just have the regular units be veteran guardsmen who also have medic abilities and ridiculously diverse weapon options AND could all automatically be equipped with grav-chutes(with stuff to increase effectiveness in certain areas), and have stormtroopers(karsrkin instead for cadians) as a basic class, better armored than guardsmen, but they can only have hellguns, plasma guns, melta guns, hellpistols, chainswords, powerswords(maybe), perhaps they could use plasma cannons as well(maybe flamers) and don't have grav-chutes, and don't have any healing abilities, other than reviving if that's made into something everyone has. maybe ratlings(maybe those could be an elite), sanctioned psykers could be their answer to warlocks, and they could be a basic or elite class, techpriest enginseers could be basic or elite, either works, commissars would be elites, ogryns are obvious elites, not sure if cavalry would be a separate unit that comes with the mount, or be a mount to 'buy' like a vehicle but work completely differently. would things like catachans be their own troops? or penal units? what about gaunts ghosts? with the all around utility of the imperial guardsmen, able to use (various VERY DIVERSE patterns of) shotguns, stub-guns, auto-guns, lasguns, heavy stubbers, flamers, plasma guns, and melta guns, all as a weapon usable by a single guy who doesn't have to brace--except in the case of the heavy stubber-- and able to use stub-pistols, auto-pistols, or las-pistols, along with a melee weapon/chainsword, AND able to serve as a medic, and serve as a more potent dedicated medic if they decide to take medic equipment, able to use grav-chutes to drop/fall from absurd heights for a human, and able to navigate mountainous/rough terrain easier, the guardsmen veteran class could afford to be a bit "weaker" than aspect warriors and space marines. because even though their armor and health would be next to nothing compared to space marines, and a good deal lower than aspect warriors, (it would be able to stop a few bolts) they would make the tactical marines look like specialists. and even if the marines are a lot LOT stronger, and more potent in melee, if a human can fight an ork warboss or daemon, then a very experienced human can fight a space marine or aspect warrior, and come out on top if he's good enough. this would also probably make guardsmen the most played class by a pretty big margin--bigger than any other faction, which is very lore accurate. also, humans CAN wear power armor--and have light power armor as well. perhaps they could have some kind of elite that wore light power armor, putting them just a tiny bit below power armor in quality. or you could have a hero class that wears power armor--generals/commanders do sometimes. hell, lucas alexander had two lightning claws, which i have never seen worn without power armor. i don't doubt he at least had light power armor, if not human power armor. oh, also, what about the lost and the damned? if loyalist IG are included, they need to be included as well. also, something i haven't seen discussed at all... weapon teams? obviously some guardsmen can carry their own heavy weapon, but those are few and far between, and even they have to set up on a tripod or REALLY brace. i've seen stormtroopers carry plasma cannons, albeit smaller ones than astartes carry, and smaller than the weapon teams use, so thats something else. more to come.
As I have said in the other threads on this subject, you're best bet is to follow something similar already in game. BHVR decided not to put Eldar Craftworld Guardians in, but decided to drop them (presumably because they can't go up against SM or Orks) and have an Elite Eldar army of Aspect Warriors. So why not follow this pattern with the Imperial Guard/Astra Militarum and drop the basic Guardsman to have an army of Elites. The obvious choice would be Storm Troopers, including Kasrkin and Scions Tempestus. But would you want an entire Faction made up of them? You could have Storm Troopers as one Sub-Faction, whilst the other Sub-Factions represent Elite/Veteran Regiments or the Elites of Regiments. I suggest a Recon Regiment as one Sub-Faction (Think Tanith 1st), an Armoured Warfare Regiment (Think DKoK), Drop Chute/Fast Response Regiment (Elysians), a Mounted Warfare Regiment (think Attilan Rough Riders on Bikes), and a Commando Regiment (think Catachans). I suggest these as they represent diverse modes of Gameplay, such as Stealth for the Tanith 1st, and there have been Forum Members asking about playing in some of these ways.
According to the PMs I sent to them almost 5 months ago about the IG, Scripts, and other things, I was told bluntly they had no desire to do anything with NPCs other than what was entirely necessary. I'm not wrong at all when I said they will not implement NPCs in general unless they fall under the requirements for plot/quest characters, the Tyranids, and base defenses. What they said was that they didn't want to have minions running across the battlefield or NPC defenders in the form of Guardsmen, Cultists, Gretchin, etc.
You stated they didnt plan NPCs for base defenses and you were wrong on that end, hence the correction since you were spreading misinformation. And yes you are also wrong on the other end as they didnt say a strict no to NPCs in other instances outside base guards. This is allot more recent then your 5 month PM, note how its being debated and pondered rather then outright denied as a possibility you would claim to people here: 15)Can you tell us more about pets. BRENT: We’re still formulating our plans here, but at launch, pets will not play a significant part in PvP because if everyone was running around with little followers those big battles wouldn’t look very 40k (the occasional hero might be able to have them as appropriate, however). That said, in social and PvE instances we’re looking into what makes sense for launch, but it’s still a ways out. http://forum.eternalcrusade.com/threads/q-a-answers-compilation-thread.32349/
What they could do I suppose is instead of Astra Militarum, use the Scions as the "guardy" army. Just make sure to give them the tanks and equipment of the guard. Typical guard grunts can be used as NPCs to guard Imperial-conquered forts and outposts. That ain't so bad an idea, using weaker troops as guard fodder. Guardians for Eldar, Guard for Imperium, Boyz/grots for Greenskins, and cultists/traiter guard for chaos.
I wouldnt mind seeing Armageddon Legion or Mordian Iron guard, maybe even Vostroyan or Valhallan even though i could see those not working, still strike me as viable though.
Oh an Imperial Guard thread? How quaint, I've never seen one of these But yes, I hope their will be no IoM Superfaction as it will almost certainly develop a severe population majority that literally ruins the game.
The only way the IG can work is as an Amalgam IoM force. Tacticals being Inquisitorial Agents pulled from devastated companies of Guardsmen or specialists employed into the service of the Inquisition. They'd have to be given rare weaponry and equipment like shields, the teleport devices that engage when they take damage, and advanced auspexes and such. Devastator analogue would be Ogryn/SoB/Skiitari. Raptors, if taken straight from the guard would have to be original or Harakoni War Hawks, as they're the only ones with carapace armor. I think the main problem comes down to two things. #1 is that while there could be a good degree of individual customization there's no Chapter/Craftworld/Tribe analoguethat allow for ALL the class types within a single group, so there would absolutely need to be a team up between Inquisition, Guard, and AdMech leaving no group identity for a subfaction. #2 is that why would they be fighting Space Marines? The Tau are actually better off because of their suits but still face the subfaction problem.
I'm curious how the imperial guard would even be implemented story wise to be honest. I mean I'd love to rock around with my Death Korp brigade but if they are a separate faction then they will have to fight the space marines so either 4-5 of the most devout space marine chapters are actually rouge or 4-5 of the most popular probably extremely loyal groups of Imperial guards are rouges.
