The Green Tide

Good month everyone! The first of April is definitely one of my  favourite days of the year. Today, everyone can let their imagination run wild and come up with the most unfeasible stories they can imagine without running the risk of being called sneaky liars. Hooray! 

The warhammer community never fails to amuse me in this fashion. I've been reading entertaining stories all day long. Even Games Workshop chipped in with their own, unique style. However much I like this though, I won't conjure up any lies today. My life is far too exciting and eventful. I don't have to resort to figments of imagination in order to entertain and inform. Instead let me tell you how one of my (gaming) dreams came true.

Yeah, it's kinda sad,I know, but I've always dreamt of playing with a full on horde ork army. And I mean the real thing! I wanted to use as many Boyz (in the given points setup) as possible. The problem is that I don't own (or want to own) so many of these green grunts. Furthermore, I am a pretty lazy guy so having to move these copious amounts of models every turn would be quite tolling.

Despite the aforementioned difficulties, the Green Tide was always at the back of my mind. When George (the Blood Angels aficionado I faced in Warbands League Round 4) asked me for a game, an idea starting forming. We were going to play at the FLGS and the owner (a different George)  has a ton of orks. With mine and his together we could reach that magical number (180). I asked him if he could help me in this endeavour and he was almost as excited as I was. So, I grabbed all the Ork Boyz I could find, chucked them inside a large trash bag and run to the store. 

With our combined forces we could muster the following army: Thraka, Big Mek with KFF, 6 x 30 Orks /w Nob (PK, BP) and 8 Lootas. That's 190 models for a 1750 points game. Nice and simple. We only had to proxy 10 models or so which were orks armed with assault weapons instead of Slugga Boyz. "Blood Angels" George arrived soon after and he brought a Storm Raven fitted with 8 Death Company guys (2 PF, 2 PW) joined by a Librarian and also carrying a Furioso Dread, Furioso Librarian in Drop Pod, Death Company Dread in Drop Pod, 5 Assault Marines in Drop Pod, 5 Assault Marines in Razorback (LC & TL PG), Vindicator, 2 x Baal Predator (AssC & HBs).

We rolled for Kill Points in a Dawn of War setup. You realise this is the best chance for a horde army  to win, right? I also got the first turn. And no, I haven't been reading How to Roll Citadel Dice. The freaking thing isn't out yet anyway. I was just lucky, okay?!

This is how the table looked like after my opponent finished his first turn movements: 

Impressive sight, eh? Well, that's pretty much what this whole game was for me. Deploying 190 orks on the board! I had to get on with the rest of the battle though. George's first turn of shooting was quite punishing. The Vindi and one of the Predators were in range to the closest unit to them and killed about 15 Orks. The Storm Raven and the Dreads did a little bit of shooting but didn't manage to kill much.

On my second turn I knew that I had to reach those vehicles on his table edge or else I would lose too many orks to shooting. I called for a Waaagh so that the boys on his deployment zone could get stuck in. One unit charged the DC dread and the Nob managed to kill it on the first round of combat. However I lost about a dozen orks first. Man, these Blood Talons hurt! The fight against the Librarian Dread was uneventful since that AV13 is quite tough to crack.

The boys in the other side manage to do quite well. Thraka headbutted one of the Predators with his adamantium skull causing an explosion and the other one got immobilised and with two weapons destroyed. Unfortunately, I didn't even scratch the paint from the Vindi. I was going to be in a world of pain next turn!

George charged my unit containing the Mek with his Death Company and Librarian and the Furioso Dread on the unit that had killed the DC dread on the previous turn. Vindi killed another dozen or so Orks from Thraka's unit this time and the Storm Raven dispatched one of the Loota boys. The brawl against the Furioso was amazing. George kept rolling hit after hit, generating more and more attacks and killing the poor orks. The Nob was down to one wound when the Dread finally missed it's last attack. He swung back and his power klaw made short work of it but the Nob died in the ensuing explosion. Excellent stuff! I lost the fight against the DC but the unit was still fearless. 

In my third turn, Thraka and his posse started moving towards the Furioso since I couldn't see this resolving any other way. The Orks that destroyed the Predator before charged the Vindicator but only managed to stun it. The Loota Boyz in a display of very un-orky but precise shooting managed to take down the Storm Raven. Mek's unit did very well and only one Death Company dude kept breathing. The guys that were stuck in the other corner since the beginning of the game kept moving towards the fight. 

In his turn George tried to get away the Vindi again and failed once more to bring the last Drop Pod in the battle. He moved the Razorback towards the orks that killed the predator to set up a charge next turn. His remaining Death Company died and the Librarian Dread killed a couple of orks.

My fourth turn was the beginning of the end. Thraka charged the Librarian dread but somehow didn't destroy it. I mean, 7 S10 attacks are not much, eh? The orks near my opponents table edge did a devastating dual charge on the previously immobile Predator and the Vindicator and destroyed them both. The other unit finally caught up and charged one of the Pods. The nob caused it to blow up and many, many orks died in the blast. To be honest, I think more orks died from vehicles blowing up than from my opponents units. 

George's last drop pod finally arrived and landed precicely next to the Lootas. With a bit of shooting he killed a couple of the Boyz. That was, of course, enough to sent them running off the board. Typical! Green cowards...The squad from the Razorback attack the last few boys near the table edge but didn't manage to kill them.

In the last couple of turns (game went on until turn 7) I managed to kill every single enemy unit. In the process, 150 orks died but I only lost 2 kill point (due to lack mainly). I think half of the casualties were a result of the vehicles exploding. Talk about some suicide orks there. The game was a total blast but moving all these models around (even with some help) can be tedious after a while. I don't think I am going to try this again anytime soon.