Glory Boys

Stormtroopers, the word conjures both images of the pristine white servants of the evil Star Wars Empire, and the elite of the Imperial Guard. We will speak of the latter.

Stormtroopers are your answer to those pesky Space Marines, roughly the same cost in points, and 1v1 they are evenly matched, however you get even more with a stormtrooper, you get Spec Ops.

There are three Spec Ops options:

Reconnaissance (scouts, move through cover): I rarely use this, but in games like a cityfight, or in a jungle map, it could be handy, but generally you are better off using one of the other options. But this is nice if you need that scouts move, so determine before deployment if you need that scout move worse than your previous plan. Also remember if you put them in a Chimera, the transport also gains the scouts rule, so keep that in mind. You could potentially outflank with that Chimera, imagine their surprise when a tank shows up at their back door.

Airborne Assault (re-roll scatter dice for deepstrike): This is pretty obvious, if you are deepstriking, take this, it will greatly benefit you, almost ensuring your units survival.

Behind Enemy Lines (infiltrate and first shot is pinning): This is my favorite, it gives me more options than the rest. Do I want to infiltrate, or outflank (more than once their outflanking charge has saved the day.) Also the pinning thing is great, because that is the potential to have 20 pinning shots from a single unit, pretty awesome.


Let's talk about the stormtrooper's capabilities, one of the important factors people often forget about, is the fact that every stormtrooper carries a hotshot pistol. This allows them to assault and fire their AP 3 pistols in the same turn, and gives them all an extra attack, making them even better. I often use this to my advantage when I outflank, it makes a big difference when you count the pistols. Now because I use them this way, I often give the sergeant a powersword and a plasmapistol, this enables him to rip through Space Marines, or anything else foolish enough to get in the way of my lads. Also I usually use a plasmagun and a flamer in my squad, this enables them to deal with both light infantry and heavy infantry.

Their are some downsides to stormtroopers, like a crummy WS and only range 18" but between deepstrike, scout, or infiltrate, you shouldn't have a problem getting in close. Other than that, there aren't a whole lot of downsides.

Lastly, don't forget their ability to act as simply superior Guardsmen, with their increased ballistic skill, heavy armor, and improved weaponry, they are right at home leading a charge or taking heavy fire like the rest of them.