[Thor{DoH}]

Being a new Ork player, and loving it, I wanted to see if anyone had some very "Orky Tactics" they are fond of and would like to share. I'm kind of looking for stuff you do that someone wouldn't expect, or something that works exceptionally well, or just something so Orky it's funny.

[Sinsparagon]

*Edit*
I lied, there isn't any ork tatics on the "Important Topics" section above.
Sorry.

[Parkspaz]

sit there in a big line against assault troops, wait for them to get close and BANG dere goez za umies ;D

[Mitch: the noob]

a wall of grotz to protect your boyz
:-P
very orky

[waargh]

A lot of ork units have specific roles. For instance tankbustas excell vs tanks, whereas the role of the trukkboy is to close in quick. Playing orks is often about simply putting each of your units in a position to fulfill their role to the maximum effect. So generally your tactics in-game will more often be determined by the enemies you are facing, as 'umbrella tactics' will work in different ways against different armies.

Much of the ork game lies in deployment, particularly if youre playing a predominantly footslogging force. When deploying your ork units, the main question you should be asking yourself is "Where do they need to go, and how can they get there?". I like to set my specific units 'goals'. For instance, the goal of a large mob of flashgits with big shootas may be to move to a central objective, while providing covering fire to other ork units with their long range big shootas - with this in mind I'd deploy them where I know they can reach the objective in the game(no use if they simply cant make it by turn 6!), as well as having good LOS to enemy units which pose a threat to other ork units. Sometimes an ork unit's goal may not be to 'get somewhere', rather 'to stop the enemy achieving their own goals'.

An ork player must take terrain into consideration. Its true that moving through cover will grant you the wonderous cover saves that we all need, but it also hinders movement. So will your unit be able to achieve it's goal if it's potentially moving 1" through terrain? I usually find that Im better off using terrain to block LOS entirely rather than taking the risk of moving through it(for mobs that really need to get to the enemy - sluggaboys and 'ardboys for example).

Objectives add a new dimension to the game, as you have two different aims - to both gain the majority of the objective(s) turn 6, as well as stopping your enemy. A general 'umbrella rule' I apply to claiming objectives(in the case of there being 3 objectives) with all armies is that its best to claim 1, hold it with a 'static unit', then make the moves to claim a second objective turn 5-6. Sometimes its good to just dump a load of stuff onto your 1st objective and 'dare' enemies to come out, then counter attack with fast units like stormboys or trukkboys.

Order of deployment - Always refer to your unit's roles when choosing the order in which to deploy them. For example: my unit of burnaboys always deploys behind kans, so I would deploy them before my second troop choice - tankbustas, whose role is simply to take out enemy armour, so I could place them in a more useful position with more of the enemy forces deployed. Some units have 'vague roles', these are usually the most versatile of troops, with some sort of long range weapon - this means that they can be effective against most units in the game. Units like this should be deployed first - because as long as they have some pretty good arcs or fire, they should be effective no matter where you put them. With these units down you can place your more specialised units down later as you'll know where more of the enemy forces are deployed.

Range! - Generally, 40k units are only effective if they have both LOS and range. In deployment you need to take note of distances like - "how far away are our forces deployed?", "how long is my deployment?". With this knowledge you should be able to calculate where your units need to be deployed in order to fulfil their roles, eg. slugga boys are limited to a 6" move, so they can only move 36" a game(without aid of assualt moves, consolidation, etc). So with that in mind you need to put them where you know they can make it. There is a flipside to this, as if you can calculate where and how far your units will move, you can predict the same for the enemy, and deploy your heavier units to counter the movement of enemy forces.




aaaand I cant be bothered writing any more. Some mod may be able to convince(kick) me into writing a fullblown 'waargh's orky tactica' though :P

[Mad Bazza da Krumpet]

Ork tactics? WAAAGH! Get all of your mobs and chuck them at the enemy lines. It's not necessarily very viable or likely to win games, but it's the single most proppa way of krumpin' yer skumgrodz. ;D

[IVEATCH]

Good post waargh!!

There is some further info in the 'important topic' section just right above this one in the Ork Section. There is some low cunning involved in playing Orks.

Best Regards,

[Thor{DoH}]

Thanks, waargh, that was a very good read.

[MagicJuggler]

(Note: I'm getting the inspiration for this from Full Metal Jacket)

ATTENSHUN! DIZ IS KAPTAIN KRUMP O' DA BLOOD AXES! IF YOU NON-ORK SCUM LEAVE BOOT CAMP, IF YOU SURVIVE RECRUIT TRAINING, YOU WILL BE WEAPONS. YOU WILL BE MINISTERS OF DEATH CHOMPING FOR THE WAAGH. BUT UNTIL THAT DAY, YOU ARE PUKES! YOU ARE THE LOWEST FORM OF LIFE. YOU ARE NOT EVEN SENTIENT LIFE. YOU ARE NOTHING BUT UNORGANIZED GRABASSTIC PIECES OF AMPHIBIAN Shtlk! THE SNOTLINGS LOOK UPON YOU WITH CONTEMPT! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?

ONTO THE FIRST DRILL! THIS IS MY WEAPON! I AM USELESS WITHOUT IT!
-The Choppa is the Ork's Best friend, but unless you actually get the charge and the Power of The Waagh, you won't get much chance to use it as the enemy will beat you down beforehand. High-initiative enemies are the bane of Orks as just a few Orkish casualties significantly reduce their fighting effectiveness in melee. Fortified enemies are an even worse scenario as unless you specifically remembered to bring Frags with you, the enemy fights at effective initiative 10.
-Shootas are an OK but not that great an investment...statistically speaking, you still have the same chances of killing a Marine with a Shoota as you do with a Lasgun but a Guardsman has a better chance of killing another Guardsman/Eldar/Sister/etc. An Ork army DOES have ways to get reliable infantry shooting though, from Feral Ork Huntas inducted into a Snakebite army, to Kroot Trackers. Just remember to stick to cover with them, and you should be fine.
-The main advantage Orks have over most armies is their abundance of cheap Assault weapons. With the ability to pack lots of Big Shootas, Burnas, and Rokkit Launchas, you'd think the average troops choice was a Discount Devastator Squad. For most melee squads, the Burna tends to be the best choice, while Big Shootas work for nearly everything else. When it comes to actual anti-tank duty, other more dedicated components of the army do better at it.
-The Kustom Blasta is a useless toy. Avoid it. The Skorcha is a Gorksend to vehicles, etc. Any of the three types of Big Gunz are good, depending on which one you wish to use.

CONGRATS! YOU ARE NOW A SERGEANT! HERE ARE YOUR TROOPS!
-Warboss: You have to take him, but you really shouldn't complain too much. He's big, he's mean, he's green. What more could you want? Well, good BS but that really shouldn't matter too much. This guy is a born and bred melee monster, capable of charging in with a good 6 Strength 5 attacks at Initiative 8(!). Or if you're not much for initiative, you could always attack with Strength 10 instead. It really is up to you I suppose. The only real problem with him is he's not that tough unless you're willing to spend a small fortune. Personally, I find the Cybork Body and Eavy Armor to be decent enough for surviving the first assault because if you play it right, you should empty most of your killzone anyways, and Mega Armor is too restrictive for what it does.

The big question I suppose now is whether or not it's worth adding a retinue. Personally, I am not a fan of the Mega-Armored Nobs from hell. On one hand, the sheer concentration of Nobz means you've got a unit that fights as the equivalent of a Terminator Assault Squad. On the other hand, they're slow, they're expensive, and they don't get the 5+ invulnerable save that Terminators get, so you'd best avoid any melee unit with power weapons/hidden power fists (in short, attack solely shooty units). If I were to use a retinue, it'd be light, primarily choppas and Sluggas, and MAYBE some Eavy Armor. This unit is *relatively* cheap (though it's still pricey) and it gets a lot of Strength 4 initiative 6 choppa attacks (and maybe a few hidden powerfists can be thrown in the mix), making it a good spearhead for the rest of your troops to follow through with.

Naturally, such a big bad force will need a ride to convey itself into battle. I myself personally suggest a Battlewagon for the protection and fire support it can provide. Drive up under cover of a forcefield, disembark, and charge with the power of the Waagh, watching as you decimate the units you fight in melee. Sweeping advance then consolidate to the next foe. Once an hole is torn in the opponent's defenses, take advantage of the chaos to overwhelm your foe.

EDIT: Da Battlewagon works best fer transporting big mobs, while da trukk works better for smaller "Elite" teams. Also, Painboyz aren't worth it in a retinue as you need a lot of Orderlies to make healing easier and that's space better taken up by da Nobs. One Mekboy still does da Job nicely fer keeping yer vehicle from being Penetrated, even if da Concealment rules are a lot weaker than 3rd' ed's Hulldown rules.

More unit analyis will come soon. :-X

[MagicJuggler]

Hello, and now for part two of my Orky Strateegery:

Sometimes, a secondary HQ choice is a really good thing to have. Other times it turns out to be a waste of points. That said, here goes:

-The Big Mek is basically a Mekboy with Nob stats. This means you can get an initiative 6 flamer/power-weapon hybrid of doom, or an independent character forcefield. However, his bodyguard is absolutely worthless, as the Ork codex was built before GW decided to give point discounts for non-independent characters. At 12-points a Burna, a unit of Mekboyz will rise up in cost obscenely quick, especially when a Burna Boy mob can do the same thing for less. In other words, don't take a retinue with the Mek.
-The Mad Dok on the other hand is a surprisingly useful Ork to have about. Though his healing ability is absolutely useless, Cyborks are perhaps the most cost-effective bodyguard out there. With the strength of Skarboyz and durability outclassing the Ard Boyz, they make a great support unit to your Boss team, especially if mounted in a Trukk of their own. Add a few more vehicles and you have a viable Wartrakk Rumble.
-Weirdboy: Yes, he is legal. Don't believe me? Go to the FAQ in the first Chapter Approved Compendium and look at the Ork FAQ when a player asks if you can still take Boarboyz and Weirdboyz. Out of consideration for the more...ahem...old fashioned Warbosses who have a fondness for such things, yes they can. I'm assuming you'd steal the rules from the Feral Ork list. Anyway, he really isn't that useful as BS 3 still isn't that great and his Psyker powers are weak (Gork'll Get em is no match for a good Battlecannon/Rokkit/etc. while Psychic Vomit is essentially a flamer. Meh). I'd only take him if you were also playing with minor psyker powers. Roll up the Will table, and hope for Battle Fury. Plop him in a big mob. You now have a big mob o' WS 5 Orks. Happy Hunting.

Elitez, aka these ain't yer normal Boyz.
In general, most Elitez aren't really worth it. They cost too much and are too fragile, thus making them very attractive targets for enemy generals. Plus the fact of the matter is their abilities don't compensate for their reduced quantity. That said, lets look at most of them from an objective manner.
-Kommandos: They're Orks who infiltrate. This would be fine and good if they HAD armor. Apparently, they were designed for sneaking into a covered firebase and pinning down a foe. The problem is with their ORK BS 2 and only 1 special weapon, they are more like a mosquito bite than anything else. I'd avoid them.
-Stormboyz: True, they are the cheapest Jump Packs out there, but they still are too expensive for what they do. A good round of shooting will cost you a LOT of points. That said, Da Vulcha Squad is a particularly useful Stormboy Squad as their additional speed means they can effectively close the distance faster than the regular boyz (the difference between a 12 inch assault and a 6 inch assault is bigger than it looks. Nothing stinks more than being in rapid-fire range of an enemy and not getting to assault), and their bonus strength is worth the risk of them killing themselves.
-Skarboyz: Perhaps the most useful of all the Ork squads. Hide them among your mobs of Boyz and watch your opponent's jaw drop when he realizes that one swkad is really Strength 4. And they're relatively cheap.
-Ard Boyz: In general, they aren't worth it. More bodies is a better doctrine than tougher bodies, especially when Mobbing is concerned. Besides, their 4+ save means you're going to have every Heavy Bolter, Submunition Shot, Whirlwind Launcher, etc. trained on em. However, they are decent for throwing at large squads of non-armor piercing units, like Gaunts and Guard.
-Flash Gitz: I wanted to like the concept of these troops, but they just aren't worth it. You're paying extra points just to be eligible for upgrades, which cost points. And you suffer point waste if you buy any special weapons. Of the three choices, More Dakka is probably the best. Shootier is potentially dangerous at closer range but this sets you up for assault (remember, Orks do better ON the charge than being charged), and Blasta is very likely to kill you under the 4th-ed "Gets Hot" rules (and besides, Blasta only provides low AP at close range anyway. At such short range, it's better to just use Choppas anyways).

Troops:
Slugga Boyz: Your bread-and-butter unit, the Slugga Boyz consist of plenty of mean, green fighting machines. An Ork on the charge gets 4 WS 4, I 4 attacks that save at 4+ at best (meaning Beakies are in for a fight). The real trouble with Orks is actually GETTING them into a fight. Unless you're playing against another assault army (like Khorne Berzerkers or Lost and Damned, or most variants of Tyranids), you're going to be foot-slogging it across the board, with many a template weapon being thrown at you in the process. Stick to cover but don't dawdle, don't get stuck in a killzone, and catch your enemy where he least expects it. Of the many weapons upgrades available to Orks, I'd say the best one is the Burna, as it is a good multipurpose item for burning lightly armored swarms or cutting up heavily armored MEQs and vehicles. The Nob is also a good upgrade, for access to a hidden powerfist.
Shoota Boyz: Not really worth it. They make Imperial Guard shooting look good.
Huntas: Only available in Feral or Snakebite armies, they're what Shoota boys SHOULD be. Though only WS 3 and Attack 1, they have BS 3, meaning their shootas are halfway useful for hitting things (as are their Rokkit Launchas when Ammo Runts are added to the unit). They still aren't that great a unit, but if you want something that isn't BS 2 but don't feel like using Kroot Mercenaries, this is your unit.
-Burna Boyz: The best way to protect your troops is by adding a Mekboy to this unit, and using this unit to screen. Plus you have a higher burna concentration than in any other unit, making for a deadly assassin squad.
-Tankbustas. These are great tank killers, and I always take two squads whenever as they're the most likely of all my squads to make their points back. Once again, a Nob with Ammo runts is useful, especially if you give 'im a Rokkit launcha as well. 5 AP 9 shots is a nasty combo.
-Grots: A really useful item to say the least, Grots look deceptively useless at first. Though they can easily be beaten by Tau in melee, they are dirt cheap and provide your army with quite a few bonuses, from clearing minefields to allowing them to move through cover more effectively to providing secondary cover bonuses. Just remember to keep some Kustom Fieldz nearby to improve their survivability.

Fast Attack: For the most part, Ork Fast attack is very very useful. However, here goes the review:
-Warbikes: If they weren't so fragile, I'd rate em higher on my list. With the ability to provide yet ANOTHER source of cover for your army (as if grots and forcefields and actual cover aren't enough), they have some nasty firepower in the form of their Psycho Blastas. The only problem is that for a model that costs 30 points, it dies too easily to concentrated fire. One Inferno cannon, properly positioned, will make you regret buying this unit.
-Warbuggies/Wartrakks: This may easily be one of your best shooting units, despite the lack of Ork BS. Coming in squads of up to 3 lightly armored vehicles, they work great at zipping up to an enemy and either popping his vehicles in their weaker side/rear armor, or torching his infantry out of cover (especially since cover is a LOT more valuable in 4th ed). In a pinch, they can be used as a cheaper version of tank-shockers, for 3 of them means 3 leadership tests, thus improving the chances of failure, as all it takes is ONE failure for a tank-shocked unit to be rendered useless until it can regroup.
-Wartrukk: Anything that lets you support your HQs in melee helps. I'd suggest maybe one of these to provide meatshields for your Nobs and/or Cyborks.

Despite their pitiful BS, Orks have some of the best Heavy Supports out there. This is because many of them aren't really based on BS in the first place.

-Battlewagon: What a fun choice to take! Lots of Gunz, and the ability to transport 20 Orks. Great for bringing in a mob into battle, but also great as a fire platform for your Tankbustas. (the rest can use the Bolt-on Big Shootas to provide extra S6 firepower for damaging light vehicle squads). Plus, if you're using Imperial Armor, you can mount a Grot Bomb on it, making for a nasty surprise.
-Big Gunz: They're underrated but still not that great. The problem with them is that the blast weapons scatter and use the small templates (so they won't hit too much), and the Zzap Gun is too short-ranged. A stationary battery of Zzaps might be useful for deterring mechanized armies, but your goal is to close IN with the enemy, not keep them at bay.
-Dreadnought: Not a horrible choice, but Killa Kans do the job better.
-Gunwagon: A cheaper Battlewagon, useful if you need a light mobile tank. Plus it can use a Grot Bomb/
-Killa Kans: The best light walkers in the game, except for maybe the Eldar War Walkers. At any rate, they're great for melee as a squad of 3 can easily tear up most units (except for mobs w/ hidden powerfists). They can also have free skorchas for weakening their opponent prior to assault.
-Lootas: They're fun but not that effective. However, should you have a friendly opponent, you can allow them to take squad upgrades from other squads not mentioned in the Ork Codex. One guy used the upgrades for Noise Marines to represent Goff Rockers for instance, while another one gave them power-weapons from the Space Wolf Blood Claws. As long as it isn't overtly abusive (e.g. deciding to upgrade the Lootas w/ Daemonic Talons from the Possessed squad entry or giving them Markerlights from a Pathfinder Squad), I can see them being a fun addition.
-Looted Vehicles: Now these are heavy supports. Of them, I find the Griffon, Leman Russ, and Basilisk to be the three best choices. Everything else is BS-reliant and too expensive. (and rhinos are useless as you can't assault from em).