So lets go over the choices one by one, starting off, lets take a look at the Troop choices, which should offer no shortage of discussion.

Troop Choices :

First off, the Infantry Platoon. The staple unit of every Imperial Guard army, the workhorse of the Imperium, blood and iron as it is. It has so many options as a single unit that the codex has two pages worth of selective units that you can take (only) in the Infantry Platoon!

Every Infantry Platoon must contain a minimum of 1 Platoon Command squad and 2 infantry squads respectively. It can take an additional 3 infantry squads as well as 0 – 5 heavy weapon teams, 0 – 5 special weapon teams and 0 – 1 conscript squad ( body count just keeps getting higher and higher).

Platoon Command Squads 0 – 1

Platoon command squads are the mini-captains of every infantry platoon, they direct fire, dictate the Orders special rules to various squads ( 1 order per turn ) and trash out good leadership via the vox networks that should be considered a compulsory item for every IG infantry unit in play. Unlike the Company Command Squad, the Platoon Commander has a single wound, and thus, allocation of wounds in combat is extremely important, don’t throw his life away so recklessly by charging him or putting him without cover, he can’t take bodyguards either and this might be one of the weaker chains of command that an IG army would have trouble dealing with. Manage your Platoon Command squad well, perhaps take a chimera to increase their durability as well as their toughness against oncoming fire.

Additionally there are two special characters that can replace the Platoon Commander, Captain Al’Rahem of the Desert Tigers Tallarn Desert Raiders, and Commander Chenkov of the Valhallan Ice Warriors.

Captain Al’Rahem

He is the man of few words, and of turbans. Captain Al’rahem is an upgrade special character that replaces the platoon commander, he has a couple of special rules including ‘Stalk the Enemy’ dictating that all units in Al’rahem’s infantry platoon MUST outflank. He is also a ‘Desert Raider’ which on top of the existing three orders, allows him to make a special one called ‘Like the Wind!’ where an ordered unit will immediately make a shooting attack then move D6″ in a direction of your choice.

On top of that he has the ‘Claw of the Desert Tigers’, a power weapon that causes instant death to any successful attacks.

Commander ‘For the Motherland’ Chenkov

A man who has more balls than words, Chenkov is that futuristic russian chap that packs a huge punch and is straight out of a movie like Enemy at the Gates. A towering figure in a trenchcoat and furry hat and all, Chenkov does not employ subtle strategies and enjoys watching ranks of his men charge the enemy, and often into a slaughter. He has an additional order that he can use ‘Get Back in the Fight!’ and special rules ‘Forward you Dogs!’ which confers the stubborn rule on all friendly units within 12″ of Chenkov and ‘Send in the Next wave!’ which is basically ‘Without Number’ in Imperial terms.

Orders

Once per turn, a Platoon Command squad may use one of three orders, First Rank Fire! Second Rank Fire! , Incoming! or Move! Move! Move!

First Rank Fire! Second Rank Fire! allows a single unit of the player’s choice to fire off as many lasgun shots as possible as the enemy charges into the Infantry ranks, in game terms, this allows all infantry models armed with lasguns in that single unit to fire twice as many shots as they would have fired off normally, if under rapid fire range and 6″ they may fire 3 lasgun shots per model. ( This is a killer tactic to use if you’re facing off horde armies, think about using Combined Squads with this Order. > )

Incoming! allows a single unit of the player’s choice to dig in, gaining a 2+ cover save for that turn. Note that the squad may not do anything else since it counts as having gone to ground.

Move! Move! Move! allows a single unit of the player’s choice to run and claim an objective, the player rolls a 3D6 and takes the highest number and moves accordingly to that amount of inches. Note that its NOT 3D6″ NO! THAT WOULD MAKE THEM THE EPIC MARATHON GUARD.

Words ring so true, that the marines always take the credit. Anyway.

Infantry Squads 2 -5

Next up, are the dogs of war, the Infantry squads, ranks of Guardsmen dedicated to the defence of the Imperium, they will fight in the toughest conditions imaginable or act as planetary defence forces for Imperial cities and worlds. Infantry squads are the generic flexible infantry unit in an IG army, they can take a variety of choices, a new one being that Sergeants can now take up power weapons and / or plasma pistols to add a bit of beef to the generally weaker infantry lines. They may also take up a heavy weapon armed by two guardsmen and / or a special weapon, a grenade launcher, sniper rifle, flamer, plasma gun or meltagun.

Note that the teams and squads count as separate kill points in a normal game, this is a bit of a hassle to deal with, but thanks to the Combined Squad special rule for infantry squads, your infantry squads are given the chance to merge to form a single larger squad, this can range from anywhere from 20 to 50 men in a single squad, becoming a single kill point, and being major badass. The rule only applies to Infantry squads, but with the basic infantry squad able to take a single heavy weapon team and special weapon each, it offers a bit more tactical flexibility and strength in arms as well as in firepower, as for the option of taking additional special weapons, I’d rather stay away from taking special weapon squads and stick to taking a single special weapon per infantry squad since the squads sizes arent that fantastic or durable in combat ( not that the guard are known for their survivability in longer games).

The fact that the orders that the Platoon Command squad can issue will effect a squad regardless of its size or whether it has used the combined rule or not, make the guard extremely flexible.

Heavy Weapon Teams 0 – 5

Heavy weapon teams are what they say they are, men with big guns, very big guns. The heavy weapon teams can lay down co-ordinated heavy weapons fire on enemy targets from range while the Infantry squads advance. These squads now have the advantage of taking different combinations of heavy weapons, rather than all three teams choosing a single standardized heavy weapon, they can mix and match. These teams may take, standard mortars, or upgrade to autocannons, heavy bolters, missile launchers or lascannons.

Still , pinch of salt here, they still count as an additional kill point and dont get the benefits of Combined Squad rules. However, who would be sheer cocked enough to put them out in the open? Lay your heavy weapon teams in cover or difficult terrain at the start of the game, or keep them close to infantry squads for some cover. And they can dish out a hell lot more firepower and possibly garner greater returns and kill efficiency ratios at the end of the day.

The Death Korps deploy heavy mortars and flamer ground units.

Special Weapon Teams 0 – 5

Ah yes, Special Weapon teams, the only place in the Imperial Guard where you can field a unit with nothing but plasmas and meltaguns, likewise most other special weapons. They come in squads of 6 men and you MUST upgrade 3 of them to carry special weapons, regardless of their type. They can also mix and match their weapon combinations similiar to the Heavy weapon teams, and on top of that they may take demolition charges. But on a note of caution, they ARE just 6 men in general.

Conscript ‘We are the man spam’ Platoon 0 – 1

Conscript platoons come in at a minimum of 20 conscripts, and can be further upgraded to another 30 conscripts. They are dramatically cheap, and when attached to a Commissar, they can be plenty fun for the enemy. They provide excellent cover material in the event of an advance for more ‘worthy’ units.

And so this wraps up the first part of the Codex Overview for Troops, until next time.

FOR THE EMPEROR!

As quoted from the Dawn of War II Official site

“It is the 41st Millennium in Sub-Sector Aurelia – a cluster of worlds on the edge of the Galaxy – and a battle of epic proportions is about to begin. Ancient races will clash across the planets that dot this section of space, battling for the greatest of stakes – not only the claim to the land and its bounty – but the fate of each race.

With a focus on fast-paced RTS gameplay, Dawn of War II brings to life the science fiction universe of Warhammer 40,000 like never before. Experience the intimate brutality of battle as you play through the epic campaign. Clash with enemies on battlefields ablaze with visceral hand-to-hand and ranged combat. Lead and develop your squads into the most battle hardened elite strike force in the Galaxy.”

And already Julius_Firefocht and I have prepped the Thunderhawks for launch. Hopefully the both of us will be getting our hands on one of those fancy pre-order packages. The game is up for pre-order on several sites with some, unique packaging and marketing strategies i swear I’ve NEVER seen before. Several different sites will have pre-orders containing different packages.

Gamestop, for example, has a Force Commander in-game wargear set, which will include the following items.

• “Cuirass of Azariah” Armor
• “Pistol of Baal” Bolt Pistol
• “Gauntlet of Blood” Power Fist
• “Mantle of the Great Father” Armor
• “Fearsome Light of Faith” Plasma Gun
• “Laurels of Hadrian” Iron Halo
• 2 unique Chapters: “Revilers” and “Angels Sanguine”
• 8 exclusive metallic colors to customize your units (Shining Gold, Mithril Silver, Abyss Purple, Insect Green, Iron, Abyss Orange, Brazen Brass, Metallic Blue)

Other pre-order packages include the Devastator Squad Wargear Set, which contains gear for Sergeant Avitus and his squad of Marines, with special “Armour of the Destroyer” armour and a “Purge of Victory Bay” heavy bolter and “Unerring Thunderbolt” missile launcher. And the Sniper Wargear Set, packaged with its “Grim Silence” armour, “Initiate’s Lesson of Strength” shotgun and “Deathtouch of the Angel” sniper rifle, it also includes the Angels of Redemption (Skirts) chapter and four exclusive army paint colours again (Abyss Yellow, Chainmail, Abyss Green and Rotting Flesh).

Anyway stay in tuned for our game review of Dawn of War II after its release. And go get your hands on a pre-order while you still can, these deals look mighty attractive.

FOR THE EMPEROR!

This is Hakuro, signing off.