Building an Ork army from the troops up

Since you have to have troops, let's figure out how to we can use them in an army.

Option 1 - Placeholders

Take a minimum number of squads and beef up on other, more efficient units such as lootas, mek gunz, flash gitz, meganobs, bikers, stompas, etc.  Since everything except swooping FMCs and zooming flyers (and death company, fenrision wolves, tau drones) scores, it's less of a concern.

For only 70 points you can get 2 squads of grots.  Cheapest mandatory troop tax in the game.  This is a nice option to have.  You might as well take another squad for 35pts, so you have the option of taking another HQ in the Ork horde detachment since you won't be using that objective secured rule anyways.

Option 2 - Trukk boyz

I can see the appeal in theory.  For 147 pts you get 11 boys, a nob with pk & BP, and a trukk with a ram.  The ram is necessary so you don't immobilize and can take advantage of your speed.  Move 12" then turbo boost 12" your first turn.  On your 2nd turn you pop the waagh, move the trukk 6", get out up to 6", then run and assault.  With 'ere we go you can charge 11" about 70% of the time (drops to 9" for difficult terrain).  That's a 47" threat range over 2 turns.  Even in vanguard strike that will get you anywhere but the back few inches of the opponents corner.

Who is the ideal target for a small unit like this? Guardsmen in the open, pathfinders on the first level of ruin, a 5 man scout squad?  I'd rather not rely on my opponent being a bad player. A squad of 12 just doesn't do that much damage when you have to weather a turn (or 2 if you go 2nd) of shooting, overwatch, then usually their attacks before you get to swing. 

Have you ever tried charging a 10 man squad of grey hunters.  Even without flamers, a banner, or mark of the wulfen they'll kick your ass every time.  You'll lose 2 guys to overwatch, 6 to their attacks, then the remaining boyz will kill one and the nob will kill 2.  You take a Ld test on 4 and either get swept or the kill 2 more of your own guys due to mob rule and then the rest get cleaned up before you get a chance to attack.

All it takes is someone using proper screening techniques to prevent you from getting what you want to go on the 2nd turn and then you're stuck in double tap range.  Counter assaults hurt because you lose an attack and furious charge. 

This doesn't even get into the frailty of the trukk itself or that templates kill the occupants, or that explosions (and templates) are random hits which could kill your nob. You take a pinning test for explosion, moral for casualties, tank shocks, fear tests, etc.  Your boyz are killing themselves.

Many ork players think of their army as 'THE' assault army.  That everyone is scared of a squad of 12 boyz in a trukk coming at them.  The reality is that there are a ton of armies that just don't care -- White Scars, daemons, necrons, CSM, nids -- and will come at you just as hard and fast, then shred you.
An alternate way to use trukk boys is to take a squad with 10 shoota boyz and a trukk with a ram for 105 points.  Hold the unit in reserve then come on after the 2nd wave to hide or pick off weakened units.  This combos well with the Master of Ambush Strategic Trait, which lets you outflank (via infiltrate) 3 units.  Take Da Finkin's Kap for a 2nd chance on the table. Then you can place your guys pretty much where you want them.

Option 3 Battlewagon boyz

Since you can fit 20 boyz in the BW, you've got the weight of numbers to survive a little longer.  You're less likely to explode and kill the occupants.  Unfortunately, the model is a bus with a tiny front arc, wide sides at AV12, and AV10 rear.  It comes with no guns stock and at only BS2, are hardly worth taking other than to prevent weapon destroyed turning into immobilized.  It isn't fast, so your threat range is diminished slightly

Why would anyone every take 'ard case for 15pts.  Losing assault vehicle status is bad enough, but to pay points is ludicrous since it is an assault vehicle first, line of sight blocker 2nd, then certainly some other uses, then gunwagon last.  Once you dump the boyz, the BW can be used to block line of site, maybe do a Str 9 ram.

So you either have to sacrifice speed for shooting (move 6" fire one weapon) or move 12" and fire snap shots.  The only solid gun option is limited to 24" at Str 7 Ap3 blast, which can't be snap shot.  Once you get in that range you're just asking to get shot in the sides.  The killer is that it reduces your capacity to 12 boyz.

A mek on a bike w/KFF behind the battlewagons with some warbikers will hand out the 5++.  This is better than limiting it to a single BW.

There is also an opportunity cost of not taking lootas and mek guns with your heavy support slots so your opponent's tanks are untouched before you reach them.  You're limited to Rokkits from various sources - squad upgrades, buggies, deffkoptas, tankbustas.

This is better than trukk boyz, but you lose a lot of dakka.  Battlewagons are better suited to delivering tankbustas and meganobz.  I could see a morkanaught with KFF flanked by battlewagons with tankbustas or maganobz inside and boys following behind.

Option 4 Ard Boyz

Can survive explosions and mob rule much better.  Bolters don't rip them to shreds and you can count on getting a save in close combat except against power weapons.  For 10 points, you don't get any more offensive capabilities and you have to consider if you want more boyz or more survivable boyz.

Most troops come with a 3+ or a 5+ or worse.  Units with a 4+ are warriors of some sort Necron warriors, firewarriors, and Tyranid warriors plus scouts and dire avengers.  At least scouts will get a better cover save, Tyranid warriors will be handing near some venomthropes for a 3+ cover, necrons and dire avengers have great dedicated transports and firewarriors will usually try to hang out behind an aegis or in ruins.

We forget how much has AP4: heavy bolters, autocannons, psycannons, heavy flamers, incinerators, assault cannons, quad guns, krak grenades, missile pods, heavy burst cannons, Eldar plasma missiles, whirlwinds, manticores, etc.

If you're going to take boyz in battlewagons, you probably should give them eavy armor to maximize your investment.

Option 5 - Horde

There is strength in numbers. A full squad of 30 requires 8 casualties before the morale test. You have the weight of fire and attacks to bring down a lot units. Whether you want slugga or choppa boyz is going to depend on the list.

Big mobs are limited by terrain.  There is no way to get move through cover on standard boyz. You'll roll double ones then roll a 1 on your run move and feel like you're wasting your life.

Formerly, they were solid for bringing down MCs or at least acting as a tarpit.  With so many units having fear, which isn't covered by mob rule and is a test every round, hitting on 5s, wounding on 6s is a poor strategy, you'll just end up killing yourself through mob rule.

A grot screen to go in front of 2 or 3 squads is a worthwhile investment. 

I've never liked the green tide list.  It was a tough matchup for some opponents but really wasn't a very strategic list.  Games took forever and I never had fun playing it.  I have about half my boyz painted and the other half only primed because I got tired of painting green.

Wyverns, thunderfires, splinter cannons, Tau of all sorts, tesla, and warp spiders will all take you out to the woodshed and do unspeakable things.  Good thing none of those are populat :). If someone brings a promethium pipe relay they should at least buy you dinner first.

Squads will die faster than before but if you use them correctly, they can be effective.  Boyz should be in the 2nd wave of assault, rather than the first.  You need something to take the threat off of them right away and something to take down backfield threats.

Supporting the Boyz

Boyz by themselves just aren't very good.  In my next post I'll look at supporting the boyz with HQs - KFF, warboss, and painboys.  Maybe that's the way to go.