Editing Warhammer 40,000/3rd Edition Tactics/Orks (section)

== Tactics ==

==== General Overview ====

Compared to the likes of 9th Edition, Ork Boyz in 3rd Edition're only Human Strength, so you're not going to hit as hard in melee as you might be used to, though the Choppas Special Rule does help in this regard. Exceptions to note're Skarboyz and Cyborks, who get S4 standard, and Da Vulcha Skwad, who get it on the charge, but those're only three units, so you can't rely on them too heavily to fill the [[-4_Strength|Strength 4]] gap in your heart.

Also, since many of your heavier force elements, such as Battlewagons, Looted Wagons, and Big Gunz, are all limited in terms of how many you can take in an army, large tank formations or artillery batteries aren't really possible. Dreadnoughts and Killer Kans have no such restrictions, however, so a Dreadmob's still viable.

==== Your Army and You ====

When it comes to mustering your [[Hordes|horde]], all your units can be roughly divided into four broad categories. First, you have Da Boyz, these're all the ground-pounders, your Shoota Boyz, Slugga Boyz, Nobz, Stormboyz, even Grots. The watchword here is still quality in quantity. Da Boyz're primarily a melee powerhouse, if they're not in close combat then you're muckin' about, but their generally poor armour leaves them vulnerable to gunlines, so you need them in large mobs to maximise the number of ladz that can get stuck in when they reach the enemy after taking fire. Your various specialist mobs, the likes of Tankbustas and Burna Boyz, are the exception to the rule, as they want to hold back out of combat and lay down fire at whatever target their specialism dictates.

Second, you have Da Wheelz, pretty self-explanatory, it is everything the Orks have stuck wheels or tracks onto, Wartrukks, Warbuggies, Wartrakks, a lot of other things starting with "War", you get the picture. Like most Ork units, their armour is their Achilles' heel, with most only sporting AV10, so don't expect then to slug it out with Imperial Guard tank regiments. They are however with very few exceptions '''Fast''', usually 
heavily-armed for their size, and low to the ground with small profiles. So for them its best to try and avoid incoming fire as much as possible, skirting around available cover in support of Da Boyz as a pesky sort of distraction, either keeping to terrain features or using Grots as '''Living Shields''', and keeping the enemy pinned down until the footsloggers can reach them.

Third, Da 'Ard Stuff, like Killer Kans and Ork Dreadnoughts, again does what it says on the tin. Da 'Ard Stuff has better armour than other Ork units, so they can take a beating, and can give back as good as they get when it comes back around to their turn. The enemy usually needs to dedicated serious firepower to take out these guys, and if they try to just ignore them and send those shots elsewhere they risk having their forces devestated, but Da 'Ard Stuff will go down if focussed on. The trick to keeping them alive and kicking (and punching, and shooting, and...) is to mingle them with Da Boyz, forcing your opponent to split their fire and giving both a better chance of weathering the storm.

And fourth, Da Big Gunz, which get their own category because they act differently to any other units, and should be treated as such. Your own [[Heavy Weapons Squad]]s pack the meanest punch in the codex, barring some Looted Vehicles however they aren't Orky tech so it doesn't count, but they lack any sort of mobility, so positioning is key. They are glass cannons, which you wouldn't put it past the Orks to take literally, and are vulnerable to both shooting and assault in equal measure, so they need protecting with terrain and infantry to block charges and absorb counter-battery fire.

==== Kunnin' Plans ====

Next, you need to know how to get these four categories of units to work together effectively, and there are three basic battle plans which work fairly well. Now, I know what you are thinking, "Taktiks?! In an Ork army?!", but Orks're actually quite a nuanced force with a few tricks up their sleeves if they had any sleeves. It is all well and good charging headlong at the enemy, but that is a sure way to lose, and that ain't Orky.

The ''Wartrakk Rumble'' involves collecting all Da Wheelz in your force together into a roving flotilla à la Soviet Bronegruppa, and arranging them all over to one side of your deployment zone, with all Da Boyz and 'Ard Stuff on the other side to present a bigger target, with the two sections divided by terrain to block incoming fire and forcing the enemy to choose one or the other. Then when the enemy force takes the bait and engages your footsoldiers and walkers, your transports can sneak around and outflank the enemy line while they're distracted, catching them between the hammer and the anvil, the ''Gorka Morka'' so to speak.

A ''Dread Bash'' meanwhile is an armoured spearhead, formed by all of your 'Ard Stuff gathered down a short stretch of the Ork line, backed up by Tuff Boyz like Skarboyz, 'Ardboyz, and Nobz. The idea is to focus all of your heavy-hitters into one area and simply plough through the enemy formation at a specific point, wedging and keeping open a narrow doorway for the rest of the ladz to flood through and tear the enemy force up from the inside out.

And last but by no means least, an old favourite, ''Swamp 'Em''. This's the traditional green horde the Orks are known for, and as you would expect it is centred around Da Boyz, with Gretchin at the front to tank incoming fire (heh), your generalist Ork mobs like Slugga Boyz and Shoota Boyz in the middle to lead the initial charge, and the specialist Ork mobz like Burna Boyz and Tankbustas hanging back behind the first line as a second line, acting first as a safety net to catch any gits that fall back and '''Mob Up''' with them, and then as a follow up charge to polish off anyone who survived the first wave. Liberally sprinkle with 'Ard Stuff and Big Gun cover fire, and your opponent will have too many targets to engage them all effectively, and you will overwhelm their line all over the place.