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40k Rules We Need: Imperial Guard PDF

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Maybe Guard doesn’t need love in the sense of points cost for units…But more diversity would be great. That’s where the PDF would come in.

Old-timers say Imperial Guard took a hit when GW announced that they aren’t printing any more of the older regiments like Vostroyans and Elysians. Maybe now GW could bring back a blast from the past; The Planetary Defence Force or PDF for short.

Rules We Need: Imperial Guard Planetary Defense Force

PDF Rules We Need: Imperial Guard Planetary Defense Force

The Planetary Defense Force is the first line of defense on all Imperial Homeworlds. They are usually shoddy at best and live on a prayer day by day. They have about 30 minutes of military training and half of that time was spend teaching them how to do a push-up.

They’re essentially meatshields intended to tire the enemy out and buy time long enough for an actual Regiment of Guard or a Space Marine chapter to show up. Some planets are better off than others, like the PDF on Armageddon who defended the planet from an Ork invasion TWICE. We also can’t forget about the Ultramarines PDF Ultramar auxilia. Even the worst of the Ultramarines forces is still the “best”.

PDF on the Table

IG PDF

The PDF never had their own models, but they did have rules back in the early 2000s. A top Ultramarine list actually ran some Auxilia PDF. What we are getting at is this is another untouched goldmine for GW. There are probably more Imperial Guard players than there are Space Marine players at this point.

Maybe they could start bringing updated models of IG to the table now that they announced they aren’t printing the older and less-popular Regiments. PDF coming back would be great because they’d more likely be cheaper than a Guardsmen because they’re objective worse in the fluff. It would be a neat little way for Elite armies to keep farming command points in line with the fluff, and GW could release a new line of models for them. Or conversely, if the Guard gets nerfed for the CP farming, maybe the only way to allow it going forward could be new PDF rules?

They’d probably sell like hotcakes either way…

neil the admech

Guardsmen are like the fire ants that run out after you kick an ant hill. They know you’re bigger than them but they don’t care. They will throw bodies at you until you tire yourself out and then make the killing blow.

There is a Lasgun behind every blade of grass in the 40k universe. It wouldn’t be fair to limit the IG forces to a handful of Regiments on the tabletop. It doesn’t do the fluff justice.

What do you think about the Planetary Defense Force? Have you played them years ago? Would you like to see them come back with some new models? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.

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About the Author: Wesley Floyd

Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, King of sprues.