Characters | Mobz | War Machines | Monsters | Special Characters
The Orcs and Goblins armies are very diverse in their troop types and abilities. They make a very powerful army when used correctly. To do this, the Orc or Goblin general must understand the strengths and weaknesses of the troops under his command. In this treatise I will endeavor to enlighten you.
We will begin with the Orc leaders and work our way through to the lowliest Goblin and Snotling units. Now listen up, for these old bones are tired and I do not feel like repeating this, as I would much rather be sitting by my fire with a mug of ale than here lecturing you young ones.
Black Orc Leaders
Black Orc Leaders have the highest stats in general for their level. They also give the benefit of overcoming animosity, which is very important to an Orc and/or Goblin army. Black Orc leaders have the drawback, though, of being exspensive in comparison to other Orcs and Goblins. And you must include at least one mob of Black Orcs to use them.
Orc Leaders
Standard Orc leaders make medium priced Warlords, Big Bosses, and Bosses. They have good stats, but not great ones.
Savage Orc Leaders
Savage Orc leaders are best used with Savage Orc units, as they have protective tattoos and are subject to frenzy. Another use for them is an individual Big Boss used to attack enemy characters and/or artillery. These are also exspensive characters compared to other Orcs and Goblins. Once again, you must include at least one unit of Savage Orcs to use Savage Orc leaders.
Goblin Leaders
Again, these are best used with units of their same race. They make good, cheap characters. A Gobbo Big Boss on a Giant Wolf makes a highly mobile, cheap character with decent stats.
Night Gobbo Leaders
See above, plus subject to hatred toward Dwarfs.
Forest Gobbo Leaders
A Forest Gobbo Big Boss on a Giant Spider with War Paint makes a very good, cheap character.
Orc Shamans
Orc Shamans have the use of some of the best direct attack spells in WHFB. They are also fairly resistant to 'eadbangerz as compared to the Goblin Shamans, but this is an aspect of Orc and/or Goblin Waagh! Magic that every Orc and/or Goblin commander must always take into account when casting any Waagh! Magic. There is always the chance for 'eadbangerz to happen to the Shaman.
Savage Orc Shamans
As above, plus they recieve an additional magic card if they are with a mob of Savage Orcs. Plus, both the Shaman and the Savage Orc Boyz have a save of 5 or 6 from their protective tattoos (instead of only 6+) when the shaman is with the mob.
Goblin Shamans
These are the cheapest magic-users in the Warhammer World, but they are the most prone to failure on the 'Eadbangerz Chart.
Night Goblin Shamans
Magic mushrooms! Consuming a piece of magic mushroom at the start of the magic phase gives the Shaman +d6 magic cards, even if they are more than 12" away from Orcs/Gobbos, Night Goblin shamans may use magic by consuming mushrooms. When consuming mushrooms, Night Goblin Shamans must deduct -1 from their die score when they roll on the 'Eadbangerz Chart, this makes use of mushrooms dangerous for them, unless they are more than 12" away from the nearest Orc/.Goblin mob.
Forest Goblin Shamans
These are in my opinion the best of the Goblin shamans, because they get to add +1 to their die score when rolling on the 'Eadbangerz Chart. The one drawback to them is that if they fail a Waagh! test, they are moved d6" in a random direction.
Savage Orc Boar Boyz
When accompanied by a Savage Orc Shaman, and a Champion, these make very, very good cavalry. Even without the Shaman, they have good Movement, a save of 3+ due to the Boar and tattoos and shield, +2 Strength charge bonus from the boar, and they're frenzied when they charge. Add a spear and they're even better, and if you add the Shaman, they have a 2+ save, which cannot be modified to be worse than a 5+ due to the tattoos and shaman. These are very good shock troops, especially for their cost. And you can give one mob a magic standard!
Orc Boar Boyz
Heavy cav with save 3+, WS 4, +2 Strength for charging because of Boars, and you can also add Spears to them to make them even better. For 27 (29) points per model, you have troops that can fight most of the Knights and heavy cavalry that you will be up against in the Warhammer World, and they can be made even better by adding a magic standard to one of the mobs.
Goblin Wolf Riders
Very fast light cav that can be armed with short bows and spears for harassing the enemy and screening your more exspensive troops (mounted archers for only 10 points per model!). They must use their speed and numbers to overcome their low WS and only average Toughness.
Forest Goblin Spider Riders
Light cavalry with all the strengths and weakness of the Wolf Riders, with the addition of the ability to move over obstacles and through rough terrain with no penalty. They're great for attacking through rough terrain or for luring enemy troops into rough terrain, where they will be bogged down (just get frenzied opponents to charge them and then evade through rough terrain, the chargers will become bogged down in the terrain).
Big'Unz
These are the largest and fiecest of the Orcs. The strongest of all after the chieftan, they are well armed, and likely to carry the pick of any wargear the tribe has. These are the best infantry along with Black Orcs available to an Orc commander. They are best used armed with spear, shield, and light armour, and organised in a large solid block of troops, or armed with two-handed weapon and light armour, again used in a fairly large block of troops. You can add a magic standard to make them even meaner.
Orc Boyz
These are your basic Orc infantry, and they are very useful in large mobs for holding your line while your more specialised troops are used for special attacks. One thing I like to do with Orcs is arm them with an additional hand weapon and light armour (8 1/2 points per fig), make the unit 20+ in four ranks, and even with their average WS they will do a lot of damage. If you add a magic standard, they will do more damage and last longer on the battlefield.
Orc Arrer Boyz
Large mobs of Boyz armed with a bow or crossbow make good support for your assault troops. They have good staying power due to their T4, and if you put a good Boss with them, they will pass their Ld tests.
Black Orcs
These are the biggest, meanest Orcs in the WHFB world. A large mob of these, armed with an additional hand weapon or halberds, and given shields to go with their light armour, can take on most enemy units. I would also give this unit a magic standard by all means. Their only drawback is their low Initiative.
Savage Orcs
Many generals underate these troops. They can be some of the most dangerous troops on the battlefield. They are frenzied, they have magic tattoos for protection, and when given an additional hand weapon, they attack three times. I always place a Shaman and a Champion with this unit, and give them a magic standard. Savage Orcs can skirmish, but they are much more useful as assault troops. One tactic is to set up as skirmishers and change formations into a formed up mob before getting close enough to charge the enemy or to be charged by the enemy, but do not fight as skirmishers.
Goblins
Use these in very large mobs of 32+, and use them as blocking units to slow down enemy units and to set the enemy up to be charged by your stronger units. Gobbo archers are also very useful in large mobs. Always remember, though, that the Goblins have low Ld and must have a Boss with a decent Ld to lead them if you do not want them to Panic and flee from the battlefield.
Forest Goblins
Basically, see Goblins above.
Night Goblins
Now these are FUN. They are quite a shock for the unsuspecting general that charges them with his best troops, only to have those troops destroyed by the Night Goblin Fanatics that come spinning wildly out of these units. The mob can and should include three Night Goblin Fanatics. One fun tactic is to use multiple units of Night Goblins and let your opponent try to figure out where the Fanatics are, as one, some, or all of the units could have (you should always write down on a card before the game where your Fanatics are in order to avoid disputes between players).
Night Goblin Fanatics
These are just plain mean, nasty, and viscious. 30 points each, d6 automatic hits on any unit or character they touch, with a S5 and no armour save! And your opponent never knows where they are! They can be somewhat unpredictable, but when they hit the enemy they are devastating (also, I just love to see the fear in my opponent's eyes when he sees a unit of Night Gobbos facing his best troops, and he doesn't know if there's Fanatics in it or not!).
Squig Hunters
You must have at least one mob of Night Goblins to include a single Squig Hunter mob. This is another fun unit, even if it can be dangerous to your own units (and it can!) (Squigs will eat anything, including Orcs and Gobbos!). If the prodder armed Night Goblins are killed, the Squigs will go out of control, biting and snapping at anything and everything they contact, including Orcs and Gobbos. So make sure that they only contact the enemy. Make sure you give this unit a Boss.
Night Goblin Netters
You must have at least one mob of Night Goblins to include a single Netter mob. This mob can create total chaos in your opponent's line. I have seen a Night Gobbo Netter mob tie down a unit of Bretonnian Knights for a whole game! They can also tie down Daemons, and Chaos Champions if you get decent rolls. Think of the potential of these little guys, and they're only 3 1/2 points each! Make a large mob and say, "Go get 'em, boyz!"
Squig Hoppers
Unpredictable, due to their special movement rolls, but they can hit multiple units in one turn, with automatic hits for both the Squig and the Gobbo, and S5 hits for the Squig. Also, the Night Gobbo gets his normal S3 hit. Also, they take no psychology tests of any kind, it cannot be broken in hand-to-hand combat. The Night Goblin just hangs on and has no effect upon the Squig's determination to comtinue the fight.
Giants
I just looove Giants, their attacks are not only effective, they are also hilarious! The following are a coupl of their attacks: "Squash! - Suffice to say that the model becomes a casualty and is removed from the game." Another is "Pick Another - The Giant stuffs the victim hurriedly into his bag or under his shirt (or down his trousers if you are really unlucky!), and picks up another victim. Choose another victim and make another Pick Up attack. If he can roll enough 6's he can go through a whole unit this way!" Some of his other attacks are: Yeall and Bawl; Jump Up and Down; Stamp!; Head Butt; etc. Giants cause fear, they can cross normal obstacles without penalty, and if you kill one, he may fall on you (Squish!)!
Ogres
Ogres are big, and mean, with multiple wounds, high Tougness, and multiple attacks, and they cause fear. Their only drawback is they are exspensive.
Trolls
Big, dumb, lumbering brutes, but they have 3 Attacks, and if you can get them to go to the battle, they are effective troops. One way to overcome the Stupidity roll is to have them led by an Orc Big Boss character.
Snotlings
These little guys emulate the nearest Orc or Goblin unit, so put them beside your Savage Orcs and when the Savage Orcs charge, the Snotlings will become frenzied, and you have Snotling bases with 6 Attacks each, 3 Wounds, they're immune to psychology (they're too stupid!), and they only cost 15 points per base! I call these the bargain troops of Warhammer! I love the look of my opponent when he sees his troops being cut down by a swarm of tiny Snots!
Rock Lobbers
These can be devastating war machines when they land their payload where it's supposed to be. But the accuracy is very much dependent on your ability to guess the range. The Large Rock Lobber has a range of 60", a S10, and does d6 wounds. The Small Rock Lobber has a ranger of 48", S7, and does d3 wounds. In neither case does the victim(s) get a save.
Doom Diver Catapults
Basically Large Rock Lobbers with a guidance system, the Gobbo can correct for deviation (although sometimes he can overcorrect).
Bolt Throwers
You don't have to guess the range with these, but you only have the crew's BS 3 to hit, has a range of 48", with a S5 -1 per rank, no save, and does d4 wounds. It can impale multiple ranks of troops.
Snotling Pump Wagon
Erratic, and unpredictable, but it can be devastating to a unit if you can get it to actually hit them.
Orc Boar Chariots
You must have a mob of Orcs (including Big'Unz) to have any Orc Boar Chariots. Add two extra Orcs and scythes. One chariot may have a magic standard. these can mow down (literally!) enemy troops.
Goblin Wolf Chariots
If you have at least one Goblin mob, then you may include any number of Goblin Wolf Chariots. Add two extra crew, an additional wolf, give the crew shields, and equip the chariot with scythes, and give one chariot a magic standard, and you have another troop-mower, and this one's faster and cheaper!
The Orc or Gobbo Warlord has a good mix of monsters to choose from. When choosing monsters to include in your army, think about the mission that you will have for them. Some monsters are just better at certain missions.
Swarms are great for screens and harassment, but not much good for anything else. Dragons are masters of the sky, but very exspensive. If you spend the points for a Dragon, make sure that you have a specific mission for it, and don't waste points by just using it aimlessly, hoping to cause terror and wreak havoc, because you will just be wasting your points if you do.
For attacking artillery, etc., the cheaper flying monsters are a much more efficient use of your points.
Monsters are well detailed in the Bestiary section of the Warhammer Battle Book.
The Orcs and Goblins have a good choice of special characters and each player will develope a liking for certain characters.
My personal favourites are Morglum Necksnapper (with his war boar), and Skarsnik, Warlord of the Eight Peaks, along with Gobbla. But others may prefer other characters such as Grom, who is also a very good character. It just comes down to your own personal choice of characters.
Azhag with his War Wyvern makes for a very powerful character, especially when you take into accout the Crown of Sorcery, which allows him to draw and cast spells as a 3rd level Necromancer. Also, no Orc or Goblin unit within 12" is affected by animosity, they just don't dare.....
Gorfang Rotgut makes a good leader for a unit of Orc Boar Boyz when on a Boar, or the leader of a mob of Big'Unz when on foot. He has a hatred for Dwarfs, so he's a good mob Big Boss when fighting them.
Grom the Paunch on his Wolf Chariot and his mighty axe and Niblit, who may also carry a magic item (give him a magic standard!), and his ability to regenerate, he makes a mobile killing machine.
Gorbad Ironclaw may be your army leader also, he is armed with Morgor the Mangler, and rides a Warboar. When you add these two things together, he can be a very devastating character. He always strikes first with a WS 7, S5, T6, and the weapon allows no armour save except magical armour.
Morglum Necksnapper, he's mounted on a war boar, he has a high WS, a high T, 4 Attacks, and a Ld 10, and immune to psychology, give him the right magic items and he is almost unstoppable.
Oglok da' 'Orrible, he is a good Black Orc Big Boss, and when armed with the right weapons and armour and magic items, he can be a very hard character.
Skarsnik, this is just one baaad Goblin. Night Goblin Warlord, to be precise. When coupled with Gobbla and his magic Prodder, he is one very bad dude.
and
Some Sneaky Tricks
The most important thing to remember with an Orc and Goblin army is to have your troops supporting each other and to use Bosses and Big Bosses to overcome low morale and Black Orc Bosses and Big Bosses to overcome animosity. You must always take animosity into account when planning an Orc and/or Goblin army. You have lots of cheap troops, and cheap characters, with lots of diversity in armament and capabilities, so take advantage of this and make it a strength. If you support all of your troops with each other, you can overcome the weaknesses of the Orcs and Goblins and emphasise their strengths.
One of the best deployments for Orcs and Gobbos is the Horns of the Bull formation. The Horns formation is a good formation for horde armies,wher you outnumber your opponent in troops. This formation is the classical encircling formation. Put your hard hitting fast troops on the flanks, and anchor your center with some good steady troops. Do not give your opponent time to change his deployment, move forward immediately, and keep your lines longer than your opponent's.
Horn Formation
|
First: Use Snotlings in conjunction with Savage Orcs, for the reasons described under Snotlings above. One good use for this is against Skaven Censor Bearers, put several Snot bases against the Censor Bearers, have the Snots frenzied because the Savage Orcs have charged a unit also, and quite often, if the Snots don't kill the Censor Bearer, he will kill himself (the Censor Bearer has to test also). Another good use for Snotlings in this way is against your opponent's missile troops. There are many other uses for them, if you just think about it a little.
Second: Several units of Night Goblins with gaps between them and let your opponent try to figure out where the Fanatics are. This should cause confusion and hesitancy in your opponent.
Third: Block your opponent's most dangerous troops and/or character with Netters.
Fourth: Pin enemy units with cheap troops like Goblins or Snots and use fast Chariots and/or cav to get onto their flanks or rear and charge them, while they are engaged with your cheap troops to the front.
Fifth: Take a large mob of Gobbos, and give them a Boss with the Crown of Command. You can use these to tie down even the best of units to keep them out of the main battle while your better troops beat up on your opponent's weaker troops, then just charge the unit the Gobbos are tying up in the flank or rear.
Sixth: Take a Battle Standard Bearer, mount him on a Giant Wolf or War Boar or a flying monster, give him Mork's War Banner, and use him to destroy your opponent's wizards. All he has to do is get in base-to-base contact with them.
Seventh: Use Forest Goblin Spider Riders to lure enemy assault troops into difficult terrain. Move them to where the enemy will be tempter to charge them, but there is difficult terrain just to the rear of them. When the enemy charges, evade though the difficult terrain. You will be able to get all the way through, but the chagers won't be able to.
Back to Orcs and Goblins.
This page hosted by Geocities. Get your own Free Home Page