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I have been thinking a lot about ork tactics and it seems to me that mobility and getting to your target in one piece are major challenges of a lot of ork units. While being put in speedy trukks and armored battlewagons does alleviate this problem, I thought about the possibility of an orky drop-pod list and the ideas seems very appealing to me. YES, I know that orks do not have the option to take drop pods, and I am not talking about allying with marines.

The idea came to me when I saw the Tyranid drop pod last fall. If Tyranids can get a drop pod, surely orks can afford a crudely constructed delivery device that can land squads of Dreads, Nobz, Manz, Burnas and Warbosses to the backfield of the enemy line sometime in the future?? Something like this is not hard to imagine, ork roks come to mind.


My question is, if such an option were to be released for the ork codex by GW in the future (the same fashion as the Tyranid pod was months after their codex) how would this unit change ork tactics and what would its impact be on the competitiveness of the ork codex?

I know this is hypothetical but I see it as a real possibility, so I would like to hear your thoughts on it. Thanks in advance.

Drop Tankbustas would be a thing.

Drop Kommandos could be cool, if they could retain a cover save for not shooting on entry.

I imagine an Ork dropod more like the underground drill that Bebop and Rocksteady used.

Tankbustas, yep.

I think drop Manz would have the same problem as drop termies, without the option for the invulnerable save.

It could be great for positioning Lootas and/or Flash Gitz to kill something shooty that hiding behind cover.

maceria wrote:
I imagine an Ork dropod more like the underground drill that Bebop and Rocksteady used.

Tankbustas, yep.

I think drop Manz would have the same problem as drop termies, without the option for the invulnerable save.

It could be great for positioning Lootas and/or Flash Gitz to kill something shooty that hiding behind cover.

Terminators are more expensive than manz, less tough against most things (even against AP2 weapons below strength 8, 2w = more defense than a 5++), put out less attacks and at a lower strength, and must be bought in larger numbers.

Being able to drop 3 manz right next to someone's lines for the same price as the standard manz missle, or even 10-15 points more, would be mind-bogglingly strong.

Yes, but they still suffer the same problems of meh shooting, not being able to assault, and being a high priority target.

That being said, ANY survivors would wreck face, which means that an opponent will probably be dedicating AT to make sure there aren't any, which isn't a bad thing.

Drop Flash Gitz almost feels like Deep Strike Deathwing XD.

Hypothetical Drop Rock rules?

AV10 2HP 30 points. Has a Big Shoota.

Modified scatter;
-Roll 3D3 and a scatter dice for scatter. If the result is a direct hit reroll the scatter dice and add an additional D3 to the roll, this reroll only occurs once.

-If the Drop Rock did not scatter at all. The passengers may disembark, shoot, and assault.
-If the Drop Rock Scattered 6 or less inches. Drop Rock losses one hull point and all passengers take a pinning test After disembarking.
-If the Drop Rock scatter more than six inches then the Space Rock (and it's passengers) suffers a vehicle explodes! Result on the vehicle damage table.

Or this:

Ork Rok
AV10 2HP 45 Points It's a flyer that can hover with a transport capacity of 20 Orks.
It can deepstrike. When deepstriking, scatter 2D6 as normal, and place it where it scatters. After that, remove the Rok ad place a Large Blast where it used to be. All units inside of it (except for the Orks) take 2D6 S6 AP4 hits. For every 10 Orks inside the Rok, the Orks suffer D3 S4 AP 4 hits.
Eh?

MANz with combi-skorchas. All day, every day.

 koooaei wrote:
MANz with combi-skorchas. All day, every day.

that sounds tasty haha

With the focus on mobility and getting CC units to assault I can easily see this happening, so its good to hear you guys think it would be feasible tactic.

Drop MANz burning things to death before charging would get me back into orks within a minute.

Here's hoping for some Tyranid stye mid-year supplement

Great Waaagh Detachment?

You don't need to FLY to use drop pods. You just need to FALL. (which is definitely an orky sentiment)

However, I see no reason why orks would ever actually need to use them. There is no real reason for them to do so, as in the fluff they would rather crash their ships on planet than use drop torpedoes as the humies do - and if they did, don't you think that they would pack themselves in like sardines? (thinking 20+ capacity here)

After seeing the Tyranids get a drop pod of their own, my hopes are up that Orks will get one as well.

I think the real reason GW hasn't put one out is that people will decide to just buy the one and convert howver many more they needed.

I would like to see a mission where a big rok gets dropped at some point in the game. Orks vs whoever.

Even if the Roks were not drop units, I'd love to see them be something like Orbital Strikes, and rain a couple down on your opponent's backfield when they arrive from Deep Strike. Would be hilarious!

Even if they weren't reliable (as in, scatter a lot, as they don't have guidance systems, or very good ones), I'd run them a lot. Getting a good sized squad of Boyz up the field that quick would be great just for the distraction, and well worth the points the 'drop rok' would cost.

But, again, GW would probably be afraid people would go in their back yard and get a big rock and glue it down onto a base instead of buying the model.

Melevolence wrote:
Even if the Roks were not drop units, I'd love to see them be something like Orbital Strikes, and rain a couple down on your opponent's backfield when they arrive from Deep Strike. Would be hilarious!

Even if they weren't reliable (as in, scatter a lot, as they don't have guidance systems, or very good ones), I'd run them a lot. Getting a good sized squad of Boyz up the field that quick would be great just for the distraction, and well worth the points the 'drop rok' would cost.

But, again, GW would probably be afraid people would go in their back yard and get a big rock and glue it down onto a base instead of buying the model.

I don't think GW are that worried about that, given last year's ork releases where they sold us crazy expensive cannons, flash gitz and MANZ and gave us tons of extra parts for conversion. I think they expect ork players to do conversions, not to mention that most people who took the time and money to buy and paint an ork army would buy such a thing no matter what. It's not like we can show up at a tournament with a paper-mache rock and pass it off as GW models. Besides, if ever such a model was released it would have tons of specific orky bits like boss poles, thrusters and grots to boot.

As far as the idea of orks dropping in being unfluffy, it does not have to be a drop pod. Call it a rok, call it a mega drill that burrows underground, just let it deliver greenskins to the front lines.

 carldooley wrote:
You don't need to FLY to use drop pods. You just need to FALL. (which is definitely an orky sentiment)

However, I see no reason why orks would ever actually need to use them. There is no real reason for them to do so, as in the fluff they would rather crash their ships on planet than use drop torpedoes as the humies do - and if they did, don't you think that they would pack themselves in like sardines? (thinking 20+ capacity here)

War on Armageddon, they used giant rocks to crash into enemy lines and have swarms of orks rush out. They often had a fortified top with gun emplacements that acted as a fortress. I can see fluff reasons for this and maybe the orks could have a drop pods style with some orks additions. If it had capacity of 10, open topped, scattered 2D6, if mishap and rolled a 6 instead of them just dieting, the rock explodes on impact with large blast marker where it scattered, st 4 ap -. It could be armour 10 all round with 3 hull points, have most of the same vehicle upgrades that already exist. Could be around 50 points? Options to add up to 2 orkkits/ big shootas or a kannon/ zap gun/ lobba. Could have option to have an advanced targeting system so it only scatters D6 instead of 2D6 for 10 points. Comments?

Roks are more like Drop Ships than Drop Pods.

How is something that holds 10 guys with AV10 all around acting as a fortress ?

Drop Pods would be kans that launch off the Roks on their way into orbit, partly becuase Orks are impatient, and partly to increase the odds they don't all die at once if the Rok hits the ground too hard.

 adamsouza wrote:
Roks are more like Drop Ships than Drop Pods.

How is something that holds 10 guys with AV10 all around acting as a fortress ?

Drop Pods would be kans that launch off the Roks on their way into orbit, partly becuase Orks are impatient, and partly to increase the odds they don't all die at once if the Rok hits the ground too hard.

I was saying fortress because they used them like that. They were HUGER. But unless you want to make them a super heavy that's 2 ft long, I was suggesting a smaller version
I agree with your suggestion though

I imagine them looking like a soup can pretty much...I think I saw a custom one made out of a soup can before.

Either way, they could be so orky.

The only offical Ork Drop Pod was produced by EPICAST in the 90s


It basically was a soup can with wings, which is why I think GW is reluctant to make a new one. I'd buy one, for gaks and giggles, and then convert as many soup cans as needed. I would not be alone in doing so.

I came here to ask for conversion pictures. We got an official picture (albeit from a long time ago). I am pleased.

But really, looted drop pods would be another great project for Ork players to make cool, converted/scratchbuilt things and play them out on the table. I'm for it, competitive or not.

 Tiny_Titan wrote:

 carldooley wrote:
You don't need to FLY to use drop pods. You just need to FALL. (which is definitely an orky sentiment)

However, I see no reason why orks would ever actually need to use them. There is no real reason for them to do so, as in the fluff they would rather crash their ships on planet than use drop torpedoes as the humies do - and if they did, don't you think that they would pack themselves in like sardines? (thinking 20+ capacity here)

War on Armageddon, they used giant rocks to crash into enemy lines and have swarms of orks rush out. They often had a fortified top with gun emplacements that acted as a fortress. I can see fluff reasons for this and maybe the orks could have a drop pods style with some orks additions. If it had capacity of 10, open topped, scattered 2D6, if mishap and rolled a 6 instead of them just dieting, the rock explodes on impact with large blast marker where it scattered, st 4 ap -. It could be armour 10 all round with 3 hull points, have most of the same vehicle upgrades that already exist. Could be around 50 points? Options to add up to 2 orkkits/ big shootas or a kannon/ zap gun/ lobba. Could have option to have an advanced targeting system so it only scatters D6 instead of 2D6 for 10 points. Comments?

If you go back to the ork rumors from 2014, there was actually rumors for a fortress/ and or some kind of Rok unit. Obviously it never ended up happening. Either that or it was a rumor about something that was coming later on EH?