Kings of War/Tactics/Ogres

Why Play Ogres

Why indeed?

Army Special Rules

• Hammer Blow: Just like Nathan Explosions, the entire army has the Brutal special rule unless otherwise noted. Thus any enemy unit in melee with one of your units will add +1 to all nerve tests they take.

Unit Analysis

Hero

• Army Standard:

Cheap and fairly limited in hand to hand combat. That being said they don't have individual and so can serve as fairly cheap chaff unit.

• Boomer Sergeant:

• Captain:

• Grokagamok:

• Red Goblin Biggit:

• Siege Master:

• Warlock:

Somewhat overpriced magic user. With a magic item a standard bearer will be able to case just as well, fight better, be able to inspire all units (not just beserkers) and be the same price. Only downside will be the lack of extra casting dice from being close to beserkers.

• Warlord:

Infantry

• Red Goblins:

Large Infantry

• Warriors: Staple Ogre troops with an option for two-handed weapons to boost the carnage. They're relatively cheap and effective. Warriors are the only unit available to Ogres that can be taken as a legion (12). If you've got the points and their wide frontage doesn't bother you, a Legion of Warriors is an excellently punchy and tough unit. The units of 3/6 are good to use as base of comparison to other melee Ogre units including Chariots.

• Hunters: For 15/20 more points you get Warriors that lose 1 Defense but gain Ensnare and Pathfinder. Since losing Defense and gaining Ensnare is kind of a wash (though keeping Defense seems generally preferable) these guys are judged mostly by your need for Pathfinder.

• Berserker Braves: For 20/30 more points you get Warriors that lose 1 Melee and 1 Defense but gain 6/12 Attacks and 1 Nerve. They also amplify the Warlock through Bloodlust (see Warlock, below) and have no Wavering limit. You might think they're a good choice to add more offensive punch. The truth is, Warriors with two-handed weapons will provide more punch for your buck. Their value depends more on your need for the boosted Nerve, lack of Wavering limit, and whether you field a Warlock.

• Siege Breakers: For 35/50 more points you get Warriors that lose 1 Speed and 1 Defense but gain Crushing Strength (+2), Thunderous Charge (1), and Big Shield. When used correctly, the loss of Defense is irrelevant with Big Shield (Defense 6 to the front). They're highly effective against Defense 5 or 6 targets where other units would struggle. Their high strength is lost on low defense targets so choose your targets wisely. One of the Ogre's most effective and toughest units when used correctly. Elves can shoot at them to the front all day to close to no effect.

• Boomers: Warriors with a Breath Weapon that lose 1 Melee and 1 Defense and cost 20/30 more points. A hybrid ranged/melee unit more so than Shooters due to their short range and ability to move and shoot without penalty. Further, they're great at tearing into those dodgy/sneaky Individuals since their weapons ignore that penalty and Cover. Though at 12", its not hard to avoid with said targets. Since you can either Shoot or Charge, these guys may find themselves less effective than Warriors or Shooters at the respective tasks.

• Shooters: With limited selections that shoot, these guys fill the hole nicely. Piercing (2) and 36" Range makes Shooters a cross between War Machine and missile troop. If you need non-allied ranged support then look no further. If you need help taking out pesky Individuals, consider Boomers. They're still decent in melee when Disordered or if a flank/rear charge presents itself but otherwise you're better off shooting.

Media:Example.ogg===Cavalry===

• Red Goblin Scouts:

Decent light cavalry, however don't expect them to hold their own in any kind of combat. Not too bad at clearing out chaff.

Large Cavalry

• Chariots: For 40/65 points over your basic Warrior you gain +1 Speed, +3/6 Attacks, and Thunderous Charge (2). The only drawback is the considerably larger footprint and 30mm wider frontage. Given open terrain, Chariots are a very good and punchy unit, however given their relatively low nerve (for their points) and their movement being lower than most other heavy cavalry they will need screening to ensure that they don't die to shooting/other cavalry charges.

Monsters

• Giant:

• Mammoth:

• Red Goblin Blaster:

War Engines

• None.

Ogres have no War Machines in their army list. These units ordinarily provide excellent ranged support to the army. Without them, you cannot easily hit distant targets, pick off damaged units that may be hiding, destroy enemy artillery, etc. There are a lot of tasks that War Machines can accomplish. If you want them in your Ogre army, you're going to have to buddy up. Since Ogres are Neutral they can ally with any other army. Your choice will largely depend on aesthetic preference, lore compatibility, and choice of useful parent units. Since you'll have to take a Regiment, Horde, or Legion to access an ally's War Machines, maximizing the utility of those required units will ultimately decide which army you choose to ally with. Arguably, any army you choose will likely have a useful parent unit to include.

Below is a list of solid choices to include as War Machines. It excludes War Machines with less than 48" range. That's because the long range is what this army needs out of a War Machine in the first place.

• Abyssal Dwarfs: Angkor Heavy Mortar, G'rog Mortar, Katsuchan Rocket Launcher

• Basilea: Heavy Arbalest

• Dwarfs: Ironbelcher Cannon, Jarrun Bombard

• Elves/Twilight Kin: Bolt Thrower

• Goblins: Big Rocks Thrower, Sharpstick Thrower

• Kingdom of Men: Ballista, Cannon, Siege Artillery

• Ratkin: Artillery, Shredder

• Undead/Empire of Dust: Balefire Catapult

Tactics

Tactica here.