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I was heavily inspired by french VBRC squads and their fighting philosophy in designing the functional forward elements of Battlegroup Arpat's ground forces. While traditional Astra Militarum has always been a play of ranged attrition, human wave tactics bolstered by combined arms and mechanized force projection I wanted Battlegroup Arpat to be a bit different, taking Aleksandr's Mordian/Terrax based approach to warfare and modifying doctrines accordingly to deliver results.

The fundamental philosophy behind Arpat’s Taurox Squadrons is not centered on transport or brute force, but on mobile battlefield shaping through controlled presence, layered firepower, and tactical adaptability. These squadrons are designed to operate in unstable, unpredictable environments where threats are varied and front lines are rarely clean. Rather than functioning as simple infantry carriers, the Taurox elements act as armed maneuver teams, combining mobility, protection, and dismounted capability into a single tactical system. Their role is to move into contested spaces, establish temporary control, apply measured violence, and then shift as the situation evolves. They do not seek decisive breakthroughs through shock; instead, they impose order on chaotic battlefields by being present at the right place, with the right tools, at the right moment. Practicing engagement, observation and disengagement through a professional discretion.

Philosophically, the Taurox Squadrons embody a form of professional, system-driven warfare where coordination matters more than heroics. Each element is expected to operate semi-independently while still contributing to the larger operational picture of the battlegroup. The vehicle provides mobility, suppressive fire, and survivability; the dismounts provide ground control, close security, and local awareness. Together, they create layered problems for the enemy, a force that cannot be ignored, yet is difficult to remove without disproportionate effort decisively. Their purpose is to manage tempo and space: screening advances, reinforcing weak points, securing objectives long enough for heavier assets to matter, and forcing adversaries into inefficient engagements. In essence, Arpat’s Taurox Squadrons represent a doctrine of disciplined flexibility a belief that victory in volatile frontier warfare comes not from static strength, but from coordinated mobility, persistent pressure, and the ability to adapt faster than the enemy can respond.

Arpat Squads are drilled on creating battlefield killzones and layers of suppression which makes it extremely difficult for the enemy to commit, as the Taurox suppresses and neuters mission-critical assets which the enemy depends on to leverage an advance, the infantry close the gap and deliver devastating firepower onto the enemy depending on how the tactical situation evolves they may choose to proceed with making the engagment absolute, proceed to observe the enemy whilst denying area through creating layers of suppression via establishing kill-zones or they may choose to strike and disengage.

Take your Taurox, double up the caliber on an autocannon and strap four missiles onto it, then give the guardsmen stable core plasma guns or agitated prism lasguns, couple that with combi-bolters that combine grenade launchers and HMG's into one and you've got a fighting force with a hell of a punch, did I mention they have the 40k equivalent of FPV drones ?

As the Lord General would say,

" By the Emperor, I love the smell of burning promethium in the morning "

Next chapter might be less of all out warfare and more focused on tactical anti-insurgency plays against Gene-stealer cults on Arpat Secundus.