hey man i've been wondering how could i get into warhammer? because it seems like a really interesting world, but i don't know where to start with how complex it is. thx
@@APsychicMonkey simply wrong, GW makes great Sculpts. I use alternate Models but speaking of self respect while disrepcting the official distributor of the Source and Rules is weak.
@@dracometeors3010 "speaking of self respect while disrepcting the official distributor of the Source and Rules is weak." Yes, keep defending the careless corporation that capriciously ditches us for scalpers.
"Imperial soldiers are recruited from thousands of worlds, regardless of race, creed, gender or background or any cultural or political differences" I swear I started turning full Inquisitor mode as I was waiting for you to slip up and say "religion".
@@mattsmith4536 only those the inquisition deems too deviant to tolerate. Their are primitive worlds that worship the Emperor as a Sun God that don't bother the Inquisition
I recently read an incredible Warhammer 40k book called Cadian Blood that illustrated this perfectly, it was mainly centred around the Imperial Guard but the few space marines that showed up were described as giants and were just an incredible prescene, both on and off the battlefield. This was one of the best books i have read in so many years!
This is why I always liked Warhammer Fantasy as a setting much more; the main faction was just normal humans. You didn't have supersoldiers stealing the spotlight from the humble state troops. The only defence you had against Chaos, Greenskins, Skaven et al. was a guy named Hans, his mates, and _glorious_ 'staches. 5:07 Cheeky Van Saar there! Hello Necromunda!
@user-co3uc8vt7e because they don't sell like space marines lmao. Don't get me wrong I'm the biggest space marine simp ever but there's just something about being a regular person in a world full of massive aliens and hordes of literal demons. The guard rocks
@@EricsHobbyWorkshop The funny thing is, when you think about it, the regiment that attacked Rourke's Drift was an unmarried regiment, albeit an overaged one - these were men in their 30s and 40s who had always been in the rear of the Zulu horns of the buffalo formation, and thus never had the opportunity to show the valour necessary to be given permission to marry. This is why their colonel had ignored Ceteswayo's instructions to remain on the Zululand side of the river and gone off to attack. As unmarried warriors, they would have born black shields, since the white shield was awarded to Zulu males who had been given the right to marry by their king due to having shown initiative or fighting spirit in the field. In the movie, however, the Zulus attacking Rourke's Drift, depicted by actual Zulus - the actor who plays Ceteswayo is in fact his grandson and at the time of the shooting of the movie, Crown Prince by blood of the Zulu kingdom - bear a combination of light and dark "sweep away" shields. While it might have been a question of which props happened to be available to them, I can never, having got a bit into the 1879-1880 Zulu War, not imagine the extras asking the director, "erm, is it all right if we say we had a few married warriors at Rourke's Drift?"
I got into warhammer when I joined the US Army back in the day, and instantly I was into the Imperial Guard. To know that there were these eldritch horrors and horrific daemons and xenos, and the major bulk head of Humanity's defence was left to people like me, normal soldiers makes them incredibly relatable to me! I am on my 4th guard army, this time doing a modern Russian army with AKs and even doing digital camo for every guardsmen and using 7 years of painting experience to give every model some sort of personal touch. Others find fun in their space marines storming chaos bastions or their xenos melting away the enemies, but I find the fun in taking on the endless horrors of the galaxy and trying to bring everyone home, knowing that I cannot.
I've been playing Imperial Guard for over 30 years (since the Rogue Trader era). I gave up playing 40K back in 2017 with 8th Edition, but I still get lots of mileage out of my Imperial Guard, playing a large number of alternative army and skirmish game systems. The Guard models are fantastic for that sort of thing. 😉
Dan Abnett convinced me to love the guard through the Tanith first and only. The 3rd war for Armageddon convinced me to love the Steel legion. The lore of a bunch of regular people doing their best with often subpar equipment against a galaxy of terrors made me keep playing guard through thick and thin Also, shout out to Victoria miniatures for making a bunch of the guard regiments for people who wanna play guard that GW won't support anymore
Victoria Minitures and Anvil Industries form the basis of most every army Ive built in the last decade, I'd also give a shout out to Mortian, they've got a great range of drop troop infantry and vehicles I just can't start on them till I've finished my extended Warhawk project
Thank you for having the courage to engage deep conversations in the hobby. I think this video helped me clarify my thoughts on the subject of war within wargaming. It's thoughtful and well-made, still my favorite channel so far !
Appreciated the point on immersion. It’s probably the most important aspect of the hobby for me and probably explains why I’m spending more time on terrain than my army. I’ll likely seldom play the game but will be forever going to 40k in my mind. Thanks eric!
I agree with the sentiment, but there will NEVER be a starter box set or edition launch box that doesn't have Space Marines in it to represent the Imperial side.
@@Tigerheart01 After seeing Ultramarines on the front cover of literally everything 40K related, I find Space Marines to be utterly boring. Their models are all very similar, with minor alterations and color changes. It's the same as picking Mario in Mariokart... Just the vanilla ice cream of 40K. There's so many better flavours.
I love perry miniatures, their realism is unmatched. The works of the Perry brothers feels so grounded, it creates a lot of inmersion from me, they did some of my favorite stuff for warhammer fantasy too.
Having made my own backstory-rich Cadian Brigade, I seriously cannot give enough praise for you pointing immersion and customization. It is a point in which many RPG players/LARPers/Wargamers strive to perfect and it gives character and depth to your minis. Also I will add: give your soldiers, officers, tanks, heavy guns or even items names/backstories. It makes them a part of your immersion and when they die in a battle (Kill Teams for example with named characters), or do incredible feats, it gives depth to their deaths/feats.
10:26 wow that is the coolest retro screamer killer I have ever seen. Great work, really loved this video exposition of a topic you are clearly passionate about!
First time being this early. These are exactly the same sentiments I have, and why I am collecting a guard army! For Emperor and Imperium, glory to the first man to die.
Damn man! Now I want to start an IG army! Seriously one of your best videos and I think one of the best I’ve seen on the topic of war games period. It’s great to hear the philosophy of why we play these games laid out like that.
Hey Eric. It's been a while since I've last commented, but I wanted you to know that you still rock. Thanks for highlighting my favourite faction ! You're spot on about the Guard... Salute !
Well presented video all around, even the commercial😊. I was compelled by the dialogue at the end that frankly hit harder than expected on a human level about our collective condition. Well said. Your terrains are awesome, I must confess I'm a sucker for a waterfall 😅...that layout was really excellent! Well done👍 Edit: thumbnail was really well cropped and laid out too!
I got my first active-duty Army paychecks just before the release of the 2nd Ed starter box, and picked it up on the way to my first duty station. I'd already been collecting some Astartes from 1.5-- Space Wolf Grey Hunters and Long Fangs, specifically-- but as soon as the Leman Russ kit dropped, I was a Cadian stan. It was the first time I felt represented in 40K, and it was a bit humbling. I mean, after all the training I'd received, and despite the choppers, tanks, field artillery and IFVs I worked around, I was just a 6-point IG grunt. It gave me a real sense of what the Astartes were in comparison. It also reinforced what the Army taught me-- that survival was victory, and that victory went to the most determined warriors. And, hey, I'm a 7-point veteran now!
I'm someone else who when presented with a choice of which Regiment to collect simply said "Yes" to all. In fact it was the release of the metal infantry squads got me interested in WH40k. I saw a friend reading White Dwarf and there was an advert showing off Tallarns, Valhallans, Mordians, Cadians and Catachans. The next week I bought myself a box of 10 metal Tallarns, some paints and glue. I've never looked back. Since I got the Tallarns, I expanded to the Valhallans, Mordians, Pretorians, Cadians, Catachans, Attilans, Elysians and Ratlings (but never any Ogryns, always too expensive).
Great video! Imperial Guard were the faction that cemented my interest in 40K as a 13 year old, and one of the few things that have kept me invested over the years, along with my own head cannon and Gaunt's Ghosts. I recently finished kitbashing a home brew Guard kill team inspired by Napoleonic Prussians, the 89th Antarian Rifles. Can't wait to get them on the table once I've painted them(badly). The Emperor protects!
Sort of echong what youve said: one of the resons i love IG is the fact that probably 90% of the conflict in universe is like Guard vs Sepratist/random chaos cult. Playing that sortve game feels more grounded to me from.a lore perspecrive. Space marines and xenos are rare and absolutely terrifying. And i feel like a background of dudes slinging lasers, solid rounds and high-ex at each other only serves to lift up everything else. Plus when i fight qny other army, it makes them play/feel closer to the the level of superhuman that they are in the lore. I dont mind getting steamrolled by soace marines if my opponent gets that lightbulb moment to actually appreciate how controlling a company of transhuman supersoldiers actually would feel!
Probably the most underrated major faction in all of 40k. There are so many potential things you can do for conversions in guard armies. They have millions of worlds with countless regiments of cultures and tech levels. Anything from standardized combat troopers to ultra niche regiments specialized in very specific environments or situations. I really loved the old 3rd edition book that had the customized regiment rules where you got to create your own force by picking 5 unit/equipment/doctrine options for your army. It really encouraged you to customize the army and come up with your own cool ideas. As for model choices, even the Fantasy/Sigmar range works well for guard. Over the years I've seen a few great 'lower tech' guard armies converted out of Empire/'Freeguild' or Brettonian models. Also seen a great converted army of chaos Cultists/traitor guard using Flagellants as a base and a mix of Cadian and Catachan bits. There is just so much you can do with them if you're willing to be creative.
Thanks for your Video! Very awesome! Really enjoyed your take on 40K guardsmen! Your models and terrain boards are so wonderful! Geeking out just watching this. And I enjoyed your message at the end. 🫡
because, for all their frailty compared to genetically enhanced gods of war, or devouring swarms , or clanking near immortal machine men , or violent sentient monster mushrooms that live to fight...every so often some hero, some lowly human driven insane by all he has witnessed, will bring down one of these monsters with naught but his combat knife and honest to emperor ballsiness, and it is GLORIOUS!
Thank you for reinforcing the fact that this franchise is one of the most massive satirical indictments of war in media, not a glorification of it as an uncritical fan or underdeveloped adolescent might think. When I was younger I thought I understood this- and in THEORY I did- but it doesn't really settle properly until your empathy is more developed and you've lived enough to see that there's a lot to lose in life by passing. Your kids, your wife, your Hello Fresh, etc. One time as a kid I was playing the Sims and was making light to my own dad about how the father of one of my virtual families died in a fire. My dad commented that even though it was a video game, I would have a different tone about that kind of thing when I was older. I now know exactly what he meant. Very wise parenting moment.
Great video! I'm lucky enough to work in the store where the Perry's buy their paints and they are awesome guys, and of course truly inspiring. Glad you've been inspired too!
Yes! Another appreciater of "neutral pose". The whole sprint for "dynamic" is something i don't vibe with at all. On top of it being limited, it also means it's often more difficult to kitbash
Zulu was my dad's favourite movie... As to the video, absolutely top-notch. Although... I mean... technically there's also the ecclesiarchy for the un-augmented humans. But your point is taken. Actually on that note, there's a VR game called 40K: Battle Sister in which you are (you guessed it) a member of the Sororitas. The point of VR games is of course not just to play the game but to be IN it. As I played it I of course thought "This is cool.. but I wanna be a Space Marine." And then you meet Brother Julius And you realize "Oh yeah... I'm not 8FT TALL." To be a normal human in the 40k universe is indeed daunting.
I always thought that if I’m going to make a custom Space Marine chapter I’ve always thought they’d have control of a local guard regiment in order to expand their numbers for more hazardous operations and they give the guards recruits training much like the raptors space marine chapter and if I had to name a custom Guard Regiment I’d call them. The 49th Light Grenadiers
I don’t care how much people like to be immersed, in my opinion there isn’t a good excuse to not play someone just because they don’t have a painted army
If my buddy spent the time to make a full size custom terrain field for battles. I would bring my painted army. I think like most things in life there is a time and a place. I would feel real shame placing primed baseless models on this guys amazing full scale battle mats. Did you see that jungle bro.
Completely agree with your point about models being more compelling doing a more "normal" movement being more compelling, but didn't quite have as good a way of wording that until now; thanks :D
I like how you named the planet your custom guard regiment is from Chundoria. Nice callback to a brave horse-beast-lizard-man who fought valiantly in the grind pits
I remember I once was giving out some of my old guard models which I didn’t paint yet and decided to give to my friend. He also was a big fan of warhammer but never saw the imperial guard in comparison to other armies. So when he saw the heavy bolted squad he was in shock of how a space marine Carries that. The imperial guard defidently did the job for immersion in that moment
Got deep at the end there, but you are spot on at how important the guard are to providing that contrast that makes the 40k universe so much cooler than the sum of its parts.
A lovely ode to the guard. And a wonderful surprise to see one of my own painted minis featured. The old school Praetorian with Michael Caine in the background.
When I started playing back in 4th edition the codex had a “Why play Imperial Guard” section. And it lead with, in a galaxy filled with horrors and super Soldiers the imperial guard are just men. That really stuck with me. Everyone imagines they would be a Space Marine, but most if not all of us would be handed a lasgun, flak armor, and a helmet and told good luck. I am going to stay Guard for life. They are just the most interesting in the setting to me.
I could never explain why I gravitated toward the imperial guard, this video put what I could not explain into a beautifully articulated story. Thank you.
Suggestion for anyone regarding terrain types and guard units themed for that; Mountains! I’m currently kitbashing some guardsmen into a WW1 Italian themed regiment, based on the Arditi, Alpini and Bersaglieri
The Italian armed forces were usually regarded as a bit of a joke. This was often the fault of poor leadership, poor equipment, or both! But there were two very noticeable exceptions to this. Their mountain troops, and their navy special forces. Seriously, those guys were second to none!
@@greg_mca I think I'd heard of them probably (on those big "every IG regiment" type list videos but I'd forgotten them specifically, so I'll probably make up my own stuff
I play imperial guard and have over 1500 points; I just adore them! It's also fun to pair them with other things like space marines or the skits. the best thing about Astra Militarum is that you learn from your losses. (THERE ARE A LOT OF LOSSES) And you can laugh over the silly plays you can make!
as a guard player this is exactly why I started playing in video form. Just the humble guardsmen, fighting for a better future. bit of an inspiration to start painting again.
Creating a force of Praetorian guard myself. I had a couple of old metal Cadian squads back from 2e that are being stripped and re-painted to be added as auxiliaries.
I had a small sized infantry only guard army in 4th ed, I just liked all the things you could do with it with smart use of doctrines, most of what I used was kasrkins and standard infantry, no tanks, no transports, just as many lasguns in the general direction of a threat, demo charges, melta's and chainsaws for tanks and it was only a hundred or so models... nothing like my thousands of foot eldar...
Totally agree with your take on the Imperial Guard. Some of the first models I got in the 80s were IG. I grew up pouring over my great-grandftaher's photo albums from WW1 - he was a senior officer leading the first ever tanks. The photos were fascinating and horrifying in turn. Him, leading tanks whilst walking brandishing nothing but a stick. Burn out wrecks of his tanks, half-buried in the mud of No Man's Land. Even photos of his leave time, rotating behind the lines - picnics and skinny-dipping with Beglian nurses in the canals. 40k is a fantastic (in every sense) hobby, but we forgot the multifaceted, humanity of war at our peril. Indeed, that is what I think Warhammer has lost most from the old days - the humour, the political parody and truly horrifying grim dark artwork. It was never a celebration of war and the true horror underpinning the Empire is rooted in the same fears and politicised 80e that produced wonderful comics from 2000AD to Watchmen. Awesome work; keep it up!
Imperial Guard armies can do pretty well, because of the tanks and artillery. They can be good equalizers on the table top. I have a Guard army made up of a little of everything. I have played games where a squad or two of Ultra marines was in the battle, to help even out things against tough opponents. At home or even at the hobby shop, house rules are usually fine with everybody. I doubt i would try to do an official tournament with Imperial Guard, but with some luck, it might turn out Okay. Painting all the different types of squads does make the painting less tedious. You get to use all the colors you have. You can use just about any miniatures as long as the scale is close enough.
I want to do a small guard army of "de-chaosifyed" Blackstone fortress/Blooded guardsmen, Like a guerilla force that have been behind enemy lines for so long their uniforms are in complete tatters and wepons are cobbled together from what ever they can salvage, But they are still hanging in like grim death and trusting in the Emperor to protect.
real dope video, weird part was my favorite thing about the video was the music at the end. See, that piece was the same music that the Yogcast used for the interlude with their D&D stream, Highrollers. Which was my big introduction to D&D and the moment I recognised it I was instantly brought years back in time to my first times watching that campaign Good times, better times
Part of the fun in Only War, the imperial guard RPG, is to generate a regiment. The players use a points system to buy home world, regimental type (from siege infantry to heavy scout sentinels to mechanized infantry to skirmishers), the nature of their commander and what special history, training/equipment doctrines etc they have. The regiment can have a bad reputation with another imperial institution, train for infiltration, carry big dang shields and shotguns or have experience fighting space elfs. And this becomes the basis all future PCs and NPCs of that campaign will come out of.
Great video! My first army was the guard. Catachans. 3rd edition. And I would poor through all the old codex's and white dwarfs and dream about all the terrain and senario's I could have. Good times.
this is why i love your necromunda work so much. you actually think about how normal human beings would actually live in this crazy setting, in a way that many rarely do.
Eric came across your vid by pure chance super glad I did. Still got my Guardsmen from my College days. Always wanted to do a Vietnam themed endless jungle war against the Orks&Elder. Seeing this vid as rekindle the fire 🔥👍🏽
Loving the custom Guardsmen, the Brodie-esq helmets are such a good vibe. I love the Imperial Guard, by far my favorite army in 40k, for the reasons you mentioned in this video, they are so adaptable, and varied, but most importantly they are relatable.Regular folks we can recognize, inhabiting a world that, despite it's stylistic parallels, is completely alien from our own. To be fair, in many fantastical universes, my favorite parts are the less/non-fantastical parts, like In Halo, Marines and ODSTs are my preference over Spartans. As a general rule I will take 'Regular Guy, just doing his part' over Wizards and Super Soldiers.
The nice thing with IG too - say you want to go outside the Imperium and play an uncontacted Human world: IG probably still have exactly what you need. Normal humans with normal human equipment is so universal you can go absolutely wild with your lore and still find them fitting with IG's ruleset pretty well.
For 16 free meals with HelloFresh PLUS free shipping, use code ERICSHOBBY16 at bit.ly/3C502zi!
That's some good advertising there. Your kid looks adorable.
But does HelloFresh deliver soylens viridians or corpse starch?
9:32 ahhhh RIP contemptor dreadnought in chaos armies
hey man i've been wondering how could i get into warhammer? because it seems like a really interesting world, but i don't know where to start with how complex it is. thx
Jake Sully
The only thing more scary than the grim dark horrors of the galaxy....is the price of an INFANTRY guard army.
In the grim bankruptcy of the Astra Militarum, there is only Kill Team.
No self respecting Guard player uses official GW models. 3rd party, 3d printing, historical conversions are the way.
@@APsychicMonkey simply wrong, GW makes great Sculpts.
I use alternate Models but speaking of self respect while disrepcting the official distributor of the Source and Rules is weak.
@@APsychicMonkeynah, the new sculpts are great. 3rd party are good too though.
@@dracometeors3010 "speaking of self respect while disrepcting the official distributor of the Source and Rules is weak."
Yes, keep defending the careless corporation that capriciously ditches us for scalpers.
As a retired Marine , l appreciate the solemnity that you imparted of the reality of war.
"Imperial soldiers are recruited from thousands of worlds, regardless of race, creed, gender or background or any cultural or political differences"
I swear I started turning full Inquisitor mode as I was waiting for you to slip up and say "religion".
I did slip up and say creed. My bad
@@EricsHobbyWorkshop oh yeah
There are plenty of sects and sub-religions
@@Bobdd0 And those heretics must be purged.
@@mattsmith4536 only those the inquisition deems too deviant to tolerate. Their are primitive worlds that worship the Emperor as a Sun God that don't bother the Inquisition
I recently read an incredible Warhammer 40k book called Cadian Blood that illustrated this perfectly, it was mainly centred around the Imperial Guard but the few space marines that showed up were described as giants and were just an incredible prescene, both on and off the battlefield. This was one of the best books i have read in so many years!
If you haven't already, check out the book "Fifteen Hours".
This is why I always liked Warhammer Fantasy as a setting much more; the main faction was just normal humans. You didn't have supersoldiers stealing the spotlight from the humble state troops. The only defence you had against Chaos, Greenskins, Skaven et al. was a guy named Hans, his mates, and _glorious_ 'staches.
5:07 Cheeky Van Saar there! Hello Necromunda!
Couple cheeky orlock juves in with my catachans too if you look closely 👀
@@EricsHobbyWorkshop So there is! They fit so well with the old Catachans, I didn't even notice!
Couldn't agree more, chaos will be held at bay by stirland militia with no shoes and brettonian peasants with a few sharp sticks
but Imperial Guard IS the main faction lore-wise, they just don't get enough spotlight
@user-co3uc8vt7e because they don't sell like space marines lmao. Don't get me wrong I'm the biggest space marine simp ever but there's just something about being a regular person in a world full of massive aliens and hordes of literal demons. The guard rocks
Just finished my platoon of Cadians that will ALWAYS accompany my space marines, i don't even care if detachment rules don't exist yet in 10th
Good on ya 😎
It has the ally rule that lets you bring certain units from other armies right?
@@Ipam6 yeah but that's like the small knights or inquisition stuff or those judge dread guys
@@Ipam6it’s only for knights and inquisitorial units
For sure you can make that rule. Id bet most players would be fine with that. I would. Just add the points and the basic rules and your ready.
One of the absolute best 40k videos ANYONE has made in years! Bravo zulu!
I should rewatch zulu inhavent seen it since i was a kid
@@EricsHobbyWorkshopdo it dude, the bit where they are singing Men of Harlech over the Zulu chanting still gives me the shivers!
@@EricsHobbyWorkshop The funny thing is, when you think about it, the regiment that attacked Rourke's Drift was an unmarried regiment, albeit an overaged one - these were men in their 30s and 40s who had always been in the rear of the Zulu horns of the buffalo formation, and thus never had the opportunity to show the valour necessary to be given permission to marry. This is why their colonel had ignored Ceteswayo's instructions to remain on the Zululand side of the river and gone off to attack. As unmarried warriors, they would have born black shields, since the white shield was awarded to Zulu males who had been given the right to marry by their king due to having shown initiative or fighting spirit in the field. In the movie, however, the Zulus attacking Rourke's Drift, depicted by actual Zulus - the actor who plays Ceteswayo is in fact his grandson and at the time of the shooting of the movie, Crown Prince by blood of the Zulu kingdom - bear a combination of light and dark "sweep away" shields. While it might have been a question of which props happened to be available to them, I can never, having got a bit into the 1879-1880 Zulu War, not imagine the extras asking the director, "erm, is it all right if we say we had a few married warriors at Rourke's Drift?"
I got into warhammer when I joined the US Army back in the day, and instantly I was into the Imperial Guard. To know that there were these eldritch horrors and horrific daemons and xenos, and the major bulk head of Humanity's defence was left to people like me, normal soldiers makes them incredibly relatable to me! I am on my 4th guard army, this time doing a modern Russian army with AKs and even doing digital camo for every guardsmen and using 7 years of painting experience to give every model some sort of personal touch. Others find fun in their space marines storming chaos bastions or their xenos melting away the enemies, but I find the fun in taking on the endless horrors of the galaxy and trying to bring everyone home, knowing that I cannot.
A perfect explanation why the Guard is my army of choice. I've had the same in Warhammer Fantasy with Bretonnians. Great video and lovely models.
I've been playing Imperial Guard for over 30 years (since the Rogue Trader era). I gave up playing 40K back in 2017 with 8th Edition, but I still get lots of mileage out of my Imperial Guard, playing a large number of alternative army and skirmish game systems. The Guard models are fantastic for that sort of thing. 😉
That's actually pretty awesome. I like how some of the models look like WW2 soldiers and others look more modern.
Dan Abnett convinced me to love the guard through the Tanith first and only. The 3rd war for Armageddon convinced me to love the Steel legion. The lore of a bunch of regular people doing their best with often subpar equipment against a galaxy of terrors made me keep playing guard through thick and thin
Also, shout out to Victoria miniatures for making a bunch of the guard regiments for people who wanna play guard that GW won't support anymore
Victoria Minitures and Anvil Industries form the basis of most every army Ive built in the last decade, I'd also give a shout out to Mortian, they've got a great range of drop troop infantry and vehicles I just can't start on them till I've finished my extended Warhawk project
I would love Victoria Miniatures stuff, but I can't afford the shipping from AU, so I go with Anvil.
Kromlech have some awesome options too!
Thank you for having the courage to engage deep conversations in the hobby. I think this video helped me clarify my thoughts on the subject of war within wargaming. It's thoughtful and well-made, still my favorite channel so far !
Appreciated the point on immersion. It’s probably the most important aspect of the hobby for me and probably explains why I’m spending more time on terrain than my army. I’ll likely seldom play the game but will be forever going to 40k in my mind. Thanks eric!
I kinda wish that the new 10th edition box set was guard vs tyranid, guard need so much more love and have so few cohesive models compared to marines.
I'm so hoping for a more general release of Death korps of krieg and a re-release of Catachan later on.
@@JohnDoe-lr9ycneither will happen. Cadians are the bog standard for guard models, always have been and will be.
I agree with the sentiment, but there will NEVER be a starter box set or edition launch box that doesn't have Space Marines in it to represent the Imperial side.
@@Tigerheart01 After seeing Ultramarines on the front cover of literally everything 40K related, I find Space Marines to be utterly boring. Their models are all very similar, with minor alterations and color changes. It's the same as picking Mario in Mariokart... Just the vanilla ice cream of 40K. There's so many better flavours.
the new tyranids would obliterate these guys
I love perry miniatures, their realism is unmatched. The works of the Perry brothers feels so grounded, it creates a lot of inmersion from me, they did some of my favorite stuff for warhammer fantasy too.
Having made my own backstory-rich Cadian Brigade, I seriously cannot give enough praise for you pointing immersion and customization.
It is a point in which many RPG players/LARPers/Wargamers strive to perfect and it gives character and depth to your minis.
Also I will add: give your soldiers, officers, tanks, heavy guns or even items names/backstories. It makes them a part of your immersion and when they die in a battle (Kill Teams for example with named characters), or do incredible feats, it gives depth to their deaths/feats.
10:26 wow that is the coolest retro screamer killer I have ever seen. Great work, really loved this video exposition of a topic you are clearly passionate about!
First time being this early. These are exactly the same sentiments I have, and why I am collecting a guard army! For Emperor and Imperium, glory to the first man to die.
Eric makes the best mini videos of anybody that makes mini videos. It's just a fact!
Damn man! Now I want to start an IG army! Seriously one of your best videos and I think one of the best I’ve seen on the topic of war games period. It’s great to hear the philosophy of why we play these games laid out like that.
Thank you! Glad it resonated with you
Hey Eric. It's been a while since I've last commented, but I wanted you to know that you still rock. Thanks for highlighting my favourite faction ! You're spot on about the Guard... Salute !
Well presented video all around, even the commercial😊. I was compelled by the dialogue at the end that frankly hit harder than expected on a human level about our collective condition. Well said.
Your terrains are awesome, I must confess I'm a sucker for a waterfall 😅...that layout was really excellent! Well done👍
Edit: thumbnail was really well cropped and laid out too!
I got my first active-duty Army paychecks just before the release of the 2nd Ed starter box, and picked it up on the way to my first duty station. I'd already been collecting some Astartes from 1.5-- Space Wolf Grey Hunters and Long Fangs, specifically-- but as soon as the Leman Russ kit dropped, I was a Cadian stan. It was the first time I felt represented in 40K, and it was a bit humbling. I mean, after all the training I'd received, and despite the choppers, tanks, field artillery and IFVs I worked around, I was just a 6-point IG grunt. It gave me a real sense of what the Astartes were in comparison. It also reinforced what the Army taught me-- that survival was victory, and that victory went to the most determined warriors. And, hey, I'm a 7-point veteran now!
Great video! I love the variety that comes with Guard. Endless sandbox opportunities!
Wow! A simple head swap really breathes some fresh life into those Cadians. Seems like you could go in a lot of different directions with that.
I'm someone else who when presented with a choice of which Regiment to collect simply said "Yes" to all.
In fact it was the release of the metal infantry squads got me interested in WH40k. I saw a friend reading White Dwarf and there was an advert showing off Tallarns, Valhallans, Mordians, Cadians and Catachans. The next week I bought myself a box of 10 metal Tallarns, some paints and glue. I've never looked back.
Since I got the Tallarns, I expanded to the Valhallans, Mordians, Pretorians, Cadians, Catachans, Attilans, Elysians and Ratlings (but never any Ogryns, always too expensive).
Great video! Imperial Guard were the faction that cemented my interest in 40K as a 13 year old, and one of the few things that have kept me invested over the years, along with my own head cannon and Gaunt's Ghosts. I recently finished kitbashing a home brew Guard kill team inspired by Napoleonic Prussians, the 89th Antarian Rifles. Can't wait to get them on the table once I've painted them(badly). The Emperor protects!
I like the idea of a variety of regiments to fit changing battlefield conditions. Good work Eric, and nice speech at the end.
Sort of echong what youve said: one of the resons i love IG is the fact that probably 90% of the conflict in universe is like Guard vs Sepratist/random chaos cult. Playing that sortve game feels more grounded to me from.a lore perspecrive.
Space marines and xenos are rare and absolutely terrifying. And i feel like a background of dudes slinging lasers, solid rounds and high-ex at each other only serves to lift up everything else.
Plus when i fight qny other army, it makes them play/feel closer to the the level of superhuman that they are in the lore. I dont mind getting steamrolled by soace marines if my opponent gets that lightbulb moment to actually appreciate how controlling a company of transhuman supersoldiers actually would feel!
A real love letter to the guard! loved all the shoutouts to great bits and hobby supply companies!
Probably the most underrated major faction in all of 40k. There are so many potential things you can do for conversions in guard armies. They have millions of worlds with countless regiments of cultures and tech levels. Anything from standardized combat troopers to ultra niche regiments specialized in very specific environments or situations.
I really loved the old 3rd edition book that had the customized regiment rules where you got to create your own force by picking 5 unit/equipment/doctrine options for your army. It really encouraged you to customize the army and come up with your own cool ideas.
As for model choices, even the Fantasy/Sigmar range works well for guard. Over the years I've seen a few great 'lower tech' guard armies converted out of Empire/'Freeguild' or Brettonian models. Also seen a great converted army of chaos Cultists/traitor guard using Flagellants as a base and a mix of Cadian and Catachan bits.
There is just so much you can do with them if you're willing to be creative.
Great video! I first started collecting in 1998 and my first (non-Space Hulk) miniatures were metal Catachans.
Gotta love the video preview. Catachanians in camo and huge clunky dude in red and gold giving away their location.
I did not expect to feel like I could move mountains at the end there lmao
Thanks for your Video! Very awesome! Really enjoyed your take on 40K guardsmen! Your models and terrain boards are so wonderful! Geeking out just watching this.
And I enjoyed your message at the end. 🫡
Yes! This is why I play Imperial Guard as well! The last few minutes made me cry. Well done. 👍
because, for all their frailty compared to genetically enhanced gods of war, or devouring swarms , or clanking near immortal machine men , or violent sentient monster mushrooms that live to fight...every so often some hero, some lowly human driven insane by all he has witnessed, will bring down one of these monsters with naught but his combat knife and honest to emperor ballsiness, and it is GLORIOUS!
"Which army do you want to collect?"
Eric: "Yes"
Thank you for reinforcing the fact that this franchise is one of the most massive satirical indictments of war in media, not a glorification of it as an uncritical fan or underdeveloped adolescent might think. When I was younger I thought I understood this- and in THEORY I did- but it doesn't really settle properly until your empathy is more developed and you've lived enough to see that there's a lot to lose in life by passing. Your kids, your wife, your Hello Fresh, etc.
One time as a kid I was playing the Sims and was making light to my own dad about how the father of one of my virtual families died in a fire. My dad commented that even though it was a video game, I would have a different tone about that kind of thing when I was older. I now know exactly what he meant. Very wise parenting moment.
Always love to see a new video.
Great video! I'm lucky enough to work in the store where the Perry's buy their paints and they are awesome guys, and of course truly inspiring. Glad you've been inspired too!
I've watched this episode a few times now. It is inspiring! Keep em coming Eric. You're doing a smash up job!
You perfectly summarized why Imperial Guard are my favourite army and have been since I started the hobby over 16 years ago. 👏👏👏
This was just a wonderful video! Thank you for taking the time 😁
Wow, what a quality video. Great everything, especially the script. Well done, mate.
Yes! Another appreciater of "neutral pose".
The whole sprint for "dynamic" is something i don't vibe with at all. On top of it being limited, it also means it's often more difficult to kitbash
Imo the more "dynamic" pose a model has the more easily they stand out due to repetition of poses if you have a few dozen troops.
@@B1-997 Yeah that is valid for army. I usually only kitbash and paint 1 or 2 minis anyway ^^
This is so awesome... Damn you Eric you made me cry on the end... Thank you
Totally hit the nail on the head why my IG are and forever will be my favorite army. Well done.
Zulu was my dad's favourite movie...
As to the video, absolutely top-notch. Although... I mean... technically there's also the ecclesiarchy for the un-augmented humans. But your point is taken.
Actually on that note, there's a VR game called 40K: Battle Sister in which you are (you guessed it) a member of the Sororitas. The point of VR games is of course not just to play the game but to be IN it. As I played it I of course thought "This is cool.. but I wanna be a Space Marine."
And then you meet Brother Julius
And you realize "Oh yeah... I'm not 8FT TALL." To be a normal human in the 40k universe is indeed daunting.
Really great video, really got to the bottom of what I love about the guard.
I came to 40k through the Guard so this video hits the core of my hobby journey. Thank you Eric form a fellow Canadian!
I always thought that if I’m going to make a custom Space Marine chapter I’ve always thought they’d have control of a local guard regiment in order to expand their numbers for more hazardous operations and they give the guards recruits training much like the raptors space marine chapter and if I had to name a custom Guard Regiment I’d call them. The 49th Light Grenadiers
hey I've got a similar idea but it's sisters of battle not Guardsmen and then there's that Inquisitor that kind of controls them
@@Pizzaportal3142 cool
I don’t care how much people like to be immersed, in my opinion there isn’t a good excuse to not play someone just because they don’t have a painted army
If my buddy spent the time to make a full size custom terrain field for battles. I would bring my painted army. I think like most things in life there is a time and a place. I would feel real shame placing primed baseless models on this guys amazing full scale battle mats. Did you see that jungle bro.
Completely agree with your point about models being more compelling doing a more "normal" movement being more compelling, but didn't quite have as good a way of wording that until now; thanks :D
That basketball analogy was very good, never thought about it that way before
I'm glad you love the guard also it's what makes the setting and the bigger units in the game even more impactful.
I like how you named the planet your custom guard regiment is from Chundoria. Nice callback to a brave horse-beast-lizard-man who fought valiantly in the grind pits
😎
Could be a neighbor of Cthonia :)
I remember I once was giving out some of my old guard models which I didn’t paint yet and decided to give to my friend. He also was a big fan of warhammer but never saw the imperial guard in comparison to other armies. So when he saw the heavy bolted squad he was in shock of how a space marine Carries that. The imperial guard defidently did the job for immersion in that moment
Got deep at the end there, but you are spot on at how important the guard are to providing that contrast that makes the 40k universe so much cooler than the sum of its parts.
A lovely ode to the guard. And a wonderful surprise to see one of my own painted minis featured. The old school Praetorian with Michael Caine in the background.
The "little guy approved" ad read is very fitting in a video about the Imperial Guard
Damn, those old Imperial Guard books hit me with a wave of nostalgia I had not expected.
love the helmets on your custm regiment! Also def having pork chops for dinner tonight
When I started playing back in 4th edition the codex had a “Why play Imperial Guard” section. And it lead with, in a galaxy filled with horrors and super Soldiers the imperial guard are just men. That really stuck with me. Everyone imagines they would be a Space Marine, but most if not all of us would be handed a lasgun, flak armor, and a helmet and told good luck.
I am going to stay Guard for life. They are just the most interesting in the setting to me.
I could never explain why I gravitated toward the imperial guard, this video put what I could not explain into a beautifully articulated story. Thank you.
Suggestion for anyone regarding terrain types and guard units themed for that; Mountains!
I’m currently kitbashing some guardsmen into a WW1 Italian themed regiment, based on the Arditi, Alpini and Bersaglieri
Did you know about the Dieprian IG regiment before doing it? I saw it and want to do the same but don't know where to begin
The Italian armed forces were usually regarded as a bit of a joke. This was often the fault of poor leadership, poor equipment, or both!
But there were two very noticeable exceptions to this. Their mountain troops, and their navy special forces.
Seriously, those guys were second to none!
@@greg_mca I think I'd heard of them probably (on those big "every IG regiment" type list videos but I'd forgotten them specifically, so I'll probably make up my own stuff
@@Grubnar Sounds like they have a poor rep for both world wars then. That being said, they must have done something right in 1918
I play imperial guard and have over 1500 points; I just adore them! It's also fun to pair them with other things like space marines or the skits.
the best thing about Astra Militarum is that you learn from your losses. (THERE ARE A LOT OF LOSSES) And you can laugh over the silly plays you can make!
Such a great video! Inspiring and the music was perfect. Thanks!
Eric, you're my favourite wargaming channel. Something about your approach to the hobby is very sober.
Thank you! Means a lot
Seriously cool video Eric. It has a bit of a short documentary feel. You did a great job producing this.
as a guard player this is exactly why I started playing in video form. Just the humble guardsmen, fighting for a better future. bit of an inspiration to start painting again.
Very wise words Eric.
Creating a force of Praetorian guard myself. I had a couple of old metal Cadian squads back from 2e that are being stripped and re-painted to be added as auxiliaries.
Nice. How are you doing the Praetorians? Old legit models? 3D prints? Kitbashing with Anglo-Zulu war figures?
I had a small sized infantry only guard army in 4th ed, I just liked all the things you could do with it with smart use of doctrines, most of what I used was kasrkins and standard infantry, no tanks, no transports, just as many lasguns in the general direction of a threat, demo charges, melta's and chainsaws for tanks and it was only a hundred or so models... nothing like my thousands of foot eldar...
What a great love letter for Astra Militarum! I can't wait to paint my first ones.
That was quite a bit more heartfelt than I was expecting.
Totally agree with your take on the Imperial Guard. Some of the first models I got in the 80s were IG. I grew up pouring over my great-grandftaher's photo albums from WW1 - he was a senior officer leading the first ever tanks. The photos were fascinating and horrifying in turn. Him, leading tanks whilst walking brandishing nothing but a stick. Burn out wrecks of his tanks, half-buried in the mud of No Man's Land. Even photos of his leave time, rotating behind the lines - picnics and skinny-dipping with Beglian nurses in the canals. 40k is a fantastic (in every sense) hobby, but we forgot the multifaceted, humanity of war at our peril. Indeed, that is what I think Warhammer has lost most from the old days - the humour, the political parody and truly horrifying grim dark artwork. It was never a celebration of war and the true horror underpinning the Empire is rooted in the same fears and politicised 80e that produced wonderful comics from 2000AD to Watchmen. Awesome work; keep it up!
narrative bases that compliment a miniature are always nice. that's why i'm looking to make a plague swamp/creeping infection bases for death guard.
Dang, just as I start a project today with one of the unsupported regiments from 4:19 you have to give me this pump-up speech!
Imperial Guard armies can do pretty well, because of the tanks and artillery. They can be good equalizers on the table top. I have a Guard army made up of a little of everything. I have played games where a squad or two of Ultra marines was in the battle, to help even out things against tough opponents. At home or even at the hobby shop, house rules are usually fine with everybody. I doubt i would try to do an official tournament with Imperial Guard, but with some luck, it might turn out Okay. Painting all the different types of squads does make the painting less tedious. You get to use all the colors you have. You can use just about any miniatures as long as the scale is close enough.
I want to do a small guard army of "de-chaosifyed" Blackstone fortress/Blooded guardsmen, Like a guerilla force that have been behind enemy lines for so long their uniforms are in complete tatters and wepons are cobbled together from what ever they can salvage, But they are still hanging in like grim death and trusting in the Emperor to protect.
real dope video, weird part was my favorite thing about the video was the music at the end.
See, that piece was the same music that the Yogcast used for the interlude with their D&D stream, Highrollers. Which was my big introduction to D&D and the moment I recognised it I was instantly brought years back in time to my first times watching that campaign
Good times, better times
Part of the fun in Only War, the imperial guard RPG, is to generate a regiment. The players use a points system to buy home world, regimental type (from siege infantry to heavy scout sentinels to mechanized infantry to skirmishers), the nature of their commander and what special history, training/equipment doctrines etc they have. The regiment can have a bad reputation with another imperial institution, train for infiltration, carry big dang shields and shotguns or have experience fighting space elfs. And this becomes the basis all future PCs and NPCs of that campaign will come out of.
I think this is your best video made ever - the quality of content is high
You should make more chandorian 12th minis and add them as a platoon in the steel legion
This is a great video. Really captures a great perspective on Imperial Guard.
Great video! My first army was the guard. Catachans. 3rd edition. And I would poor through all the old codex's and white dwarfs and dream about all the terrain and senario's I could have. Good times.
Love it. I've got a range of the old metal models, a few platoons of the original cadians, catachans, and tallarn. Also, nice use of "preternatural!
"
this is why i love your necromunda work so much. you actually think about how normal human beings would actually live in this crazy setting, in a way that many rarely do.
What a great video Eric, always love your insight and deep thoughts into our hobby! Hope to see more videos of your growing collection of IG as well!
I love your WW1 British -inspired army.
I'm working on my own similar one, using leftover bits from WW2 Japanese Bolt Action troops
This was a great video, thank you
Eric came across your vid by pure chance super glad I did. Still got my Guardsmen from my College days. Always wanted to do a Vietnam themed endless jungle war against the Orks&Elder. Seeing this vid as rekindle the fire 🔥👍🏽
Simple, realistic posing is best. Also Those metal Catachan look awesome!
Seeing the guardsman next to the space marine was reason enough for me to want to buy a box of them, perfectly proving this video right
Loving the custom Guardsmen, the Brodie-esq helmets are such a good vibe.
I love the Imperial Guard, by far my favorite army in 40k, for the reasons you mentioned in this video, they are so adaptable, and varied, but most importantly they are relatable.Regular folks we can recognize, inhabiting a world that, despite it's stylistic parallels, is completely alien from our own.
To be fair, in many fantastical universes, my favorite parts are the less/non-fantastical parts, like In Halo, Marines and ODSTs are my preference over Spartans. As a general rule I will take 'Regular Guy, just doing his part' over Wizards and Super Soldiers.
4:50 this whole section with the old codex and models was so painfully nostalgic for me.
Also, as an Englishman, Chundoria gave me a good chuckle.
Love this so much mate! ❤
👊 thanks brother
The gravey for that pork dish is proper delicious!
Yeah its very nice
The nice thing with IG too - say you want to go outside the Imperium and play an uncontacted Human world: IG probably still have exactly what you need. Normal humans with normal human equipment is so universal you can go absolutely wild with your lore and still find them fitting with IG's ruleset pretty well.