Codex: Ice River Guards

1. Vanilla isn't dull! Just because these guys don't have any cool special rules like the Catachans doesn't mean they are dull.

While the Ice River Guards do not deviate from the rules from the Imperial Guard Codex, they are anything but boring. They have a unique background developed to match my personality and style of play; well-rounded special characters; allies and enemies; and plenty of opportunities for figure conversions, terrain making, and vehicle customizations. 

Admittedly, their paint scheme isn't particularly compelling. They remain very close to the historical scheme of the WWII Soviets who inspired the Valhallan sculpts in the first place. Of course, I don't consider this to be a real downside. I am not a Golden Demon level painter and I am betting you aren't either! If you are, please pardon my pitiful attempts at painting, but the fact that your level of painting talent isn't something anyone can achieve is what makes your artwork special.

I am of the 'I could paint that' school of thought when it comes to displaying my talents online. I am definitely an amateur and make no claims of painting superiority to anyone.

Codex: Ice River Guards is an example of how far you can go and how much creativity you can put into your army and still be able to use it anywhere. Read through this codex and get some ideas you can use when designing your own Imperial Guard Regiment.

I did convert some ideas from the Warhammer Fantasy General's Compendium but these are definitely optional and fall under the rubric of 'Scenario Rules' and are not general changes to the way any particular game is played. They can be completely disregarded without detracting from the flavor of the army at all.

2. Create a Regiment of Household troops for yourself! This was an idea inspired by the old Adeptus Titanicus game. According to the campaign rules for that game, you could become the grandmaster of your own Titan legion. Likewise, I am suggesting you cast yourself as the Governor of an Imperial World. If you're starting your own Imperial Guard army you might want to consider making them your own personal household troops as I have done with my own Ice River Guards. Yes, it will take some additional time and yes, you will be writing a lot of background for your army but it will give your unit choices a context and make modeling decisions much easier.

You should name your regiment. You should also decide on its basic character, religious beliefs, culture, mottoes, uniforms, decorations, insignia, heraldry, tactical markings, cammo schemes etc. If this seems like a lot of work, the rewards are well worth the effort: you will have a visually distinctive army that is truly your own and as you complete custom terrain and characters for your household troops they will literally draw a crowd whenever you put them on the table.

I've lost count of how many times I've had other gamers--even at busy events like Albacon, Council of Five Nations or even Origins--stop what they were doing and come over to check out my figures. And I am far from the world's best painter--it's not my artistic skills, it's the design.