Using Swap-Out Units
to Get the Most Mileage from Your Minis
One of the main purposes for this oversize Imperial Guard modeling project - I have currently modeled the entire 1st Battalion of the Ice River Guards in their close to 7500 point glory (apocalypse, here I come!) - was to create a versatile force that can be used outside the Warhammer 40K setting.
For example, if I wanted to play Stargrunt II, I could easily translate the figures I have into SGII terms - the system is designed for that. Ditto Striker or Striker II. However, if I wanted to experiment with other unit types or doctrines?
For example, if I wanted to replace the jump troops doctrine with the restricted troop type: rough riders I doubt I would use the horse mounted rough riders (though the Attilan figures would mesh well with my Valhallans). I would want something a little more hi-tech. I have some Void jet cycles (by I-Kore) that would make passable Rough Riders (gotta love counts as!).
Because the 2nd company of the battalion is constructed out of Cadian figures, I could use them as light cap-troopers in Starship Troopers. They would also make good generic troopers for Striker or SGII. The 2nd company would work well as UNA troopers for AT-43 by Rackham.
The first company would make usable Winter Guard in a Khador army for Warmachine. Just add some Warjacks and we are ready to rock. I could also use the 1st company as Red Blok troopers for AT-43 (though I admit, the pre-painted figures for AT-43 are tasty looking. They would make good Guard figures if you took the Carapace Armor doctrine).
My hover tanks would work in most sci-fi settings - which I intended when I modeled them. The standard GW tanks are usable in a low tech setting but in most situations, the hovers make more sense. In a wh40K game, the hovers are strictly VDR.
For my opposition forces, the Tau make good generic aliens and the Tyranids make good generic space monsters. I happen to have a Chaos Marine army on hand, while not particularly generic they mesh well with my general collection. Adding my old Warzone figures to the mix lets me field Genestealer Cults, Lost and the Damned, or Traitor Guard forces.
I have added a few figures from the AT-43 line (the pre-paints are great, ready to play out of the box), some old Void figures from I-Kore (they have some figures that make good snipers and partisans), a few warjacks and some scratch builds. I also have a Mobile Infantry company than 'counts as' Space Marines or Grenadiers to round out the human forces collection.
This broad selection of figures allow me to go to my collection for an army for almost any game. My guards have seen action under Starship Troopers, Stargrunt II, AT-43, Battlefield Evolution, Striker, and Warmachine rules with reasonable success in each case. The swap out figures for these games include a few Warjacks (warmachine) and some infantry walkers (AT-43). They have even functioned as Israeli and American troops in the Traveller 2300 setting campaign a few years back with a friends Orks standing in for the Kafirs.
They can serve as Khador, Terran Federation, New Israeli, Red Blok, Imperial (Third Imperium), Russian, Israeli, or even American (change the standard bearer in company 2 to carry a U.S. flag snagged from a bag of party toothpicks from the last 4th of July picnic) troops. Pretty versatile if you ask me and they give me good value for my gaming dollar. I have gotten some ribbing from my mates over my approach - and of course, after giving me grief over it they adopted it themselves. But on balance, I can pretty much play whatever my opponent wants with the figures I have on hand.
In case you haven't noticed, I tend to collect armies that represent a particular theatre of operations. This is true of my fantasy collection (Orcs, Night Goblins, Common Goblins, Army of the Necromancer, Chaos, Dwarfs, Averlander Empire and Bretonnians) with the Averlanders being my primary force. The collection representing actions that might be fought in and around Averland (web site coming soon).
My 40K collection represents actions that might be fought on or around Lyubov. Even my Battlefleet Gothic collection follows this pattern - allowing me to play BFG or any other generic space game with my figs (I like Full Thrust quite a bit).
By looking at what games are being played in your area, you can choose an army or armies that are reasonably similar and have analogs in a variety of settings. The Guard is well suited to this approach because practically all games include men with rifles. (The same reasoning makes Empire, Bretonnian, or Dogs of War good choices for fantasy generics). Keep your forces reasonably generic and you can stretch your gaming dollar and the value of your painting time. I wouldn't, for example, invest in a Dark Eldar army; not because the figures aren't cool - they are - but because they are too closely tied to the 40K universe and don't translate well to other settings. Likewise I wouldn't invest in a fantasy Skaven army for the same reasons - they don't translate to other fantasy settings as well as human, orcish, elven, or dwarfish forces would. Even Chaos armies are reasonably portable if you watch the goofiness level.
So there you have it, keep it simple and reasonably generic and you can use your collection in a variety of settings. Keep your collection consistent within itself and you have ample fodder to teach someone else how to play your favorite game(s).
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