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Ive been a reader of these forums for a long time now and Ive finally decided to jump in with a question on the orks (seeing as they're all the rage these days)
Specifically, has anyone ever fielded the infamous 9 Kan list? And if the rumours are anything to go by, the 9 Kan and 2 Dread list (as each big mek in a list allows a dread as troops). All I can ever seem to find is theory on how great it would be to be deploying 9+ walkers on the table, but is it a good idea??

The reason I ask is that I love the models, and I would agree that 11 armoured walkers on the opposite side of the field would discoulour the inside of any SMs power armour!

Now I realise straight away that its a novelty list, no matter how great any theory is its not winning any tournaments. But on the other end of the scale I dont fancy the idea of consistent losses just to field an interesting list. After all, nobody wants to invest hard earned cash on models that will never be used in practice.

From what I can see the pros for using so many walkers is exactly that - so many walkers. Ideally, more armour then an oponent has ability to deal with.
The cons being that walkers arent exactly winning any races, and vehicles, especially ork ones, are not exactly praised for durability.

Any thoughts? Can 9 kans work?

Cujo

I don't think it will be a top tier army that can take on anyone, but it definitely could work. The drawback would be Escalation missions where all the walkers have to come on from the board edge after turn 1.


The key to the army would be to not take any fast CC units. If you do that you present an easy segment of the army for your opponent to eliminate first before concentrating on the slow walkers.

Instead, the goal would be to create as potent a shooty army as you could with the Kans forming ruthless protection against anyone crazy enough to come try to engage your shooting army in close combat.

I would also take as many other vehicles as possible to go overkill on the AV, so that would mean taking 3 x 3 Warbuggy squadrons with Rokkits. I would personally then equip all the walkers with Shootas to help give them extra range and because the Kans pay way too much for Rokkits. I'd take plates and riggers on all the walkers because when one Kan gets stunned or immobilized it really stalls out the whole unit.

For the two mandatory Big Meks I'd take one with a KFF and 3 oilers to run along with the all the walkers and fix any damage they take. The other Mek would be given a SAG to help sit in the back and shoot the crap out of stuff. It might even be worth losing the KFF to take a 2nd SAG since KFFs don't help vehicles out all that well.


That already fills out 2 HQs, 2 Troops (the Dreads), 3 FAs (the buggies) and 3 HS (the Kans) but comes out to the neighborhood of 1,250 points depending on how you equip them.

The rest of the points can then be poured into Lootas, Tankbustas, and shoota boyz.


I think you'd have a pretty potent shooty army that has a pretty devestating core of combat ability with all those walkers.



It certainly would be fun to try!

Heh, after reading that you should see the grin on my face! I love the warbuggy idea, if not because it gives more vehicles, but because its an oppotunity for more konvershuns!
Watch this space methinks, here marks the beginning of 'Waaagh! Mek brothas!"

"You gits start lootin' now! weez gots ta get gubbins ta make da shootiest, stompiest mob deez 'umies has evar seen!"

If you put all those walkers base to base they block LOS behind them, right? Gives that fixer mek a load of protection to go about his grot-oiled work ...

But dig the concept, good stuff. We'll have to see if that plastic kan comes out

- Salvage

The metal ones do have a certain appeal though, maybe its because thay can be potent weapons in their own right outside the game when thrown at opponents.

The Dread mob apocalyse set comes with 6 kans and 3 dreads! Thats one heavy box!

Boss_Salvage wrote:If you put all those walkers base to base they block LOS behind them, right? Gives that fixer mek a load of protection to go about his grot-oiled work ...

But dig the concept, good stuff. We'll have to see if that plastic kan comes out

- Salvage

He's an IC so you don't even have to worry about it unless you're facing something kooky like a Vindicare or Mind War. Although actually the #1 way my big Mek dies when I play this way is by Ordnance rounds targeting the walkers but then ending up over the Big Mek.

Anothor thing you can do is take squads of 5 burnas and get 3 meks in those squads for even more meky repairing

I'd back this up with 2-3 squads of lootas for major dakka dakka action. then DO equip the kans and dread with rokkits, and it should be great fun.

also probably not that expensive to build, so should come together.

but can you imagine the look on someone's face when your ork army is only 60 models?

this may very well be the tipping point for me rebuilding my waaagh or going with another army.

edit: here is the list of dakka goodness

HQ Big Mek Shokk gun, Eavy Armor

HQ Big Mek Shokk gun, Eavy Armor

Elite Lootas (15)

Elite Lootas (15)

Elite Lootas (15)

Troop Def Dread 2x rokkit , armor plates

Troop Def Dread 2x rokkit , armor plates

Troop Shoota Boyz (30) 3 rokkits

Troop Shoota Boyz (30) 3 rokkits


Heavy Kans (3) Grootzooka, armor plates

Heavy Kans (3) Grootzooka, armor plates

Heavy Kans (3) Grootzooka, armor plates


I honestly don't want to think about how long the shooting phase will actually take against this... even with BS 2 the sheer number of dice is going to cause damage.

NaZ

I think its a big mistake to not take 9 Buggies with TL Rokkits. They tremendously compliment the walkers because the same type of weapons that kills buggies kills cans so you can overwhelm the enemy with the sheer amount of AV units.

Also, you get such a better deal on the Rokkits with buggies than on the Kans, and you get a TL weapon. Not to mention their speed allows them to overcome the short range of the weapon.

If you give the walkers Rokkits and you play an Escalation game it will be 2+ turns after your walkers arrive before they start shooting anything. . .meaning probably turn 5 or 6.

And I most definitely do not see the appeal of the Grotzooka (beyond its name), especially not considering how much it costs.

I can only see the grotzooka being effective if the kans were moving up, not for defending though.
Their range is just too short. 24" would make them more viable, but as it is they're just for fun.

Boss_Salvage wrote:If you put all those walkers base to base they block LOS behind them, right? Gives that fixer mek a load of protection to go about his grot-oiled work

Hmm, might that might work at a disadvantage too come to think of it. With such a large wall of armour as a spearhead it could be difficult for a shooty army to draw LOS. Or it could just be far to early in the morning for me to be posting on forums...

Funnny thing is we were just talking about this last night in my gaming group.

If your going kan heavy, what the rest of your army looks like is important. as already noted you need stuff to draw fire away from the kans.

The kans themselves got a good and needed bump in armor(and upgrades) and the shoot better than regular boyz, additionally among other improvements, def gun toting boyz and the death kopters are encredibly dangerous/effective units now.

You mean like this?



I fielded the Dread Mob from the Apoc book Friday night -- 3 Dreads & 9 Kans!! Great fun, but still too slow at 6" per turn on a 6 x12 foot table. Pity the new Waaagh rule doesn't apply to walkers.

Build to yak's suggestions. If everything adds up right then this is 1 point under 1850. I would like to drop a shoota mob to get more lootas, but you really need to take 15 lootas a time or none at all.


HQ: Big Mek w/Shokk attack gun, eavy armour

HQ: Big Mek w/Kustom force field,3 Grot oilers,eavy armour

ELITE:15 Lootas

TROOP: 24 Shoota Boyz w/2 Rokkits

TROOP: 25 Shoota Boyz w/2 Rokkits

TROOP: Deff Dread w/2 CCW, Armour Plates

TROOP: Deff Dread w/2 Kustom mega blastas (there's a fluff reason ), Armour Plates

FAST: 9 Warbuggies w/TL Rokkits,Armour plates

HEAVY: 9 Killa Kans w/Big Shootas, Armour Plates

brutally awesome. Or is that awesomely brutal? Like the list. I would find some way to get Nobs with PKs into those boyz. I don't know how much they cost but there are lots of units that will carve up your dreads and kans so I think having a targpit unit to lay the smack down would be nice. Of course, never played Orks either so I could be talking out my butt.

What good do the 2nd big mek's oilers do? I thought they were just for shooting rerolls.

Late entry into this debate.

1. While 9 Kans is optimum why not just use the contents of the Dread Mob and be done with it two troops Dreads, One HS dread and 6 Kans. Yes, I would prefer nine Kans too, but this way doesnt break that bank. BTW - this is why I posted, because I am looking at investing in a Dread Mob.

2. On Kans weapons

yakface wrote:
I would personally then equip all the walkers with Shootas to help give them extra range and because the Kans pay way too much for Rokkits. I'd take plates and riggers on all the walkers because when one Kan gets stunned or immobilized it really stalls out the whole unit.

I am aiming towards kustom mega blastas, or in fact a mix of weapons inluding two blastas with the blastas at the back. particularly because of the word aiming, something orks dont know about, and the fact that Ap2 is hard to come by in an ork army. Yes, its expensive, but 55pts for an Av11 walker is not that bad, you pay as much trying to protect them! Orks need termie killaz, orks need tank bustin, they dont need survivable grots.

Best option I think is to take two with blastas and one with big shoota plates and riggers. Each costs 55pts. The platey kan leads the way, the two behind do the shooting. They wont need to advance far, escalation excepted.

3. On buggies.

yakface wrote:I think its a big mistake to not take 9 Buggies with TL Rokkits. They tremendously compliment the walkers because the same type of weapons that kills buggies kills cans so you can overwhelm the enemy with the sheer amount of AV units.

Here I disagree The trouble is they attract bolter fire, with a good overall chance of getting totalled by it. Meanwhile the mass of light vehicles you are taking detracts from the size of your horde. Kans will do so much better if they are plodding forward amongst a large a tide of greenskins as you can muster.

Meanwhile will the Av11 killers be concentrating on your Kans and Dreads? No. The real distraction is not to boost the amount of vehixcles but to add more lootas (in the rear in cover). Because of the range it will be up to the big guns to kill lootas. Given good spacing and cover saves and the fact that mot everyone has three battlecannons means the medium AT firepower (autocannon etc) will often be heading their way to.

yakface wrote:Also, you get such a better deal on the Rokkits with buggies than on the Kans, and you get a TL weapon. Not to mention their speed allows them to overcome the short range of the weapon.

I agree with you 40pts for a cheap rokkit that is slightly more accurate than a Kan is good. But good though it is more shoota boys would do you better, with the rokkits hidden amongst them. The extra 15pts you pay to upgrade the platform from buggy to Kan is worthwhile.


4. Your list.

Cujo wrote:Build to yak's suggestions. If everything adds up right then this is 1 point under 1850. I would like to drop a shoota mob to get more lootas, but you really need to take 15 lootas a time or none at all.

HQ: Big Mek w/Shokk attack gun, eavy armour

HQ: Big Mek w/Kustom force field,3 Grot oilers,eavy armour

ELITE:15 Lootas

TROOP: 24 Shoota Boyz w/2 Rokkits

TROOP: 25 Shoota Boyz w/2 Rokkits

TROOP: Deff Dread w/2 CCW, Armour Plates

TROOP: Deff Dread w/2 Kustom mega blastas (there's a fluff reason ), Armour Plates

FAST: 9 Warbuggies w/TL Rokkits,Armour plates

HEAVY: 9 Killa Kans w/Big Shootas, Armour Plates

I think lootas are the key, along with an unhealthy number of shoota boyz. I am no fan of the grotzooka, too short ranged even for orks, and what the grotzooka can do the shoota boyz can do better. To not attempt to use rokkits or blastas on a Kan is wasting the potential of the unit.