History Characters / Warhammer40000ImperialGuard

* BoringButPractical: Despite his accomplishments leading him to be eligible for command of the massive Baneblade tanks after his first Leman Russ tank was rendered unsalvageable from combat with Eldar Fire Prisms, he had the Leman Russ replaced with another and continues to utilize all variants of the Leman Russ.
** Pask's secret as a tank gunner? "Shoot first and don't miss."

* AlmightyJanitor: Pask's is a mere Commander but his skill as a tank gunner is so important (and indeed, Pask can destroy Titans with his Leman Russ) he overrides a Colonel in terms of priority when planetary evacuation happens.

-->--Attributed to an unnamed Storm Trooper officer.%%Qoute predates the rebranding of "Storm Troopers" to "Tempestus Scions".

Stormtroopers, or formally Militarum Tempestus Scions, are orphans plucked from nurseries to be trained in the Schola Progenium as fanatically-loyal special forces units. They're outfitted with improved versions of a Guardsman's wargear such as the hot-shot lasgun and thee fearsome Hellgun, clad in advanced body armor, and organizied into specialized and close-knit squads meant for high-risk deployements in contested battlezones and behind enemy lines.

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: The Bedouin raiders mixed with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Range_Desert_Group Long Range Desert Group]], complete with [[https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/11/06/books/review/06MACINTYRE/06MACINTYRE-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&auto=webp wearing native headgear over their khaki uniforms]]. They also strongly resemble early 20th century Arab armies, such as Omar al-Mukhtar's Senussi rebels, the Riffians, and the Sharifian Army that rode with Lawrence of Arabia. Their piousness and well-honed combat skills is similar to the Afghan mujahideen, and their expertise in armored warfare is reminiscent of the Afrika Korps.

* CripplingOverspecialization: Deliberately {{invoked|Trope}} at the regimental level by the [[VastBureaucracy Departmento Munitorum]] when levying Imperial Guard. Any given Imperial Guard regiment will be trained and equipped for exactly one role, be it foot infantry, mounted infantry, armor, or artillery. The intention is to ensure that no regiment can survive long if it goes rogue, and must rely on other regiments for combined arms warfare.

* DeathWorld: Nearly all of the famous Imperial Guard regiments hail from one of these, since the most brutal environments breed the toughest badasses. Catachan stands out as having one of the naturally worst planets to live on for humans (rivalling even Fenris) that's still flush with life.

* YouCantGoHomeAgain: While other Guard regimens can, if rarely, return to their homeworlds once their tours of duty are complete, the Vostroyan Firstborn will never see their homes again after being sent out into the stars. Gregorious Sebastev, the protagonist of ''Rebel Winter'', was the first Vostroyan trooper in ten thousand years to see his homeworld again after deployement.

* YouCantGoHomeAgain: While other Guard regimens can, if rarely, return to their homeworlds once their tours of duty are complete, the Vostroyan Firstborn will never see their homes again after being sent out into the stars. Gregorious Sebastev, the protagonist of ''Rebel Winter'', was the fist Vostroyan trooper in ten thousand years to see his homeworld again after deployement.

* NervesOfSteel: The Mordians ''do not'' break under fire. Not against daemons, Necrons, Orks, Tau, or drukhari. The endless drilling and marching has instilled such [[MeaningfulName iron discipline]] that the men of Mordia will keep fighting in their rigid formations even as they're being torn apart.

* HonorBeforeReason: The Mordians' stoicism, unflinching commitment to duty and obedience to the chain of command are considered some of their greatest strengths, but in excess they can also become a problem. For instance, regiments that become isolated from the rest of the army and without explicit orders to retreat will stand their ground, fire into the enemy, fight hand-to-hand when their weapons run dry, and be cut down to the last rather than show anything theoretically construable as cowardice, which often ends in a lot of troops dying for no gain whatsoever; for all that the Imperium embraces its MartyrdomCulture, it still needs its soldiers to achieve something with their spent lives. This has become a particular problem in the Spinward Front of the Calyxis Sector, where this behavior has resulted in a rapid and drastic dwindling of the Mordian regiments deployed there.

'''[[Characters/Warhammer40000ForcesOfChaos Forces of Chaos]]:''' [[Characters/Warhammer40000ChaosGods Chaos Gods]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000ChaosPrimarchs Chaos Primarchs]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000ChaosMarines Heretic Astartes]]\\

* TragicKeepsake: Ursula wears her father's tattered old greatcoat over her armor. [[NoodleIncident How she managed to get ahold of it when Creed was wearing it when Cadia fell is unknown.]]

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: About the only good thing one can say of Commander Chenkov (aside from "he gets the job done") is that he believes in leading from the front and in person.

* FrontlineGeneral: He throws his troops into nigh-suicidal situations... but doesn't shy from being there himself. To [[YouHaveFailedMe invoke his own brand of "motivation"]], naturally.

* DefiantToTheEnd: Even as all of Cadia was being torn to pieces and consumed by the growing Eye of Terror, the vast majority of Shock Troopers remained fighting to their last breath untillwhatever was left could be evacuated. It is famously quoted that "The planet broke before the guard did".

'''[[Characters/Warhammer40000Imperium Imperium of Man]]:''' [[Characters/Warhammer40000ImperialFounders Founders]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Astartes Adeptus Astartes]] ([[Characters/Warhammer40000AstartesChaptersFirstFounding First Founding Chapters]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000AstartesChapters Other Chapters]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000AstartesCharacters Characters]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000PrimarisSpaceMarines Primaris Marines]]), '''Astra Militarum''', [[Characters/Warhammer40000Sororitas Adepta Sororitas]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Inquisition Inquisition]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Mechanicus Mechanicus]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000CurrentImperialFactions Other factions]]\\

'''[[Characters/Warhammer40000XenoRaces Xeno Races]]:''' [[Characters/Warhammer40000Eldar Aeldari]] ([[Characters/Warhammer40000CraftworldEldar Asuryani]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000DarkEldar Drukhari]]) | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Necrons Necrons]] | [[Characters/Warhammer40000LeaguesOfVotann Leagues of Votann]] | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Orks Orks]] ([[Characters/Warhammer40000OrksCharacters Characters]]) | [[Characters/Warhammer40000TauEmpire T'au Empire]] | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Tyranids Tyranids]] ([[Characters/Warhammer40000GenestealerCults Genestealer Cults]])]]-]]]

->''"Heroes of Armageddon! You have withstood the evil savagery of the Orks, and they have left nothing for you to fear. So raise high the black banners of vengeance—now is our time."''

-> ''"As inexorable as the winter cold, as ruthless as the bitter frost, as certain as death—the Valhallans fight only for victory and the Emperor. All else is but a prelude."''

-->--Captain Rock of the Catachan III "Green Devils," commenting on Varestus Prime

-->--Colonel Kasteen of the 597th Valhallan Ice Warriors Regiment