fire in any direction from its position. Also has hull-mounted twin linked stubbers in the front.
    • Macharius Vanquisher: TWIN. LINKED. VANQUISHER. CANNONS. Also has sponsons on either side. Hull-mounted heavy stubbers also.
    • Macharius Vulcan: Mother of god. For ultimate cheese, get a Stormlord with Vulcan mega bolters, and get a couple of these to roll with it. This Macharius has a Vulcan Mega Bolter on its turret, plus the sponsons and hull heavy stubbers.
    • Macharius Omega: A Macharius assault tank, basically. Has no turret for its PLASMA BLASTGUN. Has sponsons weapons also.
    • Gorgon Assault Carrier: The ultimate party bus. The Gorgon can transport entire platoons instead of just a single squad. Has two twin-linked heavy stubber turrets on the very back, and has the option of either sponson-mounted weapons or twin-linked mortars. One thing to note is that the Gorgon is permanently open-topped.
    • CRASSUS ARMORED ASSAULT TRANSPORT: Picks up where the Gorgon slacked off. Has two heavy bolters on its nose, sponson weapons and it's completely closed. Unknown carrying capacity, but it must be huge. It's pretty much the IG's equivalent of a land raider, and like the Predator vs Leman Russ, the CRASSUS ARMOURED ASSAULT TRANSPORT is more powerful, more durable, and generally better at it's job, which is hilarious when you think about it.
    • Praetor Armored Assault Launcher: OMG. Like the Minotaur is a super-Basilisk, the Praetor is a super-Whirlwind. Its backside houses a multiple-rocket launcher, also has two heavy bolters on the nose. Unknown if sponsons are allowed.
  • Titans: FUCKHUEG GOD-MACHINES OF PURE RAPE. They pack awesome firepower on ungodly durable platforms, but hell they are expensive. One thing you should remember: titans are NOT indestructible. Their void shield could soak a lot of anti-tank shooting, but they work only against shots from 12" and more, not to mention close combat. KEEP YOUR TITANS AS FAR FROM ENEMY AS POSSIBLE - a lot of things could kill them if they come close enough. Meltaguns are problem. Hummershield/chainfist terminators are big problem. Warchytle lychguards and scarabs are massive problem. Daemon lords and Revenent titans with swords are death. Also keep in mind that all titan weapons (except megabolter) are blasts, so they cannot hurt flyers (yes, even Manta).
    • Warhound Scout Titan:Buy three!!!!!!!!!! Can equip two arm weapons, give it two Turbo-Laser destructors and watch the fireworks as it kills everything
    • Reaver Battle Titan:Buy one!!!!!!!!!!! Gets two warlord-class arm weapons and one warhound-class carapace weapon or giant rocket launcher/vortex missile on its back.
    • Warlord Battle Titan:FUCKING MAKE ONE!!!!!11111!!!!!11!!1!!!!11!!!!!11!!!!111 One of these, will obliterate it's cost in say, predator annhialators or baneblades, without a freaking scratch. It mounts two of the Warhound's weapons on its back and two of its own weapons on its arms, which pack more range and fire more shots each turn.
    • Imperator Battle Titan:If you play one of these, just give up... I mean, the other titans scaling up add on gun, but this God-Machine carries six carapace weapons (use the Warlord's weapons for that, there's not point using the Warhound's), and it's two arm weapons, and even it's weakest arm gun will at the least through out 6 strength 8 AP3. There is no safe place against it, its weapon's range let it hit anything, 36" away or more. Even if the enemy team fills every square inch of the board with anti-tank guns, this thing will come out on top without taking so much as a glancing hit to it's armor with all the void shields they need to get through. Load up on laser blasters for the carapace and vengeance cannons for arms and this can let loose an insane TWENTY-SIX destroyer shots. NOTE: You will never get a model for this thing, not in a thousand years, but you can proxy one, just ask your two meter (seven foot) pal over and get him to cosplay.

Tactics

Tactics for the Imperial guard have been expanded upon through out the years resulting in a plethora of different stratagems. First to explain a few of the different rules of the IG and there different uses. As well as some army compositions and strategies.

Orders

The order system, though new to guard, has become one of the most important and most raged about addition to the IG codex. When you are about to declare a Ld check for an order, get your troll face on. The fact is, is that sisters are only decent now because of faith points. In a few years the same will be said about guard and the orders system. With orders your lasguns become 30-50% more effective. You get rerolls for cover and armored/monstrous enemies. When you go to ground with an order, you go to ground like no other son of a bitch. Your run move is guaranteed to be decent. Some call it broken, but you can not give orders to those inside vehicles. So the most broken list of guard currently, can not make full use of them. Anyway, orders are the shit. And you don't even need lady luck on your side. With the right vox system and use of other leaders Ld *COUGH* commissar *COUGH*, you should be able to roll a savings grace.

The orders are as follows:

• Bring it Down! - Allows an ordered squad to count their weapons as twin linked when engaging a Monstrous Creature(s)/Enemy Vehicle(s). Best used for Heavy Weapon Teams and Forge World artillery, especially if they use scatter weaponry.
• Fire on my Target! - Allows you to force the enemy to reroll cover saves. Not very useful unless you are fighting against basic Ork boyz mobs or Tyranids, who usually have to live and swear by cover.
• Get Back in the Fight - Let's you basically get an assaulted squad back in the fight. May get you a lucky extra shot, or force the enemy to waste their assault against a leftover squad rather than another, juicier target. Useful when you are not taking Commissars for the squads.
• First Rank, FIRE! Second Rank, FIRE! - Your most frequently issued order, Rank Fire basically gives you guardsmen an additional shot. This however only affects standard lasguns, so every other weapon shoots normally. Still, there are few things that match the expression of the opponent's face when you get to roll 28 dice at the same time, which means that even at BS3 and Strength 3, the enemy is in the sea of possible pain. Use with combined squads for extra hilarity, and don't forget to ask your opponent if you can borrow his dice.
• Incoming! - Turns your normal 5+ cover save into a 3+ and Aegis/ruin 4+ cover into 2+. Sit on an objective and make Death Guard jealous. Off course, your guys would shoot only snap fire, but who cares?
• Move! Move! Move! - Practically gives you the 4 inches of running. Useful when you really need to relocate your troops in response to the enemy.
• For the Honour of Cadia! - Creed's special Order. Throws the ordered unit into combat with additional special rules applied to them for the turn. Really, this is only useful to send Rough Riders to their deaths more efficiently.
• Like the Wind! - Practically let's you run and shoot. Not as useful in 6th edition, but is still able to provide sufficient annoyance to the enemy.

Army variants

• Blob guard

Blob guard is a rather simple concept. Have more bodies than your opponent has bullets. The fact is, is that IG has access to guardsmen that can be as cheap as 5 points. You will overwhelm them in model count, in deaths a turn, in shots fired, you will have at least twice as many heavy weapons as they will. All of their anti-tank weaponry that was meant to take out the 150 point Leman Russ? It killed a guardsman with a lasgun, good job. The problems that come with such an awesome army composition is the lack of speed and how effective the enemies anti-infantry will be against you. A decent thousand point list might consist of 2 20 man combined squads with a commissar and priest each, about 9 or so heavy weapons, and your three or so command squads loaded out with special weapons. Works best in a Cities of Death game, all that cover, all those cover saves, your men will live a bunch longer and confound the enemy to no end.

• Mech guard

Mech explores the wonder of armored vehicles. The core of the army would be a command squad and 2 squads of vets all in chimeras. And the rest would consist of anything from Leman Russ tanks to vendettas, to artillery, fast attack choices, or more chimeras.

• Melta vet spam guard

Put vets in Chimeras. Give them meltas. Fill up Force organization troop chart. Do same with Company Command Squads and Storm Troopers.

• Hammer and Anvil Guard

This army is for those who can't choose between the two. A main force hits head on while supported by tanks and artillery, and vets come in from a supporting side. As they say, hit from the air, sea, and ground. A list might include, A command squad, along with a squad of vets in a Chimera, A squad of 20-30 men with a commissar and priest, a Leman Russ variant, and a Basilisk.

• Artillery apocalypse

Take a few infantry squads with just standard guardsmen, say around 20-30 troopers, do not upgrade at all, these are meat shields. Fill up your remaining points with the Imperium's single most destructive medium, Basilisks, "But wait!!" you say "Baneblades/Titans/Shadowswords are more destructive". And yes, you'd be right, HOWEVER, when you have, say, 1,000,000 Basilisks per battle titan, well, you get the picture. Whilst your enemy is dossing around trying to kill your infantry, your many Basilisks pound them into dust, AP3 and large blast means all standard infantry fall like chaff to these bad boys, whilst str 9 means most man-sized units suffer instant death. This mind-blowingly massive amount of firepower is, however, completely useless if the crew is being hacked to pieces by deep striking terminators or some other such buttholes. So this formation is best for large, pitched, foot-slogging battles, where your foes will be lucky to even reach your infantry lines if you've spent half your points on Basilisks.

Allies

If you're still using the now-old Codex: Witch Hunters or Codex: Daemonhunters and you want to use allies, good god do so. For the price of a fully-kitted Veteran squad, you can have an entire 10-woman Sisters squad with all their needed gear PLUS the cost of a Rhino for them. Suddenly your army has 3+ saves and BS4 Bolters to backup your lasgun spam and 5+ armor save.

If you're lacking punch for some reason, consider using the old Allies rules. Sisters and Grey Knights can introduce a world of hurt most people don't expect from a Guard army. This writer knows from experience that Valkyrie-borne Sisters plus a Canoness make a superior, cheaper alternative to expensive Veterans or Stormtroopers doing the same thing.

EXCITING UPDATE: With 6th edition rules, any Imperium army can ally perfectly with Guard. (Except Grey Knights, which can still ally but nobody likes them. Ha. However, it's more likely that the Grey Knights hate everyone else.) Every single Space Marine (all variants) and Sisters of Battle unit is available to back up your Guard, and Grey Knights, Eldar, Tau, Orks, and Chaos (in case you're feeling heretical) can be used as well, but no one likes them. You can also ally with Necrons if you're don't care about logic and just want to make opponents cry at the amount of firepower you're going to put out every turn.

So far as allies go, divination has some fuckawesome powers for use with guard, so using any battul bruthars with divination capabilities is a pretty good idea. Blood Angels--nice because you can get death company to go rip people's head off while they're at it. Stick a chaplain in a blob and they're fearless (not cause of the chalice, but because the chaplain is fearless) Dark Angels--wait for their codex to drop Spess Puppies--if you don't mind the yiffing, they've got some nice firepower to add. A possible tactic is x-hibitz's gunline--bubble wrap fo yo bubble wrap. Rune priests are, of course, the big draw here.

People who can't give you divination but might be worth a look: Black Templars: cc. Command squad with termies. Customizable and cheap. Need I say more? Grey Knights: Spess Mahreens

Sisters of Battle might be cool, but tricky. Acts of faith are always fun.

What to buy

The battle force. This gives you two squads of 10 and a leader pack, as well as heavy weapons and a sent. This will be helpful if you are going blob or mech. You can make them vets for a quick 500pt army. You can even save the heavy weapons for vehicle modifications later when you buy tanks of you go for mech. Next thing would most likely be a Leman Russ and two chimeras if going mech,and another battle force if you are going blob.

Also if you dip, or one of your friends dip, ask them for the metal lids to the tobacco containers. These are the exact size of the heavy weapons base. Making it extremely easy to take advantage of all the heavy weapons in the pack. Just use the bending knee for the dude shooting, and put the other dude as a standing man. Green stuff some sandbags or a wall to take place of the tripod stand.

As far as organizing your army, you ought to know better that you don't have to pimp out every platoon FULL of men. Usually, two large Platoons decked out will do the job, but let's calculate the body count if you spammed evey slot.

HQ: CCSx2 (24 models; Commissar, Chimera, and all Advisors, including Officer of the Fleet and Astropath, which are MANDATORY)
Priest x5
Techpriest x2 (With 10 servitors. Give 'em ALL plasma cannons. Because you can.)

Elites: Stormtroopers all around, bitches (30 models)

Troops: 6x FULL Infantry platoons (6x6-man CCS + Chimeras, 30x11-man Infantry squads + Chimeras, 30x6-man Heavy squads (it's two guys on one base, be glad I'm not counting the gun model), 12x6-man Special squads, and 6x50-man Conscript squads. 954 models, bitch)

Fast: 3x Rough Rider squads (30 models)

Heavy Support: 9x Leman Russ EXECUTIONERS WITH FULL PLASMA-SPONSONS (STFU. You want them)

Grand total: 1064 models, INCLUDING Chimeras. Yes. You can have one-thousand models on the table. THIS IS THE GUARD. OUR INFANTRY ARE BLOBS.
Want MORE INSANITY? For an extra 500 points you can make those 300 Conscripts UNDYING MONSTROSITIES! This is also mandatory, no exceptions.

But unless you're a millionaire or you've been in the Guard since 2nd edition, you aren't pulling this off.

Ideal generalized army list that you should start with:

HQ: 1x CCS

TROOPS: 2 Infantry platoons of two Infantry squads each

FAST ATTACK: Scout Sentinel x2, Valkyrie and Hellhounds if you wish.

Once your army has reached this point, start looking at where you want to go with it. You'll have a decent base for starting the typical MechVet army that is shining right now. If you want to get Leman Russes, get three, split between two Battlecannons and a Demolisher. Max out melta. It's the best thing in the game currently. Just do it.