If you recognize the quote of the above, you will gather that my next tactica is somewhat about priests... well it is and it is not... rather its about them in the Imperial Guard Codex that you rarely see fielded in the game and some ideas that you can use to make them somewhat effective or for you to ponder over when your becoming so sick of your local mech guard routine....
I feel the Emperors blessing return!
The Ministorium really screwed up big time at the end of the 41st Millenium. Of all the things a priest should be doing, whipping up the troops into a morale frenzied state and sending them forward in the name of the Ecclesiarchy.... they failed. The simple priest is seen as a no go in the modern list due to what he is designed to do. Simply put.... its too close combat orientated a character for it to be worthwhile for what is essentially an army who's greatest strength is its ability to mass firepower in one form or another.
But our humble priest is not bad a deal in some situations. What if we put him with a standard Infantry Squad of 10 guardsmen... useless? boring? Perhaps. Lets look at the math a little first.
Lets assume a squad of guardsmen, led by an idiotic sgt... (who probably wished he had been a swooping hawk hiding in shame at his stats under TKE's bed waiting for a new Eldar Codex) [EDITORS NOTE - My Hawks aren't under my bed, they're in a Battleforce box, along with a pile of Wraithguard and some of my bazillion Harlequins. lol] decides to "right lads, those damn pussy marines are giving me the eye! Let's cut em a new one! Charge!" and heads into the fray against 10 tactical marines. They will be lucky to take down 1 marine. (0.6% casualties, assuming 9 guardsmen led by a sgt with a chainsword and laspistol)
If we add a priest though...
We have doubled our chances to take them down, getting us 1.083 casualties.
This seems rather useless does it not? After all your better off standing off with massed lasgun fire...
1.6 casulties with FRFSRF.
But what if we change what take and what we actually attack?
What if we did it this way.
Priest armed with Eviserator.
9 penal Troopers.
1 penal Custodes.
and we decided to attack that damn Predator.... which has been blasting away at our lovely advancing Chimeras.... After all our Penal Troops are scouts, [EDITORS NOTE - As Fluger correctly pointed out, the Priest sadly removes this ability from said Penal Legionnaires. However, a Valkyrie/Vendetta can then act as a delivery mechanism.]See my reply comments below about this, as I use scouts as picket line for my infantry based army, not 18 inches deep in the table, nothing to stop the priest joining the penal unit on the first turn as the attacking armor moves up and stay within 2 inches of most things. so its all good, they might just reach it as the rest of the marines struggle to fire off against some melta vets... they also are stuborn as well... but more importantly they are a lovely 10 man unit delivery system for a priests wielding a rerolling Eviserator...
There is a 24% chance with the reroll that our Predator will suffer either wrecked or blow up in spectacular fashion result. Not bad for a 45 point investment, and the damn mad priest is liekly to survive due to his Rosarius and then head off again toward thatVindicator lurking in cover! Look out Dante! here comes the Preacher...
Am I advocating a priest in a list? No... is it even semi competitive... No most likely not.... is it worthwhile apart from some fun?.... No. But it can be fun... and as I hope to have illustrated if used in a different fashion to what you assume, massing forward with the troops, it can actually do something interesting once in awhile that will catch your opponent completely off guard and for a fun and friendly competitive atmosphere I ask you, why not?
Point for point for reference
Penal Legion
Priest with Eviserator
140 points.
Rerolling Hits, Stubborn, Scouts, and Desperado abilties.
Chimera with 3 Melta vets.
155 points.
Chimera armed standardly.
After all... Our Deaths will be...... MAGNIFICENT! (What else could you ask for from a Guardsman?)
8 comments:
Add one in a massive bubble-wrap w/Commisar + PSwords is just funny :).
For a turn.
Yup, a big furious charging blob with re-rolls to hit is pretty sweet.
Priest + Straken too.
Hmmm interesting. If I did a foot list and I had the points I'd put in Priests say in a 20-30 Guardsman blob. Then throw in power weaps on the sgts and commissars only, I wouldn't do eviscerator.
So I've now got 20-30 Guardsmen with furious charge and with hidden power weaps, plus I'm stubborn as well - nice.
Reason for no eviscerator in my plan is the Priest is a I.C and I do not want him singled out in c.c. Your tactic is a delivery method, which is fine. Mines a benefit method. I perhaps could take Creed and use Honour of Cadia but I lose any shooting I may have and gain fearless; which sucks big time!
Wait a minute, if you have an IC join a unit with scout, don't they lose the ability to scout unless the IC has it as well?
CCS
- Straken
- 3 x Meltagun
- Medic
- Advisors, Carapace, Krak (optionals)
Priest
- Eviscerator
Grand Master
- Artificer Armor
- Incinerator
- Psychic Hood
- Storm Shield
I play elite airborne Inquisitorial Guard. This is my "eat everything" squad. It eats everything. Hurray for Scout Moves and 1st turn charges.
You are quite correct fluger...
I tend to use my scouts as they were intended though rather than as I see them nowadays. I often play with a unit of scouts with a gunline style list, they become picket duty so I can roll backwards with the gunline when needed, and presents a nice 10 inch gap between the gunline and the HWS load out. The pickets sit there and wait for the priest who was on the line waiting to move forward first turn.
This gives me the ability to move forward with pickets to keep silly things busy while my HWS gets to its work at destroying their armor and more deadlier targets. In a 2000 point friendly game, 2 units of penal troops with 2 priests have to be dealt with even as picket liners.... as they can hurt pred class armor or even a raider.
Enjoyed the article, lol, cheers.
I'd like to see you go through the process of how you'd construct a Foot list. :)
Nice! Interesting style Zenos!
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