Regiment Type
The below are the most common Imperial Guard regiment types, though not the only found. Generally a regiment will be solely one type, though there always are exceptions across the galaxy.
Armored Regiment
The hammer of the Imperial Guard, Armoured Regiments are made up entirely of fighting vehicles, and can be expected to field very high numbers of Leman Russ Battle Tanks or variants. Typically bereft of organic infantry, but many contain their own artillery and flak tanks. Some Armoured Regiments may also possess Super-Heavy Tank units.
Artillery Regiment
Regiments made up entirely of artillery pieces are known as Artillery Regiments. Such regiments can deploy a mixture of destructive weapons types or may specialise in a particular brand of long-range ordnance. Some such regiments contain small numbers of infantry and are likely to contain large amounts of transportation and anti-air vehicles. Since Artillery Regiments are not intended for direct frontline combat, they are generally much smaller then other Imperial Guard regiments. For this reason, Artillery Regiments are often attached as auxiliary units to larger regiments or are placed under the direct control of the local Commanding Imperial Officer.
Death World Regiment
Raised from Death Worlds, these forces are made up of hardy survivors and are known for their extreme adaptability. They often specialize in guerrilla warfare, reconnaissance, hunting, as well as combat on highly inhospitable worlds. Perhaps the most infamous Death World Regiments are the Catachan Jungle Fighters.
Drop Regiment
Some regiments exist within the Imperial Guard who specialise in arriving on the battlefield from the skies. Such regiments are termed Drop or Drop Troop Regiments. Lightly armed and equipped (although not as light as Light Infantry), Drop Troop Regiments typically attack from behind enemy lines, or are dropped right on top of enemy defences. All personnel in a Drop Regiment will be able to be equipped with grav-chutes, although this is not their only method of attack. Such regiments will also feature a large amount of airborne vehicles such as the Valkyrie troop carrier or Vulture gunship.
With no tanks or other heavily armoured vehicles to land in an assault, the highly mobile drop regiments are often tasked with forming the initial beachhead in an assault or capturing and holding an important location until the armoured reinforcements can arrive to relieve them. This means that the casualty rate amongst Drop Regiments tends to be higher than that of "regular" Imperial Guard units, as the regiments are ill equipped for a protracted fight with a superior force.
Regiments of Drop Troops often make use of specially adapted equipment such as Drop Sentinels, Cyclops Demolition Vehicles and Sentry Guns. These machines are often dropped into combat via Grav-chutes alongside the Troopers or deployed from the holds of Valkyries.
Heavy Infantry Regiment
Similar in style to Infantry Regiments, Heavy Infantry Regiments are marked out by the personal equipment of their Guardsmen. Almost all troopers in a Heavy Infantry Regiment will be equipped with heavy armour, such as carapace armour or a more exotic design unique to their world of origin. Similarly, weapons issued will be of a 'heavier' nature with a preponderance of plasma or similar high-end energy weaponry issued to specialists and teams. It has been known for all troopers in a Heavy Infantry Regiment to be armed with hellguns instead of the standard Guard weapon, the lasgun.
Hunter-Killer Regiment
Hunter-killer regiments use light vehicles with heavy weapons to destroy priority targets. Hunter-killer units often develop a hero mentality, and are often regarded as glory-seeking mavericks by others.
Light Infantry Regiment
A regiment formed up with no organic fighting or transport vehicles is known as a Light Infantry Regiment. These regiments display tendencies towards battlefield infiltration and reconnaissance, display skill at moving through all manner of difficult terrain and often possess highly effective sniper cadres. They tend to be somewhat deficient in heavy weapons options.
Line Infantry Regiment
A 'standard' Imperial Guard regiment will feature a predominance of fighting Guardsmen, as well as a number of organic fighting and transport vehicles. Despite being percieved as the most common of regiment types, the variation between Infantry regiments of different worlds will be marked.
Mechanized Infantry Regiment
A regiment where all infantry units possess their own organic transportation. Mechanized regiments feature a preponderance of the Chimera vehicle, but may also feature other transport vehicles, including designs unique to their homeworld. Mechanized formations can often be found providing support for armoured units, and may possess armour of their own, amongst other variations of fighting vehicle.
Reconnaissance Regiment
Reconnaissance Regiments operate ahead of other army commanders, using autonomy and personal initiative. This often breeds a strong sense of recklessness and daring, leading them to typically be considered ill-disciplined.
Siege Infantry Regiment
Regiments specifically trained for siege warfare often contain more artillery, both heavy and light, then standard Imperial Guard Regiments. Siege regiments often are larger and more well equipped then other types of regiments as they are expected to stay and fight in a warzone for at least several years if not decades if the war is particularly brutal. Due to the high casualties such regiments will inevitably take, siege specialised forces often have large contingents of conscripts so that the regiment's pool of manpower always remains high. Siege regiments often work in concert with Light Infantry or Armoured Regiments so that a breach in enemy lines can quickly be reinforced and if possible, pushed forward deeper. More well equipped siege regiments often have a large number of super-heavy and heavy tanks.
Abhuman Regiment
Abhuman-populated worlds raise their own regiments of Imperial Guard, although very few in number. Because of the specific levels of competence and/or skills possessed by Abhumans, these regiments are normally raised only to be immediately split up into small units, which are then parcelled out and attached to other Imperial Guard regiments.
Sub-Regiment
Some Regiments may contain separate formations within them, known as Sub-Regiments. The Ventrillian Nobles, for instance, are known to look down upon the non-Ventrillian members of their Regiments and place these Guardsmen in Sub-Regiments known as the Ventrillian Ignobles.
