infantry dug in is just a phrase, I mean try and put them so they're more than 10cm inside cover, that way your opponent will have to engage them to shift them (or hit them with ignore cover barrages....)

if your opponent is using any artillery which ignores cover, I'd advise you to spread the infantry out as they'll be sitting ducks to bombards and the like!

_________________
NetEA Space Marine, Imperial Fists and Blood Angels Army Champion

NetEA Red Corsairs Army Champion

My hobby/painting threads

Army Forge List Co-ordinator

Rug speaks the truth, although there is something to be said for having a fearless supreme commander......

_________________
NetEA Space Marine, Imperial Fists and Blood Angels Army Champion

NetEA Red Corsairs Army Champion

My hobby/painting threads

Army Forge List Co-ordinator

I've lost supreme commanders to hackdown hits more times than I care to remember, I *always* put a commissar with him now!

_________________
NetEA Space Marine, Imperial Fists and Blood Angels Army Champion

NetEA Red Corsairs Army Champion

My hobby/painting threads

Army Forge List Co-ordinator

So this is what I'm painting for Monday (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F6K4KkHU7o#t=03m05s)

REGIMENTAL HQ [575]
Supreme Commander - PAINTED
Commissar - UNPAINTED
12 Infantry - PAINTED
7 Chimera - PAINTED
Hydra - UNPAINTED

TANK COMPANY [700]
Commissar - UNPAINTED
9 Leman Russ - UNPAINTED
Hydra - UNPAINTED
Vanquisher - UNPAINTED

INFANTRY COMPANY [325]
Commander - UNPAINTED
Commissar - UNPAINTED
12 Infantry - UNPAINTED
Hydra - UNPAINTED
Ogryns - UNPAINTED

ARTILLERY BATTERY [250]
3 Basilisks - PAINTED

SENTINEL SQUADRON [100]
4 Sentinels - HOPING THESE ARRIVE IN TIME FOR THE TOURNEY FROM THE US!
For Monday I'll proxy with WHFB 20mm square bases instead

FLAK BATTERY [150]
3 Hydra - PAINTED

DEATHSTRIKE BATTERY [200]
UNPAINTED

WARHOUND TITAN [275]
PAINTED

WARHOUND TITAN [275]
PAINTED

THUNDERBOLT FIGHTERS [150]
2 Thunderbolts - UNPAINTED

This is exactly what I was after - a clear idea of what to get paint to.
However as I put the Ogryns with the garrison, any suggestions what to spend 50pt on?
Thanks for your help thus far guys!

Other option, reading Rug's input, is to forego the Reg HQ and take a Mech Regwith Hydra and another Thunderbolt wing.
Thoughts?
I've not seen much use in the Supreme Commander in my games of Epic (don't think I've ever failed an activation - but maybe that's because I normally play Marines) and can see how he'd be a prime target as you've written, KiC.

Perhaps with Guard the Supreme Commander - especially playing the FF/retain trick you suggested - the rationale that he's essential stands.
But then I have a spare 50pt dagnabbit!
Also, I'm playing Knights on Monday it has been decided.
But what I'd like is to practice playing with a tourney list.
Working on objectives now (IG saving Marines that are on the marine objectives seemed silly)

I make that army a round 3000 points, the Reg HQ is 550 without the snipers, and the infantry company is 350 with the two lots of ogryns

I would recommend putting the commisar from the infantry company with the ogryns, an extra 4+ MW attack and 3+ armour save as well as fearless makes him a scary prospect, and will help keep him alive

Don't waste the other 3 commissars, put them with the hydras and basilisks as well as one in the sentinels.... they improve your resilience and can make all the difference with a timely 3rd turn march to grab/contest an objective. You don't need an actual commissar model, a painted mark (I normally go for a black stripe somewhere) or even a blob of blu-tac is enough to identify the unit he's in

I'd keep the reg HQ, remember if you don't fail any activations, he's equally critical for rallying and removing blast markers, especially with a low int army like guard, I've often let units fail to activate to preserve my re-roll for the rally phase!

_________________
NetEA Space Marine, Imperial Fists and Blood Angels Army Champion

NetEA Red Corsairs Army Champion

My hobby/painting threads

Army Forge List Co-ordinator

The Reg HQ option seems the safest especially given the 2+ vs 1+ Initiative of Guard vs Marines and my need to retain with the Warhounds to back up the infantry's engage.
Tanks pick off softer targets to deny activations (it is my BTS after all...) so no more running up the center of the battlefield this time. I think they have 75cm guns for a reason...
Just painted up two more Warhounds for this project, the Marine ones looked too Mariney...
I'll take pictures tonight if the sun holds or tomorrow - they're still drying from the varnish.
Yup, I have a plan!

depending on your opponent, your tanks can be quite aggressive, bear in mind 50% or more of their firepower is at 45cm range, RichardL has had great success with tank companies and his tactic really tends to be a stick it in your face approach..... although it's your BTS, it is also nearly a quarter of your points so you need to get stuck in to get your money's worth out of it!

_________________
NetEA Space Marine, Imperial Fists and Blood Angels Army Champion

NetEA Red Corsairs Army Champion

My hobby/painting threads

Army Forge List Co-ordinator

I tried that without knowing RichardL NOR my opponent.
It kind of blew up in my face. I even messed up the list (one of each, not three of each allowed) and ended up with a broken BTS. Hence my gratitude for you advice, guys! Epic Guard are a new army to me and I'm way out of my depth on this one but while it'd be great to win I'd at least like to give to my opponent a run for money/fair challenge!

Chatting on the phone to a friend tonight we compared Epic to Future War Commander. He introduced me to Epic and has been defeating me consistently as I get out-listed in Epic all the time. He's someone I've been playing both EA and FWC with for a couple for years now. First FWC game we had he was very surprised when he put at entire company of infantry safely in a building and I....well....I just kind of shot up the building and killed his company. In FWC it works, in Epic it doesn't, in the real world that's how battle are fought.
Why? Because that's how real armies fight. "This is Alpha. Bravo? There's an entire cpy in building XYZ? Give me a gravel beach in 2 minutes or I'll have your children's kidneys, soldier. Alpha Out"

The feedback I've received both on and offline from people I play is not that I play badly, it's that I'm out-listed. Epic is a game of chess with dice. I've yet to figure Epic out. I will. I'm just used to playing a different type of game and my vision as a man of the military doesn't work in EA. I have to backup and forget what I think I know about how battles are fought and actually just play the rules. The rules are what matter in E:A and I have to read them, learn them, and stop playing wargames. After all, there aren't that many rules. This isn't Panzer War or Spearhead. Most of my books are lists after all.

Clipping is something it's taken me two years to get my head around. Still get clipped all the time and can't figure out neither how people pull it off nor how to do it myself. According to contemporary military doctrine, clipping attacks are impossible. But I want to play E:A so I've to to figure it out!
Monday night I learned you can break a formation just by defeating it in close combat.
AWESOME! Unrealistic, but what I found really realistic was shooting at a broken formation annihilates that formation. THAT makes sense to me.

I really want to play Epic Armageddon, love the 40k universe, but as an historical Ancients-Cold War 1/300 player I find Epic gamey sometimes.
Living in Australia, though, this is what people play, so I'm happy to conform. No issues at all.
Do I find it interesting 11 RA tanks can be broken by 4 stands of petty Eldar scouts? I do.
Should I learn the rules better? Absolutely!!
Love this list you guys have suggested. I'd still an airmobile in there, maybe instead of a hydra on the arty and dropping something here and there, but I won't know till I play.
Much love and thank you for your amazing advice!
I want to make EA work for me. Marines I'm ok with, Eldar I can't win with to save my skin, ANYONE can win with Necrons, and 'Nids aren't allowed. I know how to fight Orks (with Marines) and other matchups are 50/50 (when I know what I'm doing I'm actually not that bad....)

Your comment, "Epic is Chess with dice", now with activation, it certainly is ... that's one of the reasons we generally like the rules. We added activation back with SM1 ... Not familair with the term "clipping", but if it means attacking on the flank ... that works ... See my comments on you Mech/Transport thread ... viewtopic.php?f=74&t=24128

_________________
Legion 4 "Cry Havoc, and let slip the Dogs of War !" ... "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

One thing that took me some time to come to grips with is that in E:A, 'Broken' has a different meaning to other rules.

Conventionally 'Broken' conveys a sense of paniced individuals fleeing from combat until they 'rally' in some safer spot on the battlefield. In E:A 'Broken' relates more to a loss of Command and Control; the formation has had its communications disrupted and is therefore temporarily out of control, but is still able to fight, and if 'Fearless' the formation is largely unconcerned by the momentary loss of comms.

And on 'clipping' there are numerous historical instances where the flank of an extended formation (or even larger formation) have been successfully attacked and rolled up. The trick is usually to avoid over-extending your defences while encouraging your opponent to spread out (through the use of artillery and also advancing towards his flanks . . .)