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Hey everyone, I'm making the shift into Fantasy now that my 40k Ork army is now complete (For the most part!) I was wondering what people's general thoughts are on some particular units I was hoping to get my hands on!

Now, from what I gather, armies have to be a % of Core units and in bigger games, you can start bringing limited amounts of Special/Rare units as well. The units I've had my eye on are:

Core:

Orc Boyz: I assume these are a staple, similar to their 40k counter parts? How many is considered the average to bring? a full regiment? two?

Forest Spider Riders: I adore these models. The whole arachnid theme you can pull off looks awesome! I was thinking making these my most plentiful Core unit, unless they are in fact not so good D:

Arrer Boyz: Everyone needs ranged right? Whats the general thoughts on these lads?


Special:

Boar Chariot: I like it! But is it worthwhile in the long haul?

SQUIGS!!!: Are any of these guys worth it either? I've been sad Squigs never made an appearance in 40k outside of Bomb Squigs...

Trolls: Are either of the variants for Special units worth a darn on the field?


Rare:

Arachnarok Spider: I...love...this...model! But is it's capabilities enough to match it's awesomeness?

Giant: I'd like to get one of them because I did get to see their rules...and they look stupid, but silly fun. And I'm all about fun!

River Trolls: Disgusting, and totally belong in an Ork army. Vomit attack? Oh why not!

I like squigs. Most people don't. But they are about the cheapest S5 units in the game. They're just a bit hard to control.I mean if you ignore the goblin, a squig is WS4 S5 T3 A2 for 8-12pts. That's a good deal.

I also like Trolls. I had liked them less because more units got flaming. BUT, now more units have cheapo 2+ wards vs. flaming. So not everyone is taking it as they did before. A troll with regen in tact is one of the most efficient units in the game. Stupidity is a killer with them, however.

Arachnarok is nice. But the problem of course is cannons. They DO have 8W, and they're pretty fast. So you can likely get into combat and then they got 329848 attacks. But they're very expensive. 300pts was kind of the goto value for Monsters. But later books have made them cheaper. O&G were early and thus kind of expensive.

I don't rate stone trolls very high. MR is junk and too many things will ignore their armor.

River trolls are better. But I don't think worth it.

Giants I don't recommend. They're wacky but too expensive.

Some stuff to consider is Rock Lobbers, Doom Divers, Fanatics, and Mangler Squigs.

You could basically buy 3 Manglers for the cost of 1 giant (though you can only take 2 Manglers). I think they would provide more disruption capabilities than a giant.

 DukeRustfield wrote:
I like squigs. Most people don't. But they are about the cheapest S5 units in the game. They're just a bit hard to control.I mean if you ignore the goblin, a squig is WS4 S5 T3 A2 for 8-12pts. That's a good deal.

I also like Trolls. I had liked them less because more units got flaming. BUT, now more units have cheapo 2+ wards vs. flaming. So not everyone is taking it as they did before. A troll with regen in tact is one of the most efficient units in the game. Stupidity is a killer with them, however.

Arachnarok is nice. But the problem of course is cannons. They DO have 8W, and they're pretty fast. So you can likely get into combat and then they got 329848 attacks. But they're very expensive. 300pts was kind of the goto value for Monsters. But later books have made them cheaper. O&G were early and thus kind of expensive.

I don't rate stone trolls very high. MR is junk and too many things will ignore their armor.

River trolls are better. But I don't think worth it.

Giants I don't recommend. They're wacky but too expensive.

Some stuff to consider is Rock Lobbers, Doom Divers, Fanatics, and Mangler Squigs.

You could basically buy 3 Manglers for the cost of 1 giant (though you can only take 2 Manglers). I think they would provide more disruption capabilities than a giant.

:p Thanks for the input so far! I have to say the Squig models look awesome as all get out, and I could feel myself running a lot of them. With the randomness of 40k, having a unit that can cause randomness doesn't hinder me, and it just makes the game more fun for me in general, despite losing models due to Orky foolishness :p

Edit: 300 points doesn't make me flinch for the mega Spider, considering I constantly run my Morkanaught which is a 300 point model. If it is a good unit, is fun to play and looks awesome on the table, I'll run it despite it's point cost.

Orc Boyz are fairly useless, actually. I mean, they're alright, but there's absolutely no point taking them over Savage Orc Boyz, which are vastly superior. A large horde of Savage Orc Boyz with a Lvl4 S. Orc Shaman with the Lucky Shrunken Head in tow is one of the staples in most competitive OnG lists. Some people like to give the Shaman more gear, and I've seen people chuck in random Savage Orc Bosses too.

Spiders Riders are ok, but, similar to Orc Boyz, there's few reasons to take them over Wolf Riders, which do the same job, but better. That said, you'll be glad if you ever run into a board with loads of Forests. To be honest though, the difference between the two is not huge, so if you prefer Spider Riders, go for them. Spider Riders also featured in one of the old starter boxes, which'll probably mean you can get your hands on some on eBay cheaper than you would be able to for Wolf Riders. But be careful: you say that you want Spider Riders to be your most numerous unit, but Spider Riders are chaff and should not be run in large numbers. Chaff is a new concept coming from 40k, but essentially you take chaff in minimal units and use them to harrass enemy flanks and disrupt their movement. Spider Riders, being Fast Cav and cheap, are good such units. So take several units of 5, if you wish, but one large unit will not work.

Arrer Boyz are interesting and, to be honest, I've never seen them used. The philosophy that they fight almost as well as normal boyz but can shoot as well would make them a decent choice on paper but, again, they'd be outclassed by Savages. Some Savage Orcs with Bows could be worth looking into, just watch out for that Frenzy. However, if it's ranged power you're looking for, then you're looking in the wrong place. OnG have some of the best war machines in the game for their points costs, so doubling up on both Doom Divers and Rock Lobbers is a great idea if you're looking to damage people at range. A large horde of Gobbo Archers with a BSB with the Spider Banner in tow is a popular choice for many people, but personally I don't think it's a good one. I don't like entrusting my BSB to a Goblin, much less one with an 85pt magic banner and, at best, a 5+ save. Nor do I think the goblins' shortbows have ample range to make the most of the poisoned attacks. Fanatics/Netters in the unit do help though, I guess.

I've been quite disappointed with my Boar Chariot. As a unit type, Chariots are "meh", so they need something to make them special, which Boar Chariots don't really have. Wolf Chariots, on the other hand, are cheap and can be taken in units, whilst still dishing out the same impact hits as the Orc Chariots, which is where Chariots really come into their own anyway. I've had much more success proxying my chariots as Wolf ones.

Squigs are awesome. However, the reason not many people use them is because their models are so expensive, as they're still only available in ridiculously expensive metal (or possibly finecast) blisters. Had GW released a plastic kit for them, they'd be much more popular. If you can find a way to get them cheap (I'd perhaps suggest a bitz store, as there are many random squigs dotted around random Orc/Ork kits) or are willing to splash out for them, I'd certainly give them a go!

Trolls are good. Lone trolls work well as chaff, whereas larger units are solid, yet well priced, monstrous infantry units which can dish out plenty of damage and deal with things that the rest of your army may not be able to deal with. Regular Trolls are good, because they're cheap and special, and River Trolls are good thanks to the -1 to Hit (though I always struggle fitting them in, you'll find your Rare section is often overcrowded, especially if you take an Arachnarok) but Stone Trolls aren't a great buy, since you're paying a premium for situational bonuses.

I'm a huge fan of the Arachnarok as well! Whilst it's not the best choice in the book - and competes heavily for a Rare spot - it is a good unit. Fast, killy, fairly durable, albeit a little expensive. If you love the model, I'd certainly use it, just watch out for cannons!

Giants are in a similar boat to the Arachnarok, just a worse boat. They're alright, but really are too expensive for what they bring. At the end of the day, they're too easy to take down and there are far better things you could be spending your Rare allowance on. If you really like the model, it could still merit an inclusion, but otherwise I'd stay clear.

Hope this helps, if you have any more questions, feel free to ask!

The problem with orcs is that what's effective in their army doesn't really match what you expect an orc fantasy army to look like. Most competitive army builds involve a big block of savage orcs, plenty of chaff in the form of wolf chariots and wolf & spider riders, and lots of warmachines. Throw in a few night goblin blocks with fanatics to top things off.

The Arachnarok is a sweet model. Generally, it doesn't hit hard enough to justify its points cost. If you're set on using it I wouldn't argue with you, though. It does have a ton of wounds, decent toughness, and some cool rules.

Trolls and squigs are probably the best combat units in the book for the cost.

Hey there! I've got a question about O&G. Don't want to start a new thread but that's gona probably fit in here.

From what i see in FB from all the battle reports that include O&G, orcs have little impact on the battlefield. All the job's done by war machines (and if those fail, O&G usually loose) and goblins. Actual orcs are usually limited to a shaman, warboss and a block of boyz that get stuck and killed in mellee without much chances like >50% of the time or spend the entire game marching somewhere and fighting other nearby orcs due to animosity.

Maybe i get it wrong?

Orcs are ok, problem is as noted savages are better. Main problem the orc boy has is "I:2", they fight ok, but the enemy fights first and these days T:4 isn't the armour it once was. So you will find a good few of the orcs will drop before they fight - you are always behind the curve.

Then they have one or two attacks only, average WS and after the first round average strength.

Essentially they just don't do the damage, after the first round they are basically T:4 goblins, and goblins are half the price.

I have a lot of orcs, love them, they just don't perform, at the previous point value the dirt cheap 5pt basic orc was ok, these days they are just slightly too expensive. Goblins get a lot of tricky upgrades and are just a better unit.

The 'big un' is ok, but that upgrade is better on the savages making a good unit better.

It's funny because orks in fantasy are almost completely different than in 40k

Orcs an Goobos arew a geard army to play, you can sneek some black orcs, to Nal. the animosity,... but you'll still have some lads beating each other up and what not at a point in the battle that you need them.

but thats the Green skins for ye'.

ok, you want big blocks of Orcs and Bigger blacks of Gobbos. gobbos are fun w/ the Fanatics being a pain in the Arse

you need some support for the Scouting troops trying to release the ball and chains early, Spider Riders and Wolf Riders fit into this spot

for my Orks i had 4 Units of 30/40 strong, and Gobbos 40/60 Strong. (they are cheep, so you get alot of bang for your buck, and their LD aint all that when you shave to take a panic test from missiles)

and Gota Love Squig Hoppers

Spider Riders are great, they are not slowed down from some terrain, i make these into Blocks of 20/30 maybe even 40 strong. just got to cross ye' fingers if animosity breaks out. you could use em' in smaller units to scout ahead, and be a pain in the arse.

And Wolf Riders, Fast and can be a pain in the Enemys Arse. i took 2-3 units of 15,... arm em' w/ bows, for a lil' extra pepper for the Scouts thats trying to get your Ball And chains out early.

Black Orks,.. (Got to love these guys) in Bricks of 30-40, and No Animosity

Trolls are fun,.. just got to learn to Live with Stupid i took em' in Units of 5-8.

Boar Riders,.. Great Save, but can get Costly, i had one Unit of 40 and they did good from time to time. But then there is the Animosity again

When Playing Greenskins,(In Fantasy) you need to learn to live with a Roudy Bunch.

Stone Throwers are Great! i had 4, and 4 Bolt Throwers, (Great against tight packed troops)

Waverns are a Must, (but not for your Main Man, he needs to Stay in the Center and try to keep your Lot in Check.) they can mess with wizards and War Mechines.

never been too keen on the Giant Spider,.. but thats up to you

Hope that Helped mate. May The Foot Of Gork Fall on ye' Enemys!

i had a 12,000 pt. Army at one time, but lost my job i had to sell em' so now i only have my Stuntys, Wood Elves left.