Monday, 21 March 2011

O & G draft list

You will have to excuse my inconsistency at posting (and game systems) of late. I really haven't done anything to do with 40K these last few weeks and I don't want to bore people with my theoryhammers in the meanwhile. I do believe that one should practise that he preaches so without any empirical evidence I don't usually like to throw tactics and army builds out there like that.

However I finally got the new Orcs and Goblins armybook yesterday and it got me really excited. What a fantastic tome of warhammer lore! I don't really want to give a full review of the unit choices within it in this article but rather to list what I want to use in the army. If you are looking for an in depth and excellent review like that, check out Mr. Νικηφόρος blog. He is one of the guys I really trust and I take his advices seriously into consideration. 

Keep in mind that this is not going to be the optimal O&G list, not by any chance. This is just a draft of what I want to use at this point. This is based on what I have already in my army or what I can purchase fairly cheaply. I want to get some feedback before I finalise the list or before I buy any new units. So this is what I am thinking about at the moment:


Lord

Savage Orc Warboss, Additional Hand Weapon, Glittering Scales.....178 points

Okay, this guy is not there to kill enemy characters but to thin out your opponents troops and give his Leadership to the rest of your army. I don't think Black Orc bosses are necessary anymore since the animosity is much more forgiving. Plus I don't want to get D6 S5 hits on my Savage Orcs when they fail their animosity check. That could result to 6 of them dying and that certainly something I don't want. 

He is obviously not a close combat monster that could go toe to toe witha Bloodthirster but with 6 S6 attacks on the first round of combad he could easily dispatch 4-5 enemy troop models. I gave him the Glittering Scales for some measure of protection since this way grunts will hit him on "5"s.

Heroes

Savage Orc Big Boss, Banner of the Eternal Flame, Additional Hand Weapon...112 points

I din't make him a Black Orc BSB for the same reason as above. I don't think Quell Animosity is needed that much anymore and it can also be quite damaging to you. He also packs quite a punch with 5 S5 attacks on the first round of close combat and also the re-rolls from the banners are very useful. Wasn't quite sure which magic banner to give him. I don't think the really expensive ones are worth their points. I just included this cheapo banners just in case you come across a Hellpit Abomination or a Chaos Troll army or somethig. Could also be a nice little nasty surprise if you get charged by a cavalry unit. If people convince me that it sucks I will change it though.

3 x Level 2 Night Goblin Shamans (one with dispel scroll)...280 points

Not very sure about this one but it's the only way I can see O&G magic working. First of all, NGoblin shamans are awesome. Magic Mushrooms give them effectively a free power dice, almost like a mini-Slann. The chance to fail the spell due to them is pretty low too, only 1 in 12. This pretty much means that you can cast all the Little Waaagh spells with just one die. Combined with their Lore Attribute it means that you will be gnawing away your opponents dispell pool very fast. 

The only problem is that the little Waaagh spells are not very impressive. Sneaky Stabbin' can be combined with your Savage Big'Uns and your chariots, giving you S5 armour piercing attacks that could dent even the heaviest of armours. The rest of the stuff have their place but they are kinda situational. Still, I am planning to get Curse of da Bad Moon (wouldn't bee too hard for 3 lv 2's) for one of the shamans. If the winds of magic are strong (9-10 dice) then try to throw all the little spells first on one die (hopefully steal some of the opponents dispel dice) and then cast Curse of Da Bad Moon with 5-6 dice. Wouldn't be too hard to cast with the help of Magic Mushrooms and you can either get an Irresistible or the opponent will be forced to use a dispel scroll. I think that with a bit of luck it can be a game changing spell. 

Core

28 Savage Orcs Big 'Uns, Additional Hand Weapon, FC...343 points

This is the Death Star unit of the army. They are pretty awesome in close combat and they are a core choice. ITP means that they won't be running away too easily and with 24 S5 attacks (with a frontage of 6 models), in the first round of combat, they can be utterly devastating. This is where your Warboss and BSB going to go. Just make sure you don't put your character in contact with a killy enemy character. If someone issues a challenge, accept it with the Boss and let your Warboss kill a multitude of the opponenent's grunts. 

20 & 25 Night Goblins, Spears, Shields, Musician, Standard, Fanatic

I used Night Goblins a bit differently in the last edition. The netters upgrade is too expensive now so I'd rather not take it. Also the Fanatics are more dangerous since a unit must just move through them (and not land exactly on them at the end of their movement) in order to get 2 D6 S5 hits. So, my idea is to have the Night Goblin units flanking the big Savage Big 'Uns unit. If a scary enemy unit going to charge the orcs then they will find 2 Fanatics in their way. I think everyone is afraid of 4 D6 (average of 14) S5 armour piercing hits. 

They can also be a big deterent to your opponent since he won't know how many fanatics are going to be in there. If he things you've gone overboard and included 3 in each unit, he might not even charge at all.

5 Goblin Wolf  Riders...50 points

I can almost hear you cry..."WHY?". Well these little guys are going to be my completely cheap, throwaway unit. They will stay close enough to my big blocks and when they are needed they will get in the way of an enemy charger. Since Flee doesn't work too well these days, they will have to hold. They will probably be cut down but still they will buy me one turn or even let me do the charge instead. They can also harass warmachines very well.

Special

2 x Orc Boar Chariot, Extra Crew...180 points

I will explain how to use these in conjuction with some other units a bit further down. It's worth getting the extra crewman now because you will have 3 S5 attacks on the charge.

4 Trolls...140 points

Okay, here is the plan. First of all, keep the trolls near the General and BSB so they don't fail their Stupidity test. Then try to pull the following manoeuvre. Charge the trolls, a unit of Night Gobbos and a chariot into an enemy unit. Move the trolls first and try to maximise around the center of the enemy unit. Then bring the chariot on the one corner and the Night Goblins in the other corner. This will maximise the attacks that the gobbos and chariot will get back from the unit. Trolls are pretty tough so you'd rather get them hit instead. With the attacks from the chariot and Trolls and the weight of numbers from the Gobbos you will be able to win against most enemy units. Might be a bit tricky to pull of but I think it is worth the effort.

4 x Spear Chukkas ...140 points

Cheap as chips and a big deterrent to your opponent advancing his units towards you. Try to deploy them on the sides of the board so you can get a nice flank hit on cavalry units etc. 

Rare

2 x Doom Diver...160 points

This all time favourite just got better so there is absolutely no reaso not to include two of these. With the ability to correct D6 inches, this time it will be even more accurate.

2 x Rock Lobbas, Bully...190 points

Moving the Rock Lobbas to the rare choices was actually a blessing in disguise since most other options in this category are not very cost effective. If it remained in the special choices there wouldn't be enough points to get all the goodies from there. 

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This is pretty much what I want to use in my 2000 points list. As you can see, I like to use a little bit of everything so I can be proactive in every phase of the game. Still not 100% sure about anything but this will come from playtesting. So, people, I need your feedback now. What do you think? Thanks!


8 comments:

  1. Hey thanks for the shout out. I like the list a lot. If it was me I'd change out the trolls for more chariots, but I know you want to try the trolls.

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  2. I am unsure of your Gobbo unit sizes adn the amount of points in characters you have. 260pts in 3 models that will die to swift breeze is not the best idea in the army.

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  3. @Νικηφόρος: Cheers mate. I know that the Wolf Chariots could be awesome but I don't think I will be buying any of these anytime soon. Metal chariots? Thanks, not for me.

    My biggest concern is the characters at this point. What do you think of my Night Gobbo shaman scheme? And so, you think the Trolls are the weakest link in the list right now?

    @RTGamer: Thanks for the feedback. Would you rather see larger gobbo blocks?

    And I know that 280 points for Night Gobbo shamans is a lot but I really cannot see how I could use magic otherwise. Unless I give up on it completely. What do you mean that they could die in a swift breeze? I will have them inside the Night Gobbo units of course. You think people are going to bother and target these units with magic/shooting much? Thanks :)

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  4. As far as magic goes, I'd be tempted to try a dirt cheap L4 Orc shaman whose only magic items is a dispell scroll. And then add 2 level 1 NG shamans. That will be more effective defensively and not too much worse offensively.

    Also, I might cut the trolls or chariots entirely to beef up your Core units.

    I think it will take lot's of play testing and experimentation to find the right balance between core choices and special units/characters.

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  5. Interesting list! I think it will do well. Personally I love the Big Waaagh! spells if I'm running Orc heavy lists, such as Savage Orcs and Big 'Uns. The 'ere we go spell is amazing and will let you tear through anything with your choppas. How about including a level 3 or 4 Savage Orc Shaman, give him the Lucky Shrunken Heads and put him in the Big 'Uns unit with your Warboss and BSB? It will mean that all of them are packing 5+ ward saves almost for free.

    Would it be possible to squeeze out 35 points to give the Warboss the Fencer's Blades for WS10? It's still an additional handweapon, but now you'll hit anything on 3+ and grunts with WS4 or less will hit you on 6's (everyone else at 5+).

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  6. Okay, I just realised how spell picking works last night :P I am tempted to use Lv4 Night Goblin Shaman along with a Lv2 Night Goblin Shaman with a power scroll in order to try and set off Curse of Da Bad Moon on the first turn. With a bit of luck it can be devastating to the opponent.

    The Ere we Go spell is awesome but I am only using the Savage Big Uns at the moment who are going to kick butt anyway. I don't think I'll get my moneys worth out of the spell. For the rest of the spells I actually prefer the Little Waaagh (and Night Goblin shamans to cast them).

    The Fencer's Blade is an excellent idea. I could drop the Wolf Riders in order to get it.

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  7. No need to drop the Wolf Riders, if you get a Level 4 NG shaman and side him with a level 1/2 NG, you'll easily have 35 points to spare instead of 3 x level 2's. I usually don't think it's worth upgrading the level 1 shaman, as it almost doubles his cost. Just get him a dispel scroll and let him channel and cast a single spell each turn. :)

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  8. Well I used a Lv2 because I wanted to as certain as possible that he is going to get Curse of Da Bad Moon. I manage to set it off on the first turn and it killed me 19 Elf Sprearmen! Woo hoo!!!

    But yeah I think the Wolf Riders are kinda necessary since it's the ideal sacrificial unit to redirect chargers.

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