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Note: I'm not sure where this thread belongs, but figured this theme was the most appropriate.

I got my hands on a previous edition of Codex Orks. In it I found a lot I don't like, making me glad I wasn't stuck with this ruleset edition like the Dark Eldar and others. However, one rule in particular perked my interest: "mobbing up," wherein orks falling back can attempt to join an unbroken mob nearby. Man, that would be great to have right now, especially with trukkboys. It also gives the potential for reformed mobs to have more mixed gear; e.g., a unit with several power klaws, burnas with sluggas, etc.

What do you guys think?

As a side question: why do you suppose it was dropped between editions? My understanding is that Games Workshop wanted to streamline rules for fifth edition, make things less wacky and time consuming. However, this old rule seems pretty straightforward and not at all overpowered.

I believe it was called "Mobbing Up", as in joining multiple mobs together.

It was a very fluffy rule and made the Orks really interesting. I always felt it really fit their flavor and enjoyed the rule on paper.

But, actually playing with it is a whole different story. Things are already rather complicated when you have a squad with mixed weaponry. This ability just made that a million times worse. You'd end up with mobs that were CC focused, shooty focused, going on foot, going on jumppacks, etc. Plus, you end up with tons of models with special rules that others don't have.

It was a cool ability, but way overcomplicated things. I, for one, am glad it's gone.



Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also: This isn't really a YMDC, since it's not a rules question. If you're suggesting to modify it and bring it back, put it in proposed rules. If you just want to talk about the rule and why it was removed, perhaps 40k General Discussion.

I think it probably is more powerful than it first appears. After the first attack with an ork army, you are usually left with a number of small mobs of 5 or 6 survivors. They are good for sitting on objectives, but not much else. That's the nature of the beast. If you haven't won in the first couple of turns, you've lost.

To mob up would allow you to recreate an effective unit, and this unit would benefit from fearless again. You'd get a second wave.

In addition, you currently have to trade off mob size for speed. Small mobs in fast trukks, medium mobs in wagons, or big mobs on foot. I think that trade-off is an important limitation.

And, speaking as an ork player, they are a pretty good army already.

Grakmar wrote:I believe it was called "Mobbing Up."

Grakmar wrote:
Also: This isn't really a YMDC, since it's not a rules question. If you're suggesting to modify it and bring it back, put it in proposed rules. If you just want to talk about the rule and why it was removed, perhaps 40k General Discussion.

Oops, my bad. I intended on putting this thread in "Proposed Rules." That's what happens though when you goldbrick at work on your iPhone!

doctorludo wrote:To mob up would allow you to recreate an effective unit, and this unit would benefit from fearless again. You'd get a second wave.

Exactly. Fearless is such a mixed-bag, really; that low armor save means death, and I can only seem to roll sixes when I'm shooting at something important!

It was *not* straight forward at all, which is probably why it was dropped. First of all you had to deal with the issues of having two (or more) units with different special rules joining each other and how the heck that worked.

And in order to make mobs actually mob up Orks had another rule which dictated that they got to fall back towards each other, which was another giant grey area because it often isn't clear when one mob actually counts as being "behind" another one...if one model is further back, or does the entire unit have to be behind, etc?


It was a headache from a clear rules perspective.

yakface wrote:
It was *not* straight forward at all, which is probably why it was dropped. First of all you had to deal with the issues of having two (or more) units with different special rules joining each other and how the heck that worked.

Hum... I imagine you would rework it from the perspective of what is possible for all models in a unit; for example, as stands now, a slow-&-purposeful model bogs down a whole unit, and in a retintroduction of a mobbing-up incarnation, a single shootaboy would ground a whole unit of stormboys.