Tallarn Desert Raiders - Wargear: In the wake of the mass devastation of their homeworld's environment, the Tallarn have been forced to adapt to their harsh environment by making exclusive use of main battle tanks and armoured personnel carriers in order to transport their infantry troops across the arid and barren landscape of their Desert World.The Tallarn Desert Raiders are also noted marksmen, employing a unique design of the M36 Pattern Lasgun wholly indigenous to their forces. This desert-adapted weapon has a longer barrel and a mechanism that is more fluid to operate than the standard-issue patterns of the M36 Lasgun normally employed by the Imperial Guard.Due to their preference for hit-and-run warfare, the Tallarn also favour the use of the Plasma Gun and the standard pattern Missile Launcher amongst their infantry units. These special weapons are easily transported and are favoured for their ability to cause severe damage to the enemy despite their simplicity of use and lack of bulk. The following is a list of contents of the standard regimental kit favoured by the Tallarn Desert Raiders:M36 Pattern Lasgun - The Lasgun can be produced in a multitude of different styles and patterns and can be found on almost every world of the Imperium. The M36 Pattern is one of the most ubiquitous variants of the Lasgun in use by the Imperial Guard across the galaxy. The Tallarn Desert Raiders make use of a special variant of the M36 Pattern Lasgun unique to their regiments that is specially adapted to desert conditions with a longer barrel to enhance its accuracy and a more fluid operational design intended to prevent sand and grit from interfering with the weapon's delicate mechanisms.4 Charge Packs - Charge Packs are powerful capacitor batteries used almost exclusively by laser weapons to power each shot. A Charge Pack's design and power varies depending on the class of the weapon it is used in. In all cases, it provides shots equal to the weapon's full clip value before it needs to be recharged.Mono-Knife - The Mono-Knife is a one-handed melee implement that is one variant of the ubiquitous back-up melee weapon for warriors all across the Imperium, be they lowly hive scum or the elite soldiers of a Planetary Governor. Some, such as the Catachan Fighting Knife, are designed for a specific purpose, whilst others are more generic in nature. The Mono-Knife utilised by the Tallarn Desert Raiders is a specially fashioned Combat Knife with a superfine blade only a single molecule thick along the edge that can easily cut through combat armour and never dull. These knives are carried by all members of the Tallarn Desert Raiders for use as both a bayonet and a field tool. These distinctive curved knives, known on Tallarn as the Khalig, come in many shapes and sizes and are preferred by natives of Tallarn over standard-issue pattern Combat Knives or bayonets. For most Tallarn Guardsmen it is their only close combat weapon. Some particularly fine examples are cast with a lion's-head pommel and ornate scabbard. Many of these prized knives are uniquely manufactured and awarded to Tallarn officers and Guardsmen in recognition of a battlefield victory or a heroic action. The size of a Khalig can vary from that of a small belt knife to those the size of a true sword. Tallarn-made Power Swords and Chainswords also mimic the distinctive curved shape of the Khalig which is a distinctive cultural artefact of the Tallarn people.2 Frag Grenades - Frag Grenades use a combustible charge and special fillers of shrapnel fragments which make them potent anti-personnel weapons. Imperial Frag Grenades are roughly the size of a clenched fist and covered with a heavily notched shell, both to increase the shrapnel produced and provide a more secure grip for throwing.3 Smoke Grenades - Smoke Grenades release a dense smoke which only obscures basic eyesight and optical based systems. They do not block detection systems that use heat or other spectral bands outside of normal human eyesight, but are much more widely available and easier to construct.Tallarn Desert Raider Imperial Guard Uniform - An officer of the Tallarn Desert Raiders wears the general service uniform issued to all of the members of the Imperial Guard regiments raised from Tallarn, regardless of their rank or specific military role within the force. The Tallarn desert smock is a piece of utility clothing made of very hard-wearing natural materials. The desert smock usually hangs to just above the knee in length and often has voluminous sleeves. Some veteran Tallarn armour commanders like the one pictured to the right modify this smock by narrowing the sleeves, because unwieldy pieces of cloth are not practical when working within the narrow confines of an armoured vehicle. The desert smock traditionally has no pockets, and so all items must be carried in the webbing pouches, backpacks or sling-bags issued to all ranks in the regiment. Smocks are manufactured in a wide variety of colours, including desert camouflage patterns. Most are a brown or sandy yellow colour, although there is little standardisation even within the same regiment or company. Some may be brown whilst others are camouflaged.Shemagh - The traditional headscarf worn by the people of Tallarn, called the Shemagh in the local Tallarn dialect of Low Gothic, is the distinctive garment of the Tallarn people. They are worn by everyone from that world as a matter of social custom. The Shemagh acts as protection against the worst effects of the twin suns' rays, and in the hottest conditions is sometimes worn after being soaked in water, to help reduce body temperature and prevent sunstroke. The scarf also doubles as a dust mask, wrapped across the face to prevent inhaling dust and sand. Combined with goggles, this provides good protection against the worst effects of sandstorms. Other standard-issue clothing includes a linen undershirt, combat trousers, heavy-weight marching boots and leg bindings. Tallarn Imperial Guardsmen will scavenge replacement equipment when necessary, and on campaign their uniforms often show minor variations.Flak Vest & Flak Helmet - Most Tallarn troops are issued No. 38 Mark III plasteel shoulder plates. The right shoulder badge bears the winged skull symbol known as the Imperialis, showing that the regiment is a fully inducted member of the Imperial Guard. The shoulder plates attach via small buckles to the webbing. A front and rear plasteel chest and back plate can also be attached to complete what is actually a suit of Flak Armour. These solid blocks of plasteel are regarded as too heavy and hot to be worn effectively by most men in a Tallarn regiment and are in fact rarely used in actual combat. The protective shoulder plates are often discarded by Tallarn tank crews who find them encumbering within the confines of an armoured vehicle, and who feel they have little need for personal protection since they are already confined within their vehicle's armoured shell.Webbing - A Tallarn soldier's webbing and belts are made of leather and are used to hang general equipment, pouches, water canteens, scabbards and holsters. A typical Tallarn tank crewman has little need of extra carrying pouches, as his personal kit will be stowed within his vehicle. The triple pouch cross-belt contains replacement power cells for a standard issue Laspistol. This sidearm is not visible in the picture to the right, as tank officers usually store their sidearms in their tanks.Micro-bead - A micro-bead or comm-bead is a short-range radio wave communication device worn in the ear, good for communications out to about one kilometre (depending on weather conditions and the intervening terrain). Each fits discreetly in the ear, with higher craftsmanship models being nearly undetectable in casual inspection.Magnoculars - Magnoculars are powerful vision aids that magnify distant objects. More advanced, high-quality magnoculars can also do such things as give range read-outs, detect heat sources, calculate target location positioning, and take pict-captures of a view for later analysis.Poor Weather GearRucksackBasic ToolkitMess KitWater Canteen - The standard issue canteen is vital in arid climates.4 Solar Weeks' RationsBlanket & Sleeping BagRechargeable Lamp Pack - Sturdy and reliable, glow-globes illuminate many an Imperial paveway and cathedral. Most portable ones are roughly the size of a clenched fist and can shine strong, yellowish light a dozen or so metres in width, lasting roughly five hours before their power pack needs recharging or replacing.Grooming KitDog TagsImperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer - A standard-issue Imperial text that covers a vast variety of topics, this book is possessed by all members of the Imperial Guard as part of their standard-issue equipment. The Primer is a basic guide that details everything a Guardsman needs to know: principles and regulations of the Imperial Guard, issued arms, attire, apparatus and equipment, basic battlefield policy and Imperial Guard organisation and structure, elementary battlefield medical instructions, and a detailed guide on the foes of the Imperium. No Guardsman should ever be found without possession of a copy of the Uplifting Primer, for the punishment is severe.Wind Goggles - A Tallarn officer like Captain Suhara depicted above carries equipment which has much in common with all Tallarn-based Imperial Guardsmen, regardless of rank. The goggles carried by Tallarn Guardsmen are of tinted plexiglass and leather construction and are standard issue to all Desert Raiders, regardless of rank. They provide protection against wind-blown sand and dust, most toxic gases and the dazzling effects of strong sunlight. They are not photo-chromatic, and offer only minimal protection against sudden flashes such as Photon Grenade explosions.