Thirty Seconds Yanks!!!

Lets face it, we all love the shit out of D-day. The idea of dozens of massive transports, unloading hundreds of men into a hornets nest of pure hell. As Sun Tzu puts it, to do so puts them on Death Ground. Where there is no retreat, the only way out, is forward. This creates a do or die mentality that is instilled in everyone there, allowing men to do more than they are actually capable of. Where is this in warhammer? you could argue it's in all mech, like it is nowadays. Instead, I look to... The Gorgon.

If you're not familiar with the Gorgon, its because its a forgeworld model. Now I scoured the interwebs as I still am unsure on how to actually get rules for forgeworld models, short of forking out ridiculous amounts of money for their book sets. So here's what I found, AV 14 13 10, 3 structure points, superheavy, transports 50 models, and may take 4x heavy bolter sponsons (plus other loadouts, but that's what you want) and 2 twin linked heavy stubbers. its also open topped, and that's a blessing as well as curse. This will all run you 450 at base cost (replace bolters with mortars) or 510 with heavy bolters.

so what does all that mumbo jumbo mean? for starters, it's tough. and as a superheavy, it can fire at 6 different units, and as it is open topped, models that disembark can assault, as well as, if it blows up, they only take a str 3 hit if inside of it. Now you can't fire the units inside of it, even though its open topped. That's a special rule it has, as the walls are too high, such is the price for high AV.

so now we're familiar (at least have a decent grasp) of the Gorgon. Now how to use it. For starters, the obvious advantages of a transport, protecting the infantry, forming a massive firebase. However, we can also use this to create cover for guardsman everywhere, it doesn't have to perform the assault alone.

The biggest problem here, is "why would you want your men closer to the enemy?"

Well, in the old guard dex, (my preferred one) you could give guardsmen Initiative 4, Ld 9, and WS4, not to mention you could also make them all stubborn. This was kinda designed for that. Nowadays, we're forced to use WS 3 no matter what, and stubborn? Fuck that. But here's a thought. Straken and a shit ton of conscripts. 40 conscripts and straken, would still be hitting on the same 5+s as regular guardsmen in CC. as well as Str 4 initiative 4, give the conscripts a priest, and suddenly WS isn't such a big hurdle as they can reroll. Give straken's unit a standard bearer, and then they'll reroll their shitty ld5 morale checks. Not to mention straken can give the order to get back in the fight.

Mathammer wise, against 20 space marines, keep in mind, they can assault out of the transport. Without straken, 40 conscripts in his bubble of hate, and with reroll to hits from the priest, we're lookin at 80 attacks, 26 hits, with rerolls adding 18 more hits, for a total of 44 hits (look at that, more hits than 40 space marines would get against space marines, hrm?). So now about 22 wound, and about 7.62 space marines fail their saves, and die.

Space Marines attack at the same time with 22 attacks, 15 hit, 10 wound, 7 saves fail, meaning seven guardsmen dead, BUT WAIT, they win combat, thanks to the standard Straken has, so now SM take morale check -1 to ld, and that's without the priest or straken's attacks added in. just what 40 conscripts under their leadership can do. and people say guard can't assault.

Anywho, point is, you can reliably win against SM, in assault, with guard. And the Gorgon lets you get their safely.

Gorgon ftw! and really badass too!