[Epic] Ork Units & Tactics [Long]
Below is my opinions on Ork units and tactics.
Unit - Ork Boyz
- Assault value point for point is 111% of marines
- Firepower value point for point is 75% of marines
on overwatch
- Movement the same as marines
- Armour 4+ vs 5+ for marines
Advice - See advice for Nobz
Unit - Nobz
- Assault value point for point is 143% of marines
- Firepower value point for point is 54% of marines
on overwatch
- Movement the same as marines
- Armour 4+ vs marines 5+
- Nobz also have save, which means that armour
value vs firepower & anti-tank fire is affectively
the same as marines.
Advice - Always take Nobz instead of the Ork Boyz. Yes
you lose some firepower comparatively, but
you will more than make up for it with their
additional assault value and survivability.
Unit - Shooty Boyz
- Assault value point for point is 29% of marines
- Firepower value point for point is 118% of
marine Devastators and 88% of normal marines
on overwatch.
- Movement is the same as marines
- Armour is 4+ vs marines 5+
Advice - They are an ok unit, if you need the firepower.
Personally I would spend the points on more
Nobz, all things being equal. I would only take
Shooty Boyz if I was going to have to fight
a defensive battle.
Unit - BoarBoyz
- Assault value point for point is 115% of a
marine unit, 115% of a marine bike unit
and 115% of Rough Riders.
- Firepower value point for point is 118% of
marines 58% of marines on overwatch and
100% of marine bikes and Rough Riders
- Movement is 20cm, 30cm charging
- Armour is 5+ vs marine bike units and
Rough Riders 4
Advice - Never take any, see Stormboyz advice for
reasons way.
Unit - Skarboyz
- Assault value point for point is 136% of marines
- Firepower value point for point is 68% of marines
on overwatch
- Movement is same as marines
- Armour is 4+ vs 5+ for marines
- Range 15cm vs marines 30cm
Advice - The only advantage Starboyz have over Nobz
is a little more firepower, in ever
other way Nobz are superior, point for point.
Nobz have better survival ability, longer range
and higher assault value. My advice is always
take Nobz instead of Starboyz.
Unit - Stormboyz
- Assault value point for point is 116% of marines
and 106% of marine assault troops
- Firepower value point for point is 63% of
marines on overwatch
- Movement is 20cm vs marines 10cm and assault
marines 20cm (30cm when charging into close
combat)
- Armour is 4+ vs 5+
- Range 15cm vs marines 30cm
Advice - The main advantage of Stormboyz is the speed
and their ability to jump over difficult terrain.
You pay for this ability by losing some assault
value, having lower firepower and shorter range.
Take them if you are going to need their special
ability. I would also take instead of Boarbyz.
Because they can occupy buildings, leap over units
and have similar stats to Boarboyz.
Unit - Kommandos
- Assault value point for point is 89% of marine
scouts
- Firepower value point for point is 67% of marine
scounts
- Movement is the same as marine scouts
- Armour is 4+ vs marine scouts 5+
Advice - basically you get 33% less firepower and assault
value, point for point, than Orkboyz in return for
a 30cm deployment or first move. It is always handy
to have one detachment of Kommandos in your army.
Take more if you really need to take particular
pieces of ground at the beginning of the battle.
They are most effective when used for assault,
instead of using their firepower.
Unit - Gretchin
- Assault value point for point is 100% of marines.
Be careful of this figure though, because it takes
three gretchin units to equal the assault value
of one marine unit, however only two of the
gretchin units can assault a marine unit
at once, according to the rules. And two
gretchin units have an assault value of two, while
a marines units assault value is 3.
- Firepower value point for point is 150% of marines
on overwatch
- Movement is same as marines
- Armour is 3+ vs marines 5+
- Range is 15cm vs marines 30cm
Advice - They make are a great skimish screen. If they get
in range with enough numbers they have better
firepower than marines on overwatch! Low armour
means they killed very easily by firepower.
Personally I would only take them when the orks
are going to be on the defensive. Because they are
to slow for offensive work and it isn't worth buying
battle wagons to transport them.
Unit - Battlewagons
- Assault value point for point is 2 vs Rhinos 0
- Firepower value point for point is 1 vs Rhinos 0
Firepower value point for point is 54% of marines
on overwatch, 96% of Predator tanks and 76% of Leman
Russ.
- Movement is 25cm vs Rhinos and Predators 30cm
- Armour is 5+ vs Rhinos 5+
- They cost 14pts vs Rhinos 7pts
- They transport the 1 unit vs 2 units transported
by Rhinos.
Advice - basically you are paying 28 points to transport
two units vs 7 points for marines to transport
two units. The advantage of battlewagons is; first,
that you don't lose the 5cm each time a unit embarks
or disembarks; second, units being transported are
never killed if the transport is destroyed (expect
in the case of snapfire); and third, battlewagons
have an assault and fire power value, while the
Rhino doesn't any. Each battlewagon is equal to
having 1 additional Ork boy (expect battle wagons
can't enter buildings). I would take as many
battlewagons as are required to transport all the
Nobz in my army.
Unit - Buggies
- Assault value point for point is 91% of a marine
attack bike units and 46% of marine bike units
- Firepower value point for point is 91% of a
marine bike units and 46% of marine attack
bikes
- Movement is 35cm vs 30cm for a marine bike
unit
- Armour is 4+ vs 4+
- Range is 30cm vs marine attack bikes 30cm
Advice - My advice is to forget them, take battlewagons
to fill their role instead, battle wagons
are only 5cm slower than marine bikes, but far
superior in terms of assault, armour and range
than Buggies. The only reason to take buggies is
if you have to have to the additional 10cm speed.
Unit - Bikeboyz
- Assault value point for point is 77% of a marine
attack bike units and 39% of marine bike units
- Firepower value point for point is 39% of a
marine attack bike units and 77% of marine
bike units
- Movement is 35cm vs 30cm for a marine bike
unit
- Armour is 4+ vs 4+
- Range 45cm vs for marine attack bikes 30cm and
15cm for marine bike units
Advice - The advice I gave about buggies is the same for
bikes.
Unit - Mekboy Speedsta
- First type costs 38 points and kills one target
on a 2+, roll on critical damage for war engines
- Second type costs 38 points and drops units picked
up on other enemy units
- Compared to a Land raider the deathray on the
Mekboy spedsta will inflict, point for point, 83%
of the damage points, that Land raiders will.
Of course anti tank weapons don't automatically
inflict criticals on war engines, like deathrays
do
- The range of the speedsta is 30cm vs 45cm
for landraiders
- Speed is 30cm vs 20cm for Land raiders
Advice - it is not such a good unit for attacking opposition
such as landraiders, enemy troops etc. However
it is highly effective when used against war
engines that don't have void shields. Which type
you use is real just a matter of personal
preference. The lift-a-dropper has less chance
of hitting, but can potentially do more damage when
it does. Also take into account the psychological
benefits of Mekboy speedsta's. You oppent will always
be hate them, in the same way that battleship
captains hated submarines.
Unit - Dreadnought
- 1 less firepower, assault and armour level
than a marine dreadnought. As a result it is
half the cost.
Advice - Forget it, get more Nobz instead. Nobz cost 14 points
vs 13 for dreadnoughts, Nobz have an assault
value of 4 vs dreadnoughts 3, Nobz the same firepower
and effectively the same armor (with their save
ability).
Unit - Flak Wagon
- Firepower value point for point is 93% of
a Hydra
- range is 30cm vs 30cm for a Hydra
- Movement is 25cm vs a Hydras 15cm
- Armour is 5+ vs 5+ for a Hydra
Advice - They are even better AA than Hydras. Ok
you lose a little fire power, but you get
mobile AA protection. Take plenty of them,
you will need them.
Unit - Stompa
- Assault value point for point is 63%
of marines, 338% of Predator tanks
and 400% of Leman Russ
- Firepower value point for point is 94%
of a marines on overwatch, 169% of Predator
tanks and 133% of Leman Russ
- Movement is 15cm vs marines 10cm,
Predators 30cm and Leman Russ 20cm
- Range 45cm vs marines 30cm and Predators 45cm
- Armour is 5+ vs Predators and Leman Russ6+
Advice - The real value of stompas is in there
firepower, not their assault value.
Their problem is their slow speed, which
hinders them from being in the right place
at the right time to effectively use
their firepower. This means that to be used
effectively they will have to be marched.
Where as Predators and Leman Russ can move
and fire, because of their higher speed.
Ok unit, but because the Orks are into
high speed offensive moves, I would only
get them if you know in advance your Ork army
is going to be on the defensive in a particular
area of the battlefield and then put them in
that section of the battlefield
Unit - Squiggoth
- Assault value point for point is 97%
of marines, 525% of Predator tanks
and 622% of Leman Russ
- Firepower value point for point is
83% of marines on overwatch, 150% of Predator
tanks and 178% of Leman Russ
- Movement is 15cm vs marines 10cm, Predators
30cm and Leman Russ 20cm
- Armour is 5+ vs marines 5+, Predators &
Leman Russ 6+
- Has Rampage
Advice - This is the assault version of the Stompa,
a real shame about its speed. If you use
them basically forget about their fire power
and march it toward the enemy forces, using
cover to block enemy line of sight along the way.
If the enemy has artillery and targets them, they
are going to get massacred. My advice is
don't take any at all.
Unit - Fighter-Bommer
- They are equal in air combat to thunderbolts
- Their ground attack is barrage vs a thunderbolts
2 firepower
Advice - When the Oaks take the offensive they will have to
take the role of Orks artillery support, as Ork
own artillery doesn't have the range or the speed
to get in range of enemy units, in time to support
the fast offensives of Orks. My advice is that you
should plan to take 50% to 100% more than whatever
your opposition is going take in the way of air
support.
Unit - Big Gunz & Pulsa Rockets
Advice - Both have to shorter range and are to slow.
Only usefully if you are on the defensive or
when conducting a slow rumbling attack (which
is exactley the type of attack Orks want avoid
conducting). Only take them in exceptional
circumstanes.
Unit - battlefortress
- Assault value is point for point 47%
of marines and 301% of Leman Russ
- Firepower value point for point is 100%
of Leman Russ and 94% of marine devastators
- Movement is 15cm
- Armour is 5+
- Can transport 5 troops. Rhinos can transport
5 troops for 21 points and Chimeras can
transport 5 troops for 42 points
Advice - I would never take any of them at all. They
are to slow for troop transports and they
sitting ducks for anti tank weapons and 3 units
of marines (worth 45 points) have the same
assault value. The only benefit of
battlefortresses is their fire power. But other
Ork units can give you greater firepower for less
cost in points.
Armies Overall strengths and weaknesses:
Strengths - Nobz assault and survivability (far better than
marines)
- Orks ability to hitch a lift
- Battle wagons speed and assault value
- Flak wagons
- Reasonable air cover provided by Fighter-Bommers
- Mekboy speedsta's, they have a cheap but
effective war engine killing ability
- Stormbyz jet pack movement, and their assault
value
Weaknesses - Lack of long range barrage weapons
- Lack of anti-tank weapons
- lack of close support weapons
Tactical Advice
Defence -
You don't have the infantry firepower and anti tank weapons to
engage in firefights. Try and slow down part of your oppositions
army, while you use the mobility of your battlewagons to allow
you to get superior numbers assaulting the rest of his army.
If a gap opens up in his lines, send your high speed units to
take out his artillery and long range direct fire units, if he
has any. The worst position to be in for Orks, is being pounded
for several turns by long range artillery and anti tank weapons,
before the enemy makes his assault. Orks want to get into close
combat as soon as possible, in most situations.
Attack -
Mount all your you Nobz on battle wagons and head towards the enemy
at assault speed. Use terrain to block the enemy line of sight while
advancing, try and get all of your infantry units into close combat
by turn two. Use stormboyz to leap over enemy detachments, that
are already engaged by the Nobz, and attack them from the rear,
so the enemy detachment can't retreat if defeated.
Terrain -
For Orks the more terrain the better. You only want enough open
space so the battle wagons aren't to close together.
Main Threats
- Long Range Artillery. Which do Preparatory bombardments,
thereby inflicting blast markers, which mean you have to
make leadship tests to move. Use Fight-Bommer to attack
the artillery, if hasn't given them enough flak
protection or air cover.
- Close support weapons (e.g hellhounds). Use stormboyz
to take these out.
- Anti tank weapons (e.g landraiders). Massed anti-tank weapons
are the Orks worst nightmare. Use empty battle wagons
to assault them, is one solution I can think of. Also
Nobz on battlewagons, because their of survivability, if
they are within 35cm of the anti-tank weapons should be able
to take them out (25cm battle wagon move in the movement phase,
Nobz move 10cm in the assault phase). If the enemy protects his
anti tank weapons by putting infantry in front of them, the Nobz
assault the infantry and the Stormboyz attack the anti-tank
weapons. The only worry is if the enemy uses his anti-tank
weapons to shoot exclusively at the Stormboyz. But at least if
he does that, more of your Nobz and battlewagons survive to get
into close combat. Waaaaaaaaargh ORKS!!!!!
Sean Smith
Seans_at_...
Received on Sun Jun 22 1997 - 09:07:46 UTC
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