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I was looking for an alternative army and decided to split a Stormclaw box with my friend. He got the SW half, the rulebook and the thin book, I got the Ork units.

I already know that the Ork half gives me about 525-600 points. I'm looking to expand that to at least 1000.

I have a few questions:

1.) How will I further improve what the starter set gives?
2.) Is Grukk just a normal warboss with a Power Klaw?
3.) Are Gretchins effective in an army? Because I'm thinking of totally replacing this unit.

Not an ork player so no advice on any of that from me, but Grukk has an artifact power klaw.

Grukk has some special rules in the thin book that came with the set, and ther are some Formations in there for the Orks too - get your friend to photocopy them for you.
Otherwise, he can just as easily be run as a Warboss with Klaw.

As for what else to get, decide if you're going to be fast or horde:
If fast, get some boyz, some trukks / battlewagons and some bikes.
If horde, get some boyz, then get some more boyz, maybe some Lootaz or Big Guns for firepower.

Grots can be useful for holding backfield objectives. Otherwise use them as ammo runts / gun crew etc.

I see. I know for a fact that Boyz are probably the core element of an Ork army, with mob rules and the likes.. But I've been reading forum posts and tactica websites, and a lot of them say that an Ork army's main firepower comes from the heavy supports.

Now, are they just referring to the lootas? Or am I getting this completely wrong and should just get bikes?

Although the bikes aren't as appealing to me as a huge mob of orkz..

Not just lootas, mek gunz are also quite a powerhouse (though expensive models, a proper ork player will scrap-build his own off random bitz other players spare him)

Bikes are also solid, so are deffcoptas. there are many solid stuff in the ork codex, you just need to choose what STYLE you want to play, than pick up units that donate to that style.

You got your classic horde, your "speedy army" with bikes and such, your "shoota orks" with lots of heavy guns, your "heavy boys" with meganobs and the likes, your mech armies, etc, etc.

Orks are surprisingly flexible in what they can do.

Flexibility, huh? Noted!

Looking towards a mix of a huge mob + heavy weapons. Lootas and Flash Gitz appeal to me a certain way better than bikes..

Hmm, alright. Thanks for the advice, any other follow-ups would be appreciated.

pick up an ork battlion its a great expansion to an ork force

From a start with Stormclaw, you will want more Boyz, and a codex.

Some minor pieces of advice:

1. Each Boyz mob should contain a nob with a Power Claw and a Bosspole.
2. Lootas come 4 in a box, with a Mek and the bitz to make 4 Burna Boyz (you can use Boyz as the bodies to make Burnas)
3. Orkses is never defeated in battle. If we win we win, if we die we die fighting so it don't count. If we runs for it we don't die neither, cos we can come back for annuver go, see! Don't play Orks expecting to win every game. Play to have fun, and you will never be defeated.

 kencotter wrote:
pick up an ork battlion its a great expansion to an ork force

This is about 40k. Battalions are for Fantasy.

I think he meant battleforce. You get 3 bikes, 20 boys, 2 unadvertised nobs and a trukk. Can really fill out with those and you will likely always need these models. Since these are full sprues and not snap fits, you get a ton of extra bits here.

As Windchild stated, the loota box comes with 4 lootas/burnas + 1 mek with a few options. Generally, I build the box as 4 lootas + 1 burna using the mek body, unless you really want a mek.

Orks come with a lot of extra bits, including grots. Hold onto all of them as you'll be converting grots and weapons constantly. The stock boy is nice as it can be made into any infantry model with the correct bits. And building stuff out of bits and plasticard isn't just passable, it's damn near mandatory.

 reiner wrote:
I think he meant battleforce. You get 3 bikes, 20 boys, 2 unadvertised nobs and a trukk. Can really fill out with those and you will likely always need these models. Since these are full sprues and not snap fits, you get a ton of extra bits here.

The Battleforce was discontinued.

The newer box set (which may have also been discontinued, as it is not on the store page) is the Mek Mob, containing a Mek, Mek in Mega Armour (3 models), 10 boyz, 1 nob, 1 trukk, and a Deff Dread.

Windchild wrote:

 reiner wrote:
I think he meant battleforce. You get 3 bikes, 20 boys, 2 unadvertised nobs and a trukk. Can really fill out with those and you will likely always need these models. Since these are full sprues and not snap fits, you get a ton of extra bits here.

The Battleforce was discontinued.

The newer box set (which may have also been discontinued, as it is not on the store page) is the Mek Mob, containing a Mek, Mek in Mega Armour (3 models), 10 boyz, 1 nob, 1 trukk, and a Deff Dread.

Gah, you're right. That's a shame. I like the old force more than the mek mob lineup by far.

 entityreign wrote:
I see. I know for a fact that Boyz are probably the core element of an Ork army, with mob rules and the likes.. But I've been reading forum posts and tactica websites, and a lot of them say that an Ork army's main firepower comes from the heavy supports.

Now, are they just referring to the lootas? Or am I getting this completely wrong and should just get bikes?

Although the bikes aren't as appealing to me as a huge mob of orkz..

You should first decide what direction you want to take. Just remember that orks are an army of bullies. Timing and positioning are very important. You can't just take any solid unit, throw it into your list and call it a day as if you were playing space marines or eldar. When you take a bunch of trucks, wagonz, bikers, a 30-strong squad of footsloggas with a deff dread won't synergise well cause of different speed and you'll fail if you're spreading focus too much and come in waves.

Our stuff is generally killy and cheap but is not too hard to get rid of. So, timing and threat saturation should be in mind when making an ork list.

There are generally 3 directions.

1. Footsloggas - lots of boyz backed up with support. I run exactly this. Generally, my lists consists of a 30-strong mob of choppaboyz runnig with Warboss + Painboss + sometimes a wierdboy or mek, 1-2 squads of up to 20 shootaboyz, a squad of grots, a truck with 'ard boyz or meganobz, komandoes or stormboyz and mek gunz - usuallyy lobbas and KMK. I'm doing good so far. This is for 1k-1250 games in general. As you can see, i have a truck which is the only speedy component, however, it's relatively cheap and doesn't take too much points away from the horde.

For games with higher point limit, greentide's doing great. 10 squads of boyz mobbed up for a single megasquad. It might sound strange but greentide's actually doing good even vs the most competitive lists. The mass of boyz with feel no pain and fearless and a bunch of power klaw nobz...what's not to like?

2. Speed freaks - lots of fast stuff. Wagonboyz, truckboyz, bikers once again backed up by support. Everything aims for a 2-d turn strike. One of our best units like tankbustas and Da Lukky Stikk Megabosses work best in this lists.

In larger games you can run blitz brigade with 5 scoutin battlewagonz full of goodness.

3. Walker wall - lots of walkers - deff dreadz, kanz, naughts, a stompa. Cool concept allthough, every second list won't have problems dealing with walkers. Just cause AT weaponry is so cheap, effective and common now. But still, walker walls are great in more relaxed casual enviroment.

Dredd mob is notorious here.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Stormklaw has grots that are alwayz useful to at least fill the min troops requirement or be used as a big gun krew, boss that can be used as a regular one, nobz that are not that great on their own and kanz that are even worse on their own. So, it's up to you, actually. Blackreach was much better for orkses back than.

Windchild wrote:

 reiner wrote:
I think he meant battleforce. You get 3 bikes, 20 boys, 2 unadvertised nobs and a trukk. Can really fill out with those and you will likely always need these models. Since these are full sprues and not snap fits, you get a ton of extra bits here.

The Battleforce was discontinued.

The newer box set (which may have also been discontinued, as it is not on the store page) is the Mek Mob, containing a Mek, Mek in Mega Armour (3 models), 10 boyz, 1 nob, 1 trukk, and a Deff Dread.

i did mean battleforce haha i used two of them to build my force they where great so gutted they are OP

From my personal experience in the year or so I've been playing Orks:

If your looking for fire power, it comes from only a few main sources: Lootas for long ranged anti tank and potential anti air, Tankbustas for mid ranged tank hunting (as their name implies), or Warbikes for closer ranged infantry clearance.

I have the models to run a mix of army styles, be it hoard, speed, or mechanized. I tend to enjoy Hoard and mechanized the most, with speed very close behind.

It mostly depends on how you want to play. Do you want to play a lot of Boyz who foot slog up the board with artillery and lootas watching their backs? Or would you prefer to fill the sky with clouds of smoke as trukks, battle wagons and warbikers come screeching up the board to rush your opponent for a mobile, fairly low model count approach? Or lastly would you rather fill your opponents ears with the sound of metal clanking as Kanz, Dreads, and Mork/Gorkanaughts come stomping up the field, their saws blazing, klaws crunching for a foot slogging but mostly armor filled army with a few Boyz or other support to fill the gaps?

Look for the old black reach boys on ebay - are choppa boys and snap fit, but can be used to bulk out a force.

I've thought about it, and since I'm getting a Battleforce soon (I'm eyeing the one currently on-shelf in store I play in), I'll be trying out Nobz and Boyz first with heavies/AT's and such for support. I thought it to be fun painting a number of them.

My eyes are off on bikes, I mainly play DA and already got RW to play a bike army. The mech concept seems pretty cool, but to me they seem too easy to counter.

Can't go wrong with a table full of Boyz, right?

Now, how about those Kommandos and a Snikrot? I find them amusing and I'm thinking if they're fun to use on the field.

They work fine especially with footsloggas. But are quite situational. Personally, i sometimes run min squads of 5 with 2 rokkits just to infiltrate somewhere on a point in no man's land or even behind the opponent, which is easy to do with just 5 guyz. They don't do much but annoy the foe. But whenever they're attracting some attention - it's alwayz worth it. Cause the squad's cheap - just 60 pts and thanks to stealth + g2g doesn't go down from shooting too easilly. Yep, ignore cover kills them dead but that's gona be ignore cover that's not killing your main forces. And 2 rokkits might occasionally do something.

If you go nuts, you can even field a Snikrot formation which is freaking amazing in right circumstances. However, they hate wave serpents and wiverns. It's also quite risky just cause a large portion of your army goes in reserves. And i'd not consider using it in games below 1500 pt. Besides, they need comms relay to ensure they arrive in time. So, the higher the point limit - the better they are. The formation is 4 squads of kommandoes + snikrot. All go outflanking and everyone arrives simultaniously from any table edge. Yep, you choose any of the four...or whatever number of edges your tables usually have All the guyz have shrowded and can reroll cover saves for the turn they arrive.

That Snikrot formation sounds hell of a lot of fun! That list comes second to the horde list I'm putting together.

Hmm, going back to the Flash Gitz (cause that's the Ork bundle GW sells), how cost-efficient are they as a main component in an army list? Ranging from 1000-1500, let's say.

i just re wrote my arm list from last addition to the new addition and things are a little cheaper so i added two extra units in at 1500pts

i have a sort of fast moving horde with 70 boys and 10 gretchin lead by a big mek with a custom force-field and then 6 bikes, 6 deffcoptas, a deff dread and a looted wagon to back them up. plus a warboss and 5 nobs all armed with powerklaws to date i haven't lost a game with them and it was put together as a theme army with cities of death in mind rather then a tournament list