Imperial Guard Tactica: Valkyrie-vendetta

    The valkyrie/vendetta gives the Imperial Guard the opportunity to mobilize its forces like never before. On top of its speed, the valkyrie/vendetta offers a good mobile anti infantry or anti tank firebase. Here we will examine the best ways to equip a valkyrie or vendetta along with a few tactical ideas for their use.
    The valkyrie can function as both anti tank and anti infantry. Its anti tank capabilities are far inferior to its anti infantry power however. Anti tank wise you are equipped with two hellstrike missiles, a single shot, strength eight, ordnance weapon (note that it does not have a blast) and a multilaser that can upgrade to a lascannon. Take fact that the hellstrike is ordnance, it is single use and the low ballistic skill and what you get is not a decent anti tank option. For a relatively low cost you can get two multiple rocket pods. Multiple rocket pods are strength four, large blast. Since it is not ordnance you can fire multiple weapons per turn and the best part is that they are defensive weapons. For another small upgrade cost, you can get two heavy bolters. This is not a great option. Since heavy bolters are not defensive you can fire one max if you move over six inches. The awkward placement of the heavy bolters on the model itself means that it is nearly impossible for both to draw line of sight to the enemy. It also helps keep the cost down on this already somewhat expensive vehicle. My favorite layout is multilaser and multiple rocket pods. This allows you to move twelve inches and fire three shots from the multilaser and two large blasts, an amazing amount of firepower for moving that quickly.
    The vendetta can also serve as both anti tank and anti infantry. However, opposite to the valkyrie the vendetta excels at anti tank while its anti infantry power is lacking. The vendetta is as much as a valkyrie equipped with multiple rocket pods and for that price you get three twin linked lascannons. This is the best option for the vendetta. You can move six inches and fire all the lascannons making it a great mobile anti tank gunship. The low ballistic skill is offset by the lascannons being twin linked. Or for free you may get two hellfury missiles. These are strength four, armor piercing value five and ignore cover saves. However, they are single use. If you face orks or other Imperial Guard often, this is an ok option but against anything else is practically useless. Like the valkyrie, you can get two heavy bolters for the vendetta. If you are running with lascannons, there is no purpose to taking these. If you are taking hellfury missile though, they can be useful as it will leave you with some firepower once the missiles are gone. The best option though is just to go with the lascannons and leave anti infantry to the valkyrie.
    Both vehicles are fast skimmers that can deep strike or scout and can hold twelve models. If you do not intend to use them as a transport the best option for the valkyrie is to deploy it regularly and buzz around being a nuisance. The same holds true for a vendetta, although if you don’t mind the risk then you could attempt to deep strike behind a tank to get a shot of at rear armor.
    If you do use the vehicle as a transport the best option is to carry veterans as they are a scoring unit and can have a large number of special weapons in the squads. The unit can disembark normally or can attempt to deep strike out of the skimmer. Popular tactics are to outflank and move flat out over an objective or behind a tank and drop the veterans to destroy the target or secure a remote objective. Similarly, you can move flat out as your scout move and deep strike out onto an objective before the game even begins. You can keep the squad in there and do a last turn twenty four inch move to contest or claim an objective. The advantage the valkyrie has is the mobility, so I recommend always moving it twelve inches, constantly shifting for better position. Unless you take the heavy bolters, there is no advantage in not moving twelve inches, so make use of it.
    The vendetta is less mobile, not because it can’t move that far that quickly, but because you can’t bring as many weapons to bear if you move the full distance. In either case, the same tactics for carrying troops apply, although the vendetta would most likely be too busy engaging enemy armor to want to be hopping all over the board carrying troops.
    I hope this tactica was useful and I wish you luck in crushing your enemies under the boots of the endless ranks of guardsmen.