The Imperial Guard are a specific army or faction in the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game and universe. The army itself is characterised by being capable of fielding a multitude of lightly-armoured, average infantry in combination with some of the toughest and most powerful tanks in the game.^[1] In the game universe, the Imperial Guard is a colossal military organisation consisting of many billions of men and women from millions of different worlds and systems within the Imperium of Man.^[2]

The Imperial Guard is a colossal military organisation, consisting of many billions of men and women from millions of different worlds and systems within the Imperium of Man. Each regiment is a force of between five hundred and ten thousand fighting soldiers, supported by a huge array of light and heavy armoured vehicles. Each regiment also has its own entourage, consisting of support staff, camp followers, suppliers, tech-priests, doctors, religious leaders and the like.

The Imperial Guard are far more numerous than the Space Marines. The contributions of some planets to Imperial Guard regiments over the ten thousand years of the Imperium runs into the billions, if not more. The Imperial Guard are constantly at war, freeing worlds from Chaotic or alien influence, or defending them from the same. The Imperial Guard rely upon the Imperial Navy for transport to and from warzones.

The first edition of Warhammer 40,000 included rules for a force known as the "Army." Later their name was changed to "Imperial Guard."

The Imperial Guard, first introduced in White Dwarf 109, was bound by a series of rules relating to its command structure. Squads of units formed platoons under a command squad. Units that were separated from the command squad were more limited in action. The initial Imperial Army could include besides the basic squads, Rough Riders (a form of mounted trooper), penal troops, human bombs and Abhumans (see below). Vehicles were limited to Rhinos, and Land Speeders.

The first incarnation of the Imperial Guard as a fully-supported army was in 1995, with the release of the Codex: Imperial Guard sourcebook for the second edition of Warhammer 40,000. This was the first time that the army itself had specific army rules collected in their own sourcebook.^[3] With the release of the third edition of the game, almost all the Warhammer 40,000 armies eventually had new codices compatible with the new edition. In line with this, Codex: Imperial Guard was released in 1999,^[4] followed by Codex: Catachans in 2001. This was a smaller sourcebook (or mini-dex/mini-codex) that was meant to be used in conjunction with the "parent" Codex: Imperial Guard. The mini-dex itself provided even more specific rules for fielding one of the more popular Imperial Guard sub-armies, the Catachan Jungle Fighters, for which plastic models were available.^[5] In 2003, Games Workshop conducted the Eye of Terror worldwide campaign and released a corresponding sourcebook, Codex: Eye of Terror. This campaign sourcebook contained various rules, including a specific army list for another one of the Imperial Guard's notable sub-armies, the Cadian Shock Troops.^[6] Soon after the campaign ended, the changes in the Cadian Shock Troops army list were integrated into the Imperial Guard rules, and Games Workshop released a second, revamped version of Codex: Imperial Guard.^[1] To date, there has not been an official fourth edition ruleset version of Codex:Imperial Guard, although Games Workshop has stated that the latest codex is completely compatible with the newest version of the Warhammer 40,000 rules.

Because of the low in-game points cost of each individual Imperial Guardsmen, Imperial Guard armies are capable of fielding a much larger number of troops than most other armies. In addition, they have access to varied vehicles, such as the Leman Russ main battle tank, Basilisk mobile artillery and the Chimera armoured troop transport.

In the latest Codex, many "doctrines" allow the Imperial Guard to become much more varied, allowing players to make their troops more effective in close-quarters combat, upgrade their armour or utilise specialist troop types.

In addition to humans, the Imperial Guard also contains several types of abhumans - species evolved from humans that differ markedly from the norm. The two species most commonly found are the Ogryns (the counterpart of the Warhammer Fantasy setting ogres) and the Ratlings (the equivalent of the halfling/hobbit).

One of the more unique aspects of the Imperial Guard army are its Commissars. They are represented as akin to stereotypical Soviet political commissars, simultaneously exhorting the troops to greater efforts and summarily executing anyone showing signs of cowardice.

Infantry Guardsmen are the backbone of the Imperial Guard. They make up the bulk of the Imperium's armed forces and can be counted in the tens of billions. Imperial Guard regiments can number anywhere between a thousand and tens of thousands of infantry, with attached artillery and mechanised formations swelling this figure even further.

Many primitive cultures in the Imperium retain the use of cavalry, whether they be normal horses, cybernetically altered steeds, motorbikes or alien creatures. They are typically armed with a laspistol and close combat weapon, but can also carry shotguns or lasguns. The signature weapon of Rough Rider units is the hunting lance, a lance-like weapon fitted with a shaped charge in addition to or in place of the usual spearhead. Rough riders are used to harass the enemy's flanks or to act as a light reconaisance unit.

Storm Troopers are a cadre of elite troops available to most Imperial Guard armies. They are equipped with better armour and equipment than ordinary Imperial Guardsmen. They wear carapace armour for protection and are armed with hellguns instead of the less-powerful lasguns. Storm troopers are often carried into battle in Chimera APCs or Valkyrie Airborne Assault Carriers.

Using the above mentioned Doctrine rules, some regiments field Grenadiers which are specialized members of the same Imperial Guard regiment that have received specialist training and equipment. In-game, Grenadiers are represented by the same unit profile as Storm Troopers and perform a similar function, although they are completely different in background terms.

In the background literature, Storm Troopers do not belong to the Imperial Guard regiments that they are fielded with. Instead, they are trained and fielded by the Schola Progenium of the Imperium, prestigious academies which provide advanced training to many Imperial special forces.^[1]

Outside of the tabletop games, Storm Troopers make an appearance as third-tier troops for the Imperial Guard faction in the video game Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War. Since the game's Imperial Guard faction is based on the Cadian regiment, the Storm Troopers are instead referred to as Kasrkin.^[7]

Early editions of WH40K included the option to field Imperial beastmen. These were half human and half animal, the parallel to the Chaos Beastmen of the Warhammer Fantasy world. Their motivation, as subhumans, being the chance to prove themselves in their face of their obvious physical corruption. In later editions they were removed from the Imperial Guard to appear in a more logical place alongside the ranks of Chaos.

In White Dwarf issue #303, an official article was published featuring Doctrines to allow Imperial Guard armies to take units of other types of Abhumans. The article featured Beastmen (Homo Sapiens Variatus, not quite as extreme as the original beastmen), Mutant Slave Levies (ordinary mutant slaves rounded up for cannon fodder), Feral Ogryns (even nastier and more primitive than regular Ogryns), Nightsiders (originating from worlds of perpetual or near-perpetual darkness, little to no ability to see but perfect warriors for Night Fighting missions), Afriel Strain Soldiers (genetically engineered from DNA taken from great heroes of the Imperium, who were better soldiers but were very unlucky and unpopular), Subs (relatively genetically stable but still hideously deformed mutant sub-breeds) and Gland Warriors (Imperial Guardsmen implanted with special organs and glands that secrete combat-useful chemicals, such as stimms and pain-killers).

Ogryn are large, powerful, and rather stupid abhumans prized for their loyalty, strength, and toughness. They are typically armed with Ripper Guns, weapons that can be considered either large shotguns, or small cannons.

Ratlings are everything the Ogryn is not: Small, weak, but very intelligent. They often have keen eyesight, and their small size makes it easier for them to hide. They're typically regulated to support duties, but often serve as marksmen on the field.

Known as Enginseers, These representatives of the Adeptus Mechanicus repair and maintain the vehicles of the Imperial Guard. Often accompanied by Servitors, Enginseers will even rush to repair vehicles while under heavy fire.

Some of the major strengths of the Imperial Guard army are their vehicles. From the fragile Sentinel to the devastatingly destructive Leman Russ Demolisher, the vehicles of the Imperial Guard significantly add to their effectiveness as an army.

The primary appeal to Imperial Guard players of the Warhammer 40,000 game is that the Guard are 'human'. In a game filled with genetically modified supermen, alien mystics, and all-consuming hive-minds, the Imperial Guard are just soldiers. Carrying a lasgun and wearing flak armour, the Imperial Guard are forced to rely on sheer numbers, massed-fire tactics and courage to win their battles.

Secondly, the Imperial Guard have a large range of tanks and armoured vehicles compared to many other armies, and have been heavily supplemented by the Forge World Imperial Armour series of books and resin kits. This appeals to the 'treadheads' (or 'tank-lovers') among the player community, and was catered to in the third and fourth editions of the game by the release of rules for an Armoured Company composed entirely of tanks. This army list can also be used to field Siege Regiments comprising of forward Artillery vehicles. It was Chapter Approved for the 2006 Tournament circuit[1].

Another draw for players is the variety of model styles for the miniatures. The various Imperial Guard regiments produced or described by Games Workshop draw on a variety of historical and fictional inspirations. In the earliest editions, the Imperial Guard were very homogeneous in appearance and there was no visual distinction between regiments other than colour and decoration of their uniforms. As of the 4th Editon, however, there are several different stylings of infantry soldiers, in plastic, metal, or resin, available from Games Workshop or Forge World.

There are millions of worlds contributing Imperial Guard Regiments to the Imperium's defence, each world having its own methods of training, its own unique equipment, and its own specialisations. Even so, the regiments of certain worlds stand out, and are renowned throughout the Imperium for their deeds, strengths and methods of combat.

A summary of these regiments can be found at History of the Imperial Guard

Imperial Guard armies are organised under several levels, the most common being the regiment. A regiment consists of twenty to twenty-five companies while a company includes between 50 and 200 soldiers. This means that a single regiment consists of roughly ten thousand fighting men! When a regiment becomes too small to become combat effective it is merged with other units into combined regiments.

The diversity of Imperial Guard regiments mean that there are literally thousands of variations on officers' ranks throughout the Imperium. However, local variations are generally tied to a basic standard list of officer ranks, for determining comparative seniority between regiments, a tentative hierarchy of which might be as follows:

• Lord Commander Militant of the Imperial Guard
• Lord Commander Militant (High Commander Militant)
• Lord General Militant
• Lord General (Lord Marshal and Lord Castellan)
• General
• Lieutenant General
• Major General
• Brigadier General
• Colonel
• Major
• Captain
• Lieutenant

Two other notable officer ranks exist amongst the Imperial Guard. Commissars (almost certainly modelled on the Soviet political officers of the same name) are individuals attached to Imperial Guard regiments for the purposes of maintaining rigid Imperial discipline throughout the Guard. The rank of Warmaster is a title issued by the High Lords of Terra to a military commander (usually a previous holder of the Lord General or Lord Marshal rank, or else an Admiral of the Imperial Navy) when one overarching leader is deemed necessary to command a crusade of historic magnitude (examples include the Warmasters Horus, Slaydo, Macaroth, and Lord Commander Solar Macharius). A Warmaster’s military authority is absolute within his assigned area of operations, and it is for this reason that a Guard officer desiring this rank must be seconded by two Admirals of the Imperial Navy (similarly, a Naval officer holding the rank must be seconded by two Generals, or other senior staff officers, of the Imperial Guard). There is seldom more than one of these individuals in the entire Imperium at any one time. While it is said that a commander with the rank Lord Solar is higher than a Warmaster they are actually the same rank. On occasion the rank Warmaster, due to its association with Horus, simply falls out of favour and is replaced with Lord Solar.

Other ranks of import to the Imperial Guard are the Imperial Commanders, who have authority over the standing forces on an Imperial world (generally held by the Planetary Governor of the world in question) and the Lord Commanders of the Segmentae Majoris, a primarily administrative rank whose incumbents are responsible for overseeing and directing the Imperial military within one of the five Segmentae of the galaxy.

All remaining troopers are enlisted soldiers. Like the commissioned ranks, the enlisted rank structure can vary wildly from regiment to regiment. However, the Imperial Guard does have a very basic enlisted rank structure:

• Sergeant
• Corporal
• Private

Others mentioned include Bombardier, Master Sniper, Colour Sergeant and Command Sergeant. Again, other variations exist based on planet of origin, Crusade or Army group etc. Some Sergeants in the Imperial Guard are known as 'Veteran Sergeants' but this is not generally an actual rank - Veteran Sergeants are either very experienced holders of the Sergeant rank or senior NCOs. The evolved Ogryns and Ratlings seem either to follow no ranking system at all or some internal ranking system, although they are obliged to obey Imperial Guard officers. Some Ogryns are given surgery to augment their intelligence, a process known as "Biochemical Ogryn Neural Enhancement" (BONE). Ogryns that receive these modifications are able to act as middlemen between humans and other Ogryns, and are often known as "Bone 'eads".

• Lord Commander Solar Macharius
• Commissar Yarrick
• Nork Deddog
• Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt
• Colonel Schaeffer (and his Last Chancers)
• Lord Castellan Ursarkar E. Creed and his colour sergeant Jarran Kell
• Commissar Ciaphas Cain

From the PC game, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War

• Colonel Carus Brom

From the PC game, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Winter Assault Expansion Pack.

• General Sturnn

From the PC game, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade Expansion Pack.

• Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander

The portrayal of the Imperial Guard in novels has often been contradictory and varied. Some works portray them as competent modern soldiers capable of following combined arms tactics, while others show them as barely trained conscripts using ancient World War One-era tactics.

There are several novels featuring the Imperial Guard, published by the Black Library

• The Gaunt's Ghosts series, by Dan Abnett.

• The Last Chancers Trilogy, by Gav Thorpe:
  • 13th Legion
  • Kill Team
  • Annihilation Squad

• The Ciaphas Cain series, by Sandy Mitchell:
  • For the Emperor
  • Caves of Ice
  • The Traitor's Hand
  • Death or Glory
  • Duty Calls

• Double Eagle, by Dan Abnett.

• Fifteen Hours, by Mitchell Scanlon.

• Death World, by Steve Lyons

• The Imperial Guard make a guest appearance in the single player campaign of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War led by Colonel Carus Brom as NPCs and playable units in some missions . They have since been expanded into a playable faction in the expansion pack Winter Assault, with the Cadian 412th Regiment under the command of General Sturnn in the Order Campaign. Additionally, in Dark Crusade, the second expansion pack, the Imperial Guard makes an appearance as the 1st Kronus regiment, "The Liberators", led by Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander with their home territory based out of "Victory Bay."
• The Imperial Guard were part of the Imperium's force in Final Liberation: Warhammer Epic 40,000, the other two parts consisting of the Space Marines and the Adeptus Mechanicus Titan legions.
• The Imperial Guard also make appearances as opposition in the Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior first-person shooter.
• The Imperial Guard has made appearance also in Warhammer 40,000 Rites of War, computer game. Usually used alongside Space Marine forces (much like in the Final Liberation.)

• History of the Imperial Guard
• Equipment of the Imperium (Warhammer 40,000)
• Weapons of the Imperium (Warhammer 40,000)
• Vehicles of the Imperial Guard (Warhammer 40,000)
• Vehicles of the Imperium (Warhammer 40,000)

• Chambers, Andy (2003). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Imperial Guard (4th Edition ed.). Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-410-8. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Johnson, Jervis (2001). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Catachans. Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-016-1.
• Imperial Guard Homepage from the UK Games Workshop website. URL accessed on 9 January 2006.
• Armoured Company Rules from the US Games Workshop website. URL accessed on 8 December 2006.