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Really this is 2 questions rolled into 1, which both relate to each other - if anyone knows the answer I would be greatly appreciative!

Reading the new KoW rulebook (which is really great by the way, would thoroughly recommend it!) to have an ally detachment I need to have a 'core' unit to be able to use a war machine. So, my idea is this: I really wanted a couple of canons with my Orcs (representing a more clued up warlord who has had some dealings with a gold-hungry abyssal dwarf smith or perhaps a martially aware warlord)- I wanted to use 2 canons from the Human list (which I believe I can do, as they are 'neutral' and one step away from the orcs 'evil') and so I will need to buy 2 'core' units of human infantry. Am I correct so far?

Now I'm quite pensive about the idea of allies in games - I don't want to field a 'look at my orks allied with Eldar lol' type of force which will provoke much eye-rolling by anyone I play, but instead wanted to use orc miniatures to represent the humans. I've been converting some great-axes to carry long spears, and are modelled in a unit behind a front row of the old Bretonnian tower shields - the idea is I use the human forces 'Spear Phalanx' rules with these, which are mostly similar (same melee, nerve etc.) Am I allowed to do this as far as the main rules are concerned?

If anyone knows the answer to this I would be greatly appreciative!

You're entirely correct on the first point, with the small exception that the core human units don't have to be infantry, but can be any unit not marked in the book with a *.

The second one is a bit trickier, in as much as it's essentially a question of proxies (which the rulebook doesn't directly address). I would personally have no problem with you using a unit of Orc models with human stats as your 'human' allies. To be fair, Mantic don't make KoM models, so you have to get proxies from somewhere!

There is a slight issue with regard to base sizes though as Orcs are on the larger 25mm bases, which could cuase issues. If I was making the army I'd be using Goblin models to represent the human component. As is, I suppose a unit of Orcs in a 4x3 setup would be roughly equivalent to a 5x4 human unit.

Aye, the issue would be base size, as Riquende says. The easiest solution, if you want to stick with orcs, is to use a movement tray of the appropriate size for a human infantry block, then place as many orcs as will fit comfortably into it. As KoW doesn't actually use the individual models for anything, having the wrong number of models in a unit doesn't matter as long as the unit takes up the appropriate amount of space on the board.

The proxying itself shouldn't be an issue, I don't think, as long as you follow the human models' statline.

OK guys thanks very much for the replies!

I guess it might make sense then to make a base size for a unit of 10 humans then (the planned size, which is what 100mm x 40mm?) and I could probably fit 8 or so Orcs on there (in fact that might work better, with the orcs in a kind of staggered pattern on the base, one with a shield and one with a long spear).

One more extremely basic question, if that's OK!

When you are causing damage on a unit, does that accumulate or reset each time? For example a unit gets shot during a shooting phase, which causes 2 damage, then charged and hit by another 3 damage in melee. Does the nerve roll the attacker makes now add +5, and so on and so forth into the next turn?

Yep, damage stays in place (unless healed by the handful of spells/items capable of doing so) - without it the more nervy races' hordes would be effectively unbreakable, short of rolling double sixes.

Also keep in mind that you test for nerve at the end of the Move, Shoot, and Melee phases if you inflicted damage (So in your example you'd first roll 2d6+2 from the shooting, and later 2d6+5 from the melee)

In addition, you only test if you inflicted damage that turn, so it's a good idea to hit injured units instead of letting them go free (As you don't get reduced effectiveness like you do taking casualties in WHFB with the loss of possible attacks).

You could also call them Half-Bloods or the like. Half-orcs date back to Tolkien.

The Auld Grump

I second the half orc idea!
You could use Lord of the Rings Mordor Orcs to represent them?

 Pacific wrote:
OK guys thanks very much for the replies!

I guess it might make sense then to make a base size for a unit of 10 humans then (the planned size, which is what 100mm x 40mm?)

Just so you know, Allies require a "solid" unit. Solid units are 20 infantry, 10 cav, or 3 large infantry/cav. Read the "picking a force" section.

Ah thanks so much for the replies guys! Thanks judgedoug, will make them a 20 strong unit then.

With the damage rules I can see how games of KoW are so fast to play! The way I haev read the rules, it would seem to me that even 40-strong units could be made mincemeat of with a couple of decent charges (and smaller ones could be beaten by a charge and a lucky dice roll).

On a separate note, regarding the talk about the Tolkein-esque orcs, that is one of the reasons I really like them - their style (and the background for that matter) reminds me of that style of Orc. The evil, cunning type, and that style comes out through the models. Have to say I really like them!

Wargames Factory Orcs might be another cheap and cheerful source of plastic orcs for a "hobgoblin" or half orc breed. They're less bulky than the Mantic ones from what I can see.
Frozenwastes posted a nice size comparison here:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/536268.page#5783351

I use Wargames Factory orcs for Orc Sniffs, since the background (and stats) reflect a weaker orc.

And yeah, there's no 'uber' unit in KoW. Any damage will cause a nerve test and the double six can waver even a big tough unit. You'll notice though that since nerve tests are a nice 2d6 bell curve, units that have nerve higher than 14/16 or so are very useful, in that they can take a couple hits and on average be alright (and hordes at 20/22 or more are excellent... compare to a 10/12 troop, where a single point and a lucky roll will waver or break them... you just sacrifice maneouverability)

 Da Boss wrote:
I second the half orc idea!
You could use Lord of the Rings Mordor Orcs to represent them?

As I was reading through the thread this is the very idea I was going to suggest.. except, well, you guys beat me to it!