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Review
by Michael Ng
purchased the first copy (they'd just set it out on the rack and I took it.) It's been a few weeks now but I
hear that every copy they get in is sold that day. What are the contents of this fabulously expensive ($75)
tome?
This book is 284 pages long and measures about 14" x 9" (I think...didn't bring out my measuring tape, this
book is huge.) This book has background information and very nice colour photographs of Imperial Guard
tanks and aircraft for you to ogle. Much of this stuff was presented in the first Imperial Armour book but
there's also a lot of new ground here. They've got 4 superheavy tank types and all the rest of the Imperial
Guard's standard tanks. There are weapons platforms as well but I think the next few
sections will really interest you guys.
Ammunition: Oh yes, Imperial Guard tanks can now take special ammunition! Most tanks have an ammo
limit of 10-20 depending on ammo types and you can combine different ammunition in your tank. These rules
are not optional, if a player uses them no dissent is allowed. These are official rules my friends (from the gist
of the book it's all official.) There are High Explosive shells, Anti-Tank shells, Vanquisher shells (Vanquishers
only though). Siege shells, illumination shells, smoke shells, and rare
shells. The two rare shells are Augur and Hunter shells. The Hunter shell is rare but can be fired from a
Leman Russ or Vanquisher and all rolls to penetrate are made against the target's rear armour! The Augur
shell is used only in the conqueror and it uses a small blast template but it makes the armour permanently -1
on that side where it hit.
Though there is an optional part, the ammunition capacity is an optional rule but the ammunition itself is not
'optional' in the sense of unofficial. If a player uses to pay the points he can use 'em.
Next they list Imperial Guard tank aces and these guys are cool but are special characters of course. Pricey
too and one of them is a Baneblade special character!
The Imperial Navy aircraft are interesting but not my style but they do have a novel one, the Vulture Gunship
and well it's a VTOL craft apparently. It's the gunboat version of the Valkyrie (a troop ship).
Now we get to the part I care about most, the new official(!) Imperial Armoured Battlegroup army list. They
have changed organization completely from the Chapter Approved version but there are perks to this. It's
much more flexible and you can have more tanks this way actually. In order to take tanks now you have to
take one as an elite (Squadron command tank and it allows you to take 2 other tanks as a troops choice) and
the same goes for Armoured Fists, (Gotta take the platoon command first as an elite
and then allows you to take 4 Armoured Fists as a troops choice. Commissar tanks are now also elites.
Major change is that Sentinels are now allowed as fast attack in this army! Finally, some cheap light support.
Heavy attacks include the standard stuff but a new 0-1 Artillery strike, you pay 50-90 points for Mortar
battery, Griffon, Basilisk, and Manticore strike, once activated as a reserve it will land in the shooting phase
of the armoured company's turn every turn until the game's end. You can place it anywhere the company
commander's tank, Armoured Fist company command HQ, or the artillery forward observer unit's tank can
see. Oh and those 3 tank rules they used to have? Gone now completely. Oh and if you give tank aces to
your tanks they can then take special abilities (1 each tank) and it's fantastic. I think my favorite skill is 'Slick
Loader' which in effect means if the tank remains stationary it can fire it's ordnance weapon
(and only ordnance) twice at the same target! Very nasty mates...
That's it for this edition mates,
Your favorite Praetorian in London (Probably the only Praetorian player you know),
Michael Ng