ommissar Yarrick is, without doubt, one of the single most iconic heroes of the galaxy-spanning Imperium. Yarrick has the kind of glorious past more commonly associated with a Space Marine Commander, not a mere Commissar of the Imperial Guard. Already an old man when Waaagh! Ghazghkull descended upon the hive world of Armageddon, Yarrick fought like a man possessed in the defence of Hades Hive, and his defiance laid the foundation for ultimate victory. Since then, Yarrick has fought in countless campaigns, always seeking to avenge himself upon the Ork Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka, including a fateful return to Armageddon 50 years after the first battle. Yarrick is a hero to the Imperial Guard regiments, a beacon of resolve to the Imperium at large, and a rightly feared foe to the Orks.

HERO AT A GLANCE

n the face of it, Yarrick seems to be a typical Imperial Guard hero with a modest statline and, for the most part, a collection of commonly available wargear. Don't be fooled – Yarrick has a number of bonuses going for him. As a true independent character, Yarrick can go wherever you need him without having to worry about trailing a squad around behind him. In an army like the Imperial Guard, where almost everything operates as a squad, this ability is invaluable. Yarrick's second trick comes in the shape of his Force Field, a truly wondrous piece of kit that reduces the Strength of incoming attacks by D6. Forget for a moment that this makes the Commissar all but immune to small arms fire – its real boon is to keep Yarrick alive in combat until he can bring his formidable Power Klaw into play.

The Fortress of Arrogance leads a squadron of Baneblades into battle.

ARMY OF CHOICE

n honesty, Yarrick fits nicely into almost any Imperial Guard army (once you've got past the minimum points value of 2,000 that is the requirement for fielding him). Don't expect him to turn your army into a one-man assault wave of fury – he's only human, after all. Instead, keep Yarrick lurking with your battleline alongside a counter-attack force of Ogryns or Rough Riders. While the rest of your troops engage the enemy rank and file, Yarrick can deal with any enemy characters who show themselves. His 4 Strength 6 Attacks are modest but are generally up to the job of smiting most minor heroes. Against tougher foes, Yarrick is likely to come off worst in a one-on-one fight, but his Force Field and Medallion Crimson will ensure that he stays around long enough to get in some solid hits.

UNSTOPPABLE?

he main problem when trying to deal with Yarrick is getting your mitts on him. No sooner do you shoot up the unit that he's with, then the pesky Commissar darts to join another one, or worse, ducks out of sight. With his Force Field eating up much of the incoming fire, Yarrick can weather a storm of fire better than most heroes, so I'd recommend you don't even waste your time shooting at him. As mentioned earlier, a tooled up Chaos Space Marine Lord or Ork Warboss will probably prevail over Yarrick in Assault, but it may take a few turns. Accordingly, I have a radical proposal for neutralizing the troublesome Commissar: don't fight him. Yarrick can only move 6" a turn, which means that your assault troops should normally be able to hit the line somewhere out of his immediate reach. In the meantime, you can keep shooting up the enemy army to your heart's content – without backup, Yarrick's going to have a hard time winning the war.

The Fortress of Arrogance heads into battle against the forces of Chaos.

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