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Hi all,

I have an upcoming 1500 point game with my Orks v White Scars this week and I'm a little worried.

I have never played against an all biker army before and the Scars look quite scary to my boyz.

With the Toughness 5, 3+ armour saves, 4+ Jink saves, 12" movement, Twin-linked bolters, Hammer of Wrath etc, just wondering what my poor little guys best options are?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Power klaws... Lots and lots of power klaws. They make short work of those bikes, but the real issue is catching them. You can match up ok with warbikers but trukk boys seem to do better in my experiences.

This is what big blobs of boyz (20+ models) with KFFs and Painboyz were made for. They will absorb tons of fire if those two buffs are used, and numbers will mean bikes will have to charge them to even hope to whittle them down. Then the bikes are eaten. Just make sure to park multiple mobs on each objective and just wait out the turn counter.

Also, yes, power klaws too, as many as you can fot in the mobz

What's your force? Orks usually have an upper hand vs a regular white scar bikespam. Cause they usually get half the special weapons as gravgunz that wound us on 6+, 4+ at best or plazmas that are a huge overkill vs boyz. And bikes are not really that devastating in mellee. Yep, they're mobile and stuff but your average boyz will fare well. Now if you tend to run something like bully boyz - you're in trouble.

White Scars have hit and run too, which I imagine is a big deal if you're planning on dealing with them in assault. If possible, surround the unit you're assaulting. Also, charge them before they can charge you.

I'd also suggest taking some Flash Gits and Lootas to take out anything supporting the bikes.

Charge the bikes first, get a surround so they can't kite you, play to the mission, and remember bikes are just more expensive T5 Marines in CC.

Multimoog wrote:This is what big blobs of boyz (20+ models) with KFFs and Painboyz were made for. They will absorb tons of fire if those two buffs are used, and numbers will mean bikes will have to charge them to even hope to whittle them down. Then the bikes are eaten. Just make sure to park multiple mobs on each objective and just wait out the turn counter.

Also, yes, power klaws too, as many as you can fot in the mobz

So possibly 2x 25+ boy squads with PK Nob, Painboy and Killsaw Mek? Take another KFF Mek as the 3rd HQ..?

koooaei wrote:What's your force? Orks usually have an upper hand vs a regular white scar bikespam. Cause they usually get half the special weapons as gravgunz that wound us on 6+, 4+ at best or plazmas that are a huge overkill vs boyz. And bikes are not really that devastating in mellee. Yep, they're mobile and stuff but your average boyz will fare well. Now if you tend to run something like bully boyz - you're in trouble.

My usual loadout at this point level would be 3 battlewagons (2 with shoota boyz + PK Nob and the other with Burnaz + Mek) a MA Warboss with 3 MANZ in a trukk, a dakkajet and a few other bits and pieces depending on who I'm playing.


I guess I'm mostly worried about the inevitable Melta that would pop the BW's exposing only 20 boyz to Twin-Linked bolter fire and then the inevitable charge.

 Drk_Oblitr8r wrote:
White Scars have hit and run too, which I imagine is a big deal if you're planning on dealing with them in assault. If possible, surround the unit you're assaulting. Also, charge them before they can charge you.

I'd also suggest taking some Flash Gits and Lootas to take out anything supporting the bikes.

I only have 10 Lootas , could do some damage though.


That is all some great advice that I will take onboard. Seems that the general consensus is to charge FIRST!

Would Stormboyz be a good investment? They may be able to get into assault first, tying up the bikes allowing the others to move up the board.

Alternatively, I guess I could stick with the Deffrolla BW's and form a nice AV 14 wall and try to get off a couple good tank shocks..

I'd be more concerned about gravgunz than melta. Cause it can immobilize your wagonz from 18' range and if placed correctly, be relatively safe from an upcoming charge. While melta is only dangerous when fired at a side. If they get into melta range, even if the BW kabooms, you're gona inevitably charge them. It's your main aim to protect the wagon's sides from multimeltas either with terrain, board edge or bauble wrap.

So possibly 2x 25+ boy squads with PK Nob, Painboy and Killsaw Mek? Take another KFF Mek as the 3rd HQ..?

You actually have two more HQ slots - another Big Mek/Painboy/Warboss/etc. and the Mek they can bring. It would be a good idea to take basic little Meks and use them to take challenges your slotted HQs can't win. Giving the Big Mek a PK and taking challenges with the little Mek would mean your opponent either won't challenge or your PK Mek will inflict those wounds. You can still give a PK to a KFF Mek and it costs less points than having a little Mek with a killsaw.

What you really might consider is having a basic unit of gretchin so you can take a 3rd HQ and give yourself a warboss that can Waaagh rather than a dakkajet. It would make charging and surrounding bike units with your boyz mobz a lot easier.

 koooaei wrote:
I'd be more concerned about gravgunz than melta. Cause it can immobilize your wagonz from 18' range and if placed correctly, be relatively safe from an upcoming charge. While melta is only dangerous when fired at a side. If they get into melta range, even if the BW kabooms, you're gona inevitably charge them. It's your main aim to protect the wagon's sides from multimeltas either with terrain, board edge or bauble wrap.

Get boarding planks and a warboss to make that 18" a lot less safe. You can disembark 6" from an immobilized battlewagon, run d6, charge 2"+2d6 plus 'ere we go reroll - the average is already above 18". Even if he placed is grav gun exactly 18" away, he will still put his bikers in danger.

The warboss also makes short work of any bikers he catches, which makes him much better that the KFF which only protects a single wagon.

In my experience catching bikes with battlewagons is no trouble, once in combat the PK will take care of them. Getting meks is actually a good idea, since you can repair immobilized battlewagons with them. Against armies with mobile high-strength-low-AP weaponry it's always a good idea to have your column of battlewagons hugging a table edge or a ruin for 4+ cover. Put the least valuable wagon (usually one with nothing but boyz) on the other side and force your opponent to either go through that wagon or have it provide cover to your others. Even if he goes through it, a wreck or the boyz left after an explosion will still provide cover to the (more valuable) battlewagons left.

 Jidmah wrote:

 koooaei wrote:
I'd be more concerned about gravgunz than melta. Cause it can immobilize your wagonz from 18' range and if placed correctly, be relatively safe from an upcoming charge. While melta is only dangerous when fired at a side. If they get into melta range, even if the BW kabooms, you're gona inevitably charge them. It's your main aim to protect the wagon's sides from multimeltas either with terrain, board edge or bauble wrap.

Get boarding planks and a warboss to make that 18" a lot less safe. You can disembark 6" from an immobilized battlewagon, run d6, charge 2"+2d6 plus 'ere we go reroll - the average is already above 18". Even if he placed is grav gun exactly 18" away, he will still put his bikers in danger.

The warboss also makes short work of any bikers he catches, which makes him much better that the KFF which only protects a single wagon.

In my experience catching bikes with battlewagons is no trouble, once in combat the PK will take care of them. Getting meks is actually a good idea, since you can repair immobilized battlewagons with them. Against armies with mobile high-strength-low-AP weaponry it's always a good idea to have your column of battlewagons hugging a table edge or a ruin for 4+ cover. Put the least valuable wagon (usually one with nothing but boyz) on the other side and force your opponent to either go through that wagon or have it provide cover to your others. Even if he goes through it, a wreck or the boyz left after an explosion will still provide cover to the (more valuable) battlewagons left.

Run and charge requires WAAAAGH! By smart placing i mean behind difterrain which slows the charge a further 2' away. Also, bike's overwatch can kill a boy or two on average. That's risky tactix on the marine's part but it's significantly less dangerous than getting into melta range and they'll try to pull it off to lure your guyz out of opentopped transports. I'm not telling that it's a killer for orkses - just that it's more of a threat rather than meltas. Now droppoded meltas are really dangerous. And you'll have to protect your most important vehicles with placing and bauble-wrapping.

Also, i'd recommend to avoid mobing your guyz and vehicles too close to each other if he has chapter master cause of orbital bombardment.

imo, a decent tactic against highly mobile army is corner them, especially when you have numbers as your advantage, so maybe spread out your boyz (but remember to keep at least one in 6 inch with KFF Mek to let the whole squad enjoy 5++), White Scar bikers are not TWC, so corner them to get them into combat.

You know forcing them to jink almost makes marine bikes useless right? So force them to jink. I suggest rokkits, like from tank bustas. A couple tank busts units of 10-15 in trukks or wagons can easily force those jink saves.

also, as mentioned above, surround them when you can. That makes it so they can't hit and run if their direction and inches won't get them away from your unit.

Flashgitz are also pretty good at forcing jink saves on a good ap roll.

good luck.

Thanks for the advice!

It's a good point you make about forcing the jink, I hadn't considered it.