[40K] The Rise of the Waaagh!Macht. Ork Diary. Fluff, modelling and list discussion., Updated 8/3/10.....I painted some stuff! wonders will never cease Options

[WitchFinderGeneral]

A little bit of history first......for the longest time I've been a MeQ player.....Sisters, Marines, Necrons. Never had a lot of luck with them outside of friendly games, most of my tourney appearances have been fairly dismal.

This weekend I attended Redemption, a local tourney run by Group North. I've had a few gaming buddies rag me on always using the same armies, something I've stuck with because I'm a slow painter, and never seemed to have the time due to shiftwork.

Redemption featured something that tempted me towards running a new army- No painting scores. I've always had an issue with designing a tourney army- I come up with what seems like a good list, it does alright in test games in the shed, come tourney time it's got all the impact of a wet fish. All that effort spent painting for nil result kinda put me off coming up with new armies, so I figured a run at a tourney with an unpainted army would be a good test.

So, on Saturday I dragged out my Ork army, which has been in the cupboard gathering dust since 3rd Ed.............there were a few purchases when the latest Ork dex was released, but it all went back into storage due to painting malaise. Surprising myself, I placed 7th in a field of 32, managing two wins, a draw against the eventual 3rd place getter and losing to the eventual 2nd place getter. Not a bad effort for a somewhat fluffy army with minimal testing under it's belt, in a field that featured some fairly hard armies!

So, as per my promise to myself and a few others, I now intend to paint this lot up and get them into gear as a regular tourney army........

This post has been edited by WitchFinderGeneral: Mar 8 2010, 05:29 PM

[WitchFinderGeneral]

Okay, the list I used on the weekend.......

HQ:

Warboss
Klaw
Twin Linked shoota
'Eavy armour
Cybork body
Total 105 pts

Elites:

5 Lootas. 75 pts.

10 Kommandos
2 Burnas
Snikrot
Total 215 pts.

Troops:

6 Nobz
'Eavy Armour
3 Twin Linked Shootas
Klaw
Bosspole
Waagh Banna
Painboy
Grot Orderly
Trukk
Wreckin Ball
Grot Riggers
Total 295 pts

20 Boyz, Shootas
2 Big Shootas
Nob
Bosspole
Total 145 pts

20 Boyz, Slugga/Choppa
2 Rokkits
Nob
Big Choppa
Bosspole
Total 160 pts

Fast Attack:

16 Stormboyz
Nob
Klaw
Bosspole
Total 232 points

16 Stormboyz
Nob
Klaw
Bosspole
Total 232 points

Skorcha- 40 pts.

1499 in total.

Some thoughts on the initial list, and its performance.......
1) Warboss and Nobz were absolute gold. Resilient, fast, and able to tear the heart out of an army. I think the only change I'll make will be to swap the TL Shootas for Big choppas- the one I had on the Slugga mob Nob was pure win, and I barely used the Shootas at all, was too focused on getting into combat and mincing things. Plus, sacrificing the one attack I'm already losing with the Shootas on each Nob for S7 on the charge seems like a good trade off....less attacks, but more wounds.....will help with MC's and the like too, the only thing they really had an issue with all tourney was two big Tyranid Warrior units.

2) The Trukk and the Trakk look like they'll get the chop in favour of a Battlewagon for the Boss....two AV10 vehicles cop all the AT and don't last long. Warboss doesn't like to walk, takes too long to get into the fighting!

3) Stormboyz are made of win and awesome......seeing the look on an opponent's face when they manage to go 24" in a turn is priceless. They have a slight problem with survivability, as they're the fastest element and usually cop a flogging in the first turn or two, but I think I just need to learn to use them a little more tactically......I'm also tempted to try a list with Zagstruk........

4) I'm not sure on Snikrot and his Kommandos......every game they came on, charged something, lost the assault and fled off the board. Although apparently I'm doing it wrong and they should be fleeing towards my board edge and not the closest.....regardless, it was a fairly dismal performance in 4 games, although I must admit they were tasked with some fairly strong units....Marines, Terminators, and Tyranid Warriors. May just be I need to use him better, may also be I need to come up against a Guard gunline to see his value. 6 Attacks on the charge for Snikrot is great, but lack of power weapon/Rending/etc hurts so much.......



This post has been edited by WitchFinderGeneral: Feb 21 2010, 01:11 PM

[WitchFinderGeneral]

The Rise of Da WAAAAAGH!Macht

It is undeniable that the Orks are a cunning and brutal race, just as it is acknowledged that among the orks, the most “kunnin” of their clans is the Blood Axes. Even among their ranks, however, there are individuals recognised for their tactical and strategic acumen. One such individual is the warlord known as Warboss Grimzag.
As is the case with all Orks, Grimzag started out as a common foot soldier, one of a mob of Boyz in the service of The Overfiend of Octavius. It was during the sack of the of one of the many worlds in the path of the Waaagh! that he was started on his path to glory. During the siege of the capital it was Grimzag’s mob that was part of a force tasked with the capture of an outlying supply depot. Due to the unreliability of Ork “intellygenz”, it wasn’t known the PDF had reinforced the area with a mobile artillery battery. The attack was doomed to failure, Griffon rounds impacting all around the mass of lightly armoured Boyz as they charged the defences. This wasn’t the worst of it though, as the Griffons were acting as spotters for the heavier artillery. Soon Earthshaker rounds were crashing down all around, shredding Orks into a green mist as they advanced. Grimzag’s mob was mauled as a Storm Eagle rocket hit them, submunitions exploding all around in a storm of shrapnel and in but a second, Grimzag was the only Ork in his mob left standing. True to the Blood Axe way, Grimzag decided survival was the better part of valour and scurried into the nearest doorway to take cover from the barrage. Soon the rain of explosives stopped, and it was necessary for Grimzag to find a place to hide from the sweep-and-clear teams roving the battlefield. Lucky for him the doorway he had taken cover in led down to a disguised reinforced bunker, so he scurried down the lightless passageways, sealing doors behind him to prevent his discovery. Soon he came to the main level of the bunker where he hunkered down to await the cover of nightfall so he could make his way back to his own lines. Unfortunately for him after the Ork attack the PDF above had decided to expand their defensive perimeter, which now included the only exit from his bolthole. Stuck for the foreseeable future, Grimzag decided to search the bunker for supplies. What he found would change him forever.
The bunker he was hiding in was an Adeptus archive facility, a repository of data hidden away to ensure its safety. While of typical intelligence for an Ork, enough time spent fumbling with the interfaces enabled Grimzag to access the archives. Naturally, the aggressive nature of the Ork mentality meant it was images of war that Grimzag was drawn to, and the next six weeks were spent devouring hour after hour of video footage. It was almost a perfect storm, as being a Blood Axe Grimzag had a basic grasp of Imperial Gothic, and that learning soon expanded as images were matched to words. As knowledge bloomed in his brain, Grimzag had an epiphany- Gork and Mork had sent him here to learn “da ‘oomie way of krumpin’ stuff”. This opinion was only reinforced when he came across images of grey clad troops marching in lockstep, and those same troops taking enemy positions in perfectly executed lightning assaults. Such precision and organisation fired his Blood Axe soul. Using his newfound language skills, Grimzag deciphered these wonder warriors as being named the “Waaghmacht”, his Orky tongue mangling the syllables toward his own guttural language. The final piece of the puzzle had slotted into place. Grimzag knew that Gork and Mork had a plan for him- raise an army in the image of the Waaghmacht, using Blood Axe “kunnin” to “stomp da ‘oomies, panzees, and every wun else” in a campaign of conquest to span the galaxy.

Da Waaagh!Macht.

HQ.
Warboss Grimzag - Usually described by other Orks as “That kunnin’, sneaky git” Grimzag is the consummate Blood Axe leader, his crafty plans and use of actual strategy and tactics leading him to victory after victory.

Elites
“Da Dakka Krew”- Any assault requires fire support. The WaaaghMacht! rely on a small cadre of Boyz with the lethal Deffguns. While not exactly accurate, and somewhat unpredictable, the hail of lead they are capable of makes them a valuable asset.

“Snik-Notz Boyz” –One of Grimzag’s “kunnin planz” involves the use of “syko-logikal warfare”. This strategy is embodied in “Snik-Notz Boyz” whose Nob has been trained and equipped to look and fight like the infamous Snikrot of the Redskull Kommandos. While lacking the complete lethality of the master Kommando, Snik-Not does well enough that it is hard to tell the difference, and the fear and panic he and his Boyz cause when they arrive behind the enemy are a vital part of the Waagh!Macht’s battleplan.

Troops.
“Da Gitsmasha’s” – Most Warbosses have a bodyguard of Nobz, and Grimzag is no different. His most loyal and strongest warriors accompany him into battle on his personal Wartrukk.

“Blagbatz’s Boy” – Not every battle is the lightning assault the Waagh!Macht favours. Sometimes somebody has to stay back and defend an objective, and usually it’s Blagbatz’s Boyz who get the job. Blagbatz the Nob has spent a lot of time and effort training his Boyz up, and they present a tough challenge to anyone trying to take their position, blazing away with massed salvos of Shoota fire, drowning the enemy in a hail of lead.

“Moskrug’s Boyz” – Foot slogging troops may seem counter to the rapid strike philosophy of the Waagh!Macht, but many times the faster elements have had Moskrug’s Boyz to thank, as their depleted ranks are bolstered with a fresh mob, choppas in hand, ready to fight. Moskrug, known as the "Wurm Slaya" after using his Big Choppa to kill a Trygon he led his mob into an assault with, that knows full well that the quicker mobs may get the glory, but him and his mob are a lynchpin of the Waagh!Macht.

Fast Attack.
“Slamskraga’s Swoop Boyz”- The Blood Axe clan is famous for its Stormboyz, and they are a tool the Waagh!Macht uses to deadly efficiency. “Da Swoop Boyz” are a veteran unit, having fought by Grimzag’s side since his very first campaign.

“Da Wild Bunch” – Formed from rejected aspirants to the Swoop Boyz, the Wild Bunch are slightly less organised, slightly less ordered, but very much more ferocious.

“Da Burna Bus” –Orks are famed for their light vehicles, and the Waagh!Macht features one of the most feared, the Skorcha. Piloted by the mad Mek WotNotz, he delights in zooming past the enemy, spraying them with burning gouts of squig fuel he has personally brewed to be more sticky and burny than any other. As WotNotz himself puts it: “I luv the smell of squig fuel in da’ mornin’......smells like burnin ‘oomies!



This post has been edited by WitchFinderGeneral: Feb 21 2010, 01:18 PM

[Dies Irae]

hilarious commentary

[Nzarra]

I'll be watching this one, was a good build and a fun game - nobs are tough unit but plenty of less frequently seen consessions to of set - which I think showed in you comp. Was a fun game. Now get those brushes out !

[WitchFinderGeneral]

Yeah, I was initially concerned, but figured 3's in comp would be offset by the extra wins I garnered by not using a gimped list........stoked to get the wins I was after, and end up with an average 4 for comp......

[WitchFinderGeneral]

Finally.....an update!

Took me a while to sort out some stuff in the shed and clear up some existing work around the house.....now I'm free to go straight to the painting desk whence I arrive home from work. Spent most of yesterday and today shackled to the desk (yay for public holidays!) and managed to get the entire first coats and ink done on the Kommando unit. Finished off two of them to ensure they'd match in with the rest of the stuff done so far, came up pretty schmick if I do say so meself!

So, pix......otherwise I'd GTFO......

Kommando


Kommando Burna...ignore the pressure gauge on the fuel tank, I thought I'd try something but it didn't work......



Some of the stuff painted previously as proof of concept on the scheme I had in my head.......

Slamskraga, Stormboy Nob



Other Stormboy nob........just a normal boy with klaw and a funky axe I whipped up....


Grimzag himself.......I painted him up a while ago, as soon as I'd finished transplanting Ghaz's Klaw onto him.....looking a little dated though, I may go back and touch him up a little.


Moskrug, "Da Wurm Slaya". Once I'd finished Grimag's Klaw transplant, I really wanted to do a 'Uge choppa Nob for gits and shiggles.........so I took the no longer needed Warboss Choppa, added a nice long shaft for leveraging the big choppy head, and found a GorkaMorka Nob with just the right pose. He's still WIP.

[WitchFinderGeneral]

Also, pro tip........don't listen to Dylan Moran or Patton Oswalt while painting. Too many times I was just about to put paint loaded brush to mini, they say something funny, I LOL and almost smear paint all over the mini I'm working on....not good!