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This being my first army period, tell me how I'm doing.

HQ
Warboss with PK, Bosspole, Attack Squig, 'eavy Armor and TL Shoota
Big Mek with KFF and 'eavy Armor
-205 pts

Elites
8 Nobz with 7 Big Choppas, 2 PK and 1 TL Shoota, Bosspole.
7 Tankbustas, 2 bomb squigs and 1 tankhammer
10 Lootas, 2 meks w/ Big Shootas
-520 pts

Troops
18 Boyz. Clubbas and Sluggas.
30 Boyz w/ PK Nob and bosspole, 3 big shootas. Clubbas and Sluggas.
30 Boyz w/ PK Nob and bosspole, 3 big shootas. Shootas.
Trukk, Armor Plates and Reinforced Ram.
-638 pts

Fast Attack
3 Deffkoptas w/ TL Rokkit Launcha
-135 pts

Total: 1498 pts

My basic plan would be to horderush the opponent with my troops. I'll admit the troops are a bit AT light, which is why I opted to include the Tankbustas squad. With their Glory Hogs rule they'll be a pain, but I'm sure effective use of cover to obscure their LOS would solve that. I'd have to set the Lootas in a decent spot to do their thing, as I'd have the Mek with KFF in whichever squad is rushing second. The Warboss would charge with the Nobz, all of which would be tucked in the Trukk. It'd be screened by whichever flank has the most enemies. The Lootas would act as a rear guard, as I'd just push the 18 clubba and 30 shoota squad with KFF one way, with the other 30 man clubba squad and Koptas running opposite to take on targets of opportunity.

Aside from that, my inexperience doesn't garner much else tactics. Granted, cityscapes mean different for my tactics. Seeing as this is by and large a horde tactic, I don't see much room to work with. Mind you, I have two Battlewagons I could swap out for the Koptas and the 18 man squad. It'd have a Killkannon, 'ard case, and 4 big shootas--the main battletank. The other one I haven't built yet, so there's potential galore there. Sadly I have no Kans (yet).

doesnt sound too bad, would suggest to replace the big shootas in your clubba and slugga group with rokkits if you can. havent ever used deffkoptas so cant help ya there and if they dont end up doing alot, just replace them with more boyz. just make sure that your nobs dont get into a situation that theyll get slaughtered, looks like you've invested alot into them. and whenever you get kans, you'll really start dishing out some pain, just dont like terminators get near them is all i can say for them.

The only issue with that is that I'd eat a Kopta at least for it, as I've cut it so close. But, that'd allow for more boyz in the smaller squad so it's an equitable trade.

Greetings, and I'm starting to feel repetitious throughout my postings by now. =p

A few general tips I'd give you: Orks have crap leadership. When you're using Orks in such a way that you're not exploiting their "Mob Rule" special ability, they're wasted. If I were to play your army, the first thing I'd try doing is making your Lootas and attached meks run off the table, followed by your Tankbustas and Nobs.

Your base leadership is 7, and 7 is also the magical number of an average dice roll. If I kill 2 Nobs, or 2 Tankbustas you're going to take a leadership test, and you've got a 6+ armour save going for you to make saves against.

With that said, there are a couple of principles that sort of guide orky goodness: Orks can do ANYTHING as good as any other army can. However, Orks cannot do it all at once. You have to pick an objective for a particular army build and focus around that. Either foot-slogging, or mechanized, or shooty, or sneaky, but you can't have a bit of all of it effectively.

Another note to make here: An ork boy with a shoota (6 points) is one of the most cost-effective, if not THE most cost-effective units in all of Warhammer 40k. Also to note: Ork powerklaws are great anti-tank.

With that said, pick an element of what I said above, and try focusing an army list around it. Your units should always be maximum size where possible. 15 Lootas, or 30 Boyz, or 5 Deffkoptas; the strength of Orks is in their numerical superiority, not their ability to outshoot or outfight another unit one on one. Your 30 Boyz are going to mess up a squad of space marines. Or a squad of terminators. You're not going to go model for model; you're going to take heavy casualties, but that hidden powerklaw is going to mess some junk up. And given that you can lose 4-5 models for every casualty you inflict (against terminators for example) and still stay ahead in point calculation, you'll do well for yourself.

So, my advice: Drop the big shootas, the armour plates, the reinforced ram, the Deffkoptas, and the Lootas, and probably the tankbustas too. If you're going to have 60-90 boyz foot-slogging out there anyway, then capitalize on their foot slogging and get 90-120 of them out there doing it. Might want to even consider adding 20 or so Gretchin to the front line, stretch them across your lines, and give all your Ork boyz a free 4+ cover save as they advance.

If you're going to foot-slog across the board, take shoota boyz. Thats a LOT OF DAKKA when you get within 18", which will be turn 2, or turn 3 at the latest; and you'll have a pretty good survival rate if you've got gretchin giving all your orks 4+ saves. And gretchin are 3 points apiece.

Nobs have the ability to be ridiculously strong - you can literally take a unit of 10 independent characters in regard to wound allocation. Stick a painboy in there and they all get 4+ feel no pain. Given them 'Eavy Armour and now they have 4+ armour saves, and 4+ Feel No Pain. Equip them differently, and you can spread wounds around. Here's a common list for me of 10 Nobs:

1. Painboy
2. Waaugh Banner
3. Bosspole
4. Powerklaw
5. Powerklaw / Ammo Runt
6. Big Choppa
7. Big Choppa / Ammo Runt
8. Skorcha
9. Ammo Runt
10. Normal Nob

Now, if you take 4 wounds to the squad, you allocate them how you see fit. Point to a nob and roll a wound, then a feel no pain. Etc. Having a Waaugh! Banner means WS 5, so in close combat, you're generally going to need 3s instead of 4s now. Its worth it for 15 points. As for the trukk: Either give everyone a trukk, or lose the trukk entirely. With a single trukk, you present a target for anti-tank, and with only one, it WILL be gone turn 1 in every game, and you'll be wishing you had spent those 35+ points elsewhere. A common tactic for me:

Nobs+Ghazghkull in trukk
3-4 squads of trukk boyz
Mad Dok Grotsnik + 19 'Ard Boyz inside a battlewagon (they all have 4+ feel no pain because of Mad Dok)

If you're going to foot slog it, honestly...I'd trade out the Mek with the KFF for Mad Dok. a 5+ statistically doesn't give you much, and Mad Dok confers Feel No Pain on his unit. Try this on for size and see how it fits: Mad Dok Grotsnik attached to 30 Boyz (one with a powerklaw) who are also your 'Ard Boyz mob. This huge unit now has a 4+ armour save, a 4+ Feel no Pain, and a 4+ cover save from your screening gretchin.

Alternatively, make THIS your screening unit. Have these Orks screen and give cover saves to the rest of your Orks marching up behind them. Your enemy can either try concentrating fire on this unit to take them down (and with Mad Dok you're permanently fearless), or they can shoot at the rest of your army who is getting 4+ cover saves. Either way, the Orkish horde is going to annihilate your enemy. I don't want to ramble on too long, so try it and run with it.

Skip tankbustas, skip meks with big shootas with ure lootas.

Tankbustas just suck, Big shootas has a range of 36" and lootas 48" you do the math and they cost more if i recall correctly.

Skurk3n wrote:Skip tankbustas, skip meks with big shootas with ure lootas.

Tankbustas just suck, Big shootas has a range of 36" and lootas 48" you do the math and they cost more if i recall correctly.

This is true, meks are useless because you won't be repairing a vehicle instead of shooting. Same with tankbustas, people will abuse glory hoggs and will make them a waist of points.
My two cents.

Lootas, Lootas, and More Lootas!

Unless it's got AV14 you have a good chance of wrecking it. You also have a good chance of putting wounds on most units. Hell even the nightbringer fears 15 lootas firing at him. With 3 squads on the ground and open line of sight, I've poured 45-135 shots into different units and obliterated them.

Deffkoptas are nice, Nicer when you outflank with them and hit some sweet rear/side armor. Always go with TL Rokkits. For me the Buzzsaw has always been near worthless for me due to how I use the Koptas. Bigbomm...meh.

I agree with Dash on a few points. Go with the maximum, don't buy things you don't truly need, Remember you are an ork playa. We don't play a defensive army. We play an aggressive, ruthless, and cunning army.

I personally run 180 boyz, 45 lootas, 3 looted wagons, and a warboss in my 2500pt army.

If you take 26 boyz w/shootas + 3 Boyz w/rokkits + Nob w/Big Choppa, and Bosspole = 230

Multiply 230 x 6 = 1380 leaving 120 for HQ and other choices @ 1500pts

Just my thoughts...

At 1500 pts, I run no less than 15 Lootas. They are my fire-support unit and vital. Of course, I run a mob of Nob Bikers with a Biker Boss, which helps draw a lot of fire off the Lootas (or vice versa, but both suit me). With the Bikers able to wreck AV14 and the Lootas able to get anything else, I am fine with my anti-tank capabilities. I recommend both choices.

Kommandos are another solid choice (Snikrot is a must). Give those some thought. Drop the Koptas, they are garbage. They almost always let me down and for the ~135 points for a trio, you are sinking a lot into a very unreliable, flimsy unit.

Also, go all Trukks or no Trukks. One is a target for all the Anti-Tank your enemy has. At 1500 pts, run 4-5 or none at all! This is a rule to live by, imo.

Dash gives some good info on how to kit Nobs and how to run them effectively. They are made for Trukk-based armies.

If you aren't going competative and want to retain a Horde-rush army, try 180 Slugga Boyz and a pair of Warp'eads. That is a FUN army that can win...sometimes.

I have a feeling that this list is everything you think is cool and then you wanna run it. Its a good idea if you wanna have fun and play but most people here helps toward a power list.