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in what circumstances would anyone take ard boys?
has anyone found them worth their points?

i used to use them but found them just toooo expensive
thoughts anyone?

I've been wondering the same thing.... I've only recently started playing. Never the less I plan on using some for when my friends I start playing 1000 point games instead of 500. I'm thinking I'll do it for a squad with Choppa's and a Nob with PK, this way the 4+ save should help keep them alive longer in a fight to make the PK usefull and deadly.

My only real use for them as far as I can tell, is sticking twenty of them in a Battlewagon. It's not too expensive, considering that unite's in a Wagon Spam List anyway.

'ard Boyz are an ork army's CC "specialists" and nuisance squad. At a chipper four more points per model, each ork gets an armor upgrade which for the most part means diddly against alot of weapons fire. It does make the boyz more durable when they go hand to hand, and in a list that features alot of shoota boyz and dakka, a crack team of 20-30 'ard boyz with sluggas and choppas becomes a swamping and staying force where it decides to fight.

Take the upgrade only when you start getting above 1000 point games, as those extra points could be well spent on something useful, like a squadron of killa kans.

In short hard boys are only ever worth the points invested if one can not spend points in another fashion on boys.

Or (In long) if one could buy another small squad of trukk boys by not making a squad 'ard or more lootas or another burna or a PKeq etc. It's not quite point for point the worst wargear in the dex, but they doo wade in the shallow waters of cute and fluffy - but is it going to eat their smurfs alive.

One way or 'using' them would be to stick them with Old Zoggie and footslog them up the board, This would for 10ppm+Zogwort allow you to march a 4+/4+FNP up the board hell for 15ppm you have a 4+/5++/4+FNP. But as an astute ork player may tell you - because if their a real ork player they're likely to not tell you and roll around in a giggling fit until you clue on or they recover - stomp the weakling) One could have a 5++/4+FNP for a mere 8ppm by using grots instead - sure not as scary as 30 boys doing that but effectively the same (with better shooting results if one was using choppa boyz) Or that really don’t you just want a 6ppm+BigMek giving a straight 5+ cover? Sure it only works against shooting, but that’s where they will win if they have numbers so you only need the save until your in CC so it doesn’t matter anyway.


In conclusion ‘ard boys can be used to fill a couple of roles; As a Screening Unit with old Zogwort – This only works when used with Zoggie btw as it’s all about the FNP he grants or as a point sink.

The reasons option one is not ‘good’ are two-fold, it takes up one HQ and removes another unit from selection that would be as effective, Leading to – You now can’t screen with grots and you’ve now lost one Big Mek slot – which means no mobile cover of any sort available to the army (mainly considering vehicle here) but for the rest of the army it still holds true. This also leads to one can’t take a Warboss which ties nicely to the first fold of problems created – One loses the most powerful troops choice available to orks – Nobz – Now I’m not saying on has to take them all the time or even period, what I’m saying is I was going to run a unit with FNP and saves (ie better than 6+) it’d better be nobz or Meganobz – not a unit of Boys+2/3rds of a boy, who turn out the same, shooting, attacks and all-round point for point best thing – oh wait I just stopped them doing that trick by spending 2/3rds of their cost extra each >_< Which leads us to What could we be comparing this 31model 4+/5++/4+ screening unit to? Why Grots would work well, a full unit of 29 and 2 runtherds comes in just under 110 points throw in Mr. Kff 195 points all up. The equivalent ‘ard boys – 335 + Zoggie 155 (iirc) 480 point unit – That’ll march up the board just as fast soak up about 50% more small arms fire but probably no more large artillery at the end of the day. Or once could be taking Kans with a Mr. Kff I won’t do the points work, but they’ll still only cost maybe 200 points (50% more) for 9 Kans with 4+ cover.

As a point sink they fail with respect to – Nobz, Boys (more), grots, koptas, lootas burnas – in fact just about any unit of goodies that isn’t maximised would bet a much much better way of spending the points, remember everything that isn’t a Nob or a Grot is actually a boy equivalent already – so when one spends 4 points per model on that squad of boys you’re saying that every other role in your army has already been maximised and you’re left with 48 to 120 points that have no better use than letting you take 24 (12 models average against AP5/6 weaponry, rounding odd up) and 60 for the 30 model squad, saving throws. While on paper this can look delicious especially when their exploiting FNP as well (hint, hint ) it’s just fatty residue from unemployed points.

WarOne wrote:'ard Boyz are an ork army's CC "specialists" and nuisance squad. At a chipper four more points per model, each ork gets an armor upgrade which for the most part means diddly against alot of weapons fire. It does make the boyz more durable when they go hand to hand, and in a list that features alot of shoota boyz and dakka, a crack team of 20-30 'ard boyz with sluggas and choppas becomes a swamping and staying force where it decides to fight.

Take the upgrade only when you start getting above 1000 point games, as those extra points could be well spent on something useful, like a squadron of killa kans.

+1

it is worth it.

Ard boyz will get saves in the shooting phase against things that would make them normally fall away.

bolters, shurican weapons, pulse weapons, flamers.

this means fewer weapons will outright kill if the boyz are wounded.

when orks get saves, they tend to do well.

I love them. I have a unit of 30 I just charge them forward into close combat. Don't give them any big shootas just send them forward as quickly as you can.

Best use I've seen has been a large group with Grotsnik: 4+ save, 4+ FNP, Fearless. 'Ard Boy 4+ armor save is very useful against flamers and units like Khorne Berzerkers that overwhelm you with non PW attacks, but overall, it's not amazing or anything. It should probably be cheaper and not limited to one unit.

With Ard boyz, every armor save is a victory

I think the best use of ard boyz is for giving cover saves to other units behind them effectively making them ard boyz until they move from behind the ard boyz into the open to krump some 'eads together!

Nob 'ead wrote:I think the best use of ard boyz is for giving cover saves to other units behind them effectively making them ard boyz until they move from behind the ard boyz into the open to krump some 'eads together!

I have done this a few times. Its a pretty solid tactic for when your footslogging your boyz across the table.

Not sure if they are worth the points but they look incredible.

I usually use that 4+ armor to give 12 truck boys (who are destined to have a nasty, brutish & short life) a little more backbone.

Yeah, they do look cool too!

I only like them in a BW with the Mad Dok... then they become abosolute monsters!

For Battlewagon Orks, it's rather handy. However, I find Grotsnik generally goes with Burnaboyz or Kommandos.