WH40K - Building an Imperial Guard Army

Turns out that the vast majority of the local gaming community here in Israel ("vast" being a relative term - the entire community has less than 100 wargamers in the entire country) play either Warhammer Fantasy Battles, Warhammer 40,000 or WarMachine/Hordes. A few also play Epic: Armageddon and one or two play Infinity. No historical wargamers here - apparently they had enough ultramodern military experience in the IDF (which is a conscript army for the most part).

So, since I want to have the maximum number of opponents, I'd rather play some WH40K or Epic. Both are cool games!

I'm starting an Imperial Guard force. I really like their fluff - ordinary men and women facing untold alien and demonic horrors with nothing but lasguns and flak-vests. Very heroic! Plus, I get to play with a lot of tanks and artillery. Above you can see my partially-assembled regular Guardsmen. I've built them with Cadian legs and chests (and sometimes arms) and Catachan heads (and sometimes arms) for a look resembling the Colonial Marines from the film Aliens (AKA Alien 2).

Here is a Tentative 495pts list for this force:

HQ:
CCS, 70pts - Role: Command and Sniper support (sits back and commands/shoots)
Company Commander

Veteran w/VOX
3 Veterans w/Sniper Rifles

TROOPS A: Infantry Platoon
PCS, 105pts - Role: Seizing far objectives
Platoon Commander
Guardsman w/Vox
3 Guardsmen with Flamers
Chimera

Infantry 'Blob' (Squads A+B), 150pts - Role: Seizing near objectives, anti-infantry
2 Sergeants
Commissar
Guardsman w/Vox
2 Guardsmen w/Grenade Launchers
15 Guardsmen

TROOPS B: Veteran Squad, 130pts - Role: AT Support
Veteran Sergeant
Veteran w/Vox
3 Veterans w/Plasma
Autocannon Team
3 Veterans

ELITE: Ratling Squad, 40pts - Role: Snipers
4 Ratlings

Expanding the Blog

I've made a decision - instead of posting my D&D, Traveller and wargaming ideas in separate blogs, I'll post all of them here in one blog, for maximum richness of content. So welcome to the Space Cockroach's full-spectrum gaming blog!

Work begins on USE ME 6mm!

In the last year and a half (or so) I have been working as a freelancer for Alternative Armies (15mm.co.uk), writing new rulesets and booklets for their USE ME (Ultra-Simple Engine for Miniature Engagements) 15mm wargaming rules. My latest work, to be published soon, is Valiesk - a war-torn fictional baltic island perfect as a setting for Ultra-Modern miniature gaming.

Now I am starting work on a new USE ME project - this time adapting the USE ME rules to the 6mm scale and to strategic-level wargaming. While in standard USE ME 1 figure or vehicle mini was, respectively, 1 soldier or vehicle on the battlefield, in this version each base on 6mm infantry will represent a whole infantry platoon, and a single vehicle miniature will represent a squadron of vehicles (say, 2-5 tanks). the scale will be, roughly speaking, 1cm=100m. So your average 120cm (4ft) table will represent 12km of battlefield...

Combat will be appropriately abstract. Pure infantry (without heavy support weapons) will only be able to attack in Assaults (i.e. "Melee"), representing infantry engagements at rifle range (circa 100m). Infantry with heavy weapons will have a range of 2cm; tanks, usually 8-12cm. Bigger guns (artillery) will have an even longer range. Damage will be abstract - an infantry platoon will be either Supressed (instead of Winged), Struck or Dispersed (instead of killed) - when an infantry unit is "destroyed", this will not necessarily mean that each and every soldier dies in battle, but rather that this unit no longer functions as a significant fightring force due to casualties, morale loss and lack of cohesion. A Supressed unit could Regroup by rolling its ELAN or less on one die; one attempt of this takes one action.

Most artillery will find its place on the tabletop; aircraft will fly over it. Only orbital support and strategic bombers will not be represented on the tabletop itself.

The rules will cover 6mm engagements in both WWII, Ultra-Modern and Sci-Fi.

Input, thoughts and ideas will be welcome! :)

Armoured Cars on the Move!

I've finished painting four armoured cars to serve the Fascist faction ("White Legion") in my Novi Stalingrad 2072 15mm wargaming campaign. These cars are HOF Light Tanks from 15mm.co.uk, EXCELLENT models and a great fun to work with, as with all other HOF minis.

March of the Red Mech Cavalry

Here is a 15mm Red Mech Cavalry squad for my Novi Stalingrad 2072 wargaming campaign. The minis are Kremlin Miniatures Rising Sun MANITOUs.

Is it Infantry or is it a Vehicle?

Here is a comparison of my Red "Cavalry" walker with an unpainted Red Warrior for Novi Stalingrad 2072. Do you think that the walker is big enough to be classified as an (unarmoured) Light Vehicle under the USE ME rules, or would it simply be Armoured Infantry with high ELAN and a Heavy Weapon?

By the way, what do you think of the walker's basing? It is supposed to be snow on mud/rubble.

Proletarian - to Suit!

Here are my work-in-progress 15mm "Cavalry" powered suits for the Commune (Neo-Soviets) of my Novi Stalingrad 2072 wargaming settingn (using USE ME Post-Apoc rules). The figures are, ironically, Neo-Japanese walkers by Kremlin Miniatures, as these look more "Soviet", IMHO, than their Neo-Soviet ones. Anyhow, these are highly recommended figures and a joy to paint!


I still need to base them, add red star decals (bought from QRF), and spray them with a matte sealer.