The death of hero's

And so it came to pass that Zagdakka took down the mighty Typhus, but as his spirt passed he took one final and mighty swing of his scythe, Zakdakka fell along side him.

A day to remember - a battle to remember! Ultimately the Ork delays proved to be a fatal error in judgement. The magnificent and impressive walkers did not deliver on the battlefield. The fortifications stood firm. Ghazghkull would take this setback personally and the forces of chaos would now feel his wrath!!

Ultimate 2500 point Ork Walker army list

So today is the big day. Its 9am and I have already set up the board outside. Weather forecast is for a nice warm day with low wind. Perfect. Just had a text from the opposition to say that he is on the way so I need to get the kettle on. The Dark Templar is planning to Tweet key events during the day, (details on his blog). That will be a first for us and should be interesting.

So what army did I pull together? Your going to like this....

I have taken on board the Ork Walker discussions that have been going on and pulled a list together that I really love the feel of. It should really wipe the floor with anything being faced, he said confidently. It contains the Stompa, Gorkanaut, Deffdredd and 6 x Killa Kans. This is supported by a Battlewagon and Dakkajet. There is a unit of gretchin to make up the Troops numbers so that it is an Ork Horde Detachment granting Boss of Da Waaagh and The Greenskin Hordes special rules.

The plan remains - 'shoot the choppy and chop the shooty'

HQ (min of 1)
Warboss in Mega Armour, Lucky Stick, Bosspole (In the Battlewagon)
Painboy (with the Warboss)
Big Mek with Kustom Force Field (in the Stompa)
Mekboy (with the Warboss)
Mekboy (in the Stompa)

Elites
3 x Meganobs with kombi skorchas (in the Gorkanaut)

Troops (min of 3)
15 Boyz with Nob and Power Klaw, Bosspole (with the Warboss)
18 Boyz with Nob and Power Klaw, Bosspole, 2 x Rokkits (in the Stompa)
10 Gretchin with Runtherd and squig hound

Heavy Support (can take 4 because of the mission rules)
1 x Deffdread with close combat Klaws
6 x Killa Kans with skorchas
1 x Gorkanaut
1 x Battlewagon with 4 x rokkits, killkannon, ram

Fast Attack
1 x Dakkajet with 3 sups shoot as, flyboss

Lord of War
1 x Stompa

Note - the Battlewagon could easily be downgraded to a Trukk. Stick the Warboss in the Stompa and spend the additional points to get another Trukk load of Boyz at which point the Gretchin are not needed. No-one should be shooting at the Trukks anyway as there is too much other stuff that has amazing killing ability and they are Assault vehicles with could be advantageous.

So in theory, the Stompa goes straight up the middle moving and shooting anything that can shoot back. 'Shoot the Shooty'. Move him towards the most dangerous shooting attack so that he can 'Chop the Shooty' as soon as possible. The Boyz rokkits also shoot out of the Stompa. The Kans and the Dread follow behind moving and running to keep up. Move them towards shooty stuff. Again 'chop the shooty' as soon as possible. The Gorkanaut takes one side and again moves and runs. The battlewagon takes the other side and moves as far as possible. The Dakkajet is there to provide some arial support, if needed, and if not to just shoot from distance. The Gretchin can hang back and grab any objective at the back as the rest of the army surges forward.

The Kustom Force Field makes sure that any incoming shots bounce off the Stompa.

After the first turn everything in the Ork army is ready to descend on the enemy with awesome close combat abilities. Declare the Waaagh and give no mercy. The Boyz in the Stompa can hang on for a bit and get out later to mop up the remaining carnage, as can the meganobz.

Now all you Ork players just know that you want to give this a go. Waaagh!!!!!

The question is - what will happen when we start rolling dice? Will the plan survive or need to be altered? And so the fun begins.

Da Orks advance

The time had finally come. The Mekboyz had been true to their word and the constructs were all operational. The main force would advance on the Forge on Saturday night and in the mean time Zakdakka lead some of Da Boyz into advance positions.

Over the last few weeks the Red Skulls had been building intelligence. This had been achieved by travelling the little known passes to get close to the Forge itself. Now Zagdakka was making use of this knowledge to get some of Da Boyz as close as possible before the main event begun.

The Heavy Support units would soon pound the Forge and obliterate it from the face of this planet. No fortifications would stand in the way of the Waaagh! 

The true prize lay beyond, the Mining Facility, and that would be next to fall.

Red Skull Kommandos doing their thing

After another night of mayhem the Red Skull Kommandos picked their way over the ash covered effluent. Nurgle - everything they touched seemed covered in slime. The ash, cleaned things up, acting like the first fallings of snow. 

The Red Skulls left a trail of destruction in their wake ensuring the white beds of ash was contrasted with that most dramatic of colours - Blood Red! It would not be long now and they had fresh images for Zagdakka.

After a bit of a hunt around in the garage I found this beauty! A piece of terrain from back in the day and it just seems so appropriate for the mission at hand. Two big pipes spilling green and brown gunk. It just has to be Nurgle!

Red Skulls - reports form the front

Ash from the Forge fires fell like snow from the skies. The Red Skull Kommandos had been busy ambushing the enemy whenever possible. The Green Ghost lead his boyz with great zeal and Gorks Teeth had sent many Nurgle souls back to the kingdoms of Chaos! Snikrot was a truly savage hunter and this was his world.

The Chaos forces were using the time afforded by Zagdakka's delays to properly fortify the Forge. As a result, the task would be all the more difficult to achieve. The Red Skulls sent reports back from the front and the news was grim! Fortifications and new weapons platforms!

The Red Skulls had been party to many Waaagh's and seldom had they witnessed such an Ork delay. Ghazghkull Thraka was a leader low on patience, as Zagdakka would learn, should the new war engines be less than impressive!

The boyz stayed low to the ground. Yet another construction crew were about to be sent to the grave. Their bodies would be defiled and the news would go out - Da Orks is Commin - and there will be No Mercy!!

Da Stompa is in Da House!

Oh My God - Oh My God!!

Typhus and the forces gathered at the Forge had expected the Orks to swarm forward from their preliminary attack at the Communications Array but the advance did not happen. The Orks were taking their time and massing the machines of war. New variants were reported daily some twice the size of the much feared Deffdread. Would the fortifications hold against such might? When would the attack begin?

The latest images from the front seemed incredibly unlikely. Surely nothing this huge could carry its own weight effectively and prove itself on the battlefield? Reports were that it towered over everything else by two to three times. It looked like the Mek Boyz had finally lost it. Their ambition would surely be overcome by their lack of technical know how. They were calling it 'Da Stompa'!

But Typhus was uneasy. This was not the Ork approach to Waaagh that he was anticipating. A bead of sweat dribbled down his face......

Well I have finally had the opportunity to have a look at the Ork Stompa. I had purchased the kit some time back and had great fun assembling the model. I really enjoyed it. Lots of options to consider, little grots everywhere, great fun. The model is huge!

I gave it the 'iron gob' because this fits in really well with my army theme and then applied the metal paints with red shoulder pads and the dirty yellows in various spots. The yellow does jump out at you. Really great fun and I recommend it to anyone. I worked in a few black and white Goff squares as well. Helps with the Ork feel. And finally added a few Space Wolf panels - well you have to poke fun at someone ;-)

I have not played the Stompa in any battles and was delighted to see it in the new 7th edition codex. I gave it a brief review but nothing major. In my mind I was thinking of it as a Walker with all the downsides this entails. There were lots of weapons but lets face it you can only kill one thing at a time and with a cost of 770 points I just failed to see how it could really pay for itself in a six turn game. But then I read the rules - I mean the Super Heavy Walker rules in the new Rule set (page 96 for those interested) and my world has changed!!

Movement - it can move up to 12" (big smile). It causes Fear and can Move Through Cover (Cool)

Shooting - it can shoot as if it were stationary even if it has moved and it can shoot Ordnance and all other weapons as well. It can also shoot its weapons at different targets (Oh Yes - smile broadens)

Invincible Behemoth - When a damage table says it Explodes is does not Explode but D3 Hull Points are removed (now we are talking)

Transport - It can carry up to 20 models in its belly (rock on baby)

Stomp - this is a special attack in addition to everything else it can do. It uses 3 Blast markers against the enemy unit and damage is from a special Stomp Table generally causing S6, AP4 Hits but it can be much worse than that - on a 6 it is Instant Kill to everything that it touches! (I am in a happy, happy place)

And all this before you get to the Stompa Rules. This changes everything. Da Stompa is a beast!

Da Stompa itself has 12 Hull Points, 4 Attacks, Strength 10, FA13, SA13, RA12. It is also an Effigy so that all models within 6" of it are fearless. Additionally it has four Fire Points so that the models inside can fire out. 12 HP's with an Armour Value of 13 is a lotta, lotta armour!!

Shooting - it still has a poor BS of 2 (5+ To Hit) but it can shoot all its weapons and at different targets!!

We have :-
 3 x Big Shootas - S5, AP4, Assault 3 - that is 9 shots!
1 x Twin-linked Big Shoota - S5, AP4, Assault 3
1 Skorcha - S5, AP4, Template
3 x Supa Rokkits - Infinite, S8, AP3, Large Blast
1 x Deff Kannon - R72", S10, AP1, Massive Blast - smashing vehicles and killing entire units
1 x Supa Gatler - R48", S7, AP3, Heavy 2D6 - does this 3 times a turn!!! - we are talking 18 shots

It can shoot all of that, every round of battle. Think of the damage that can do.

Close Combat - with a WS4 and 4 attacks, 5 on the charge.

It is armed with :-

Mega Choppa - SD,  AP1 meaning that it can sweep through Vehicles like a knife through butter.
Stomp - as above 3 blast markers with S6 Hits!

You can have Mek Boyz inside repairing any lost Hull Points, you can even have a Big Mek with Kustom Force Field so the shots are bouncing off you. And then you have a unit of Boys to deposit for good measure that are Fearless when they appear within 6" of the big man!

Summary - Well I am stunned. What a completely devastating piece of kit this Supa-Gargant is! I think my view is that at ONLY 770 points he is a bargain. He is also a super distraction so anything else that is brought to the table will have free reign. Whats not to love?

I can imagine hundreds of Boyz on the move behind him or Trukks filled with Boyz zooming up the battle field beside him or Buggies and Kopptas or or or ........ oh the options are just so appetising. Orks is made for Rockin baby!!

Now where is that quivering wreak of a Nurgle boss? You know the one I mean, the one with the tail feathers and the big yellow stripe down his back. You know him - 'Typhus' is his name!

Gorkanaut - Da 'Eavy Metal!

Zagdakka had launched the Waaagh with great success. The inter planetary communications array had been taken and this bought time. The Iron Fists were trapped without the means to call for reinforcements so Zagdakka could call down the Heavy Support. The next target would be the Forge. Intelligence reports that it is heavily fortified and defended by the forces of Nurgle. 

In truth the rumours were that Typhus himself would lead the defence and this was a potential blessing. Reports of Typhus in action against the Dark Angels questioned his willingness to get directly involved in the action and begged the question - has he Gone Yellow?

Either way Zagdakka knew that this would be a tougher nut to crack and as he surveyed the many weapons of destruction being assembled his eyes fell to the new heavy walkers. Emmmm......

Well I have bought the kit and assembled a Gorkanaut and whilst I love the kit and assembling / painting was joy I have been less convinced about its use on the battlefield especially at a cost of 245 points.

It does look imposing though. (Now that I have read the rules I note that its not allowed the KFF - I will have to see if I can carefully remove it) The Armour is decent FA13, SA13, RA12. It has four attacks and 5 Hull Points. So it should be survivable enough. It has no fire points! This means that whoever is inside can't shoot out. Not a huge deal but you have to wonder why? It can transport six models. Another very odd number. This limits those that can use it to Elites or HQ as all other mob sizes are 10 and above. Unit options include Burna Boyz, Tankbustas, Nobz and Mega Nobz. There is the option to keep the unit size to 5 and put a Mek Boy in there to repair HP's.

As a Walker it can move 6" and then there is a choice - shoot or run? If the choice is to shoot it will slow the Gorkanaut down making it less likely to be involved in the attack. It becomes a fire platform sitting at the back of the army. If the choice is to run then the focus must be on getting into hand to hand / delivering the contents of the beast. Lets look at these options.

1. Shooting - it is anti infantry. (I do like the Ork sitting at the back of the gun.)

It comes with 2 x twin-linked big shootas, 2 x rokkit launches, skorcha and Deffstorm mega-shoota.

The big deal is the Deffstorm R36", S6, AP4, Heavy 3D6. The Ballistic Skill remains 2 so what does this mean? Average 9 shots with 3 Hits likely. S6 should result in 2 Wounds but then there are saving throws. Not exactly devastating.

The Big Shootas will pump out 3 shots each so that is 6 shots expecting 2 Hits. They are twin linked so that should give another Hit. Therefore potentially 3 Hits at Strength 5 so hopefully 2 Wounds and then there are the saves to consider.

The Rokkit Launchas will be pot luck really.

The Skorcha is a Template weapon so needs to be up close to be effective.

(The Morkanaut takes a Kustom mega blasta & Kustom mega-kannon instead of the Deffstorm & Skorcha. For this there is a 15 point cost reduction. Both weapons Get Hot (I hate that rule) but on the up side one is a Blast weapon. I do like a Skorcha though!)

2. Close Combat.

First off the Rampage special rule is in play. This grants an extra D3 attacks to the Walker if the opponent has more models in the combat. This is highly likely to be in use.

Hammer of Wrath is also in play. This grants an extra attack that always Hits and is resolved at the models Strength, AP -. The Gorkanaut is S8.

Other than that the Gorkanaut is armed with the Klaw of Gork and has 4 Attacks (5 on the charge). The Klaw is S10, AP1 Melee, Concussive and Fights with a WS of 4.

All this makes the Gorkanaut a bit of a beast in Close Combat. A large number of attacks is good against troops and the high Strength and AP1 makes it good against Vehicles.

Walkers can also fire in Overwatch which would be great if being charged.

Summary

The Gorkanaut is a Walker and as such quite slow. It is probably most effective in Close Combat and a lot of consideration needs to be given to the unit that will be transported so that it compliments the chosen tactical deployment.

It is a real threat and could be used defensively to shore up one side of the battle field. Any small unit inside could potentially emerge late in the battle to seize objectives.

It could also lead the assault by throwing itself down the throat of the opposition. Move and Run and Move and Run and Charge. Get into combat in Round 2 and pile on the pain.

Either way I still have my doubts - it is a lot of points and will need to pay for itself! It does look Orky though.

The slighted cracked ideas that make it all worthwhile

I have been inspired by a recent post from 28mm Victorian Warfare. The post concerns a 'pirate monkey'. A freebe that came as part of a consignment to the ever enthusiastic Mr Michael Awdry at 'Awdry Towers'. What a fantastic model. You would wonder how it came into being at all. Who thought it would be a good idea, who commissioned it and then how does it become part of a business strategy. The truth is that it is a joy to behold, a foible, a mad crack pot idea and as such one of the things I love about this hobby. There is just something inspirational about him.

One of things that I love about Orks is that the designers had some of this mentality when it came to designing the Ork horde. Take gretchin, grots and squigs as a prime example. There is no real need for them but what a characterful addition they make to the table top.

Grots are great for poking fun at the opposition. I have been using this guy for years and I love him.

Obviously the helmet colour changes to suit the opposition. He is always in the army somewhere, sitting on a Deffdread or in a vehicle, but there none the less for the shear fun of it.

Then you have the hard working grots.

Where would your average Painboy be without someone to carry his 'Dok's tools'? This little guy even has a spare 'Urty Syringe tucked away in his belt. Obviously there is no need to have even created this model. It was not done because it made financial sense - but the world of 40k is a better place for having him.

And finally there is my favourite model. You just know that someone, somewhere has to look after the baby Squigs - well obviously!!

This little guy looks bang in character. I love the 'butter wouldn't melt' look on his face. His presence just adds something to the entire army.

Ork Lessons Learned

A few days have passed and I have had a chance to ponder the big battle on Sunday.

The plan had been simple enough Da Cunnin Plan "Shoot da choppy and chop da shooty" !

Did I keep to the plan? Zagdakka pondered .... while kicking back with his new Painboy 'drug dealer' beside his wheels ;-)

Well now - I treated the Obliterators as potential 'shooty & choppy'. I shot them with the right weapons Killkannon and Power Vomit but they made some saves and in the end my Warboss Zagdakka chopped 'em up. Relative success. They did some damage in between times though.

I attempted to 'chop the choppy' when I launched my Waaagh at the berserkers. That was stupid. I tried to 'chop the choppy'!! Not only that but I played the Orks with T3 not T4 and forget to use Furious Charge which would have added +1 to their Strength. I let my Boyz down badly there! and even worse, complained about how fragile they were - I owe them another chance to show me what they can do! Eventually I 'shot the choppy' using the Killkannon and that worked as I took out some of the Iron Fist HQ.

I 'chopped the shooty' when I attacked the Noise Marines with my HQ and that was very successful indeed. My error was that I should have recognised the peril I was in once they were dead. Charge multiple units should have been the tactic. Lesson learned for the future!! Assess the medium term risk.

My Mega Nobs and Warboss chopped up the Chaos Marines and made short work of them so I reckon that is another 'chop the shooty' success.

My 'shooty' Warbuggies and Tankbustas struggled to get in on the action. The Tankbustas took out a Rhino which provided me with much needed cover - a real result. I am liking those Bomb Squigs - they did the business. I think that the buggies need more numbers to be effective. BS2 is just very low even when the Rokkits are Twin-linked.

The Tankbustas fired out of the back of the their Trukk but they were as pin pricks really. They survived to the end only because they were never the number one threat. I played them poorly I reckon!

The survivors were few enough.

But 'enough' is the operative word here. I was fully committed to the objective. I was not distracted and played ultra aggressive!! It is the Ork way and despite my playing the Orks too soft we got there in the end. I liked my 1500 point Ork Army choice and on another day it would have played much differently.

The Dark Templar has reviewed his own performance, a little harshly I feel. It was a battle that was very much in the balance. He spanked me good and proper in the early rounds.

2500 points is the next outing and I am looking forward to it already.

1500 point Ork Army List - the battle plan

So I suppose we must start with the army list. What did Zagdakka take to capture the communications array?

HQ
1 x Warboss, Mega Armour, Lucky Stick, Boss Pole (Zagdrakka)
1 x Painboy
1 x Weird Boy, Psyker ('Eadcrumpa)
2 x Mek

Elites
3 x Mega Nobs, 3 x Kombi Scorchas, Trukk, Ram
7 x Tankbustas, Nob, Bosspole, £ x Bomb Squigs, Trukk, Ram

Troops
15 x Slugga Boys
18 x Slugga Boys, Nob, Power Klaw, Bosspole
20 x Slugga Boys, Nob, Power Klaw, Bosspole

Fast Attack
2 x Warbuggies with Rokkits
14 x Stormboyz, Nob, Power Klaw, Bosspole

Heavy Support
1 x Battlewagon, 4 x Rokkits, Kilkannon, Grot Riggers
3 x Mekgunz, 3 x Tractor Kannon, 3 Ammo Runts

Plan = Battlewagon contains the 15 Boyz, Painboy, Mek and Warboss. Mek number 2 is with the Mega Nobs.

Mekgunz would shoot the flyers.

Weirdboy would deploy depending on what skills he obtained, probably with the 20 boys.

Use the Battlewagon to shelter the 2 Trukks, march the boys up the board, use the Waaagh on turn 2, have the Stromboyz and Buggies arrive turn two. Chaos should ensue as we come at the Iron Fists from the front and rear. Simples. The footsloggers should arrive to mop up at the end.

Reality Check time.

There were no flyers.

We rolled for mission type etc and ended up playing short table edge to short table edge with the communications array right at the back of the board. In short a funnel with and extra 12"s of distance for me to travel. Nerves began to jingle.

I rolled for my Weirdboy and joy of joys Da Jump and Power Vomit! Giggling like a mad person I put the Weirdboy with the large group of 20 Slugga Boys and set them up at the back of the board well out of range, ready to Teleport behind enemy lines. None of that running malarky for my boyz!!

You see, Ghazghkull was right. 'Eadcrumpa had a 'special' purpose!! Ghazghkull knows everything. Never doubt the great one.

Below are the set-up positions. (Buggies and Stormboyz in reserve)

You can see what I mean about a funnel. The Iron Fists had purchased Tank Traps to stop my vehicles and then had Fortifications behind that. These were anchored with tanks on either end. The Fortifications were manned with Oblitorators and Noise Marines. Things looked very hot down there!

I got to go first and decided to go for it in a big way. I pushed everything forward and went for Da Jump straight away. I figured it would be amazing if it came off. I also checked my movement to allow the Killkannon to go for a big shot at the Oblitorators. Guess what - it worked!!!

I successfully teleported into position (no big scatter), then I successfully used Power Vomit against the Oblitorators, they lost one guy and made an unlikely save, I successfully used my Kilkannon against the Oblitorators and they successfully made an unlike save. What a start to the game. I was out of breath all ready.

But then I got spanked for being too ambitious. Unit wiped out to a man as I was surrounded and shot to pieces. At least they were not shooting at the advancing force.

My reserves arrived in turn 2.

But I was not close enough to support them and guess what I got shot to pieces. Again, at least they were not shooting at the advancing force.

Time for the Waaagh!!

I launched my footsloggers (the 'Ighlanders) at the Iron Warrior HQ on the Iron Warrior left.

And in my main thrust for glory, I pushed my HQ down the throat of the enemy. This was it - my time had come - or so I thought.

Noooo - the 'Ighlanders were cut to pieces first by shooting and then at the wrong end of the Initiative sequence. I only had three guys left to hit with. Dreadful.

My HQ advanced and cut down a 5 man unit and then I could not move into the next unit. I had to stand there to be shot at. This seemed so wrong.

So my 'Ighlanders were no more and a the end of the Iron Fists shooting I had 3 guys left in my HQ. The Warboss, the Painboy and one of the Slugga Boyz. Look how close I am to the communications array, but it seemed like those few feet might as well be a few miles.

Then the Obliterators and  2 Iron Fists units attacked in the Assault phase. Go Zagdakka - you can get there!!!

I looked like I was in trouble but up stepped 'Zagdakka the Unmerciful'. Utterly amazing!!

He saw off the Oblitorators and broke the morale of one of the Iron Fist units before finally seeing off the remaining unit. Then the Tankbustas arrived to get in the final act of the day - owning the communications array!

It was a great moment. The Painboy was invaluable. My Warboss was amazing. We had a real blast and a hugely enjoyable day.

The game has changed a lot!! Like a lot. There is much to muse on - but for today I would like to say a great big thank you to the Dark Tamplar for what was a fantastic Sunday. 40k - we salute you!!

Proud Puppy!!

They say 'a picture speaks a thousand words' so ......

And pose, and snap, and pose .....

I think you will find that Zagdakka is the proud possessor of a fine and intact Iron Fists inter planetary communications array!

The campaign is well and truly launched and the Waaagh is underway.

A great, fun, game. Full report to follow.

Ork Horde Assembled

The night before the first strike and the Orks commenced landing the advance force. Great care was required to move units into position from whence the Waaagh could be launched.

The approach to the communication array was narrow so great consideration had been given as to which units would form the advance party. These would now be manoeuvred into position.

Wierdboy 'Eadcrumpa didn't care - he could feel the Waaagh Energy building as a mixture of excitement and thrill filled the Orks around him. He knew that very soon he would filled with that Energy and would have only one option - use his powers - release the searing energy in destructive blasts and waves. He yearned to have the Energy flowing through him  It would not be long now, however this time it would be different. 

Ghazghkull himself had charged him with a mission of particular importance. He must maintain control. He must, he must ...... but as the waves of Waaagh Energy continued to build he could sense that feeling of complete euphoria that only a true Warphead experiences. He swooned and let another wave of Energy cruise through his body. He had not asked for this responsibility. There was so much more joy in letting the Energy flow - but not this time. He reached deep inside for control. What would the morning bring?

An Iron Wall of Walkers

Perhaps this is the Iron Wall that Nidai was dreaming of. An iron wall of walkers leading the green tide into battle. Wishful imaginings that the iron wall was filled with Iron Warriors. Instead the Orks are beating a path to his door before ripping it apart and him along with it.

I do love a Walker. Always have done. I think that they are perhaps the most Orky thing in the entire army and they have come a long way.

My Ork Walker or Deff Dread has always been called Da Basha! I might as well paint a big shamrock on him because he has a history of surviving when he should not and delivering an utter mauling to the opposition!! He has been responsible for more 'bragging rights' than any other single model. I have three different versions of him and love all three.

In terms of tactics I favour running him across the table and giving him all close combat weapons. This keeps his purpose simple and there is no 'thinking about having a shot' moments. He is not good at shooting. Play to the strengths and let others do the shooting.

The Killa Kans have also had a certain amount of success and the models themselves are just outstanding. The unit size has been increased in the recent codex so that it can contain up to six Kans. Thats a lot of Kans! I think it will seriously increase their effectiveness in that you tend to lose one or two on the way across the board. Now there will be enough left to dish the damage required.

Feel the need ..... the need for speed!

I used to run a Speed Freak army with hordes of Trukks, Buggies, Bikes, Wagons etc. It was a tournament army and a joy to play. Full out attack from the very start and very intimidating to play against, especially if I got to go first.

As such I have a lot of older vehicles including 5 or 6 old style Trukks and an investment from Forgeworld in the form of a battlewagon, which I love.

Bearing in mind how small the old Trukks were this was and still is a proper Orky brute.

Things have moved on and the new style Trukks and Wagons are great. Mind you we are still waiting for some new Buggies. The old ones just don't fit in any more.

I always loved the Buggies but the last Codex gave dominance to the Deffkoptas and I have loads of them. With this Codex the Warbuggy in just 25 points and has been given the Outflank rule. This means that they can arrive from Reserve from the side of the table. The  twin linked Rokkits are now free and you can have up to 5 Buggies in a unit. Now that is five shots looking for 5+, probably into rear armour with re-rolls. That should be 3 Hits really. This unit could pay for itself very quickly! A real menace!

The Trukk is the still the same old Trukk. At 30 points it can transport up to 12 models. It is still made of paper with Armour of 10 all round however it can now take a Rokkit for free. It also has Ramskackle as a special rule. When suffering a penetrating hit roll a D6. On a 6+ the Trukk suffers a Glalcing hit instead.

And then there is the Battlewagon at 110 points. Front armour of 14 is great and can transport up to 20 models. There are all kinds of options to add weaponry e.g. unto 4 Rokkit Launchas and then there is also the option to add a Kannon, Lobba, Zzap gun or indeed a Killkannon. After that there is a load of Vehicle Equipment that can also be added. Back in the day my view was that the primary job of the Wagon was to get the Boyz across the table and thereafter it became mobile terrain whose job it was to reduce line of sight on to the Boyz. Run it cheap and invest in the cargo was the motto.

I still have decisions to make for the big outing on Sunday but my feeling is that the Orks need transport of some description.

Unleash hell from the skies.

One of the great joys of 40k is its evolving nature. Since my last outing, some time ago, my Orks have developed a range of flyers to torment their enemies. Sunday will be my first opportunity to try them out so lets have a look at my options.

There are two basic flyers, the Dakkajet and the Burna-Bommer which cost 110 points and 115 point respectively and then there is the Blitza-Bommer which comes in at 135 points.

The Supa Shoota R36", S6, AP4, Assault 3 is the main shooting weapon. There is also a range of bombs and missiles. The Burna Bomb S5, AP4, large blast, Ignores cover and the Boom Bomb S7, AP2, Armourbane, Large Blast, Screamin Decent. The missile is the Skorcha Missile S5,AP4, Heavy1, Blast, Ignores Cover. All the flyers have rules that increase their BS to 3. Also bombs only scatter D6 so quite accurate.

The Dakkajet has 2 twinklinked sups shooters and may take a third for 20 points. So that is a total of 9 shots with a BS of 3. Expect 4-5 hits and then re-rolls for another 2-3 hits. An average of 7 hits a turn however with AP4 the space marines will get their armour save. This also has the option to be used against enemy light Flyers by giving it the Fly Boss upgrade.

The Burna-bommer has a twin linked Big Shoota and a twin linked sups shoota. Its plus side is that it can take unto 6 Skorcha Missiles and has 2 Burna Bombs. The AP4 will again allow armour saves. To use the bombs you have to fly over the enemy which in itself could be an issue. In range of Rapid Fire weapons etc.

Finally there is the Blitza-Bommer. It has a Big Shoota (not twin linked) and a Twinlinked Supa Shoota. The plus side here is that it has 2 Boom Bombs. Now with an AP2 these could cause some damage and they have Armourbane.

I think that the issue here is will they be worth their points?

I struggle to see how the Dakkajet and Burna-bommer could be effective. The high AP on the weaponry will leave the Space Marines making lots of 3+ saves. The Dakkajet could be an anti air option, so worth a thought. The Blitza-Bommer on the other hand has 2 Boom Bombs. That will be two opportunities to use the large blast template probably killing everything under it.

The other thing is that they have only got 10 Armour value and 3 Hull Points. Not exactly difficult to take out of the sky.

Overall I am fairly disappointed with the Flyers. For me, they could have been made a bit more quirky and been given a tad more firepower.

Da Orkz Iz 'Ere!

Zagdakka was leading the advance force. His time had come and now he would smash his way into the annells of Ork history.

He was confident that the Iron Fists were no match for the hordes of Orks that were descending on them. Too many had left Sakur and once he, Zagdakka the Unmerciful, had destroyed their inter-planetory communications array they would be unable to send word for reinforcement. Their survival would be impossible and the Waaagh would sweep the system. With growing reputation Zagdakka would lead them to immeasurable glories. The remaining Chaos Marines would be exterminated utterly!

Speed was what was needed. Advance quickly and crush any resistance.

Zagdrakka had used these tactics many times and contented himself that it had been successful, more times than not. One question remained why had Ghazghkull insisted on taking 'Eadcrumpa? Weirdboyz were too, well, weird. 'Eadcrumpa was a true Warphead, addicted to spewing Waaagh Energy. Zagdrakka felt he was unreliable and a liability - but on this occasion he had been overruled. Did Ghazghkull know something that he was not sharing? 

The battle was close, focus on preparations and deployment. 

Let the Waaagh begin!

Anti air support - Ork style

One of the big changes since I last played my Orks is that the sky can be filled with all kinds of danger and this requires some thought. The designed solution for Orks is the Tractor Kannon because it comes with Skyfire, Tracktor.

Plan A

18 points buys you a Mek Gun with 2 Gretchin. The Mek Gun has T7,W2 and the Gretchin have a BS of 3. Yes folks - I said 3. They can shoot!!! Well I never. The Mek Gun can be upgraded to a Tractor Kannon for a further 12 points. And there is the option to take additional gretchin and Ammo Runts for re-rolls. The Tractor Kannon is S8, AP3, Heavy 1, Skyfire, Tractor. You may have 5 of these in a squad.

Skyfire allows you to shoot at flying vehicles using your normal BS in this case 3 so you need 4+ To Hit. Ammo runts allow re-rolls. That should average out 3 Hits at S8.

The down side is that you can only Snap Shot at non flying Units which, for an Ork who would normally need 5+ To Hit, means you would now need a 6+.

Tractor means that the flyer is automatically Immobilised when a Glancing or Penetrating Hit is scored. A further dice is rolled and on a 1 or 2 the flyer will immediately Crash & Burn!! The flyer is torn apart and it scatters 2D6. A Large Blast template is used to see if anyone underneath is injured. If covered by the template then you take a S6, AP- hit.

Plan B

Interestingly there is almost a natural solution in that the Ork Ballistic Skill (BS) is so bad that you tend to make up for it with volume. The Ork BS of 2 means that you need 5+ To Hit. Well if shooting at flying vehicles you need a 6+ To Hit.

Consider the Lootas.

They are armed with Deff Guns, S7, AP4, Heavy D3. A decent squad of these guys will be laying down a lot of fire power. A squad of 10 (and there could be a lot more) would be expecting to generate 15 shots a turn looking for 6+ To Hit. There should be a couple of Hits in there and more with a bit of luck. The bigger the squad the higher the number of shots.

This principle also applies to a lot of other units too - Buggies with Twinlinked Rokkits, The Flash Gits etc etc.

Feel No Pain - Ork Painboy

The Ork Painboy is really worth a consideration.

His stats are nothing special where he has S4, W2, I3, A3

His Wargear is a bit different though. He is armed with an 'Urty syringe and Dok's tools.

The 'Urty syringe is interesting in that it is based on the S of the user and Poisons the victim on a 4+. This means that it always wounds on a 4+. Also if the User S is higher than the victims T you get to re-roll any failed To Wound. Makes him good in challenge where he will be fighting in I order with 3 Attacks, 4 on the charge with a decent WS of 4. Against Space Marines that will be 3+ To Hit and then 4+ To Wound (no Armour saves) and then re-rolling any failed To Wound. On the charge that should be 2 Wounds and a dead opponent! Get him into Terminators and well ...... they may as well be standing in their pyjamas!!

However the big deal with the Painboy is the Dok's Tools. This represents the Painboy 'interfering' with the Unit he is attached to. He 'dopes them up' so that they Feel No Pain which gives them a 5+ save against all unsaved wounds (except Instant Death). This is great for a large unit of Orks where they only benefit from a 6+ armour save and dramatically increases their survival abilities.

Stick him in a unit of 30 Boyz and march them across the table. Stick him in a Battlewagon brimming with loads of Boyz and your Warboss and and and ..... The options are many and varied but bestowing Fell No Pain to a large unit is a worthwhile contribution to the war effort.

You also get to take the 15 point Mek which does not fill a Force Organisation slot. Nice.

How to kill a Space Marine - by Ghazghkull Thraka (or one of his lowly Mek boyz)

Chop em up & shoot em up!!

The truth is that when it come to killing Space Marines you need to consider their armour save of 3+. If you intend using weapons with AP4 you can expect that two thirds of the hits will be saved but if you can find yourself using AP3 weapons or better then you radically increase your chances of a kill as there will be no armour saves at all.

Orks have limited options to AP3 weapons: -

Boom Bomb S7, AP2, large blast - one use only
Burna S User, AP3 - expensive points wise
Buzzsaw, Sx2, AP2
Deff Kannon - S10, AP1, Massive Blast - Stompa
Kannon Shell, S8, AP3, Heavy 1
Kan Klaw, S+2, AP2
Killkannon, S7, AP3, Ordnance, Large Blast
Killsaw, Sx2, AP2
Klaw of Gork, S10, AP1
Kustom mega-blasta, S8, AP2, Assault 1
Kustom mega-kannon, S8, AP2, Heavy 1, Blast
Kustom mega slugga,S8, AP2
Mega choppa, SD, AP1 - Stompa
Power Klaw, Sx2, AP2 - every Nob should one
Rokkit Launcha, S8, AP3 - cheap / free upgrades, often Twinlinked
Shokk attack gun S2D6, AP2, Ordnance 1, Large Blast
Smasha gun, SD6+4, AP1 -Heavy 1
Supa-gatler, S7, AP3 - Heavy 2D6 - Stompa
Supa-rokkit, S8, AP3 - Heavy 1, Large blast - Stompa
Tankbusta bombs, S8, AP1 - Grab em where you can
Tankhammer, S8, AP2 - expensive at 15 points
Tellyport blasta - S8, AP2, Assault 1, Blast - expensive upgrade
Traktor kannon S8, AP3 - Heavy 1, Skyfire
Zzap gun, S2D6, AP2, Heavy 1

A BS of 5 means that one off shots need volume or re-rolls so twin linked is good. Blast templates are great and the bigger the better. Its also good to be using Assault weapons as Ork units will be typically on the move. The main focus is to get into combat where decent WS statistics can really count.

Speaking of big templates with low AP values one name keeps coming up ..... Da Stompa!

And just look at the size of some of those templates. How many Space Marines could you take out under the Massive Blast of the Deff Kannon? Me oh my - how I would love to find out, in a game!

Orks can fly! - Project Stormboyz

Project Stormboyz

Its been with me for years. It all started it when I first purchased some of the old models (when they first came out - thats how long ago this has been going on). The idea of flying Orks with big Rokkits on their back was just fun, fun, fun. Sooo Orky! I got myself the models and the first thing I did was to paint shark like faces on a few of them. Shear comedy.

I gave them a basic paint job (based and at least three colours) and I played them a fair bit. It was always handy having them arrive in the middle of battle. Often they made the difference and pushed the fight in the right direction.

Then we went to a show somewhere in London and there was a demonstration using green stuff. I was amazed someone was giving flight to the Stormboyz using the greenstuff and I was fascinated! Wire was attached to the based and then to the back of the Rokkit. The base was given some weight by filling in the underside and then greenstuff was built up around the wire to represent a plume of smoke smashing against the ground and a small burst of flames exiting the rokkit. Just brilliant!

However my greenstuff skills were non existent but I was determined to give it a go. The first few attempts were dreadful. The greenstuff dries slowly so patience is needed to keep the edges spiky. Project Stormboyz had begun! Over the years I have had various attempts and each one was an improvement. Finally I just went for it.

I had great fun with balancing the model especially for the two that are further from the ground. I just love the ways the legs are dangling in the air.

I had a few goes at painting and again I just failed to get the flames looking anything like I wanted. I had another go this week and I am much happier with he results. I went for a dull red with an orange highlight and then a few streaks of yellow. From a playing distance its not half bad.

And it just goes to prove that Orks can fly! So watch out - there could be one landing near you ;-)

Newly Improved Tankbustas for the 7th Edition

The Tankbustas were always a favourite with me. I love the idea of mad Orks armed to the teeth with every conceivable anti-tank weapon just rushing headlong into the fray to destroy as much armour as they possibly can. Now in the old rules this was in fact a bit of a problem as they were forced to attack all the time and sometimes, when they got excited, even their own vehicles. No don't get me wrong, I like a laugh as much as the next person, but they weren't exactly competitive. It was almost as though your opponent controlled where they ended up.

Well thats all changed now and the new 7th edition Tankbustas are now a proper force to be reckoned with. They come with improved shooting opportunities as well as Tankbusta bombs for all and we still have the very zany Bomb Squigs! I think every Ork army will have a squad!

Lets have a proper examination of these bad boyz! (I needed to reach back in time to get sufficient Rokkit models and I am still 2 short for a full unit).

A unit of 5 Tankbustas costs 65 points and each of them is armed with Rokkit Launchas R24", S8, AP3, Assault 1. Everybody in the unit has one of these! They also come with Tankbusta Bombs (melta bombs) S8, AP1, Armourbane (rolls an extra D6 for Armour Pen and choose the 2 highest), Unweildy (Fights with an I of 1 in hand to hand). The entire unit also has the Tank Hunters rule and therefore re-rolls for armour penetration and can re-roll Glancing Hits.  They can all be put in a Trukk (capacity of 12)

Two models can swap their Rokkit launches for Tankhammers S8, AP3, Melee, Two handed, unwieldy. Costs 15 points each. I don't really see the point in them at all! Use the Tankbusta Bombz against vehicles and if the Tankbustas are in melee - then they are toast anyway! You have to give up 2 Rokkit Launchas as well - and with a BS of 2, I think the squad will want as many shots as possible.

In other words they are full on anti armour!!

To really put salt in the wound they are also 'Glory Hogs' which grants double Victory Points if the first model to leave the board in an enemy Tank! Potentially game winning and very much in the Ork character. I like it.

In terms of unit size - you can have an additional 10 models at 13 points each - that is 15 in total. One may be ungraded to Boss Nob. The big call is going to be - How many do you include? They are going to attract attention. I think the Trukk is necessary which puts a limit of 12 on the unit size - but in smaller games I think less will be needed.

You can also add up to three Bomb Squigs for 5 points each. This is a one off ranged attack i.e. the squig runs forward and explodes! R18", S8, AP4, Assault 1, Scuttle Scuttle Blam! (always hits on a 2+)

I think that this is great value for the 5 points spent. It gives a S8 ranged attack, hitting on a 2+. Orks just don't have that capability anywhere else. Got to have all 3 in any army.

Tankbustas will be great fun to play and it will be worth my while investing a little more time in upgrading their paint job!

Ka Boom!!