They also garrison major locations of strategic or cultural interest to the Imperium and are often found in defensive roles. Supported by legions of heavy armour and thundering artillery, the Imperial Guard fight a never-ending war for the survival of Mankind in an unrelentingly hostile universe. M41 First Blood - Cadian High Command sends a force of Tempestus Scions out to the very edge of the Eye of Terror in an attempt to gauge where the first blow will fall. Making planetfall upon the benighted world of Urthwart, the expeditionary force finds no sign of life until it breaches the primary planetary shelters. As the vault doors swing open, a billion moaning undead Plague Zombies spill from the darkness. Meanwhile, in orbit, a vast Traitor armada thunders from the Empyrean, its vanguard elements completely annihilating the expedition's transports in an inescapable storm of plasma-torpedoes. M41 The Saint Cyllia Aftermath - Nearly a full Titan Legion turns Traitor on Saint Cyllia's World, instigating a massacre of unthinkable proportions. The celebrated Knight Commander Pask successfully rallies elements of the Cadian 423rd and makes a break for the safety of Yggdrasil Spaceport. Pask and his forces score no fewer than four confirmed God-Engine kills during their escape, most notably the rebel Reaver-class Titan Oblivion 's Angel. Imperial forces finally encircle the Traitor Titan Legion upon the Planus Steppes, and Pask and the Cadian 423rd spearhead the largest armoured offensive since the Battle of Tallarn, hoping to finish the Traitors once and for all. Over eight thousand tank companies and thirty-five super-heavy detachments are annihilated during the continent-spanning, year-long war that follows. With the support of three full Houses of Imperial Knights, Pask's forces finally corner the surviving Chaos Titans in Shadowshroud Pass and destroy them one by one. There are countless thousands of regiments spread throughout the galaxy. Some are garrisoning worlds, others are part of campaigns or crusades and some have even been forgotten about by the Departmento Munitorum and Administratum. As such there has never been and never will be an absolutely complete list of regiments available for combat. [Needs Citation]

In those instances where a threat to the Imperium cannot be repulsed by local defence forces and naval assets, the Departmento Munitorum will sanction immediate deployment of the Imperial Guard. Such a response will be guided by the wisdom imparted in the strategic parables of the Munitorum. This threat response pattern has served the Imperium well for thousands of standard years. Combined with the mass manpower of the Whiteshields, Cadia Stands! allows Astra Militarum players to place huge units of durable Troops on critical objectives. All but the most brutal enemy units will struggle to shift 30 determined and dug-in soldiers, and the attention of such murderous foes will be fully occupied while the rest of the Astra Militarum does its deadly work. The new behemoth fits perfectly between the Leman Russ and Baneblade tanks, so to find out how such a beautiful beast became a reality we cornered designers Dale Stringer, and Matt Holland from the Warhammer Studio, to talk all things Rogal Dorn.* Darkness continues to consume the Imperium, while the Enemy Without and the Enemy Within grow in strength and number. Imperial Tithes are increased and the ranks of the Astra Militarum grow larger than they have been in millennia. Many heroes are forged in the unending crucible of war.

The Octarian War calls upon the Cadians to defend the Imperium once again, and they’ll be fighting harder than ever thanks to the new Codex Supplement: Cadia found in the upcoming War Zone Octarius Book 1: Rising Tide. Instead, the practicalities of command fall to the officer of highest rank in any given Imperial theatre of war. Though assigned the Munitorum rank of General, native honorifics such as Lord Marshal or High Chenzin are often maintained. These officers are supported by a cadre of loyal personnel who between them comprise localised high command. Individual generals vary enormously in their approach, some coordinating their forces from well behind the lines -- possibly even from low orbit -- while others take to the field amid dedicated retinues of bodyguards. Surrounded by the chatter of Servo-skulls, the whispering scratch of auto-quills, and the barking voices of subordinates, wreathed in the reek of Promethium-smoke and holy censers, these men direct their mighty armies to victory in the Emperor's name It is comprised of countless billions of men and women -- hundreds of thousands of different regiments, supported by a vast array of light and heavy armoured vehicles that provide the Imperial Guard's primary offensive punch. The Astra Militarum is usually the first Imperial force to respond to a threat if a world's Planetary Defence Force (PDF) fails to suppress it.

The primary combat tactic of the Astra Militarum is to overwhelm the enemy with their endless numbers, while at the same time hammer them into submission with devastating artillery and crush them with powerful main battle tanks. As a result, the Astra Militarum is often referred to as the "Hammer of the Emperor" -- the sheer amount of force that the Imperial Guard can bring to bear on the enemy is devastating, but is not as direct or as precise as their Space Marine allies in the Adeptus Astartes, who are described as the "Scalpel of the Emperor" and specialise in planetary assaults, special operations and decapitation strikes.This new campaign book follows an escalating conflict that erupted earlier this year with the release of the fantastic new edition of Kill Team . Matters have only gotten worse as the Imperium struggles to contain a war that its own agents precipitated – and Hive Fleet Leviathan devises powerful adaptations and esoteric Synaptic Link abilities to lay low its prey. After being raised, the regiment is shipped to its posting; they receive their training during the voyage. Their posting can be directly into the heart of a warzone, or it may be to garrison or outpost duty. [Needs Citation] Grand Tourmament 2020/ 2021/ War Zone Nachmund/ War Zone Nephilim/ Arks of Omen • Munitorum Field Manual/ 2021/ 2022 • Tactical Deployment The Adeptus Terra begins an ambitious project to bring the most important star systems in the Imperium under its direct control. At the forefront of this conquest are the Adeptus Astartes and the massive armies of the Astra Militarum. As the advance continues, astropathic choirs are established on Armageddon, Bakka, Macragge and thousands of other worlds. Long-lost Standard Template Constructs are unearthed amid the ruins of the Cana System, slowing the decline of Imperial technology.