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Thought I'd create a post based on hope for once. Was reading the new Kill Team ork focus and was pleasantly surprised to find this:



For once, the devs surrounding 40k or Killteam have shown a basic grasp of understanding orks. This is not only a very Orky rule, not only a fun rule but it's a useful risk vs reward rule! Something I haven't seen in a long time regarding Orks. I don't feel like I need get into this too much but a perfect Ork rule, in my mind, needs to be those three things: Orky, Really-fun, Kinda-useful. The O.R.K rule system I call it.

So let me explain how this rule fits all that criteria.
Orky: It's no secret that most Orks don't respect Gretchin and their lives. Only a few gretchins ever make it past a few weeks, never mind the years old. In fact, by that point the gretchin has become important mascots in Ork society based purely on his luck. So, you find, especially with the larger ground assualts of the goffs and snakebites, the Orks always send in the gretchin first on mass as a cannon fodder to stur up the enemy, waste their ammunition and act as a Shield for Ork Boyz. Hell, even the lesser footslogging armies use the Gretchin to beat up when they're angry, to eat, experiment on or just shove in the boiler room of the stompa to fix stuff when it's about to explode. Therefore, using Gretchin as way to save an Orks life with the Ork physically picking him up as a shield is a lore friendly rule for orks.

Really-fun: Perhaps the most important is how fun is the rule? Well, in the case of Killteam it's extremely fun. Just think about it. You're 12 games into this huge campaign and ZugZod the lucky Gretchin has just earned enough teeth to finally buy his very first real shoota. You're really happy for the little guy and an almost parental tear emerges in your eye. Then, Jawcrusha da Nobz notices a Scout Marine aiming a missle straight for his face! Now, Jawcrusha is the team leader, he's a noble in Ork society and he thinks he's the most important thing there so he picks up the little grot trying to learn how to place bullets into his newly aquired shoota and just throws him at the on comming missile. Booom! ZugZod is in 27 peices and somehow Jawcrusha survived without a single scratch. What's not fun about that?

Kinda-useful: this is the least important rule when it comes to thinking about orks but still important! How useful is it? Being an Ork player you want something that's an option you have in mind but isn’t an insta win crutch. It's a great risk vs reward rule that could, if yah feelin lucky, turn out very well or could go wrong. What's great about this particular rule is that it's not only, I would say, an above avarage rule (something I could definitely see myself using in very tight situatios) but it has that perfect balance of risk vs reward that orks have lacked for several editions. Normally we're used to rolling a D6 and seeing 5 things that screw us over and 1 thing that's midly okay. However, with this we know 100% that it will protect our main leader or expensive loota. No matter what I roll I will be safe (there is my base line middle ground reward) but I have then have to risk a character that I might have just put a lot of effort into (this is my risk). Because the grot is being targeted through the entire phase he might be super lucky and survive every attack that phase meaning nothing even had a chance of hitting my expensive units (the ultimate reward) or he might insta die leading to me losing all that xp, equipment, etc and I didn't even get that much protection (the ultimate risk). As you can see this is a great risk vs reward system that rewards a player for using it correctly compared to the usual 1- mortal wounds yourself, 2-5 - miss, 6 - hit with midly okay ap but with an over priced weapon.

The perfect O.R.K system working together to make the best Ork rule I've seen for a while. Now, a little squiggoth tells me that these command abilities have been a 1 for 1 clone of the codex stuff so far (or at least similar). So, if we can get this kinda trait on the main 8th edition then I'll have high hopes for Orks. It's a fluffy and useful and fun way to use grots and might make some fluffy looking tactics rather than just send in the boyz. For once I might see a line of gretchin in front of the boyz just like the lore described.

Orks have always had some variant of that rule since 3rd ed. with Grots being able to be used for minefield clearance, making it easier to traverse difficult terrain and cover in the 5th ed codex (IIRC).

fun Thing about a game like kill team is, due to it's smaller scale it's easier to put in fun characterful stuff like that because there's no worries of the scheer scale of it slowing the game down.

 Grimtuff wrote:
Orks have always had some variant of that rule since 3rd ed. with Grots being able to be used for minefield clearance, making it easier to traverse difficult terrain and cover in the 5th ed codex (IIRC).

Yep, it's why i said I haven't seen this kinda fun rule for a few editions now.

I'm absolutely buy two Gretchin boxes and make a gretchin band for Kill-Team.

I'm speaking from a 40k minded ruleset, not Kill Team, but...

It's start of shooting phase, which is to say; the opponent can just shoot the gretchin with something else, then still rocket your backline Ork.

Sure, it eats up a single attack, which might matter in smaller unit size games -

- then there's also the issue of the wording; All attacks are targeted at an Ork, but are resolved against the gretchin as long as it is alive. To me, this reads: "I shoot 4 shots at your Ork", which are then resolved one at a time, redirecting to the grot only if able - if the first shot kills the gretchin (which it will, they're traditionally super weak), then the next 3 still continue to their selected Ork, versus being forced to initially direct all the shots at the grot to begin with; in which case the remaining 3 shots would be wasted, as the grot has already died.

I like the concept of it, but it seems really hard to get a lot of value out of.

We'll see when the Kill Team rules actually release.

I like it a lot. I want grots to be more of a utility unit than just simple chaff. I'd like lots of stratagems and abilities that let units benefit from having grots around, but that kill the poor grots hilariously in the process.

I'm hoping some abilities like that come in the datasheet of grots or other units. Like most factions, Orks in the index were missing a lot of flavor. In my opinion orks are supposed to be the most flavorful army, even if that flavor sometimes works against them (like a sauerkraut and habanero flavored milkshake that burns your eyes from across the room). I'm thinking that stratagems alone wouldn't be enough to add all the flavor back.

One other thing I hope they do with grots though is change their 6+ save to a 7+. It just doesn't feel thematic to me for little gits in loincloths to have a save.

I think you should message that acronym to GW's rules team. It's amazing!
I really hope the other Tactics are just as O.R.K.y so I can run Da Orkquisition.

Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.

Speaking of hope, the list of factions just says 'at launch,' so we might get the inquisition alongside the rogue trader release and an Imperial Agents 8th codex.

 Dakka Flakka Flame wrote:

One other thing I hope they do with grots though is change their 6+ save to a 7+. It just doesn't feel thematic to me for little gits in loincloths to have a save.

Dude, lore wise Grots are unnaturally lucky. To the point it coukd be a warp thing or a side effect of the Waaagh. There used to be a grot character in the game who had a 2+invulnerable save that could never be bypassed even if you had ways to do it. Grots have this luck but then sometimes it just randomly switches off and they're insta screwed. For example, a grot can spend his entire weeks life in a boiler room dodging flinging bullets, shrapnel, bolts and still repair everything just fine then suddenly his luck will turn off and he trips into the boiler fire. If anything Gretchin should have a 6+ invuln. XD

I like that the O in ORK stands for 'Orky'. Dat's sum good finkin'.

The Grot Shield rule is pretty great thematically. It's worth considering that this is already represented in 40K: when your Nob unit takes a wound you can just allocate it to one of their Ammo Runts, for example (same for other units and characters with grot hangers-on). I doubt it will be a 40K Stratagem, but it's perfect for Kill Team.