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As a player of DoW. (and a collecter of an army that's its backstory is fighting Ork hordes). here comes the questions.

Remember human fortress thread?. now xenos do build their fortifications. but the concept seems to be a bit archaic... (save for this thread... http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/120/286435.page ), even at the 41st millenium. Ork fort still an enclosure with a tall curtain wall and catwalks on its top....

1. Do orks build fort with any materials other than a pile of scraps?
2. If the typical Ork fort is largely built of steel scrap. how durable it is?
It might be suitable against small arms fire (Thus serving a function of a blockhouse), but what about cannons? The googling revealed that the majority of Ork fort has a THIN curtain wall just like human castle (sometimes Imperial fortress has much thicker wall and shellproof).
3. What is the real function of Ork fort? is it really a temporary basecamp just like human sandback and hesco structures (and maybe... Bastion?)? or it is a permanent fortress? How fast can each one be built.
4. I'm not sure if Ork has a concept of housing? the Ork fort is clearly a court structure.. there's no 'barracks/keep' structures built at the centre of any Ork fort. Where do ork garrisons sleep? at the lower floor?
4. What will IG do after seizing any Ork fort. will they continue using one? what is the possible upgrades for any captured ork fort for each campaign?

1. Anything that isn't piles of scrap is likely a stolen fortification from a more sophisticated race.

2. Durability would vary, but it could be quite durable. Flimsy design could actually be quite sturdy against anything except high explosives(small arms fire and large laser or AP shots will simply go right through and do nothing)

3. a place to stack the loot, train new recruits, look for enemies to krump, brew beer...

4. They basically get drunk on Fungus Beer and pass out wherever they were at the time. the richer orks might have a nice bed to crash in.

5. If its a looted Imperial structure, clean it up and remove the Orky bits. if its just an ork building, it probably got leveled by Basilisk fire. otherwise, it will still get leveled although cover is cover so if its still an active warzone they will use it as a look out station or strongpoint. after the battle is won it will be scrapped.

Given that an ork fort is a genuine ork building (sure.. pile o' scraps welded, bolted, rivetted, and screwed together). the fort itself has a repair facility (let's say, a functional crane and its powering engine). surrounded by a defensive system. and the campain continues. (let's say. Orks will try to retake it, or there's a long long way to advance. given that the same Waaagh! besieged an imperial settlement somewhere along the way and the route to the settlement is through the fort)

will an IG formation camped in after they captured one?? will they use the existing ork structure as a cover for their logistic depot/firebase/etc ??

Well, depends on the regiment and the opinions of officers/commissars within said force, Ork forts can be pretty tough if a Mek "Fixed it up good an' propa'", so in dire circumstances the guard would probably use them untill they can establish a nice, ordered, Imperial strongpoint.

Also, Orks tend to have bad hygeine, so IG might be reluctant to stay in an ork building unless they really need to.

It si largely dependant on the CO and the circumstances which the IG regiment finds itself, but im going to go with no.

They wouldnt us Xenos tech or buildings (especially Ork ones), and thats not just for hygiene, its built into their culture. They might use it as an observation point right up until the time when an Imperial one is dropped from orbit (probably right on top of where the Ork one was ).

Ork hygiene is bad - from a human point of view, but old ork fluff like the "waagh the orks" book says that all ork settlements have a communal cess pit caleed "the drops". it's really important because that's where a lot of their fungus and squigs will grow from. I'd really love to model an ork settlement with a really stinky drops area.

In Gunheads the Imperials retake a number of lost installations and use them as they have to - its not a pleseant experience - from the mess to the mounds of slaughtered human slaves......not good for morale.

It also describes the ork fort which is quite formdiable and requires a Shadoswords main gun to breach the gates.

Well worth a read - and in a good anthology now - the Hammer of the Emperor

If there was an Ork fortification like a line of barricades they would certaintly man them in the heat of battle. they wouldn't use the ork weapons, but they would certaintly use the walls as cover or an observation post. maybe even mount their own heavy weapons on top.

the building is likely built out of looted imperial equipment so they might even attempt salvage.

"Build" is kind of a strong word for what Orks do. "Slap something together and paint it red and hope it doesn't explode in your face" is a little better. On that note, all materials are looted from enemies.

ork kulture is not onyl about looting! there are worlds which are full of orks and only orks fighting eachother, do you honestly think they jus tkeep looting the same thing over and over again? orks predate puny oomans what did they use before then? looted eldar things? I agree that their planets where they encounter other cultures will often contain alot of looted material. that said a mek is equipted by nature to know how to build things. it is a gift from the old ones. if they are on a planet on thier own with no other things they will eventually mine and process the ore and build thier own orky weapons and fortifications to fight eachotehr with. that is how orks work.

in summary... orks can loot anything, but they don't have to loot to build... it's just easier where available