The Lexicanum (sp?) has the rank structure listed.

Really, I like the fact in setting it's loose. it lets you, when you make your own regiment, decide on the rank structure in depth.

Wanna do a Red Army themed regiment? Take inspiration from the IRL rank structure.

Roleplay should be the final arbiter of group interactions. this is why i like using the vague rank system as presented in the Imperial Guard Codex. It allows an acknowledgement of an officers subordinates and superiors without putting too big a strain on the players. Simply put it goes  Trooper -> Sergeant -> Junior Officer -> Senior Officer.

While the rules don't really provide too much in the way of details, the ability for the players to actually play command squad is not that difficult. In fact, the way a group can be composed of all sorts of specialists screams IG command squad (Ogryn bodyguard, psyker/priest/commissar advisors, medics, etc.). The only thing its lacking is a standard bearer. And thats just a guy to wave around a flag (Note to self, possible idea for a future comrade passive for a Lt/Captain advance).

Alot of this would really be abstracted is the thing. Nobody really wants to hear that Squad 2 has dealt 16 points of damage to the 3rd horde of Orks to the west. That can be handled by the GM. The players would just need to provide a rough location on the table of where they think things should be positioned, and make a few Scholastic Lore (Tacita Imperialis) checks, make a few Command checks, and voila you're now a Lt. The problem is, some (alot) of the players may stop having fun when half the game comes down to positioning your NPC squads. They could start taking command of their own squads, but then it runs the risk of not being able to help fellow players effectively as the ranges increase exponentially.

If you must have numbers, doesn't RT have a book containing similar information? Just come up with a few ratings, and pit them against each other, applying situational modifiers and bonuses from related command checks.

It would be interesting to see OW turn into a "social" game, where the PCs are officers having to deal with the politics of war (trying to gain personal glory and a promotion, while not wasting Imperial resources, making rivals and what not), but once again, alot of players are not going to find that pacing fun. Espcially if they started play as just a grunt, and suddenly find that the XP they just spent the entire first half of the game is now diminished because they never see a posting at the front anymore.

The Cain books note that most squads (well, Valhallan ones at least) have an Assistant Squad Leader, a corporal trained to take charge if the Sergeant becomes a casualty or the squad is split into fireteams.

Under normal rpg circumstances, I'd also say let them roleplay it out - however, we are talking about an army here. That means there will be a defined chain of command that is to be adhered to, exactly because when a squad loses its leader, command does not want them to "roleplay it out", but for the designated ASL to take charge immediately.

Excellent recitation of the regs, Trooper Cifer!

Trooper Kasatka, you look alive and listen up! This is the His Exalted Majesty's Imperial Guard, AND WE DO NOT ROLEPLAY IT OUT HERE! Failure to obey a direct order from your superior officer is punishable by death, with sentence to be carried out ON THE SPOT, by Commissar KommissarK!

Do I make myself clear Trooper!? …Squad dismissed!

But in all seriousness, you are playing a soldier afterall, within a military hierarchy and command structure. The Sergeant, and 2IC, are not given their rank for reasons of popularity, they have it because they earned it (yeah, yeah, exceptions to the rule and all that). This approach even offers roleplay potential, in that it could provide some group friction (and a little bit of friction is always better than everyone being super best friends all the time).

After looking at the IG Codex and talking with my group we are good with private>corporal>sargent>Lt.

With that being said tweeking the corp/lt ranks shouldn't be difficult at all.After further reading im gonna assume Ogryns are never gonna be higher then "private" and commisars are just outside the command structure but within their rights to assume command of any squad/company/regiment as needed if command is found negligent(we would role play this of course) as found justified.right?

I do like the idea of different regiments having a different naming of their ranks based on their cultures etc…

thanks for the input so far.

High Command

Lord General Militant: Highest conventional rank (not gonna bother including the ones above this) In charge of entire battle groups. They're responsible for overlooking entire sectors.

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General Staff

Lord Marshal/Captain-General/Lord Castellan/Lord General: Probably planetary commanders, not much is really known.

General: Oversees multi-regiment battle groups.

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Commissioned Officers

Colonel: Regimental commanders.

Major: Second in command to the regiment, not universal.

Captain: Company commanders.

Lieutenant: Platoon commanders.

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Non-Commissioned Officers

Sergeant: Leads squads.

Corporal: This is just as easily an NCO rank as an enlisted one IRL, so it could depend on the regiment.

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Enlisted

Private/Guardsman/Trooper: Individual enlisted soldier.

On a practical level, this has most ranks that matter. However, you can easily fill in the blank spots with your own made up ranking structure or base it off an existing one. There are also Warrant Officers, which are often dubious. Atleast the US military has a few 'high-ranked' enlisted ranks, too.

There are also ranks such as the Company and Regimental Sergeant Major (top NCO in the Company or Regiment), and in the IG the Colour Sergeant, though he would be the standard bearer and a possibly cumbersom addition to a squad (except a command squad of course).

Likewise you might find variant ranks employed in non-standard forces. For example Sapper might be used in place of Trooper, in an engineering regiment.

There is no standard rank structure for the guard. As frankie listed, those are the most common ranks as taken from The Imperial Infantrymans Uplifting Primer (with a few missing, nothing notable). All ranks are subject to at least titular change and may, in fact, be entirely dissimilar to any rank in any other regiment. There could be more ranks, there could be fewer ranks. There could be two ranks, Trooper and Captain and nothing else, there could be 170 ranks.

You have total creative freedom on this.