[Epic] Opinions on IG Units & Tactics

From: Sean Smith <seans_at_...>
Date: Sat, 21 Jun 1997 20:03:07 +1300

Below is my revised opinions IG units & tactics.

Imperial guard squads - Point for point 107% of the fire power
                        of marines on over watch
                      - Point for point 71% of marines assualt value
                      - armour 3 vs marines armour 5
                      - lower morale
                                 
               Advice - Never have any of them in your army
                                  
 
Ratling Squads - Point for point 94% of the fire power of marines on
                 overwatch
               - Point for point 63% of marines assualt value
               - armour 3 vs marines armour 5
               - lower morale
               - have infiltrate
        Advice - Use only where necessary particularly important to
                 secure ground before the enemy does or delay the enemys
                 advance.
                        
                                   
Ogryn Squads - Point for point 200% of marines assault value
             - Point for point 75% of marines firepower, if the marines
               are on over watch
             - 50% of marines range
             - same armour value
      Advice - Take as many of squads of them as you can, as supports.
               With infantry detachments make all your IG squads heavy
               weapon squads and take nine ogryn squads as supports.

           
Rough Rider squads - Point for point 75% of the fire power
                     of marines on over watch
                   - 100% of marines assualt value when charging
                   - armour value 4 vs marines 5
                   - lower morale
            Advice - take 2 detachments max, as a mobile reverse to protect
                     your artillery or bolster up section of the
                     battlefield where you are under pressure.
                     
Sentinels - For 160 points you will get 20 sentinels vs 16 Rough Riders
          - Sentinels have point for point 62% of assault value
            of rough Riders or marines (in the situation sentinels 20,
            Rough Riders 32).
          - Sentinels have 30cm vs 15cm for Rough Riders
          - Sentinels have point for point 62% of the firepower
            of Rough Riders and 32% of marines on overwatch.
          - Sentinels same the speed as RoughRiders, except
            when the Rough Riders charge (then the Rough
            Riders are 50% faster) and 200% the speed of
            marines.
          - They have the armour same as Rough Riders.
   Advice - Sentinels are the poor cousins of Rough Riders.
            their only advantage being that you get 25%
            more than Rough Riders, so they have a slightly
            greater survivability. My advice is avoid them
            like the plague.
                  
                     
Hellhound Flame Tanks - Point for point 42% of marines assault value
                      - Point for point 188% of marines firepower
                        on over watch
                      - Point for point 125% of marines assault value,
                        if the Hellhounds are providing close support.
                      - 50% of marines range
                      - same armour value
                      - lower morale
               Advice - take them as a armour detachment, and bring these
                        detachments close up behind infantry detachments
                        to provide fire support and close support for
                        infantry assualts
                        
Heavy Weapon Squads - Point for point 107% of ordinary marines firepower of
                      on over watch. 142% Devastor marines firepower
                    - Point for point 36% of marines assault value
                    - armour 3 vs marines armour 5
                    - lower morale
                    - 150% ordinary marines range
             Advice - Always only take heavy weapons squads as the main
                      force in IG Infantry detachments and 9 Ogryns
                      squads as support
                      
                      
Heavy Artillery - Point for point 50% of ordinary marines frepower on
                  overwatch (assuming an average of two units under the barrage
                  template)
                - Fires indirect
                - Range 300% of ordinary marines
         Advice - artillery the main strength IG armies, you should take
                  at least 2 detachments. A nasty trick is to use your
                  artillery preparatory bombardment to strip enemy
                  war engine shields away, leaving them exposed
                  to firepower by your troops. Apart from think artillery as
                  mobile fire support for any part of your force that
                  under pressure. Your main worry with artillery is
                  bikes and jetbikes attacking the artillery, as aircraft
                  can be dealt with by hydras and you normally should
                  have enough artillery crush an enemy artillery.
                  
Other Artillery - I don't take Griffons because their range is to short and
                  I don't take siege artillery because of their minimum range
                  and because they every other turn, which means equal, over
                  two turns their firepower that normal barrages.
                 
 
Support Weapons - Point for point they fire 34% more anti-tank shoots
                  than Landraiders
                - They have infiltrate
                - The same range as Landraiders
                - 10cm speed compared to a Landraiders 20cm
                - 0 assault value
                - Their armour is 4+ vs 6+ for Landraiders
         Advice - These are great little weapons, allowing the IG to
                  compensate for the weakness of other anti-vehicle
                  direct fire weapons. One possible tactic is to put them
                  as far in front of your force as possible. Their range
                  combine with their position should mean that enemy troops
                  in transports will be forced dismount in the first turn
                  , or risk being destroyed in their transports by your
                  support weapons. Don't worry if they get destroyed
                  carrying out this tactic, their primary purpose is
                  slow enemy, by forcing dismount this troops. This
                  gives your artillery more time pound his troops.
                  
                  These weapons provide great supporting fire if you
                  against enemy units in buildings, forests etc. Because
                  cover doesn't count againist anti-tank weapons. So you
                  can use a detachment which say is a combination
                  of heavy weapon troops and support weapons to pound
                  at enemy strong point for a turn or two, to reduce the
                  enemy units. Before sending in the Ogryns for the
                  final assault.
                
                   
                  
hydra - best AA around, they should normally allow you to keep enemy air power
        at bay. A shame about its range.
Advice- Take enough to piss your enemy off, but not so many that you unbalance
        your army.
        
                 
 
Leman Russ - Point for point 27% of the firepower of landraiders, 94% of
             marine devastors firepower and 68% of firepower of IG
             heavy weapon troops
           - Assault value 16% of marines point for point
           - Assualt value 46% of landraiders point for point
           - Armour 6 vs 5 for marines
    Advice - They will lose hands down to units armed with anti-tanks weapons
             in firefights. However their advantage is their ability inflict
             blast markets. Their greater mobility and higher armour
             value enable you to use them to attack enemy troops that would
             aren't in range of your more static heavy weapons troops. It
             also means that they are very useful when you are on attack.
              
  
             
              
        
        
Chrimea - Assault value 36% of marines point for point.
        - Point for point firepower 54% of marines on overwatch
        
        
Demolisher - Assualt value 22% of marines point for point
           - Firepower 136% of marines on overwatch point for point
           - Close support 91% of marines point for point
           - Armour 6 vs 5 for marines
    Advice - They play the same role as hellhounds, basically swapping higher
             armour value for slower speed (Demoliser move 15cm vs hellhounds
             20cm) lower assault value and lower firepower. I would take
             hellhounds in preference to demolishers, always.
       
         
Armies Overall strengths and weakness

Strengths - Ogryns assualt ability
          - hellhounds close support
          - Hydra anti aircraft ability
          - Artillery
          - Support Weapons
          
Weakness - lack of mobile long range direct fire capability vs vehicles
           (i.e the Leman Russ vs the Landraider)
         - Weakness of fast attack forces (i.e point for point marine
           bikes and jetbikes far superior to Rough Riders)
         - Slow speed of infnatry transports (the marines have drop pods
           and thunderhawks, the eldar have vampires, the orks can hitch
           a left and it doesn't reduce their battlewagons movement etc)
           
Tactical Advice

Defence -

Set up clear lanes of fire and mow the enemy down with fire from IG heavy weapon squads.
Use artillery to: one, to slow the enemy down so your IG heavy weapons can get more
shoots of at the enemy; two, provide fire support for sectors of your battleline under
threat; three, strip shields off enemy war engines; four, pound enemy artillery into
the dust, if the enemy is silly enough to take artillery when opposing a IG army. Also
Ratling can positioned slow the enemy advance, in this role your not really worried if
they hold the ground they occupie or survive, just that they slow the enemy down.

Once the enemy is softened up enough spend in the Ogryns supported by hellhounds. Once
a positioned is secured then bring the heavy weapons to hold it and providing covering
for the Ogyrns as they attack the next objectivity.

Attack -

Best to do a slow rubbling attack if possible, with artillery softening up
opposition before attacks by Ogryns and Hellhounds. Ratling useful for taking
important pieces of ground and holding it (with the support of artillery) until
support arrives.


Main Threats

- Thunderhawks, droppods, vampires

  The best way to counter them is have lots of Hydras
  
- marine bikes, jet bikes

  make sure they can't get to your artillery without being fired on by IG heavy weapon
  first. If possible have Ogyns in front of the artillery, blocking the enemies ways,
  this doesn't work with jetbikes of course.
  

-- 
 Sean Smith 
 
 Home - Seans_at_...
 
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Received on Sat Jun 21 1997 - 07:03:07 UTC

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