# OnG Bolt Throwers



## reubiedoo (Mar 21, 2009)

hitting on 5s, yet they commonly get reccommended on here as the best artillery they have. Surely you are better off with a 'lobba or doom diver?

Someone please highlight my ignorance, and explain why I'm wrong.


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## MaidenManiac (Oct 2, 2008)

They are cheap as dirt, can have 4 crewmembers (always get the Ork bully) and are 2 for 1 special slot. They hit on 4+ at close (which is a long range still), can not guess wrong, and can not missfire and explode/implode/whatnotintoadestroyedmodel. Thus they are indeed the most price-worth OnG artillery


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## The Son of Horus (Dec 30, 2006)

It's their price tag. You can bring a lot of them without cutting into the meat of the army at all. The fact that you can bring eight of them if you really feel like it at 2000 points and have only spent something like 275 points means that even though at "close" range-- which, as MaidenManiac pointed out, is still pretty long range-- you hit half the time. 

I think a lot of people don't understand the point of shooting in WHFB. Even armies which rely on it as a primary means of attacking the enemy still use the basic idea that shooting kills a few models, which is enough to take away a rank bonus. Armies which focus more heavily on shooting tend to still get into combat, but win on static resolution scores because the opponent can't kill enough with the few models they have left to win a combat.

With that in mind, bolt throwers are capable of killing three or four models when they hit a rank and file unit. That loss of even one point of rank bonus is enough to tip the scales seriously in favor of a close combat unit like Orc Big 'Uns, Savage Orc Boyz, and most certainly Black Orcs when presented with an enemy unit whose effectiveness is weighed in part on its static resolution scores (that's pretty much everybody but those wearing Chaos armor, by the way.) 

For example, you have to engage a unit of Lizardmen Saurus Warriors that's 20-strong and armed with spears, and you've got a unit of 20 Orc Boyz to deal with them. In normal circumstances, the Boyz are absolutely no match for the Saurus Warriors. But, if you peg the Saurus with a couple bolt throwers, you'll take the unit down to somewhere around 12 or 14 strong-- essentially, you should've cut their rank bonus down by two.

Now, let's run the numbers. If the Orcs charge (and presumably use Choppas) they hit with two attacks, and the boss hits with close to two attacks. The two attacks from the Boyz at S4 wound once, leaving the Saurus with a 6+ armor save (as they very likely are using spears.) So, you'll probably kill one there. Then, the Boss wounds on 2's with his S5 in the first round of combat, so you'll probably kill two more. Not bad, considering you threw a total of six attacks. The Saurus hit back with their spears with their unit champion and six others for a total of fifteen attacks. Half of those hit (we'll call it 8) and half of those wound (4). You gave your boyz shields, right? Right. So you're saving 4 wounds on a 5+. So, you're likely going to lose three boyz. 

Now, the shooting damage from those bolt throwers comes into play. You caused equal wounds to one another. So, those wash. You both have standards. Those wash. The Saurus started combat with one rank after the first (+1). The Orcs started combat with three ranks after the first (+3). Finally, at the end of combat, the Orcs outnumber the Saurus (+1). The Orcs then win by three. Without that shooting damage, it would've been a drawn combat, and in the next round, the Saurus might have the opportunity to strike first with 21 attacks-- which means the Orcs have had it at that point.

Let's reverse the situation, and say the Lizardmen charge after having taken that shooting damage. Since you get one fewer rank than normal when charging with spears, the Lizardmen throw 11 attacks, of which 6 hit and 3 wound. Assuming you're still using Choppas and shields (which might not be the case if you got charged, but we're leaving all things equal here) you should lose one or two boyz. Then, you whomp 'em back with the Boss and two or three boyz, which means you hit twice with the boss and depending on which way you round the armor saves against the Saurus, either once or twice with the Boyz. You then will probably wound with both the boss's attacks, and either once or not at all with the Boyz. The Saurus will lose whatever the Boss wounds, and have a 6+ save to work with from the Boyz, so it's a fairly safe bet to say they'll lose three models.

This time, you actually lose fewer models on average, so the lack of rank bonus the Saurus have is even more damning. The Orcs should cause one more wound than the Saurus in this instance (for a total of three models; +3), Outnumber them (+1), and started combat with three ranks after the first (+3). The standards wash. Then, the Saurus have a rank bonus of +1, and caused two wounds (+2). This time, the Orcs win by four. 

It's interesting to see how a couple bolt throwers make a unit that's normally considered garbage able to beat what's often considered the best unit, point for point, in the game regardless of who charged. You can't reliably cause the casualties to do that with either the Rock Lobba or Doom Diver (although you should bring a doom diver just because it's cool, in my opinion.)


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## Tim/Steve (Jan 25, 2009)

The bolt throwers are also great if people bring large mosters/war machines that would normally tear through your O&G army. Eg giants, bloodthirsters or mebbe a steam tank.

Steam tank costs more then 8 bolt throwers... if 8 bolt throwers shoot at the steam tank at long range then they hit on 4+ (large target) and wound on 4+, they do however do D3 wounds a shot. SO 8 shots, 4 hits, 2 wound*average of 2/wound for a total of 4 wounds caused.... so in 1 round of shooting at long range you just took 4/10 wounds off his precious steam tank, that sounds ok doesnt it? But actually it just ruined the steam tank- it now can reliably make steam (so is going to start wounding itself) and certainly cant get the large numbers of steam points that make it so deadly... say its owner wants 3 steam points to move 3" and fire its main cannon then because it only has 6W left 50% of the time it'll fail and wound itself


By comparison the ogre hunter has a S5 bolt thrower and costs 150-200pts, sure he is BS4 and good in combat but then he has the downsides of being much easier to kill at range then a normal bolt thrower...


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## Tha Tall One (Aug 16, 2008)

My Orc Bully once slaughtered a brettonian Paladin


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## octopec (Dec 8, 2009)

Son of Horus, EXCELLENT math hammering, +rep.


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