Warhammer 40,000/3rd Edition Tactics/Orks/Feral Orks
This is an old Edition's Ork Feral Orks "tactics". The main 3rd Edition Tactics are here.
Why Play Feral Orks[edit | edit source]
The Feral Orks have always had an appeal to them, conjuring the image of primitive hunters pursuing giant beasts across wild untamed terrain with nothing but their own hands and only basic tools. They were also a great way for Warhammer Fantasy players to get into 40k, as they could just adapt their existing Orcs & Goblins force into a Feral Orks one with only minimal modifications, lowering the barrier to entry.
This call was finally answered in White Dwarf issue 260, which not only gave the Feral Orks their own army list full of unique units and equipment to represent them on the tabletop, but dedicated pages upon pages to detailed background lore on their lifestyle and culture. Like all things good though, it couldn't last, and the Feral Orks never got another supplement for a later Edition.
Special Rules[edit | edit source]
- MIXED ARMOUR: It's entirely possible for single mobs of Orks to've multiple different types of armour and thus Armour Saves in them, so the normal casualty rules're slightly altered. Basically, when an Ork player's rolling Armour Saves, they use use the best Armour Save in the mob as long as that Armour Save's the majority, else the next highest's used if it's the majority instead, and remove casualties from the members of the mob with the Armour Save used. The idea being that the enemy'll aim for the bigger ones first.
- So, if a Warboss in 'Eavy Armour's joined by his bodyguard of Nobz in Ork Armour and they outnumber him, the Warboss can't be attacked until the number of Nobz with 6+ saves's equal to the number of Warbosses with 4+ saves. In the same way, if a Warboss in 'Eavy Armour's joined by his bodyguard of Nobz in Mega Armour and they outnumber him, the Warboss still can't be attacked until the number of Nobz's just one. This's a massive boon for your characters, as it means they can't normally be targetted until you whittle down their escorts, increases their survivability immensely.
- ORK MOB RULE!: Orks're more resistant to the effects of Morale and Pinning as long as they've got numbers on their side. Mobs role for these tests as normal, but if they fail then they immediately roll 2D6 and compare the number rolled to the number of Ork models in the mob (so not Gretchin). If the number rolled's equal to or less than the number of Orks left, the failure's ignored. By this rule, Ork mobs of twelve or more're essentially considered to always pass these tests, so your thirty-strong mobs aren't going anywhere in a hurry.
- MOBBING UP: If an Ork mob of foot troops (that is, not Boarboyz) has fallen back, they can move towards the nearest Ork mob located behind them instead of the nearest board edge, and if any models in the retreating mob come within 6" of the new mob during this move, then the two mobs can attempt to merge. This's done with a 2D6 roll against the retreating mobs' Leadership, and if the number rolled's equal to or less than their Leadership value, then the two mobs join and the models of the retreating mob can immediately make another 6" move to join up with the new mob.
- Retreating Ork mobs that mob up count as destroyed for Victory Points purposes, and the newly created mobs still use their initial starting strength and points value for Victory Points purposes. This allows you to create the over-strength mobs of your dreams under the right circumstances, but it isn't a sure thing if it'll work, so don't rely on it to save important assets.
- POWER OF THE WAAAGH!: They feel the Waaagh! overtaking them, it's a good pain! When an Ork mob charges, immediately roll 2D6 and compare the number rolled to the number of Ork models in the mob (so not Gretchin). If the number rolled's equal to or less than the number of Orks left, all Ork models double their Initiative for the remainder of that assault phase. Again, this means that Ork mobs of twelve or more always double their Initiative on the charge, allowing them to get the jump on regular Human opponents and trade blows simultaneously with Space Marines.
- GRETCHIN MOBS: Gretchin mobs always use the Leadership of Ork Slavers accompanying them if available, and aren't affected by Mob Rule. Gretchin mobs that fail their Morale check go to ground and're removed from the board to represent them hiding, with their Slaver remaining to indicate their position. Under these circumstances the Slaver can't move, shoot, or charge, but can be shot at and can fight back if charged, and if the Slaver's killed or if no Slaver was present, then the Gretchin mob's counted as destroyed.
- As long as a Slaver's alive and remains on the board, their Gretchin mob can attempt to regroup even if there're under 50% of them left and/or the enemy's within 6", and a Gretchin mob that has gone to ground and regroups may be placed back on the board in coherency with their Slaver. This helps Gretchin mobs survive slightly longer, so they can get on with sacrificing themselves for more important things.
Wargear[edit | edit source]
Faithfully recreated in alphabetical order for your reading pleasure... Y'know, as opposed to, like, something sensible Gork (or possibly Mork) forbid. And your basic Shootas and Sluggas aren't even given profiles in some copies of your own book, as some print runs of Codex: Orks replace the Summary with a photo collage and a quote, leaving you without the stats for all the infantry weapons in your infantry-heavy army. Don't worry Andy, we don't blame you for that.
Ork Wargear[edit | edit source]
- Ammo Runt: A single miniature with a Gretchin stat line that follows the Ork you bought him for, that can't be targeted by enemy shooting but can get caught in Blast markers and other templates. Once per battle, one Ork model in base contact with this guy can re-roll one To-Hit dice in the shooting phase, after which the Ammo Runt is removed, and this doesn't count for Morale or Victory Points.
- Attack Squig: A single miniature with a Squig stat line that follows the Ork you bought him for, roughly equivalent to a Human with S and T 3 and two WS3 attacks at I4.
- Choppa: Your basic sword, much more nasty back in the olden days of yore. This thing limits an opponent's saving throw to 4+, making Space Marines that much more easy to puncture.
- Big Horns/Iron Gob: Two different upgrades with the same effect, +1 Ld for your Warboss or Nob. The two can't be combined for +2 unfortunately, so you can't sport both a pair of horns and a metal jaw. Remember that when assembling your minis'.
- Bosspole: Bought for a Nob but can be carried by one of his Boyz or Grots if he's in a mob, allows you to re-roll any Leadership tests if you fail on the first try.
- Burna: Can be fired in the shooting phase as an Assault 1 template weapon, or swung in the assault phase as a Power Weapon, but not both in the same turn.
- 'Eavy Armour: Gives your Ork a 4+ Armour Save, which can combine with the Bionik Bonce above for a 3+, and if you do this you should totally give him Space Marine Pauldrons.
- Grabba Stik: A tool to increase the range of your Runtherd's melee attacks, allowing him to attack enemy models up to 2" away in close combat, but he can't use any other special weapons like Choppas.
- Lobba: A weapon with a Guess range of 48" and S and AP 5. It's a barrage weapon so roll a Scatter dice and 1D6, and moving the Blast marker that many inches in the direction indicated, but on a Hit and a 6 a Gretchin Krewman is killed.
- Squighound: A single miniature with a Squig stat line that follows the Ork you bought him for, weaker than an Attack Squig by two Initiative, one Attack, and one Leadership. If one is in base contact with a Slaver, they may re-roll Leadership or Morale tests for their Gretchin mob or Big Gun battery.
- 'Uge Choppa: Reduces an enemy's maximum save to 4+ just like a regular Choppa, but gives you +2S in exchange for forcing you to strike last.
- Waaagh! Banner: Can be carried by the Warboss himself if he doesn't trust any of his men to do it. If a mob has at least one model within 12" of the banner, they may re-roll their Power of the Waaagh! test when charging.
- Banna Wava (Chapter Approved): A single miniature with a Gretchin stat line that follows the Ork you bought him for, he's just there to carry your Nob's Bosspole or Warboss's Waaagh! Banner, but he can also take a Grot Blasta for a bit of additional firepower.
- Bangstikk: Orky Hunting Lances. Count as Krak Grenades which double their D6 roll for Armour Penetration.
- Boar: You now count as Cavalry, congratulations!
- Cyboar: You now count as Cavalry, get a 4+ Armour Save, get +1A, and get killed during assaults and sweeping advances through Difficult Terrain on a 1-3, congratulations!
- Super Cyboar: You now count as Cavalry, get a 3+ Armour Save, get +1A, get killed during assaults and sweeping advances through Difficult Terrain on a 1-3, and get the Fleet of Foot Special Rule allowing you to advance 1D6" instead of shooting, congratulations!
- Flash Furs/Skull Trophies/Toof Necklace: All manner of trophies to prove how 'ard an Ork is, making them count as two models for Mob Size tests.
- Grot Styboy: An assistant for your Pigdok, each one lets him add +1 to his roll when he tries to dope a unit.
- Shiny Bitz: A lucky gubbin' that lets an Ork re-roll one Armour Save during each game.
- Warpaint: Anti-psychic suncream mixed by Wyrdboyz and smeared over the skin, don't ask what they put in it. In any case, it lets an Ork be unaffected by Psychic Powers on a D6 roll of 6.
- Wyrdboy Stikk: An earthing rod for psychic powers, lets a Wyrdboy re-roll the Strength of any 'Eadbang attacks he suffers.
Ork Vehicle Upgrades[edit | edit source]
- Armour Plates: Additional 6+++ Feel No Pain protection for vehicles against glancing and penetrating hits, but doesn't help against ordnance. Easy to add to your models by just sticking a load of spare panels to it.
- Big Grabber/Wrecker Ball/Reinforced Ram/Boarding Plank: Functionally identical rules wise, they all allow Ork vehicles to attack enemy vehicles in close combat. You only get one attack per weapon, and can only have one of each, for a maximum of four. Attacks always hit on a 4+ and are S6, but can't be used against walkers, skimmers, or infantry.
- Bolt-On Big Shoota: For Junkatrukks only, and has to be operated by a passenger. That's all there is to say, really.
- Stikkbomb Chucka: Spelt differently to the infantry-portable one for... reasons? Allows a non-tank vehicle or walker to perform a Tank Shock attack, and gives actual tanks a -1 modifier to their unfortunate target's Morale check. Adds a bit of extra versatility to your smaller buggies. Can only be taken if you brought a Pigdok.
Unit Analysis[edit | edit source]
Headquarters[edit | edit source]
- 0-1 Warboss: A very different beast to the lovable guy we're familiar with in later editions, he's only T4 poor lad, but can take up to 80 points of wargear from the armoury, so he'll quickly beef up with extra gubbinz. You MUST include at least one Warboss in your army as stipulated by an unnamed Special Rule. An 'Uge Choppa keeps him cheap and cheerful, whilst a Power Klaw lets him open cans.
- Warboss's Bodyguard: A motley crew of lackeys for the boss, which doesn't take up a HQ choice but may only be taken if you also have a Warboss. Limited to between five and ten Nobz, and up to two Pigdoks, all of whom may take whatever equipment they're allowed from the armoury up to 40 points. If your Warboss's mounted, then every member of his bodyguard must also be mounted. In addition, if the 'Boss's riding a Super Cyboar, then his Nobz must ride Cyboars, and you can only give them Cyboars if it has at least one Pigdok, who doesn't've to ride a Cyboar himself if he doesn't want to.
- Pigdoks: Pigdoks're a sort of primitive multi-class between Mekboy and Painboy, specialising in wrangling beasts such as Boars and Squigs. Each Pigdok you take can attempt to get one unit of Boarboyz, Squiggoths, Herdas, or Madboyz high before the battle begins, giving the entire mob +1S on a 1D6 roll of 6, and a single mob can only be successfully affected in this way once, so you can't overdose them with multiple Pigdoks.
- 0-1 Wyrdboy: An Ork Esper, with access to two powers he can choose from each turn. Psychic Vomit's a S4 Flamer template of stuff better left undescribed, whilst Gork'll Get 'Em's a S8 Blast with a range of 72", which manifests as a giant green fist or foot that squashes anything beneath it, which'll be more accurate with his WS/BS3. He can have up to 40 points worth of equipment from the armoury, so give him something nice to make up for everything.
- 'Eadbang: Because his powers come from the gestalt psychic field of the Orks around him, a Wyrdboy'll never be attacked by Daemons when using his powers. His head may occasionally explode, however, meaning he suffers a single Sd6 hit if he rolls snake eyes or boxcars.
- Wyrdboyz: Because he really doesn't want to be here on account of 'Eadbang, an unaccompanied Wyrdboy always counts as a mob with only one man remaining, so must make a Last Man Standing test at the beginning of each turn to prevent him bolting.
- Minderz: Because the Warboss really does want him to be here, if you also have a Brute Mob at least ten-men strong in your army, you may split off between two and five of them to act as an "escort" for your Wyrdboy, but they've got to be normal Brutes, not Nobz or ones with special weapons. As long as at least one Minder remains alive, the Wyrdboy doesn't've to take Last Man Standing tests.
Transport[edit | edit source]
- Junkatrukk: A Fast Open-Topped vehicle with a capacity of ten models, it can take a single Big Shoota, Rokkit Launcha, or Burna.
- Junkatrukk: Feral Orks've even less mechanical know-how than regular Orks, meaning their only vehicle isn't exactly gonna be well-maintained. Every time before the Junkatrukk moves, you must roll 1D6, and on a 1 something has given up the ghost, and the vehicle may not move that turn.
Elites[edit | edit source]
- 0-2 Brutes: Now your ONLY source of mass WS4 outside of Nobz, at the cost of having BS2 again. They can have a minimum squad size of five, but you'll want more than that, and can have up to twenty pseudo-Nobz, all armed with Sluggas and Choppas, whilst two can have special weapons.
- Trappas: Also have a minimum unit size of five like the Brutes above, but unlike them've a maximum squad size of only ten. They can have a mixture of Shootas and Sluggas & Choppas, at WS/BS3, and can all take Flash Furs to swagger around in. Your pesudo-Kommandos, with Infiltrators and Slippery, but also Set Traps.
- Set Traps: Only works if you're fighting on a battlefield using the Jungle Fighting Special Rules, so good luck with that. If you are though, each unit of Trappas nets you up to three Booby Traps for some numbers of points, which can be either cheap S3 AP6 Punji Pits, or expensive S4 AP5 Fire Bombs or S7 AP3 Bang Traps. All of them ignore Cover Saves, force units that suffer at least one casualty to make a Pinning check, and set up using the same deployment rules as Catachan Booby Traps.
- Punji Pit: A simple pit dug in the ground, filled with Stakes, and covered in foliage. When triggered, place the small Blast template with the model that triggered the trap at the centre, and it automatically hits models fully under the template, and hits models partially under the template on a 4+. The trap then stays in play as a patch of Difficult Terrain for the rest of the game.
- Fire Bomb: Essentially a Flame Fougasse, being a buried canister of Promethium with some strategically-placed explosives to propell the burning liquid out. Works like the Punji Pit with the small Blast and hitting on 4+ and all that, but doesn't stick around afterwards to remind you.
- Bang Trap: A cluster munition of several Stikkbombz tied to a tripwire, so only the poor unlucky guy who triggers it gets hit.
- 0-1 Stikk Bommas: Slightly different to their namesake in the main list. As well as being WS/BS3 like much of the rest of the Feral Orks army, they're limited to twenty men instead of thirty, which also means only two special weapons max, and they don't've access to Tankbusta Bombs. Each still brings a Slugga, CCW, and Frag and Krak Stikkbombz into battle, whilst two can pack either a Big Shoota, Rokkit Launcha, or Burna.
Troops[edit | edit source]
- Huntas: Your bread and butter main Troops choice for Feral Orks, thirty-strong with WS/BS3 and Shootas. Only two can take special weapons, even though there's thirty of them.
- Wildboyz: Savage cave-Orks running across a ravaged battlefield towards a titan with stone weapons. No guns whatsoever to make use of their WS/BS3, just Choppas and Hand Weapons such as Clubs or Daggers. Must be accompanied by a Nob, and a keen eye'll notice that the mob's Nob accompanies them, instead of upgrading from one of them, giving them a maximum size of thirty-one.
- Gretchin Mobz: You get one Slaver and between ten and thirty Gretchin armed with Grot Blastas, which also don't have a profile in your sacred text. In this addition Gretchin share the same low BS of Orks, so you don't take these guys for their accuracy. Instead they have some nifty Special Rules to buff your Boyz out;
- Living Shields: Does what it says on the tin, and gives Ork mobs behind them a 5++ Cover Save, with each save, successful or not, resulting in one of the Gretchin models being removed.
- Better Footing: If a Gretchin mob's in Difficult Terrain, and a non-Mega Armoured Ork mob moves through the same Difficult Terrain, the Orks may use the Grots as stepping stones and re-roll their movement dice.
- Mine Clearance: And last but by no means least, again self-explanatory. If a Gretchin mob moves into a Minefield, roll 3D6 and remove that many Gretchin and the Minefield, but if there aren't enough Gretchin models to meet the number rolled, the Minefield remains and the Gretchin mob's still wiped out anyway. They give a 5++ Cover Save more easily and reliably than a Kustom Force Field, and you aren't reliant on a single model to provide it.
- Madboyz: Orks that've lost what little grip on reaity they had to begin with. A minimum size of five models makes them the smallest squad you can take as Troops, and they can bring a Pigdok with them, the only way to get one outside of the Warboss's Bodyguard. WS/BS3 like everything else.
- Madboyz: Due to their aforementioned craziness, these guys're Fearless, and can't Mob Up with anyone other than other Madboyz. If they're not actively engaged in an assault, they also've to roll 1D6 at the beginning of each Ork turn, and one a 1, they've become... Disturbed.
- Madboyz Disturbed Behaviour Table: You've got four possible outlet behaviours for disturbed Madboy, determined by another 1D6. On a 1, they become paranoid and fight amongst themselves, with each Madboy making a single attack against the mob as a whole. On a 2-3, they argue amongst themselves as to whether a cloud looks like Gork or Mork, and count as Pinned. On a 3-4 (I think they mean 4-5, but I don't have any FAQ that says otherwise, so as written both effects trigger on an unlucky 3, and nothing happens at all on a 5, thanks GeeDubs), they become un-Orkishly terrified, with the unit falling back and automatically regrouping at the end of the move. And on a 6, they become uber-Orkishly brave, letting them move +1D6" in the Movement phase as long as it's directly towards the nearest enemy unit.
Fast Attack[edit | edit source]
- Boarboyz: Again, these guys suffer from the same reality-break as Imperial Guard Rough Riders, being Cavalry with identical statlines to regular infantry, and WS/BS3, despite being much larger models. Each starts with either a Shoota or a Slugga & Choppa, and can take Frag and/or Krak Stikkbombz. If you've brought a Pigdok, you can also upgrade any of them to Cyboars on an individual basis.
- Herda: A crazy Squig guy, out for a walk with his pets. He can bring between ten and twenty Squighounds with him, armed with nothing but their Huge Teeth, whilst he has a Slugga and Choppa. If the Herda's killed, the Squighounds all flee at the end of the turn and count as destroyed.
- Junkas: WS/BS3 Feral Ork Trukk Boy equivalents, five to ten of them in a Junkatrukk, all with a mix of Shootas and Sluggas & Choppas, and one of the three special weapon.
Heavy Support[edit | edit source]
- Squiggoth: A beasty with three possible profiles, depending on how big the actual model you use is, but all're more than capable of bringing the hurt. All have WS/BS2 and I1, and can take a single turret howdah with a Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha, Twin-Linked Big Shoota, or Lobba.
- Standard Size: For models 6" long or less. S6 T5 W3 A3 Sv6+. No transport capacity.
- Big Size: For models between 6" and 9". S7 T6 W4 A3 Sv5+. Transport capacity of ten models.
- Massive Size: For models 9" or more. S7 T7 W5 A4 Sv4+. Transport capacity of twenty models.
- Fearless: You run away from Squiggoth, Squiggoth doesn't run away from you. Ignore Morale and Pinning tests.
- Crew: Each Squiggoth's manned by a crew of three Huntas.
- Monstrous Creature: A Squiggoth's a big lad, and thus rolls 2D6 for Armour Penetration, and ignores Armour Saves in melee.
- Transport: Sguiggoths carrying passengers count as an Open-Topped vehicle for the purposes of embarking, disembarking, and passenger shooting only. Enemy models can only target the Squiggoth, not the passengers, and template, Blast, and Ordnance weapons gain no bonuses. And finally, if a Squiggoth carrying passengers's killed, each passenger'll suffer a wound on a 4+ with saving throw allowed.
- Lobba Battery: Limited to a maximum of three gun carriages, each coming with two Gretchin Krew be default, but up to three additional Krew can be purchased for each gun, both to use as living shields to protect the artillery, and ensure that if the guns backfire and kill off the odd one or two, they'll still be some kicking around to man the damn things.
- All the carriages in a battery must be armed with the same type of gun, in this case only Lobbas. The battery may also be accompanied by a Slaver but not a Mek, to keep the Krew working.
- Hits on the Battery: During the chaos of battle, with Krew swarming all over the guns clearing and reloading them, shots aimed at the artillery can sometimes hit the Krew instead, and this is represented by this Special Rule, where you roll 1D6 for each successful hit on the unit with a shooting attack, with it hitting the Grots on a 1-4, and the guns on a 5 or 6. The gunz don't have a statline as such, just counting as having AV10 and all it takes is a single glancing or penetrating hit to destroy one.
Tactics[edit | edit source]
General Overview[edit | edit source]
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.
You'll get more bang for your buck with your dakka than in Codex: Orks with BS3, but conversely your punches'll be less likely to hit home with WS3. You also aren't quite as mobile, with only one vehicle and an unreliable one at that, but you do get cavalry, animal packs, and monsters to make up for it. And don't forget psychic powers and drugs.
You also lack much of the existing anti-tank firepower in an already anti-tank-starved army, with pretty much your only option now being to deal with heavy armour in melee with Power Klaws and Bangstikks. These can only be taken on specific models and not in bulk so'll be in short supply, and your opponent WILL target them as a priority.
Your Army and You[edit | edit source]
When it comes to mustering your 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's 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 Squads 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're glass cannons, which you wouldn't put it past the Orks to take literally, and're 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[edit | edit source]
Next, you need to know how to get these four categories of units to work together effectively, and there're three basic battle plans which work fairly well. Now, I know what you're 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's all well and good charging headlong at the enemy, but that's 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's 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're known for, and as you'd expect it's 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'll have too many targets to engage them all effectively, and you'll overwhelm their line all over the place.
As with the Kult of Speed, all three battle plans can be adapted to Feral Orks. You have a lot less vehicles, but can use beasts instead, deploying a roving Boarboy Rumble of Squigs, Boarboyz, and Squiggoths. Squiggoths also feature in your version of the Squig Bash, as they fill a number of different roles for you. And finally Swamp 'Em is practically unchanged, as you can still bring more bodies than bullets to the board.
Army Building[edit | edit source]
Models[edit | edit source]
Whilst you can use your modern Ork army and just adapt its composition to 3rd Edition rules, truly nothing beats the nostalic feel of a new millennium Ork army in all its awkward grinning glory. Most models from this era have been mothballed by GW, with the Deffkopta the last Ork standing thanks to its intended replacement being integral to a now-OOP box set, so you'll have to scour eBay to find them in sufficient numbers unless you want to spam helicopters and have an air assault.
You'll also want an authentic new millennium board to play on, complete with card terrain and aquarium plants. There're plenty of papercraft terrain templates available online for everything from bunkers to tanks of various scales and quality, and with a good paint job some can even be indistinguishable from the real plastic.
Composition[edit | edit source]
The tried and true approach to making a balanced army list is to first grab your compulsory choices, one Headquarters and two Troops. Your army has to be lead by a Warboss, who can be on foot or mounted on either a Warbike or a Boar depending on the army list you use, so that's that taken care of, but you have far more options when it comes to your 'Boss's followers.
For the Codex list, Slugga Boyz and Shoota Boyz're more generalist, whilst Burna Boyz and Tankbustas're anti-infantry and anti-tank specialists, and Gretchin're cannon-fodder. If you're using the optional rules for a specific Clan, you HAVE to fill your two compulsory Troops with that Clan's Core Mobs, picking from Flash Gitz, Kommandos, Lootas, Skarboyz, Huntas, or Warbikes, and these units all play to that Clan's strengths. Flash Gitz're shooty, Kommandos're sneaky, Lootas're light-fingered, Skarboyz're tuff, Huntas're traditional, and Warbikes're fast. The Kult of Speed list also uses Warbikes, Burna Boyz, and Tankbustas as Troops, but also gives you Trukk Boyz and Warbuggies as well, giving you an array of vehicles to choose from for your motorpool. The Feral Orks list meanwhile also uses Huntas, but introduces Wildboyz and Madboyz, who're exactly what they sound like.
A good approach to take when first expanding your army beyond the compulsory core, is to choose one each of Elites, Fast Attack, and Heavy Support. This lets you try out the various different units and learn how the army works, until you get a feel for which style best suits your favoured tactics. Units that work well at this entry level include Warbuggies, Ork Dreadnoughts, and Skarboyz.
Painting[edit | edit source]
When first starting out with an Ork army, the sheer number of models you need to paint can be quite intimidating, but various tricks've been developed over the years to help make this process go along more smoothly. In particular, washes and drybrushing're your friends. The former's a heavily-diluted paint that goes on over the first green coat after the black basecoat, and sinks down into all the crevices to create shading effects, whilst the latter's a style of painting where most of the paint's removed from the brush with a tissue before painting, and grazes the raised details of the model to highlight texture. Drybrushing can also be used to paint rust and dirt on vehicles and equipment, whilst washes give weathering. Teeth and other light-coloured areas can often be tricky if you're using a black basecoat, so it helps to layer them up with first a dark brown or grey coat, and then a light brown or white coat.
Grots and Nobz can be done a little differently to regular Orks to make them stand out, by using lighter or darker colours for the first coat respectively, and age can be signified by skipping the drybrushing to leave individuals darker overall. And there're also transfer sheets that come with most boxes of miniatures, which're basically stickers for your models that can only be peeled off the backing paper once immersed in shallow water for about 30 seconds, a saucer'll do nicely (you have a tea set, right?). For more tips, go see the Painting Guide.
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