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The Armies of 40k => Orks => Topic started by: Qui-Gon Jinn on February 5, 2007, 07:03:02 PM

Title: Ork Boot Kamp (articles, army lists and batrep links)
Post by: Qui-Gon Jinn on February 5, 2007, 07:03:02 PM
First, a word from the project's original sponsor:

Hello, all your readers of the Ork Board. We in the Project Section of the community would like to see some fresh members in our ranks. To become involved,post here,or PM me or Arcas for information. An example article would also be nice to see what your style of writing is.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Hope you will become involved.
Qui-Gon Jinn

Edit by Gutstikk:
This thread will be the place where I store articles submitted by users who can't access the Ork project board. I'll link to the start of each article from this post, so that readers needn't hunt through this thread for specific articles. This should also make things easier for Qui-Gon to find once completed. Until such time as the frontpage is fixed, it is unlikely the Ork Project board will attract much attention, and since access is limited all it does is remove good stuff from visibility.

If you've written a batrep that's pretty impressive, PM me a link and I'll patch it into the batrep page so the things don't get lost.

Ork Board Project Article list (click title to jump to article):


Ork Serial Battle Report threads, by various contributors (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=130950.msg2204383#msg2204383)
The Mosh Pit: Collected Ork Army Lists, by forum members (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=130950.msg2339676#msg2339676)
Free Orky Signature Bars, by Grimfang (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=172899.0)
Gunz, Gubbins and Orks, by Dropfall (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=178910.0)
More Dakka for your Dolla, by Chaplain Swordwind (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=130950.msg2083901#msg2083901)
Weirdboy Tactica, by Nerzuhl (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=130950.msg2105104#msg2105104)
Flash Gitz Tactica, by Gutstikk (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=130950.msg2138234#msg2138234)
Ork Transport Tactica, by Deathpepper (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=130950.msg2232066#msg2232066)
Starting Out with Orks in 5th Edition, by Chaplain Swordwind (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=130950.msg2240822#msg2240822)
Kill da Ard Beakies - fighting terminators with Orks, by Badb Catha (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=130950.msg2290948#msg2290948)
Minimum Size Stormboy Units, by Mushkilla (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=130950.msg2307581#msg2307581)
Ork Tactica: AV14!, by Oldcrow (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=130950.msg2401748#msg2401748)

tactica: battlewagon armies, by Tactica (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=206203.0)
tactica: horde armies, by Tactica (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=206179.0)
Burna Boy Tactica, by Skeetergod (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=130950.msg2548301#msg2548301)
More battlewagon tactica (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=210621.0)
Title: Re: The Ork Project
Post by: Firelord. on February 29, 2008, 05:19:35 PM
A long time ago i made this!

http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=98856.msg1143601#msg1143601


It's pretty fun and i am kinda proud of it.

Has alot of errors in it like spelling but i could fix it.

Is this something that could contribute to the ork project?
Title: Re: Ork Project Article Contest
Post by: Chaplain Swordwind on October 8, 2008, 12:52:46 PM
More Dakka for your Dolla


Introduction:

Most everyone knows that the Orks excel in close assault.  Many posts have been made supporting the arguement that point for point, nothing defeats your basic ork boyz in close combat.  While this is all fine and good, variety IS the spice of life and a little fire support to soften up the enemy before the charge is not a bad idea.  The purpose of this article is to help players identify the most cost effective way to add some fire support to their armies.  The article will be divided into two parts as follows:

The first part of the article will focus on the effectiveness of the various weapon systems divided by the point cost of fielding them.  Things that will be considered are Ballistic Skill, Rate of Fire, Weapon Strength, Armor Penetration, and Blast Radius (if any).  These stats will be used to calculate the average number of kills each weapon can produce against four categories of enemy units: 

Guardian Equivalent (GEQ: T3, Sv 5+)
Marine Equivalent (MEQ: T4, Sv 3+)
Terminator Equivalent (TEQ: T4, Sv 2+/5++)
Wraithguard Equivalent (WEQ: T6, Sv 3+/5++). 

This last category is also supposed to give representation to Monstrous Creatures, though for those the numbers will represent unsaved wounds rather than casualties (since Monstrous Creatures are mult-wound models).  Things that will be mentioned, but not factored into my equations:  Weapon Range, Unit Mobility, Unit Durability, FOC Slots.

You will notice that I have elected not to factor vehicles (as targets) into this project.  I chose to exclude them because I feel that the most effective ways to deal with them are relatively obvious.  Charging with Powerclaws, Lootas, and Tankbustas are pretty well documented as solutions to enemy vehicles, with an honorable mention to Deffkoptas with Twin-Linked Rokkits.  Rather than double (and then some) my workload by adding vehicles into my tables, I have chosen to focus on troops, as this will help people identify the types of fire support units that will provide them the most benefit when dealing with a particularly troublesome (or perhaps the most common) enemy they face.

Also, please be aware that due to several weapon systems having complex variables that affect their efficiency (variable weapon strength, AP, etc.) I did NOT include every weapon or unit in this article.  Lootas made the cut because its easy enough to assume they will AVERAGE 2 shots per turn, but things like the Shokk Attack Gun, Snazzgun and Zzap Gun have more variables than I have time to deal with at present.  In the future, if I have more time and decide to update this article, I will go back and work through those variables in order to provide more complete information.

The second part of the article will evaluate the efficiency of these units based on the financial cost (in U.S. Dollars) of purchasing them.  While the first part of the article provides the most critical information to the gamer, the second part will provide valuable information to those of us on a budget.  Prices will be based off the GW website, in order to ensure a universal standard.
Title: Re: Ork Project Article Contest
Post by: Chaplain Swordwind on October 8, 2008, 12:53:04 PM
More Dakka for your Dolla: Part One

The first step to finding out which units are most cost effective for providing fire support is determining how effective each of the weapon systems available is against the various categories of targets.  For easy reference, I will provide this data in a table format.  Weapon systems are listed alphabetically, with each column of numbers representing how effective those weapons are against each of the four target categories.  The three most effective weapons in each category will have their numbers highlighted to make them easier to identify.

WEAPON    SYSTEM       
GEQ
MEQ
TEQ
WEQ
Big  Shoota  (BS  2)         
0.83
0.22
0.11
0.11
Big  Shoota  (BS  3)         
1.25
0.33
0.17
0.17
Big  Shoota  (BS  2, T-L)   
1.39
0.37
0.19
0.19
Boomgun                         
5.42
5.42
0.90
3.61
Burna                             
2.67
0.66
0.33
0.22
Dakkagun                         
0.83
0.22
0.11
0.11
Deffgun                           
0.56
0.18
0.09
0.15
Grot  Blasta                     
0.17
0.06
0.03
0.03
Grotzooka                       
5.83
1.94
0.97
1.17
Kannon   (Frag)               
2.33
0.58
0.29
0.19
Kannon   (Krak)               
0.42
0.42
0.07
0.28
Killcannon                         
5.42
5.42
0.90
2.89
Kustom Mega Blasta (BS 2)
0.28
0.28
0.19
0.19
Kustom Mega Blasta (BS 3)
0.42
0.42
0.28
0.28
Lobba                             
2.92
0.78
0.39
0.39
Rokkit  Launcha  (BS  2)   
0.28
0.28
0.05
0.19
Rokkit  Launcha  (BS  3)   
0.42
0.42
0.07
0.28
Rokkit  Launcha  (BS  2, T-L)
0.46
0.46
0.08
0.31
Scorcha                           
3.33
0.89
0.44
0.44
Shoota                             
0.30
0.11
0.06
0.04

As you can see, without factoring in the cost of purchasing the units that carry these weapons, by far the most effective are the high strength blast weapons.  It should also be noted that the units that can carry these weapons (Looted Wagons, Killa Kans and Battle Wagons) are all Heavy Support choices, meaning they can only be taken in limited numbers, and must compete with each other for space in the army.

Next we need to know how much it costs to field these weapon systems.  Below I have listed each weapon system, followed by the units that can field them for the lowest point cost, and how much that cost is per weapon, and which section of the FOC the unit comes from.  This last piece of information is there simply for the player's reference; it does not directly effect the efficiency of the unit, but it will be good to know for the sake of balancing which units are taken.

Big Shoota (BS 2): Looted Wagon (Heavy Support).  Up to 2 guns at 22.5 pts each.

Big Shoota (BS 3): Killa Kan (Heavy Support).  40 pts each.

Big Shoota (BS 2, T-L): Warbuggies & Deffkoptas (Fast Attack).  30 and 35 pts each, respectively.

Boomgun: Looted Wagon (Heavy Support).  105 pts

Burna: Burna Boyz x 5 (Elite).  75 pts.

Dakkagun: Warbikes x 3 (Fast Attack).  75 pts each.

Deffgun: Lootas x 5 (Elite).  75 pts each.

Grot Blasta: Gretchin x 10 + Runtherd (Troops).  40pts.

Grotzooka: Killa Kans (Heavy Support).  45 pts each.

Kannon (Frag): Big Gunz + crew (Heavy Support).  20 pts each.

Kannon (Krak): Big Gunz + crew (Heavy Support).  20 pts each.

Killcannon: Battlewagon (Heavy Support).  150 pts each.

Kustom Mega Blasta x 2(BS 2): + 3 burnas/Lootas.  75 pts.

Kustom Mega Blasta (BS 3): Killa Kan (Heavy Support).  55 pts each.

Lobba: Big Guns + crew (Heavy Support).  25 pts each.

Rokkit Launcha (BS 2): Tank Bustas x 5(Elites).  75.

Rokkit Launcha (BS 3): Killa Kans (Heavy Support).  50 pts each.

Rokkit Launcha (BS 2, T-L):  Warbuggies & Deffkoptas (Fast Attack).  35 and 45 pts each, respectively.

Scorcha: Killa Kans (Heavy Support) & Warbuggies (Fast Attack).  40 pts each.

Shoota: Ork Boyz x 10 (Troops).  60 each.

Now I will combine the data from the first table with the data in the list above, and provide you with an new table that will reflect the (point) cost effectiveness of each unit.  They will be listed in the same order as before, though now the description will change to reflect the unit rather than just the weapon.  For each of the four categories of targets, I will highlight the three most cost effective units. I will also use color code for easy reference.  Troops will be Green, Elites will be Blue, Fast Attack will be Red, and Heavy Support will be Yellow.

***All the Numerical Values in this Table have been multiplied by 10 in order to reduce the number of Zeros I had to enter.  THE RELATIVE VALUE of the Results is UNCHANGED.***

WEAPON SYSTEM (UNIT)           
GEQ
MEQ
TEQ
WEQ
Big Shoota (Looted Wagon)           
0.369
0.098
0.049
0.049
Big Shoota (Killa Kan)                     
0.313
0.083
0.043
0.043
Big Shoota (Warbuggie)                 
0.463
0.123
0.063
0.063
Boomgun (Looted Wagon)             
0.516
0.516
0.086
0.344
Burna (Burna Boyz)                       
1.780
0.440
0.220
0.147
Dakkagun (Warbikers)                     
0.332
0.088
0.044
0.044
Deffgun (Lootas)                           
0.373
0.120
0.060
0.100
Grot Blasta (Gretchin)                     
0.425
0.150
0.075
0.075
Grotzooka (Killa Kan)                     
1.296
0.431
0.216
0.260
Kannon-Frag (Big Gunz)                 
1.165
0.290
0.145
0.095
Kannon-Krak (Big Gunz)                 
0.210
0.210
0.035
0.140
Killcannon (Battlewagon)                 
0.361
0.361
0.060
0.193
Kustom Mega Blasta (Burnas/Lootas)
0.112
0.112
0.076
0.076
Kustom Mega Blasta (Killa Kan)         
0.076
0.076
0.051
0.051
Lobba (Big Gunz)                           
1.168
0.312
0.156
0.156
Rokkit Launcha (Tank Bustas)         
0.187
0.187
0.033
0.127
Rokkit Launcha (Killa Kan)               
0.084
0.084
0.014
0.056
Rokkit Launcha (Warbuggie)             
0.131
0.131
0.023
0.089
Scorcha (Killa Kan/Warbuggie)         
0.833
0.223
0.110
0.110
Shoota (Ork Boyz)                         
0.500
0.183
0.100
0.067


As you can see, the most cost effective fire support units are (not surprisingly) Heavy Support choices.  In addition, they are all blast or template weapons, which helps compensate for the generally poor Ballistic Skill of the Orks.  The Killa Kan armed with a Grotzooka deserves special mention, because it placed in the top 3 for every category of target!  It is also worth mentioning that although Burnas made the top 3 in every category but one, the limited range on their weapon systems is a significant factor.  In order to use them more effectively, they need to be mounted.  However, even if you factored in the cost of a transport (Trukk), as long as you use its full capacity the Burnas would still make the cut!  Of course, trying to position them so you can actually fire all of those Burnas without hitting your own guys will not be easy.  Moving on:  Lootas, though less cost effective than Burna Boyz, have great range and are better against vehicles, making them worth mentioning in spite of the math.  Shoota Boyz (and to a lesser degree Gretchin) also deserved to be mentioned, because unlike the other units presented in these tables, they count as a scoring unit.  They do perform fairly well in fire support as well.  Lastly, I would like to give an honorable mention to Deffkoptas.  Although they are not the most cost effective choice, their mobility gives them significant flexibility that these numbers cannot account for.
Title: Re: Ork Project Article Contest
Post by: Chaplain Swordwind on October 8, 2008, 12:53:17 PM
More Dakka for your Dolla: Part Two

Now that we know which fire support units are most cost effective in terms of points, its time (for those of us who are on a budget) to find out how to provide our armies with fire support that is financially cost effective.  Part one of this article is a great tool for helping people get the most out of their army, but part two is where this article will live up to its name, giving you "More Dakka for your Dolla", or whatever currency you happen to use.   ;)

The chart below takes the data collected in Table 1 of the first part of this article, and divides each value by the cost (in U.S. Dollars, as of December 2008) of putting that model or unit on the table.  I originally considered using the values from Table 2 for these calculations, but I realized there would be a huge bias towards infantry models if I did so.  I figure the only way to have a truely balanced evaluation is to keep the financial efficiency calculations separate from the points efficiency calculations.

At this time there is not an "official" Looted Wagon model on GW's website, so I have picked the Imperial Guard Leman Russ Battle Tank as the model that will be converted to represent it.  Additionally, they have no Killa Kan with a Grotzooka, so I will use the price of the other Killa Kans (which are all the same) to make the necessary calculations. 

***All the Numerical Values in this Table have been multiplied by 10 in order to reduce the number of Zeros I had to enter.  THE RELATIVE VALUE of the Results is UNCHANGED.***

WEAPON SYSTEM (UNIT)           
GEQ
MEQ
TEQ
WEQ
Big Shoota (Looted Wagon)           
0.415
0.110
0.055
0.055
Big Shoota (Killa Kan)                     
0.568
0.150
0.077
0.077
Big Shoota (Warbuggie)                 
0.556
0.148
0.076
0.076
Boomgun (Looted Wagon)             
1.365
1.365
0.225
0.903
Burna (Burna Boyz)                       
6.675
1.650
0.825
0.550
Dakkagun (Warbikers)                     
0.712
0.189
0.094
0.094
Deffgun (Lootas)                           
1.400
0.450
0.225
0.375
Grot Blasta (Gretchin)                     
1.133
0.400
0.200
0.200
Grotzooka (Killa Kan)                     
2.650
0.882
0.441
0.532
Kannon-Frag (Big Gunz)                 
1.371
0.341
0.171
0.112
Kannon-Krak (Big Gunz)                 
0.247
0.247
0.041
0.165
Killcannon (Battlewagon)                 
1.084
1.084
0.180
0.578
Kustom Mega Blasta (Burnas/Lootas)
0.140
0.140
0.095
0.095
Kustom Mega Blasta (Killa Kan)         
0.191
0.191
0.127
0.127
Lobba (Big Gunz)                           
1.718
0.459
0.229
0.229
Rokkit Launcha (Tank Bustas)         
0.467
0.467
0.083
0.317
Rokkit Launcha (Killa Kan)               
0.191
0.191
0.032
0.127
Rokkit Launcha (Warbuggie)             
0.153
0.153
0.023
0.093
Scorcha (Killa Kan/Warbuggie)         
1.111
0.297
0.147
0.147
Shoota (Ork Boyz)                         
1.364
0.500
0.273
0.182

Interestingly, it appears that the units that are most efficient in the fire support role financially are the same as the units that are most efficient in terms of points.  There are a few differences between the tables, but overall the best units for the job stand out on both.

Conclusion:

After a substantial number-crunching session, we can see from the numbers in the tables provided that if you are a Warboss looking for a little Dakka to support your WAAAGH!, most of the best units for the job can be found in the Heavy Support section of your Army List.  However, these tables are just a tool for your reference.  It is up to the Warboss to ultimately decide which units make the cut.  If a particular unit is to slow or to fragile for your taste, you can always substitute something that suits you better.  This remains true if you need to substitute a less efficent unit because of limited FOC slots for the units in question.  If you run out of Heavy Support slots but you still want more Dakka in the army, refer to these charts and pick a unit from another part of the FOC that is as efficient as possible.  Refer to the last paragraph in part one for a few suggestions.

WAAAAAGH!!!

Title: Re: The Ork Project
Post by: TastyPavlova on November 3, 2008, 03:28:09 AM
yeah I try to be as active as possible but im outnumbered by all the senior members lolz...And all the new ppl are around for about 5-10 posts then they run off... That saddens me :( Orks are my only true 40K army and this board is pretty active, but could be more lively. Some more tactics would be good (mine always fail so dont expect to hear from me) and less questions on army lists that are like 250pts big, but a question on a big game or some constructive crit from other members on different aspects of the Ork codex as well. I started a thread that was getting a lot of hits, but it got locked for whatever reason!!!!!!
Title: Re: Ork Project Article Contest
Post by: Ner'Zhul on November 4, 2008, 03:52:08 PM
Reserved
***********W************I**************P
The Weirdness of Weirdboyz
From the day that young boy explodes his first head, his life is a turbulent stream of glorious violence and all that is Green.  If a Warboss is the head of a Waaagh! and the Mekboy is the brains, then the Weirdboy would be the heart.  He channels the energy that fuels every boyz lust for battle.  He feels the motion of the fight, and expresses the rage and excitement that surrounds him.

The life of a Weirdboy is a short and brutal one, resulting in a great rarity.  And this even is portrayed in their use on the table.  Few players use them, and hopefully this article will inspire my fellow brethren to not leave the heart out of their army.

Weirdboy Physiology
The Weirdboys that survive to maturity carry the stature of a Nob.  For the power of the Waaagh! strengthens him and elevates him beyond Boy-hood

The Weirdboy has the same stat line as a nob.  Which is what makes him seem so underwhelming at first.  He doesn't have the beef of the Warboss, nor the toys of the Mekboy.  And his entry seems offly sparse.  However, this belittles his volume of built in abilities.  For a mere 20 points more than a Mekboy you get an interested assortment of psychic powers.  And fully kitted out is the cheapest (still effective) of the HQ's we have to select from.  Leaving plenty of room for other toys in the army.

However, one must realize that a Weirdboy will never go against his nature and not do weird things on the battlefield.  He will never play the same way twice.  One battle he may pound the opponent into the ground with devastating shooting attacks.  Another he boosts his fellows to astonishing levels of violence.  Or he completely lets loose and rearranges the field of battle, or blows up in a rain of gore and green bits.  And most likely will do all three of these in a chaotic fashion.  Elevating one to a Warp Ead might add a bit of control to the weirdness, but a general should never relly on a consistent pattern of play.  This would undermine the strengths that a Weirdboy brings to a battle.  For it is this chaos that you must embrace and throw the enemy down a similar path.  Your comfort with the randomness will be your strength while your opponent struggles to get a handle on your strategy.

From Weirdness comes Victory!

The Eb and Flow of a Waaagh!
When the Waaagh! begins, the Weirdboy has little choice in being swept up in it.  How it will manifest is unknown even to him.

The powers offered to the Weirdboy are an odd bag.  I will go through them one by one, and hopefully expand upon them.  Offering up my opinions, ideas, and general feeling of each.  Fortunately the weirdboy gets them all, and doesn't pay any extra for them.  This is about the only consistent thing you will find about the weirdboy.

General Power Notes
You determine your powers at the start of the Shooting phase.  But remember, you don't have to use it at the start.  You just find out what power you will or will not be able to use that power.  And you have to use that power.  One final fantastic feature is the auto hitting, who cares about BS 2 if you auto hit!

'Eadbanger
A Weirdboyz first and only real negative power.  This basically frazzles your own Weirdboy and any unlucky enough to be next to him.  Keep this in mind when you are moving him and his unit.  Keep him in front of the unit, keeping a 2" gap between him and the unit.  This will hopefully minimize the impact of it.  If you are lucky enough to be close to the enemy, you could even catch some of them.  Remember, the blast doesn't scatter, it centers on him and then resolves.  Also, these are shooting wounds, so you don't have to wound the Weirdboy himself, but pop the poor fellows that are with him.  The only unit in the army that can really stand up to this landing is Meganobz and a tooled up nob squad.  But remember once you are in close combat, the negative of this roll turns into a positive.  Turning your attacks into power weapon strikes.

Frazzle
This in opinion scares the life out of MEQ players.  Many players often forget that this automatically hits.  That means you place the template how you like, and it is there guaranteed.  You can figure on 2-3 hits minimum from this power, and unless it is TEQ, it will not get to use its armor.  The decent strength of the attack means against T4 or lower you are wounding on a 2+.  So you can pretty much count on inflicting 2 wounds with it.  And being moderate range means what ever you target will most likely not have cover.  This power is one of the many reasons that you should try and keep the Weirdboy out front and unobstructed, so that the opponent won't get a cover save.  The pinning aspect of the power is just icing on the cake.  But don't expect much out of it, not many things in 40k will actually fail a pinning check in 5th edition.  For anti-infantry this power is great.

Zzap
This is the Weirdboy doing his best to imitate a rail gun.  It has good range so it can reach the targets you want, namely vehicles.  Strength doesn't get much higher either, so it can wound those monstrous creatures as well.  It's AP isn't the best, but it still beats TEQ just fine.  And the amazing part of it being Melta.  Anything short of a Monolith will cringe at a melta gun with this kind of range.  When in melta range, you are looking at an average penetration roll of 17!  If the AP was one lower, it would be the deadliest anti-tank shot in the game.  As with all the powers though, don't rely on your Weirdboy to be your anti-tank.  But rejoice when such a pure out pouring of Waaagh! energy happens.

Warpath
This is the mixed bag of all the powers available.  It can be a waist if it pops up when you can't assault, and makes a general wanna cry wasting so many extra attacks.  But woo to the enemy that stands before a horde of Orks on the warpath.  The results of this power when it works are astounding.  This power makes the most sense in large boy squads, where the most bang for the buck is received.  If this power is up and running, charging into a group of genestealers is still viable, for even with heavy losses the bonus attack will make up for them.  And even if the Weirdboy meets his demise, this power keeps on trucking right until your next turn, meaning you will have those extra attacks in your enemies phase as well!

'Ere We Go
This power can either be a blessing, a curse, or something in between.  It can deliver a shoota squad into shooting range of a juicy target.  Or it could throw the whole unit into reserves.  The larger the squad the Weirdboy is with, the riskier this power is.  Remember your footprint matters with deep striking.  Also, keep in mind that you can't assault after using this power.  If you use this power, and the opponent has templates or pie plates, use a run action once you deep strike.  You will give up shooting, but will save you the nightmare of flamers or battle cannons gobbling up your entire unit.  This power will also rip you out of a combat that you are stuck in with, for better or for worse.  To many this is almost a negative power, but I see it as the epitome of a Weirdboyz randomness, and the ability to throw a curve ball at your opponent.  You could end up taking an objective or threatening an opponent.

Waaagh!
The most appealing power to many who field the Weirdboy.  But with the advent of 5th edition a lot of this powers power has dimished.  Rarely will a first turn Waaagh! benefit anything but a trukk boy squad.  However, this gives you plenty of reason to have at least one Trukk Squad in your army.  A first turn Waaagh! with a charge from a Trukk squad can shift the momentum dramatically in your favor.  Also, this power can lend you additional Waaagh!s through out a game.  Which could mean far more assaulting, which is always the best for Orks.

Where a Weirdboy can be at his Weirdest
Those that travel with a Weirdboy consistently find themselves a bit Weird themselves.  Raw Waaagh! energy can be a hell of a drug.

Picking who your Weirdboy will run with is crucial to getting the most out of him.  I will go through each unit and discuss the merits of placing a Weirdboy with them.

By His Lonesome
This is in my opinion the worse thing you could ever do.  Not only does he feel lonely missing out on his mob rules, but he is extremely vulnerable.  The heart of an army can't survive with out the body.

Nobz
A crew of fluffy Madboyz are in fact nobz.  But sometimes it isn't always the best to travel with them.  The plus side is that they make for an excellent body guard unit for the Weirdboy.  With tons of wounds, the addition of a painboy, and plenty of upgrades they can keep the heart of the army alive for a good time.  However, this can be a giant point sink to tool up a nob squad.  On the other hand you are already saving points by using a Weirdboy, so using them hear isn't a waist.  Remember, your nob squad needs to be 10 man, so that you get that very important leadership bonus.  The Weirdboy can also become the nobz biggest liablity though.  A 'Ead Bang could cost you some very expensive models in the unit, and a 'Ere We Go could move your best unit into a poor location.  And worse of all, if your Weirdboy uses a shooting power, you can't run.  And you always have to use the power, so this could slow down the unit in general.  Running a Weirdboy with Nobz is moderately good.

Meganobz
A small grouping of Meganobz can benifit from the 'Ere we go power the most.  Getting them across the field far quickly than any other method.  However, if you want a leadership bonus you are looking at spending an enormous amount of points.  The shoota's they carry do mix well with the shooting powers of the Weirdboy, but this means your not running.  And with Meganobz being slow as it is, this can be a real liability.  The good news is that a Ead Bang won't do much to the unit.  Overall this is less than ideal mob to run a Weirdboy with

Burna Boyz
I have mixed feelings about this unit.  It can provide the numbers a Weirdboy needs, and with 3 mek boyz with guns the shooting powers mix well.  However, leardership and fragility becomes a major issue.  You don't have access to a Bosspole with a Weirdboy, so if this unit breaks it is bad news.  Burna Boyz are sub-par usually, a Weirdboy doesn't bring much to this unit.  I don't recommend this combination

Tankbustas
This can be a very interesting combination.  They can provide the numbers and Pole that the Weirdboy needs.  But they also bring along that horrible glory hog rule that the Weirdboy will have to abide by.  However, a timely 'Ere we go can be amazing for this unit.  And the Weirdboyz shooting powers fit right in.  An odd combination, but not a terrible one.  You will need to be creative to get the most out of it

Lootas or Kommandos
NO, NO, NO, NO, and NO!  These units don't want a Weirdboy with them.  Neither benefit from his presence and drag him down if stuck with them.

Ork Boyz
Ah, this is a Weirdboyz true home.  Huge numbers to fuel his powers, and solid leadership from a nob.  A shoota boy squad is the most ideal combination.  They mesh with his shooting powers very well.  Slugga Boyz still prefer to get a run in, but if you throw in big shootas or rokkits it can work just fine.  The biggest danger to the unit is 'Ere we go, as your foot print will be massive if the unit is large.  And if a weird boy is with them, it should be at least 25-30 boy strong at least.  This is the unit I highly recommend for your Weirdboy to run with

Gretchin
These guys are just too weedy to bother running a Weirdboy with.

Storm Boyz
As much as I wish a Weirdboy could fly, he can't, so doesn't mesh at all.  Not to mention these rebellious Orks are CONFORMISTS!!!!  The dirtiest of dirty words.

Flashgitz
Now this is an interesting combination.  These nobz with guns actually mesh nicely with a Weirdboy, better than Nobz do.  Their guns mean that they prefer to shoot than run, allowing the Weirdboy to express himself with out the guilt.  And can provide the sturdiness that a Weirdboy needs.  The only thing lacking is a Pole, which can come from Badrukk if you are feeling like spending some points on this unit.  Again this can be a point sink, but the Weirdboy is cheap, so you will have the points.  I rate this matching as good as Nobz.

Archetypal Armies
The following I will discuss various Army archetypes and whether or not a Weirdboy should be present

Speed Freaks
Weirdboyz are a bit of a waist in this type of army.  He doesn't bring anything that speeds up the army, like a Warboss on a bike.  Nor does he bring the defenses of a Mekboy with KFF.  Overall a Weirdboy will feel out of place in this army.

Goff/Deffwing
Again, this army doesn't play to a Weirdboyz strength.  The need of 2 warbosses to make nobz troop choices makes the Weirdboy a poor choice.

Horde
The Weirdboy feels right at home in this army.  With so many boyz in battle the Waaagh! energy is at its purist.  He has plenty of boy mobs to run with, and can even hop from one mob to another.  And those points you are saving on a Weirdboy means you will be able to buy more boyz.  This is a good choice for a Weirdboy

Dreadbash
This army is one of the worse choices for a Weirdboy to run with.  The lack of boyz means the Weirdboy has no one to really mob up with.

Mixed Bag
Armies that are a smattering of different units.  These armies can actually play to the strength of a Weirdboy.  Since there is no obvious point of focus to these armies, the randomness of the Weirdboy fits right in.  This is the type of army that I play personally and recommend the most for a Weirdboy.
Title: Re: Ork Project Article Contest
Post by: Ner'Zhul on November 4, 2008, 03:52:14 PM
How to get the weirdness out of your Weirdboy
Not every Weirdboy makes the most of his weirdness, those that due can raise a Waaagh! on their own.

Weirdboyz are about as close to a finesse unit as orks get.  They are not blunt tools like a Warboss, nor obvious war band support like a Big Mek.  This is what turns off new Ork players the most.  The use of a Weirdboy isn't always evident, and getting the most out of him is even deeper down the rabbit hole.  I will attempt to gleam upon my brethren the uses a Weirdboy can play in their Waaagh!

Warphead or Normal Head?
When it comes to picking what upgrades to chose for the Weirdboy, we don't have to agonize over it.  Namely because we only have one to pick from.  The choice narrows down to be a Warphead Weirdboy or not.  The upgrade is a 50% point increase and on paper doesn't seem to return much.  It doesn't boost any stats or introduce new abilities.  All it does is allow for your Weirdboy to reroll his power.  But this is deceptively simplistic.  The implications of being able to re-roll the power can be drastic.  If you are looking for a super cheap effective HQ, you can skip this upgrade.  If your Weirdboy is playing anything beyond a cheap purchase, then it is absolutely mandatory.  The benefits can be amazing.  If you are seeking an early Waaagh! result for your war band, then this will increase your odds of success.  It will also allow you to potentially avoid the bad powers, like Ead Banger or Ere We Go.  And don't forget, even with the upgrade the Weirdboy makes for a cheap HQ.  I highly highly recommend this for anyone who is seriously thinking about using Weirdboyz.

When to use your Warphead
The ability to re-roll the power rolled for the turn is a mighty appealing choice.  However, one must weigh the consequences of doing so.  The only time I believe that the re-roll should be automatic is when your roll the Ead Bang power, since there is almost no positive to this power.  But in other situations it can be trickier.  You must remember that if a power seems a waist right now, to re-roll might end up yielding a far worse result.  You need to weight the risk vs reward before leaping for that die.  You may have wanted frazzle to deal with some MEQs, but rolled a Zzap instead, and then choose to re-roll hoping for that Frazzle and end up with a Ere We Go!  When considering the re-roll, look to see if the current power offered has a use.  Ask these questions:
You should always weight all these pro's and con's before picking up the dice.  For you could end up cursing yourself if you give up that Zzap in favor of a power that falls flat.

Bringers of the Waaagh!
I have seen many generals attempt to bring two Warphead Weirdboyz to the table to attempt to get that first turn Waaagh!  (My math is subject to being wrong ^_^) But even with two Weirdboyz you only have a .611111 chance of rolling that Waaagh!  And this falls into the most common trap players who field Weirdboyz suffer from, relying on a single power in the Weirdboyz arsenal.  In fact, fielding a Weirdboy in hopes of exploiting a single power at all is a fatal mistake.  If you are going to field a Weirdboy, you must be prepared to make use of all and any results that occur during the battle.  It is okay to shoot for this, but be ready for it not to happen.  If you walk into a game expecting Multitudes of a single result from a random source, be prepared to be sourly mistaken.

Making the most out of Chaos
The key to getting the most out of your Weirboy is to try and make sure he is in a position through out the game that will be able to maximize any result on his power table.  Now this is obviously almost impossible due to the complete unpredictability of the game in general.  But in a perfect world, Your Weirdboy would be in the front of a large squad at least 2" appart, with an unobstructed shot on a Landraider with in 18", a nice clear landing location near a vital target available on the table, and a tightly packed unit of MEQ only an 1" away from your weirdboy.  In this situation there can be no wrong doing of powers ^_^  However, dream situations like this don't come to pass often enough, if at all.  But you should always try.  The more of the list that you make useful the happier you and your Weirdboy will be.


How to handle the inevitable back fire
At some point your Weirdbaoy is going to do something you definitely don't want him to do.  Namely, Ead Bang or Ere We Go.  These are the only 2 possibly negative powers you can get.  There isn't much you can do about the Ead Bang, besides hoping the enemy happens to be next to you.  However, don't forget that it is a shooting attack so you don't have to take the wound on your Weirdboy.  And hopefully you have been giving your Weirdboy some distance so the most hits you should take is 2-3.  The Ere We Go result is a bit trickier.  Namely cause it could do something good, but most likely won't.  First and foremost you need to determine if your opponent has templates or blast weapons.  If he does, and they can hit your boyz, you need to use a run move to minimize casualties.  Remember you can still run after the Ere We Go result because this is not a shooting power.  Second you need to figure on a location that will benefit you later in game.  Don't use this to pop in next to your opponents gun line only to find yourself target less once you have killed it.  And avoid difficult terrain at all possible, as this will become dangerous terrain for every boy that ends up in it.  Which could cost you a number of boyz

Building a Waaagh! for your Weirdboyz
If you want to build an army that revolves around your Weirdboy, then this is what I recommend.  First step is set aside the points for the Weirdboy(s) that you intend to purchase.  Then proceed to build one unit that will serve as the Weirboy(s) escort.  Then set that unit aside.  Build the remainder of your army with the remaining points, and make sure it is completely independent of the Weirdboy + Escort.  The reason for this is that the Weirdboyz + Escort can't be expected to fill just one job.  They will act differently every game, so building an army that revolves around a random unit will prove futile.  If your army can stand by itself with out the Weirdboy + Escort, then you will have no fear of any randomness that is inserted by your Weirdboy(s).  This will allow for the Weirdboy(s) to not constrain themselves during the fight and let lose, maximizing their potential.  You will find that each aspect of your army (anti-tank/anti-infantry/ect) blustered by what ever the Weirdboy chooses to do that turn.  If instead you had built your army with the intention of using your Weirdboy to play anti-infantry, and he ends up doing nothing but Anti-tank powers, you will find yourself with a weakened aspect.  However, if you do it my way, your opponent will be the one being forced to react to randomly strengthened aspects.  He might screen his infantry with tanks one moment because your Weirdboy is laying out his infantry, only to find himself on the receiving end of a powerful anti-tank gun.  Now you have chaos on yourside ^_^

Winning Weirdness
Winning with a Weirdboy centric army is a difficult one.  It will not play the same as your run of the mill ork army.  Many ork armies rely on their HQs to boost their armies effectiveness, whether it be by a KFF or a threatening Green Torpedo.  However, Weird Armies rely on no one aspect.  The HQ in this army will not be blustering the overall army in the usual fashions if at all.  Instead your HQ will simply be another tool at your disposal.  I am not going to say that Weird Armies make for strong ones, in fact in my opinion they are the weaker than most armies.  And you will lose more than normal.  However, once you get the hang of it, it will make for a wonderfully wacky winning army.  It will just take more practice than normal.  Many people field a Weirdboy and then immediately toss them to the shelf because they didn't win.  Much like Weirdboys in the fluff, rare are the mature Weirdboy Players.  Be resiliant and you will become one of the few, the zany, the Weird!
Title: Re: Ork Project Article Contest
Post by: Ner'Zhul on November 4, 2008, 03:52:20 PM
The Old Zog
The old Zog is our named Weirdboy.  Coming in at a 170% the cost of a Warp Head, he makes one nervous.  He is only slightly more resilient than the normal Weirdboy, having one higher toughness and wounds.  And at this cost not having an invulnerable save or even a real save at all is nerve wracking.  But the old Zog packs a serious punch.

Zogy (As I like to call him) has the same powers as your generic Warp Head, but he has an alternate power that he can make use of.   And it is an Independent Character killer.  With some luck you can reduce foes like Calgar to pathetic squigs.  Many players take him for this purpose, however, there is a point of caution behind it.  First is that it doesn't work against some older armies, namely any army that offers retinues.  Characters in retinues do not have independent character status, so they are immune to being targeted by this power.  Also, this is a shooting power, so it cannot be used in assaults.  And tyranids don't even have an independent character (well, broodlord but how often is he with out a retinue).  So the point is don't take Zogy as an independent character assassin.  See it as a bonus, not a purpose

What is the strangest thing about Zogy is that his strength lies in assaults.  He gets a potential huge number of attacks.  And can even out attack Thrakka himself.  And he wounds on a 2+ thanks to poison, and against anything toughness 3 or 4 (on the charge) this becomes a rerollable wound.  On top of it all he strikes at initiative so he doesn't have to survive till last.  But assault is also a dangerous place for Zogy.  Being an independent character means he can be targeted specifically, and lacking any real armor or defense he can go down to even lowly Tau.  And on top of this his initiative isn't that hot and his weapon skill is average.  And to make it all worse, his true strength won't show up till round 2 of a fight, when he could potentially gain power weapon status.  So to get the most out of his assault capabilities he needs to be placed in a unit with a pain boy, this will bolster his defense against everything but str 10 weapons and weapons that ignore armor.  So running him with flash gitz or Nobs is the best.

A dirty, albeit expensive trick, is to have Mad Dok grant him a cybork body.  And if they both run in a 30 boy shoota squad, this becomes a massively dangerous unit.  Lashing out with powers and huge dakka, that is then backed up with a fearless assault can end even the most sturdy of assault units.  And most enemies will go for mad dok before they will attack Zoggy, further increasing his survival rate.  I have personally fielded this unit, and was a bit taken aback by the violence that it wrought upon my enemy.

Overall Zogy is an interesting choice for HQ.  But unless you really support him heavily, you are better off with a Warp Head.  Personally I use him often because I made a great conversion ^_^

(Pic goes here)
Title: Flash Gitz tactica [happy holidays you blightas!]
Post by: Gutstikk on December 19, 2008, 08:01:28 PM
Over the course of many games with my Orks since the new codex came out I’ve used Flash Gitz in almost every match. They’ve become a signature unit for me, though they are much loathed for their general ineffectiveness by the common Ork general. In this short article I’d like to highlight some of the ways in which to use Flash Gitz effectively. This article and the suggestions therein are based on my own experiences using Flash Gitz alongside a number of other units.

For starters, some things to realize about Flash Gitz. For the price they are actually better than Nobs on a unit to unit comparison. To grant standard Nobs the same armor save as Flash Gitz causes both models to cost the same points value on a model to model comparison, yet the Flash Gitz have some other useful abilities rolled into that cost which the Nobz do not have. On the other hand, the Nobs come with an extra attack over the Flash Gitz due to their basic weapon outload, and access to some very effective melee equipment. The straight cost comparison isn’t the final word, but I wanted to begin with pointing out that Flash Gitz are actually a bargain by the standards of Nobs.

Flash Gitz come with a fairly decent ranged weapon called a Snazzgun which, even without upgrades, is a threat to many of the more costly unit types. With upgrades these guns can be very dangerous to unwary opponents indeed! The unreliability of Orkish shooting coupled with the weapon’s unpredictable AP value, and then rolled into the 5th edition ruleset for cover saves go a long way to killing some of the gun’s effectiveness. Still, I’ve managed to bring down some very nice targets with this weapon alone, before they could wreak havoc in my lines. The real advantage is that even though you can’t depend on good rolls with the Snazzgun, your opponent can’t count on you to roll poorly.

 The best bit of basic gear the Flash Gitz have is the Gitfinda. This essentially lets you premeasure during the shooting phase. I advocate firing with the Flash Gitz before firing with other units, since you can always select different targets should the Gitfinda prove you are out of range. It gives you an idea as to whether or not calling a Waaagh! is a good move that turn, or if you should wait and do it later.

Flash Gitz have the option of taking a Painboy, who loses the Snazzgun but offers some excellent unit benefits that are, in my opinion, always worth trading up for. He makes the unit a good deal more resilient which helps to compensate for their average ballistic skill and lack of a bosspole option. The painboy is also a major boon to any character that joins the unit, as it makes the character much more resilient as well.

This unit has no default transport options and uses up a heavy support slot, vying for other useful options for an Ork army. Fortunately their decent range and the ability to board other unit transports in 5th means this is not such a big issue. Furthermore, the range on their guns is decent enough that generally they can have a battlefield impact without the need of a transport to get them to their target.

Those are the basic things to know about Flash Gitz. Now it’s time to look at the unit in a little more depth.

Unit Synergies of Flash Gitz:

The most important thing this unit lacks is some hitting power for close combat and a boost to leadership. The Doc allows them to wound anything in the game but they really struggle against walkers in close combat, and have a heck of a time vs powerhouse characters or monstrous creatures due to their inability to bypass armor saves. Against other units they have all of the benefits of Nobz and will do a lot of damage to rank and filer units without assistance.

Generally I find the best option is to join an HQ to the squad. There are relatively few good options. The best in my opinion is a standard Warboss with a Powerklaw, Squig, Bosspole, and  Cybork Body. This grants the squad some excellent leadership with bosspole benefits, the ability to shred other units in close combat, and the unit offers the Warboss protection from shooting attacks and Feel No Pain in assault.

A unit of Flash Gitz can be led by a Biker Boss if desired, who can boost their leadership earlier on as they advance but has the option to leave the unit and charge an enemy whom the Flash Gitz have softened up a little. A Biker Boss’s warbike has a gun which matches the basic Snazzgun in terms of target preference, and the added range of movement makes the Biker Boss a good interceptor for such a squad.

The next good option for the Flash Gitz is Old Zogwort, especially in a unit of 8 or more Flash Gitz. His shooting powers will generally dovetail their options, his deepstrike redeploy is actually beneficial in many cases, and he’s got a 50% chance of adding some nice and deadly CC power [though enemy Dreadnoughts are still a liability, the teleport exit at least offers some sort of alternative]. The other powers are generally helpful as well, with the exception of Frazzle [which is beneficial in combat], and Flash Gitz are capable of shrugging this drawback off.  Zogwort also does not offer much in the way of leadership benefits, meaning you may want to dunp wounds onto Zogwort instead of the unit if possible.

A Big Mek is not really an ideal choice to lead the unit, unless it is armed with a Shokk Attack Gun and you deploy the Gitz far forwards. However, this sort of strategy entails certain risks that can be huge with a unit choice as expensive as Flash Gitz. A Big Mek just isn’t a good enough fighter to benefit the Flash Gitz so much in combat, and often times a KFF Mek is enough of a priority target for the opponent that the unit will get charged and demolished. Mega Armored bosses just slow the unit down in the long run, and Grotsnik makes the Flash Gitz incapable of firing their guns. Waaazdakka should generally be the leader of a Biker Force, where Flash Gitz don’t really contribute anything.

Flash Gitz can also be quite helpful in a Killkannon equipped Battlewagon. Both the Killkannon and the Snazzgun prefer the same sort of targets most of the time, and the Battlewagon helps keep the Flash Gitz out of close combat.

[con'd]
Title: Re: Flash Gitz tactica [happy holidays you blightas!]
Post by: Gutstikk on December 19, 2008, 08:02:28 PM
Deployment, Movement and Positional Strategies:

Generally, Flash Gitz should be a second-wave unit. If you are deploying the majority of your force on the table they will be able to deploy a bit behind them. Typically you will want to deploy them so that the Gitfinda is of good use to the rest of your units. Otherwise they can be deployed in reserve, especially if Zogwort is attached to the unit. They have the range to hit their targets pretty much as they enter the board, can deepstrike without too much risk, and are fierce enough to make a good counter-charger for enemy infantry that hits your lines early on.

Flash Gitz couple well with Shoota Boys and Gretchin. Gretchin stand in front of the Shoota Boyz, who do not care if they confer cover saves onto the enemy in most cases but benefit greatly from receiving one. The Flash Gitz can deploy in between two squads of Boys to protect their flanks, or to the flank of a squad of Shoota Boyz and a little behind. Grot Screens can move out of the way of the Flash Gitz before the Gitz shoot, and then run back in front of them to provide cover.

The reason to keep the Flash Gitz back a little is so that they can get the charge on enemy that reach your lines. A whole load of Nob attacks combined with Furious Charge will put a hurt on most opponents, and on the charge they strike at average speed meaning they have a chance to dent their enemy before they suffer casualties. Additionally the Gitfinda will let you know where the Shoota teams should be directing their firepower, or if they should risk assaulting via a Waaagh!

I can’t stress constant use of the Gitfinda enough – you paid for the upgrade, you should get as much mileage out of it as you can. However, the amount of mileage will vary depending on your opponent, so always be clear about this upgrade before the game begins or your opponent is likely to get upset!

Flash Gitz will generally want to have access to some charge lanes where possible. If advancing behind Gretchin, ensure there is enough room to walk between the Grots should the Grots find themselves pinned. Otherwise your Flash Gitz may find they can’t advance and have to offer up cover to the enemy where they might otherwise be able to fire freely! It can also be helpful to keep the grots behind the Gitz at the end of the movement phase, with enough room between the Gitz so that the Grots can run in between them and the enemy. Generally this requires ony a half inch between the two squads if they are interspersed, guaranteeing that the enemy must fire through the gretchin to hit the Flash Gitz. It will make the unit vulnerable to template weapons if moving in this manner. Surprisingly, this formation is excellent against blast weapons as relatively few models get caught in the blast and the gretchin models provide cover to the Flash Gitz! Also, a scatter is likely to toss the template far away from BOTH units.

If deepstriking, there is no reason to drop within 12” of anything dangerous. After all, the Flash Gitz have plenty of range on their guns! Instead, keep the unit safe so that deepstrike mishaps can be avoided. They are too large an investment to leave to the mercy of bad dice!

Shooting Strategies:

It is important to consider the “gating” mechanisms described above when using Flash Gitz, since about 50% of their shots during the course of a game can fire through Power Armor with impunity. Therefore, either keep them in lockstep with a small Grot formation or to the flank of a Shoota/Grot brigade. They can also be in the center of a Phalanx that “opens” during movement and “closes” at the end of the shooting phase.

When it comes to targeting it is important to be realistic in your assessment. A unit of Flash Gitz is likely to hit less than 5 times in a single round of shooting. These shots are best directed at something they are likely to damage. Light Vehicles of AV 10 make good targets, as do lone ICs, tac squads, enemy bike formations, Monstrous Creatures of up to T6 that are at the outside edge of their range, or AV 12 vehicles that need their guns silenced are all decent targets, but require the Shootier upgrade. If you’ve taken their unit upgrade character and have some ammo runts along with the Blasta upgrade, power-armored foes and terminators become better options by far. If you’ve gone this route keep the squad smaller, since they’ll be a lot more expensive.

Keep the Flash Gitz in locations that have a good expanse with no cover between you and the enemy. Many opponents are unwilling to advance in the open since cover is so prevalent in 5th edition. This can slow your opponent down, and prove helpful in getting into position.

The Gitz are primarily good at softening up a hard target, since generally they don’t finish a single target off in a single round. This makes them ideal for picking on any unit you plan on charging, since the enemy is likely to still have a unit after your guns have done their damage. I can’t count the number of times where my Shoota Boyz or my Lootas have been too effective at softening an enemy up, allowing the opponent to get the charge on one of my units or mow it down with close ranged fire after they fail their charge. Flash Gitz can expect 1-2 wounds from most things they target regardless of what the target is, with a few obvious exceptions, and will tend to generate more. So put those wounds where they make a difference, and avoid rank and filers where possible.

Don’t be afraid to give up shooting for a run move, especially on a Waaagh turn. The best feature of the gun is its potential damage, and definitely not the damage it tends to deal more regularly. Your opponent can’t count on them having a bad roll when positioning his units, but if you can get a good assault off at the cost of firing, go with the more reliable option. Also remember to run away when need be. A turn of running away can force the enemy to have to run, and this should always be putting him into a place where the rest of your army can threaten him. The Flash Gitz will have range in the following turn.

Assault Strategies:

Since generally the Flash Gitz form a decent bodyguard to an HQ model, the combined unit should do fairly well in close combat, especially if the target has been softened up a bit. Loads of attacks at good strength combined with a CC powerhouse like a Warboss or Zogwort should make an end of most targets, especially if you can get the charge.

However, a protracted combat is not a combat where the Flash Gitz want to be. What you need to do then is keep the Flash Gitz for your second wave of assaults, playing cleanup as they move up the field finishing off the mayhem that your other units have caused. Get them into assaults they can win handily and then get them back out. If you have the option to multi assault, so that the Warboss nails a hard target while the Flash Gitz nail a softer one, you’ll be able to break two targets at once. Also keep two Flash Gitz on hand to charge at whatever unit the Warboss hits; they can force the engaged enemy to direct attacks at the Flash Gitz rather than the Warboss which will help keep your momentum going.

Consolidate away from the enemy unless it is unlikely you’ll get charged by advancing. The Flash Gitz can afford to wait a while; they can shoot the enemy till they close with them, or until you throw something else into combat.  Even a small number of Flash Gitz is a threat to an enemy force, so keep them alive as long as possible.

Don’t be afraid to assault vehicles with a rear AV of 10, or walkers who are AV10 all around. The high number of attacks will power through in the end, especially on the charge. What you need to avoid are Dreadnoughts and walkers built for combat, since they will do a large amount of damage to the unit and receive almost none in return.

Finally:

Flash Gitz are not the most reliable unit in the codex and should be considered a fun alternative to some of our other options. That being said, there’s no reason they can’t be fielded effectively. Keep some of the above guidelines in mind when using this unit and I’m sure you’ll find they offer enjoyable tactical challenges with the potential for a good payoff.
Title: Index of Ork Battle Report Blogs
Post by: Gutstikk on March 26, 2009, 08:17:38 PM
This post will serve as a link to Ork Battle Reports, where a member has posted several battle reports within a single link for accessability. Generally this will be reserved for sequential battle reports - those which feature the same list used against several enemies. If you have a link you'd like included, send it to me via PM and I'll gladly add it in.

This will keep this sort of batrep accessible from the Ork page while not cluttering up the Ork forum with batreps that ought to be posted in the Battle Report forum.

Those included below can serve as an example for others that might get included:

Report from the Front (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=180482.0) by Demonhunter23
WaaaghGrubbynutz vs 2K of Chaos (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=184993.0) by Droofus
Game 1 (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=182833.msg2235397#msg2235397), Game 2 (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=181324.msg2214713#msg2214713), Game 3 (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=179898.msg2196475#msg2196475), Game 4 (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=178809.msg2184142#msg2184142) by Deathpepper
Title: Re: Next article contest [May 1st to June 30th]
Post by: Deathpepper on May 5, 2009, 10:30:24 AM
Ork Transport Tactica
This tactica is meant as a guide to designing and playing transport-heavy ork armies.  I mean to convince you that these lists are fun, competetive, and easy to make.  You want to play one!

Modelling and Real Life Issues
First of all, transport armies have some advantages that make them more fun for the hobbyist.  Green tide (180+ boy) lists sound cool.  But consider how much time it would take to move those models around the table.  Consider how many hours of your life would be spent painting hundreds of identical boys...  An ork transport army has a much smaller model count than most ork lists, while still being very effective on the table.  It takes very little time to move 7 or 8 vehicles around.  You don't even have to get your boys out until they've disembarked.  The early, boring turns of the game will go faster.  You will spend more of your time in the fun part of the game (cc and short-range shooting). 

Another consideration is money.  Ork vehicles are very easy to make yourself.  Just about any cheap walmart plastic car/tank/firetruck can be a trukk or wagon with some plasticard and rivets.  You don't need as many ork models because the army is smaller, and many of those models are fun to paint tanks.  It's actually much cheaper and easier to assemble and paint a transport army than a walking army.

Making the Most of Boys
As an ork player, the majority of the models in your force will likely be ork boys.  Boys are cheap in points and dollars, can be fielded in very large numbers, and look really good on paper.  Since you're likely taking boys, it's important to decide how to get the most from them.  The strength of the ork boy is in his low cost for some impressive stats.  Weapon skill and attacks are great for such a cheap model.  Combined with furious charge, you can potentially deal a very large amount of damage for the points. 

The downside here is that ork initiative and armor are very poor.  Combined with bad leadership, this means that you can easily lose combats and break.  With initiative 2, orks are usually run down and wiped out.  If the mob is fearless, it will be eaten up after a lost combat by No Retreat.  From this we can conclude that orks MUST win cc often and this is easier when the ork player is charging. 

Why Walk When You Can Ride?
Ork transports are open-topped, meaning boys in moving ork transports can still disembark and  charge.  Even better, they can disembark from any point on the transport.  Transported orks effectively have a charge range boost of 8" or so (12" move instead of 6", 2" disembark) over walking orks.  That's on top of increased speed on turns before the charge!  Transported orks will hit combat faster than walking orks and they will more often be the ones doing the charging. 

The transport doesn't just provide protection for the boys by delivering them to close combat faster and limiting the time an opponent has to shoot at them.  The vehicles armor value also directly protects the boys from shooting and assault.  Even AV10 is much more resilient to shooting than your boy's T-shirt armor.  As long as your boys are embarked they cannot be assaulted.  This is great, because you do not want opponents to charge boys!  Without your furious charge and assault bonus, boys are far more likely to lose combat.  A boy in a trukk is simply better than a walking boy!
Title: Re: Next article contest [May 1st to June 30th]
Post by: Deathpepper on May 5, 2009, 10:30:35 AM
Trukks vs Battlewagons
There are three ork transport options.  Trukks and looted wagons cost about the same, but Looted wagons have the annoying Don't Press Dat! rule.  DPD can randomly prevent your boys from disembarking, so we can ignore looted wagons as a serious transport option.  The real choice is battlewagon vs trukk. 

Trukks are fast vehicles, giving you an extra 6" movement.  The trukk is a little cheaper per transported boy.  Assuming 12 boys, nob, power klaw, and a trukk; you're paying under 12pts per fast moving boy.  A battlewagon with no guns or anything with 20 boys, nob and klaw runs just over 12pts per boy.  Trukks have the extremely favorable Ramshackle special rule.  When your trukk is destroyed, there is a chance your boys will get out with no casualties or gain free movement from the scatter result. 

Battlewagons are tougher vs shooting and can transport larger boy units that remain fearless longer.  Combined with their higher price, you will not have to field as many wagons for the same number of boys.  Thus your army's KPs will be lower.  Battlewagons are also better at tank shocking.  The best option may be to mix the two.  Battlewagons are big enough to block LOS to trukks, so you can make a turn one wagon wall followed up by several trukks.  On turn two, split up your vehicles to assault their targets.  Destroying AV14 vehicles at range is not easy in 40k!

Transporting Elites
The other place Trukks can shine is when transporting very small units that don't fill up a battlewagon.  Small units of Nobs, Meganobs, burnas, or tankbustas can be stowed in cheap trukks to give them inexpensive mobility.  Large units of burnas, tankbustas, or shoota boys are better transported in Battlewagons because they will spend more time embarked.  The battlewagon won't need to move flat out and can benefit more from red paint job to move 7" and still let it's shooty cargo fire.

To Upgrade or Not To Upgrade; That is the Question!
Trukk upgrades are relatively expensive.  The trukk is so cheap, spending extra points rapidly makes it less efficient.  Also, trukks tend to be destroyed a lot.  Spending extra on a vehicle that likely won't live long enough to use the upgrades is a bad decision.  The only upgrade that really shines on trukks is reinforced ram.  It lets you reroll dangerous terrain checks.  This effectively allows you to ignore area terrain with your trukks and just move where you need to.  It also lets the trukk tank shock and gives an armor bonus vs death or glory.  You will often have empty trukks driving around late in the game.  Tank shocking gives them a whole extra use.  I would always take rams. 

Wagon Upgrades, Mandatory!
Battlewagons are a bit more worthwhile to upgrade because their base cost is so high.  At a minimum, wagons should have at least one or two weapons.  Otherwise, the first weapon destroyed result on them will immobilize the wagon.  Big Shootas are the cheapest gun, so take them.  Reinforced ram is also very good for wagons, you will need to move through terrain in most games.  Deff rolla is just a better ram.  It rarely kills much, but costs a lot. 

Red paint job is more cost effective on the wagon, since it costs less and the wagon might be transporting shooty units that necessitate moving slower.  RPJ is not worthwhile when your transport is moving 12" (you'll never notice that extra inch).  It is very worthwhile when moving 6", though.  Grot riggers and armour plates are good, but not essential.  They marginally raise your wagon's survivability.  My wagons are typically destroyed much more often than immobilized or stunned. 

Grabbin Klaw is really excellent.  Your wagon is getting up close to the enemy anyway, so the GK will get used.  Like a ram on trukks, the GK gives a wagon a new job in your army.  Immobilizing enemy vehicles makes them extremely vulnerable to attack by your power klaws.  This is huge for a transport army! 

Boarding plank is useful when transporting an IC with a klaw that doesn't need to get out.  A big mek with kustom forcefield and klaw works very well with a boarding plank.  Stikkbomb chukka is a metagame choice dependent on how many initiative 2 and 3 armies you play against.  The chukka is the cheapest way to give your boys grenades.

So, keep your upgrades minimal and tailor them to the cargo that transport will be carrying.  Generally, rams for trukks, ram + big shoota + grabba klaw on wagons.

Jobs for Your Transports
Transports are for transporting.  You can rig up battlewagons and looted wagons as shooting platforms, but they'll have to move slowly to fire their guns and the firepower isn't much better for this army than other options.  So guns on your transports are merely there to be knocked off. 

First and foremost, transports move your boys into good charging positions.  If transporting units with template weapons, transports move them into good flaming positions.  Leave enough room for your whole mob to disembark and plan out how much power it will take to destroy an enemy.  Your transports are so mobile, you can easily overpower a flank.  Decide which component of your enemy's army is the most fragile and most dangerous to you.  Kill off those portions fist.  An ork transport army is very very strong when making it's initial charges, after that you just need to ride the game out.  Strike so hard that the enemy doesn't have the power left to win. 

For objective missions, you need to take over one or two objectives with your boys.  Spreading them out makes the boys weaker, so concentrate them on the objectives you plan to hold.  Then send your empty transports over to the objectives you can't take.  Trukks and wagons can tank shock enemies off of their objectives and contest them, giving you an easy win.
Title: Re: Next article contest [May 1st to June 30th]
Post by: Deathpepper on May 5, 2009, 10:30:46 AM
Kustom Force Fields; Your New Best Friend
KFF's add a cover save to any vehicles in range.  A basic KFF big mek runs under 100 pts, a very good deal when he is protecting multiple vehicles.  The KFF makes up for the general fragility of open-topped vehicles.  The KFF also protects your boys from explosions.  Those fragile transports explode a LOT, particularly with the ramshackle rule (all destroyed results roll on ramshackle).  Now your orks have a nice cover save, limiting casualties if a vehicle blows up next to them.  A transport army should always have one, and he should be protected in the early turns. 

The KFF works better in larger transports, so put him in your largest battlewagon.  This will increase the effective distance the KFF can cover.  In most games, one KFF in a wagon can protect your whole army.  Since you're bringing a KFF anyway (you are right?), you might as well saturate your army with vehicles.  In addition to transports, buggies and trakks fit in really well with this army list.  Keep them close to the KFF and they are fairly survivable, too.

Unwinnable Melee; Diversify Your Units!
You can field an army of nothing but boys in trukks and wagons, but it's boring and one-dimensional.  Boys are not the answer to every situation.  They are very strong on the charge, but your transported ork mobs will be fairly small.  Units with lots of attacks can kill so many orks that you won't win combat vs them.  You'll be striking last in melee most of the time.  Taking large casualties kills your ability to strike back, resulting in lost combat and slaughtered boys.  Khorn berzerkers, black templars, striking scorpions, other orks.  These kinds of units need a different approach.  There's two great options.

Use your own heavy hitters: Nobs and Meganobs.  Nobs are tough and killy.  They will take fewer casualties, are more likely to win cc, and chase troublesome units off of objectives.  They have massed klaws that trivialize heavy infantry armor.  They can be scoring with a warboss.  You should have at least one unit of these.

The other option is to soften up elite units with shooting.  Your shooting options are lootas, shoota boys, and various flamer templates.  Lootas are more difficult to use in a transport army because you are bringing a ton of LOS blocking vehicles with you.  Making full use of the lootas range may not be possible.  Shoota boys can be transported and do their shooting before a charge.  Mixing in some shoota boys is a nice option, but like all orks they are streaky because of their low bs.  The best fire support option imo is templates.

Welcome to the Orky BBQ
Ork ballistic skill is irrelevant when using templates.  They always hit, therefore they are always effective if you can get them into the right position.  With open-topped ork vehicles positioning is easy.  Even better, you can stack all your templates on top of each other from a transport.  This makes templates efficient even vs smaller elite units. 

Burnas, nobs, and meganobs can and should bring lots of templates.  Burning fragile units like orks or genestealers in cover with multiple templates can remove dozens of enemy models in one turn.  Even tougher units like berzerkers will take heavy casualties.  With their numbers reduced, these units present a much smaller threat to your charging orks.  Template weapons are fairly cheap and can be taken in huge numbers: nobs, manz, burnas, trakks, kans, dreads, kommandos can all bring burnas or skorchas.  Including a few of these units is an insurance policy that makes your list stronger.

Dealing With Vehicles
Eventually, you will have to kill enemy vehicles.  Orks do not have access to melta weapons, monstrous creatures, or chainfists.  What we do have is power klaws.  Lots and lots of power klaws.  Field a power klaw nob in every boys mob.  Most vehicles have AV10 rear armor, so regular boys + a power klaw on the charge is often good enough.  Plan to kill most vehicles with boys mobs. 

Tough vehicles like monoliths, land raiders, and walkers need a more powerful solution.  Massed power klaws or S10 power klaws can kill them with a little luck.  S10 power klaws can come from ork walkers, although slower than your transports.  Adding some kans or dreads is a decent support option, but first consider the warboss.  A warboss with powerklaw provides 5 or 6 S10 attacks on a fast platform.  Put him on a bike or in a transport and hunt tanks. 

Massed power klaws are fielded in nob or MANZ units.  MANZ are the more points-efficient way to field klaws.  A unit of 3 or 4 MANZ put out a ton of S9 klaw attacks for a reasonable price.  MANZ can be deceptively fragile, but that doesn't matter if they're charging a tank that doesn't hit back.  An exception to this is walkers, which are hit on front armor and hit back at a higher initiative than your claws.  Walkers can be a serious threat, so try to avoid them or shoot their rear armor with fast rokkit units.  A nasty trick vs walkers is to immobilize them with a grabbin klaw.  The walker can't move or charge to hit your battlewagon.  Two or three GK's can keep a dread (or kan unit) pinned down for a whole game.

Helping the Klaws
All those cc attacks hit fast moving vehicles on 6's.  Not too efficient.  Immobilizing a vehicle allows automatic hits.  That makes all of your anti-tank solutions massively better.  Immobilize vehicles with Grabba Klaws, lootas, or rokkits. 

Lootas are the least mobile of these options, but they are very powerful against light vehicles.  Grabba klaws can be fielded on transports you're taking anyway, making them a very good choice for this army.  Rokkits are highly innaccurate and expensive on trukks and wagons.  Instead take them on kans, war buggies, war trakks, defcoptas, and tankbustas that field BS3, twin-linked, or massed rokkits that are still very mobile.  Move around to hit rear armor, then stun or immobilize vehicles so your klaws can finish them off.  Your shooty units are also good for handling those annoying walkers.

Other Fast Units
I really haven't mentioned stormboys, bikers, or nob bikers.  These units are all fast and can add to your transport list.  But these units don't do much more than your transported boys and nobs.  Bikes can be hidden behind transports and stay mobile the entire game, but they're more expensive.  Stormboys can move over your transports for rear attacks, but aren't scoring.  Sprinkle in these units if you like, but they aren't necessary.   

Building a List
The backbone of a transport list should be KFF mek, trukk/battlewagon boys mobs, massed klaw unit or klaw warboss, massed template unit, and a vehicle immobilizer unit.  Add in more trukk boys for more flexible scoring, add in more battlewagon boys to conserve kill points.

Example lists:
KFF Mek
3 MANZ in trukk - kombi-skorchas, ram
Battlewagon Boys - PK, boss pole, ram, klaw, big shoota
Trukk Boys - PK, boss pole, ram
2 Buggies - rokkits
751pts

Biker Boss - PK, cybork, kombi-skorcha
KFF Mek - PK
12 burnas in trukk - ram
3 MANZ in trukk - kombi-skorchas, ram
Nobs in battlewagon - tons of upgrades
Battlewagon Boys - PK, boss pole, ram, klaw, big shoota, red paint job, boarding plank
Trukk Boys - PK, boss pole, ram
Trukk Boys - PK, boss pole, ram
Trukk Boys - PK, boss pole, ram
3 Buggies - rokkits
3 Defkoptas - rokkits
2000pts

Thanks for reading!
Title: Re: Next article contest [May 1st to June 30th]
Post by: Chaplain Swordwind on May 16, 2009, 04:26:35 PM
Starting Out with Orks in 5th Edition


Introduction:

“So yoo tinks ya wantz to be an ork?  Well, Orks haz got to be da biggest, da baddest, and da greenest there iz!  We don’t just let any little runt into the WAAAGH!  So if yoo tink you got what it takes, I’ll tell ya how ta get started.  Listen good yooz!”

Orks can be one of the most powerful armies in Warhammer 40k.  They can also be one of the most fun to collect.  They are relatively straight forward to play, often relying on brute strength and numerical superiority to carry the day.  However, they can also be capable of what they like to call “low cunnin”.  The variety of Ork units and configurations for them allows you to build whatever sort of army appeals to you.

If you are new to orks, and especially if you are new to Warhammer 40k, I recommend you start your army by purchasing the Assault on Black Reach starter set.  Along with Codex: Orks, this box will get you playing in no time.  Even better, find a friend to buy a box as well, trading your Space Marine figures from your box for the orks he has in his.  With only these models you will be well on your way to building a mighty Ork horde.


Part One: The Call to Arms:

Nothing motivates me to game more than seeing a well painted army; and nothing motivates me to paint my own figures more than playing a few games.  The symbiotic nature of these two aspects of this hobby means that you are likely to find yourself assembling your army in stages.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with this; in fact I encourage it.  Building and painting an entire army can become very repetitive after awhile, so stopping every now and again to play a game is a great way to keep yourself motivated.  It will also help you decide exactly how you want your army to evolve.  If, for example, you are working towards a 2000 point army, you might want to play a game (or several) at half that point total.  These games will help you identify strengths and weaknesses in your army, allowing you to make informed decisions about which units you need to add in order to make the army better.

The first step towards getting your army ready for battle is assembly.  Remove the pieces of your figures from the sprue, making sure to carefully trim away any excess flash.  Once you have done this, you can glue your model together, posing it in whatever way you see fit.  I recommend assembling your orks in stages, in order to diversify the way they look.  Try not to repeat the same combination of torso, head and arms on more than one model.  This allows each ork to have a small measure of individuality.

Once you have your models assembled, its time to start painting!  There are many methods and theories for how to paint an army; the method presented here is how I painted my own orks.  I began by base-coating all of my figures using a flat black spray paint.  I plan to paint my figures “inside out”, beginning with the deepest recesses and working towards the more prominent surfaces.  For this reason, I will be starting with dark colors, working towards lighter shades as I go.

Because I want to see an ocean of green on the tabletop, I decided to work on the flesh of my orks before moving on to anything else.  Orks have a great texture to their flesh, with bulging muscles that provide a lot of physical contrast.  I wanted to make sure my painting enhanced this visually, so I chose to paint my orks’ flesh in three layers.

The first layer was done by making an improvised “wash” of 1 part Chaos Black, 2 parts Snot Green, and 3 parts water.  Instead of mixing Chaos Black and Snot Green, you could use Dark Angels Green; I just didn’t have any on hand at the time.  I liberally applied my mixture all over the flesh of my orks, allowing it to pool in the creases between the bulging muscles.  After the initial coat of green dried, I went back with pure Snot Green, thinned out with just a little water.  I used a technique known as overbrushing to apply this layer to the raised surfaces of the orks’ flesh, keeping it out of the creases.  For more information on overbrushing (and drybrushing, which I use next), see White Dwarf # 345.  After the second coat was complete, the contours of the Orks muscles are very well defined:

(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll307%2FBean2213%2F40K%2FBattlefield%2520Pics%2FOrk%2520Article%2520Pics%2FHPIM0423.jpg&hash=a1609b2fe3781463a7ae3054aefff42174ff0815)

For the third and final layer, I drybrushed a half and half mix of Snot Green and Scorpion Green onto the most prominent parts of the orks’ flesh: the apex of their bulging muscles, and the ridges of their faces.  I chose not to go with pure Scorpion green because its just too light for my taste.  By applying very light coats, I prevented this final layer from looking spotty.  When I was done, the flesh looked like this:

(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll307%2FBean2213%2F40K%2FBattlefield%2520Pics%2FOrk%2520Article%2520Pics%2FHPIM0459.jpg&hash=f254254dd07f252fe98fcb6116748f44c24a1917)

(Sorry, my camera isn't very good.  You should be able to see the detail of his cheeks and such though.)

Now, at this point a decision was required.  What sort of paint scheme do I want for my army?  After looking through my codex and any other material I could find, I decided to go with a black and red paint scheme, inspired in part by the pictures of the Ork Kommandos on page 75 of Codex: Orks.  The great thing about this choice was that a significant portion of each of my figures would already be complete.  Any surface that I want to be black already is, saving me significant time in getting my army painted.

I could go on with a detailed rundown of how I finished painting my army, but this article is ment to be far more than a painting tutorial.  Instead, it is time to move on to the main focus of the article; creating an unstoppable WAAAGH!
Title: Re: Next article contest [May 1st to June 30th]
Post by: Chaplain Swordwind on May 16, 2009, 04:26:53 PM
Part Two: Assembling Your Warband:

If you followed my suggestion and purchased the Assault on Black Reach starter box, you have roughly 500 points worth of orks.  If you bought a second, or convinced a friend to buy one and swap figures with you, you are more or less ready to assemble your first 1000 point army.  My first 1000 point army features figures exclusively from two boxes of AoBR, though I did proxy a few models not included.  In order to build this army without any proxies, you will also need the following items:

1 Plastic Kit containing 5 Nobz ($25)
1 Painboy ($15)

If you managed to find a friend to split boxes with you, your first 1000 point army will only cost you $100 (at the time of this writing), roughly half of what other players will pay to build an army of equal size.  Not too bad huh?


Here is the army list I came up with to try out my new orks at 1000 points:


HQ:

(105) Warboss w/ Power Klaw, Cybork Body, Bosspole, ‘eavy Armor.

Troops:

(345) Nobz x10 w/ Painboy, Cybork Bodies, Waaagh! Banner & Power Klaw x2.

(160) Slugga Boyz x20, including Nob w/ Power Klaw & Bosspole.

(160) Slugga Boyz x20, including Nob w/ Power Klaw & Bosspole.

(225) Deffkoptas x5 w/ Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha x5.

Total:
995 Points
3 Scoring Units, 5 Kill Points


Now, writing a hypothetical army list doesn’t do you much good if you don’t try it out, right?  So, orks in hand, I challenged my buddy to a game against his Space Marines.  When he found out what I was playing, he laughed with demonic glee, telling me that he was going to annihilate my swarms of pathetically armored xenos.  My reply to his claim?  WAAAGH!!!

Due to this battle being fought in the middle of an Army outpost in Iraq instead of a Gaming Center, I must apologize in advance for the ghetto game “table” and terrain.  We work with what we have!

Against my Orks, my buddy fielded this (approx.) Space Marine detachment:

Captain Sicarius
Sternguard Veterans x5 w/ Heavy Bolter x2
Tactical Marines x10 w/ Heavy Bolter.
Scouts x10 w/ Sniper Rifles x9.
Predator Destructor w/ Heavy Bolter Sponsons
Whirlwind x2

He more or less attempted to customize his army for fighting off my horde of greenskins!  Would the orks survive the storm of firepower long enough to come to grips with the enemy?  Only time would tell.

We rolled the mission, and wound up with Annihilation and a Pitched Battle Deployment.  He went first, and I followed, announcing that my Deffkoptas would be held in reserve to outflank.  After we deployed, the “table” looked like this:

Deployment:
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll307%2FBean2213%2F40K%2FBattlefield%2520Pics%2FOrk%2520Article%2520Pics%2FHPIM0424.jpg&hash=f02bb1b680a59605fe3205555b41cbf1a5bee525)

The cardboard box in the middle represented a building that counted as impassible terrain and blocked line of sight.  Everything else was area terrain providing a 4+ cover save.  From my left to my right I deployed my Nobz, and the two squads of boyz.  His deployment, from left to right:  Whirlwind, Scout Snipers, Predator, Sicarius, Sternguard, Whirlwind, Tactical Squad.


Turn 1:

Sicarius, the Sternguard, and the Tactical squad all advanced towards my position.  The Whirlwind on the left aimed for my left boyz squad, but scattered onto the Nobz, causing one unsaved wound.  The Snipers failed utterly thanks to Cybork bodies and Feel No Pain.  The Predator did not live up to its name, killing only a single ork boy.  The Whirlwind on the right faired better, killing five boyz in the right squad.  I advanced everything, but had nothing in range to shoot or assault.  The boyz on the left side attempted to cut back towards the center, to put the solid building between them and the Predator.  I was hoping to use both squads of boyz to gain local superiority on the right side of the board.  It didn’t work out so well, as you will see.

End of Turn 1:
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll307%2FBean2213%2F40K%2FBattlefield%2520Pics%2FOrk%2520Article%2520Pics%2FHPIM0425.jpg&hash=819b7dc24986c131542c4108448a44169ee416c1)

Score:  Orks: 0, Space Marines: 0

Turn 2A:

Everybody but Sicarius decides to sit still and shoot, except for the Snipers, who tried to run back into the woods to evade the Nobz.  The left Whirlwind and the Predator combine fire on the Nobz, managing to remove the already wounded Nob, but causing no further harm.  Things did not go as well on the right side.  The Sternguard, Tactical Marines, and the second Whirlwind combined to all but wipe out the far right mob of boyz, leaving only the Nob, who somehow managed to pass his morale check.

End of Turn 2A:
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll307%2FBean2213%2F40K%2FBattlefield%2520Pics%2FOrk%2520Article%2520Pics%2FHPIM0426.jpg&hash=628913f9334da327cb5ed8d933669f62bcf71188)

Score:  Orks: 0, Space Marines: 0

Turn 2B:

The Deffkoptas fail to show up; I guess they were too busy enjoying the scenic route around the battlefield.  The lone Nob charges ahead, as do the other two squads.  The Nob reaches the Tactical Marines, but is struck down before he even gets to take a swing.  The Tactical Marines consolidate towards the center of the board.

End of Turn 2B:
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi291.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll307%2FBean2213%2F40K%2FBattlefield%2520Pics%2FOrk%2520Article%2520Pics%2FHPIM0427.jpg&hash=3e9c857fe0be55e0ddbbced90c1d89bc2f5d5c3e)

Score:  Orks: 0, Space Marines: 1

Turn 3:

The scouts decide to stand and shoot against the Nobz, scoring a single unsaved wound.  The Whirlwind adds a second, killing the Nob, but the Predator fails miserably, missing with both Autocannon shots, and half the Heavy Bolter shots.  The other half fail to cause any wounds.  The rest of his infantry maneuver for a shot against the second squad of boyz, but only the Sternguard are able to fire, killing three.

In my turn, the Deffkoptas decide to show up on the left flank, behind the Whirlwind.  They blow it away, and the explosion takes out one Scout hiding in the woods, and also causes one wound to the nearest Deffkopta.  I move, shoot and charge both the Sternguard and Sicarius with my boyz, which was a mistake.  Sicarius kills two orks, robbing me of 8 attacks.  The rest of the orks fail completely, even the Nob.  Not a single wound got through the armor of the Space Marine Veterans, and the Nob rolled 1’s to wound with his Power Fist.  In return, the Sternguard kill another 4 orks, dropping them below the fearless threshold.  With a -6 morale penalty, they break and run.  The Nobz on the other hand, do exactly what I want them to do.  They charge the Scouts, swinging 30 times at initiative 4, plus 13 Power Klaw attacks, which ended up being totally unnecessary.  The Scouts get wiped out, and the Nobz consolidate further into the woods, towards the Predator.

Sorry, I forgot the camera after turn 2!

Score:  Orks: 2, Space Marines: 1

Turn 4:

The Predator turns to face West, and then backs up towards the center of the board.  The Tactical Squad and the Sternguard move to support it, firing off a couple pot shots at my fleeing boyz.  The Predator shoots at the Deffkoptas, killing off the wounded one, and wounding a second.  I respond by advancing both my units towards the Predator.  The Deffkoptas manage to shake it, and the Nobz stay just inside the edge of the woods nearest his tank.

Score:  Orks: 2, Space Marines: 1

Turn 5:

He moves his troops to try to support the Predator, but they are not able to get close enough to engage my forces.  The Predator does not move.  I maneuver the Deffkoptas for a shot against its side armor, and manage to blow it away.  At the end of my turn, we roll for continuation, but the game ends.

Final Score:

Orks: 3, Space Marines: 1 (The boyz were never wiped out and didn’t make it off the table.)


Post Battle Analysis:

In spite of facing an army customized for combating hordes, the Orks were able to fight their way to victory.  I made some mistakes along the way, but so did my opponent.  For my first game with a new army, I was very pleased with the results.  The Nobz with the Painboy proved to be insanely resilient, confirming my decision to buy the figures necessary to replace my proxies.  With that decided, one question remained.  What next?
Title: Re: Next article contest [May 1st to June 30th]
Post by: Chaplain Swordwind on May 16, 2009, 04:27:25 PM
Part Three: Expanding the WAAAGH!!!

With a core army assembled, it’s now time to decide how to expand.  Based on lessons learned from my game against my buddy’s Space Marines, I have identified what I believe to be the key weaknesses of this army.  They are:

Fragility
Speed (or rather, lack of it)

In order to make this army better, I need to find a way to reduce these weaknesses.  I thoroughly examined my Codex for ideas, hoping to make the army stronger without significantly altering its composition.  I know that Nob Bikers are highly competitive, but for now I want to focus on hordes of infantry. 

For my initial 500 point expansion, this is what I have decided to do:

(112) Orks x12 w/ Nob w/ Power Klaw & Bosspole.
(50) Trukk w/ Armor Plates & Red Paint.

(112) Orks x12 w/ Nob w/ Power Klaw & Bosspole.
(50) Trukk w/ Armor Plates & Red Paint.

(50) Trukk w/ Armor Plates & Red Paint (for Nobz).

(60) Slugga Boyz x10.

(60) Slugga Boyz x10.

Total:  494 points

The extra Slugga Boyz will allow me to fill up the two squads I already have; keeping them alive long enough to reach the enemy lines.  With the addition of three trukks loaded up with Orks, I am bound to get something into combat with the enemy while my other squads move to support.  The added mobility will be especially good for the Nobz, who are the real powerhouses in the army.


To reach a full 2000 points, I think I would eventually like to add the following:

(235) Kommandos x12 w/ Burna x2 plus Boss Snikrot.

(265) Stormboyz x 15 plus Boss Zagstruk.

Total:  500 points

By going this route I voluntarily shy away from any significant ranged firepower in favor of maximizing my hand to hand combat capabilities.  Incorporating these two specialist units into the mix also gives me some extra tricks I can surprise the opponent with.  I think this will be a fun army that can perform well. 

If the units I have chosen to expand my own army do not appeal to you, by all means, go back your codex and find something that does.  Perhaps you would rather have some significant ranged firepower, which I have deliberately neglected in favor of close combat.  If that is something you want, I recommend this article (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=130950.msg2083901#msg2083901) for further reading.  For now, understand that all I have given you is a template; a framework on which you can begin to build your own Warband.

Conclusion:

Starting a new army is a process.  By choosing orks, you have already taken the first step.  I have tried to give you a roadmap to success, by providing a step by step guideline for making your initial purchase, initial figure assembly and a simple painting technique to make your greenskins look sharp, no matter what paint scheme you chose.  Next I provided a sample army list you can use to familiarize yourself with the units available to the orks, and I even showed you how I myself applied that list in my first ever battle using an ork army.  Finally, I have tried to show you how to go about expanding your ork army into a truely mighty warhost.  The codex is full of interesting and diverse units, so there really is something for everyone.  Its up to you to decide how to proceed from here.  Good Luck!

"So, ya tink yer ready ta bust some noggins?  Get to it then, ya lousy git!  WAAAGH!!!"
Title: Spearhead Taktikka
Post by: Droofus on July 1, 2009, 10:56:42 AM
Spearhead Taktikka:

Spearheads sucks for horde orks.  Anyone who tells you otherwise hasn't looked at the math or played it out.  Out of the three standard deployments, this is the one where your opponent should be most gleeful over.   Speed freaks and other less numerous lists are not impacted, but horde ork players are definitely hurt by this deployment.

Why?

The simple answer is: space.

Not only are you given a deployment area that is approximately 100 square inches less, but you also have a MUCH smaller frontage across where your forces are closest to the enemy's deployment zone (24 inches in pitched battle and spearhead).   I like to call this available area a "front".  Rather than a pitched battle, where you have all 72 (the length of a standard board) inches as a front, you have only about 18 inches as your starting front.   This intrinsically favors smaller more elite armies as this will force our more numerous slow forces to attack along a narrow avenue of approach.   In an army that should contain over a hundred infantry models plus assorted walkers, space in general and space at the front line in particular are always valuable.  In spearhead, such commodities become even more precious.  A slipup in deployment in this situation can (and often will) cost you the game.

‘Waiting In Line To Die’ Vs. ‘Two Fist Punching’

While speed freak players crow about spearhead making horde armies unplayable, we all know they are about as reliable as the silly little trucks they drive around.  There ARE ways of getting around the disadvantages of spearhead.   

Where you have a narrower front, you obviously want to maximize your use of the available space.  You can do this by deploying your units narrow and deep (likely 5 orks across at the front) and putting their brother units right next to them at the front.  That way if one unit gets shot up, there will still be 2-3 other units advancing at the same pace.   You will still be bunched up if you try for this, so make sure your KFF mek is within 6" of as many units as possible in order to provide them with a cover save.

What you want to avoid at all cost is attacking in waves, which is a common mistake by newer players (including yours truly) especially in missions with a narrow front.   "Attacking in waves", it certainly sounds nice doesn't it?  The idea of endless “waves” of orks crashing into imperial lines is one of the iconic images of 40k.   The problem is that you want your opponent to have "army-wide" shooting phases only in the first two turns (at most) of a game.  After that, all or part of his lines should be engulfed by orks and unable to fire.   The worst thing you can do is deploy in wide thin units so that only one unit is at the front at a time.  Your opponent will be able to concentrate fire and annihilate your forward units and then have time for another shooting phase before your other units are upon him.   Basically, your units will be "waiting in line" for their turn to die.  Avoid this at all cost.   

The bottom line is that most opponents will not have nearly enough firepower to deal with multiple 30-man mobz at a time, but most decent lists can handle one if they concentrate firepower.   

Consider it like this: if you are trying to punch a one armed man who is good at blocking, you wouldn't try attacking with one fist at a time, would you?   You'd know that he'd only be able to block one of your fists, so you'd strike with both fists at once.  In the same way, you want to set up so that as many mobz as possible reach the enemy line at the same time.  This is the horde way of fighting - you accept that your opponent will be able to stop some of your troops because you know that he won't be able to stop them all. 

Deployment Example 1:
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi12.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa246%2FTicklenakedman%2Fdeploy-good.png&hash=538b098956b1b36bc3ccef6570f1c4c135179a51)

In that particular deployment, I have my three boy mobz on the front.  They are more or less screened by the kanz and covered by the meks KFF, so despite my bunching, I have a good chance to arrive with enough boyz to overwhelm the opposition.  I am punching with not two, but three fists (mobz) at once.   The battlewagon will move around to whatever side my opponent has deployed the hardest units on, ready to deploys its cargo of nobz and warboss to smash things.  The lootaz anchor my flanks and prevent annoying things like skimmers and transports from threatening the flanks of my mobz or redeploying the enemy army away from my chosen path. 

Later Turns:
Now understand a chosen path is only for my forward elements.  When facing ordinance it is totally fine to spread out into the side quarters or further back.  Indeed, it may be useful to do so for objectives.   What you should avoid is sending mobz out to deal with infiltrators or outflankers that occupy the neutral quarters.  Boyz are too slow to send after low-priority targets.   A clever opponent will often use units like this to tricking you into dividing your forces and ‘punching with only one fist at once’.   The mission of the boy mobz is really simple:  send them towards the largest mass of enemies and watch the fun begin.

Deployment Example 2:
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi12.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa246%2FTicklenakedman%2Fdeploy-bad.png&hash=ce1cde8c76770c660630b9036e73a300e03c6620)

In this deployment, the boy mobz are spread out in long thing lines.   This is not an entirely bad thing.   This is a great way to get a cover save for a unit and you'll certainly be spread out enough that a ordinance will have little effect (though it won’t miss either).  But the disadvantages are massive.   In addition to the "waiting in line" phenomenon I mentioned earlier, your boyz will be spread out enough that a well timed charge by a unit of assault troops has a chance of decimating a mob by attacking straggling orks to one flank or another. 

Also your opponent will be able to concentrate his anti-infantry firepower on the forward mob only, trimming down to manageable size (or breaking it) before moving on to the next mob.   Your boyz will be “waiting in line to die”.

Conclusion

So there you have it, what I hope is a complete examination of the dos and don’ts of deploying a horde army in the spearhead deployment zones.   It is not exhaustive, but if you remember the concept of “punching with many fists at once” rather than “waiting in line to die”, I’m confident that you will be able to wipe the smarmy grin that lit up your opponents face when you rolled a 3-4 for deployment. 

Good luck!

Title: Re: How do i kill terminators
Post by: Badb Catha on July 23, 2009, 05:21:26 PM
Krump Da 'Ard Beakies!
How to Deal With Terminators

Terminators are one of the most iconic of 40k units. They're powerful, expensive, and cool. They've even inspired their own acronym for models that share a similar profile: TEQ.  With the new Space Marine Codex out, and the availability of 3++ saves at no additional points cost, they're also quite competitive. So what's an Ork to do? Well, there are essentially three ways of dealing with Terminators: kill them, feed them, or outrun them.

Kill Them.
Killing Terminators with 5++ saves has never been too great a problem. TEQ’s are certainly a fundamental guideline you consider when you're building an army list, but they represent a problem that the Boyz solve rather well. Even a Trukk Boy squad of Slugga Choppas (11 Boyz and a PK Nob) ought to be able to charge into 5 regular Termies and come out victorious. Even in the extended rounds of combat the PK Nob can be expected to kill just about 1 Terminator a round (0.833). Unfortunately, the introduction of Storm Shield/Thunderhammer Termies makes this method much less reliable; a PK is only half as effective against Termies with a 3++ as those with a 5++. Indeed, a PK Nob goes from a comfortable 1.11 TEQ kills on the charge to a dismal 0.55 SS/TH TEQ kills.

There are two methods for killing Terminators: you can pierce their armour, or make them take an abundance of saves. When Termies only had a 5+ invulnerable save there was more of a debate on the merits of quality versus quantity of shots. Since there's only a one-in-six difference between a SS/TH Termie's armour save and his invulnerable save, the choice is more stark. Your army is going to be able to force more than twice as many regular saves against the Terminators than those that pierce their armour. Because of this, you're usually going to want to use weight of fire to bring them down.  Two notable exceptions, however: the SAG and PK attacks.  Even with 3+ invulnerable saves a lucky SAG shot can bring down a Termie or two, and a charging PK Nob gives you a little better than a 50/50 chance to add one more kill to a combat.  (I’ll make special mention of Burnas later on in the article).   

How you force all those saves is largely army dependent, in most armies however, it will require multiple units.  You can match the Termies point-for-point and throw a 30 Boy squad into them with reasonable chances of success.  This approach has a number of weaknesses, however.  It can be difficult to get most of your Boyz in the “combat zone” where they can execute their attacks.  It’ll also leave your squad open to counter attack on your opponents turn, which may not only decimate your squad, but can save the Terminators as well.  Lastly, a squad of Termies with a mix of Lightning Claws and Thunderhammers posses the greatest challenge for Boyz.  The Claws provide more attacks and will strike before your Boyz, potentially cutting down on your attacks, while the Thunderhammer Termies soak up your PK attacks.

A more reliable method of killing Terminators is the one-two punch: shoot them up and then charge them.  Knocking off a few Termies before charging in will lesson your casualties and lower the chances that the combat will extend into your next turn.  However, this tactic suffers from it’s own method of success; focusing your attacks on one unit means you won’t be targeting the rest of your opponent’s army.  This may seem elementary, but you shouldn’t forget that some generals include hard to kill units simply to distract their enemies from the rest of their army.       

Anyway, here are some numbers to give you some scale of what it takes to kill a single Terminator.  This is not a terribly helpful reference, however, as the point-costs listed do not include squad upgrades and options that may be normally included in these units.  I present it only so that you might have a quick, shorthand estimate of what a group of models might accomplish on average.

Models to Kill 1 TEQ                                 Points
18 Shoota Boyz                                        108
 6 Slugga Boyz (charging)                            36
12 Slugga Boyz (not charging)                     72
 6 Bikes                                                    150
11 Lootas                                                 165
 4 Burnas (charging w/ power weapons)        60
3 Nobz (charging)                                       75*
5 Nobz (not charging)                                125*

*Despite my aforementioned caveat the Nobz entry cost is more deceptive than others.  I assumed they were taken with Cybork bodies and accounted for it within their cost.  However, I gave the Nobz the benefit of a Waaagh! Banner for the purposes of the Mathhammer, but this was not included in their individual costs.  Nor did I account for a Painboy or other PKs that might be included in a typical squad.  I wanted simply to catalogue the effectiveness of regular Nobz charging at initiative.

Feed them.
This is a much more simple concept and doesn’t require a lot of space to explain.  Just give them a unit to kill.  The idea behind the tactic is to stall for time.  You allow the Termies to eat a unit that you deem the least important to your success.  You might not be able to focus your whole army to killing them yet (or ever), but you can hold them off from killing a valuable shooting unit or an important scoring one.  The ideal choices are probably Grotz and Shoota Boyz (especially mobs without PK Nobz), but you may be forced to use any unit that is no longer critical to your success.

If you’re primarily concerned with stalling for time you probably don’t want to charge the Terminators.  Move up to surround the Termies, and try to keep them from moving towards the rest of your forces.  You may shoot or run as required.  There are cases where you might charge the Terminators even though you don’t expect to win.  A largish Boy squad (around 20 strong) with most of the unit out of range to attack in CC may charge into Termies hoping just to hold them off for a few turns.  You should remember that Grotz usually run the first round of combat, and that a Boy squad that get’s taken down below 11 models may flee from a badly lost combat.  The worst thing you can do when you’re trying to stall for time is feed the Terminators a unit that they destroy in the first round giving them extra consolidation movement. 

Usually feeding Termies is something you’ll do towards the latter half of a game.  It’s useful when you’re more interested in keeping the Terminators at bay for a round or two so that you can secure an objective.  You may also have need of it if they arrive up close or in your backfield from Deep Strike.  Just keep in mind that you probably can’t afford to keep a Terminator squad tied up all game, but you don’t necessarily have to kill them in order to win.

Outrun them.
Terminators are slow.  A danger range of 12” isn’t very large, and a maximum movement rate of 6 + d6” won’t advance them at any great pace.  You can simply walk/run your units away from them, knowing that unless you end your turn within 12” of them, they’ll never get to you.  This is especially effective if you combine it with the Feeding tactic.  Move your sacrificial unit in towards the Terminators and everyone else away.  Isolating the Terminators effectively takes them out of the game, but remember that if they’re isolated on an objective they’re still keeping you off of it.

There are three ways of accelerating Terminators: Landraiders, Deep Strike, and Shrike.  Landraiders are particularly difficult for Orks to deal with, and the ins and outs of handling them are the stuff of another tactica.  However, in most cases it’s not efficient for the Terminators to get back into a Landraider after they’ve been disgorged.  Often then, you just need to get the Termies out of the Landraider that first time.  This can be done by simply charging the Landraider, or positioning a bait unit for them to charge.  Once you’ve got them out you can retreat from them, kill them, or feed them more units as necessary.

Deep Strike is a less valuable tool for your opponent.  It can deliver Terminators up close, but since they’re not able to charge the turn they arrive, they essentially leave the initiative up to you.  As with Landraiders, once the Terminators have arrived from Deep Strike, they’re a slow unit, easily outmaneuvered.  That said, Deep Strike allows Terminators to appear virtually anywhere on the board, and can be quite surprising.  Try not to leave any unit unsupported unless you're willing to sacrifice it.  A large unit of Lootas alone in the backfield of your army makes a tempting choice to Deep Strike near, and, since they can’t move and shoot, the Termies can effectively neutralize the Lootas just by appearing nearby.

Shrike is a problem.  Terminators with Fleet are much harder to run away from, and increase they’re ability to engage the units they want to.  You’re not likely to be able to isolate Termies under these conditions.  Your opponent would have to make a fairly sizable mistake for Fleeting Terminators to be isolated for more than a couple of turns.  You can still stall them with tar pits or kill them as usual, but I wouldn’t expect to outrun Terminators if you’re facing Shrike. 

In practice the most effective methods for dealing with Terminators involve a combination of methods.  You might tie them up for a round, and focus your whole army on them the next turn, or isolate them so that you can shoot outside their kill radius for a few turns.  The trick to dealing with them is doing so on your terms.  Give them the units you want them to kill, and focus fire on them when it suits your plans to do so. 

On specific units.
There are some units that deserve specific mention as potential counters to Terminators.  Here are a few that I think merit special discussion. 

Boyz.
Looking at the kill chart I prepared you’ll note that Boyz are by far the most cost effective way of killing Terminators.  Getting off a good charge can wipe out a 5 man Termie unit in a single round.  The trouble is getting enough Boyz into the combat zone to maximize their charge.  A charging Slugga Boy is twice as effective as a non-charging one, so it’s of the utmost importance that your Boyz see as much action as possible in that first round of combat.  Charging out of a Battlewagon can do the trick, as can setting up a counter charge. 

Bikes.
Dakkagunz outrange the charge radius of Terminators.  Bikes can also move as fast or faster than Termies even when they’re running.  An opponent would be foolish to fall for it, but if you know your distances very well you could bait the Terminators by setting your Bikes up 12.5 or 13” away from the Termies.  Depending on how close he was paying attention to the measurements when you’re shooting you might be able to kite the Termies around for a turn or two.  The Bikes may only kill one Terminator per round (or less if they number less than 6), but being unable to engage an enemy unit that’s making kills can frustrate your opponent and may cause them to make mistakes.

Burnas.
At first glance charging Terminators with Burnas using their Power Weapons seems like an ideal solution.  It only takes 4 Burnas to get a kill on the charge, and a full squad will emerge victorious against a 5 man Termie squad after a round or two.  However, how many Terminators would a Burna kill if he shoots and then charges?  Obviously it depends on how many Termies the Burna can get under his template.  If you’re going up against regular Terminators (with 5++ saves), you’re better off using the Power Weapon unless you can hit all 5 Terminators.  That’s rarely going to happen.  However, if a Burna Boy can hit even one TH/SS Terminator with his template he’ll average more kills than if he charged with the Power Weapon.  If you can shoot the TH/SS go ahead and do it, it’s not a huge advantage, but every little bit helps.

Nobz.
Nobz are one of our hardest units, and can krump most enemies we throw them at.  However, Terminators are a great counter to Nobz.  Terminators deny the Nobz their Feel No Pain, cause Instant Death, and have invulnerable saves to protect them from PKs.  Nobz do generate a good number of attacks and can help contribute towards the weight of fire necessary to bring Termies down.  However, you stand to lose multiple expensive models in the exchange.  You don’t really want the combat to extend to Thunderhammer versus Power Klaw.  I would only charge Terminators with Nobz if I was hoping to kill them off before the Thunderhammers could strike, and if they just had to die that turn. 
Title: Tactica: Minimum size Stormboy mob Vs. GEQ (exploring alternatives)
Post by: Mushkilla on August 12, 2009, 05:57:14 PM
“I have heard some people say that the Stormboyz are an undesirable unit, because they are too fragile/expensive. They cost 2* as much as a regular Ork boy, but have exactly the same stats & weapons (well, they have stikkbombz, but how often do you use those?). I have used Stormboyz since I first started playing Orks, back in the 3rd edition days. It's one of those units that almost always perform well, often killing things far more expensive than them, and preventing other valuable Mobz from getting shot at....“ - From Nachgals guide to better Stormboy use.

http://www.the-waaagh.com/forums/?showtopic=34046 (http://www.the-waaagh.com/forums/?showtopic=34046)

Firstly I recommend everyone read Nachgals guide before continuing. It's a very good guide, and will give you a great overview of how to use Stormboyz effectively.


Da Small Stormboy mob (exploring alternatives)

This is a very unconventional approach to using Stormboyz, one which requires a fare amount of practice and a lot of finesse. Be warned!


A few quick reminders:

Stormboyz are a “bully” unit, they bare meant to pick on weaker opponents. They are ideal for harassing your opponent and disrupting his overall plan. Your main target are units that will give you a lot of long range pain and units that don't have much staying power. Remember with these guys you can strike where you opponent least expects it!

Stormboyz should be used as their description depicts in their codex entry. They are tactically minded Orks! So remember to use tactics when you use them and they won't let you down.


What you need:

4 Stormboyz, 1 Nob, Big Choppa, Boss Pole, 'Eavy armour 85pts


Why this loadout?:

-Big Choppa: it's cheap and gets the job done! No sense in spending 5x the cost on a PK in such a fragile unit.
-’Eavy armour: A 4+ save comes in handy in such a small mob, and gives you a better chance of avoiding a few wounds early on.
-Boss Pole: Re-rolling failed moral tests! What more is there to say? This is what will keep your boys from running!


Pros and Cons of such a small units:

Pros:
-Cheap.
-Easy to hide.
-Super maneuverable.
-Great at harassing.
-Anti Tank (a charge range of 19-24" and 4 S 7 attacks against rear armour is nothing to laugh about)
-Being small means they aren't as high on the target priority list.

Cons:
-Super fragile (a turn of shooting will most likely wipe these guys out).
-No match for other assault unites.
-Leadership 7.
-Easy KP.


The problem with being TOO killy:

I normally run a Stormboy mob of 10-12 and it tends to perform outstandingly. I have learned how to keep them out of LoS, until the time comes to charge. They tend to be at full strength when they do (normally a good thing).

However whenever I fight guard, tau, small squads of GEQ (10 or less), and MEQ (5 or less), I tend to kill the whole squad in my assault phase only to get wiped out in my enemies shooting phase. The only way to avoid this is with a good multiple charge, which sadly isn't always possible!

This is where the "minimum" storm boy unit comes in. Against GEQ squads of around 10 they will often inflict a reasonable amount of damage without wiping out the enemy unit in your assault phase.  Meaning you can finish them off in their assault phase. This has two major advantages! You will not get shot to pieces and you will be free to move/shoot/assault!


Some maths hammer:

Remember maths hammer only gives you a statistical average and doesn't take into account luck. Its not necessarily what will happen (a lot of people forget that).

These are all done assuming the Orks get the charge.

In this case "wounds" implies unsaved wounds.


vs. 10 guardsmen (vanilla)
(ini 4) BC inflicts: 1.48 wounds.
(ini 3) 4 Boyz inflict: 4.74 wounds.
(ini 3) 9 guard inflict: 1.25 wounds.

Orks: 6.22 Guard: 1.25

vs. 10 guardsmen (PF)

(ini 4) BC inflicts: 1.48 wounds.
(ini 3) 4 Boyz inflict: 4.74 wounds.
(ini 3) 9 guard inflict: 1.25 wounds.
(ini 1) PF inflicts: 0.83 wounds.

Orks: 6.22 Guard: 2.08

vs. 10 guardsmen (PF and carapace)

(ini 4) BC inflicts: 1.11 wounds.
(ini 3) 4 Boyz inflict: 3.56 wounds.
(ini 3) 9 guard inflict: 1.25 wounds.
(ini 1) PF inflicts: 0.83 wounds.

Orks: 4.67 Guard: 2.08

vs. 12 fire warriors (shas'ui)
(ini 4) BC inflicts: 1.11 wounds.
(ini 3) 4 Boyz inflict: 3.56 wounds.
(ini 2) 7 Tau 1 shas'ui inflict: 1.25 wounds. (technically their are 6.34 Tau and 1 shas'ui, but being optimistic I gave them 7)

Orks: 4.67 Tau: 1.25

vs. 5 MEQ
ini 4 BC: 0.55
ini 4 4 MEQ + Leader: 1.45 (assuming the MEQ have 1 attack each and their leader has 2+1 for 2 CC weapons)
ini 3 3 Boyz: 0.99

If you take one of the wounds on the nob then you only lose 0-1 Boyz (this is where ‘Eavy armour is handy).

Orks: 1.54 MEQ: 1.45

In this case a PK would be a better option, because I doubt the Boyz will pull through in the second round of assault without their charge bonuses.


Other things to take into account:


In all of the cases above (bar the MEQ) the Stormboyz come on top by a considerable margin. This would most likely result in the enemy squad fleeing due to negative leadership modifiers. That being said they do have a chance to rally (assuming they lose combat by 3-4 and that they are leadership 8) that means 16% and 28% chance of rallying. Of course this is assuming their are no outside influences to their leadership (e.g commissar lord, Ethereal, stubborn etc). This also does not take into account different GEQ load outs.

Note: Its a good idea not to use your sluggas the first time you assault, due to the fact that any casualties they inflict will reduce your enemies staying power.


Taking casualties:

Now all the above is assuming the Stormboyz are at full strength, which they should be unless they take some casualties from difficult terrain tests or their Rokkit packs, when they charge. Each casualty you take will roughly reduce the number of wounds you inflict on the charge by 1 ( 1.19 for GEQ and 0.88 for GEQ in carapace). You can use this to your advantage if you charge with a mob of 4 the chance of your opponent not fleeing is 41% (and so on).

In short if your enemy doesn't flee you will most likely wipe them out in your opponents assault phase and be ready to assault something else in your turn. With the casualties you have taken you will have even more chance of them staying in combat for 2 rounds. By doing this you can take out 2-3 GEQ squads without getting shot at a single time.

If you are at full strength by the time you get to your enemy you could always try to charge two GEQ squads. Ideally a full strength one and one that has already taken a few casualties. Of course this depends how good these GEQ squads are. Don’t bite off more then you can chew.

Note: Once you have taken a few casualties the sluggas come into their own, giving you that little bit of extra "ummf" when your down to 3-4 Boyz. (BS 2 is crap, but every little helps)


What if they counter-charge you?:

Well your going to have a hard time. But if you have tied up 2 squads with 5 Boyz then it means less stuff shooting you. Hopefully help will be on it's way (don't forget the rest of your army is legging it towards the enemy :P ). Also see the section "Doubling Up".


"Kombat Taktiks":

If you want to fall back and risk the sweeping advance then you can always substitute your number of Boyz (3-5) with your leadership, which almost guarantees you will run (don't do it below half strength though!).

You fall back 3d6 +1d6 which you can add to the distance you move because you used your Rokkit pack. This can make all the difference when getting to that piece of cover or getting out of shooting/assault range, most of the time you end up behind your advancing boy Mobz, nice and safe and denying your opponent a KP.

Eg: A Stormboy mob of 5 and a Trukkboy mob of 10 have just lost assault. the Stormboyz took 2 casualties and are down to 3 Boyz. In the next turn the enemy might focus his attacks on the Stormboyz to finish them off and get a KP. If you decide to retreat the Stormboyz by using their leadership of 3 (mob rule!), and the Trukkboy mob pass their moral check. The enemy is still engaged with the Trukkboyz so you can retreat the Stormboyz without fear of being caught in a sweeping advance. Thus running away to safety and negating your opponent a kill point. Or you could charge them again once your Stormboyz regroup getting your charge/furious charge bonuses (which could make all the difference if you were fighting say another Ork mob).

This isn't limited to mobs that start out small you could use the same trick on a mob of 10 Stormboyz/regular Boyz that have been reduced to 5-6 models, at worse you pass the leadership test and you stay in the fight. This trick is only advisable in your enemies assault phase though!


The Rule of Doubling Up:

As with most things in the Ork Codex its good to double up. With two of these squads you can really hack away at your enemy, and once they get down to 2-3 Boyz (if they don't flee, BP FTW!) they can join up! They can also support each other if one of them gets counter charged (the counter-counter charge!). More importantly it means they can double up against MEQ squads.


Mathshammer 2x Mobs of 5 Stormboyz vs. a Mob of 10 Stormboyz when fighting MEQ:

These are all done assuming the Orks get the charge and don't take into account whether sluggas were used before engaging the enemy. Normally it's a bad idea shoot Space Marines  before assaulting. But Orks are so lousy at shooting that the chances of them inflicting 25% casualties and forcing a moral check is almost impossible and if they do they deserve a medal! (10 slugga shots inflict 0.55 unsaved wounds vs MEQs)

In this case "wounds" implies unsaved wounds.

Mob of 10 Stormboyz (with PK) vs. 10 MEQ (with PF)

ini 4 9 MEQ: 1.88 wounds (you could use the nobs 4+ save to try and save 1 of these wounds, for simplicity I haven't. I also like keeping my pk nob healthy).
ini 3 7 Boyz: 2.33 wounds.
ini 1 MEQ leader: 0.83 wounds.
ini 1 PK nob: 1.67 wounds.

Orks: 4 MEQ: 2.71


2 mobs of 5 Stormboys (with 2 BC) vs. 10 MEQ (with PF)


Note: remember the MEQ player will have to split his attacks between the two mobs.

ini 4 2 BC: 1.11 wounds.
ini 4 9 MEQ: 1.125 wounds (use the nobs 4+ saves).
ini 3 8 Boyz: 2.67 wounds.
ini 1 MEQ leader: 0.83 wounds.

Orks: 3.78 MEQ: 1.955


A few advantages of two smaller mobs over one larger mob:

-With two mobs it means you get to roll a d6 + I for each mob for sweeping advance.
-If you do get stranded in the open your opponent has to dedicate at least two squads to wipe you out, averting a lot of fire that would otherwise have inflicted more casualties on your other mobs. Forcing him to chose his targets, whats scarier 20 Boyz running at you or 4-5 Boyz that can fly?


Mobility:

With a charge range of 19-24" and a movement range of 19-24" (with run) you can strike anywhere (13-18 of those inches ignore terrain and other units). With mobility like this you can easily support other Mobz if needed, and can strike your enemy where he is most vulnerable (and I don't mean by throwing your Stormboyz at your opponents groin).

REMEMBER: you roll the extra D6" before you move so you can change your tactic accordingly so you don't get stranded in the open.


Multiple charges:

What? I hear you ask, why on earth would you want to charge multiple targets with such a small squad! - With the high manoeuvrability of the Ork rokkit pack, pulling of multiple charges is more possible then ever! Hopefully this little example will help you understand how this can be effective!

You charge a Wraithlord and a squad of 12 Guardians, you directed all of your attacks against the guardians. Your Stormboyz kill 7 guardians and the Wraithlord kills 1 boy. So you win combat by 6! The guardians run away. 'No Retreat' kicks in. The Stormboyz have a BC so they can harm the Wraithlord, this means he now has to make 6 saves due to wounds from 'No Retreat'.

This little trick works wonders when you opponent has positioned a squishy unit near one of his monstrous creatures a good example would be it you charged a "dakka fex" and some gaunts.

And here is just a quick story that shows you how being adventurous with your multiple charges can be rewarding!

I was fighting Tau. Most of my forces had been wiped out and the rest were engaged with kroot. It looked like the game would be a draw, we each had one objective and we were fighting over the objective in the middle, but it looked like the game would end before a victor emerged. I had a squad of 5 Stormboys that had been ignored for the most of the game and were hiding behind some ruins about 22" or so from two squads of fire warriors (12 men each, both still at full strength) who were sitting on my opponents objective. Things were looking grim...

... then I rolled a 6! My Stormboys flew over the ruins, rushed forward sluggas blazing (they all missed, surprise!), charged 24" and managed to pull off a multiple charge on both fire warrior squads.

Defenders reacted ensuring all my Stormboyz could fight. They managed to kill 2 Boyz, I killed 5 tau they both failed their leadership tests at -3 and ran. The Boyz sweeping advanced and wiped them both out! 85pts of Ork just killed 270pts of tau and won me the game!! My opponent and I both stood there in shock.

I was lucky but again its an example of what you can pull off with these guys.


Multiple Charges (advanced):

Page 34 of the BRB says the following with regards to the assault move:

"1 The most important one is that each model must end
its assault move in coherency with another model in
its own unit that has already moved.
2 If possible, the model must move into base contact
with any enemy model within reach that is not
already in base contact with an assaulting model.
3 If there are no such models in reach, the model must
move into base contact with an enemy model that is
already in base contact with an assaulting model.
4 If a model cannot reach any enemy models, it must
try to move within 2" of one of its own unit's models
that is already in base contact with an enemy.
5 If this is impossible, it must simply stay in coherency"

Thanks to their jump packs Stormboyz can pull off ridiculous multiple charges. If you are really good at guessing 5-6" then you can position the Stormboyz as follows:

-A model(A) on one side of the mob needs to be between 5-6” away from the unit you plan to declare your charge on.
-A model on the other side of the mob need to be within 6” of an enemy unit that you want to get the multiple charge on.
-Move model(A) into BB contact with the squad you declare the charge against.
-If you guessed the range right 2 and 3 won't be possible for the next model, so you will have do 4.
-The model after this one will only be able to do 5.
-This way you can make a chain of 5-10" with in a mob of 5 between the two enemy squads you want to charge.
-The “defender reacts” ensuring all your models can fight.

In doing this you have effectively charge two units that were 5-10" away from each other. This is a great way of pulling off the MC and "no retreat" trick. Again its all about making the most of the Stormboyz mobility.

Its risky, it takes some guess work. But it can really pay off.

Note: Obviously taking this too far can “ruin” the fun of the game. Do it within reason!


Cover out of no where?:

If you have to squads of 5 boys you can arrange them in such a way that they both grant each other cover saves. Normally this is not advantageous because the rules state you have to move one unit at a time. So if you were to do this with regular Boyz it would slow them down because you wouldn't be using all your movement to go forward!! However with jump packs you can ignore models in your movement phase, so you don't get this problem! Its a nifty way to get a 4+ cover save if you really need it.

However if you are using your Stormboyz properly you won’t have to resort to such Gitish behaviour! (This tactic is in here for the sake of completion.)

mob A: O Mob B: I

O I O   this is the set up I use with two mobs of 5  (but I rarely resort to this!)
I O I
O I O
    I

Note: Again taking this too far can “ruin” the fun of the game. Do it within reason!


Stikkbombz:


Don't forget that you've got them!


Competing for Fast Attack slots:


Fortunately unlike our Elite and Heavy Support choices there is a lot less competition for Fast Attack slots (I have yet to see an army that fields 9 buggies or 15 koptas (Apocalypse Now anyone?).


Conclusion:

In conclusion for a cheap price you get a very good harassment unit, that can cause a lot of problems to GEQ armies, can work as a good antitank unit, and generally will put a thorn in the backside of any players plans. Taking two of these smaller mobs lets you perform just as effectively against MEQ armies as a single larger mob.

Hope you enjoyed the guide.
Title: The Mosh Pit: Collected Ork Army Lists
Post by: Gutstikk on October 5, 2009, 08:35:50 PM
Ork Army List project:

I've decided to offer something which has been of use on the Eldar boards, and create a table that will hold a list of any Ork lists which board frequenters think are of value to the Ork community as a reference. I personally won't be rating army lists on this board, though if people want to do so in thread and send me a link to their review, I'd be glad to add it in. Generally, these will be higher quality lists that are not only well written/devised, but also include some explanation of how they work.

In order to qualify, the original army list posted should:
-follow all of Ollieb's guidelines for posting
-include some good effort explaining how the army list should function as a whole
-some specific strategies for each of the three main missions, or whatever mission environment it's going to be fielded in
-potential vulnerabilities/things to look out for

Ork Forum Army Lists that have been reviewed:
Army List/Style---posted by---point level---
Andromidius
score
---
Dropfall
score
Dred Bash (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=173827.msg2120625#msg2120625)Dartron1000 pts
31/60 (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=173827.msg2120625#msg2120625)
Goff/Sunz (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=174630.msg2129488#msg2129488) Saracenar 1000pts
38/60 (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=174630.msg2130874#msg2130874)
Green Tide (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=175309.msg2139097#msg2139097) fuegan17 2500pts
51/60 (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=175309.msg2139134#msg2139134)
Hybrid (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=176124.msg2150807#msg2150807) Alerian 2000pts
38/60 (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=176124.msg2152967#msg2152967)
5/20 (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=176124.msg2152566#msg2152566)
           
           

Title: Ork Tactica: AV 14!
Post by: OldCrow on January 25, 2010, 02:54:49 AM
Ork Tactica: AV14!

1. Introduction
2. Units capable of Damaging AV 14
3. Tactics, Combinations and the Mindset required for destroying AV 14.
4. The Space Marine Land Raider.
5. The Necron Monolith

1.Introduction:
This Tactica is designed solely to deal with AV 14 vehicles in games of Warhammer 40,000, it will not be dealing with anything do to with Apocalypse games as that is another game entirely. It will not deal with special characters as these are covered by the units they are based off. This guide assumes you own the codex and the rule book, if you don't own them this guide won't be of much help. Every effort has been made to ensure that nothing in this guide breaches the forum rules, if you find something please let either myself, Gutstikk or Ollieb know so that it may edited!

It was written by me, OldCrow and a massive amount of credit and thanks will go to OD from TV who did a lot of the ground work for this in the unit descriptions, he also helped me edit and did all the spelling and grammar checking for me. Thank you again OD, this wouldn't have been possible without you!

I put a lot of effort into this and would appreciate any criticism to be constructive. I enjoyed writing this more than I thought I would so if this is well received I will probably write more Tacticas.

It can be hard for a newer Warbosses to effectively deal with Armor 14 and the belief that there isn't a solid choice in our codex can often cloud a Warboss's judgment on how to handle said vehicle. This Tactica is here to dispel any misconceptions about AV 14 and to utterly destroy the belief that it is our Achilles heel. I won’t lie, it is tough for Orks to deal with, but any belief that our codex cannot deal with it is wrong, pure and simple. This Tactica will show you how! Please note that the mighty Land Raider and the 'indestructible' Necron Monolith will be covered in section 4 and 5 respectively as these beasts are in a class all of there own.

This Tactica will not detail the exact method of popping AV 14; I will not be able to tell you exactly how you are going to do it. There is no way I can know what’s in your list just as I can not know the enemy’s composition or how he plays. The scope of this Tactica is so you, the Warboss, will know what the most effective tools are to eliminate AV 14 and what to keep in mind when doing so.

In this section I am introducing the concept of Direct and Indirect damage to AV 14. Direct damage is hitting the AV 14 front on and penetrating it. Indirect damage is hitting the squishy side of AV 14, for example instead of hitting the front armor of a Leman Russ which would be direct damage, hitting the side Armor which is less than AV 14 which would be indirect damage. Please note that weapons only capable of glancing AV 14 will be considered Indirect Damage for the simple reason that it won’t be able to destroy the vehicle.


2. Units Capable of Damaging AV 14
This section will detail entry by entry of the Ork codex on what units are capable damaging AV 14 directly and indirectly. This section will skip over any unit that is not capable of doing it.

Warboss: Pg 32 and 97 of Codex: Orks
A long time favorite for players, many stick him on a bike or in a trukk. His base strength is the highest in the army and when given a Power Klaw and Attack squig, he will role a bucketful of dice at max strength easily destroying enemy amour. He is more than capable of direct damage but is most effective at indirect. If you’re going to use him as your antitank make sure you put him on a bike with a cybork body and for heavens sake put him with some Nob Bikers or regular bikers (see below).

Pros: Fast if on a bike or trukk. Max strength with a bucket load of attacks, he will bring down tanks, period. He is also your best bet against Terminators/Terminator equivalents which may be hiding/being transported in a vehicle.

Cons: This guy will be a bullet magnet, they will shoot him. Do not let him run alone he will be destroyed. If you run him with Nob Bikers or with Nobz in general, triple the amount of incoming fire coming your warboss's way. Max of 2 Bosses in standard armies

Big Mek: Pg 34 and 97 of Codex: Orks

The Big Mek has a few tools up his sleeve for taking down AV 14. One is the almighty and truly orky Shokk Attack Gun. This gun is fantastic and true to orky way of things, completely random.

Second is the Kustom Mega Blasta. A great gun, high strength and has the always fun rule of 'Gets Hot!' rule. The Big Mek has access to the Power Klaw. With the Power Klaw he won’t be as strong or have as many attacks as the Warboss but will still be capable of indirectly damaging AV 14.

Pros: Awesome if you have been worshipping the dice gods recently. High strength of the KMB and the rules for the SAG (see pg 35 of Codex: Orks) make him a solid choice for AV 14 especially if you get a double 6.

Cons: SAG is random and KMB suffers the "Gets Hot!" rule. The Mek himself has the profile of a Nob and precludes the use of a Warboss.

Weird Boy: Pg 36 and 97 of Codex: Orks

The resident Ork psyker. He too is quite capable of directly tanking down AV 14 with his psychic powers!

Pros: The Orks only melta weapon which also is fairly long range. It is also the greatest weapon we have against AV 14.

Cons: Is like all things Orky, totally random and cannot be relied on in any way shape or form to perform the task assigned to it. Even when paying for the upgrade "Warp 'Ead" it’s still way to random to be relied on and precludes the use of a Warboss or Big Mek.

Nobz: Pg 33 and 98 of Codex: Orks

Ork Nobz on bikes or in a transport are great at taking down AV 14 especially if they get the charge. An assortment of Wargear choices makes them excellent at taking down AV 14 indirectly. They are not as good as a Warboss at taking down AV 14 but can make up for this with sheer number of attacks and resilience. Combined with an Ork Warboss they will end up blowing up every single vehicle on the game board.

Pros: Fast, extremely mobile tank hunters. That can be heavily customized and can benefit from the wound allocation rule. They have a bucket load of attacks that can damage AV 14 indirectly and directly if on the charge.

Cons: Expensive bullet magnets. They will be shot at, a lot. If your opponent is not pants on heads crazy he will dedicate a large amount of fire at them.

A note: Many opponents will call you a cheater if you use/abuse the wound allocation rulings. Additionally it gives other Ork players a bad name and in tournament settings lower your composition score.  I'm not saying that you should or shouldn't abuse the rule, thats up to you to decide.  I wouldn't personally abuse it but I don't use Nobz so my opinion is moot.

Mega-Nobz: Pg 39 and 98 of Codex: Orks

The Orkish equivalent of Terminators. They can be slow, though any Warboss worth his Choppa will mount them at the very least on a Trukk. They can be armed with an assortment of Kombi weapons and they all come with Power Klaws standard!

Pros: Solid armor and Power Klaws as standard!

Cons: even more pricey than regular Nobz and don't get access to some of the cooler pieces of Wargear that regular Nobz do. They are also expensive bullet magnets, more so than regular Nobz and mostly from the psych impact of "Terminator" Orks. Keep in mind unlike other army TEQ’s they do not have an invulnerable save and can be Insta Killed.

Burna Boyz: Pg 45 and 98 of Codex: Orks

These guys are absolutely rubbish at tanking down AV 14, if you’re using these guys to down AV 14 your either pants on head crazy or you have run out of options. The Burna Boyz themselves cannot hurt AV 14 but for some reason you can add up to 3 Meks (with either a Kustom Mega Blasta or Rokkit Launcha) to the squad which can hurt AV 14. If you include either of those in a Burna Boy mob, you probably need to go see Dok Grotsnikk to get a 'Ghazgkull Speshul'.

Pros: none, if you have a Burna boy squad capable of damaging an AV 14 vehicle you’re doing it wrong.

Cons: For starters, everything. They shouldn't be doing anything near an AV 14 tank unless you’re burning the contents of said tank. Additionally taking Mekboyz in the unit is a waste as it adds unneeded shooting to a short range assault unit

Tankbustas: Pg 42 and 99 of Codex: Orks

These guys are the business. They will blow up any vehicle you point them at. As there name implies they are here to bust tanks and I personally love these guys. They're useful even against non tank armies which is saying something. Every single bit of Wargear they have is designed for busting tanks and they even get Tankhammers, which are better in every way than Power Klaws for busting tanks. They also can get Bomb Squigs which while awesome are slightly random. Many people would say the Glory Hog rule is a disadvantage. Quite simply it is not. It is there to stop you the Warboss from getting distracted; I will talk about this later in the tactics section.

Pros: everything is right about these guys. Tank Hammers, Bomb Squigs and Rokkit Launchers I don't need to say anything else. These guys are cheap and they are designed to pop enemy armor (what did you expect with a name like Tankbustas). They are also the only unit capable of taking Tankbusta Bombs which are almost as powerful as Meltabombs.

Cons: For some unknown reason none of the Orks specialist mobs can take dedicated transports and Tankbustas are no exception. You either have to hijack one of your Boy’s Trukks or stick them in a Battlewagon.

Lootas: Pg 43 and 99 of Codex: Orks

These guys mount the Mighty Deffguns. The Deffgun itself cannot damage AV 14 but the Meks which again can have either Kustom Mega Blastas or Rokkit Launchas can. Similarly to the Burnas if you have Rokkits in this mob you’re doing it wrong. Having a Mek in this squad is not totally insane but its not a good idea generally. The Deffgun can do indirect damage if the enemy exposes some rear or side armour but this is rare and chances are you will want to be shooting at something else.

Pros: Can do some indirect damage with a high firepower output.

Cons: Everything, this squad shouldn't be shooting at AV 14. It’s not designed for that.  The Deffguns strength is not high enough to make it a solid choice for indirect damage.

Kommando's: Pg 44 and 99 of Codex: Orks

These guys are not very good at damaging AV 14 but that’s not really what they were designed for. They can take a Nob with Power Klaw and can take Rokkits, neither is likely to blow up AV 14 very reliably as you would have to hit with the Rokkits in the first place.

Pros: They can Infiltrate, so they start closer to the AV 14. Snikrot’s special Outflank can potentially get them close, but as Snikrot lacks a Powerklaw the point is moot.

Cons: Not designed for taking on AV 14, if they hit with their Rokkits they can indirectly do some damage but Orky shooting generally leaves something to be desired.

Ork Boyz: Pg 40 and 100 of Codex: Orks

The meat and potatoes of an Ork army, they are not tank hunters. Never have been and never will be. They can take Rokkits and a Nob with Power Klaw which means they can damage AV 14 but that’s not there intended purpose. Rubbish at hurting AV 14.

Pros: cheap and plentiful, you will have a large number of these guys anyways.

Cons: if your shooting at Tanks means your not running at the enemy or shooting at enemy infantry which is what they are designed for and like all Orks their terrible BS means they won't be hitting very often.

Storm Boyz: Pg 47 and 101 of Codex: Orks

Ork Boyz crazy/stupid enough to attach giant Rokkit packs to there backs. Their only way to damage AV 14 is with Nob with Power Klaw or if they take Zagstruk. All in all, their anti tank capacity is rubbish.

Pros: maneuverable and fast.

Cons: they lack options and were not designed for taking out AV 14.

Warbuggies/Wartrakks: Pg 49 and 101 of Codex: Orks

Light Ork vehicles. Pack some very potent weaponary and can really put some pressure on the AV 14.

Pros: Maneuverable, fast. Twin linked for better chance to hit. Very solid choice for indirect damage.

Cons: They are the easiest vehicles in the entire game to pop and are subject to vehicle squadron rules which are found on pg 64 in the core rulebook.

War Bikes: Pg 46 and 101 of Codex: Orks

Orks who ride Warbikes are tougher than normal Orks and pack some very potent special rules. Like most units they can take some very solid gear but are not designed for tank busting.

Pros: like all Ork fast attack, maneuverable and fast.  Nob with Pk can, on the charge, cause direct damage to AV 14.

Cons:  Bikes are expensive when compared to the majority of other units in the Codex and they are also bullet magnets especially if there is an attached Biker Boss.

Deffkoptas: Pg 48 and 101 of Codex: Orks

They are fantastic Tank hunters when upgraded properly. Try to keep buzz saws at 1 per 3 Koptas unless your running the infamous Red/Black/Green Baron ( He has been spotted in many colors).

Pros:  Fast and maneuverable, easily able to get around to do some really good Indirect damage. Twin linked Rokkits provide pretty good chance to hit and buzz saws allow for some follow up CC damage if Rokkits fail.  Fairly easy and cheap access to these models as most non Ork players who purchase AoBR are willing to trade or sell them for next to nothing

Cons: Buzz saws become bad after charge, expensive units.  They are best used to hit side and rear armour which can sometimes be difficult.

Battlewagon: Pg 55 and 102 of Codex: Orks

Orks massive mobile fortress, able to carry a horde of Boyz into battle, it has been the end of many foes of our great armies. Able to be upgraded in a million viable ways it is more than able to take on AV 14 directly and prevail without a scratch. Upgrade it to have Rokkits and Zapp gun and it will lay low even the mightiest of our AV 14 opponents.

Pros: can take a score of Rokkits and the amusingly random Zapp gun. Good armor and transport capacity means it can really lay some hurt onto the enemy AV 14 with direct and indirect damage. A good alternative to counteract the Zzap gun’s randomness is a Kannon, which can glance AV 14.

Cons: Costs can sky rocket quickly, side and rear armor is quite low. Can only randomly deal direct damage. Even indirect damage is hard to count on. According to the FAQ the Zzap gun always counts as a main weapon when mounted on a Battlewagon so you cannot move and shoot.

Deffdread: Pg 52 and 102 of Codex: Orks

A hulking smoke belching monstrosity the grabs the ideals of classic and traditional Ork Kultur and manifests them on the battlefield. It can deal direct damage in combat and at ranged can deal some quite nice indirect damage. Can be outfitted with two Rokkits or Kustom Mega Blastas which do not negatively affect the Dread on a roll of a 1.

Pros: can deal direct damage in close combat with a huge number of attacks.

Cons: if upgraded with close combat weapons it will become quite an expensive bit of kit, BS of Ork pilot leaves as always something to be desired.

Killa Kans: Pg 53 and 102 of Codex: Orks

Smaller cousins of the Deffdread. Has improved BS with reduced WS. It has less attacks but can be fielded in squadrons which can improve and impair them at the same time. They have to be upgraded with a ranged weapon and can take some great weapons for tank hunting. When used properly they can be the bane of tanks everywhere.

Pros: can deal direct damage in CC, base cost is insanely cheap for what you get out of them. Ranged weaponry options are solid at indirect damage.

Cons: Slow and weak Armor means they get destroyed fairly easily. The squadron rules mean even glances can destroy them.

Flash Gitz: Pg 56 and 103 of Codex: Orks

Tooled up Nobz form into Flash Gitz mobs. Mostly rubbish for tanking on vehicles but are capable of dealing indirect damage.

Pros: can put out a bit of firepower.

Cons: Expensive and not designed for taking on tanks. Even with the Shootier upgrade they're still really low strength and will struggle with all but the lightest indirect damage.

Big Gunz: Pg 51 and 103 of Codex: Orks

Not a great choice for dealing with AV 14, Kannons themselves are cheap and can deal indirect damage. The real choice comes with the Zzap guns, they are pretty cheap and can deal direct damage if the dice gods favor you.

Pros: cheapish. can deal direct damage if upgraded.

Cons: if not upgraded they only deal indirect damage and usually miss, the Zzap gun is maddeningly random and cannot be relied on to do anything other than kill crew members at an amusingly alarming rate. Additionally due to the Artillery rules on pg 55 they are extremely fragile when shot at.

Looted Wagon: Pg 54 and 103 of Codex: Orks

Ork Looted wagons make a very solid choice for dealing with AV 14. They are capable of dealing direct damage at range and because all Ordnance rolls 2d6 armor penetration. A very solid choice for dealing with AV 14.

Pros: pretty cheap and once that AV 14 is gone it can blow up infantry to boot!

Cons: Don't Press Dat! rule can be annoying.  Weak armour.

As you can see from this section the vast majority of units in the Ork codex can damage AV 14 our codex has the tools and rules to allow us to destroy AV 14. Section three will explain how to use section two to include the mobs and vehicles to bring down AV 14.
Title: Re: Ork Tactica: AV 14!
Post by: OldCrow on January 25, 2010, 02:56:03 AM
3. Tactics, Combinations and the Mindset
This section will deal with the methods and mindset required to destroy AV 14. It will also dispel any myths that suggest that this is difficult or an Achilles heel for Orks of the 41st millennium. This section will by its very nature touch on the subjects of building a viable, strong and competitive list. This is not to be mistaken as tailoring which is something that in a general sense the community looks down upon and is viewed by some as very unsportsman like and quite the domain of the incompetent general. This section while focused on AV 14 will have to touch on previously said subjects.

Tactics

This section will detail how to fight AV 14 vehicles. This will explain the basic tactics and how you can apply it to your army. This will also explain some basic methods that will help the budding warboss effectively fight, counter and defeat the AV 14 arrayed against him.

Firstly lets look at some of the facts about Orks have in general and against AV 14 vehicles.

1. Speed
We are one of the fastest armies on the table and if done right, can easily match Eldar or their darker kin with ease.

2. Open topped vehicles
Some people think this a disadvantage, hardly, this fact, mixed with points 1 and 3 means we can argue that we are not only the fastest but also the most maneuverable army in the Warhammer universe, something the arrogant Eldar have taken for granted for too long.

3. Close Combat monsters
Our greatest most reliable methods for popping AV 14 tin cans is in close combat.

4. Sheer numbers
Orks don’t do small things, they do them in mass amounts both in shooting and assaulting. When they do something they do it en masse.

5. Bad BS
Orks cant shoot straight, its a fact of orky life. They can’t hit the broadside of a barn, while inside the barn 5 feet from the wall.

Looking at these five points we can with certainty say we have found the ideal way for us to handle AV 14. By using our speed, our open topped vehicles and close combat prowess and taking into account that Ork’s primary damage method isn't shooting we can discern our main methods for us to deal with AV 14.

With our main method of attack finalized we can now begin formulating a plan to destroy our enemies.

Effective Units

This section will deal with the actual methods, mobs and combinations designed to bring down AV 14. What any Warboss must remember and this is critical, you must always remember indirect damage. The vast majority of enemy tanks in this game do not have AV 14 all the way around and this is where we will have most success. I will repeat this for the sake of emphasis. You must remember indirect damage. Why shoot at AV 14 when you can hit AV 13 or AV 12? This will increase your total number of penetrating hits and therefore increase your chance to destroy the enemy vehicle.

When taking on an AV 14 vehicle you must use our strengths and turn them in advantages while minimizing our weakness so as not to turn into a disadvantage. Use your speed to get around behind the enemy tank, use your open topped transports to shoot then assault the enemy. Use multiple units to bring down the tank. That being said here is a list of the most effective units and combinations and the tactics and strategies behind them that make them effective. Please note that all listings here are in reference to AV 14 not to general table top performance and any advice given here is in relation to solely hunting AV 14 and again not for general table top performance.

Warboss: Rating 10/10
This bad arse is a long time favorite of Ork players everywhere, capable of mass destruction of vehicles. He can have multiple strength 10 attacks when geared right. While his tank busting ability is unrivaled it is his ability to kill what that AV 14 was carrying that makes him the stand out performer. The Warboss can kill the tank and then take the charge of the enemy combatants if they survive the explosion. He is arguably our best tank buster and this is only enhanced when combined with Nobz.

His best loadout is either in a Trukk/battlewagon or on a bike. Footslogging Warboss's tend to get killed. He should have a Power Klaw and Attack Squig, those upgrades are mandatory. Eavy Armor and Cybork should also be considered mandatory.

Nobz: Rating 8/10
Nobz are similar to Warboss's but after the initial charge they lack the punch for direct damage. Their best used to back up the Warboss from counter charging and to help with achieving penetrating hits during the charge.

Their best loadout is what ever the Warboss is riding in, so if your Warboss is on a bike put these guys on a bike as well. Don't go overboard with Power Klaws as they are expensive, they have a very high customization and can be set up to abuse the wound allocation rule which can be extremely beneficial to say the least. Always take a Painboy for Feel No Pain. 5 - 7 Nobz is plenty in a squad.

If you’re taking Meganobz your options are extremely limited, I would advise against Kombi-Rokkits as the chance of actually hitting with them is quite low. Also you must mount them in a Trukk or Battlewagon as on foot they are way to slow to achieve anything.

Tankbustas: Rating 10/10
These guys are absolutely fantastic! Tank hammers, Bomb Squigs and Rokkits as standard! The one thing I really need and want to talk about is the Glory Hogs rule. The prevailing thought is that this make TB's bad or unviable. Let me set things straight, the Glory Hog rule is there to stop you the Warboss, from getting distracted and sending them off after other targets that are not what they are designed for. What about Monstrous Creatures you ask? That’s the domain of Lootas. The job of Tankbustas is simple, busting tanks. Yes sometimes when they’re out of range it would be better if they could shoot that monstrous creature or charge that retarded imperial guardsman squad but these things really only apply to footslogging TB's. If you mount them on a Trukk or Battlewagon and support them with other units you won’t notice the Glory Hog rule. Many people reading this will disagree about the Glory Hog rule, that’s fine, it’s your hobby too and you can make heads or tails of it. I just don't think Glory Hogs is that bad of a rule and really doesn't mean squat if your using them properly anyways.

Use the Rokkit attacks to fire before you charge, this will achieve two things one you might rip off weapons and immobilize the vehicle, then charge in for the kill. If the unthinkable happens and the dice gods have cursed you and your melee attacks fail to kill the tank then you still have caused a lot of damage.

The load out for this squad is easy; give them all the Tank Hammers you can take and give the Nob a Power Klaw. Bomb Squigs are awesome and super fantastic but are not mandatory, especially if you have your Tankbustas mounted in a Trukk or Battlewagon. I personally would think twice about taking Bomb Squigs if I'm mounting them (which you should), that’s not to say don't take them, just the rules with Bomb Squigs means it can backfire bad if they are mounted. If you have foot slogging Tankbustas I would be of the mind to take Bomb Squigs.

Killa Kans: Rating 9/10
Cheap and plentiful, these guys are fantastic at popping AV 14, they also have the benefit of being able to handle most things that can counter charge from an exploded transport. They have a higher BS than Orks so there ranged attack is very reliable compared to normal Orks. They are generally considered ranged units but make no mistake; they are awesome in a melee too just not as good as Deff Dreads which isn't really anything to be ashamed of.

Give them Rokkits, their higher BS will make sure more of them hit and if you get lucky you can immobilize the tank allowing the Kans to close and unleash direct damage to pop the AV 14.

Deff Dreads: Ratings 9/10
Similar to the Killa Kans, the Deff Dread is the larger brother of the Kans. They have more attacks and higher armor but can be quite a bit more expensive. They can better handle the contents of the AV 14 vehicle because of these factors. There ranged attacks while higher in number are hampered by the Orks BS and this severely limits its hunting ability.

Give it either two Rokkits or two extra DCCW's, the Rokkits are cheap but Orky BS means they probably wont hit while the extra DCCW's loadout is far more effective but far more expensive. They will destroy any tank they get close to which can be worth it. The problem is with getting the tank close. Things like Eldar Grav Tanks can and will kite them. They do need to be supported by other mobs to stop and slow the fast enemy vehicles if they are armed with DCCW's.

Warbuggies: Rating 10/10
These are great vehicles for the speed freaks, packing potent weaponry into a fragile, fast and cheap chassis. Use them to get around behind the enemy and do some major indirect damage, they are often ignored by less experienced opponents.

Give them Twinlinked Rokkits! The Trakk and Grot Riggers upgrades are nice if you have the points for it but are not mandatory in the least. Use these vehicles to get behind enemy vehicles for some great indirect damage. These things are so cheap that they can be a throw away unit in games where Killpoints don't matter. They are so fast and maneuverable that you can put them anywhere you need too. It’s hard for these guys not to swing the battle in your favor if you use them with even a slight bit of intelligence.

Battlewagons: Rating 9/10
These things can carry a full compliment of Tankbusta's or Nobz into the heart of the enemy and it sports armor tough enough to see it through. It can have a score of upgrades to make it into any type of vehicle and is easily our best. It starts off cheap as chips and though you can upgrade it up the waaaghzoo this gets steadily more expensive as you do.

You have a few options with this vehicle, the BW starts off pretty cheap for what you get but upgrades really start to add to the cost. A few things that apply to all types of BW, if you receive a weapon destroyed result on the damage table and you have no weapons to remove it is treated as an immobilized result, it is in your best interest to add a few weapons to this beast. If points are tight, I would add two Big Shootas. It’s cheap and forces the enemy to get 3 weapon destroyed results before it becomes Immobilized.

One of the options for this bad boy is to make it into an armored assault carrier, give it two to three Rokkits and a Boarding Plank at a bare minimum. I would also give it Grot Riggers and Armor Plates, this will make it a little point heavy but it will be a hard beast to stop. With this option you can give it as a transport to either your Tankbusta's or your Nobz and it will make a fine transport for them.

Option two is to make it into a battle tank. To do this, give it a KillKannon and an Ard Top. Doing this gives you a rock hard tank that can mix it up with the best of them and it still has a transport capacity though you do loose the open topped bonus. I have purposely not included extra weapons on this beast for one reason. The Killkannon is the only weapon capable of direct damage and your first weapon destroyed result will be the Killkannon, meaning that it becomes fairly rubbish after that. If you want a proper tank/artillery piece I would suggest the Looted Wagon as it much cheaper and has a better gun.

Also the topic of the Deffrolla is the subject of numerous debates and threads on this board and across many many others. This guide does not want to set off one of those debates. I have read the Ork FAQ and the Ork Codex. The FAQ doesn't mention it and the codex says at least RAW wise that it cannot hit vehicles.  Therefor I do not include it as a viable upgrade for dealing with AV 14. If you have a house rule or something similar that lets you use it to damage vehicles, then it is more than viable it is a mandatory upgrade for fighting AV 14!

Looted Wagons: Rating 8/10
This is the Orky version of artillery and it does that job very well, you can run this as a transport or a battle tank. Its dirt cheap and other than the "Don't press dat!" rule it’s a pretty good deal. Keep in mind when you’re using this vehicle as like many Orkish things it is a little random! To make this into a slayer of AV 14 you need the Boomgun upgrade. This thing is the business if you can keep it from scattering.

If points permit the Ard Top upgrade is a great option. If you give it the Boomgun you can’t transport models so any advantages of open topped is lost. It is fragile though, it is not a battle tank so much as a ramshackle vehicle that has the biggest gun the local Orks could find and strap to it, so don't go driving it at a Monolith because it will be destroyed.

Combinations
This section will detail what units work well with other units to bring down the AV 14. It must be made clear that all options listed above in the "effective units" section will work together; you don't even need to use that much imagination. Have a Looted Wagon in the back taking pot shots then have a Battlewagon with Warboss and Nobz running around taking out tanks head on. ALL of the options above were listed for a reason. They work together and have perfect or near perfect synergy. This section just lists some of the more effective combinations that are popular with many of the veterans!

Tankbustas + Battlewagon
Tankbustas hitch a ride with Battlewagon, which then drives them were they need to go. The Tankbustas can leap out combine there fire with the Battlewagon’s Rokkits then charge in for some Tankhammer goodness. Use the Battlewagon to protect the TB's and get them where they need to be.

Warboss + Nobz + Battlewagon
See Tankbustas + Battlewagon

KillaKans + Deff Dreads
Use the Killakan’s Rokkits or KMB to immobilize the vehicle, then drive the Deff Dreads at the vehicles to rip it to shreds.

Deffdreads + Warbuggies
It’s the same basic idea as KillaKans + Deff Dread, but easier to pull off as Warbuggies can get around for some indirect damage to the rear. Use the buggies to either immobilize enemy vehicles for the Deff Dreads to rip apart or outright destroy vehicles to clear a path for the Deff Dreads.

The Mindset
This section will detail the way to think and act when faced with a tough AV 14 vehicle. With many new Warboss's one of two things happen. Either they panic or despair and give up. You must do neither of these, if you have included a combination or even a single unit from above then you are well on your way to destroying the enemies AV 14.

Don't panic!

Firstly assess the threat then formulate a clear, concise and rational plan to assault the vehicle. We will call this plan A.

The second thing to do is assume plan A will fail. Formulate a second clear, concise and rational plan. We will call this plan B.

Now the key to forming this is “Don't let your over all goal be the destruction of this tank!”
Remember your Objectives and the Mission at hand. If your Mission is to seize 3 Objectives, then that is your priority. Do not loose sight of the bigger picture.  That is the second mistake newer players make regularly.

Do not make the plans needlessly complicated; you don't have to have a whiteboard full of tactical information and detailed movement. Just make sure you know how you are going to deal with it.

The Golden Rules
1. Don't panic!
2. Assess the threat.
3. Formulate Plan A
4. Formulate Plan B
5. Reassess after turn 1
6. Initiate Plan A, then plan B if it fails.

Example:
Your opponent deploys a Leman Russ Demolisher. Don't panic! Assess the threat! How is he going to play that unit? Ask the Imperial Guard player about its armament! You find out it has the Mighty Demolisher Cannon, a weapon capable of mass destruction of Ork and Marine alike. It also sports a hull Lascannon. He obviously bought that vehicle for its demolisher cannon so knowing the range we can determine that he will be driving that thing at us like a fiery comet from hell. Ask him about the tanks AV values. Knowing what we do now we can formulate Plan A!

Look at your army list and identify what you have that can lay that tank low. We discover that we have the foresight to bring Deffkoptas and some Tankbustas in a Battlewagon. Now to formulate Plan A! The Tankbustas will drive that Battlewagon head on towards the Demolisher firing all Rokkits at its Front Armor. This will be mostly ineffective but we will bring the Deff Koptas around in a wide arc. Using the Kopta’s multiple Twin-linked Rokkits we will hit it in the rear looking to score penetrating hits. Hopefully the demolisher will be too distracted by the TBs and BWs to notice the DKs flanking it! Keeping in mind we have a very good chance of the Rokkits scoring glancing hits and destroying the main weapon!

Now for plan B. What happens if the TBs and BW fail to do anything to stop that LRD from firing and let’s say the DKs get shot up by an Auto Cannon team. Now your plan A is going to fail on its arse. Plan B will be to drive that BW right up beside the LRD and fire every rokkit into the side armour and then charge into combat.

Title: Re: Ork Tactica: AV 14!
Post by: OldCrow on January 25, 2010, 02:58:27 AM
4.The Mighty Space Marine Land Raider
Your mighty green horde finds itself facing off against mankind’s greatest protectors, The Adeptus Astarte's! Leading them into battle is a mighty and venerated Land Raider! This behemoth is the pinnacle of human armored technology and presents a problem that most AV 14 vehicles do not posses! Mainly being a transport vehicle and most often used to carry an elite unit that is often times just as hard to remove as the Land Raider itself. Why this causes a problem is that often times the unit that just turned that holy relic into a smoldering wreak of twisted and burnt metal is left exposed to the contents of Land Raider. Often times it is much like removing a barbed hook, you may remove it but you are going to loose a chunk of your arm doing so. Keep in mind that once it’s removed, you often times have just removed 30 - 40% of your opponent’s total points. This section will endeavor to make removing that hook as painless as is Orkly possible.

As always follow the golden rules:

1. Don't panic!
2. Assess the threat.
3. Formulate Plan A
4. Formulate Plan B
5. Re assess after turn 1
6. Initiate Plan A, then plan B if it fails.

Don't Panic!

These vehicles are nothing special and as a player in the 40k universe you will need to get used to dealing with Land Raiders. These days, Land Raiders are as common as Rhinos. They are dangerous but that doesn't mean it will defeat you. They are a significant investment and many Marine players depend on them to win them the game, removing it from the game before it does too much damage or completes it mission will often times see you well on your way to winning the match.

Assess The Threat

1. Identify the type of Land Raider arrayed against you
2. Work out how much damage the Land Raider itself can do.
3. What unit is it carrying if any at all?
4. Compare 1 and 3 with the type of army he is using.
5. Compare 4 with the mission

Typical Land Raider Plans

Counter assault:
This configuration usually consists of a standard LR and will feature a unit such as Terminator Assault squads or Veterans of some description. It is common in gun line armies and will go after anything speeding towards its line. Late game it will go for either objectives or suicide on weak units for extra kill points.

Objective clearing:
This configuration usually consists of a Redeemer or Crusader and will feature something along the lines of Termies of both types or Sternguard. Good players will use Sternguard, bad players will use Assault Termies. The Marines will drive this tank forward at the head of an armored fist that can feature Predators, Razorbacks and can be backed up with drop podding Dreads.

Anchor Point:
This configuration will usually consist of a Standard LR and have Sternguard inside though standard Termies often feature. The typical play depends on whether the Marine is playing defensive or offensive, If offensive it will drive up and park about 18inch's from you army on a flank and deploy combi - melta/plasma Sternguard/termies who will shoot up any Boyz and Melta/Plasma any vehicles that come with 24 inches. Usually this means the other flank is going to be hit with Razorbacks and Rhinos. If he is playing defensively he will put it in the centre of his line and deploy the unit with it. This is usually part of a bait trap, watch for other tactical squads in rapid fire range of the unit as he will unload multiple rapid firing Tactical squads in the squad that took the bait.

Multi Purpose:
This configuration is nearly always a standard LR with a squad of Standard Termies. The Marines won't have a clear objective for it until the start of the game. This is the easiest Plan to defeat as the marine player will be using it as a reactionary unit.

Suicide:
This configuration is usually a Crusader or Redeemer packed with Assault Termies led by a Captain or Chapter Master (though more often is Vulcan/Marnius/Lysander) It will charge your lines with two objectives. First is to cause mass casualties amongst your Boyz and Vehicles. Second is to break up your advance and distract you from your objectives. This can be the hardest plan to deal with because usually at most you have two turns to set up the kill before its rampaging through your lines and being a general pain.

Formulate Plan A and B

The general plan here fairly simple; you need to identify the configuration from the above list. This is so you can predict its movement. Once you know the configuration and its predicted movement path you can then act rather than react. Knowing when and how it’s going to move allows you to set a trap for it.

The key to popping Land Raiders and then destroying its contents is using multiple units to remove the threat. For example using Tankbustas to pop the tank and then using Dreads and/or Kans to kill the contents.

What units you have in your list will really determine how you deal with the threat. Going into detail about the most effective methods is beyond the scope of this Tactica but a few general tips will always help.

What is the Landraider carrying? Sternguard? Assault Marines? Terminators? Assault Terminators?

If it’s Assault Terminators then deal with it via Dreads and/or Kans. If it’s Sternguard then Nobz and MANZ are effective as well. The contents of a Land Raider will affect how you handle it. Don't be afraid to loose units, sending a Tankbusta squad to blow up the Land Raider is an effective method just make sure they have support be it Nobz or Kans or Dreads. This is critical, you must support your tank popper, it is uncommon for a marine player to field only one vehicle and to loose your Tankbustas after the first vehicle can still cause you to loose the game.

Once you have a primary plan, make a back up plan. It doesn't have to be detailed just make sure if your initial plan fails you have an idea how to handle it. This can be something as simple as charging a squad of 30 boys at the Terminators to tie them up, your Boyz will have enough attacks to make them take saves. One attack is unlikely to cause damage but 30 Boys charging will kill a lot of Terminators.

The most difficult set up to handle is LR + Assault Termies lead by a HQ or special character. These Units are rock hard and will cause you grief. I find the best way to handle this is with Kans and Dreads. The Marines will endeavor to get this suicide unit into a flank or center of your army.
Lets say this Assault Termie squad has 3 LCs and 3 TH+SS, you pop the land raider and he charges your Kans or Dreads with the Termies, his Lightning Claws can't hurt your walkers so that means its your turn to strike. your opponent has a choice here, he can take the saves on the TH+SS so he gets a save but then he risks loosing them and risks his ability to strike back or he can take them on the LC and have them Insta Killed. Either way it works for you. Kans are cheap and they just royally messed up his plan by taking out half of his Assault Termie squad. You may not kill them all but you will be well on your way.

Reassess After Turn 1

You have a plan and a back up plan. What happens if the Marines don't use the Land Raider as you thought they would? What if he starts using that Land Raider as mobile pill box rather than a suicide unit? It means you need to change your tactics, if you had a trap set up and he either saw it or just did something totally random you need to modify your plan. While you will most likely still need to go after it, remember to stay focused on the mission. Blowing up the Land Raider whilst a moral victory, won’t win you the game if the marines control the objectives.

5.The Indestructible Necron Monolith

Your Greenskins stand ready against the C'tans silent slaves, the Necrons. In there midst of the phalanx is the towering Monolith. Its weapons radiate a sickly green aura that crackles with ethereal energy. This mighty symbol of the Necrons must be cast down! WAAAGH! The Necron Monolith has the special rule Living Metal and this is what makes it hard to take down. Often times Necron players will take multiple Monoliths, this can be both a good and a bad thing, having multiple templates will not be good for us Orks however the monoliths are extremely slow so getting to it shouldn't be a problem its the insane amount of weaponry shooting at you that will cause the problems.  One very important thing to note is the cost of monoliths.  The more monoliths he has on the table the less warriors he has, significantly less warriors.  If he has three monoliths he has next to no warriors.  Its a very important rule to remember.

As always follow the golden rules and you will bring these monstrosities down.

1. Don't panic!
2. Assess the threat.
3. formulate Plan A
4. Formulate Plan B
5. Re assess after turn 1
6. Initiate Plan A, then plan B if it fails

Don't Panic

Monoliths look scary and that’s about the extent of there power. The have a short range and there real strength lies in:

1. Teleporting Necrons around the table
2. Letting them reroll there 'We Will Be Back" rolls
3. it’s Deepstrike ability.

Many Necron players do not feature them at all, while some will have three. These things can in some ways be more difficult than Land Raiders because once the Necrons realize your gunning for it they will start teleporting units back to try and kill your Tank Popper. Its worth noting, totally ignoring these can be in some case's a better tactic than gunning for it. Phase Out is a terrible rule for the Necrons and smashing his 50 warriors with dreads and Nobz is a perfectly viable tactic.

Assess The Threat

1. How many Monoliths do the Necrons have?
2. How much damage is Lith/Liths going to do?
3. Compare 1 and 2 with the type of army he is using.
4. Compare 3 with the mission

These things can be difficult to predict and counter if only because they can Deepstrike. It’s really important to not panic verses Monoliths. They look really scary but there really not that over the top.

The very first thing you need to do is count the Liths. Unlike the Land raider, bringing these down will severely hamper the Necrons ability to win and the more the Necrons have the more important to the Necrons they are so in some cases focusing all your anti tank on bringing them down is sometimes wise.

Remember they are short range, if one is sitting on the other side of the board it cannot hurt you.

How is he deploying them? Is he Deepstriking them? Has he got them upfront blocking LoS? Has he got them mid field providing fire support?

Typical Monolith Deployment Configurations
NB: These apply whether the Monolith is Deepstriking or not.

1.Fire support
Often times he will move it down the midfield. This achieves two things; it blocks LOS to the phalanx behind it and can bring its weapons to bear on your greenskins. He can then use it to teleport his Warriors out of CC with your Orks to then Rapid Fire into your now freshly in the open mob.

2. Flank March
In this configuration he moves it down one flank. This can be deadly to a new Warboss because he will often march his phalanx down the other flank and then teleports it to the Monolith side. This cause's you to be on the wrong foot and can often leave your fire support elements unsupported when the warriors deploy in front of them.

3. Wall March
In this configuration he marches his Monolith down the centre like the Firesupport configuration except it doesn't stop midfield. It keeps advancing, teleporting warriors into the centre of you army. Usually against Orks this would be suicide, except he wont charge your units. He will Rapid Fire into your mobs decimating them.

4. Pillbox
In this configuration the Necrons will deploy a gunline army with the Monolith on either one side or dead centre. He is mostly depending on it for firesupport to help cripple your rapidly advancing horde. This Configuration usually gives him the most time to shoot your army. Keep in mind if he deploys it to one side he is baiting you. He wants you to attack the otherside so that he can then teleport his army out of there and form a second gunline. He is depending on your fear of the Monolith, show him what Orks think of fear and charge the Monolith side.

Formulate Plan A and B

The general plan here fairly simple, you need to identify the configuration from the above list. This is so you can predict its movement. Once you know the configuration and its predicted movement path you can then act rather than react. Knowing when and how it’s going to move allows you to set a trap for it.

This can be much harder for the Monolith because it can Deepstrike. The key here is to watch how the phalanx moves, it will give away how the Monolith will deploy. Pay close attention, watch where his main body is moving, ignore where the Wraiths, Scarabs and Destroyers are moving, they move with Jetbike rules so they will often move to cloud his plan, what you are watching for are Warriors and Immortals. For example if he has his phalanx moving down one side he will deepstrike it on the opposite side. It is critical you ignore things like wraiths, scarabs and destroyers as these move with jet bike rules and can move to the other side on there own with out teleporting. I will say it again for emphasis, watch for the Warriors and Immortals they will give away how he is going to use the Monoliths.

When hitting the Monoliths our only real option is CC, any ranged option we have is negated by the Living Metal rule, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't shoot at it. You can still immobilize it and still lower the strength of the main gun, something your Boyz will appreciate. Just be aware you won’t remove it from the table via shooting. Because of this our effective mobs list got a whole lot smaller.

Warboss, Tankbustas, Deffdreds, Killa Kans and Power Klaw armed Nobz on the charge. These are the only units capable of removing it. The best of the best in our army for popping AV 14. If any of these guys get into combat with the Monoliths, they will remove it from the table.

Any plan of yours must focus on getting at least one of those above into combat with the Monoliths, anything else is second consideration. Watch for Scarabs, Wraiths and Destroyers moving to intercept them. They will attempt to tie them up in combat; support your Boyz and Walkers and they will bring them down. Do not let the Tank Poppers get locked into combat with something like Wraiths for 4 turns.

Reassess After Turn 1

You have a plan and a back up plan. What happens if the Necrons don't use the Monolith as you thought they would? What if he starts using that Monolith as mobile pill box rather than a Flank march? It means you need to change your tactics, if you had a trap set up and he either saw it or just did something totally random you need to modify your plan. While you will most likely still need to go after it, remember to stay focused on the mission. Blowing up the Monolith whilst a moral victory, won’t win you the game if the Necrons control the objectives.

Discussion thread available here: http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=195698.msg2401797#msg2401797 (http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=195698.msg2401797#msg2401797)
Title: Re: Ork Tactica: AV 14!
Post by: JimmyHatfield on February 14, 2010, 07:29:16 PM
here's part2.  Also I should mention that you should put 2 spaces in front of new sentences.  This better denotes the shift to a new sentence, it helps when skimming a text.  Since you're consistent with 1 space though, you should probably just keep that.

3. Tactics, Combinations and the Mindset
This section will deal with the methods and mindset required to destroy AV 14. It will also dispel any myths that suggest that this is difficult or an Achilles heel for Orks of the 41st millennium. This section will by its very nature touch on the subjects of building a viable, strong and competitive list. This is not to be mistaken as tailoring which is something that in a general sense the community looks down upon and is viewed by some as very unsportsman like and quite the domain of the incompetent general. This section while focused on AV 14 will have to touch on previously said subjects.

****unsportsmanlike is 1 word.....one really really really long word.  get rid of 'have to in the last sentence. its not needed, maybe change to also.****

Tactics

This section will detail how to fight AV 14 vehicles. This will explain the basic tactics and how you can apply it to your army. This will also explain some basic methods that will help the budding warboss effectively fight, counter and defeat the AV 14 arrayed against him.

****uppercase WarBoss because you're talking about the human person(pronoun)****

Firstly lets look at some of the facts about Orks have in general and against AV 14 vehicles.

1. Speed
We are one of the fastest armies on the table and if done right, can easily match Eldar or their darker kin with ease.

2. Open topped vehicles
Some people think this a disadvantage, hardly, this fact, mixed with points 1 and 3 means we can argue that we are not only the fastest but also the most maneuverable army in the Warhammer universe, something the arrogant Eldar have taken for granted for too long.

3. Close Combat monsters
Our greatest most reliable methods for popping AV 14 tin cans is in close combat.

****but orks have no monsters.  I'd change this to Close Combat Masters.  We have no monstrous creatures****

4. Sheer numbers
Orks don’t do small things, they do them in mass amounts both in shooting and assaulting. When they do something they do it en masse.

5. Bad BS
Orks cant shoot straight, its a fact of orky life. They can’t hit the broadside of a barn, while inside the barn 5 feet from the wall.

Looking at these five points we can with certainty say we have found the ideal way for us to handle AV 14. By using our speed, our open topped vehicles and close combat prowess and taking into account that Ork’s primary damage method isn't shooting we can discern our main methods for us to deal with AV 14.

With our main method of attack finalized we can now begin formulating a plan to destroy our enemies.

Effective Units

This section will deal with the actual methods, mobs and combinations designed to bring down AV 14. What any Warboss must remember and this is critical, you must always remember indirect damage. The vast majority of enemy tanks in this game do not have AV 14 all the way around and this is where we will have most success. I will repeat this for the sake of emphasis. You must remember indirect damage. Why shoot at AV 14 when you can hit AV 13 or AV 12? This will increase your total number of penetrating hits and therefore increase your chance to destroy the enemy vehicle.

When taking on an AV 14 vehicle you must use our strengths and turn them in advantages while minimizing our weakness so as not to turn into a disadvantage. Use your speed to get around behind the enemy tank, use your open topped transports to shoot then assault the enemy. Use multiple units to bring down the tank. That being said here is a list of the most effective units and combinations and the tactics and strategies behind them that make them effective. Please note that all listings here are in reference to AV 14 not to general table top performance and any advice given here is in relation to solely hunting AV 14 and again not for general table top performance.

Warboss: Rating 10/10
This bad arse is a long time favorite of Ork players everywhere, capable of mass destruction of vehicles. He can have multiple strength 10 attacks when geared right. While his tank busting ability is unrivaled it is his ability to kill what that AV 14 was carrying that makes him the stand out performer. The Warboss can kill the tank and then take the charge of the enemy combatants if they survive the explosion. He is arguably our best tank buster and this is only enhanced when combined with Nobz.

His best loadout is either in a Trukk/battlewagon or on a bike. Footslogging Warboss's tend to get killed. He should have a Power Klaw and Attack Squig, those upgrades are mandatory. Eavy Armor and Cybork should also be considered mandatory.

*****include a sentence as to why these are mandatory.  For instance why should he have both heavy armor and cybork??****

Nobz: Rating 8/10
Nobz are similar to Warboss's but after the initial charge they lack the punch for direct damage. Their best used to back up the Warboss from counter charging and to help with achieving penetrating hits during the charge.

Their best loadout is what ever the Warboss is riding in, so if your Warboss is on a bike put these guys on a bike as well. Don't go overboard with Power Klaws as they are expensive, they have a very high customization and can be set up to abuse the wound allocation rule which can be extremely beneficial to say the least. Always take a Painboy for Feel No Pain. 5 - 7 Nobz is plenty in a squad.

If you’re taking Meganobz your options are extremely limited, I would advise against Kombi-Rokkits as the chance of actually hitting with them is quite low. Also you must mount them in a Trukk or Battlewagon as on foot they are way to slow to achieve anything.

Tankbustas: Rating 10/10
These guys are absolutely fantastic! Tank hammers, Bomb Squigs and Rokkits as standard! The one thing I really need and want to talk about is the Glory Hogs rule. The prevailing thought is that this make TB's bad or unviable. Let me set things straight, the Glory Hog rule is there to stop you the Warboss, from getting distracted and sending them off after other targets that are not what they are designed for. What about Monstrous Creatures you ask? That’s the domain of Lootas. The job of Tankbustas is simple, busting tanks. Yes sometimes when they’re out of range it would be better if they could shoot that monstrous creature or charge that retarded imperial guardsman squad but these things really only apply to footslogging TB's. If you mount them on a Trukk or Battlewagon and support them with other units you won’t notice the Glory Hog rule. Many people reading this will disagree about the Glory Hog rule, that’s fine, it’s your hobby too and you can make heads or tails of it. I just don't think Glory Hogs is that bad of a rule and really doesn't mean squat if your using them properly anyways.

****unviable is not a word, use nonviable.  should read...Glory Hog rule is there to stop you, the Warboss, from...(add comma)****

Use the Rokkit attacks to fire before you charge, this will achieve two things one you might rip off weapons and immobilize the vehicle, then charge in for the kill. If the unthinkable happens and the dice gods have cursed you and your melee attacks fail to kill the tank then you still have caused a lot of damage.

The load out for this squad is easy; give them all the Tank Hammers you can take and give the Nob a Power Klaw. Bomb Squigs are awesome and super fantastic but are not mandatory, especially if you have your Tankbustas mounted in a Trukk or Battlewagon. I personally would think twice about taking Bomb Squigs if I'm mounting them (which you should), that’s not to say don't take them, just the rules with Bomb Squigs means it can backfire bad if they are mounted. If you have foot slogging Tankbustas I would be of the mind to take Bomb Squigs.

Killa Kans: Rating 9/10
Cheap and plentiful, these guys are fantastic at popping AV 14, they also have the benefit of being able to handle most things that can counter charge from an exploded transport. They have a higher BS than Orks so there ranged attack is very reliable compared to normal Orks. They are generally considered ranged units but make no mistake; they are awesome in a melee too just not as good as Deff Dreads which isn't really anything to be ashamed of.

Give them Rokkits, their higher BS will make sure more of them hit and if you get lucky you can immobilize the tank allowing the Kans to close and unleash direct damage to pop the AV 14.

Deff Dreads: Ratings 9/10
Similar to the Killa Kans, the Deff Dread is the larger brother of the Kans. They have more attacks and higher armor but can be quite a bit more expensive. They can better handle the contents of the AV 14 vehicle because of these factors. There ranged attacks while higher in number are hampered by the Orks BS and this severely limits its hunting ability.

Give it either two Rokkits or two extra DCCW's, the Rokkits are cheap but Orky BS means they probably wont hit while the extra DCCW's loadout is far more effective but far more expensive. They will destroy any tank they get close to which can be worth it. The problem is with getting the tank close. Things like Eldar Grav Tanks can and will kite them. They do need to be supported by other mobs to stop and slow the fast enemy vehicles if they are armed with DCCW's.

Warbuggies: Rating 10/10
These are great vehicles for the speed freaks, packing potent weaponry into a fragile, fast and cheap chassis. Use them to get around behind the enemy and do some major indirect damage, they are often ignored by less experienced opponents.

Give them Twinlinked Rokkits! The Trakk and Grot Riggers upgrades are nice if you have the points for it but are not mandatory in the least. Use these vehicles to get behind enemy vehicles for some great indirect damage. These things are so cheap that they can be a throw away unit in games where Killpoints don't matter. They are so fast and maneuverable that you can put them anywhere you need too. It’s hard for these guys not to swing the battle in your favor if you use them with even a slight bit of intelligence.

Battlewagons: Rating 9/10
These things can carry a full compliment of Tankbusta's or Nobz into the heart of the enemy and it sports armor tough enough to see it through. It can have a score of upgrades to make it into any type of vehicle and is easily our best. It starts off cheap as chips and though you can upgrade it up the waaaghzoo this gets steadily more expensive as you do.

You have a few options with this vehicle, the BW starts off pretty cheap for what you get but upgrades really start to add to the cost. A few things that apply to all types of BW, if you receive a weapon destroyed result on the damage table and you have no weapons to remove it is treated as an immobilized result, it is in your best interest to add a few weapons to this beast. If points are tight, I would add two Big Shootas. It’s cheap and forces the enemy to get 3 weapon destroyed results before it becomes Immobilized.

One of the options for this bad boy is to make it into an armored assault carrier, give it two to three Rokkits and a Boarding Plank at a bare minimum. I would also give it Grot Riggers and Armor Plates, this will make it a little point heavy but it will be a hard beast to stop. With this option you can give it as a transport to either your Tankbusta's or your Nobz and it will make a fine transport for them.

****not sure what youre going for here, do you mean an anti-armor BW?****

Option two is to make it into a battle tank. To do this, give it a KillKannon and an Ard Top. Doing this gives you a rock hard tank that can mix it up with the best of them and it still has a transport capacity though you do loose the open topped bonus. I have purposely not included extra weapons on this beast for one reason. The Killkannon is the only weapon capable of direct damage and your first weapon destroyed result will be the Killkannon, meaning that it becomes fairly rubbish after that. If you want a proper tank/artillery piece I would suggest the Looted Wagon as it much cheaper and has a better gun.

Also the topic of the Deffrolla is the subject of numerous debates and threads on this board and across many many others. This guide does not want to set off one of those debates. I have read the Ork FAQ and the Ork Codex. The FAQ doesn't mention it and the codex says at least RAW wise that it cannot hit vehicles.  Therefor I do not include it as a viable upgrade for dealing with AV 14. If you have a house rule or something similar that lets you use it to damage vehicles, then it is more than viable it is a mandatory upgrade for fighting AV 14!

Looted Wagons: Rating 8/10
This is the Orky version of artillery and it does that job very well, you can run this as a transport or a battle tank. Its dirt cheap and other than the "Don't press dat!" rule it’s a pretty good deal. Keep in mind when you’re using this vehicle as like many Orkish things it is a little random! To make this into a slayer of AV 14 you need the Boomgun upgrade. This thing is the business if you can keep it from scattering.

If points permit the Ard Top upgrade is a great option. If you give it the Boomgun you can’t transport models so any advantages of open topped is lost. It is fragile though, it is not a battle tank so much as a ramshackle vehicle that has the biggest gun the local Orks could find and strap to it, so don't go driving it at a Monolith because it will be destroyed.

Combinations
This section will detail what units work well with other units to bring down the AV 14. It must be made clear that all options listed above in the "effective units" section will work together; you don't even need to use that much imagination. Have a Looted Wagon in the back taking pot shots then have a Battlewagon with Warboss and Nobz running around taking out tanks head on. ALL of the options above were listed for a reason. They work together and have perfect or near perfect synergy. This section just lists some of the more effective combinations that are popular with many of the veterans!

Tankbustas + Battlewagon
Tankbustas hitch a ride with Battlewagon, which then drives them were they need to go. The Tankbustas can leap out combine there fire with the Battlewagon’s Rokkits then charge in for some Tankhammer goodness. Use the Battlewagon to protect the TB's and get them where they need to be.

Warboss + Nobz + Battlewagon
See Tankbustas + Battlewagon

KillaKans + Deff Dreads
Use the Killakan’s Rokkits or KMB to immobilize the vehicle, then drive the Deff Dreads at the vehicles to rip it to shreds.

Deffdreads + Warbuggies
It’s the same basic idea as KillaKans + Deff Dread, but easier to pull off as Warbuggies can get around for some indirect damage to the rear. Use the buggies to either immobilize enemy vehicles for the Deff Dreads to rip apart or outright destroy vehicles to clear a path for the Deff Dreads.

The Mindset
This section will detail the way to think and act when faced with a tough AV 14 vehicle. With many new Warboss's one of two things happen. Either they panic or despair and give up. You must do neither of these, if you have included a combination or even a single unit from above then you are well on your way to destroying the enemies AV 14.

Don't panic!

Firstly assess the threat then formulate a clear, concise and rational plan to assault the vehicle. We will call this plan A.

The second thing to do is assume plan A will fail. Formulate a second clear, concise and rational plan. We will call this plan B.

Now the key to forming this is “Don't let your over all goal be the destruction of this tank!”
Remember your Objectives and the Mission at hand. If your Mission is to seize 3 Objectives, then that is your priority. Do not loose sight of the bigger picture.  That is the second mistake newer players make regularly.

Do not make the plans needlessly complicated; you don't have to have a whiteboard full of tactical information and detailed movement. Just make sure you know how you are going to deal with it.

The Golden Rules
1. Don't panic!
2. Assess the threat.
3. Formulate Plan A
4. Formulate Plan B
5. Reassess after turn 1
6. Initiate Plan A, then plan B if it fails.

Example:
Your opponent deploys a Leman Russ Demolisher. Don't panic! Assess the threat! How is he going to play that unit? Ask the Imperial Guard player about its armament! You find out it has the Mighty Demolisher Cannon, a weapon capable of mass destruction of Ork and Marine alike. It also sports a hull Lascannon. He obviously bought that vehicle for its demolisher cannon so knowing the range we can determine that he will be driving that thing at us like a fiery comet from hell. Ask him about the tanks AV values. Knowing what we do now we can formulate Plan A!

Look at your army list and identify what you have that can lay that tank low. We discover that we have the foresight to bring Deffkoptas and some Tankbustas in a Battlewagon. Now to formulate Plan A! The Tankbustas will drive that Battlewagon head on towards the Demolisher firing all Rokkits at its Front Armor. This will be mostly ineffective but we will bring the Deff Koptas around in a wide arc. Using the Kopta’s multiple Twin-linked Rokkits we will hit it in the rear looking to score penetrating hits. Hopefully the demolisher will be too distracted by the TBs and BWs to notice the DKs flanking it! Keeping in mind we have a very good chance of the Rokkits scoring glancing hits and destroying the main weapon!

Now for plan B. What happens if the TBs and BW fail to do anything to stop that LRD from firing and let’s say the DKs get shot up by an Auto Cannon team. Now your plan A is going to fail on its arse. Plan B will be to drive that BW right up beside the LRD and fire every rokkit into the side armour and then charge into combat.

Title: Burna Boy Tactica
Post by: SKEETERGOD on December 8, 2010, 09:03:02 AM
The Burna Boy Tactica (updated for sixth edition)

Many people feel that there are so many better choices in the ork codex that the lowly burna boy is often ignored. Well I am here to tell you that the burna boys are one of the best choices the orks have for their elite slots. With the profile of a regular ork, they are the closest thing we have to being a super unit.

Now of course this unit must be correctly used, putting it in the wrong place and they will do nothing all game, pitting them against the wrong opponent will simply get them wiped out, but having them in the right place against the right enemy units will be game winning. So hopefully this article will help all you aspiring war bosses to better equip your army.

First, let us discuss size, as in most things ork, the bigger the better, and the more the merrier. Unfortunately, for us, GW sells them in packs of five. Actually, there are only four burnas and mek, so if you want a pure burna squad you will have to buy four packs, which will leave you one extra, of course you can just use this last one for your commando squad. Nevertheless, you will need at least five, as this is the minimum size squad you can take. The best is a squad of 10 as it makes math easier, but for ludicrous results, you should take a squad of 15. I personally run a squad of 15 of which 3 are meks with KMB.

The flamer template causes a wound on any model it touches; this is good as ork shooting is poor, so causing automatic hits is a good thing for orks. Since you are allowed to move the template around to optimize wounds you can usually get multiple hits that turn into multiple wounds. A single burna can usually cause multiple wounds that usually results in a fatality of at least one enemy. The less the armor save the better the chances of killing more, and since the AP for the burna is 5 when fighting eldar, IG, nids, and other orks the burna will certainly kill as many as it hits. Now if your squad has more flamer templates, then you will certainly kill even more. Thus the more the merrier!

There are many uses for burna boys; the obvious one is the flaming of massed troops. Move into a semi circle around a large squad of IG or nids and lay out as many templates as there are burna boys and wipe out the squad. Of course, this means that you maneuvered them well, and got to within burning distance without being shot to pieces.

They are a great defensive unit, as the prospect of assaulting them is grim, with the wall of death rule (page 52 of the rule book for wall of death) it is almost suicidal to assault burna boys. But to leave them standing around waiting for someone to come close enough is a waste of points and not really very orky. That is why you want your burna boys up front of the fight, where they will have the chance to do the most damage.

The solution to this is to mount them, put them in a looted vehicle or Battle wagon. My preferred vehicle is the Battle Wagon, as it has a higher transport capacity as well as better armor, and the ability to take some nice additional kit.

Of course, you can buy a truck for your boys or nobs and then make them walk so the burnas can ride, but this requires some careful maneuvering and set up, not to mention your nobs will be mad at you for taking away their truck. So just buy a looted vehicle, for about the same cost as a truck, or go full in and buy the battle wagon, and you do not have to worry about the transport problem.

When mounted in a vehicle the templates stack. According to the rules, (page 82 of the rule book) all models in an open top vehicle can fire measuring from the hull. This means that you can place the template from any point in the hull; and this allows you to maximize the amount of hits. Again according to the rules (page 52 of the rule book) it says to resolve the shots one at a time. Well now, here comes the beauty of the mounted burnas; instead of laying the template down once for each burna boy you simply lay it down once and you then multiply those hits by the number of burna boys.

For example, if your vehicle has 12 burna boys in it, and it drives up next to an enemy unit and lays out the template that covers 5 marines, now multiply that by 12. That is 60 hits, which should average 30 wounds, which should average 10 casualties. That's one dead tactical squad, and if it is a larger squad of other types of enemy then you will get better results. For example if you can cover 13 termagaunts that's 154 hits that will result in 110 wounds, this in turn will cause one wiped out squad of nids.

The next use of the burn boys is to clean out bastions. According to the rules (page 94 of the rule book) if a template covers a firing port the contents of the building take D6 hits. Simply drive your battle wagon of burna boys up to the door and let loose. So again the templates stack and cause 12D6 hits which is usually enough to dramatically thin out the defenders, against lightly armored enemy, such as IG and daemons, you will clean out the bastion so that another of your units can just walk in and claim the building for themselves.

When firing into ruins or battlements (page 101 of the rule book) you can clean off a level of the building. Now the tricky part is that you can only clean off the level you aim at, so make sure to aim for the level with the most enemy models. Sometimes though you may want to choose the lesser models, especially if they are heavy weapons teams. If you have six members of a  long fang squad on the top level and a unit of ten grey hunters on the lower level, you might want to burn out the long fangs as their shooting is more of a threat. Then rely on the wall of death to thin out the grey hunters when they assault.

Yet another use for them is the power weapon spam. If you do not shoot with them before getting into an assault you can use the burna as a power weapon in combat (see page 61 of the rule book the "Unusual Power Weapons" entry, and page 45 of the Ork codex). Against most things, this will wipe them out, the burna boys get three attacks on the charge, this is more than enough to cause massive casualties to the enemy.
    Unfortunately, as their initiative is low you will lose some before they strike so you will not get the full amount of your potential impact. So against a squad of regular marines you will lose about half your squad, but the good news is that the half that remains will kill enough to win the combat if not outright kill off all the enemy unit.

Now you can make them almost immortal. Keeping them in the battle wagon will keep them safe from shooting casualties. If/when the battle wagon gets assaulted you can "Wall of Death" overwatch fire them, causing an automatic D3 hits per template before the enemy even moves (see page 21 to see that overwatch happens before rolling the charge). Most times this will prevent the charge as all the enemy models that were close enough are dead. In the event that it doesn't kill enough to prevent the charge,  then it will have thinned out the enemy enough so that there is not enough attacks to destroy the battle wagon.

About the meks. You have the option to make up to three of them as meks with kustom mega blasters (KMB). The mek weapon is basically a plasma gun, and of course, it gets hot, and when it does it kill that mek. The advantage is that they have longer range than the burnas and can kill most things armored when they hit. They are good for fixing your vehicle that you are in too. Say your wagon gets immobilized; you now have three chances to fix it. The KMB has a chance to insta-kill most thing toughness 4 like space marine heroes, and nid warriors. Of course, you have to hit, which is why you take three. On an average shooting phase, one will hit and wound, and the AP is low enough that unless the victim has an invulnerable save they will die. In addition, the meks are good for taking as casualties in combat, assign them wounds first. This will leave more power weapon attacks for later.

My favorite way to use them is in a battlewagon with a death roller. This allows the unit to ram vehicles, or to slow down for a drive by flaming. Not to mention the better armor of the battle wagon will help keep the burna boys alive longer. As once you have flamed a unit out of existence a time or two, this squad will become a higher target priority for your opponent. Now if you want to have the battle wagon shooting just add on as many big shootas as you can afford. Once the battle wagon has moved it can still shoot all of its weapons, just as snap shots instead of the regular ballistic skill (page 71 of the rule book). That is still a lot of shots and will cause damage eventually. There are some who also argue for taking maximum rockit launchas, if you have the points to spend, go for it. The battle wagon can shoot at a different target than the burna boys, and thus makes your unit very shooty.

The last thing, but not least, is to add a big mek with a kustom force field (KFF) and a boss pole to this unit. The burna boys do not have the option for a boss pole so the big mek can fill this role nicely. The built in cover save will also allow your battle wagon to live longer, and thus the burna boys live longer to kill more of your enemy. Then if the battle wagon gets destroyed, you still have the ability to re-roll any failed leadership, smacking the lesser meks of course. Another bonus is that the big mek can take a burna as well as his KFF, adding another template to the stack.

While this article is not the end all of the burna boys, I hope it has given you some good ideas and has encouraged you to get your own squad so you can go out and make your enemies do the burny dance.
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Title: Re: Ork Boot Kamp (articles, army lists and batrep links)
Post by: SKEETERGOD on March 10, 2011, 10:50:14 AM
The Green Baron Updated for 6th Edition Rules

The Green Baron is the only unit in the entire ork list that works as an individual. There is the Green Torpedo, but he is a lot more expensive points wise, and uses up a HQ slot. But this is not about the green torpedo, this is about the Green Baron.

Photos courtesy of angel of death 007(click on picture for larger view)
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So what is a Green Baron?
Simple, he is a single death copta with rockits and buzz saw. A choice on the fast attack in your force org chart. His mission is to kill enemy armor, and harass enemy heavy support. This is a job he does very well; the twin link rockits can punch most armor, and in assault the saw counts as a power klaw. Being a jet bike he can ignore terrain, going over it instead of around it, and if he does choose to enter terrain he has a decent enough save that he won't die every time he does fail a terrain test.


How to use the Green Baron.
There are two main methods for using the Baron:
#1: Start him on the board and during the scout move part of set up, move towards the enemy. This tactic is called the alpha strike. If you have first turn this is a very viable tactic. On the start of your turn move full move towards the enemy and then during the shooting phase make the turbo boost move to get deep into enemy territory and behind your opponents heavy support.
    The turbo move gives the baron a 3+ cover save, that will protect him from most enemy shooting, and gets him well within strike range to do his damage.
    Then on turn two, shooting a tank, and if you don't kill it then assault it. Since in assault you are striking against rear armor, his buzz saw can usually cut through it killing the tank.
    If you lose the initiative, then your Baron will be right out front and an easy target. He will most likely be killed and will have done his job by drawing fire away from the rest of the army.
    If you are going second, don't count on getting the initiative, and so go with method number two.

#2: The other method is to start him in reserve, with his outflanking ability you can come in along either side, so decide where it is best to come in, pray for the correct dice roll, then come in behind your enemy and kill his heavy support.
  With this you stand a 1 in 3 chance of coming in from the wrong side of the board, but with his turbo move he can be in position to do his work soon enough.
  Since on the turn you come in you cannot assault, just be able to angle his line of sight so he gets a rear facing for his rockit to hit. Of course there is a chance the dice hate you, and the Baron won't come in until the fourth turn, in which case he is there for vengence, and not fire diversion.

Either way the Baron is not killing stuff until turn two at the earliest and turn four at the latest. That is if he doesn't get killed right off the bat.

On occasion, I have sacrificed him by charging a devastator/long fang squad so that they couldn't shoot at my Battle Wagon, and of course he died, but it moved the devastators (with their required pile in move) to the other side of the building so they did not have line of sight to my BW. Of course, this situation does not come up often but it was worth a mention.
     With the 6th ed rules he now has a permanent toughness of five, so he is harder to wound in combat, so the combat will last longer. Just try to not get into a fight with a squad that has power weapons as the Baron does not have an invulnerable save.

I am a great fan of the Green Baron, for what he does it is a great investment in points. If you are facing an opponent who has never faced the baron before you are going to show him how devastating the baron is. He will kill many tanks and transports if left unmolested. Once he has ravaged an enemy, he usually becomes a top priority target.

It all boils down to this: The baron either is devastating to the enemy, or dies quick.

On the occasions where he does not do well, is when opposing players who have suffered the ravages of the baron, target him relentlessly on the first turn until he is dead. This is also good, as a lot of fire has gone into the baron and not into my trucks allowing me to speed across the board and get stuck in unscathed.

The one thing you want to avoid is charging the baron into combat with infantry. He is not a CC expert, as a matter of fact he is not even good at it. Charging into infantry will only get the baron killed. Unless you are sacrificing him to make the enemy move away from your forces, or making them use their pile in to draw them off an objective, or out of cover, then use your move to stay far enough away to avoid combat.

Of course he is an ork, and if there is a weakened infantry unit that doesn't have a power fist or thunder hammer in it, you can assault those to try to get the victory point. It is always good to kick-em when their down, so rather than let that last lone trooper contest an objective, go ahead and use the baron to take him out.

Another caveat to add; is never charge a dreadnought. Even though they are technically a vehicle, they will strike first and kill your Baron every time. Use the Baron to get behind them and shoot them in the rear armor, just stay out of combat with them.

In conclusion, it is my (not so) humble opinion that the Green Baron is the best anti tank unit the orks have. He is cheap compared to other anti armor the orks have, and is fast. Not to mention that he will be a top target priority to your opponent once you have used the Green Baron for Effect.
 
Title: Re: Ork Boot Kamp (articles, army lists and batrep links)
Post by: Azonalanthious on March 12, 2011, 01:16:46 PM
Sos, you fink you wanna play some dedd 'ard, dedd killie Nobz?  Well good fer you!  You kame to da propa place fer it.

Ok, to be serious and to preserve my brain (I'm not too good at talking Ork, I'm ashamed to admit), time to drop the accent.  It feels like I've been rambling about Nobz in a fair number of posts recent and I figured, time to give something back, hey?  So here I'm going to take a look at our beloved Nobz.  I'm not going to tell you HOW to use Nobz.  You're the Warboss, that's YOUR job.  But I want folks to have a clear understand of what their strengths and weakness are and WHY they might want to use them, so they can make good choices on that how.  So 'ere we go!


General

Rule 1: The best upgrade to Boyz is more Boyz. 
What does that have to do with Nobz, you ask?  Well, it doesn't directly.  But I think its worth pointing out that if you spend an equal number of points on Boyz and Nobz (and they are all still alive, which is where rule 2 comes in), against almost every possible foe, the Boyz will both do more damage to anything they can wound and will be able to take more damage before losing the unit.  So keep that in mind.

Rule 2: Nobz is ded 'ard. 
Now, by this, I don't mean they can be hard to kill, though they can be.  But what I really want to highlight is they way Nobz hold onto their offense power.  Let's start with a very simple example: 10 Nobz with no extra gear at all vs 20 Slugga Boyz.  Same number of wounds, same toughness, same armor save (though the Boyz are cheaper, which is where Rule 1 comes in).  Each unit takes, lets say, 3 unsaved wounds.  The Boyz have now lost 3 Boyz, which is 15% of their offensive power.  The Nobz, however, have lost only 1 Nob, or 10% of their power. 

This will be true any time the units have taken an odd number of wounds -- the Nobz will be in better shape in assaults then the Boyz.  Then we start adding the many fine Nob upgrades and start wound allocating and we can have a unit that can take enough damage to easily kill an entire squad of 30 boyz or more... and between Feel No Pain, better saves, and Wound Allocation, can STILL BE AT 100% of its starting offensive ability.  Make no mistake; it is this ability right here that makes Nob units such a useful and powerful addition to an Ork army.

Rule 3: Wound Allocation.
Mhh, smell the cheese.  Honestly, I used to be very against these type of tactics and they still aren't the type of thing I would take to a for fun game over at a friend's house.  But as other armies have gained similar abilities (take Thunder Wolf Cavalry for a shining example) I feel far less bad about using such tactics then I once did.   

For those not familiar with the concept, they way Wound Allocation works is to make sure each model has different Wargear.  This allows you to assign and roll each wound individually.  This in turn means with a little care and just small amount of luck, every Nob in the squad can take 1 wound before any of them has to take a second and be removed -- up to 10 wounds total in a full sized squad.  This works hand in hand with Rule 2 to make the Nobz the nasty unit we know and love.


Wargear

Offensive

Power Klaw:
Ahh, the beloved power klaw.  The signature nasty ork close combat weapon.  The ability to bypass armor and double (+1 on the charge) Strength are great and these weapons are a vital part of any Ork army.  Any Nob squad should probably have one.  That isn't in question.  But as nice as these are, how MANY Pk’s to take is a question.  Because they are:

a) expensive, and
b) slow

On paper each Power Klaw adds a significant increase in the total killyness of your Nobz.  In the 'real' (made-up real?) world, each one weakens the rest of your army as you pile more points into a single unit and increase the odds of the Nob being killed before he can use the Pk.  So it’s important to find a balance on just how many to take. 

The rule of thumb I've found to be useful is 1 Power Klaw per 3 nobz, rounding down.  So a 5 man squad would have 1, a full 10 man squad would have 3, and say a 7 man squad would have 2.  I find this to be a good balance between keeping the squad at a reasonable point level, keeping enough buffer models to keep your Pk’s safe, and still being very killy for the size.  If you want a higher ratio of Klaws then this, I suggest taking a serious look at Meganobz instead, which give you not just a Klaw but a 2+ armor save and a Twin-Linked Shoota for 5 points less then a regular Pk Nob (even if he has no other upgrades!).

Big Choppa:
The Power Klaw's underestimated little brother.  These things are cheap, so it’s easy to take a lot of them.  And against a fairly standard toughness 4 foe, they will increase your number of wounds per hit by 25% on the charge or 67% when not charging.  That’s huge!  They also make nobz more serious threat to just about any MC or vehicle. 

While I wouldn't call them required, I would never call points spent on Big Choppa's wasted and they are always worth serious consideration.  These bad boyz are really nifty weapons for hunting dreadnoughts, non-AV 14 all around armor, and for inflicting a lot of wounds at initiative to power through the saves of things like terminators.

Stikkbombs:
You know, this is one of the tiny handful of units in the entire codex I might take these Stickbombs with.  Ork initative is low enough that it’s rarely worth the bother - you'll go last one way or another.  But nobz are I4 on the charge.  That’s enough to tie many units and beat some, so all of a sudden getting that quick blow in when charging into cover becomes useful.  This wouldn't be a first pick upgrade to a Nob squad for me, but when you reach the 'I've got 10 points left before the point limit, what do I spend them on' point, these are certainly worth a look.

The Guns (in general):
This is true for all 3 of the gun upgrades below -- these upgrades are generally best taken along side Big Choppas or Power Klaws.  This is because they will cost a slugga/choppa Nob a close combat attack.  There are perfectly valid reasons to put them on a Slugga/Choppa Nob anyways (notably wound allocation) but it’s certainly worth mentioning that they are a better value on the Big Choppa/Power Klaw models.

Twin-Linked Shoota:
I don't, personally, like this upgrade.  Trying to look at it objectively, it doubles the Nobz's number of shots, adds 6" to his range, and makes his shooting 67% more accurate.  You gotta call it a reasonable value for its low cost.  But your Nobz should be trying to get into hand to hand!  You wanna sit back and shoot things, take Flash Gitz.  I gotta call this an ok upgrade, but I really don't wanna.

Kombi-Skorcha:
Now here’s a gun I'm ok with.  The Shoota portion doesn't really matter, but a one shot heavy flamer is very nice.  You often don’t need to fire a flamer weapon more then once per game anyways, so the single shot is fine, and its up close and personal, right were a Nob should be.  The potential damage it can do given its low cost makes it a great choice.  The one caution I would have on it is that it can inflict enough casualties that a unit can go from being in assault range to being out of assault range.  For this reason, I think (unlike most other Nob upgrades) that it actually becomes a better choice the smaller your unit is, rather then the other way around.  Regardless it’s a solid option at any unit size.

Kombi-rokkit:
I gotta call it the worst of all the Nob gun options (even though I'd personally take it over the twin-linked shootas).  The basic Shoota isn't worth much and 1 Rokkit shot at Ork BS almost never amounts to anything.  Still it can be used to give you another different set of Wargear for Wound Allocation and taking potshots at transports as you close in the hopes that you get lucky and so can go straight into assault with the juice center is a worthwhile pastime.

Ammo Runt:
Uses for this upgrade: cheap wound allocation?  Seriously, there isn't much point to this upgrade.  Slugga's are there for keeping moral up by making fun loud noises.  Any hits from them are accidents and you should use any rerolls to make these shots miss instead.    The Twin-Linked Shoota is twin-linked, and you can't reroll a reroll anyways.  The Kombi-Skorcha is there for the Skorcha portion, which has no to hit roll.  I suppose it could have a valid use combined with a Kombi-Rokkit -- 60% more points then for the Kombi-Rokkit alone in return for 66% more accuracy.  Not a combination I've ever tried personally.

Defensive

Bosspole:
Your Nobz should have a Bosspole.  Yes, they should still have a Bosspole even if you do that.  Yup, even then, they should have a Bosspole.  Look, quit arguing -- your Nobz still need a Bosspole.  Just take the Bosspole already. 

Ok, to be somewhat seriously now, I really can only think of 1 possible situation where I wouldn't give a Nob squad a Bosspole -- if I was taking 3 with no gear at all purely to get another battlewagon in a list.  Nobs are an expensive unit that will never hit the Mob Rule Fearless threshold.  Keeping them from running away should always be a high priority.  I've seen some folks take 2 or more bosspoles in a single squad -- this I don't quite understand.  Your Bosspole should be on a model well 'back' in the squad so by the time you risk him getting killed off, you squad should be darn near gone anyways.  Even for Wound Allocation purposes I don't see it -- there are other, better things for equal or fewer points that can be used for that.

'Eavy Armor:
My least favorite defensive upgrade, but it’s still worth a look.  Saving 3 times as many wounds is a good thing, and making an expensive model harder to kill is another major plus.  But some of the most effective dedicated anti-infantry weapons, like Heavy Bolters or Heavy Flamers, will cut through this armor like butter, so its not quite as shinny as it looks at first glance.  It also loses a fair bit of its utility if the squad also has Cybork Bodies -- it goes from 200% more saves to 50% more saves.  For this reason I very rarely take a squad that has both 'Eavy Armor and Cybork Bodies.

Cybork Bodies:
Mhh, cybork.  Invulnerable save -- do I need to say more?  Actually, I probably should.  'Eavy Armor in theory offers better protection, but that better protection is mostly against small arms, which aren't a huge concern for Nobz.  The things that should concern Nobz are things like dedicated anti-infantry fire such as Heavy Bolters/Flamers, S8+ weapons that will Instant Kill them, and large blast templates.  All of with will generally ignore 'Eavy Armor but not Cybork, which is why this is my upgrade of choice for defense.  It’s also worth noting that if you have Cybork, you almost certainly have Feel No Pain.  And Cybork + Feel No Pain is equal to or better then a 3+ save against anything other than a S8+ weapon.  3+ save Orks.  Mhhh...

Mixed:

Painboy:
At first glance this looks like it should go under defensive, but there is an offensive benefit as well, so I stuck it here to draw attention to that.  But first, the big reason to take it, Feel No Pain!  Basically a 4+ save that stacks with other saves.  This is huge!  And great!  And awesome! 

The one real downside is a relatively high absolute cost, but the larger your squad is the more this cost is spread out and so the better value it becomes.  In a full sized squad you are only paying about a third of the cost per model compared to a min sized squad, which is very, very much worth it.  I would generally say take this in any squad 5 models or up, below that I would think carefully though it still sometimes has a place. 

Now the offensive aspect, a poisoned weapon!  This lets your Painboy keep up with your klaws/big choppas when hunting high toughness models but it really isn't quite the same value as those weapons offer.  However, an often overlooked aspect of poison is that if the attack's strength is equal or higher then the defender's toughness (so 4 regularly, 5 on the charge for a Painboy) it allows you to reroll to wound instead.  Which means your Painboy actually has the best to wound rate of any model against T4(charging)/T3(not charging) models, beating even the Power Klaw (although the klaw will pull ahead after saves against models with good armor).  The Painboy himself pulls off an extremely impressive wound rate of 97% against T3 models on the charge.

Waaagh! Banner:
Nobz!  Now 33% more killy!!  This is kinda the inverse of the Painboy in that it is mostly an offensive upgrade, but has a defensive aspect.  Offensively, the most common WS in the game is 4 (at least in my experience).  This upgrade will let you hit on a 3+, a 33% increase in hits, against such models in close combat, a very nice benefit indeed.  The defensive aspect shouldn’t be ignored either, as there are a fair number of WS 5 things out there as well, and causing them to hit you on a 4+ instead of a 3+.  Like a Painboy, the larger the squad is, the better the value on a Waaagh Banner.  I usually use the same cutoff -- squads of 5 or more.


Bikes

I felt the infamous Nob Bikers really deserved their own subsection rather then being lumped in with another upgrade.  Adding bikes to Nobz bring a huge number of benefits.  Built in 'Eavy Armor - nifty.  Built in cover save - VERY nice.  Extra Toughness - nifty.  6" extra movement every turn and the ability to turbo-boost - VERY nice.  Ability to always move full speed through terrain (though at the cost of risking wounds) - nifty.  Dakkaguns, the best darn gun in our entire codex (in my opinion) - VERY nice.  Not being able to run -- I know this sounds a bit odd as a benefit, but it means you have a perfectly valid excuse to be firing your Dakkaguns regularly, which I consider a good thing.

However, all that bikey goodness comes at a significant cost -- namely COST.    The simple addition of a bike more then doubles the base cost of a Nob, making them more expensive the a terminator.  By the time you have properly geared out your bikers, you are probably going to be sitting at an average of upwards of 60 points per model, or 3 times the base cost of a Nob, and 10 times that of an Ork Boy.  Well built Nob Bikers are a nasty enough unit that they can actually be worth this high cost, but its something that you need to stay aware of and balance carefully.

Transports

By popular demand!  First, general: Transports get your Nobz to where they can kill stuff faster.  This is ALWAYS a good thing.  I very rarely/almost never take a Nob squad that isn't either on bikes or in a transport.
Trukks:
Ahh, the lovely ork trukk.  Fast.  Really fast.  And since you want your Nobz in close combat quickly, this is a good thing.  But... trukks explode like popcorn.  Anytime I go into a game with Trukks, I enter the game with the assumption that every single Trukk will die, most of them before the end of turn 2.  And that assumption is very rarely proven wrong.  Because of that, I like my Trukks dirt cheap, rarely taking more then one upgrade and often none. 

However, solid arguments can and have been made for Red Paint Jobs, Grot Riggers, Armor Plates, Boarding Planks, and Reinforced Rams.  And I could add in an argument for Stikkbomb Chucka's as well (see the point on stikkbomb's above).  Heck, even the Wreckin' Ball has the 'cool, my Trukk has a close combat-esq' attack thing going for it.  But all that stuff is a much larger debate beyond the scope of this piece.  So I'll finish this up with this: Trukks work better in mass. 

A single Trukk in a list with no other vehicles WILL die turn one -- don't fool yourself.  With other, non-Trukk vehicles or in a list with a lot of Trukks though, it has a much better chance of surviving long enough to do it's job (and if the Nobz's Trukk gets blown up, they can always kick some regular Boyz out of their Trukk and steal it!)
Battlewagons
Ahh, the noble Ork Tank/Transport.  Look, Battlewagons deserve a Tactica of their own.  They have loads of options and all sorts of things you can do with them.  All that is way beyond this post.  So *beep* it all, I'm not doing a careful weighing or analysis of the options, I'm just gonna tell ya what to do!  So there! 

If your Nobz are going to be the only or one of only a handful of units in transports, take a Battlewagon (and sometimes take one even if everyone is in transports - they are fun!) because they aren't Trukks and so don't explode like popcorn.  You want to get there fast -- take Red Paint.  You don't want to double your chances of being immobilized -- take a Big Shoota or a Kannon.  You are going to be racing towards foes, may as well squish something in the process -- take a Deffrolla.  But don't take an 'Ard Case, you want to be able to pile out and assault.

Conclusion

Alright, I guess that's all I have to say on the topic of Ded 'Ard Nobz today.  Questions, comments, and feedback always welcome and I hope this helps you aspiring new Warbosses out there.
Title: Re: Ork Boot Kamp (articles, army lists and batrep links)
Post by: angel of death 007 on March 12, 2011, 07:18:06 PM
Greetings to all and welcome.  As many of you might have seen me around I have been playing 40k for almost 10 years now.  My ork army was my first attempt at a horde type army.  As such it requires a lot of painting due to the large amount of figures that one would field. 

I am by no means a professional painter and have never taken a formal painting class.  This article is to help those who are starting out or maybe offer some tips to those who paint to a higher level.  After trying several different combinations I will say this is one of the faster painting methods I have used and produces models at table top / above table top quality.  The idea is to find the amount of models you can paint confortably in one sitting in a kind of redundant/ step manor.  This not only speeds things up later on as you will see but allows some dry time before handling the models.  A win win. 

This article will cover colors I used to achieve the end result.  To accompany the article will be several pictures in a step by step basis.  Also listed will be the approximate time it took me to paint the models in each step.   Keep in mind that this was the time it took me to paint the models and everyone's result will vary.  My comfort level I have found to be at 6-7 models for this type of painting.  However for this article I decided to take it up a notch to show just how effective assembly line painting can be when painting a squad of models.  So for a good round average I painted 10 models.

Tools Needed:

Paints:  I tend to use Games Workshop line of paints.  I like their colors and their base coats and washes have grown on me.  Plus they are the most common for most 40k painters that I speak with.

Colors Used

Let's start with the models.  Here are my 10 models they have been primed using a cheap flat black spray paint the night before.  You want to make sure the primer is fully dried before working over it.

My choice of 10 models primed black
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi241.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fff56%2Fnitemare68%2Forkpaintingarticle003.jpg&hash=53e57789254d6cab04253f83826e0ffc91724d94)
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi241.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fff56%2Fnitemare68%2Forkpaintingarticle004.jpg&hash=193bbcdf56e9eb305f263d489fa9bb88183a5b90)

Step 1:  Green Skin
Base Coating:  I chose to start with knarloc green as it covers the majority of the ork model.  I focused on the tops of the muscle and kinda worked in. If it got too deep then I would just leave it black.  I chose to leave my shirts black but for those doing different colors working with shootas might be hard if their guns are in place.  With my black shirts I didn't worry so much.  I also left the mouth / teeth black.  For the fingers I simply dry brushed them with the knarloc green.  You don't need to get in between the fingers to get a good effect.

The approximate time it took to paint this section was 2 hours.
All models green:
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi241.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fff56%2Fnitemare68%2Forkpaintingarticle005.jpg&hash=6a628e5e829058495695ab480a6d6eabcfb17504)

skin tone (how they should look at this point)
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi241.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fff56%2Fnitemare68%2Forkpaintingarticle006.jpg&hash=5bac69336cb15613ee2c1a89b1624ffc472bab5d)

example of fingers
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi241.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fff56%2Fnitemare68%2Forkpaintingarticle007.jpg&hash=40a0621adec845a33d9a9264df49273173b47e31)

face (with teeth / mouth left black)
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi241.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fff56%2Fnitemare68%2Forkpaintingarticle008.jpg&hash=6c00d3073516eb55099510a953a80743fb3c12c7)

You are trying for a solid uniform look to the skin tone.

Step 2:  Weapons and armor
The next color I wanted to do was the metal.  For this step I targeted weapons, metal accessories I did leave black rectangles on the armor places because I play a goff army and wanted to be able to go back and put the checkered board patterns on them.  For this step I tried to cover most of the metal pieces only leaving bullet ejection ports and vents black. 

Base Coat:  Boltgun Metal

Approximate time for this step was 2.5 hours.

Weapons / accessories and armor
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi241.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fff56%2Fnitemare68%2Forkpaintingarticle009.jpg&hash=d97c393b262930f2066d16724a5adcf656a33715)

slugga boy
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi241.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fff56%2Fnitemare68%2Forkpaintingarticle010.jpg&hash=8f74fa45706cb69f02607dd4a4f8675c30afc957)

the squad so far:
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi241.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fff56%2Fnitemare68%2Forkpaintingarticle011.jpg&hash=88ab83d587ca9b34902e99cbab9b8b8111e2d3af)

Step 3:  Belts and accessories
I wanted to target the belts, wristbands, storage pouches, and backpack a darker brown color.   For this step I tried to fully coat the items I wanted to paint.  Again not getting too close to where it met skin as the black in between worked decent for a shadow.

Base Coat:  Beastial Brown

Approximate time was 1.5 hours

(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi241.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fff56%2Fnitemare68%2Forkpaintingarticle017.jpg&hash=4a6174245fc21276cc1ec61de8dfe279d50521a5)

Step 4:  Wraps, fur and patches

Base Coating:  Kommando Khaki

This works really good for wraps, patches, misc accessories anything that looks like it is wrapped up.  Just as a pre-warning.  Because Kommando Khaki is so thin and light it will more than likely take two coats to achieve a solid uniform look. 

Approximate time 35 minutes

arms / gun wrap
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi241.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fff56%2Fnitemare68%2Forkpaintingarticle012.jpg&hash=c8928313361fe4b66a9cc29a4a3aef4423c4451d)

misc, accessories
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi241.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fff56%2Fnitemare68%2Forkpaintingarticle013.jpg&hash=702d3612555d8f96b1c15a42e9e34858f119c080)

misc accessories / patches
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi241.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fff56%2Fnitemare68%2Forkpaintingarticle016.jpg&hash=0bcf832d3833337a65189e9145d90343f94938ee)

fur on hat
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi241.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fff56%2Fnitemare68%2Forkpaintingarticle019.jpg&hash=df76d33f6f9531fd1bbf216d538b0b6ec492f13a)
Title: Re: Ork Boot Kamp (articles, army lists and batrep links)
Post by: angel of death 007 on March 12, 2011, 07:20:47 PM
Step 5:  Black Clothing

The next step I took was trying to make the black shirts look more black.  I know this seems silly in words but here a little goes a long way.  If you are doing different colors here might be a good time to work on them or possibly before anything as they are so inward that painting them afterwards might make it hard to not accidently get paint on an area you don't want. 

Drybrushing:  Codex Grey

Again this I used over any cloth that I wanted to leave black.  The idea is to take very little paint and then keep brushing it against a paper towel til this is very little paint in it and it only makes very light marks.  You then take the brush and using a bit of force you work over all the black areas of cloth.  This will it and leave marks on the raised areas.  Making a bit of an contrast or shadow.  It seems a little too much at first but don't worry we will fix it later I promise ;)

Approximate time was 20 minutes  This is really fast if done properly the main thing to remember is that you should have next to no paint marks on the model. Very light.

This ork has an almost black uniform look at how little codex grey is on it
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi241.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fff56%2Fnitemare68%2Forkpaintingarticle020.jpg&hash=0e61465de13d38033e3958e1cbecabcada61dd86)

back side of same model
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi241.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fff56%2Fnitemare68%2Forkpaintingarticle021.jpg&hash=6217ecc0ae1617b884b0f6a153286e7137d8b2e0)

check out the pants and very very little on the shirt of this model
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Step 6:  Skin Wash
Now we get to the next step which is really great at adding some easy shading to your models.  When washing I have found it best to use a natural hair brush that can hold a lot of wash.  I don't water down my washes or paints and use them straight from the container.

Wash: Thraka Green 

When using washing be careful to only target the area you are working with.  They make different effects with different colors and if you get green on kommando khaki or even on the bolt gun metal it will make a less than desireable effect.  Load up your brush and focus on all the green skin areas.  A good heavy coat of wash is great to achieve the maximum effect.  Let it pool in the recesses of the muscles or any other recesses in the model.  This leaves a great effect later on.  It takes a bit of practice to get right but it is pretty easy to experiment with. 

Approximate time 25 minutes

This is really fast.  All you are doing is loading up your brush and hitting all the skin, shouldn't take more than a few minutes per model.

face and arms after wash
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You can really see the wash effect as it starts to dry
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Step 7:  Rusted / worn metal effect
Our next wash is really easy though I have a tendency to try and make it pool up in certain areas to give more a worn / rusted metal effect.

Wash:  Devlan Mud

For this step you want to target all your metal areas.  Sound wierd?  maybe a bit but it has a lot better effect then using a watered down black or even black ink.  It dulls down the metallic flake in the bolt gun metal and if you pool it right makes for a very nice effect.  Again I apply this straight from the container and put it on thick in one coat.

check out the chain and the armor
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You can really see it on this model which has a lot of armor painted (all coated over with devlan mud)
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Step 8:  Shadow wash
Somehow I missed some pics for this next step it is my third wash.

Wash: Badab Black

Approximate time 15 minutes.  For this step I applyed a heavy wash over all black cloth, beastial brown accessories, and all kommando khaki accessories.  This will really bring out some depth to your model.  It adds a shadow to most wraps and does a great job seperating layers.  This effect can be achieved very quickly and easily.

IMPORTANT FACT***  Make sure to let the models dry after using washes, they have a tendency to take longer time to dry and handling them too soon could negatively effect your models.  I usually let them dry over night after applying washes.

Step 9:  Basing Teeth / Skulls
Next step we are going to start to pick out some details.  The main focus here is the orks Teeth as teeth have a lot to do with ork culture I make sure to take my time here.  I also use this on the bullet connectors for exposed bullets.  Take your time on this step and use a very fine brush.  I definately recommend using a magnifying lamp for this step and the next few as it will make your life a lot easier as you can see all my pics are taken from under it.

Approximate time 1 hour

Teeth
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more teeth
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Step 10:  Bullets and earrings
Next we will focus on earrings and exposed bullets.

Dwarf Bronze was used to make these shine and show up on the model. 

Approximate time 25 minutes.  Take your time here.  I usually only hit the most exposed parts to the bullets or earrings.  This way it leaves black in the shadow areas. 

This is the example with the bullet connectors painted (so you know what I mean from the step above)
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Step 11:  Highlighting Teeth / Skulls
My next step is a highlight step in which I use for teeth (and in some cases skulls)  About part way up the tooth a little above half way I use Bleached Bone to highlight the teeth.  For skulls I simply drybrush it on til it looks right.

Highlight:  Bleached Bone

Approximate time:  10 minutes.  There isn't much painting involved here.  You are basically just adding the details to your graveyard earth you used.  Make sure to use a fine brush and some kind of magnafying device.

Check out his tooth necklace and his teeth
(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi241.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fff56%2Fnitemare68%2Forkpaintingarticle032.jpg&hash=047c9562ba876b5e8e4fd159cb69c6d7de609a0b)

another pic of teeth highlighted
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Step 12:  Beady little eyes
For one of my last detail steps I like to give my orks beady red eyes.  This color also works really well on icons (usually on helmets, guns, or armor they have a gyff or icon of some kind)  For the eyes I use a very fine pointer and only get the paint on the very very tip of it.  This is done very carefullly.

Spotter:  Blood Red

Eyes
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Step 13: Goff checkered board (optional)

Now here your ork should look pretty complete, but for my orks I wanted them to have the Goff checkered board look.  So all those areas I purposely left black I went back and started the checkered pattern.

I first started out drawing lines and filling them in like a checkered board with fortress grey.  This doesn't quite look right at first and you will more than likely need to go back and square off the checks. 

Checkered board:  Fortress grey

Approximate time 15 minutes

Here you can see the checkered board before touching up with black, not to smooth but then again I don't have a very steady hand.
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Step 14:  Fine tuning the checkered board (optional)
After observing the picture above you can see how uneven the checkered board was for me.  I used chaos black in the last step to go back and touch up the squares.  Best way I found to do was to make sure to touch up the corners to make them look squared away.  Touch up:  Chaos Black

Approximate time 10 minutes.

Total time for completion was approximately 10 hours maybe a bit less.  On the next post you will get to see a few detailed pictures of each model.  I haven't decided on a basing color / theme for my army yet so as you can see my models just have the standard black bases (for now). 

I hope you enjoyed my article and as always comments and questions are appreciated.


Title: Re: Ork Boot Kamp (articles, army lists and batrep links)
Post by: angel of death 007 on March 12, 2011, 07:23:05 PM
Finished Models
Here is several pics of the finished 10 models I started.  All models were painted for and during the production of this article by me  ;D 

All that is left to do is the basing.

Model 1
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back
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Model 2
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back
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Model 3 (you can see the bullet belt on a shoota boy)
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Model 4
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Model 5
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back
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Model 6
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Model 7
back
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check out the fur on the hat...
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Model 8
side
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Model 9
back
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Model 10

back /checkered board
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Hope you enjoyed.  Good luck in your future painting endeavors.
Title: Re: Ork Boot Kamp (articles, army lists and batrep links)
Post by: adamscurr on July 22, 2011, 10:06:22 PM
Tactica: Warbuggies

(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1139.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fn550%2Fadamscurr%2FRokkit%2520buggy%2520tactica%2520photos%2Fth_rokkitbuggyvideos.jpg&hash=4eb7eafe78f6d2a8cf44ca269c5444bbca4f1490) (http://s1139.photobucket.com/albums/n550/adamscurr/Rokkit%20buggy%20tactica%20photos/?action=view&current=rokkitbuggyvideos.mp4)


One of the best advantages of Codex: Orks is the availability of cheap, but effective vehicles.  What they lack in armor, they make up for in speed.  The Warbuggy can fulfill a number of rolls, from infantry killing to popping tanks.

The Basic of Buggies:
Buggies are designed for two basic roles: anti-infantry and anti-tank.  However, each is flexible enough to perform several soft battlefield roles as well: blocking assaults, creating cover saves, and contesting objectives.

Why Take One and When You Can Take Three:
Ork vehicles are cheap for a reason.  A single buggy will quickly be destroyed, giving your opponent an easy kill point.  Two buggies suffer the penalties of vehicle squadrons (immobilized = wrecked), while not having enough survivability or effectiveness to be worth the sacrifice.  Buggies should be taken in groups of three to increase their life expectancy and their ability to complete their primary mission.   

To Trakk or not to Trakk:   
When fifth edition came out, Armor Plates and Grot Riggers became irrelevant for vehicle squadrons.  However, trakks give you the ability to re-roll dangerous terrain test.  This option should be considered in Cities of Death missions and boards with an abundance of terrain.  With getting to the enemy as quickly as possible in mind, the Skorcha comes in handy with its trakk option! 

Which Options Are Worth It and Which Are Not:
With the coming of fifth edition Warhammer 40K, Red Paint became the only viable option for buggy squadrons.  The additional move it provides can sometimes can be useful, but is often just wasted points.  Armor Plates and Grot Riggers are irrelevant because of the vehicle squadron rules.

Skorcha, Big Shoota, or Rokkit:
Arming your buggies will depend on what battlefield role you intend for the squadron.  The Big Shoota and Skorcha options are designed for anti-infantry roles.  The Rokkit excels at crippling and destroying vehicles.

The Big Shoota:  Dakka From Afar:
Big Shoota buggies are the cheapest option.  They excel at delivering heavy infantry killing power at range.  Being twin-linked with a high rate of fire, you can be assured of hitting frequently.  The strength is adequate to wound anything less than monstrous creatures, but the AP is less than spectacular.  The range is excellent, and combined with the fast vehicle rule, really nothing on the board is safe from this buggy.  It is recommended for lightly armored opponents such as Guardians, Guardsmen, and Gaunts, as well as targeting vehicles with weak rear armor. 

The Skorcha:  Burn Baby Burn:
The Skorcha gets "free" trakks for the points you pay, so you can go bouncing through terrain without fear of getting stuck.  This allows you to get to those pesky mortar squads that seem to hide in heavy terrain.  Since the Skorcha is a heavy flamer it will kill almost everything if touches, often ignoring their armor save and of course like all flamers ignoring their cover save.

While it may not have the range to kill from round one, it normally goes unnoticed as it speeds around the board, harassing enemy units, and killing off the odd heavy support team.  It is a great weapon for killing off most everything Tyranid.  Skeetergod argues, “If I know I am going against nids, I make sure that I take Skorchas.  Of course, the Rokkit buggy is good at killing the monstrous creatures, but the Skorcha is good at killing off and thinning down those large broods of gaunts.  It is also fantastic for killing Genestealers.”

Against marines Skorchas are good for scout hunting and getting sniper teams out of terrain since a flamer can fire up one level. 

Against Imperial Guard, the Skorcha really shines.  Nothing is safe from its burning promethium.  With the speed you can get in close to the heavy weapon teams and cook them off the board.

Finally, the Skorcha excels at 'off the board escort' duties.  When a unit has broken the Skorcha drives nearby, staying close enough so that the enemy unit cannot rally, spitting flames every turn until it is off the board.  Being fast, it can keep up with the enemy unit no matter how far it runs.

Rokkit Buggies:

The primary function of Rokkit buggies is destroying vehicles and monstrous creatures.  Being twin linked, they have a reasonable chance of hitting their target; being fast, they have an excellent chance of hitting side or even rear armor. 

Rokkit buggies can be used in two ways.  The first is to ride along with a mechanized Waaagh, firing off rokkits of opportunity at vehicles, popping transports so that the boyz can rip the troops inside apart in close combat.  In a more conventional greenskin horde, the buggies can ride ahead and destroy transports, slowing those mechanized armies down.

Rokkits are best used on AV 12 or lower.  Anything higher wastes firepower, although rokkits are able to damage any AV.  The primary role of Rokkit buggies should be to force enemy infantry to disembark from their transports.  Additionally, Dreadnoughts are easy prey, as the buggies can stay out of reach while delivering a continual barrage of rokkit fire.  Additionally, rokkits should be employed against monstrous creatures, or very tough MEQ infantry, denying Feel No Pain and armor saves.  The high strength and low AP are sufficient to wound most.

Finally, mass rokkit fire can make a mess of skimmers, particularly if you can target the rear armor.

Dirty Tricks: Expert Buggy Use:
Buggies can be used in a number of functions beyond their ability to kill the enemy.  With their incredible speed, they can often fulfill a number of battlefield roles:

• Buggies can offer cover saves to the troops and vehicles behind them.  While troops are easy to cover, players seeking to give cover to trucks should use the old truck model (the new one, though splendid, is too large).

Below, a group of Grey Hunters wants to fire on the boyz.  The buggies give the boyz some cover, and they will come through only losing a couple:


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• Orks are often outmatched by our enemies.  Often, it is necessary to ensure that we charge our enemies, rather than be charged.  Any buggy, regardless of its armament, can block an opponent's advance.  Moving into position at cruising speed, it is a difficult target to hit in melée.  As a squadron, buggies can stop the advance of the enemy, forcing them to run around, or fruitlessly swing away at them in an assault.

Below, the Grey Hunters, frustrated by the ineffectiveness of their Bolters, try to move into position to assault.  The buggies prevent this, giving the Orks the choice to assault in the next round:

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• Buggies can be used in some sneaky manoeuvres.  They can easily split supporting units from each other, effectively preventing a second unit from supporting the first.  Another favorite tactic is locking a Dreadnought in place by surrounding it with buggies.  Even if it manages to destroy a buggy or two in the assault or shooting phase, it has missed its chance to move in the movement phase.  Positioning your buggies correctly means that a Dreadnought has no choice but to fire at them.

Below, the Grey Hunters finally engage the Orks, but find themselves a bit outnumbered.  The Thunderwolf Calvary moves to support them.  However, the buggies intercede and force the Thunderwolf unit to assault them instead.  Needing sixes to hit, they do little to no damage against the fast moving buggies:

(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1139.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fn550%2Fadamscurr%2Fchargeblockingsupportingunits.jpg&hash=c1deb5d38ec34696d829689b4a656da892e224cc)


Below, a second unit of Warbuggies moves to intercept a Dreadnought.  With any luck, the rokkits will cause it to explode.  However, the buggies have surrounded the walker, and it will not be going anywhere:

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A Gallery of Buggies:

(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1139.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fn550%2Fadamscurr%2FRokkit%2520buggy%2520tactica%2520photos%2Frokkitbuggies1.jpg&hash=420d96de0a161c27b1610800e3067ba63f301c1c)

(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1139.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fn550%2Fadamscurr%2FRokkit%2520buggy%2520tactica%2520photos%2Frokkitbuggy3.jpg&hash=e623304beba3c3318d8de70d91f827cf654a7dce)

(https://www.40konline.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1139.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fn550%2Fadamscurr%2FRokkit%2520buggy%2520tactica%2520photos%2Frokkitbuggykopter.jpg&hash=37f34c85fd6da476565bf5617b28a44b2acb03a8)

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Adamscurr,
July 2011.