Bad TheoryHammer:  Veteran Guard

(Image Credit:  eBay, because GW won't post it.  Sorry for quality!)

So I'm working on my second actual Kill Team (you know, one that isn't on something like TTS).  I have chosen to go with the Vet Guard, not because I like Krieg, but because I'm doing something fun with this.  See, I'm going to be silly.

I'm going to do a Penal Legion.  Think Last Chancers, but one of my own.  Now, I'm going to discuss actual optimal stuff, but keep in mind that I'm going to be making my Kill Team out of the following four boxes:

(Image Credit:  GW)

The Cadian Shock Troops Command Squad gives me a nice little Prison Warden-type guy and two enforcers to act as Gunners (we'll get to that later).  It can also be used for a Comms officer and the like if needed, but I'd prefer to keep them as the Boss and the guys he trusts with the big guns.

Plus, tell me if I'm wrong, but that plasma gunner face just SCREAMS Kage to me (he would need a melta, I admit).

(Image Credit:  GW)

Yeah, there's going to be a lot of Necromunda here.  Orlocks make for pretty decent "generic" criminal sorts, even if I will need to convince someone to let me use autoguns as sub-ins for lasguns.  It is WYSIWYG, in my opinion.  They have the same darned stats!

(Image Credit:  GW)

Of course the KT needs some girls, and also the Eschers bring the actual lasguns!  I plan on doing some fun conversions with these ladies to make operatives.

(Image Credit:  GW)

Had to include some spooky boys in here.  This will add some visual contrast and also look coold.

(There might also be a Neophyte or two in there, just for funsies).

So, this was all just a prelude.  Here's the way things go down.

Roster

This is going to be long.  And I'm not posting pics of individual models.  So deal with it!

Sergeant

Basically, you're always wanting to go with a plasma pistol and power sword here.  He may not be the best fighter in the game, but he's the best one you've got!  Stats are absolutely nothing to write home about, but a plasma pistol isn't bad.

Gunner(s)

This is where a lot of your scariness can come from.  Plasma is a necessity and I would argue that melta is as well.  You can definitely take a grenade launcher here as well--for one thing, you're not going to get close to 20 models unless you take a LOT of options, and for the other, a grenade launcher can be a decent long-ranged weapon in case you're worried about the melta's short range.

Keep these guys pretty protected, but feel free to make trades that are to your advantage.  With your ploys, you have the ability to punch pretty darned hard with them.

Confidant

You should pretty much always take a Confidant.  He should pretty much always take a Bolter.  This is your dude in the back with the Gunners and the Sniper who is ready to take over when your Sarge inevitably goes down in what he hopes is a blaze of glory.  He hopes.  He also effectively makes one of your specialists GA2--something to never, ever forget.  With my personal tastes for Vet Guard, I'm going to inevitably be way out-activating my opponent, and overwatch can be a real killer.

Sniper

Take one.  Wish you could take two.  They're good.  Really good.  Probably the best sniper currently in the game.

Spotter and Demolitions

This is already getting tedious, isn't it?  I actually really like both of these guys as area denial Operatives.  Nobody is getting within a Mortar Barrage and the Demo's mines can be devastating in certain circumstances.  Pop them down safely near an objective and it stays with you.

The Spotter can, of course, also be used as a GA2 buff and to ignore obscurity for a particularly dangerous shooting-type.  It's nice.

Medic

The Medic is what I call a "nice to have" operative.  I don't particularly rate them highly, but I'm not going to kick them out of bed for eating crackers, you know?  Healing is FANTASTIC in Kill Team, but the problem is that, even with the Med-Kit and the Medic! ability, your Operatives die to a slightly stiffer-than-usual breeze, so you're basically wondering if they might be useful, not when.

It's also important to note that the errata has made it so a Medic can't Med-Kit themselves.

Zealot

I rate the Zealot pretty highly.  Decent enough durability for a horde team and being able to buff everyone around you?  Sign me up!  That's really all I have to say about that.

Bruiser and Hardened

These guys aren't bad.  Really, they aren't.  They're just melee specialists who can't really do melee that well.  They're sort of like the guy who spent years training with the blade only to realize that, you know, everyone else is bigger and stronger than you.

I tend to leave them out of a list, and I think most people do as well.

Warrior

I actually forgot to put these guys in, to be honest!  They're good in that they are GA2, but honestly, I'd rather take the 4 extra and 10 specialists.

Archetypes

You get Security.  You take Security.  You don't really have a choice here, but who cares?  Security is great!

Equipment

There's a lot of decent options here.  Seriously, even a Rosary can turn your Operative into a surprisingly tanky guy for a turn or so (which might win the game).

If I'm going to be honest, I tend to lean towards 2x Trench Shovel (Sniper and Spotter), 1x Topographical Map (who cares?), 1x Chronometer (honestly, put this one on your Confidant).  This gives you a lot of versatility, two guys with Silent weapons who can shoot out in the middle of nowhere without being seen, it's all nice.

Orders

There's not really much I can say about Orders except they are fantastic.  Use your Comms guy to relay them so everyone gets a benefit.  I tend to prefer Move, Move, Move for TP1 when I don't expect to be doing or taking much damage and Take Aim! for every other TP.

Ancillary Support

I have to be honest here.  I do like all the artillery, but there's virtually nothing that will convince me that taking 4 extra operatives in what amounts to a horde list is a bad idea.  Take the dudes.  Use them to get objectives and get in the way of things.  They are (quite literally) expendable.

Ploys

Again, honesty.  Vet Guard got some amazing ploys.  Overcharge Lasguns really isn't anything to write home about, but it can help.  I'm much more of a fan of three ploys in particular:  Into the Breach (a free dash for up to 14 models at the beginning of the TP is huge), Combined Arms (this can and will see huge returns), and Inspirational Leadership.

A note on Leadership:  Yes, it is necessarily short-ranged, but it does mean that you could, say, give your Gunners Take Aim! while giving everyone Move, Move, Move.  That could potentially be very nasty.

Also, In Death, Atonement can totally win games, even with the nerfs.

Sample Roster

This is going to be relatively easy because I really think there's only one Vet Guard list I rate highly.  So let's go with that.

Sarge (Plasma Pistol, Powersword)

Confidant (Bolter)

2x Gunners (Plasma Gun, Meltagun)

Sniper

Medic

Demolitions

Comms

Spotter

Zealot

4x Warriors (Ancillary Support)

Basically, a fairly simple but shooty list chock-full of bodies that, truth be told, will probably be overkilled by a competent attacker (which is in and of itself a benefit).  Plus, just think how many gangers there will be...