Doctrines
Intensive training is not uncommon among the regiments of the Imperial Guard, but few regiments take the military principle of celerity as seriously as the Ice River Guards. The Ice River Guards are trained as drop troops, allowing them to deploy on to high value targets. The theory being, if you can deliver strong hammer blows to the command and control ability of the enemy, the balance of their army will quickly falter and can be defeated in detail. This is a legacy of the liberation of Lyubov where a coordinated Imperial invasion rendered the Chaos forces neutral in less than three months despite the planet's considerable defenses.
As each regiment of the Lyubov military is expected to be capable of independent operations, they tend to rely on significant organic heavy weapons platoons to provide fire support and special forces troops to provide raider capability even to line companies.
Unlike many Imperial Guard regiments, the Ice River Guards do not view men as cannon fodder to be expended like ammunition. The men of Lyubov are loyal, highly trained, well-lead and brave soldiers. The officer corps is a well-trained and professional class of military men who owe their positions more to merit than social connections. Because they are selected for competence rather than political reasons, Lyubov officers and NCOs tend to command the respect of the men serving under them.
The value of human life is recognized by Lyubov's leadership, especially given the amount of resources dedicated to training each soldier. The Imperial Commissars assigned to Lyubov frequently quote the maxims "A good general does not lead an army to destruction simply because he can" and warn Lyubov officers that "to accept unnecessary casualties is to betray the Emperor" from the Tactica Imperium. As such, the massed frontal charges so popular with many regiments are rarely seen among Lyubov units. Instead, stealthy approaches designed to minimize casualties, sniper fire to remove enemy officers and concentrated efforts focused on the weakest points in the enemy line are more the order of the day.
The Light Infantry has the following doctrines:
- Regimental Organization: Drop Troops (allows the regiment to attack deep behind enemy lines)
- Troop Types: Heavy Weapons Platoons (provides organic support easily deployed by drop pod)
- Troop Types: Stormtroopers (provides organic raider capability)
- Skills: Iron Discipline (professional officer corps and well-trained NCOs)
- Skills: Light Infantry (allows the regiment's infantry to approach by stealth and take out high value targets with sniper fire)
Using the Ice River Guards Army List
The Ice River Guards army list is identical in structure to the standard army list in Codex: Imperial Guard; Naturally some unit choices are limited owing to fighting doctrine (see above) or the cultural traditions of the regiment. Unless otherwise noted, all of the rules, options, and limitations that apply to a normal Imperial Guard army also apply to an Ice River Guards army.
Choosing Your Army
When you are choosing your army, you may make choices from the Codex: Imperial Guard army, observing the limits of engagement size, organization chart requirements, and point values for any other Imperial Guards army. Since this army is governed by Jewish priorities and ethics, certain troop types are prohibited or not appropriate even as allies.
Ice River Guards Quirks
The Ice River Guards diverge only slightly from the Codex Exercitus, the great tome that describes how the Imperial Guard should be organized.
The Ice River Guards hail from Lyubov, a world that does not follow the teachings of the Ecclesiarchy, so priests may never be taken as advisors nor may the Ice River Guards be inducted by priestly delegations nor serve in armies that include Sisters of Battle.
Lyubov was sorely oppressed during the Chaos occupation, the revolution that assisted the Imperium in reclaiming the world was occasioned by extremely bloody (but effective) purges of all traces of Chaos taint from the population. The Judges (the local equivalent of the Ordo Hereticus) spend a lot of time rooting out any hint of illegal psyker activity, as such no sanctioned pyskers exist in the local military establishment. The only psykers that the regiment will serve alongside are those who serve among the judges. Note that Lyubov judges will not take a bound psyker or a daemonhost as part of their retinue (Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live - Ex. 22:18).
The anathema against witches in the culture of Lyubov is very pronounced. As a result even Imperial agencies are reluctant to use psykers on Lyubov (There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch - Deu. 18:10)
As the population of Lyubov is exclusively human, no abhuman troops can be attached to an Ice River Guards army. Ogryns work the mines of the outer system but do not figure in the defense of the mainworld. The local xenos (the Trups) are semi-intelligent and are used for menial labor but also do not figure in the defense of the world.
Ice River Guards Organization
The Ice River Guards do not organize themselves into 5 companies, as do most codex IG regiments. Lyubov is a technologically advanced world capable of building a respectable naval squadron in addition to serving the needs of the Imperial Navy. There is no need to limit regiment size to what can be transported aboard a single cruiser. The Ice River Guards are organized the same way as a traditional Imperial Army regiment - a Regimental HQ with attached assets, three battalion commands each with three subordinate companies. In outline the Regiment consists of a regimental HQ, and three battalions. Each Battalion consists of a battalion HQ, two drop infantry companies and an armored cavalry company.
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