Editing Warhammer 40,000/5th Edition Tactics/Orks/Dred Mob

This is a previous edition's tactics.  
[[Warhammer_40,000/6th_Edition_Tactics/Orks/Dred_List|6th Edition Tactics are here.]]

[[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Orks/Dred_Mob(7E)|7th Edition Tactics are here.]]

==Why Play Dred Mob Orks==

WAAAALLKERS!!!

These guys are full of armor. Imperial Armor has turned dusty old Forge World models and the fluffy vehicles we all know Orks can make into a full Codex. This Codex screws convention, because it has Dreadnaughts galore and uses them like troops and fast attack. The extremely low model count is deceptive, because the list essentially uses the same core strategy: Wreck Shit in Close Combat. The same strategies work well for horde or crunchy lists, just concentrate your fire more. That said, the "basic" format of this list (all Dreds all the time), is tactically durable, but when you're boned you're ''really'' boned. This is the most vehicle based army in existence outside of [[Apocalypse]]. This can quickly exceed [[Imperial Guard]] in terms of sheer number of vehicles on the board. Orky ranged anti-tank gets a huge steroid-infused boost, and this list gives back the orkish energy-weapon goofiness lost over the decades. It isn't entirely hopeless for your enemies though; the list crumples in lower-point games, and will fall to concentrated anti-tank fire.

==Things to Remember==
*This list sucks Heavy Support like nobodies business. Try to find other alternatives to Heavy Support. Fast Attack can also go quickly. Don't look to infantry for core units, in this list the infantry support your main force. There are two main tactics you can use here:
**'''Basic:''' All walkers, all the time, no exceptions. Maybe a Warkopta to provide support and carry those Spannas; or some Grot Scavs, Spannas, Burnas, or light vehicles to tarpit, screen, point-cap, and cover advances. Remember though that walkers are your core, your crunch; and what a crunch they are.
**'''Vehicles:''' Fully mobile list. This is broken down into a scale: Pure to Diluted. On the Pure end are hard vehicles and heavy vehicle-mounted ordinance. On the Diluted end are transported infantry and bikers (the diluted end is typically the classic Orky mobility list). Find your place on the scale.
Usually players like to keep a Supa-Kannon handy somewhere on the field. Strength 9 Large Blasts falling in a 60" radius gives whatever mounts it rapid points cost return, and a huge sign saying "shoot me!"

==Unit Analysis==
===HQ===
*'''Zhadznark 'Da Rippa':''' Many people call this guy the better Wazdakka. He has twin Big Shootas, a power klaw at normal initiative (Space Marine no less!) and he can choose to Turbo Boost ''and then Tank Shock'' a unit. He also gets to take warbikers as troops, no surprise. But, he comes with a catch: No Deff Dreads, Kans, or Big Gunz. This rules out Basic strategies and forces you into Vehicle territory. You can still have Mega-Dreads, though. This means he must be used as a close combat shock unit, and needs a warbiker retinue. All well and good, but he pushes your army so far into the Diluted end of the scale that you might as well just play codex orks. Which you can. He and Buzzgob can be used as HQ choices outside of this list.
*'''Mek Boss Buzgob:''' Hoo boy, its Buzzgob. The poster boy of the entire IA volume, this dude is full of win. He is dirt cheap, first off. His entire statline is better than a Big Mek. He comes with 'eavy Armor, a Big Choppa, and a Bosspole from the start. He also runs around in an orky Full Tech Harness, the Mek Arms. They give him D3 attacks on the charge ''in addition'' to the +1 he gets normally. This makes him a close combat monster against hordes and unarmored units. But, he lacks Cybork Body and Eternal Warrior, which means he dies to railguns very quickly. Put him in a transport with retinue to ensure his success.
** Oh wait, did I forget to mention he takes his Dreads with him? That's right, if this guy [[Troll|trolls]] his way into your standard Codex Orks army, he must take a Deff Dread Mob, as a troops choice, in the army. No Spannas needed. 
*'''Big Mek:''' A versatile HQ less suited to direct combat, the Big Mek's role in an army is largely defined by one of two upgrades he's able to take. The Shokk Attack Gun lets him lay down AP2 Large Blasts with variable strength, turning Marines, Terminators, and any other high-armored single-wound models into goop. It's prone to mishaps, though, which can make it a risky (if really funny to watch) choice. The Kustom Force-Field allows the Mek to bestow cover saves to nearby units, although it doesn't improve his offensive capabilities at all. An absolutely vital choice to a vehicle-heavy army. While he's no slouch in close combat (he's a Nob with respect to his stat-line), his expensive upgrades usually mean you should keep him away from a direct fight if possible. And that he'll have only one CCW, and can't take the rather cheap Big Choppa. On the plus side, he is only one model and can fit a 5+ invo save, burna, and a Mek's Tools roll into any vehicle with transport capacity.
*'''Painboss:''' Really similar to Grotsnik, but without the crazy. Is roughly a basic Painboy, with some cooler gear. Feel no pain is good. Give Spanna Boys a 5+ invo for 3 pts apiece. However, in a properly played Basic or Vehicle Dred List, this guy has no squad to attach to and no real reason to be here. Also, he can only give invos to one squad of Spannas. This guy should be in the basic Codex.

===Elites===
*'''Burna Boyz:''' Please see the original list for their basic working philosophy. There are other things to discuss in this article. Burna Boyz in the Dred List serve a very unique purpose: vehicle defense.  In a 5th Edition world, it is strange to see no other armies having a unit that works in such good synergy with vehicles. Instead of using the vehicle as a transportation system, or the vehicle using the infantry as backup, a small squad of Burnas in a main battle vehicle works in perfect harmony. Fill the tank's minimal transport up with a Burna Squad, or 5 Burnas and a Big Mek with KFF. Make ''at least'' one of the Burnas a Mek, if not the maximum three. The Burna Boyz left will act as infantry defense, protecting from blobs or using concentrated fire tactics to flambe a small infiltration team. The vehicle is now quite unkillable, especially if you let the KFF hitch a ride. Imagine the Orky Basilisk (described later) with a 5+ invo. save, four Meks Tools rolls per turn, and two flamer drops for infiltrator protection. Yep, I feel all warm and fuzzy inside too.
**'''Mekboyz:''' The Burna Boy Mob has the option to swap out up to three models for Mekboyz for free; A Mek may be equipped with a Slugga, Big Shoota, or Kustom Mega-blasta for free, or may opt to take a Rokkit Launcha for a slight point-increase. Mek's maintain the repair capabilities of their Big Mek counterparts for a fraction of the cost, and a minimal-strength Burnaboy unit is the most point-efficient way to repair vehicles in the game. <strike>On the other hand, the Open-topped nature of most Ork...</strike> Screw this, ALWAYS take Mekboys. If you want to take infantry in a Basic list, a Mekboy leader or two can patch up a Mega-Dred, and the Burnas provide a shield for the hard, crunchy Dreds. In a Vehicle list, the Burnas provide 2-3 Meks inside the ordinance-heavy vehicles, giving your vehicles (and their hueg gunz) a considerable survivability boost. These guys can wedge more Meks into more places than Spannas can, and that can be a good thing when you consider how many vehicles end up with a small troop capacity and no self-defence.
*'''Cybork Slashas''': At first, there's a lot to like about the Slashas, just like Meganobs. Until you realsize these guys are just Nobs, with a Painboy, and Cybork Bodies. Use them as such. The only thing "better" about them are the Dok's 'sperements. you either get Fleet (and D3 wounds when they run), Toughness 5 (and Slow and Purposeful), or nothing. Good thing they don't cost any more than basic nobs. Except, you can't kustomise them as well, forcing you to take uniform squads which can't wound-allocate.
*'''Mekboy Junka (Forgeworld):''' This thing ''cannot'' decide what it is. On its face it looks like another Looted Wagon, until you look at it a little harder. Grot Riggers and 3 Big Shootas base, Turbo-Charga making it ''fast'' and Looted-Wagony, BUT WAIT. What's that... Supa-skorcha? Big-Zzappa? Kustom Force Field?! TURRET-MOUNTED SHOKK ATTACK GUN!?! Yep, this monster can pack some pretty heavy ordinance, and it uses an Elites slot to do it. Junkas eat up points, so they are best kept as ordinance platforms, dumping Shokk Attack goodness onto enemy gits. With it's Deff-Rolla potential and Force Field, a Junka could make a good transport for Slashas (which tard out) or other heavy infantry. Just watch this thing, because it could go Looted Wagon any second...

===Troops===
*'''Spanna Boyz:''' The sucktacular cousins of normal boyz. You can only take up to 20 of them, they don't get the 'ard Boyz option, and they're led by Meks. The mek gets interesting shooty upgrades, but you have other units for that. They can still swarm, swamp and [[tarpit]] like normal ork bolbs, but you're running a Dred Mob list, so that's not as fun or effective as usual. The best part; they're a mandatory unit for the Dred List. Yeah. Never take Scrap Trukks for these guys. Those things suck ''worse'' than these guys. Put them in a Warkopta so the Mek can patch it up, and you can keep these guys out of the way of the real fighters.
** '''Point Holding:''' So ''that's'' what these guys are good for. A cheaper source of Meks than Burna Boys are, give them all shootas and watch them go Shoota Boy from a normal Trukk or heavier transport while the Mek keeps it running. Then park it all on a point and camp like there's no tomorrow.
*'''Gretchin Scavengers:''' See Gretchin entry. These guys die even faster than normal due to their Firebombs. The bombs give them Assault and Defensive grenades, but they die in D3's whenever that comes into play. More annoying for all sides involved. They do still [[Tarpit|tarpit]] well, and can point-camp in cover. 
*'''Dred Mob:''' This is the reason you play a Dred List. 1-3 Deff Dreds, in a squad, as ''Troops Choices''. You may now cry and whine and soak your pants as I send wave after wave of 3-Drednaught-CCW-and-Big-Shoota-armed Dreds at you. These guys are amazing and full of win, but '''''GORK'S BALLS''''' are they expensive! They cost 85 pts base, 10 more than standard codex dreds, but have cheaper weapons (Rokkit 5, DCCW and Mega Blasta 10), so cost per model usually evens out to 0-5 pts higher than average. But you're still running CORE TROOP CHOICES of '''THREE DEFF DREDS'''. You need to use these guys wisely. Standard rules for Deff Dreds apply here, but it can work to your advantage to take one cheap or cheapened heavy weapon on all three deff dreds. Three Rokkits or 9 Big Shoota shots can get lucky sometimes. A few downsides; due to shitty 5e rules, walkers aren't scoring so you NEED to take some Boyz and Scavz (so much for an all Dread list). Remember that while you still have other walkers in your squadron, all Stuns are Shakes and all Immobolises are Wrecks. So when taking Grot Riggers or Armour Plates, neither is going to come into use until the last Dread standing. Both can be useful for keeping that last Dread alive and chopping, but don't waste your points on getting them for all of the Dreads. If you want to take either, just put them one Dread per squadron.

===Fast Attack===
*'''Deff Koptas:''' Basically a jetbike version of the Warbuggy, more maneuverable, and can also scout. Their standard twin-linked big shootas make them pretty good for harassing groups of infantry, while their twin-linked rokkits and/or buzzsaws make them good tank-hunters since they can very easily get into a position where they can fire at the side or better yet the rear armor of a vehicle, though they'll have trouble against vehicles like Land Raiders or Monoliths since they have armor 14 on all sides. Oddly, since those two are so far the only vehicles with AV 14 on all sides, Deff Koptas are actually better against super heavies than they are against LRs and Monoliths. They are also pretty good at knocking out Power Fields or Void Shields (S 8 AP 3 vs AV 12 that goes away upon a glancing or penetrating hit) The biggest problem from using them is their leadership; basic Ld is 7, no option for a Bosspole, and their maximum unit size of 5 means you can't take advantage of Mob Rule!. Coupling that with a rather high point costs means that they should be fielded in small units of 1-2 outside of Apocalypse games. Make sure to play "Ride of the Valkyries" when they outflank. Thanks to the Fifth Edition starter set, it is easy to find some models online for dirt cheap.
*'''Warbuggies/Wartrakks:''' These guys aren't actually in the list of usable codex units, but they can come in handy, and the book provides their stats father on. These still-underpowered little buggies are useful enough in Vehicle lists that they warrant being here. While fragile, their speed and ability to provide support weapons are very useful to the Ork advance, especially if squadroned up. Although the Big Shoota is cheap, barring range it adds little beyond normal Ork shooting; the Skorcha or Rokkit Launcha remain the primary reasons to take these vehicles. They aren't quite as good at moving into a position where they can strike at an enemy vehicle's rear armor as Deff Koptas though since terrain is actually a problem for them, but few things are funnier than the look on your opponent's face when you blow up his Baneblade by rearshotting it with Rokkit Launcha warbuggies.
**'''Role:''' Aside from providing fast-moving special weapons, Warbuggies are cheap. As vehicles, assaulting them in melee is generally inadvisable, and shooting them requires dedicated AT. This means even should no appropriate targets exist, the Warbuggies remain expendable for movement-blocking, and objective-contesting.
**'''Unit synergy:''' Rokkit Warbuggies make good escorts for Battlewagons, on account of being able to block off assaults, screen against mobile anti-tank elements, or to block enemy vehicles from moving away from the Deffrollas. This becomes especially true should one of the Wagons have a Mek; A unit of three Buggies, stretched out with maximum coherency between them, can cover a lot of area, while proving annoyingly tough to truly kill. Inversely, Warbuggies provide much-needed anti-tank firepower for Wazzdakka lists, while maintaining a low-enough profile that one can easily provide cover saves for the Buggies by using the Bikes to screen...
*'''Killa Kan Attack Mob:''' You know Kans. You love kans. Now your Kans are Fast Attack that come in squads of 3-5. Thank you, god. If you don't already know about Kans, go read the first [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Orks| Ork Tactica]]. That said, this is everything Ork players ever wanted. In many armies, you cannot go wrong with a squad of Kans.
*'''Grot Tanks (Forgeworld):''' An odd unit. You get another vehicle squadron of Armor 10 all-around Methul Bohkes, seemingly the orky specialty. They get 5+ invo. saves from all shooting attacks that *aren't* ordinance, which gives them surprisingly uncharacteristic durability, even as a vehicle squadron. They also count as Tanks, so you can Tank Shock things, too. What makes them really fun is their Ballistic Skill. Its 3. BS 3. For ORKS. This tends to make them work like Killa-Kans as far as shooting goes, but you don't feel that weird need to throw them into close combat or anything. Their statlines give them an advantage to using orky weapons, but the big shoota and skorcha feel like a waste of opportunity. Pretty much see the Killa Kans entry for how weapons should go. Their only real caveat is their unreliable 2D6" movement. This could give them anywhere from Fast vehicle status to a horrific 2" movement. Plus, if you roll double-ones, one of them takes a Penetrating Hit. Getting a Kommanda Tank is always a good idea, what with the 2 different weapons and ability to fix your terrible movement roll when it inevitably happens. Their Tank status, 5+ invo., small model size and high fire power make them perfect for ramming big holes in enemy formations.
**'''Unit Synergy:''' Just like Warrbuggies, only better. They can Tank Shock bothersome units off of their advance. Their 3-6 numbers can give an even wider cover spread when advancing. 
* '''Warkoptas''' BAAWWW!! I play everything ''but'' Spees Mahreens and I don't get Land Speeders in any of my armies! Well, SUCK IT beakies, da Orks now have ''Land Speeders''. These things are just goofy. You get 1-3 in a squad, and being Skimmers they are more durable than a ''10-all-around open-topped'' thing should be, but this isn't [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Dark Eldar|Dark Elfdar]] time. The basic guns on these guys are a Big Shoota and a Twin-linked Deffgun. It can swap its Big Shoota out with other basic heavy weapons. That's okay for infantry popping, but you want moar. GIVE THIS SUCKER A TWIN-LINKED RATTLER CANNON. It shoots 2D6 AP6 Bolter madness, but it done goofs on a double-1. But that's okay, because you just ''ate that [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Eldar|Guardian]] squad for breakfast''. Give it Red Paint Job to make it go FASTER! Give it Big Bomms to nuke crap in its spair time!  You want a Storm, HAVE A STORM. You want a Tempest? HAVE A TEMPEST! There you go, ''Friggin Orky Land Speeders''.

===Heavy Support===
*'''Lootas'''  One of the main issues Orks have with a lot of armies is that most their weapons are very short-ranged. When dealing with [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Eldar|Panzee]], [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Dark Eldar|Dark Panzee]], or [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Imperial Guard|Squishy Umie]], this is annoying, as the bad guyz Dakka on your army. Lootas for da win. Yes they're static and get fucked over by Dawn of War, and you only get three squads at most (never take three, get bigger squads, heavy support is important), but they are also the most point-efficient source of Strength 7 shooting in the game, even with the awesomeness that is Ork accuracy taken into account. Their main role (which is critical in a majority of Ork builds) is to cover your advance, shooting enemy artillery, light speeders, and other targets which would harry your Orks. They work quite well on Panzee Skimmers. These blokes are a godsend to Basic Dred Lists, letting you shaken-and-stun-lock enemy vehicles which would otherwise hamper your dreds' advance.
*'''Big Trakks:''' This is the variable-use workhorse of the Vehicle list. This thing can take EVERY big gun the orks have in this list, INCLUDING the Flakka Guns AND Supa-Kannon. The Big Trakk can also take Deff Rollas (win), and 'ard Case, which doesn't change anything in respect towards transported unit effectiveness. Your first choice should be to give one of these a gigantic gun. Ignore the "classic" first tier gunz, go straight to the big stuff. Take two of these suckers with Supa-kannons if you want to play Guard and shell everybody (which you do). Remember that you can only have three, and they will probably be dead by endgame, so try not to deck them out.
**'''Transport''' There is a rather odd thing you can do with this unit. It can take four Big Shootas which can upgrade to Rokkits or Skorchas, and two Grot Sponsons. This could mean that you could charge this thing up, Deff Rolla some point-guarders, and drop out 12 Spannas with mek to point guard while the Trakk deals metric tons of lighter firepower. This strategy is untested, and could just be a waste of a Heavy Support slot.
**'''Wait what's this?:''' It says in the entry for Big Trakks that you can take ''squads of 1-3 as a single Heavy Support choice'' in a standard codex ork army. That means a potential for ''nine'' Deff-rollas. Or, wait a minute, ''NINE SUPA-KANNONS!!!''
*'''Looted Wagon:''' No, just no. They've got paper-thin armor, are unreliable (rolling a 1 ''really'' sucks), compete with Deffrolla-equipped Battlewagons (see below) and Killa Kans, and taking a Boomgun ups it considerably as a target while doing little to hide that it's a short-ranged Rhino-equivalent. They're just not worth it.
*'''Mega-Dread (Forgeworld)''' This thing is fun. It's a dedicated close combat shock unit, but boy oh boy does it do its job well. The Rippa Klaws wreck everything in close combat, and get Wreckers stratagem in Cities of Death (unimportant). The Killkannon, forever too short-ranged to be effective, finds its home here. This thing will blast apart your enemy squads, before the Dread will munch them to bits in close combat. It is also very hard to stop, being armor 13 everywhere but the back (which is 11) and having base strength 8 (handy when you're klaw is busted). Careful around prolonged termie throwdowns. This guy can also get a Supa-Skorcha, but the Killkannon can eat marines better at farther ranges. <strike>Do not even bother with the Mega-blasta, the rokkit launcha has the same strength and AP value (8 3 respectively), can fire off the same number of shots (one), has the same range (24"), is 5 points cheaper, and does not suffer from the gets hot rule.</strike> Mega-blastas are AP2, not AP3 like the rokkit launcha is, and vehicles are not affected by Gets Hot. Take the blasta. The Mega-Dread can also get Grot Riggers (handy), an additional Big Shoota (kinda worthless), and a Mega Charga (helpful until inevitable tard-out). Best against Marines.

===Transports===
*'''Scrap Trukks:''' These suck and you suck for using them. All that is fail about Trukks without the Fast vehicle goodness.
**'''Trukks:''' Thankfully still takeable. See first Ork tactica entry.
*'''Battlewagons:''' One thing most armies should have is some way to reliably deal with heavy armor, especially of the Land Raider variety. Many armies get Meltaguns. Tau get Meltaguns and Railguns. Tyranids get Zoanthroapes (and the Tyrannofex to a lesser extent). Orks get the Battlewagon. Costing 90 points, you start off with a chassis, and no gun. From there, you have several options: 
**'''Weapons:''' You can purchase quite a few guns to place on your Wagon, <strike>with most of them being sadly [[overcosted]]</strike>; screw the rules, I have a Supa Kannon! These things can now take Supa-Kannons!
***As a heavy ordinance carrier they do well, and are fairly cheap if only uses as such, but DO take up that Heavy Support choice, and a Big Trakk is cheaper. One option is to take the Supa-Kannon and load up with three Burnas and three Meks, giving it strong point-blocking ability and high survivability (remember that high armor). See Other Stuff for tips on similar bunkering strategies.
***Consider using the Battlewagon to transport units into melee, or serve as a Deffrolla. A general rule of thumb is to take two Big Shootas, if only to prevent '''Weapon Destroyed''' results from becoming '''Immobilized''' results. Should you wish to do a shootier wagon, it doesn't hurt to tack on a Kannon; the Frag Round is Defensive and provides another blast template. Mobility is the big decision.
**'''Demolition Equipment:''' The '''Deffrolla''' is effectively mandatory for a moving vehicle, as the amount of damage it can inflict on a vehicle (or even multiple vehicles should they be next to each other) will do a lot to dictate the enemy deployment and movement. Is the Battlewagon transporting a unit with a hidden Power Klaw? If so, the '''Boarding Plank''' is a bargain item; even should a Deffrolla-equipped Battlewagon fail to neutralize a vehicle, chances are high it will stun or immobilize; being able to send additional Strength 9 hits from the comfort of a wagon is rather handy as a result. The Grabbin' Klaw is nice but unnecessary, while the Wrecking Ball is a bit [[overcosted]]...
**'''Mobility:''' Both the Red Paint Job and Grot Riggers are nice, assuming you can squeeze the points in. The Red Paint Job is especially handy for Wagons transporting Shoota or Burna Boyz, because in moving 7", the wagon can only be hit on 6s in melee, while still allowing the passengers to fire at full effect. Remember those Spannas? Meks can add survivablity to the Wagon and maybe make Riggers unnecessary in lower-point games.
**'''Other stuff:''' Stikkbomb Chukkas are fail on account of Ork Initiative being shoddy (unless Buzzgob is hopping out), as is the '''Reinforced Ram''' for it prevents one from taking a Deffrolla. The''' 'Ard Case''' is a hit-or-miss item: when carrying Force Field Mek with Grots as a cheap scoring upgrade, it's handy to have; when carrying large assault units, it's counterproductive. The Battlewagon can also act as a rather pricey bunker, dropping off 20 Spannas to point-camp while blocking enemy fire and pouring Big Shootas and Kannon fire into approaching units, before Deff-Rollaing them in complement to a hail of twenty Spanna Boyz' shootas.

===Apocalypse===
Due to [[Derp|DERPY]] Apocalypse rules, anything you could normally take for [[Warhammer_40,000/5th_Edition_Tactics/Orks|classic Orks lists]], you can take here.

== Building Your Army ==

Whoo boy, I hope you like scratch-building. [[Forge World]] found a place for everything Ork in this IA volume. All the rules are here, for pretty much anything, and you can get nearly all of it from the Resinmasters themselves. However, if you were to actually do that, you would have to sell your house. This list is designed for running ''squads of Deff Dreds''. Luckily, this is an ork list. As such, you are free to custom-make nearly anything. Since you are already running an IA list, you are probably already in a friendly game, but you had still better build your models well. Use other models for parts, whip out the good plasticard, do what you need. Whatever you do though, remember that this is your show army. Make it count.

Other than the literal building of your army, you should probably start out with your Dreds or a right-proper Forge World model. Know what you want to do from the start, and go after that. Start with your core, and then branch out to support models and squads. This army will cost you big time, and you had better have a respectable force going ''before'' you start selling organs.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Warhammer 40000 Tactics]]

[[Category: Warhammer Tactics/Old]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Orks]]

[[Category: Dred Mob]]

[[Category: Vehicles]]

[[Category: Walkers]]

{{Warhammer_40k_Tactics}}