Penal Squads for WH40k
By Tim Peers
Every regiment has its scum. Heretics, shirkers, barrack-room lawyers- there is no place for such men in a modern army. But there is a place for them in the Imperial Guard. That place is the Penal Battalion. Penal troops are given the most basic equipment, and thrown straight into the fiercest fighting. Explosive collars, remotely controlled by an officer, ensure obedience and a deadman switch puts paid to any ideas of mutiny. The scum fight for their Emperor just like everyone else- and sometimes, just sometimes, they can tip the balance.
Using Penal Squads in an army
An Imperial Guard army may include up to one Penal Squad per Infantry Platoon. This squad is drawn from a seperate Penal Battalion and so does not count against the usual 2-5 squads quota- so at least two other Infantry Sqauds must be in the Platoon. The Lieutenant of the Platoon is the squads Overseer.
Penal Squad
|
Points
|
WS
|
BS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
I
|
A
|
Ld
|
Sv
|
|
|
Penitent
|
6
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
3
|
1
|
7
|
5+
|
Squad: The squad consists of 5-10 Penitents
Weapons: Lasguns. .
Options: One model may carry a Comm-Link at +5 points.
Scum: The squad may never be led or joined by any Characters.
Collars: Whenever the squad fails a Morale or Pinning test, their Overseer will detonate an explosive collar. One Penitent is immediately removed as a casualty (the owning player chooses which one) and the squad immediately takes the test again. If the second test is failed, remove another Penitent and so on until the squad passes the test or is wiped out. Any tests after the first in an assault are taken without modifiers for being outnumbered etc. The squad suffers no modifier for being below 50% strength. If the squad is reduced to one Pentitent, he may re-roll any failed morale check once- a second failure removes him.
Overseer: The Lieutenant of the Infantry Platoon to which the squad is assigned has the control device for the explosive collars. If this officer should be killed, the deadman switch will activate, killing any remaining Penitents under his control.
Optional Rule- Court Martial: If you take a 5 strong Penal Squad, you may, if you wish, roll 1D6-4 for each Infantry Squad in the same Platoon as the Penitents (not the command squad). If the result is positive, that many Guardsmen from the squad are caught engaged in illegal activity, and sentenced to the Penal Legion- remove the Guardsmen from their squad, and add them to the Penal Squad. The Guardsmen become Penitents in all respects, including equipment and collars. This may result in an over-strength Penal Squad.
Design Notes: These guys are scum. Feel free to get them killed in nasty ways- they're paying for their sins, and they're cheap! The removal of morale penalties in assaults and due to 50% casualties is because seeing your co-sinners get their heads blown off should encourage you to rally, not make you more likely to run due to being outnumbered! The Court Martial rule is good for 'rough' guard armies like Catachans or Valhallans- it creates a more rag-tag feel.