I was asked in late 2021 to do an article on my top 5 Astra Militarum units to field. And so, here we are!

After years of collecting, buying and selling, building and painting, we realised that we had amassed a small library of Build Instructions, Assembly Instructions and User Guides for various Games Workshop products. They hail from a series of cold and barren planets across the galaxy that possess high gravity, such as Anark Zeta, which is why they appear larger, heavier and bulkier compared to baseline Humans.AM vehicles are not efficient from range 1. That means, they are not getting any damage boost if shooting at range 1, while many of their enemies get damage boost when shooting at them from range 1. From memory no AM vehicle has rapid fire (Chimera has a minor rapid fire weapon if it has infantry inside) or melta or melee weaponry or range 1 weaponry. Most of your enemies have. So if you are exchanging fire at range 1, you are fighting inefficiently, you are allowing your enemy to use most of his offensive power vs you without you getting any benefit. That is why you need cheap meat shields, AKA Astra Militarum infantry. Cheap numerous and mostly tanky infantry that can hold the line, preferably in cover, and let your vehicles shoot from behind. Scout Sentinels and Hydras are squishy at range 1 without any damage boost, Basilisks can't even shoot at range 1 except 1 heavy bolter, Leman Rus gets no damage benefit at all from range 1 while being in danger more, especially from melee hitters like Tyrannids who can also ignore his smoke and camo netting protections.... Only the Baneblade gets some benefit at range 1 with the aura of fear, and that can be hit or miss if your enemy is fearless. So you need meat shields, even later in the game, at least until you start fielding Baneblades. Your idea that mixing your AM army has no benefits is simply not true, you just haven't thought more thoroughly about it. Up your AI difficulty a little. The full Brute squat providing cover for Inquisitor Mane and her Relic Land Raiders and Ministorium Priestesses. Krourk Ogryn Auxilia - The Krourk Ogryn Auxilia are an Ogryn Abhuman Imperial Guard Regiment that hail from the high gravity steppe world of Krourk. These particularly brutal Ogryns have developed a warlike culture which has provided frontline troops for the armies of the Armageddon Sector for centuries. The use of Ogryns from the Krourk Auxilia is always heavily-controlled, for they are a brutal race that can prove to be just as dangerous to their allies as to any enemy of the Imperium. They are sent to Imperial Guard regiments in single squads and between battles the Ogryns are often kept heavily sedated, which does little to improve their already volatile temperament when they are finally unleashed in combat. In battle, the Krourk Ogryns become an almost unstoppable force. Whilst they have little patience or aptitude for the use of the relatively complex Ripper Gun, the damage they can cause with their own primitive close combat weapons is without measure. In numbers, a mob can tear apart lightly armoured vehicles and even bring down small buildings with little effort. Often the greatest problem in their use is rounding them all up after the battle has ended, before their delight in sheer violence causes serious collateral damage.

Through the use of further modification and forbidden methods, Chaos Renegades have also created two distinct variations of Ogryn Brutes, the Ogryn Berserkers and the Plague Ogryns. We are a small team of Warhammer Enthusiasts and miniature collectors, hoping to support and further promote the hobby. As a unit they are fairly middling I feel. BS4+ with 3x D6 Assault shots could result in a wasted unit of Kroot per turn – it could also result in zero dead Kroot. It is a unit that is not really kitted out to do one job really well. The 2+ armour save is a nice thing to have and will force your opponent to throw a lot of dice at them before they die. The 4++ could be handy too. The type of shield you go for might determine where you deploy your Bullgryns. Avoid Lascannons if you’ve got the Slabshield for example. Or avoid massed Gauss/Lasgun/Bolter/Shoota fire if you’ve got the Brute Shield.

Ogryns

Assigned to Inquisitor Valeria Mane for permanent placement, these Bullgryn warriors are a living wall of armor and strength that adds a much needed ability to aid the good Inquisitor on her mission across the stars. Some of these may seem obvious to veteran players. But the suggestion came from a newcomer and this sort of article is valuable to new players who may not have such an in-depth knowledge of the Astra Militarum – and all it has to offer. The Adeptus Ministorum has difficulties with equiping our newest recruits: Bullgryns. We are granted 2 Squads. One for close combat and one for fire support. One of the adepts suggested we use slab shields with the Bullgryn Mauls and Brute Shields with the Grenadier Gauntlets. The Bullgryn Maul changes the Bullgryn tactics for me a lot in 8th edition. It has an AP of -1. The AP in 7th edition meant that heavy infantry still got their save, even Tactical Marines. But now all models you hit will have a save that is one worse than normal. Land Raiders and Terminators now get a 3+ save and not a 2+ save. And the Bullgryn Maul does 2 Damage! The Ogryns are the toughest and largest soldiers commonly used by the regiments of the Astra Militarum. Originating from cold, barren, high-gravity prison planets settled many millennia before the founding of the Imperium of Man, the Ogryns' distant ancestors were once normal, baseline Humans during the Age of Technology.

Yet, despite this universal proficiency, there are individuals to whom the allure of smashing their enemies to a pulp and breaking their bones with blows from their massive fists is particularly appealing. These are the Ogryns who are always near the front of their unit, eagerly wading into combat with whatever weapon happens to be at hand. Orcan Stonecrushers - The Orcan Stonecrushers are an Ogryn Abhuman Imperial Guard regiment that hails from the high gravity world of Orcus, located in the Calixis Sector. Following their discovery by the Imperium in the wake of the Angevin Crusade, the Ogryn population was welcomed into the Imperium and wholeheartedly embraced the Imperial Creed. Recently, several Ogryn regiments have been raised in the aftermath of the Imperium's retaking of Orcus from the traitorous Severan Dominate forces during the massive campaign being fought in the Spinward Front. Each time an Astra Militarum unit Remains Stationary , until the end of the turn, ranged weapons have [Lethal Hits] . That evening the local mechanicus servitors arrive in the Ogryns commmon area with a surprise. A Dreadnought system was viciously ruined during the battle, but one of the arms was still largely intact. With a little inspiration, the Mechanicus Priest claims that Sgt Jones will have a new arm. Praise to the Emperor!

In 9th edition, the Militarum were all but last to receive a codex (with only the ‘new’ World Eaters coming after them), and it had a hell of a lot going on. The core concepts of that codex remain in this index, but like everything else in 10th the fat has been cut away; let’s take a look at what the men and women of the Guard are working with now. Here is one of the actual Bullgryn models I managed to get. As a member of the esteemed power maul assault group, he wears a personalized set of carpace armor.

First and foremost, Astra Militarum is not doing great right now all in all, let's get that out of the way. That being said, let's talk about something that's been talked about before, but hasn't yet for 9th, the ol' Crusader vs. Bulgryn Debate. I'm also aware that much of this might be outdated when Astra Militarum Codex or equivalent drops, but we've got some time till then. Under the new Morale Phase if you lose one Bullgryn (and it will not be the Bone ‘ead because you decide which one dies) then your remaining Bullgryns will still be Leadership 8. If you roll a 6 then you cannot lose another one as the maximum you can roll is 7. Even if you lose two Bullgryns and the Bone ‘ead remains and you roll a 6 this adds up to 8 under the new rules. This 8 equals your Leadership so you’re safe again from taking additional casualties from failing a morale test. First off: The list in which these bullgryn will be fielded, is a Tempestus Scion Drop Force List. A Battalion lead by an Inquisitor, 3x Tempestus Primes, 3x 10-man-Squads all Hot-Shot Lasguns, 3x 5-man-Squads 2x Hot-Shot Lasguns +2x Plasma + Sergeant w/ Plasma Pistol, 3x Tempestus Command Squad w/ Meltas, 2 Valkyries, 2-3 Taurox Primes + These Bullgryns and/or Crusaders. Anyway, 4 Bullgryns in a Chimera is amazing. I want to leave my office right now and play this right now!

Contents

It’s very easy to detail a bad target. But if you want to avoid hitting big things and things with one wound. What’s the middle ground? Doing this for three or four turns results in scores and scores of Guardsmen dying but the enemy gaining no ground. Wonderful. Of the four available Enhancements, Kurov’s Aquila, and Grand Strategist are the only two that really catch my eye. Before we begin we’d like to thank Games Workshop for providing us with a review copy of the Index for review purposes.