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Rough Rider

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Astra Militarum Symbol.png Astra Militarum Portal
An Attilan Rough Rider in action[9]
Death Riders of Krieg[4]
A Catachan Rough Rider[2]

Rough Riders are fast moving troops of the Astra Militarum that are mounted on cybernetic horses, groxen, other animals, bikes or other mounts.

Overview

Often derided as a worthless anachronism on the battlefield, Rough Riders still find usage in the Guard, deployed due to their steeds abilities to navigate over rough terrain, far faster than foot infantry,[9] and their ability to live off the land.[10a] Rough Riders are most often recruited from technological backwards planets like feral worlds and feudal worlds,[9] where the horse is the most important type of transportation.[10a] Some, like the Death Riders of Krieg, hail from more developed worlds.[41] Newly recruited Rough Rider formations are provided stablings and accommodations onboard Imperial transport spaceship, where they are trained in extensive training areas during transit to their destination.[16a]

Rough Riders are deployed on the battlefield as scouts, patrol units and for quick hit-and-run attacks; living mounts allow Rough Riders to function far from Imperial supply lines, in terrain unsuitable for mechanized warfare, and avoid detection.[1a] They can rapidly cross terrain broken by heavy bombardment with ease, gallop along narrow ravines and even climb steep slopes.[16a] Other roles include skirmishing and guerrilla warfare. Rough Riders are drilled in close-range tactics and experts at fieldcraft, able to reasonable live off the land in nearly all planetary environments.[13b] Though armoured no better than the average Guardsman, their speed and maneuverability is their true asset on the battlefield, able to charge into the enemy's flanks for devastating effect.[1a] Rough Rider Regiments are sometimes deployed as a concise unit, but are more often spread all over the battlefield, being divided and allocated to the foot infantry as support units.[10a]

The horses used as mounts are bred for power and strength and are often further modified with chem-treatments.[1a] Extensively trained and prepared, they will not panic under battlefield conditions.[16a]

Rough Riders are primarily trained for close combat, not ranged assault. Still, some Rough Rider formations engage at stand-off distances, targeting the enemy with ranged weaponry while in full gallop.[16b] They are often armed simply with a hunting lance, laspistol or other close-combat weapon,[1b] like chainswords,[10b] or chain glaives,[13c] as well as frag and krak grenades.[1b] By foregoing the hunting lance and replacing the laspistol, Rough Riders can also be armed with lasguns or shotguns.[12a] Others will replace the hunting lance with a cavalry spear, which can be used for multiple attacks.[13e] Some squads will arm themselves with special weapons such as a flamer, grenade launcher, meltagun or plasma gun. Squads are generally composed of four to nine riders in addition to a Sergeant, who sometimes carries melta bombs in addition to a power weapon,[1b] (a cavalry sabre, a power spears,[13d] a power axe, a power lance, a power maul or a power sword),[15] or a plasma pistol.[1b] One Rough Rider can be equipped with a comm-link.[11a]

Rough Riders recruited from Attila use bolt pistols and heavy, curved, monomolecular sabres in addition to the standard hunting lances and laspistols.[13a] Furthermore, some Attilan Rough Riders exchange their hunting lance for a goad lance while the commanding Sergeant can use a power sabre.[14]

Famous Rough Rider Squadrons

Variations

The Astra Militarum are not known for their exclusive use of Bikes, but occasionally Rough Rider Squadrons may be mounted on Bikes rather than the native animals.[5] Otherwise, Rough Riders can also be mounted on Hoverboards[7] or even Jetbikes.[16c]

The Catachan Jungle Fighters utilize unique Rough Riders who fight atop one of the mighty Giant Reptiles native to Catachan's deadly jungles.[2]

The cavalry units of Aexe Cardinal ride large flightless birds called struthids, and are known as psicavalry because of mind-link implants between the rider and their bird.[6]

Other mounts besides the horse include groxes, small carnosaurs,[13a] aethexes,[13f], marru, mukaali,[13g] venumexes, ursir and ucernox.[13h]

Images

See also

Sources


Imperial Guard Infantry
Command Company Command Squad • Platoon Command Squad • Scion Command Squad • Tank Commander • Regimental Advisors • Commissar • Primaris Psyker • Tech-priest Enginseer • Priest • Ogryn Bodyguard
Specialists Master of Ordnance • Breacher • Scout • Medic • Vox-Operator • Weapons Specialist • Sharpshooter • Operator
Troops Infantry Squad • Heavy Weapons Team • Special Weapons Squad • Armoured Fist Squad • Veteran Squad • Engineer Squad • Scions Squad • Canids • Penal Legion Troopers • Ogryn Squad • Ratling Squad • Psyker Battle Squad • Rough Rider Squad • Field Ordnance Battery • Jump Trooper • H-Grade Combat Servitor • Cyber-Altered Task • Servo-Sentry
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