40K: The Way of Chenkov: How to Use Conscripts
Hey Guys Coyote from BoLS Lounge here. JWolf’s has said in the past that IG conscripts suck. Here are my counterpoints. So I’ve been using conscripts successfully for a little while now and I thought I’d weigh in on the subject.
Before I started using them I always (and still do) read about how the blob squad is better. Now to be fair the blob squad is better at what it does, but conscripts are a little more versatile and better suited for other roles.
Before I get into the why’s, when’s, and how’s, lets pick out one all important rule. I would never recommend taking conscripts without taking Chenkov and paying for Send in the Next Wave. This rule allows you to remove the conscripts from play at the beginning of your turn. At the beginning of the following turn any squad of Conscripts that have been removed from play can be redeployed at full strength anywhere on your board edge. When you pay for this don’t think of it as paying double the points for one squad but paying for 2 squads with the possibility of getting 4 or more. In truth you’re not using conscripts with Send in the Next Wave correctly until you’ve actually used the rule at least once.
So that leaves several questions to answer. First, what kind of list should they be included in? Second, what role should conscripts play? Third, how can they be made effective?
The Conscript List
They should always be in an infantry heavy list. In a mech list they will become the obvious target for any unit that can’t deal with armor. There’s another reason for this as well, but we’ll talk about that in the 3rd point. I’d also be willing to say that conscripts begin to lose value in lower point games. I have a hard time using them with any reliability in games of less than 2,000 points.
The Role of Conscripts
These guys serve 5 roles all of which should lend to distracting your opponent away from the rest of your army.
a. Operation “Get Behind the Whiteshields”
Remember I said these guys work best in an infantry heavy build. If you don’t get the first turn then set them up in front of your defensive lines which will either force your opponent to shoot the conscripts or give your precious heavy weapons teams (HWT) the cover that they need to survive. The beauty of this is their pure disposability. If they get utterly wiped out in any phase, they’ll just be back at the beginning of the next turn.
b. Forced Assault
Again, by setting them up across the front of your defensive lines your opponent will either be forced to shoot them (which means all the other stuff you don’t want shot isn’t being shot at) or assault them. In this way they fill a similar role as a blob squad, but instead of trying to make guard good at assault you can use the conscripts to make the IG do what they do best. Shoot. If your opponent doesn’t sweep them, then you can remove them at the beginning of your next turn with Send in the Next Wave and blast the unit that assaulted them with special and heavy weapons.
c. Timely Reaction Force
On more than one occasion I’ve removed my conscripts from play with Send in the Next Wave in order to redeploy them on the following turn to bolster one of my flanks that was about to get hit hard.
d. Shooting
Even without FRFSRF, 30 conscripts will still put out a lot of shots. Shooting these guys whenever you can in combination with front line deployment makes these guys a target your opponent can’t ignore.
e. Objectives
They aren’t great at it, but they never go away.
Effective Conscripts
Conscripts suck without support. Like a true IG army, they need strong leadership to make them truly effective. So what do you need to make them work? At a minimum you’ll need Kell, Chenkov, and a Lord Commissar. If I’ve got the points then I add in Creed as well.
Chenkov is the no brainer. Other than giving you access to Send in the Next Wave he can also issue Run Run Run and Get Back in the Fight. TBH these are kinda MEH, but his biggest bonus is that he makes all friendly units within 12 inches stubborn. I know what you’re thinking, “WoW!!! Ld 5 consripts amazing!!!” Read on my friend there’s more.
The Lord Commissar is the next item on the list. I normally join him to Chenkov’s squad and put both of them in a Chimera to increase the range of their abilities and to make them a little harder to kill. Of course he benefits the conscripts with his aura of discipline. Get him and Chenkov within 6 inches and now those conscripts are LD 10 and stubborn.
Next we have Kell. This will allow the conscripts to use the officer’s Ld for any orders he issues them. Additionally, Kell carries the Regimental Standard allowing you to reroll any failed morale or pinning tests as long as you’re within 12 inches.
Keep in Mind: You don’t need all 3 of these characters in range and alive to make the conscripts work well (but it sure is sweet when they are). Is it a lot of points to make the conscripts good? Hells yes, but don’t forget this for infantry heavy builds. Those same three characters work wonders on any other friendly unit within their respective auras like the HWT’s and SWT’s. Additionally, when you’ve got a large squad of conscripts, it’s really not as hard as it seems to make sure they are close enough to these guys in order to reap the benefits.
Final Notes
It takes a few games to figure out how to use these guys effectively. I always deploy my forces and objectives close enough to the back that a decent Run Run Run will get my conscripts close enough to react to whatever is hitting my lines. As a rule of thumb I use 29 or more conscripts which forces your opponent to kill at least 8 of them before I have to take a Ld test.
In the end is it the automatic win button? No, but ask anyone I play and they will tell you they hate my conscripts. Your thoughts are welcome cadets.
