'Ardboyz

Ork Boys wear 'Ard Armour because they are right 'ard.

An 'Ardboy is pretty much an Ork Boy given an upgrade, making him one step closer to becoming a full fledged Nob and enough to give a Space Marine a run for his money. 'Ardboyz are so called due to the amount of thick metal scraps they have bolted on to their armor which, over time, has made them as Dead'Ard as a Tank. Usually things like blasted tank armor, tank treads, broken down security doors and shattered ceramite from destroyed Space Marine Power Armor are used as components that makes up Eavy Armor or 'Karapace' as some would like to call it. This is the stuff that makes up their armor and despite poor maintenance, the result is armor than can withstand most small arms fire. This gives the 'Ard Boyz the unfortunate appearance/targets of walking magnets both in Fluff and in Crunch, though it is considered unwise to tell them.

'Ardboyz are best known for their appearance in SPESS MEHREEN: THE VIDYA and were notorious for being a tough and challenging opponent, soaking up so much Dakka for a non-boss unit that it borderlines obscene and ironically being a more difficult opponent to fight than the last boss of the game.

Overview

The most annoying enemies to fight.

An 'Ard Boyz Mob consists of 10 to 30 'Ard Boyz which may include a Nob. For every ten Orks in the Mob one might be armed with either a big shoota or a rokkit launcha. 'Ardboyz are heavily armored Ork Boyz who own and wear 'Eavy Armour. Only veterans who have managed to survive many battles and krumped many gits have the chance to scavenge sufficient materials to build or purchase such an Armor. This also means that 'Ardboyz are excellent scavengers even above the normal Ork ability.

On the battlefield, 'Ardboyz will congregate together in warbands, and simply charge forwards, trusting in their heavy armor to keep them alive long enough to reach their targets and chop the enemy to bits.

Because of their role as a moving shield, other Orks view them with merit and therefore, 'Ard Boyz spearhead Ork advances to take advantage of their increased durability which allows them to survive heavy fire fights with barely a scratch and protect their fellow ork comrades from being picked off. Of course, some Boyz may view their bros as nothing more than a useful distraction that attracts all their firepower to one direction whilst the rest of the mob close in and attack a vulnerable position.

Mobs of 'Ardboyz retain all the versatility of classic Boyz mobs, thus being able to fill the roles of Shoota Mobs or Slugga Mobs, but usually go for the latter, as their armor proves more useful when close to the enemy.

In the Ork hierarchy, 'Ard Boyz tend to hold a position just below Nobs (though given the unpredictability and flexibility of Orks this is not a hard rule). More techno-hesitant Ork Clanz (such as the Snakebites) tend to look down upon 'Ard boyz, seeing their love for heavy armor as a sign of weakness and cowardice. 'Ard Boyz are more frequent among the Bad Moons and Deathskulls Clanz, as both of those Clanz tend to be naturally wealthy or streetwise enough to gather the materials for the armor. They usually grow arrogant and laugh at their less-armored comrade casualties, who in turn call them "walking magnets" (referring to their attitude to pick up scraps for their armor as they proceed in the battle) when not heard.

Equipment

A typical warband of 'Ardboyz is composed of between half a dozen and a score of Orks, more often than not lead by an 'Ardboy Nob. All of them are equipped with their 'Eavy Armour, and each 'Ardboy wields either a Shoota or a combination of Slugga and Choppa. 'Ardboyz are often equipped with Stikkbombz and a couple of them will wield either a Big Shoota, Rokkit Launcha or Burnas to add more punch to their warband's firepower. Some of them even carry around giant riot shields that are actually thick, metal doors which provides further protection from bolter fire. The 'Ardboy Nob will have his own personal wargear, often a large Power Klaw that can rip through anything that tries to resist his Boyz. (Or his Boyz themselves if they annoy him.)