Ork Boyz
Geez, where do I even start? This post will likely be the longest of all the tactics for Orks, so ready yourselves!
9 out of 10 Ork armies are going to contain some amount of Boyz, 8 out of 10 of these are going to majority (model wise) boyz, this is because Boyz are the better of the two troops choices and form the backbone of any Ork strategy, we see this through the formations and detachments available to the Orks, most of which require some amount of boyz.
Boyz make up the majority of any Ork Waagh as they are the most numerous of all of the Greenskin species. Boyz love nothing more than a good scrap, and take more joy in the melee than everything else combined. Some Boyz prefer to use a big gun, but they still love to club their enemies (and sometimes friendlies) over the heads with them, to great effect. For the amount of armor a Boy wears, they are especially tough, it requires a weapon of quite a high caliber to pierce the flesh of the standard Ork boy. Ork boyz aren't very intelligent, and most ventures eventually dissolve into a violent brawl, they rely on Nobz and Warbosses for leadership, because the majority of Boyz have an absence of initiative.
Now let's start having a look at the rules for these models on the tabletop. An Ork Boyz unit costs 60 points base, and comes with 10 Ork boyz, all with Sluggas and Choppas. The standard Ork boy has the following statline; WS4, BS2, S3, T3, W1, I2, A2, Ld7, Sv6+. At 6 points per model, these are amongst the best standard infantry in the game for their relative points. Let's compare these boyz to another troop of similar points, the imperial guardsmen. 1 point cheaper, these guardsmen have 1 less WS, 1 less toughness, and 1 less attack. While guardsmen do have a higher save, initiative and BS, the lasguns they wield are weak in comparison to the sluggas and shootas, which actually have an AP.
The unit type is infantry, so no dramas there, all of the Ork HQ can join Boyz squads with the exception of Boss Zagstruk and each can make these units so much more powerful.
Let's start with the special rules; They have 'Ere We Go!, which allows them to make use of the Waagh! special rule conferred by the Warboss, 'Ere We Go! allows for the player to reroll a single dice when determining charge ranges, which is super useful if you are like me and fail all of your charges. Once per game, when the Warboss calls a Waagh!, all Ork Boy units can run and charge in the same turn, so think about this for a second. You move 6" in a trukk, disembark 6", run 6" and Charge 12" with a reroll on one dice, that's a potential of 30" worth of movement per turn (if you are lucky)
Ork Boyz squads also have Furious charge, which is not a major deal as it only gives S4 on the charge, though this is definitely a step up from S3 and is uncommon for a troops choice, imperial guardsmen etc do not get the same luxuries. The Boss Nob that can go in this unit benefits greatly from this, especially if he has a power klaw. A boss nob is S4 base, so the power klaw becomes S8, which S9 for furious charge. That's right, a S9 powerfist, not even Space Marine captains get that!
The final special rule Ork Boyz get is the Mob Rule, which is super useful given the Boyz low leadership. Basically, when a squad fails a morale or pinning test, they roll on the following table:
- 1 - Born to Fight: If this unit is in combat, it is treated as having passed the morale check and play resumes as normal, if they are not in combat, they fail as normal.
- 2-3 - Breaking Heads: If the unit contains 1 or more characters, (including independent) the unit suffers D6 S4 Ap- hits, these are randomly allocated though cannot hurt any of the characters. IF the unit does not have any characters, they fail as normal.
- 4-6 - Squabble: If the unit has 10 or models, it suffers D6 S4 Ap- hits which are randomly allocated. If it has fewer than 10 models, they fail as normal.
The basic wargear that comes with an Ork boy squad is a slugga, choppa and stikkbombs. A slugga is a 12" S4 Ap6 Pistol, which is fairly good for a 6 point model. A boy also comes with a choppa, which is just a close combat weapon. This is good as it grants the boy 3 attacks base, more than any other basic infantry in the game. Finally, boyz get stikkbombs, which are 8" S3 ap- small blast assault grenades, useful as they stop the annoying charging-through-terrain initiative nerf. For 6 points per model, this basic wargear is generous. However, it gets better with the upgrades!
For starters, you can include up to 20 additional boyz for 6 points a model. As the old saying goes, boyz before toyz! So make sure you have nice beefy squads, not only will this make the unit a greater threat to your enemies, but it also makes leadership checks harder for the enemy to force and gives you a better chance on the mob rule table. I say a better chance because there is a 50% chance you will roll Squabble, which requires 10+ models. However, be aware that a trukk, the boyz transport of choice, can only transport 12 models, so depending on your playstyle, a smaller squad of 10 or so would be better for you. For those of you that like to use boyz with warbosses/painboyz/meks for buffs and meat shields, consider taking them in an open topped battlewagon so you can have a bulkier squad.Of course, if you are running a greentide list, there is no excuse not to have squads of 30 boyz with painboyz, footslogging it across the field.
Next up is the option to take Shootas, these cost 1 point per model and as a general rule of thumb I always bring my boyz with these very nice additions. A shoota is essentially a slugga with an extra 6" range and an extra shot. I would put these on par with boltguns, I say this because even though a boltgun has an extra ap and 6" of range, you do not have the ability to charge after shooting, something that is priceless in games, especially for Orks. You do lose an attack by taking shootas, however 3 attacks on the charge per model is still formidable, especially for 7 point models. (6+1 for shoota) No matter the circumstance, a shoota is always a good option, if you have a small squad in a trukk, they can zip around to where you need the support and help out with ~20 shots or you could slowly steamroll your opponent with 30 footslogger boyz who are putting out ~60 shots a turn, nothing to be underestimated.
The next option is the worst of all options, and that is the option to give the entire squad 'eavy armor for 4 points per model. I say it is the worst because it is so expensive, it turns a boy into a 10 point model, with a shoota that's 11, nearly the same price as a marine. And while slightly more expensive, a marine is better in nearly all regards (excluding attacks) and so trying to make your boyz more survivable is going to end up costing you more points that could be allocated elsewhere, where they are truly needed. The only time I could foresee 'eavy armor of boyz being useful is if you really want a deathstar unit, though I think nobz should be used for deathstars, not boyz...
A Silly 'Eavy Armor Boy!
Next on the list is the option to, for every 10 boyz in the unit, take either a Big Shoota or Rokkit Launcha, these cost 5 points a piece. While this wargear is strictly situational, I always bring a big shoota in all of my Boyz units. The rokkit launcha on the other hand, I would never take. I say this because you have a 1 in 3 chance of hitting due to an Ork's abysmal ballistic skill. The big shoota is assault 3, strength 5 ap 5, having 3 shots, the big shoota will statistically always hit at least once, better than the rokkit launcha, which will always statistically miss. Earlier, I mentioned that bringing these weapons is situational, what this means is that if you are using your boyz for CC, I wouldn't recommend bring either, as it causes the unit to lose an attack. However, in any other unit configuration, I would suggest bringing a big shoota. If it turns out your list is over by a couple of points after adding it all up, drop the big shoota from one of your units, 9 times out of 10 they will do nothing all game.
Next up is the option to take a boss nob for 10 points. I don't care who you are, what your unit is made to do, but you MUST take one of these in every unit, they are worth every point. The ability to take any ranged/melee weapons cannot be overlooked or underestimated, not to mention the optional bosspole! The Boss Nob gives the unit an extra wound and an extra attack, but more importantly gives access to additional wargear, let's run through it; The ranged weapon list I would personally ignore, the ability to take a kombi skorcha may be considered though, as flamers are always awesome for Ork's as it negates their poor ballistic skill. The melee weapons list draws attention however, particularly the Power Klaw, which is essentially a power fist, costing 25 points. This is awesome for our Boss Nobz as the aforementioned furious charge makes these klaws S9 Ap2 on the charge, for a regular sergeant, this is incredible. I run all of my Nobz with slugga, power klaw and bosspole, leaving them relatively cheap but very powerful.
The bosspole is a no brainier, for 5 points I see no reason why you wouldn't take it. Especially in a green tide list, you want to make sure your boyz don't turn tail and run, there is no better way to ensure this than to have a reroll on the old Mob Rule table. This can save your unit more than once, and can in turn save you the game. There isn't much more say about the bosspole or the boss nob, other than make sure you are taking both, even if it just for the reroll on the mob rule table, I guarantee you won't regret it.
The final option for our greenskinned friends is to take a trukk as a dedicated transport, a trukk is 30 points base, though anyone with half a brain cell would at the very least upgrade it to have a reinforced ram, allowing it to reroll dangerous terrain checks. The small transport capacity of the Trukk means that a unit larger than 12 will not be able to fit, meaning a green tide army will have little to no use for Boyz in Trukks. Other than this, I would generally always put my boyz in a trukk. You may even consider chucking them in a battlewagon, this does use up a heavy support slot, though does mean a unit of 20 can move around quickly. And remember, Trukks and Battlewagons are assault vehicles!
All in all, Boyz are very multipurpose, though there are definitely some stronger builds than others. As stated at the start of this article, no matter what kind of commander you plan on being, the chances are you are going to have at least a couple of squads of Boyz, and you can have hundreds of these models further into your Ork career, especially those of you who love your green tide lists! I think I have about covered everything I can for this unit, hope it answers any questions you might've had!
-Christian
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