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I've decided to take the plunge and play 40K.  I want to field an Ork army and have the current codex.  I want to start out with the minimum 1 HQ and 2 Troops.  I'd also like to do this as cheaply as possible.  I know I need a Warboss and 2 troops @10 each.  The Ork Boyz box comes w/ 16 models.  That leaves me about 4 models short.  I don't want to purchase another Boyz box (yet) and was wondering what my options are.

I apologize if this would be better posted on another board.

Welcome to Dakka.

The cheapest way to do it (in the short run) without buying a box is to buy two blisters of either Burna Boyz or Boyz with Heavy Weapons, since you'll probably need them anyways.  That will get you to 20.  Either that or you could buy 2 Nobz and one blister of weapon upgrade boyz - (More expensive).

I know you are trying to do this on the cheap, however, the Ork Battleforce probably represents your best points / $$$ ratio.  After that, the squad box still represents a better boyz/money ratio than weapons upgrade blisters... especially when you can kitbash / convert the special weapons.

Good luck with your Waaagh.

I did some searching around and may just buy a few sprues from Battlewagon Bitz to round things out.

Why buy new? People are leaving 40K in droves right now, so you should be able to pick up a nice wad of 2nd-hand orks off of Ebay or the like. I'll be a hell of a lot cheaper.

Come to think of it, why are you getting into 40K right now? 40K is not exactly at an apex of quality of the moment, and it's particularly bad for an Ork player. Wait for 2008.

The guys at my local game shop play Warmachine-Hordes and 40K. I've been playing WM and have seen a few games of 40K. That's one reason I just want to do the minimum. I'll play for a while and if I hate it, I won't have several hundred $$$ into an army.

With GW going so hard towards plastics, I find the 2nd hand market very situational... since I am very particular about assembly.  I have no problem buying 2nd hand metals, but I shy away from used plastics as you never "really" know what you are getting unless you have a chance to see 'em up close.

YMMV.

Definatly try ebay, rivercityrogue.

Much cheaper buy in, and you may even find a painted smallish army for cheaper than new as well. Either way, youll be the real winner when not having to pay alot of money for something you may not hold your interest.

Definatly follow Triggerbaby's advice.

I can tell you from personal experience that a warboss and 20 Ork Boyz will make for a really, really, really crappy gaming experience if you play with that amount of points against another player.

I'd say if you want to buy in big you should definitely wait for the revised Ork Codex before spending a lot of money.

Welcome to 40k, and I'm glad you found Dakka, home of the bluntest advice and most easily bruised egos on the web.

Here's the deal with Orks: they're tons of fun, everybody loves to play against them, but they are one of the weakest lists right now. You can build an ork list that can compete, but it's pretty lopsided in terms of troop selection. For friendly games, though, Orks are great!

that said, One cannot do orks cheaply. They're a horde army, they require obscene numbers of models, and are all plastic, which means that 2nd hand options become sketchy.

The cheapest way to do Orks is probobly to do Kult of speed, covert all the vehicles out of toys, buy your models 2nd hand and repaint them to your color scheme.

Or buy another warmachine/hordes army, and have made a good investment.

Chuck

River City Rogue:

40k tends to be played at a higher model count than Warmachine, and Orks a 'horde' army (meaning the individual troops aren't that good but you get to use a bunch of them in your army for a relavitely small points cost).

If you're looking to play an army that won't requrie many models, you should stick with more of an elite force (one that has high point cost models), like Space Marines, Necrons or Eldar.


If you are determined to go with Orks, then you should make sure to take 3 Heavy Weapons in each of your Boyz mobs. You should always stick with either Shootas or Rokkits in a particular mob, so I'd suggest buying 3 Shootas and 3 Rokkits to fill out your Mob, along with a Nob in each to lead it.

That would bring each mob up to a (barely) respectable 12 models each and give you some serious firepower.

Just make sure you take Slugga mobs (the CC boy) as opposed to Shoota mobs (the shooty boy). Also, make sure to buy Nob models with a Powerfist included. For the mob with the 3 Shootas, buy the Nob model that comes equipped with the Big Shoota and Powerklaw.

From there, you definitely want to buy another box of Sluggas to add more boyz to each unit. 16-20 boyz in a Slugga mob is fairly standard.

However, no matter what route you go, Orks are not going to be an army you can get into on the cheap (nor is any 40k army for that matter). Simply put, 40K is not a cheap game. If you can stomach the cost I do believe it is the most fun (and most played) tabletop miniature game on the market.

Thanks all! you've been a great help.

It is easy to convert Rokkit Launcha's, just get a cheapy model F-16 and it will probably come with 8-10 missiles. Space marine players often have missle launchers sitting in their bits box. You can easily take these things and "make 'em orky."

People have been telling me for years to get out of 40k (since 1998).  There is always some new game people are saying is the next big thing.  Around here (Champaign, IL) it was warmachine.  Then it was Confrontation.  I don't see people playing those games anymore.  What I see is lots of Magic, D&D, Fantasy, and 40k.  Proven classics. 

I've lived in Brisbane (Queensland, Australia), Amherst (Mass, USA), Moscow (Russia), Minneapolis (MN , USA), and Champaign (IL) since I started this insane hobbyand I've also visitied Chicago (IL), Paris (France), and New York (NY, USA).  In not one of those places would I have trouble finding a game of 40k.

If people really are leaving 40k in droves, then someone will by the (VERY STRONG) intellectual property and the game will probably get BETTER!

I'm now starting a new job where I will definately have to travel, so I'm putting together a slaanesh daemonbomb (with NO siren...that's right...NO SIREN....EVER...2+ INV saves are good enough).  It will fit in a carry on bag at 1500 pts (Unlike my templars or tau).  I'm sure I will get to play people all over the place. 

Agreed.

I must say I'm somewhat nonplussed to see people on Dakka of all places discouraging people from playing 40k. I'm all for free expression and allowing people to air their grievances, but this forum is first and foremost for enjoying and promoting the game.

Writing as a moderator and as someone who's continuously played the game for eight years now, if your inclination is to tell people not to play at all, please don't post. 

If you want to share your (sometimes bitter) experience with the new folks, a post like Yak's is much more appropriate.  Giving the straight dope as opposed to mindless GW boosterism or mindless GW bashing.

Who is telling anyone not to play 40k? I see several realistic posts that suggest using eBay and the secondary markets to get the basics now, but to otherwise hold off as Orks are currently in a state of flux with their weak codex that is due for a re-release sometime in 2008. Not exactly the best time to start an Ork army given GW's track record of unpredictably eliminating units and/or unit options.

This all said, Orks are probably my favorite 40k aliens. They look great, are lots of fun to build & paint, and can be real fun to play. They're like green mean redneck anarchists from outer space half drunk on spore brew and ornery as hell. Who knows, by the time you have a functional army GW will have put out the new Ork codex and you'll only need to tweak a few things. Or you can sink $300+ into units/unit options which are eliminated like I did with Space Marines.

Another suggestion: Why not borrow a friend's army? This will help you get an idea of the gameplay and what kind of army you might like to run because of it and therefore be able to make a better & more informed choice as to what army to get into.

chuckyhol for one!

And his post got me going about all the the people online who constantly whine about how the game is going downhill. I certainly don't agree with everything GW does, but I think the game as fun as it has ever been. I definately encourage people to convert rather than buy crap models, espcially since conversion is half the point of orks!

The hard truth on Orks right now is that the fluff is second to none and the codex is last to...well...everything. If you want to play an army with great fluff, but an outdated codex, orks are for you. I

Posted By ninjajuicer on 01/23/2007 6:33 AM

I'm now starting a new job where I will definately have to travel, so I'm putting together a slaanesh daemonbomb (with NO siren...that's right...NO SIREN....EVER...2+ INV saves are good enough).  It will fit in a carry on bag at 1500 pts (Unlike my templars or tau).  I'm sure I will get to play people all over the place. 

Where does the 2+ Invulnerable Save come from?

Turboboosting biker character/s with Daemonic Armor.

Orks might even stand a chanche against the list, depending on your tactic. If it is to rush towards them with 2 HQ's, orks have a good fighting chance (nobz with claws instantkill etc) plus the firepower they have before charge....If there are a few more infiltrating troop units it could be a bit trickyer, butt still possible....

It all depends somewhat if it is a 2+ cover save (applicable in the shooting fase, or if it is really an invulnerable (I thought the bonus for boost did not work in CC) wich means they die there.... (before summoning)

Just my thoughts....

Turbo-boost is not a cover save. It does work in CC.

Unfortunately, turbo-boost does not work in CC. It is mentioned in the rule.

Footsloggings orks might be able to do well against a Slaneeshi demon bomb. First, they have the bodies to "absorb" wounds and then punish the Daemonetts in CC. Second, bike turboboosting saves DO not apply to any ensuing combats. Third, I won't have a defiler (I need to keep this one portable!). Fourth, good ork players count on going last in combat against marines of all stripes.

Finally, why are we talking about an army I haven't built yet in an orc thread??? =)