# Orcs Tactics - Special and Rare Choices



## Ratvan (Jun 20, 2011)

Ah every Fantasy players favourite parts of the list, you have chosen a General, Loaded up on magic, scraped through the bare minimum allowance of the Core section and now we get onto the really wacky and occasionally good stuff and how they fit into your Orc Tactics.

Orc Tactics - Special Choices

I'll start with the unit that everyone thinks of when they see an Orc and Goblin army.

Black Orcs
Black Orcs are cool. They are great looking models, and have some very cool rules. 4+ armor save with shields, can use Additional Hand Weapon , Hand Weapon and Shield, or Great Weapons. (Armed to Da Teef right?) Very cool. They also get immune to psychology. Very cool. Now unfortunately to the downside: everything that kills normal Orcs still kills them, despite the armor. And they cost 50% more than a Savage Orc, but the Savage Orc is just as killy. It really isn't that they are too expensive for what they do, it's just that Savage Orc Big Uns do the same job way better for way cheaper, and come out of your core, not the much prized Specials slot.

Boar Boys 
If for some reason you don't give Big Uns to your Savage Orcs(Mounted Army list perhaps, Da Waagh of da Steepes), here is the unit to give it to. This unit is insanely powerful on the charge, and thanks to Movement 7 they will get it. Give them shields, spears and make them Big Uns. In a unit of 10. With standard and musician, they clock in at a respectable 260 points and can take a magical standard of up to 50 points. If you run this unit put your Orc Warboss on a War Boar. 10 Str 6 attacks on the charge, 10 more str 5 from the pigs, 3+ armor save so they are survivable (for Orcs). Maybe consider giving them the Razor Standard and they will fillet nearly any unit in the game. This is the elite hammer Black Orcs can never be and just imagine this unit hitting a flank. What could top these?


Savage Boar Boys: 
Yep these. Try 15 strength 6 attacks on the charge backed up by 10 strength 5. Only a 4+ armor save, but they get a 6+ ward. And they are immune to psychology. Yes, these are expensive and not for every list. But they are strong stuff.


Boar Chariot
Another greats choice. For 90 points you get... D6+1 Str 5 impact hits. 3 Strength 5 crew attacks. And 2 Strength 5 boar attacks. They only have a 4+ save but you can take enough of them to saturate the field, especially when you put cheap hero level dudes on them (with additional hand weapons remember.)


Goblin Wolf Chariot
The Boar Chariots little cousin, these are dirt cheap, insanely powerful for the cost. The amount of them you can bring in a list is staggering, as is the amount of impact hits they can deliver. For a mere 150 points they deliver 3d6+3 Strength 5 impact hits. That alone is often enough to crush nearly anything. And that's before the goblins and wolves swing, which if we really consider it isn't that great, consider this as a bonus after the chariots have struck and you're on the right track. They aren't survivable, but you can take so many of them it's ridiculous.


Goblin Spear Chukka
Holy crap. You can take up to 6 of them per army for 35 points each!!! That's the easiest 210 points to spend ever. I'd probably stick to 5 at the very most and clock in at 175. These is where laying down the firepower starts. They also good vanilla warmachines that can whittle down Knights, Heavy Infantry, Pesky Eagles ect ect.


Squig Hopper
This is where most people would say "And here is the crap after a few good units!" They are skirmishers who are Immune To Psychologu meaning your opponent HAS to kill them to the last squig and he will likely have to do it in close combat. As much as I like these units on the table top in my own army I would have to pass on these if I ever went to a Tournament ('Ardboyz Equivalent)


Squiq Herds: 
Just say no to Squigs for full competative games, however I love them. I have a squig model in each of my units (or will do eventually) and each of my warmachines has been converted to fire them! A full Herd in Horde Formation costs a lot but makes a very very good hammer unit for your Night Goblin Tarpits. In combat your Squigs will likely munch anything, and what could be more amusing then imagining a stuntie getting a squig to the face!


Snotlings
These are supposed to be a tarpit unit, but they really aren't capable of it due to Swarms being unstable in 8th edition. One use I have found is to buy 6 bases and conga then in a thin line infront of your Night Goblin units (4-5") so you can bounce Fanatics through them and gives units behind them Hard Cover from shooting (again Neglecting the use of the Bad Moon Banner)


Trolls 
The models are so cool. But the rules let them down. Leadership of 4 and Stupidity...... If you don't have an Inspiring Presence bubble to baby sit them they just sit there waiting to be put out of their misery by every flaming unit ever. When I use these (which is rarely and only to get me to 2.5-3k) then I have two options, take lots of units of one (so 6) or one unit of 6-8. Individually place them between your units to stop the bad animostity rolls, in a group place them near your leadership bubble and wait for the flank charge into whatever my Night Goblin Netters are currently entangling. 


Orc Tactics - Rare Choices

This is where things get bigger, badder and weirder!

Goblin Rock Lobber
170 points for two of these. These probably will be automatic in every competative OnG army. Don't argue, just accept it. Stone throwers are nuts against the big blocks you will see, and since you can't count on magic to kill blocks like other armies, this is how you do it. Most big blocks don't want to get hit by two of these a turn. Tough luck. 

Doom Diver Catapult
Another easy 160 points to spend in every army. This is how you smash MSU elite armies. 

Snotling Pump Wagon 
Cheap and cute, but out of place. The lack of reliability is the biggest problem, and generally you're better off with the above two machines of death.


Araknorak Spider: The centerpiece model of the army. Super tough and super killy. Unfortunately, it's warmachine and magic bait. You can only afford one at 2k points, and it's sure to die unless your opponent ignores it (Which if we think about this is how often?) and taking it means you are leaving warmachines at home. Sorry, but for me unless i am playing my fluffy list the warmachines play, this doesn't. That said, with one as a Shaman mount and one from Rare, you can have two and two could be tough, even for a cannon army to deal with before you start munching away. 

River Trolls
Really these are the same as Trolls but cost more and enemy models are at -1 to hit, I am not sure whether to bring these to a tournement or not, which is a shame because they have lovely models (and making the vomit noise is fun)

Stone Trolls
Trolls with Magical Resistance, again I'm not sure on these

Giant
Leadership 10 Monster, great for Goblin armies wher eyou can plonk it on the flank and run it up to (hopefully) create havoc in the enemy army. Mine however seems permanently drunk and since you can no longer pick the direction it falls....just doesn't cut it for me

Mangler Squigs
Well now, I have played this unit. Well two of these in the last 5 or so games and they have caused me no end of amusement. Again I have not seen these at many Indie level GT's so can't really judge how effective they are, takiing down monsters up to strength 7 is however where they excell. Plus the models look amazing and good models get shot at...lots.



Now then, I'll take a few hours break and try and come up with some sneaky Gobbo tactics to supplement my Orc tactics and maybe a sample army list or 3 (for the 2k value) to show the flexibility of the Orcs and Goblins


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## neilbatte (Jan 2, 2008)

Troll wall is one of the most effective tactics in competative games, 30 regenerating wounds/saves is far more effective than a slave block for Skaven and a cheap mounted orc can make them reliable even outside the gens ld bubble.
I find that ************* are a bit unreliable (unless you take loads) now that you no longer get +1 large target and basic BS is pants. 
The biggest problem with Black orcs and to be fair most Orc combat units is the poor Init unless your fighting slow armies like Dwarf, Saurus, Ogres and possibly undead(can't remember their I of the top of my head) Then your going to take the hit first and against anything but small weak units your Black orcs etc will be fighting a catch up game every turn.


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