So, I broke out the ancient Praetorian Imperial Guard army I’ve had for “a while”… I understand the lads have been out of production for a few years now, and fielding a Light Rifle Company of them is somewhat difficult these days. I’ll probably be filling in with some modern 28mm British figures: http://www.perry-miniatures.com/index2.html has a nice looking Highlander range from the Sudan Campaign, and http://www.wargamesfactory.com/wargames-factory-store/british-firing-line-zulu-war has some pretty nice looking Brits. The Martini-Henry is very different than the Lasgun of the GW guys, but it will look OK I think.

I Played them this week in the campaign against a Tyranid force with 9 Zoanthropes, 2 Tervigons, 2 Tyrannofex and a boatload of Termigants. I fielded a Company command squad with Master of the Ordanance, CPT, Bodyguard, Las Cannon, Medic, Standard and in Carapace Armor. Infantry Platoon, command section with Commissar, LT and 4 Grenade Launchers . 2 Line Squads with SGT (power swords), Grenade Launchers and Mortars. I made a “Blob” squad by combining them into one really big one. 2 Heavy Weapon squads with Missile Launchers and a Special Weapon squad with 3 more Grenade Launchers filled out the Platoon. The other Troop section was a Vet squad with Melta and Plasma guns mounted in a Chimers IFV. Also fielded a squad of Orgyn, squad of Ratlings, 2 Sentinels, 2 Leman Russ tanks (one normal, one Exterminator), and finally a Battery of Artillery with a Griffin and Basilisk. Lots of stuff… Won, but only because I got the one extra turn I needed and then time ran out. I am loving having so many things classed as “Troops” so scoring units are everywhere… Not liking the 3 BS, so only hitting 50% of the time for most units. Ogres and Sentinels worked out well, and the normal Russ was awesome. The Exterminator and the Griffin were both “eh” at best… Exterminator throws out 16 shots per turn, but BS 3 means that only half hit, and nothing to punch through heavier armor… So, it mowed some cheap troops on turn one, then only saw heavies from that point on… Jamie was quite smart avoiding it with vulnerable stuff, so it did very little overall… The Greif and Basilisk were a squadron, so they had to shoot at the same stuff… Not a good choice on my part.

Learning from that? Ratlings remain in the case, the Griffin gets modified into a Hydra AA tank, and the weapon mix gets changed. Vets get shotguns, GL’s go to Meltas for the Platoon based stuff… Probably go with another Platoon for bodies…