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Ok so you may have heard that Orcs are weak or that they're on the "bottom tier" of KoW. Well thats not entirely true, but they arent in the "best" spot either. Thankfully this is KoW not Warhammer, so the bottom to the top isnt all that far.
The Good They've got Crushing Strength 1 armywide
They have solid Nerve all around
The Bad You've got virtually no ranged units
No Phalanx
The Ugly You have the lowest number of unit types of any army
Ya that last one sucks, however, you have everything you need to make a solid army to crush the opposition, so lets get to the Analysis
Army Wide Rules Tribal Might: CS 1
People trade away Def for this ability, so we are off to a good start.
Unit Overview
Spoiler:
Infantry
Ax
The Ax is your "Default" Unit, if you can be said to have one, as its what most of the others are based on and they come in Troop, Regiment and Horde varieties. They have a solid statblock hitting on 4s and having a Def of 5+. Their Nerve isnt the best, but they have the best Def of any of our infantry. Coming in at 90, 125 and 205 points for Troops, Regiments and Hordes respectively, they are reasonably priced for how hard they can hit, though remember, you've got other units that hit harder or just plan hit more. At the end of the day the Ax unit is best used as a solid Anvil to pin the enemy down while your other bigger hitters nail them in the side. A prime candidate for the Amulet of Thorns or the Pendant of Retrubution.
Morax
Exactly what it sounds like. These boys dual wield axes and have a tone of attacks. However, they got a price hike and they lost Def compared to Ax's. On the plus side they hit on 3s and have 20 attacks base. They come in only Troops and Regiments, and are on the pricey side at 140 and 200. Be careful when using them as they are a bit on the fragile side for a unit with that price tag. Screen them with some Ax and get them in a flank to watch just about anything crumble.
Greataxe Orcs with a massive axe and CS 2. They are an "in between" unit price wise between Ax and Morax and come in Troops, Regiments, and Hordes, they hit on 3s and have 4 Def just like Morax, but have the attack progression of Ax. In short these guys are for breaking harder units, though if you take them in a Horde they can serve as a sort of Offensive Anvil.
Skulks Oh my god its our ranged unit. Yes this is all we get, but thankfully Skulks are pretty solid. They are cheap at 75 points, they have Vanguard and they still have CS 1, so worst case you can suicide charge them into something and they can conceivably do damage. The downside is, they only come in Troops, but we'll take what we can get.
Cavalry
Gore Riders Orcs on angry Boars whats not to love. These suckers hit hard and fast, boasting an 8 speed (the fastest non Hero in the army), hitting on 3s with a Def of 5 and TC 1 these make a solid core of cavalry. Just be careful with their sub par 13/15 Nerve on the Regiment, they will need an Inspire bubble. But other than that these guys bring some much needed speed to the Orc army. Just be sure to get that Thunderous Charge off.
Large Infantry Orclings Height 0 and Vicious, but no CS. Orclings are your chaff units and they serve admirably at that role as they are dirt cheap. Also they make a decent "Spell Battery" for your Godspeaker, as they are dirt cheap and keeping them in your back is actually a solid plan against enemy Fliers.
Trolls CS 2 and Regen 5+ coupled with their very solid Nerve makes Trolls a solid Anvil choice, just remember that they are Irregulars so dont go crazy with them.
Large Cavalry
Gore Chariots Remember how i said that Gore Riders hit hard and fast? Well Gore chariots may not be as fast, but they hit harder, they also cost more, but your paying for 2 more attacks and TC 2, so its probably worth it if you have the points. Just remember that the Chariots need that Thunderous Charge, so keep them out of the Palanx units front arcs. Thats what the next unit is for.
Fight Wagons It took me a bit to figure out what you're supposed to do with Fight Wagons, cuz at first glance they looks like more expensive, but worse Gore Chariots. Well until you realize they have nearly double the attacks of Gore Chariots. They may lack TC but they make up for it with sheer number of attacks, use them to crack open units with Def 4 or less and you'll be fine. Do note that Fight Wagon's job changes depending on the list they are in. In a mostly Cavalry list, they will be your frontal assault/anvil unit, as they dont have TC to lose, but in a list thats mostly Infantry they will do the same job as conventional Cavalry.
Monsters
Wardrum Hey looks, its Rally before that was a thing. Yup pay 80 points, buff all Orcs within 6" +2 Nerve. Just dont go to crazy as they dont stack. On top of this the thing isnt terrible in melee, its not great, but if its in position to get a rear charge or to charge a War Engine, its not a suicidal plan.
Giant Brutal, CS 3, Fury and Strider combined with D6+6 attacks are very very nasty. To bad he only hits on 4s, but then again he is only 190 points and has solid Nerve. Keep him away from anything with CS and he'll obliterate units.
Heroes
Krudger Hits on 3s has a Def of 5 and solid Nerve with Inspiring and CS 2. A solid Hero, plus he can buy a Gore (to go faster), a Stabby Sneak, (for another attack) or a Zappy Sneak (to chuck Lightning) Dont go to crazy on the upgrades as a Krudger is already 130 points
Krudger on Slasher The above guy on a big lizard...thing. He gets an extra CS, doubles his attacks and more Nerve. He also costs 235 points, for 50 more you can make him fly. May be worth it, but id stick Enscorcelled Armor on him if you do, as this sucker is expensive.
Krudger on Gore Chariot. Same as the other ones except 7 attacks, slightly less Nerve than the Slasher rider, but he gets TC 2 and only costs 185 and can still buy his Goblin buddies. If you're spamming Chariots, heres your man.
Flagger 50 points gets you an Inspiring guy, pretty standard here
Godspeaker This guy is weird, and awesome. Comes stock with Fireball 9, yes 9, and can buy Bane Chant 2, Heal 2, and get mounted on a Gore. Remember to not go crazy buying spells. The weird thing about the Godspeaker is, is that he can get +1 dice to all spells rolled per non allied Horde within 6". Dont go to crazy on this, you'll probably only get +2 dice on average and its not worth it to put yourself in a stupid position to get that 1 more dice. Also Godspeakers are much better at melee than your average caster, so if they can charge a War Engine it may not be the worst plan. Wings of Honeymaze are great on this guy.
Troll bruiser Its your troll Hero, hes got CS 3, Inspiring (Trolls Only) and Regen 5+. You could use him like a cheap giant if you want, but hes pretty solid with the Ensorcelled Armor
Gakamak Ah, this beast of a Lord. CS 3, Vicious, Very Inspiring. Hes like a more expensive Giant, but did i mention he hits on 2s with 7 attacks? Ya, hes good. Not auto include good, but id always think about it. Hes only got 13/15 Nerve though, so protect that investment.
Wip the Half Caste 90 points for a, Elite, Heal 3, Lighting Bolt 3, Inspiring (orclings only sadly) Mage? Sure. You can even upgrade one Orclings unit to have Headstrong for 5 points, not bad. Wip is very much your support caster and hes pretty solid at that. Just keep him out of melee, as he doenst have CS.
Tactical Considerations
Orcs are an army that very much favors crouching down and just bum rushing your enemy, but that doesnt mean that they dont love a good flank charge. Morax and Fight Wagons especially love nailing an enemy unit in the flank as they will have an absurd number of attacks. Just remember that those units are expensive, so you should be sure to protect your investment. But how do you do that without screening units? Simple, with Allies.
Orcs are an army that greatly benefits from a few allied Regiments and Hordes. Kingdoms of Men and Goblins are two of the best buddies for an Orc army as both armies have solid ranged units as well as decent Phalanx units. Use them to screen your more expensive heavy hitters and you should come out on top.
This message was edited 4 times. Last update was at 2017/01/06 18:43:12
Damn this is great! Specifically, I like the sum up of the army as whole (orcs having fewest unit choices etc.) it helps a new player like me to understand the field a but better.
Albanyadriel wrote: Damn this is great! Specifically, I like the sum up of the army as whole (orcs having fewest unit choices etc.) it helps a new player like me to understand the field a but better.
Glad i could help. While writing this i realized that its gonna look weird compared to, say, a 40k guy as i dont get to say "Never take this unit, its horrible!", cuz KoW doesnt have bad units, just weird ones. And if i can help new players realize that then i feel like i've accomplished something.
Worth noting with orclings is that they count for increasing the spells of a godspeaker just like any other.
Also worth keeping in mind is that godspeakers and the wardrum both have some offensive capabilities if they end up in a good position. Nothing to hinge your battleplan on exactly, but IF you find your mage in position to smack up a war engine, or charge the wardrum into a rear; it's there for you.
Worth noting with orclings is that they count for increasing the spells of a godspeaker just like any other.
Also worth keeping in mind is that godspeakers and the wardrum both have some offensive capabilities if they end up in a good position. Nothing to hinge your battleplan on exactly, but IF you find your mage in position to smack up a war engine, or charge the wardrum into a rear; it's there for you.
Warboss of da Blood Vipers!! We'z gonna crush ya good!! 
ArchMagos Prime of Xenarite Exploratory Fleet Omega VIII
Sisters of the Remorseless Dawn- 4000pts
