ORKS! My thoughts on the new codex and a Battle Report!

I have been a bit down on 40k recently.

I have not been excited to play or build or paint.

And then something happened.  Games Workshop began releasing pictures of their new Ork vehicles.  All the new "buggies" that have replaced the old buggies.

The Kustom Boosta-Blastas, the Shokkjump Dragstas, Boomdakka Snazzwagons, Megatrakk Scrapjets, and Rukkatrukk Squigbuggies are really cool!

Orks have snuck back into my brain.

My friend Ryan challenged me to a game using the new codex which wasn't out until this past Saturday.  I had work to do.

Many years ago, during 5th edition, I built a huge Ork army of about 6,500 points for one of my group's Big Games.  The game was Orks Vs Imperials and at the time I only had Iron Warriors so I had to build an army and I chose Orks.

 Big Game 2010

Last week, I dug out most of the models.

My Evil Sunz Waaagh!

The army needed some updating because most of the Battlewagons were in bad shape, some of the Trukks were broken, and some of the models don't exist within the new codex.

My stompa needs to have a Mega-Choppa.  I built him as an Evil-Eye-in-Da-Sky Stompa, which was one of the Apocalypse variants back during 5th edition.  It actually used to launch Deff Koptas each turn and if it was destroyed, the Big Mek could escape on his own Deff Kopta and become an additional objective! 

The smaller Stompa is whats known as a Digga Stompa.  It was originally in Epic and then ArmorCast made a 40k scale model in the late 90s and then Bell Of Lost Souls came out with an expansion that gave it rules in 5th edition, so I built one from scratch.

Between the two stompas is a Battle Fortress which I also built from scratch based on a Bell of Lost Souls Apocalypse Supplement.

I dug through my ork bits and found a bunch of models that need to be painted.  I found a whole unit of Boyz, 12 more Ard Boyz, 4 old trukks from 2nd edition and 40 Grots just waiting to be painted up!

I knew that just using the models I had wouldn't be good enough.  I had to get some of the new models but because of the time crunch I wouldn't be able to get to the GW store or order them online and get them before Saturday which was less than a week away at this point.

I decided to build one of the new buggies from bits I had lying around.  I looked at the pictures online and decided the one that would be easiest to build was the Kustom Boosta-Blasta.  I got to work on Tuesday night and chopped up an old Trukk and glued a bunch of bits together and came up with this:

I think it turned out pretty good!

I wasn't able to get it painted up but I knew Ryan wouldn't mind.

Saturday morning came and got up early and went onto GW Digital Editions and bought the ePub, downloaded it to my tablet and I was ready to go.

Here was the army list (100 PL) I came up with:

HQ - 

Warboss Tank Krumpla
Shiny Gubbins: Da Killa Klaw
Kombi-Scorcha
Attack Squig
Warlord Trait: Big Killa Boss
PL: 4

Warboss
Big Choppa
Combi-Shoota
Attack Squig
PL: 4

Big Mek in Mega Armor
Kombi-Scorcha
Kustom-Force-Feild
Grot Oiler
PL: 6

Elites - 

Painboy
PL: 3

Painboy
PL: 3

Runtherd
PL: 2

Runtherd
PL: 2

8 Tank Bustas
1 Tankhammer
PL: 8

10 Nobz
Mix of weapons
PL: 14

Troops - 

9 Boyz, 1 w/rokkit launcha
1 Nob with Powerklaw and Slugga
PL: 4

9 Boyz, 1 w/rokkit launcha
1 Nob with Powerklaw and Slugga
PL: 4

9 Boyz, 1 w/rokkit launcha
1 Nob with Powerklaw and Slugga
PL: 4
19 Ard Boyz 2 w/rokkit launchas
1 Nob with Power Klaw and Slugga
PL: 7

20 Gretchin
PL: 2

20 Gretchin
PL: 2

Fast Attack - 

Kustom Boosta-Blasta
PL: 5

3 Deff Koptas with Twin Big Shootas
PL: 5

3 Deff Koptas with Kopta Rockits
PL: 5

Heavy Support - 

Battle Wagon
2 Big Shootas
Ard Case
Kill Cannon
Deff Rolla
PL: 8

Transport:

Trukk with Big Shoota
PL: 3

Trukk with Big Shoota
PL: 3

Trukk with Big Shoota
PL: 3

Total PL:  101

(Ryan also took a total of 101 PL.)


We used the Open War Deck to generate the mission just because that was the easiest way to come up with a mission that we hadn't already played.

I forgot to take a picture of the deployment but basically I lined everything up on my deployment zone edge as close to his army as possible.

I also Seized the Initiative.

I had a squad of 10 Nobz, a Pain Boy and my Warboss; Tank Krumpla charge out of their Battlewagon turn one and into his squad of Primaris Marines.  The Orks crushed them.

He was able to counter the next turn with lots of shooting and a charge by his veterans.

Turn 2, the Nobz are gone.

 The Ard Boyz.

Space Marine Centurions just blow Orks away.

The Kustom Boosta-Blasta and Deff Koptas charge a Rhino.

The Ard Boyz swarm the Veterans.

Orks and Grots try to gang up on the Centurions.

Boyz attack a Land Raider in close combat, to little effect.

The Centurions finally go down.

The Space Marines begin to take control.

We ended it here since I had to get a game in with Pen Dull who had just arrived.  I had a tight schedule to adhere to this day.

Ryan ended up winning 90 to 47.

It was a good game and very enlightening.

I also played a number of rules wrong.  

I didn't notice that choppas gave an extra attack and I also didn't realize Dakkadakkadakka also gave additional attacks on 6's.  I thought it was just always hit on 6's at worst.

I think the new codex is very good in that it brings new rules for all of the Ork Clans, it introduces new units and makes Orks a viable army in 40k.

It's unfortunate that a number of units were removed from the Index but for me at least it gives me the opportunity to revamp and update my Ork army.  I am excited to get to work on new models and finally paint up a lot of older models I haven't gotten to yet like the Grots.


Next up, a game of 40k featuring the Iron Warriors and the Marines Errant.