# opinions on IG doctrines



## zealotic (Oct 11, 2008)

I think that some of the doctrines are really cool, like light infantry and grenadiers, but some of them do very little, or just cost to much.

I'd like to hear opinions on what ones you consider good, or bad, and why- tactically, and logistically.


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## Cole Deschain (Jun 14, 2008)

Didnt we just have a thread on this?

Anyway- Doctrines.

Drop Troops- Superb. If you like Deep Strike, that is. Personally, I prefer infiltrate....

Grenadiers- Storm Troopers that count as scoring units. An excellent idea, and one I'd capitalize upon if I didn't already have a bunch of "Elite" guard in my army.

Mechanised- For the treadheads out there who aren't into the Imperial Armor style lists. Can work beautifully, especially since Chimeras have better than decent armor for APCs.

Die-Hards- Became obsolete with 5th Edition's removal of numbers as a factor in winning assaults. Don;t bother.

Iron Discipline- A poor man's "And They Shall Know No Fear." And, cheap as it is, well worth it.

Independent Commissars- A good option if you plan on tooling up your Officers with Wargear and don't want them vanishing in a puff of smoke the second they fail a morale test. Also good if you'd rather stick the Comissars into Conscript Platoons or other places where they're of more immediate value. A solid option if you really like both Officers AND Commissars.

Close-Order Drill- It's free, and it's awesome. I don't use it in my Guard army, but purely for fluff reasons.

Hardened Fighters- Ugh. Don;t get me wrong, WS 4 is nice and all- but it's an expensive upgrade to apply, and it does nothing for the average Guardsman's Strength or number of attacks. Guardsmen hit on 4s most of the time anyway- and on Sentinels, it would mean more if the damn things were any good at inflicting multiple wounds in an assault. Leave this one at home unless your fluff just demands you use it.

Jungle Fighters- Sorta pricey, and only worth it if you have a lot of forest terrain handy. As a slight plus, it lets you bring Heavy Flamers. Your call, but I leave it at home.

Light Infantry- A personal favorite. It's not cheap, by any means, but giving squads both Infiltrate and Move Through Cover is worth its weight in GOLD these days.

Sharpshooters- A personal favorite. A poor man's twin-linking on almost all infantry.

Xeno-Fighters- Cheap- and fluffy, if your army is supposed to have a particular nemesis. Still, of limited value in a take all comers list, and in most cases, only a one-point improvement on to-hit rolls. That said, I like this one because it does what Doctrines are intended to do- builds a little flavor into your army.

Veterans- If you love Hardened Veteran Squads, this is a good call. I don't use it, but only because I've found that one squad is plenty.

Chem-Inhalers- Not bad, but really, not that good either.

Cameloline- In 5th Edition, this one has become nine kinds of awesome. Adding a point to cover saves is never bad, and now that _razor wire_ grants a cover save? I'd use it if I could justify it in my fluff.

Carapace Armor- Improving everybody to Stormtrooper Armor. Not bad, but kind of expensive- as in, the same cost as both light infantry AND Cameloline (or Sharpshooters) applied to a unit.

Cyber-Enhancement- A _really_ weak Invulnerable save for the same cost as Carapace Armor. Pass.

Warrior Weapons- Well, if you were going to charge forward anyway, go for it. The extra attack is kinda nice. Not my cuppa, of course- Since it cuts the unit's shooting down to pistol range. And if you're running Khornate Traitor Guard, it's practically a requirement.


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## Johnathanswift (Sep 30, 2008)

I have to agree with practicaly everything that Cole Deschain just said, personaly there are times when I like to take carpece but cameline is asowmness incarnate.


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## Ste (Aug 28, 2008)

For me take 
-Carapace
-Stormtroopers
-Drop Troops
-Sharshooters 
-Xeno Fighters - Orks
For fluff reasons but also because the +4 is so damn useful i mean bolters will cut right through you otherwise its worth the extra points i think =], stormtroopers are invaluable to me i have a 5 man team, melta gun & plasma gun- sergeant has honorifica imperialis (makesh im pretty much a HSO) and hes got a plasma pistol and power sword oooo that squads minces  the melta gun pisses my friends of when i drop them behind his LR redeemer 

Its all personal preference really though? sharshooters is hilarious + great because for each 1 you roll you get a a twin linked flashlight? and when your rapid firing 100 guardsmen your bound to get alot of re-rolls


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## Stella Cadente (Dec 25, 2006)

not including unit unlocks
good:
Sharpshooters
Light infantry
Drop troops
Close order drill (actually its pretty rubbish, but its free so nobody can complain)
Veterans

Bad:
everything else

I'm not too sad if the leave them out in the next codex, I've started preferring lists without them anyway, plus dropping things like Carapace, chameleon and drop troops MIGHT mean we finally see lists with variation, instead of hundreds of copy paste forces


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## Cole Deschain (Jun 14, 2008)

Actually, Stella's mention of unit unlocks brings me to why I use Doctrines in the first place.

At the time I started Guard, I didn't _own_ any Priests, Techpriests, Sanctioned Psykers, Storm Troopers, Ratlings, Ogryns, or Rough Riders....

Yep, it was rough having no money and no clue what I was doing....

But it pushed me firmly into the Doctrine camp, because if you were starting Guard on a shoestring, you weren't giving much up by sacrificing the unit options

Even now, I waste two Doctrine points buying back units I almost never field- Ogryns and Rough Riders.


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## Djokovic (Dec 22, 2008)

I basically agree with everything cole deschain said.


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## silversurfer (Sep 1, 2008)

I totally agree with Cole even if I would add some extra points to think about :

a) no doctrine is bad as far as it goes with your figthing plan
b) so have a plan before picking up some doctrines unless you want to play a themed army
c) doctrines to emphasize on : free or really cheap doctrines. I would recommend drop troops, veterans, close-order drill and Iron discipline. 

But it's my way of playing IG and there are a lot more of other solutions depending on your plans to win. I used them to gain some mobility and pack some serious firepower behind the ennemy's lines. Iron discipline helps to keep heavy weapons from fleeing units to remain on the table. Close-order drill is nice as far as my droped troops (and not veterans nor HQ units, remember !) arrive in close-order formation.

So I get some enhanced abilities from simple gards for 15 - 20 pts ...


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## cunny funt (Feb 11, 2009)

I like to keep my guard pretty much static. A unit of guardsmen behind a wall with chameoline is pretty hard to shift, 3+ invunerable save. it may be a bit cheesy but its the only way i can seem to keep them alive long enough to do any damage.


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## * Luke T * (Feb 13, 2009)

Drop Troops just splits up your IG army and allows your enemy to pick them off. I like the Iron Discipline Doctrine best, only costs 5pts and helps loads!


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