Warhammer 40K: The Astra Militarum Unit Guide, Officers and Men – PRIME
Today let’s take a look at the units of the Imperial Guard and how to use them.
That Astra Militarum, or to us old timers, the Imperial Guard are one of the classic armies of Warhammer 40K. They represent not only one of the largest in universe fighting forces, but also one of the largest model ranges. Generally speaking they are an army that requires some skill to play, but that can be very rewarding. Today let us start our deep dive in the units of the Imperial Guard and how best they are used in this new edition.
HQ
Company Commander
The Company Commander is the go-to HQ for Guard armies and a major lynchpin of any infantry force. Every Guard player should be very familiar with this unit. It’s one of the cheaper HQs in the game, and provides major buffs to infantry units in the form of it’s Voice of Command ability which allows it to issue orders. Thanks to the Senior Officer ability it can issue two orders a turn.
The down side to the unit is that, like most AM infantry, it’s not very durable and they can be taken out pretty easily. They also have very little offensive power. You can upgrade them with a decent choice of weapons but most competitive lists run them without upgrades as it keeps them cheap. Some Catachan lists will put Powerfists on them to give you up to 5 S:8 attacks. You will likely want to take as many Company Commanders as possible.
Lord Castellan Creed
Creed (!) is a souped up Company Commander. He can use three orders a turn and issue them out to 12″ inches instead of 6″. If he is your Warlord he also gives you an extra 2 CP. He is slightly more killy than a regular Company Commander, but not enough to really matter. The downside is that Creed costs almost double what a regular Commander does.
Creed would be a really great choice if Cadians, the faction he is locked into were better. As it stands most competitive lists tend to go either Catachan or Tallarn. Still Creed makes an excellent commander for a Cadian infantry force, even getting a good Warlord trait. If that’s your army I’d look hard at fitting Creed in, but he’s not good enough on his own to dictate what you should play.
Tank Commander
The Tank Commander is another one of the stand out units in the Guard list. They should be the stars of the show if you are running a tank heavy list, and can be fit into even a mixed or infantry list.
Tank Commanders are in effect souped up Leman Russ Battle Tanks (more on them later). Like the Leman Russ they have a wide variety of gun options. Their biggest strength is that they get BS 3+, one of the few Guard units to do so and the only normal tank in the army. This makes them the best option of accurate and durable heavy weapon fire.
In addition they have access to Tank Orders, which they can use on themselves, allowing extra movement or better shooting. I favor running them with Demolisher Cannons and they have access to both heavy bolters and multi-meltas, both of which have been souped up lately.
Knight Commander Pask
Pask is a Cadian only Tank Commander. He has two advantages over a basic Tank Commander: the ability to issue two orders a turn and BS 2+. This second one makes him an amazing choice and means he is able to deliver the most accurate fire in the entire Guard army, with some of it’s best weapons. It is absolutely worth trying to fit him in to a list, especially a tank list, even at the cost of a few CP.
Lord Commissar
Lord Commissars are another support HQ unit, but sadly one not really worth taking. Unlike the Company Commander who buffs firepower and mobility, Commissars buff leadership. They allow friendly Guard units to use their leadership of 9, which isn’t horrible. Other than that they have the Summary Execution rule, which has been FAQ’d a number of times. Which allows friendly units to lose models in order to re-roll morale tests.
This ability is pretty corner case, and often not useful, as it only allows a re-roll. In 9th it’s a little bit better, and can be good if you are running a lot of Conscripts. Overall however there are just better HQ units to use your points/slots on them these.
Commissar Yarrick
Yarrick is a named Lord Commissar. Unlike the basic unit he is totally worth taking. Unlike most named characters Yarrick can be taken with any sub-faction, a major bonus right off the bat.
In addition he gets a couple abilities over a basic Lord Commissar. With a 4++ save and a 3+++ save when on his last wound, he is the toughest AM infantry character around. His big draw however is his Hero of Hades Hive ability which allows friendly AM units within 6″ to re-roll hit rolls of one, or all failed hit rolls if targeting an Ork unit. The Guard don’t have a ton of ways to get re-rolls, and very very few auras, making this a great option. It also works on both infantry and tanks, and for both combat and shooting. This ability can be super clutch and for it alone it’s worth considering taking Yarrick, despite his hefty, for Guard, point cost.
Colonel “Iron Hand” Straken
Straken is a Catachan only upgraded Company Commander and one of the best HQ’s in the Guard list. Like other Company Commanders he gets to issue two orders a turn and has a 5++ save. There however the similarities end.
On his own Straken is a pretty deadly force. He has vastly upgraded stats over basic Company Commanders, with more attacks, a better save, better WS and higher toughness and strength. Indeed he is pretty comparable to a Space Marine captain. His ability to re-roll wounds vs Monsters and having a D2 melee weapon means he can really put the heat on. To top that off he gives a nice +1 attack to friendly Catachan units with in 6″. Catachans are generally considered the best AM subfaction and Straken is one of the reasons for that. His ability can be stacked with a Priest’s for +2 attack making him a major part of Catachan mob armies. If you are running Catachan and have any significant amount of infantry take Straken.
Tempestor Prime
The Tempestor Prime is effectively the Company Commander for the Tempestor Sicons. Like the Commander she can issue 2 orders a turn, to Scion units. In addition they can deep strike with their Aerial Drop ability. If you are running a bunch of Scions take them instead of Company Commanders, if not, you can mostly ignore them.
Primaris Psykers
The final Guard HQ choice is the Primaris Psyker, which as you might be able to guess is a Psyker. While not as good as some faction’s pyskers, they can cast once and deny once, they are a decent choice. At only 50 pts they are cheap for a psyker and have access to some useful powers. In 9th they are also a decent choice for trying to score some of the psychic secondary objectives, since they are cheap you aren’t committing a whole ton to taking psychic actions that can have big rewards.
Troops
Infantry Squad
The Infantry Squad is the backbone unit of the AM and one that every Guard player should know inside and out. Infantry Squads are a versatile and extremely useful unit. At 50 points base they are a cheap troop choice and good for taking and holding objectives. While individually weak, in numbers and with support they can do a lot of damage. They have access to both heavy and special weapons, as well as some sergeant upgrades.
In 8th it was rare to see Infantry Squads with any upgrades aside form the occasional mortar. However as they’ve gone up a few points, and with more 2 wound units around it may now be worth it to give them better gear. In particular paying points for a heavy bolter and a plasma gun helps to make them a real threat against MEQ units.
Catachan Infantry Squads are one of the most popular options. This makes them S4, and if placed in range of a Priest and Straken they can make 3 attacks. If an officer gives them the First Rank, Fire! Second Rank, Fire! they also double the shots they get form lasguns. This means a 5 pt model can make 4 shots, and then 3 combat attack in one round, making them extremely points efficient.
Considering their cheap cost it is easy to field swarms of Infantry Squads, which many armies considering anything under 10 units or 100 models to be too little. It’s likely that any AM army will field a large number of these units. They do suffer in 9th from blast weapons and more restrictive coherency rules, but remain solid.
The key for using Infantry Squads in generally to keep them in cover, and well supported. In this manner they can punch well above their “weight” and overwhelm stronger units. Isolated and in the open they are easily wiped out. With the large numbers you can take they are great for swamping objectives. The Move! Move! Move! is particularly useful here as it allows a unit to double move, with it you can throw a squad up to 24″ across the table and steal objectives.
Conscripts
Conscripts are another AM troop choice and one you should avoid. For the same 5 pts per model as a regular Guardsmen a conscript has a worse BS, worse WS, worse LD and a 50% chance of not being able to use an order. In addition they can’t use heavy or special weapons. Their only advantage lies in the ability to take a large, 20-30, person squad, however in 9th this simply makes them very vulnerable to blast weapons, moral and coherency. This is a unit that currently just doesn’t work in any way and should be avoided.
Militarum Tempestus Scions 
This unit is the basic troop choice for the Tempestus Scions semi-subfaction. They are upgraded Guardsmen, with a better BS and save and basic guns that have a better AP, but shorter range. The unit can take special weapons, but not heavy ones. This over makes them a close ranged shooting unit, with little ability for CC or long range firepower.
Scions do have the ability to deep strike, giving them versatility, which could be useful in 9th. However they also cost about double what an Infantry Squad does, meaning you’ll get half as many troops. They relay greatly on taking the enemy out with an alpha strike, however in truth they really aren’t deadly enough to do this reliably and are prone to ended up exposed and over extended, then getting rolled up in assault or by counter shooting. While they have some bonuses, and are your main choice if you want to take an all Scion list, Infantry Squads will generally serve you better for most things.
Elites
Master of Ordnance
The MoD is a elite support character. He does two main things. He gets a once per game artillery barrage (on par with a single turn of shooting form a Basilisk). He also allows friendly artillery tanks to re-roll ones to hit, when targeting units over 36″ away. On the surface this seems OK for a modest price, but isn’t really worth it. His re-roll ability is far to limited, both in who can benefit and how far the target needs to be, to get used all that much. At that point you are mostly paying for the one turn barrage, which again isn’t really worth it, especially seeing as you can only use one a turn, so you can’t even build an Alpha Strike around it. Overall you’ve got better places to spend your points.
Platoon Commander
Platoon Commanders are mini-versions of Company Commanders. They have slightly worse stats and can only give one order a turn. Other than that everything that is true for Company Commanders is true for this unit. If you are looking for a way to give more orders in your list, try throwing in some Platoon Commanders, otherwise there isn’t a ton of reason to take them.
Command Squad 
Command Squads are in a weird place as they used to be a star of the army, but have lately fallen out of favor. The squad is made up of 4 Veterans, Guardsmen with BS 3+ and has access to a large number of heavy and special weapons. Indeed the entire unit can take special weapons, making them very deadly.
Sadly they are very much a glass cannon unit, being made up for only 4 easy to kill guardsmen. Given their damage potential and fragility they are going to be a priority target for any decent player and will die if shot at. If you can keep them alive, either through use of terrain or a transport, to get into range with their special weapons they can delivery a solid blow, but its extremely rare for them to get to shot more than once.
The ability to outflank, new to 9th, does provide them with another option for getting in to range, but still leaves to vulnerable to counter attack. If you chose to use them you need to make sure to pick a good target for their one turn.
In addition to weapons they have the option to take a medi-pack, which allows for healing a friendly unit on a 4+ and Regimental Standard which gives friendly units +1 LD. Again given the fragile nature of the unit these generally aren’t worth the points.
Colour Sergeant Kell
Kell is a Cadian only support charterer. Kell does a few things. He allows a friendly officer to issue an extra order, he allows friendly Cadian units to re-roll morale, and he acts as a bodyguard to Creed. These are decent but not great abilities. If you are running Cadians and taking Creed he could be worth taking, but he’s pricey for a Guard character and in other situations its better to leave him at home.
Special Weapon Squad
Special Weapons Squads are similar to Command Squads. They are a six man unit, made up for regular Guardsmen, so BS 4+ and must take three special weapons. Like Command Squads they can pack a decent punch but are very much a glass cannon unit, though their larger size makes them a bit more durable, except against blast weapons. Everything that was true of Command Squads is true here as well, with the caveat that they are less deadly then the veteran unit. Taking them with three flamers, for a budget 45 pts, might be worth it, but in general this unit is OK to skip.
Veterans
Veterans are very similar to an Infantry Squad, but a little better. For a point per model more they go up to BS 3+ and can take up to 3 special weapons as well as a heavy weapon. In 8th they generally weren’t considered to be worth taking, however in 9th with the recent point adjustments they are likely worth looking at.
They can put out similar damage to a Command Squad, but have more models to absorb losses. If you’re looking for a way to deal with Marines, a Veteran Squad with 3 plasma guns and a heavy bolter isn’t a bad choice. Just be aware you will lose the unit at some point.
The biggest draw back of Veterans is that they aren’t troops and as such don’t have Objective Secured. They have the option to swap lasguns for either Autoguns or Shotguns. NEVER swap for Autoguns, they have the same stats as lasguns but First Rank, Fire! Second Rank, Fire! doesn’t work on them, making them objectively a worse option.
Sergeant Harker
Harker is a Catachan only support character. He carries an assault version of a heavy bolter and allows friendly Catachans to re-roll 1s to hit in shooting. He is one of two re-roll 1s auras that the AM can take and well worth it in any Catachan list. Take him.
Militarum Tempestus Command Squad
This is the Scion version of the Command Squad. It has similar weapon options, though it can’t take a heavy weapon. Like the basic Command Squad it has good damage potential but is a glass cannon. It’s 4+ does make it a little better. The biggest difference here is that the Scion version can deep strike, giving an easy and mostly guaranteed way of getting off that one good round of shooting. This is a unit you may well want to consider fielding, though it does require taking a Tempestor Prime.
Ministorum Priest
The Ministorum Preist is another top tier support character. With 4 wounds and a 4++ save they are surprisingly hard to kill. The reason to take them is for their War Hymns ability which gives +1 attack to friendly Astra Militarum Infantry within 6″. This is a great buff and doubles the CC effectiveness of friendly units. It can be stacked with Straken to give units 3 attacks. I never leave home without at least one Priest.
Crusaders
Crusaders are a bit of an odd unit as they are really more of a Sister of Battle unit. They are a pure close combat unit, armed with Storm Shields and power swords. As such they are one of the tankiest Guard Infantry units but at only S3 they lack punch. They also have some access to Acts of Faith. They do however tend to be a little pricey and Guard have better counter assault units. Since both the storm shield and power sword look to be getting changes this is a unit I’d wait on to see how things shake out.
Tech-Priest Enginseer
The Enginseer is another support character. Their primary purpose is to repair d3 wounds to a vehicle a turn. If you are taking a lot of tanks, they may be worth bringing along. In my book I’d rather spend the points on more firepower however. However given some other tricks they can be used to keep a tank fighting a lot longer than it should.
Servitors
Servitors are another small glass cannon unit. They have access to decent heavy weapons, but have horrible BS. If you take an Eginseer you can get them up to BS 4+, but given their cost and how easy it is to kill them, I don’t think the unit is worth. Guard have better options for taking heavy weapons.
Commissar
This is the elite version of the Lord Commissar. Everything that was true of that unit is ture here as well, with the added note that this Commissar has worse stats. Overall it remains a unit that I don’t feel is currently worth taking.
Officer of the Fleet
The Officer of the Fleet is yet another support character. He has two abilities. His Air Raid Requested ability has chance, once a game, to deal up to 3 mortal wounds to a non-character unit. This isn’t great, but nice if you are taking him for the other ability.
Strafing Coordinates allows friendly Aeronautica Imperial units that fly to re-roll ones vs one target each turn. In the basic Codex this only effects Valkyries, but has a wider effect if you are pulling from Forgeworld Units. If you end up taking a bunch of flyers this guy is worth his points. If not, there isn’t a point.
Wyrdvane Psykers
Wyrdvane Paykers are a psyker unit. They can attempt to cast once and deny once. They do however only get to roll one dice when making these test. If they are 3 or more models they add +1 to the test and 2+ if more than 6 models. This all means that they just aren’t good psykers at all and have limited usefulness. Since they aren’t characters they can be targeted freely, and can’t preform the psychic actions needed to score secondary objectives. Leave them at home.
Astropath
The Astropath is another psychic unit Guard can take. At 25 pts they are one of the cheaper psykers in the game and great for trying to score psychic secondary objectives with. They can Smite, but still can cast and deny once. In addition they can make it so that an enemy unit doesn’t gain a bonus to their save form cover. Overall this unit does a lot for a cheap cost and I’d strongly consider taking some.
Ogryn Bodyguard
The Ogryn Bodyguard is the best generic close combat character Guard can take. They aren’t too expensive, and are pretty good in combat, though not at much else. The act as a bodyguard for other Infantry charterers, which can actually be a downside some of the time. This unit has decent versatility both as a counter attack unit and bodyguard and should be considered.
Ogryns
Ogryns are a heavy infantry unit for the guard. They have a strong, but short ranged gun. In combat they get a decent numbers of good attacks. While they are T5 with 3 wounds, their 5+ save really hurts them. They can act as a counter attack unit, but pale in the role compared to their cousins below. I really don’t see much use to them when you can take Bullgryns instead.
Bullgryns
Bullgryns represent the best close combat unit in the army. They are a strong counter attack unit or spearhead to clear units off objectives. Though they have similar stats to regular Ogryns they sacrifice shooting for survivability and damage output.
For weapons they can pick between a Grenadier gauntlet and a Bullgryn maul. The gauntlet gives them d6 s4 shots at 12 inches. It’s really not a great choice. The mail makes them S7 in combat, with ap-1 and doing d2. This is a much better option and makes them a deadly unit in assault, with 4-5 attacks on the charge. Given the number of 2 wound units about to show up this seems like the obvious choice.
On top of that they can pick between having a 2+ save or a 4++ save. Both are good options depending on what you are facing though the 4++ is likely the better option overall. This is a really solid unit that can easily find a home in your army.
Nork Deddog
Nork is a named character Ogryn Bodyguard. He is slightly better at being a body guard and if he is killed in combat he gets a free round of attacks. On the downside he doesn’t have the same weapon options as a normal bodyguard and can’t get an invulnerable save, making him overall worse.
Ratlings
For out last elite unit we have Ratlings, a cheap but decent sniper unit. They can target characters and have BS 3+. They’ve got some deployment tricks and can move after shootings, which is nifty. They also get better cover saves them most units.
The big downside here is that they are only T2, meaning they are super easy to wound. In addition even in cover they only get a 4+ save. At 10 pts a model they are twice the cost of a Guardsman and not nearly as durable. While the ability to snipe characters can be good, these guys are just rarely worth the points.
That’s it for this time folks, tune in next time as we cover the rest of the army’s units.
