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I recently started an ork army, and before I go to the trouble of buying a Big Mek with a Shock Attack gun, I thought I should ask Dakka what exactly they think about it. Personally I think it's a great weapon, I've play tested it a few times with a proxy, and it did VERY well (not to mention it was an unbelievable amount of fun) but I never see it used in DakkaDakka ork army lists.

EDIT: sorry I realize this might be the wrong forum, if a moderator strolls along, they are welcome to move it to general discussions.

Most lists posted around here are for more competitive settings. Given how amazingly useful KFFs and biker warbosses are, you won't generally see room for a SAG or two. However, if you like the model and like the rules for it, by all means make a list and use it! As you said, it can be incredibly potent or a complete waste, but generally amusing even when things don't go your way.

If you do use it, I'd suggest putting him with a small horde of grots as ablative wounds, and then backing him up with a couple squads of Lootas.

Kirbinator wrote:Most lists posted around here are for more competitive settings. Given how amazingly useful KFFs and biker warbosses are, you won't generally see room for a SAG or two. However, if you like the model and like the rules for it, by all means make a list and use it! As you said, it can be incredibly potent or a complete waste, but generally amusing even when things don't go your way.

If you do use it, I'd suggest putting him with a small horde of grots as ablative wounds, and then backing him up with a couple squads of Lootas.

Yeah I was thinking about fielding 3 nobz in his unit and keeping him behind my line of advancement, that way the unit has to take 8 wounds before the big mek goes down.

Thanks for the feedback, I see what you mean about the usefulness of the KFF, and how it wouldn't often leave room for a Shock Attack Gun.

any more opinions?

Just remember to laugh when you roll double 6's and scatter off a target

Its always great fun playing against a SAG. You can be sure that something hilarious will happen. However its not as good, in terms of competitiveness, as a warboss or a KFF mek. Use it in casual games because its great fun but dont bring it to tournaments because it wont win you games.

Irdiumstern wrote:Just remember to laugh when you roll double 6's and scatter off a target

tell my friend to laugh when I roll double 6s for strength centered over his Nightbringer.

My point being, the shock attack gun has it's strengths and weaknesses, but scattering alone is not a big deal.

Irdiumstern wrote:Just remember to laugh when you roll double 6's and scatter off a target

Thankfully double 6 doesn't scatter. The SAG rules state to place the template over the target, roll strength, then read what it says on the list in case of doubles. Most of them are resolved normally by rolling scatter die and moving on. Some of them say other things, like when the Mek is warped into assault with the thing you're aiming at. In the case of double 6, remove whatever's under the template because the warp just ate it.

Dedrith wrote:

Irdiumstern wrote:Just remember to laugh when you roll double 6's and scatter off a target

tell my friend to laugh when I roll double 6s for strength centered over his Nightbringer.

My point being, the shock attack gun has it's strengths and weaknesses, but scattering alone is not a big deal.

sadly that would only tickle the nightbringer

...It would kill him...instantly.

If I understand correctly, If you roll two 6s for strength the models under the template are removed from play...period, Eternal doesn't matter, toughness doesn't matter, no exceptions.

Well, it's not very competitive at all. With orks lack of anti-armor (yeah yeah yeah LOOTAS!!! but they can't solve every problem nor can they take down AV14) you should be spending those points on a PK boss or a KFF mech to protect that PK unit.

If you want to take one for fun then stick him in a squad of lootas. Why waste points on nobs to protect a guy that might kill himself at any moment?

EzeKK wrote:Well, it's not very competitive at all. With orks lack of anti-armor (yeah yeah yeah LOOTAS!!! but they can't solve every problem nor can they take down AV14) you should be spending those points on a PK boss or a KFF mech to protect that PK unit.

If you want to take one for fun then stick him in a squad of lootas. Why waste points on nobs to protect a guy that might kill himself at any moment?

Squad of lootas, didn't think about that, great idea!

Your right, there isn't much that can take down AV-14 in the Ork army, but the shock attack gun still has a chance against it. Though I think I would rely more on PK warbosses.

Shokk Attack Guns are amazing but if you get a unlucky roll some quite nasty things could happen.

Yeah it has the potential to be bad, but a vindi has the potential to scatter back onto itself, pen, and explode. Granted the likelyhood of a SAG going wrong is incredibly higher, but it all comes down to rolling, i've needed snake eyes to stay in combat and gotten it, and i've needed a 10 or less and failed 3 times in a row, the SAG represents thing like that randomly happening more often than they normally would. All in all, its a fun HQ choice, but in a competitive atmosphere a kff or a bikerboss are better, in a fun game or a planetstrike game they're awesome though.

Shock attack gun would be fielded rampently if it didnt take up an HQ choice.
Try Taking 2 of them - In squads of Grots. Take 3 10 man lootas and be a shooty ork army. Most people would walk up and be like...I thought I would be facing a green tide army but wait? You can shoot me? And hit me hard? OOHH NOOO

Nice idea with the shooty ork army, it would certainly cause some confusion.

I've found putting him in with Lootas was overkill. I preferred for the Big Mek to be able to fire at a seperate target.

What has worked ok in the past was to put him in a squad of Gretchin and take a Bosspole. With casualties, you still have a LD8 with a Reroll.

Put the SAG gun with 19 grots and one runtherder and have them hold an objective. Remember, the SAG is one of the few AP2 weapons orks possess. It is great for killing terminators and the like.

My concern about placing Lootas with the SAG (besides the fact that they are really best at killing different things), is that I would be fielding a huge target for my opponent's deep strike.

Another plan for a SAG is to put him with a unit of Big Gunz.
The Mek joins the Crew, and can fire at a different target to the Artillery Pieces.