kmcdanie:
Welcome back to the Waaaugh!!!!
You said that you didn't know what kind of theme you wanted in your Ork army. Put on your reading glasses for the lecture.
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First of all, orks are a unique codex. An ork boy is significantly cheaper than just about any other model in
40k, and is basically a platform from which many things spring (other kinds of ork variants - stormboyz, lootas, nobs...). If you read the fluff, every ork starts in the same place, and as they develop, they lean towards on klan/society, which is how they figure out what kind of ork they're going to be.
In other codexes (space marines and their variants being the most prolific), basic troops are well-rounded models. You ever play Final Fight? How about ANY kind of game with character selections? You've got the big, strong guy that's slow...the average Joe....and the weaker but very speedy character. This applies in
40k as well. Space marines are like your average, well-rounded Joe. Orks are NOT. You can't mix and match orks in any order you like to make a generalized list.
This is *not* called power building, its called understanding your codex, how your codex is designed, and using it as such. Every time someone calls "playing a theme" to be "powerbuilding" I want to stab them in the F***** eye. If you look in the Ork codex, do you see the codex writers putting in pictures for the sample armies of some Lootas backing up a squad of meganobs in a trukk, who are advancing next to some buggies and a deffkopta or two?
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They even TELL you how to make your army. They tell you what the Ork klans are - Bad Moons, Kult of Speed, Deffskullz, etc.
That kind of thematic army construction is the intent of the Ork codex. That is what makes orks powerful. The ork codex is written so that you can design an army list that is absolutely ridiculously powerful, but it is NOT made up of average Joe units; everything is specialized towards a specific goal. When you build an army list, you should follow the thematic advice given to you in the Codex. PICK a theme. There's a lot of them:
Green Tide. Mechanized Assault. Mechanized Shooting. Ork Gunline (Moar Dakka), Kan-Wall. Dreadz of Fury. Kult of Speed. Outflanking Goodness. Rebel Grotz. Nob Bikers. Super Units. Orky Burnas.
All of those things have something in common - the lists were designed with a theme in mind, and have the synergy to work together towards that goal. When you start combining those themes to make a list, you're being counterintuitive to the very style that the orks were created for.
Remember this: Orks can do anything that any other army can do, and they can do it better than that army. However, orks can only do it one at a time. You can outshoot a Tau Gunline. You can out-assault a khorne army or an army of genestealers. You can put down more templates than
IG....whatever your goal in mind is....orks can do it better, but it has to stick to that theme. Orks are not meant to be universal, middle-of-the-line armies.
To give another analogy...if you've ever played an MMO, there are different classes. Fighter, Tank, barbarian, mage, cleric, wizard, hunter, ranger, red mage, death knight, rogue, whatever.....its all based on the game you play. The class you pick sets you on a path for the kind of game you play, the skills you get - they are pre-defined roles.
40k armies fit into that kind of typification. Except for Orks. Orks would be the generic class. You start with a neutral character, with skillpoints to assign, and you can make orks any kind of army you want them to be. People fail with orks because they want some of everything. Instead of making them a fighter, or an archer, or a guardian...and they would be better fighters, archers and guardians than every other type...they split points between all three to make a Figardian. F.A.G for short.
Do you want to excel in something, or be a F.A.G? That's what it boils down to.
Are you a F.A.G?
Here's a quick take on those various lists I mentioned. Please remember something important: Every list needs to be tailored for point allocations. What I'm putting down here is an "optimized" list where you get the maximum ability from it, so if you're playing a 1,000 point gunline, three full squads of Lootas + supporting units and troop choices isn't really what you're going to play. You'll have to tweak to match your needs.
Green Tide:
Green tide is actually an apocalypse battle formation, but is a common name for a foot-slogging ork army list. It consists of mobs of 30 shoota boys, a nob with a powerklaw, and either a unit of gretchin or a unit of boyz or 'Ard Boyz (maybe even with Mad Dok) screened across the front to give the rest of the army a 4+ cover save as they advance up the board.
Mechanized Assault:
12 slugga boyz+Nob/
PK stacked into trukks, perhaps some battlewagons in the mix, covered by a Big Mek with a
KFF...an elite unit or two (kommandos, lootas, burnas) tacked into the mix depending on your personal playstyle - they get into close combat as fast as orkishly possible; with Ghazghkull leading the mix, that's usually turn2.
Mechanized Shooting:
Instead of slugga boys, you have shoota boys, preferably in battlewagons, with a
KFF screening them, rolling around the battlefield pouring firepower into enemy units. Alternatively, (and one of my favorite setups) this is 3 Loota squads inside battlewagons sitting on the back table edge, Big mek with
KFF in the middle one in a trident formation \|/ to present front armor across the battlefield, surrounded by a unit of gretchin to prevent assaults on rear armor.
Ork Gunline:
Three squads of Lootas form the backbone of this, either sitting in cover or with a screening unit to give them a 4+ cover save, heavy support of big guns or some dreads/kans to provide long range firepower, with the obligatory shoota boy squads.
Kan wall:
One of the current meta-game favorites: Three squads of three killa-kans, protected by a
KFF mek (or two) marching up the field screening mobs of shoota boys behind them.
Dreadz of Fury:
Three DeffDreads for Heavy Support + 2 Deff Dreads for troop choices, with a
KFF mek screening them for a 4+ cover save, set for either long ranged fire support or close ranged pwnage; I prefer the STR10
DCCWs.
Kult of Speed:
Straight out of your codex! Boyz in trukks, mechanized element + Stormboyz. Ponder this for a moment: 6 trukks full of boyz screened by a Mek with a
KFF, in turn screening 3 units of Stormboyz who can move as fast as the trukks moving flat out...that's a lot of fast moving destruction.
Outflanking Goodness:
Kommandos as elites and Deffkoptas as fast attack, as many of each as you can fit in, often with Deffkoptas equipped differently for wound allocation spread outflanking (unless you get turn1 and put your deffkoptas out for a turn1 turbo-boost).
Rebel Grotz:
Instead of six units of boyz, you get.....gretchin! Bwah ha ha. Not particularly scary in themselves, but using covering units or terrain, able to go to ground for a 3+ cover save, making them incredibly difficult to remove from an objective, especially with other gretchin (inside killa-kans) are krumping around the battlefield.
Nob Bikers:
Two warbosses + 20 nobs = 2HQ + 2Troops. 22 models = 1750. Diversified wargear and weaponry let you spread wounds around instead of removing models, and the unit is incredibly tough, has the ability to get anywhere fast, and kill anything fast.
Super Units:
Similar to Nob bikers in having an army with a low model count: Warboss Krumpmaster and the Megaboyz; a couple units of Meganobs, or my personal preference, units of regular nobs with diversified wargear for wound allocation magic - in vehicles!
Orky Burnas:
Start with three units of burna boys. Put them in battlewagons if you like. Mek with a
KFF to screen if you do, and you have an army of combination templates / power weapons. Alternatively, a warboss makes nobs a troops choice, and you can give them all kombi-skorchas for some real carnage.
Battlewagon Spam:
Did you know that you can field 8 Battlewagons in a single army list? That's right...eight battlewagons. Three Heavy Support, Three dedicated transports for elite unit nobs, and two warbosses making two units of nobs troop choices so that you can take two more battlewagons. I think any time you have vehicles, you should have a
KFF floating around, so I wouldn't advocate going for 8....but you can do a lot of things with a list of Battlewagons.
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My favorite flavor of Orks are mechanized orks. Here's the 2k theme I've been running this whole year, and for the most part (see my signature) I've been incredibly successful with it.
HQ: Ghazghkull Thraka (In Battlewagon with Burnas)
HQ: Big Mek +
KFF + Powerklaw + Grot Oiler (In Battlewagon with Nobs)
Troop1: 16 Ork Boyz + Nob/Powerklaw
Troop2: 12 Ork Boyz + Nob/Powerklaw/Bosspole in Trukk with Boarding Plank / Reinforced Ram
Troop3: 10 Gretchin + Runtherder
Troop4: 7 Nobs with Cybork Bodies, equipped as below:
-Painboy/Ammo Runt
-Waaaugh! Banner/ Ammo Runt
-Bosspole / Kombi-Rokkit
-Powerklaw
-Powerklaw / Kombi-Rokkit
-Big Choppa
-Big Choppa / Kombi-Rokkit
-Dedicated Transport Battlewagon Identical to heavy supports
Elite 1: 15 Burnas
Elite 2: 5 Lootas
Elite 3: 5 Lootas
Fast 1: Deffkopta + Twin-linked Rokkits + Buzzsaw
Fast 2: Deffkopta + Twin-linked Rokkits + Buzzsaw
Fast 3: 3 Warbuggies with Twin-linked Rokkits
Heavy 1: Battlewagon with Deff Rolla, Boarding Planks, Grabbin' Klaw, Big Shoota, Armor Plates
Heavy 2: Battlewagon with Deff Rolla, Boarding Planks, Grabbin' Klaw, Big Shoota, Armor Plates
If you like what you see and want to know how I use it, click my name, and go to "Threads started" and check out some of my battle reports.
Here's a few to get you started.
'Ard Boyz prelims:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/295067.page
'Ard Boyz semi-finals:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/299935.page
Blood Bath:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/285191.page
Atlanta Circuit Opener:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/284021.page
SVDM:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/281869.page
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For a change of pace, here's a 2,000 point Kan-wall that I just built for someone with some tactics appropriate for the situation they're in - although the army can do well enough in most situations.
HQ: Big Mek +
KFF + 'Eavy Armor
HQ: Warboss + Powerklaw + 'Eavy Armor + Attack Squig
Troop1: 30 Shoota Boyz + Nob, Powerklaw, Bosspole
Troop2: 30 Shoota Boyz + Nob, Powerklaw, Bosspole
Troop3: 19 Gretchin + 1x Runtherder
Troop4: 19 Gretchin + 1x Runtherder
Elite1: 15 Lootas
Elite2: 15 Lootas
Elite3: 5x Kommandos, 2x Burnas + Snikrot
FA1: 1x Deffkopta + Twin-Linked Rokkits + Buzzsaw
FA2: 1x Deffkopta + Twin-Linked Rokkits + Buzzsaw
FA3: 1x Deffkopta + Twin-Linked Rokkits + Buzzsaw
Heavy1: 3x Killa-Kans with 3x Rokkit Launchas
Heavy2: 3x Killa-Kans with 3x Rokkit Launchas
Heavy3: 3x Killa-Kans with 3x Rokkit Launchas
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Deployment:
1. Both Lootas units deploy in cover in the center of the field if possible. Space them 2" apart if you can while maintaining cover and fields of fire. Buy a GF9 Tactical Template if you don't have one; its awesome for measurements, coherency, the works.
2. Both Gretchin squads deploy on your flanks: One left, one right. Spread them out with 2" coherency as well in a line going up the side of the table. As you move across the table, they're going to move up with you and keep the table edges blocked off.
3. Your nine Killa-kans go in the front; close enough that all benefit from the
KFF's 4+ cover save.
4. Your 60 boyz go behind the Killa-kans.
5. Your Deffkoptas go left, right, and center on the edge of your deployment zone, unless you go second - then they're in reserve.
You should have a box on the table, comprised of a table edge back, gretchin sides, and kan-wall top. Everything in your army has a 4+ save at this point, with the possible exception of gretchin - you'll need to watch where they get placed.
Gametime!
-If you went first, your deffkoptas turbo across the table to do a turn1 assault; against vehicles if possible. If not, into something meatshielding a tank that you want Snikrot to assault.
-Your Lootas stay put, but everything else moves forward 6", and then probably runs
D6. You're expanding your box. Chimeras can't outflank through your gretchin, protecting your boyz and Lootas (most importantly) meaning that they're going to have to come on right in front of your killa-kans with their STR10
DCCWs and their STR8 Rokkits. They can move 6" and fire, or move 12" and not fire - either you're going to hit on 4+ and do bad things, or he didn't shoot at you and...you're going to shoot at him with rokkits.
-Two units of Lootas with 15x Lootas apiece light up his basilisks and hellhounds, and chimeras when they come out.
-When Snikrot comes in, the Warboss breaks off and goes for the Leman Russ if possible, or another high profile target. If the lascannons are on foot in a heavy weapon squad, go tie them up. Snikrot and 5 Kommandos burn / assault; again - preferably into a vehicle, but into a unit if you have no choices - depends on what your deffkoptas are doing.
-All these are destructive forces, but are simply paving the way for the REAL threat - 60 boyz putting out 120 shots before assaults, the killa-kan assaults, and the whole thing being covered by a Loota firebase.
This same thing can work against most army lists out there.
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Alright, take your reading glasses back off.
If you made your way through all that, then you hopefully cued in on something that caught your fancy that you'd like to build towards. Let us know what, and we can help you start moving down the right path.
Blood Angels - 2000 
Iron Warriors - 2000 
Orks -2000 
Imperial Guard - 2000
Eldar - 2000 
Hive Fleet Krakken - 2000 
Dark Eldar - 2000 
Necrons - 2000 
Grey Knights - 2000 
Daemons - 2000 
Ravenwing - 2000 
+ 
Skullbearers: 750pts painted