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Ive been playing a fair bit with friends for a couple months now as the orks. I have a pretty basic small army (we just recently started playing for 750 points) and am curious as to the roles of the various ork units.

I see a lot of people making suggestions to others lists as to what is "good" or "bad" but not usually much explanation behind it.

I know boyz are pretty much just meat shields so your PK nob can get in close, but are also good when assaulting. My Lootas are obviously long range support. But what, specifically, are deffkoptas/bikers/stormboyz doing in regards to the rest of the army? Should i be flanking with them, or sending them ahead of the boyz? I realize that they're different units and may have different roles.

I can answer on Deffkoptaz. I generally run mine in one of two configurations, who each have very different roles.

The first is the solo-hunter, I like to call him "The Dreaded Black Baron" (my Orks are painted as Goffs). He is a single deffkopta with twin-lnked rokkitz and a buzzsaw. His goal is to tag slow-moving vehicles or units that are very weak in melee.

The specifics of how he does this is dependent on whether I get first or second turn. If I get first turn, he will turbo-boost during his scout move and get within range of assaulting. If I get second, then he goes into reserve in order to outflank. Often he is a suicide unit, dying shortly after he accomplishes his mission.

The second is a max unit of 5 with twin-linked rokkitz. These, I term "The Flying Tankbustaz". Their job is to fly around and unleash their rokkitz on unsuspecting enemy transports or monstrous creatures. I almost always started them on the board, since outflanking such a pricey unit is a big loss if they don't show up until turn 4 or 5. When in doubt, turbo-boost to get them a nice 3+ cover save. Mind their leadership though. They are notorious cowards, and often they have run off the board without even passing a leadership test. Also, don't be afraid to charge in after unleashing the rokkitz if your target survives. They are as good as a tiny mob of shoota boyz in combat (I.E. they're not going to kill much, but they might be able to overwhelm a weakened shooting unit in combat.

I generally don't run these bad boyz any more, ever since my 15 loota boy squad (same point cost) started to see action. But if you play a lot of city fight or just play on boards with lots of LOS-blocking terrain on it, they can really bring some nice mobile firepower.

Bikers are a funny unit to try and use. You'd think it was easy with a superfast ork on a bike Though really they've got their uses in two main ways.
First is the Wazdakka army. Bikers galore as your troops, using the Fast Attacks for the koptas or buggies. Big units for much killing.
The other is in a standard Speed Freakz army, which is what I use. Two squads of 6. May seem small but outside a wazdakka army you have to consider the footprint of the unit. Too big and the unit is screaming for it to be shot - it'd be pasted in a Turn or two. Too small and they'll get pasted faster because there isn't enough models. So about half size is a nice unit.
In both cases, PK/BP nob leaders in the squad and you'll be good to go. Throw it at infantry or a tank and it'll let rip. And those dakkagauns are mighty handy so try and get a volley off before you charge.

Droofus wrote:if you play a lot of city fight or just play on boards with lots of LOS-blocking terrain on it, they can really bring some nice mobile firepower.

Thank you for that.

Juvieus Kaine wrote:You'd think it was easy with a superfast ork on a bike Though really they've got their uses in two main ways

So its pretty much balls out bikers or not? I shouldnt just splurge and grab some in a random army?

Bikers in a "random army" are best accomplished by having a small unit (say three) of Nob Bikers, with a powerklaw and two big choppas, with wound diversification (say one with a Waaaugh Banner) being slotted as a troop choice via a biker warboss - making them a tough little fast anti-tank unit.

You can pair the Warboss with a deffkopta to make them majority T6 as they move up the board to make them harder to kill as well.