Gunline guard, Blob style

So randomly putting together lists and I remember a great piece of advice from a guy Mark (I believe that was his name) said down at Warpcon about including both Straken and Creed, and instantly refreshed the army builder to begin building a list using these two special characters.

Below is my first and slightly refined attempt at the list, and I have to be honest, it has potential...

1850 Pts - Imperial Guard Roster

HQ: Company Command Squad (5#, 225 pts)
   2 Company Command Squad, 225 pts (Unit Type: Infantry; Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x2; Lasgun x2; Camo Cloak; Medi-pack; Regimental Standard)
      1 Veteran Heavy Weapon Team (Lascannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
      1 Lord Castellan Creed (Carapace Armour; Frag Grenades; Refractor Field; Hot-shot Laspistols x2; Supreme Commander; Tactical Genius)


HQ: Company Command Squad (5#, 205 pts)
   2 Company Command Squad, 205 pts (Unit Type: Infantry; Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x2; Camo Cloak; Meltagun x2)
      1 Veteran Heavy Weapon Team (Lascannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
      1 Colonel 'Iron Hand' Straken (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Refractor Field; Close Combat Weapon; Plasma Pistol; Shotgun; Cold Steel and Courage; Gung-ho; Man of Adamantium; Senior Officer)


Troops: Infantry Platoon (47#, 470 pts)
   1 Infantry Platoon, 470 pts
      2 Platoon Command Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x2; Grenade Launcher x2)
         1 Heavy Weapons Team (Autocannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
         1 Platoon Commander (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Laspistol; Close Combat Weapon; Junior Officer)
      7 Infantry Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x7; Flak Armour; Lasgun x6; Meltagun x1; Combined Squad)
         1 Heavy Weapons Team (Autocannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
         1 Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Laspistol; Melta Bombs; Power Weapon)
      7 Infantry Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x7; Flak Armour; Lasgun x6; Meltagun x1; Combined Squad)
         1 Heavy Weapons Team (Autocannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
         1 Commissar (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Bolt Pistol; Power Weapon; Summary Execution; Stubborn)
         1 Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Laspistol; Melta Bombs; Power Weapon)
      7 Infantry Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x7; Flak Armour; Lasgun x6; Grenade Launcher x1; Combined Squad)
         1 Heavy Weapons Team (Autocannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
         1 Commissar (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Bolt Pistol; Power Weapon; Summary Execution; Stubborn)
         1 Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Laspistol; Melta Bombs; Power Weapon)
      7 Infantry Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x7; Flak Armour; Lasgun x6; Grenade Launcher x1; Combined Squad)
         1 Heavy Weapons Team (Autocannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
         1 Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Laspistol; Melta Bombs; Power Weapon)


Troops: Infantry Platoon (47#, 510 pts)
   1 Infantry Platoon, 510 pts
      2 Platoon Command Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x2; Grenade Launcher x2)
         1 Heavy Weapons Team (Autocannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
         1 Platoon Commander (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Laspistol; Close Combat Weapon; Junior Officer)
      7 Infantry Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x7; Flak Armour; Lasgun x6; Meltagun x1; Combined Squad)
         1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
         1 Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Laspistol; Melta Bombs; Power Weapon)
      7 Infantry Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x7; Flak Armour; Lasgun x6; Meltagun x1; Combined Squad)
         1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
         1 Commissar (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Bolt Pistol; Power Weapon; Summary Execution; Stubborn)
         1 Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Laspistol; Melta Bombs; Power Weapon)
      7 Infantry Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x7; Flak Armour; Lasgun x6; Grenade Launcher x1; Combined Squad)
         1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
         1 Commissar (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Bolt Pistol; Power Weapon; Summary Execution; Stubborn)
         1 Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Laspistol; Melta Bombs; Power Weapon)
      7 Infantry Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x7; Flak Armour; Lasgun x6; Grenade Launcher x1; Combined Squad)
         1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
         1 Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Laspistol; Melta Bombs; Power Weapon)


Troops: Infantry Platoon (36#, 375 pts)
   1 Infantry Platoon, 375 pts
      2 Platoon Command Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x2; Grenade Launcher x2)
         1 Heavy Weapons Team (Autocannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
         1 Platoon Commander (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Laspistol; Close Combat Weapon; Junior Officer)
      7 Infantry Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x7; Flak Armour; Lasgun x6; Meltagun x1; Combined Squad)
         1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
         1 Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Laspistol; Melta Bombs; Power Weapon)
      7 Infantry Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x7; Flak Armour; Lasgun x6; Meltagun x1; Combined Squad)
         1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
         1 Commissar (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Bolt Pistol; Power Weapon; Summary Execution; Stubborn)
         1 Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Laspistol; Melta Bombs; Power Weapon)
      7 Infantry Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x7; Flak Armour; Lasgun x6; Grenade Launcher x1; Combined Squad)
         1 Heavy Weapons Team (Lascannon; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1)
         1 Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Laspistol; Melta Bombs; Power Weapon)
Elite: Guardsman Marbo (1#, 65 pts)


 1 Guardsman Marbo, 65 pts (Unit Type: Infantry; Demolition Charge; Envenomed Blade; Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Melta Bombs; Ripper Pistol; He's Behind You; Loner; Fearless; Fleet; Hit & Run; Move Through Cover; Stealth)

So what do we have? Well both command squads are built for the special characters, although they are lacking I believe, and maybe should have points dropped to allow creed's to get a couple of bodyguards in just to further increase survival to allow him to keep issuing orders while his Lascannon team pops off some shots until it is killed (I'm assuming the squad bar the heavy weapons team is deployed out of sight, meaning once the team dies you just use the squad as order givers).

With Straken's squad again it’s a bit lacking in this first semi refined draft, but it has potential again with the token heavy weapon team, a few meltaguns to help close range and camo cloaks for better protection. (Although I have been musing dropping marbo to fund both of these squads upgrade suggestions) Maybe adding in a medi pack to allow more help in keeping him alive to give the units counter attack. Again the HW will be in the open shooting and the rest will be hidden within range of the blobs and Creed's squad.

The blobs are 4squads strong with mixed in equipment, the first one having 2 Melta sand 2 GL and all squads having autocannons for light suppression, With 2 commissars you split them up into 20 man blobs (one with 2 meltas, 2 GLs), the second blob comes with 2 Melta sand 2 GL and all squads having Lascannons, which again break into two blobs with the commissars going one in each. The final is only 3 squads with 2 Melta sand 1 GL and all squads having Lascannon. The platoon command squads for all three run with 2 GLs and autocannons to keep them slightly lower threat than the main blobs.

So the final squad runs as one twenty man squad and a 10 man reserve  squad which hides on objectives with only the heavy weapon showing if possible (Or you an just keep them as one bigger blob). All the squad shave power weapons and Melta bombs on the sgts, and the Commissars have power weapons.

The final addition to the list is Marbo, who can pop out and disrupt enemy armour or objective holding squads... though I'm curious if more upgrades would be better than using him.

So the main block of our army allows for both tons of shooting, with 10 separate units with good range shooting and high str weapons hidden in squads, which get boosted in reliability from Straken and creed issuing orders to BID or the likes, and with both characters we can make 6 squads reliable and use the PCS and their own squads to just fire some single shot annoyance where it is needed, while having power weapons which benefit from straken's counter attack or furious charge if needed, it covers both bases, but whether the cost is too much to do this I haven't worked out yet.

So as I said, to me the list looks like on paper it has potential, and after some refining and point swapping it could be something decent, but come game time this could be proved wrong.