Well - it appears this FtW group gives me a kick up the jacksie to write nuggety little posts like this one: I like it! If it gets to the point where I feel I'm writing for the sake of it...then I might ease off a little!
Here's the unit I won't cross the line of departure without: the humble IG command squad.
(Sadly this nice little photo can't be enlarged)On the right you'll find links to posts of those I've finished. You'll note that all of my platoon command squads are equipped the same (that is, all six of the rifle / fire support / mortar platoons - I'm as yet undecided about the Armoured Fist platoon from the 1st Bn) but here's some of the rationale behind their attractiveness for me:
(1) The Junior Officer, with a vox-man, Iron Discipline and his 12" special rule is absolutely essential for holding the thin green line.
(2) The veteran medic keeps him (and the others) alive where possible, and has an extra attack.
(3) The two grenade launchers give him a good amount of firefower with which to support his platoon where needed. He can even fire them at full effectiveness whilst moving or assaulting - a tactical flexibility often overlooked.
(4) I field a few of them. When distributed in concert with the Coy HQ and a vox-net, this (a) gives me an even spread of Iron Discipline influence, (b) mostly negates the Guardsmen's notoriously low Ld score, and (c) provides a limited counter-attack capability.
(5) I often commit my command squads to close combat: more for form's sake than for effectiveness, but they can sometimes do a good job in a pinch. Each Junior Officer is equipped with a power weapon and a bolt pistol (again, mostly for form's sake: it's certainly never worth the 6 points!) but they rarely hit much!
So there you go. They keep the lads in check, lead from a 'tactical bound' behind, provide support where needed and beat the Toms with the flats of their blades if they start to retreat. What more could I ask of my officers?
Two more pics. The nice one above is of 1Pl HQ (note the grenadier's pose!); below we have (most of) 2Pl HQ, and (all of) 1 F/Sup Pl HQ, front and rear. Some pics are better than others, I'm afraid:
Cheers,- Drax.
I feel the same way about command squads-they add character to your army and also give you a tactically flexible unit.
ReplyDeleteI'd say its a toss up between the command squad and terminators for my spacemarines.
I would never have put Command Squads first in the 'never leave home without category' but I will admit they are damn useful.
ReplyDeleteI use them to simply plug gaps that open up in the line, especially as I load mine up with Grenade Launchers like you.
I find though you've got to be subtle with them, don’t attract too much attention as they will often disappear when subjected to anything worse than a searching stare!
Isn't an HQ choice a prerequisite? I think it may be that you couldn't leave home without it!
ReplyDeleteGAK!
ReplyDeleteI know they're compulsory, but it's their composition that I love...and I deliberately use a lot of them...and they're all armed the same: that's what I love about 'em!
Actually that last bit - about them all being equipped the same - that's as much for ease of play as for anything!
- Drax. Who's happy it's Friday, and who just played a nice game of after-school football then got home to a cuppa and a handful of biscuits [cookies]!