[Lord_Murdock]

Hello ork players!

So, my friends and I have gotten back into 40k lately, and I find that my old mechanized ork list just doesn't play like it used to. Trukks are worse, shoota boyz are more expensive, deff rollas aren't even worth taking anymore, etc. We started playing back in 5th edition and that's when I got the vast majority of my stuff, so I guess it's time for a bit of re-vamping!

The mechanized feel of my list in past editions is something I'd like to keep, so I was thinking maybe it's best to focus more on battlewagons instead of trukks. My little squads of 12 were generally enough before, but now with overwatch and the new mob rule, I find them dieing at an alarming rate. Obviously, I need bigger squads, and for that I need bigger transports. Unfortunately, that also means fewer heavy support slots for other tanks, and even lootas now (ugh...). I don't really know what to do here, so I'd like a little help to know what works and what doesn't for the orks.

HQ:
Warboss w/ Mega Armour, Attack Squig, Bosspole

Elites:
5x Meganobz w/ 2x Kombi-Skorcha, Bosspole
Battlewagon w/ Reinforced Ram, 2x Big Shoota

Troops:
20x 'Ard Boyz w/ Shootas, 2x Big Shoota, Nob, Power Klaw, Bosspole
20x Boyz w/ Shootas, 2x Big Shoota, Nob, Power Klaw, Bosspole
12x Boyz w/ Shootas, Big Shoota, Nob, Power Klaw, Bosspole
Trukk w/ Reinforced Ram

Heavy Support:
Battlewagon w/ Reinforced Ram, 2x Big Shoota
Battlewagon w/ Reinforced Ram, 2x Big Shoota
11x Lootas

== 1488 points

That's what a 1500 point list would look like for me, if I were to try one out now. For 1000 points, I'd probably use more trukks instead of the second battlewagon squad, I dunno. We generally play 1000 - 1500 point games.

That leaves me with a couple questions: Should I add kannons or something to the battlewagons? Should I use any of the fast attack choices? Is there anything else I'm missing?

It's kind of funny, I feel like such a new player now... Anyway, let me know what you think!

 

[Lord of Lustria]

I also stopped playing in 5th and just got back into 40k about 2 weeks ago, do Lootas still bring the same terrifying dakka as back in 5th? I remember they were one of the units I feared most.

 

[Lord_Murdock]

Yeah, in the games I've played Lootas are pretty much unchanged. I mean, you need a lot of them to be most effective, but they are a scary unit. I like to use two squads of ten when I can, but now that they're heavy support choices I find that difficult sometimes. I have all these battlewagons and looted tanks, it's hard to find room for everything!

Still, it's fun to take a couple squads of lootas, a looted tank, a bunch of shoota boyz, and a Shokk Attack Gun big mek as an HQ and just play gunline orks. That's a heavily luck-based list, but it's a blast when it works.

 

[R_Squared]

A couple of things that I have found as I played. I have only ever played orks in 7th edition, so it's how I optimise I'm afraid.
MANZ can ride in a Trukk quite easily, and cheaply. It only needs to get them forward. If you go second make sure you tuck it out of LoS and come blasting out in your turn. The only extra it needs is a Reinforced ram. If it does survive into the enemy lines, it's a fun missile.
Battlewagons for Boyz is probably your only option in massed numbers like you have, but they are expensive. If it's transport, I'd only bother with one big shoota to mitigate weapon destroyed/ immobilised gubbins.
I tend to footslog mass lumps of boyz myself, and reserve my battelwagons for units like Tankbustas, but you can make quite a mess of the enemy with Trukk rush, you just need a lot. Every army these days has effective anti armour and trukks melt away like butter under a blowtorch. That why numbers are important. Gunwagons are a more resilient alternative, with armour 13 and transport capacity of 10, they are like a heavy trukk and only 60 points too. I tend to use these for my tankbustas, rather than battlewagons. The models are hard to come by though, unless you kitbash your own, or proxy BWs, and the rules are old, in IA8.
Speaking of Tankbustas, for destroying armour, they are invaluable. They are an almost must take, but they are fragile, if you can work them into a list, they are worth while. I always take at least 2 units. From super heavies down, they will fall to tankbustas, just don't expect any to survive long afterwards. I use them to demoralise an opponent by obliterating their favourite Knight or Baneblade. But numbers are important, at least a unit of 10 minimum to get the job done.

Lootas are pretty handy too. With a 48" range they can just sit back and blast rounds out. I tend to split my units up, 2 units of 5 or 10 boyz so that I can chose different targets, and mitigate the randomness of the amount of shots a little. It does make them vulnerable, though. They have practically no life expectancy if they are targeted. However, I have used them to target MCs, Flyers and Knights quite effectively and they can distract target priority away from your main mob of boyz.

Fast units are usually the sprinkles on the donut for me. I only really use them in fun games, or in limited numbers. They need careful handling, but can be effective. I try and get a single Deffkopta in for objective grabbing. Being a jetbike it can zap about ignoring difficult terrain and is the lowest target priority for your enemy. Very handy. Flyers can be useful, and fun, but they are limited in effectiveness for the cost. Some people like stormboyz, but they are not my favourite. Effectively they are expensive boyz with no options for extra protection. But the models look awesome (even if they are a little unstable) and used well they can be a surprise.

 

[morfangdakka]

A lot has changed since 5th so you are pretty much a new player to the game. Trukk armies can work you just need to take like 8 or more trukks. Gunwagons are better and more durable.
If you want to get battlewagons in your army and only use up zero Heavy slots you need to get the Waaagh! Ghazghkull Supplement (GW money Grab) it has the Blitz Brigade formation in it that will let you take 5 battlewagons. Best thing is they all have scout so if you go second all the battlewagons are off the board. Then when you come on they are right in the opponents face.
Lootas are great and in a battlewagon they have a mobile bunker to blast just about everything. It is strange that ork boyz now are good in battlewagons especially Ard boyz and MANZ are now good in trukks go figure. This formation allows you take several battlewagons take some lootas and looted wagons if you wanted or some big guns.

Deffkoptas and rokkit warbuggies are good. Right now lots of people are taking warbikes lead by a forgeworld character Zhadsnark ‘Da Rippa’ which makes warbikes troops instead of elites. So people are adding him to their armies along with a warboss and painboy on a bike to make an ork deathstar.

 

[Lord_Murdock]

Hm, that's interesting. The lists I've been using up to this point have pretty much been the same ones I've always used. So, they would usually be something like:

HQ:
Warboss, with or without mega armour

Elites:
Meganobz/Nobz in a battlewagon

Troops:
4x Trukk squads

Heavy:
Lootas/Looted Wagons

So yeah, I figured putting more boyz in wagons was probably a good idea. I've never really thought about putting Meganobz in a trukk before, but I could definitely see it working. The only problem is that my warboss is always with whichever squad of nobz I take along, mega or otherwise, so I like to keep them in a battlewagon. Should I do something else with my HQ?

I was considering using Deffkoptas. I have a few, maybe I should try using them a bit more.

Tankbustas seem like a good idea, I'll have to try converting a few up to see how they work out. Could be fun.

The Blitz Brigade sounds interesting, but I don't know if I want to buy another book just for that. Hah, I'll just have to figure something out without it. I guess I don't absolutely need to take so many battlewagons, maybe I do just need more trukks. A squad of tankbustas in a trukk would maybe be a good project to work on and a decent first step.

Thanks for all the advice!

 

[morfangdakka]

Yeah it sucks buying basically another codex for your army but it has some of the best formation in it for orks. The green tide, bully boyz, blitz brigade are all top formations council of the waagh, the dread mob, the red skull kommando formations all are decent not sure about the Vulcha skwad but might be useful.

For your warboss give him the Lukky stikk. It is like a waagh banner as it boost up the nobs around him and it gives him saves. You might want to look at adding Mad Dok in with the nobz and warboss he will make them fearless and give them rampage. Give their battlewagon a boarding plank to gain the 2inches of movement when they disembark.
Tankbustas are great now having two trukks of them running around would be good.

 

[The_One]

I actually love Deffkoptas in this edition. 5 of them with Rokkit Launchers are only 150 pts for Scouting Jetbikes with 2 wounds. And it forces your opponent to shoot down two full Koptas before LD tests are needed. I've used these things to pop MC's and harass backline units (Devastators, etc). If I had the models I'd be running two full units of these guys as they have made their points back in spades for me.

Trukk Boyz got hit the hardest with the mob rule. Wrecked Trukks force a pinning test (first mob table roll) and then if you take 3-4 casualties you're taking another test.