New Imperial Guard Vehicles Roll Out for Armageddon 11e

The Astra Militarum is getting some serious firepower upgrades, and honestly, it's about time. Games Workshop just dropped details on Commissar Graves and her personal ride, plus a couple of new vehicle options that are going to shake up how Guard players approach the tabletop.

Let's talk about Commissar Graves first. This woman doesn't mess around. She commands from atop Vigilance, which is basically a Centaur on steroids – think mobile command platform meets battering ram. The thing's got an aquiline prow that isn't just for show; it'll deal mortal wounds when you ram it straight into enemy units. Yeah, you read that right. Ram first, ask questions later.

What makes Graves really interesting is her Mechanised Spearhead ability. Any Regiment units that disembark within 6" of her get a free Order immediately. That's huge for objective play. Imagine loading up Chimeras and Centaurs with Cadians, racing them up the board, and having them hop out ready to claim objectives with boosted Objective Control. The Duty and Honour! Order bumps your troops to OC 3, which means they're wrestling objectives away from most elite squads without breaking a sweat.

The regular Centaur RSV is no slouch either. With Firing Deck 12, you can pack it full of Guardsmen or Heavy Weapons Teams and turn it into a mobile firebase. Six lascannons cruising across the battlefield at full speed? Yes please. The Rapid Strike Vehicle rule gives it up to 4 extra OC depending on how many bodies you've got inside, maxing out at OC 6. That's enough to contest objectives against pretty much anything short of a dedicated melee unit.

Then there's the Hippogriff AFV. This thing's all about hit-and-run tactics. You've got four weapon options – heavy lascannon, vigilator cannon, melta cannon, or chiron gatling cannon – so you can tailor it to whatever threat you're facing. The Convoy Escort Vehicle rule lets it dash back into cover after shooting, which is perfect for keeping these lighter vehicles alive. Run them in pairs and you're looking at some serious tactical flexibility.

We're still waiting on rules for Intranzia Fraye and Inquisitor Kroyle, but if they're anywhere near as interesting as what we've seen so far, Guard players are eating good this release cycle.