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So I have a buddy who has grown increasingly interested in the Orcs, Orruks, Orks, and other green things ever since I explained the motivations behind my Half-orc Barbarian in a recent D&D one-off adventure. I basically played him as a 40k Ork: a half-insane force of nature who simply didn't understand the concept "doesn't want to fight". I described the concept of a "Waaaagh!" as being equal parts jihad, bar fight, and soccer riot and explained 40k Ork physiology. Now he's enthralled. We're meeting with a couple other friends at my FLGS for a boardgame night, and this buddy wanted to show up a little early so I can show him some AoS stuff (40k enthusiasm has kind of died of at our store do to a combination of anticipation for 8th edition and fatigue from a 14-hour Apocalypse game last month, but AoS is still growing quickly).

Problem is, I don't know much about the AoS Orruks. Of the three main Orruk allegiances (Ironjaws, Bonesplitterz, and Greenskins), which is closest to the 40k Orks? What is the play style of each? What are the benefits and disadvantages of collecting each?

 EnTyme wrote:
So I have a buddy who has grown increasingly interested in the Orcs, Orruks, Orks, and other green things ever since I explained the motivations behind my Half-orc Barbarian in a recent D&D one-off adventure. I basically played him as a 40k Ork: a half-insane force of nature who simply didn't understand the concept "doesn't want to fight". I described the concept of a "Waaaagh!" as being equal parts jihad, bar fight, and soccer riot and explained 40k Ork physiology. Now he's enthralled. We're meeting with a couple other friends at my FLGS for a boardgame night, and this buddy wanted to show up a little early so I can show him some AoS stuff (40k enthusiasm has kind of died of at our store do to a combination of anticipation for 8th edition and fatigue from a 14-hour Apocalypse game last month, but AoS is still growing quickly).

Problem is, I don't know much about the AoS Orruks. Of the three main Orruk allegiances (Ironjaws, Bonesplitterz, and Greenskins), which is closest to the 40k Orks? What is the play style of each? What are the benefits and disadvantages of collecting each?

Greenskins are the most balanced in terms of variety of units and available play styles. They're probably the closest to 40k Orks in that they have bulky, fighty guys as well as grots messing with artillery, etc. You can make a variety of lists. Fighty, shooty, artillery, cavalry, whatever. The shame is that the models tend to be a little on the old side.

Bonesplitterz + Spiderfang Grots are basically what you get when 40k Orks end up on a feral planet with no real local minerals/metals with which to make tech. You can make fighty lists or shooty lists. You're just never going to have armor because they mostly wear loincloths.

Ironjawz are 40k Orks on steroids. Brutes = Meganoz. Ardboys = Nobz. The faction doesn't really have 'basic boyz'. They wear the 'ardest armor they can find, ride giant boars and generally just run forward and fight. You can really only make fighty lists.

Thanks for the info, Kris. Any tips or info I should give my to my friend?

Go with Ironjawz and/or Bonesplittaz. Leave the generic Greenskinz behind since they arent as competitive right now.

Noted, but "competitive" isn't a real concern in our meta. My FLGS is extremely casual.

In that case, just take whatever units he likes. There's nothing Orruk that's outright bad nor is there any realistic way to make an outright bad army out of just Orruk models.

I will say that 40k Orks have a fair amount of humor. They can definitely be a funny army with a lot of their fluff being somewhat humorous. Bonesplittaz and Ironjawz have very little of that humor. I was a little disappointed. The only thing that really struck me as funny in the Ironjawz Battletome is a blurb about how the current Fist of Gork inherited a double bladed axe and broke it into two axes to make it "more killy".

I'm considering adding Grots into my Ironjawz army to add a little flavor. Unfortunately, the Ironjawz faction has no generic Battleline units, so I'd have to take 3x 20 Grot units to fill basic Battleline requirements. That's a pretty hefty 'tax' for adding a little flavor to an army.

 Kriswall wrote:

I'm considering adding Grots into my Ironjawz army to add a little flavor. Unfortunately, the Ironjawz faction has no generic Battleline units, so I'd have to take 3x 20 Grot units to fill basic Battleline requirements. That's a pretty hefty 'tax' for adding a little flavor to an army.

Really? Guess I never looked at the Ironjawz section of the GHB. I'm guessing they only have "Battleline if army has the Ironjawz allegiance" on Ardboyz.

 EnTyme wrote:

 Kriswall wrote:

I'm considering adding Grots into my Ironjawz army to add a little flavor. Unfortunately, the Ironjawz faction has no generic Battleline units, so I'd have to take 3x 20 Grot units to fill basic Battleline requirements. That's a pretty hefty 'tax' for adding a little flavor to an army.

Really? Guess I never looked at the Ironjawz section of the GHB. I'm guessing they only have "Battleline if army has the Ironjawz allegiance" on Ardboyz.

Correct. It's annoying. Greenskinz and Bonesplitterz both have generic Battleline units and can add Grot units without requiring pretty major changes to the army. Ironjawz units are only Battleline with the Ironjawz allegiance. At a minimum, I have to spend 300 points to take units that don't fit with my army before I can take support units from other factions. I feel like Ardboys should be a generic Battleline. They'd be the most expensive one in Destruction at 180 points for 10, but it would add a huge amount of flexibility to Ironjawz.

Yeah, I noticed that too. I'm moving forward with a bonesplitterz and Ironjawz combo since that way I can add other Destruction into the list when it suits me.

If you are mixing orruk allegiances, I find that the generic orruk warboss serves as a better support general as his command ability works on any unit with the orruk keyword. I run one on a mount with a banner.

Also, moonclan grots can be quite effective battleline units.

aquietfrog wrote:
If you are mixing orruk allegiances, I find that the generic orruk warboss serves as a better support general as his command ability works on any unit with the orruk keyword. I run one on a mount with a banner.

Also, moonclan grots can be quite effective battleline units.

I was actually thinking the same thing.

Getting some good info here, folks. Please keep it coming. This'll be a good thread to link to my buddy if he wants more tips.

 Kriswall wrote:

 EnTyme wrote:

 Kriswall wrote:

I'm considering adding Grots into my Ironjawz army to add a little flavor. Unfortunately, the Ironjawz faction has no generic Battleline units, so I'd have to take 3x 20 Grot units to fill basic Battleline requirements. That's a pretty hefty 'tax' for adding a little flavor to an army.

Really? Guess I never looked at the Ironjawz section of the GHB. I'm guessing they only have "Battleline if army has the Ironjawz allegiance" on Ardboyz.

Correct. It's annoying. Greenskinz and Bonesplitterz both have generic Battleline units and can add Grot units without requiring pretty major changes to the army. Ironjawz units are only Battleline with the Ironjawz allegiance. At a minimum, I have to spend 300 points to take units that don't fit with my army before I can take support units from other factions. I feel like Ardboys should be a generic Battleline. They'd be the most expensive one in Destruction at 180 points for 10, but it would add a huge amount of flexibility to Ironjawz.

Battleline should be a tax of sorts.. not sure Ardboys would fit that bill.
Also not sure the idea of faction army books is flexibility. You want their stuff you get them as your faction OR you get them as non battleline allies.

I think a few formation that allow for some mixing (but not too freely, the sylvaneth wargraves have some nice examples) would be nice though.

Ardboys as generic battleline... I'm really not sure. On one hand they are somewhat elite and their fluff doesn't make them seem battleline-ey but on the other hand they aren't elite compared to liberators, blood warriors, and the like which are also battleline and also don't seem battleline-ey in the fluff. I don't know if it would be better to make ardboys battleline or the equivalents not.

I think the issue is that SOME Battletome factions have basic battleline units while others don't. Savage Orruks are a basic Battleline unit, so you can make a Bonesplitterz army and ally in a couple of units here and there to shore up your weaknesses. Ironjawz have no basic Battleline units, so you can't ally in a couple of units without spending hundreds of points on units you don't want that probably won't fit your army.

This would be ok if GW was marketing some factions as "core factions" while others are "allied factions". Greenskinz and Bonesplitterz both have basic Battleline units, so I'd consider them to be "core factions". Ironjawz doesn't, so I'd consider it to be an "allied faction".

I'd honestly steer clear of Ironjawz unless you're ok with not being able to ally in anything else Destruction without taking a severe penalty. I'm looking at the 1500 points of Ironjawz I have and kicking myself. I like the models, but should have built a Greenskinz or Bonesplitterz army and allied in some Ironjawz units as elite heavy hitters.

I really feel like I wasted money buying Ironjawz at this point.

 Kriswall wrote:
I think the issue is that SOME Battletome factions have basic battleline units while others don't. Savage Orruks are a basic Battleline unit, so you can make a Bonesplitterz army and ally in a couple of units here and there to shore up your weaknesses. Ironjawz have no basic Battleline units, so you can't ally in a couple of units without spending hundreds of points on units you don't want that probably won't fit your army.

This would be ok if GW was marketing some factions as "core factions" while others are "allied factions". Greenskinz and Bonesplitterz both have basic Battleline units, so I'd consider them to be "core factions". Ironjawz doesn't, so I'd consider it to be an "allied faction".

I'd honestly steer clear of Ironjawz unless you're ok with not being able to ally in anything else Destruction without taking a severe penalty. I'm looking at the 1500 points of Ironjawz I have and kicking myself. I like the models, but should have built a Greenskinz or Bonesplitterz army and allied in some Ironjawz units as elite heavy hitters.

I really feel like I wasted money buying Ironjawz at this point.

Pure Ironjawz is still very competitive though, first off because Ironfist, secondly because they fall into the category of doing one thing so well that their sheer aptitude at it offsets a lack of other options. In your case specifically, I have a friend who's main army is about 2/3 Ironjawz and 1/3 Bonesplittaz, he uses the basic Savage Orruks as battleline. Taking three 10-man units to fill that minimum may seem like it sinks 300 points into throw-away units but the thing is they have 20 wounds each. This means they both out-compete many other objective-holder units and also make a great screen for support units you bring. At bravery 8 and only losing a model every 2 wounds they aren't nearly as vulnerable to battleshock as many other small infantry units either.

Definitely understand what you're saying. Ironjawz are an extremely effective melee army.

I still think my point stands though. They're an army that can be played on their own OR with a few units allied into another army. The Battleline issue means you can't play Ironjawz and ally in a few units from another army in the same way you could with many other armies.

Destruction effectively has 5 'core factions', each with a basic Battleline unit. These factions can be supplemented with any unit in Destruction.

1. Bonesplitterz - Savage Orruks
2. Gitmob Grots - Grots
3. Greenskinz - Orruks
4. Gutbusters - Ogors
5. Moonclan Grots - Grots

Everything else can either be played alone (maybe!) or added to one (or a mix) of the 5 'core' factions.

I just think it's important for the original poster to note that if he buys and builds 1500 points of Greenskinz or Bonesplitters, he can add literally anything from Destruction to fill out another 500 and make it to 2000. If he buys and builds 1500 points of Ironjawz, he'll need to add 300-360 points of basic Battleline 'tax' units before being able to add anything else from Destruction. That might impact what flavor of Orruk he decides to pick... if he picks Orruks.

That's a fair assessment.