Tag: Orks

Loota Island: Orktober 2025

Loota Island: Orktober 2025

It’s time for the month of Ork-tober 2025 at Drawbridge Games. And we’ve got some fun planned with a month-long event that culminates in an all-day (and maybe much of the night) Mega-Battle on November 1st–which happens to be the Extra Life charity fundraiser day this year. We’re calling the whole thing “Loota Island” and there are going to be a lot of ways for players to participate, from painting to skirmish battles to the big event.

This Orktober we’ll be telling the tale of Loota Island, an Ork invasion of an Imperial Planet that gets supported by some Xenos races cooperating owing to the mass threat of the Orks.

(Don’t worry Chaos folks, a Daemon-cember event will happen again this year and be your change to field some forces; and Tanksgiving will be a time for any and all forces to be a part of one of our big events).

There will be two phases: the building (painting) and loota raids phase, and then the final invasion mega-battle. Participants can field any type of Orks army they like if they want to play on the Orks side, and can choose any of the following to fight on the Imperials+Helpful Xenos side: Space Marines, Sisters of Battle, Adeptus Mechanicus, Adeptus Custodes, Imperial Knights, Imperial Agents, Astra Militarium, Genestealer Cults, Leagues of Votann, T’au Empire, Aledari, and Drukhari.

Participation in various events gives players chances at entry for the prize draw done on the final day at Drawbridge, done in our usual door prize style.

The Loota Raids – Month of Orktober

During the month of Orktober, participants can earn draws in the final drawing in three ways: Painting Progress, playing Loota Raid skirmish missions, and converting (and painting) Looted Vehicles.

For those playing Orks, every squad of Ork infantry (between 3-12 models depending on the box set) that you newly paint during the month of Orktober earns you a draw. Post a pic of the squad assembled/primed either in the store 40k Painting Chat or the Painting section of the Discord, then a pic of the final painted squad.

For those not playing Orks, you get a draw for every vehicle you newly paint during the month of Orktober. Same rules apply: share a before and an after pic to get your draws counted (I’ll track them here on this site).

Players can also do a Loota Raid skirmish mission. This is designed to be a small number of points, and entirely infantry units except for one vehicle on the non-Ork side. Players should discuss points value and match each others’ points as well as they’re able. We recommend no more than 300 points per side of Infantry (the vehicle can be any points value). Players need not field any characters to lead the force, and any characters used cannot be more than 3 wounds.

The scenario runs 5 rounds. The deployment map is below, and uses a smaller board size (36″x36″). If the Ork player fields any Kommandos they can be placed in the advanced zone indicated upon deployment.

For the purposes of this mission each model in the unit acts as it’s own unit with separate activations. Think like Kill Team. If the unit has one-use upgrades like Bomb Squigs, those go with a specific model and can only be used by that model. This also includes deployment, so models from the same unit can be spread out all over the battle area as desired. The limitation of not deploying within 9″ of an enemy model is reduced in this mission–models cannot be deployed within 6″ of an enemy model. The defending player deploys a model first and then sides alternate placing models until all are deployed. Models may be placed in reserve as normal with any rules they have. Players then roll off for first turn.

The vehicle begins in the control of the non-Ork defender, but is not “active” at the start of the game. Starting round 2 onward the player can try to “activate” the vehicle by rolling a d6 at the end of the command phase. On turns 2 and 3 the vehicle starts on a 6. Turn 4 it starts on a 5. Turn 5 it starts on a 3. Once a vehicle is activated it can fight as normal in the battle. However, the Ork player can also seize the vehicle. If there is no enemy model within 1″ of the vehicle, an Ork model within 1″ of the vehicle can take an action during the shooting phase instead of shooting to try and commandeer it. They roll a d6. On a 4+ they take control and activate the vehicle (it cannot charge during that turn’s charge phase). The Ork model can commandeer an activated vehicle as well. If the Ork model inflicts 1 or more unsaved wounds on an activated vehicle in melee, then they can roll a d6. On a 6 they get inside and manage to take control. A vehicle under Ork control uses it’s normal stats but replaces all ballistic still values with a 5+, and it loses any special qualities of a vehicle that would come from the nature of the crew of the vehicle (players should agree in advance what those are), and adjust any special rules that mention buffing one’s own army to count for the Orks. If the vehicle is destroyed by either side leave it on the table–it becomes a wreck and counts as impassible terrain for the rest of the game.

The game is a victory for the Orks if they control the vehicle at the end of the game. It’s a narrow victory for the Orks if the vehicle is destroyed (by either side) but no enemy models remain within 12″ of the vehicle at the end of the game. It’s a draw if the vehicle is destroyed (by either side) and enemy models are within 12″ of the vehicle. It’s a victory for the non-Orks if they control the vehicle at the end of the game. Also, note that this mission is likely to be very random and silly, so don’t take it too seriously–and if something is funky and not working right, agree with your opponent how to handle it and focus on having fun.

Playing the mission gains each player one draw in the final drawing. Update the organizers (Andrew) when a game has been played so we can keep track.

If the Ork player gets a victory or a narrow victory they then have the option to “loot” that vehicle for the Extra Life game. The player should acquire their own kit of that vehicle, convert it to a suitably Ork-y version (I encourage thinking about what Ork model it might proxy as, and having those weapon options present too). If they field it at the Extra Life game then it can use the Looted Vehicle rule for the event, and operate with the same rules as the vehicle would normally have except with a 5+ ballistic skill, and would again lose any rules that are dependent upon the nature of the crew (confirm with the organizers). Fielding a vehicle looted in this way nets an Ork player 5 draws in the prize drawing (as winning, then converting, then painting is a big undertaking!).

The Extra Life Invashun Extravaganza

More details on the big event will follow when we get closer to it, but here are the basics. Extra Life is a 24-hour gaming marathon where players can donate money to the Extra Life charity (through the sponsor Drawbridge) for minor advantages in games like re-rolls. It’s a great charity event and Drawbridge has raised thousands of dollars for various charities in the city as a part of it in prior years.

We won’t do a full 24 hours, but we intend to do a pretty long time for the event. The games will be drop-in, drop-out, with an island defended by Imperial forces with contingents of “good” Xenos assisting them being invaded by a flotilla of Ork attackers from both sides. There will be rules for returning destroyed models to play, and players can join for as long or as little as they would like through the day and evening (and maybe early morning). Players can earn draws in the final prize drawing for participating in the event as an Ork player, for participating as an Imperial or Xenos player, and for event-specific missions: every player will get a randomly assigned mission card detailing what they need to do during the mega battle to get their extra draws.

It should be silly fun as always, and we’ll have the full list of how players join, what the possible missions are, and how donations to the Extra Life cause can be used for in-game bonuses. We’ll do the drawing at the end of the event, and participants do not need to be present to win (so even if you cannot make the big event, you can still paint to get draws or play the Loota Raid mission).

So mark November 1st on your calendars to attend during the day and/or evening, and in the meantime get those models built and ready to paint for the month of Orktober!

Ork players please do inform the organizers (Andrew) that you’re planning to play Orks for the event so we can have a good list of who is able to bring what for the event (as we’ll match the size of what forces the Imperials+Xenos side can bring based around our Ork presence). Ork collaborators will get a bonus draw in the drawing, and two draws if they do at least 300 points of Ork infantry new for Orktober (to play the Loota Raid mission!).

Second War for Armageddon – Drawbridge

Second War for Armageddon – Drawbridge

So we’ve started a big endeavor at Drawbridge Games, in Pittsburgh, PA, USA: re-creating a number of battles amidst the Second War for Armageddon using a combination of Warhammer 40k games plus the map system from the classic Games Workshop board game Battle for Armageddon. For a general intro to what we’re doing, check out this video:

https://youtu.be/20MJFXRmaKU

Campaign

We’ll be using the classic board game to structure what 40k battles we match up as the Second War for Armageddon rages. The units are going to be suggestions for what is present in the various armies when they fight, and are drawn from the set in the game. So we know there will be more assorted things, but if a force has x2 Stormboyz and Gretchin listed, then at the very least those units should hit the table for the 40k game.

As with the board game and the fluff, the Orks get a surprise attack on the first turn of the game. So they’ll get greater numbers in round one battles than their opponents. But, to balance that, the Imperials will hold a fortified position, and the mission objectives will be to break through the Imperial lines.

Orks Turn 1:

The Orks chose to launch their surprise attacks at the following forces along the border: 1) the 2nd Superheavy Tank Division and an Imperial Guard 9th Division, 2) the 4th Tank Division and an Imperial Guard 8th Division, and the creme of the crop, 3) the Imperial Guard 1st Division supported by a 3rd Tank Division. That means there will be three games for turn one, and we’ll shoot to have them completed by early January–as that will give people time to build and paint models for the events as well as just navigate the holiday season best we can. After that, the Imperials will get a chance to decide if they want to counter-attack, reposition, and/or build and recruit new units with their turn one.

OrksImperialsDetails
3,000 points
C+E: Nobz, Snaggas, Orks Infantry, Stompas, Bikes x2  		2,000 points
X: Superheavy Tanks, Imperial Guard, Fortifications		Breakthru Mission
2,000 points
H+L: Battlewagons x2, Stormboyz x3, Gretchin		1,500 points
T: Tanks, Imperial Guard, Fortifications		Breakthru Mission
2,000 points
N+P: Orks Infantry x3, Nobz, Battlewagons, Stormboyz		1,500 points
Q: Tanks, Imperial Guard, Fortifications		Breakthru Mission

Other Fun:

Orks and Imperial players can agree to use each of the following strategems once during the process of the campaign. It takes a majority of the participants on the side to use them, and there will be in-game (40k) effects for each. Some also may require building special models or affect the nature of the battles about to be fought. Those which reference the board game will be adjusted to have an effect on the 40k games.

I’m looking forward to these games, and we’ll be doing video montages of the battles for the recap, that I’ll post on each of the updates here (along with some good photos and updates to the campaign map and order of battle for both sides).

Zodgrod Wortsnagga’s Halloween Monster Mash-n-Gnash

Zodgrod Wortsnagga’s Halloween Monster Mash-n-Gnash

It’s almost ORK-tober yet again, and the various grots and greenskins that inhabit Drawbridge Games in Pittsburgh, PA, USA couldn’t let the month pass by without some sort of holiday event and Ork event! So grab yer squigs and buckle-up for Zodgrod Wortsnagga’s Halloween Monster Mash-n-Gnash!

Timings: Thursday, October 26th at Drawbridge Games. Set-up at 6:30pm, start at 7pm.

What: Zodgrod Wortsnagga is a notorious itinerant Ork Runtherd, who experiments with new methods to try and improve the various goblinoid Gretchin that he breeds for battle. This time he’s trying to cull his herd to get only the fastest and most nimble grots to accompany a band of Blood Axes on a “sneakin’ missun” (as the Warboss who hired him called it). What better way to test that than using a set of captured critters and stolen enemy mechs loaned by the local Mek? Zodgrod decided “why not make some extra teef” and decided to invite the local Ork tribe to bet on the various critters and crunchers for who can mash or gnash the most grots in a set amount of time.

No seriously, what?: The event will be set up surrounding a big Ork fort, where Zodgrod and a crew of Ork gamblers will be watching the mayhem. Gretchin models will be set up all around the board in various spots, and as time goes on additional ones will be added. There will be a series of boxes and crates that hold and restrain the different monsters and clanking dreads. As the event goes on, those boxes will be “opened” one by one to release new creatures onto the board who can then go on a rampage shooting, smashing, and eating the Gretchin. The releases will be randomized amongst all participants. At the start of the event each player will get to put a “wager” on which released critter will destroy the most grots, and players will also get a bonus if their model is the one that kills the most. There will also be a bonus for newly painting the monster you bring, painting 10 grots and a Runtherd to contribute to the mayhem (and squigs), and best painted monster overall. As always with Drawbridge events there will be a random pull for the prizes for the event, so everyone has a chance to win.

Da Roolz: Monsters are drawn from the list below, which covers mostly “ordinary” things that the Orks might have restrained in some way: locked in a crate or stopped from functioning thanks to some nullifier device a particularly inspired Mekboy whipped up. Gretchin will be in small packs, randomly determined in number during placement. As Gretchin get eaten new packs of them will be generated by rolling a d10, and they will enter from a randomized spot (either herded in from the side of the board by Zodgrod’s Runtherd assistants, or pushed out of the bowels of the Ork fort itself). Some of the packs will be accompanied by Squigs, which count as bonus kills for the monsters, but also can cause damage when they’re killed (even ranged attacks–representing the Squig being injured and rushing to maul the thing that did it). Each time a Squig is killed, the Ork controllers (GM’s) will roll a d6. On a 3+ the Squig will inflict d3 mortal wounds on the model that did it. Monsters can also decide to get an advantage by directing their attacks at another monster to slow it down. If they do so, they get a single move action and then can inflict d3 mortal wounds on a nearby other monster (but cannot attack any Gretchin that turn). If a monster reaches 0 wounds it’s time munchin’-and-crunchin’ is done. There will also be a time limit when the game ends.

Da Big Gribblies: The following list is what we’ve decided the Orks could conceivably bind in their relatively crude ways to unleash. If there’s something we’re missing let us know and we can conceivably add it. Also, if anyone is thinking of perhaps doing something more creative (like a WarCry Mindstealer Sphiranx or something) let me know and we’ll let you use it and swap in rules for the closest thing on this list (in that case, clearly a Drukhari Chronos).

Space MarinesRedemptor, Invictor, Leviathan, Deredeo, other Dreadnoughts
AdmechSydonian Dragoon, Ironstrider Ballistarius
SistersPenitent Engine, Mortifier
Imperial GuardSentinel
Grey KnightsVenerable Dreadnought
Chaos Space MarinesVenomcrawler, Hellbrute, Daemon Prince (on foot only), Leviathan, Deredeo
Death GuardHellbrute, Feotid Bloat Drone, Leviathan, Deredeo, Daemon Prince (on foot only)
World EatersHellbrute, Leviathan, Deredeo, Daemon Prince (on foot only)
Thousand SonsHellbrute, Mutalith Vortex Beast, Leviathan, Deredeo, Daemon Prince (on foot only)
AeldariWraithlord, War Walker
DrukhariTalos, Chronos
NecronsCanoptek Spyder, Canoptek Doomstalker
TyranidsCarnifex, Haruspex, Trygon, Toxicrene, Mawlock, Maleceptor, Psychophage, Lictor
OrksDeff Dread, Killa Kan (x1)
TauGhostkeel

Be Ready for Surprises and Creativity: It wouldn’t be a Halloween event without some tricks and treats, so expect some other Ork wackiness might be revealed as the event goes forward. The point is a good silly time playing with our big monsters and friends.

Prizes: As mentioned above, players will get entries in the drawing for each of the following conditions they meet. 1) Attending. 2) Newly painted “Monster” model they enter. 3) Providing a painted unit of 10 Gretchin and a Runtherd. 4) Newly painting said unit of Gretchin and Runtherd. 5) Providing a set of Squigs to be used in the event. 6) Best painted “Monster”. 7) Correctly betting on the monster that wins 1st/2nd/3rd most kills. 8) Running the Monster that nets the most kills. As for Prizes, as always we’ll have a few good 40k prizes for folks depending on attendance for the event.

RSVP: For this event, because of the “restraint boxes” that we’ll be using, players will need to RSVP in advance by letting Andrew (one of the organizers) know what model they’ll be bringing.

Bummer Bowl 7

Bummer Bowl 7

Welp, it is the end of the calendar year so it was time for yet another “Bummer Bowl”, the event where I and a few others at our local gaming store Drawbridge Games compete for who is the least good at a given miniatures wargame. This year we played Aeronautica Imperialis, because it’s so delightfully random as a game. It’s a tournament, where the loser is the one who advances rather than the winner. And everyone is trying to avoid the Bummer Belt, a wresting belt with all sorts of trash glued to it to (more each year) that must be displayed as a mark of shame in our gaming area for the calendar year. Try as I might, I failed… so here is me receiving it in the “Loser Ceremony” hah.

I brought an Ork Air Waaagh, because I’ve been trying hard to stick to Orks for a while. And that proved to be a good decision in some ways, as there are some benefits to Ork planes in the game. But their bigger stuff is a liability, because we use the optional damage rules (with fire and smoke). And lots of points in a big model that loses the ability to shoot entirely if it’s lit on fire, and then slowly can take damage if the crew cannot put the fire out, is bad enough with those rules. Gets all the worse when Ork crew proves to be simply terrible at firefighting. So it was two games of my Ork Mega Bommer getting lit on fire with lucky hits then slowly burning to death while it lumbered around the board. Not my finest moments of gaming, hah.

Still was a great time and good friends to do a silly event with. So was all good. Next year I am DETERMINED to not lose the Bummer Bowl. I need to practice and get ready and hone a list for whatever system we decide to play, only to have us decide to swap two weeks before the event and then just have to get super-lucky at the event.

In addition to the Aeronautica planes I painted for Bummer Bowl, we had an all-flyers event this day as well at the amazing Drawbridge Games. And I got two newly painted Ork Flyers ready for that as well: a Burna-Bommer and a Wazbom Blastajet.

Above is the Burna Bommer, and I just plain love the way the Ork airplanes look. This one is loaded with racks of napalm missiles, and I look forward to taking it into battle in games. Below is the Wazbom Blastjet, which is amusing at least–it’s got a force field projector as well as some crazy heavy weapons that it brings to the battle.

I didn’t stop at painting airplanes tho. I haven’t mentioned it here yet iirc, but my big plan for 2023 is to do two things: a series of Ork “Normandy Invasion” events pitted against my friend’s Tau empire forces. Right now I’m starting to prep the drop assault forces for some skirmishes before we get to the larger games. That meant needing an HQ choice that could accompany Kommandos and Storm Boyz. And I thought, why not a Kommando Big Mek, who shoots a portal from the plane to the ground with a Shock Attack Gun, then uses a tellyporta to fling himself through? Just crazy enough to work? So I modded up a Shokk Attack Gun Mek with a Kommandos head and a little tellyporta on top his gun aimed at himself. And I modded the grot being hoovered up by the gun with the head from the Kommandos kit grot as well as a little backpack. Pretty pleased with the very silly result.

Finally, I finished up a Battlewagon. I’ve had this one mostly painted for a while, but it needed to have the highlights completed. So on a snowy evening in last night I cranked out this model as well.

I’m really pleased with the painting progress I’m making. If I push a bit this holiday week, where I do have some time off, I might even hit an exceedingly artificial goal of 365 Power Level/Points (across two games with totally different point/power systems but whatever). Which isn’t itself a milestone, but still represents a whole lot of Ork painting in the year 2022. I also painted a ton of Genestealer Cults stuff, a bit of AdMech stuff, and some Necrons stuff too. It’s been a lot.

Painting Challenge 2022 Progress

Warhammer 40k Orks Power Level Painted: 125

Aeronautica Imperialis Orks Air Waaagh Points Painted: 197

Fly for Your Life

Fly for Your Life

[For the musical cue for this article, play this in the background: https://youtu.be/Jv1ZN8c4_Gs]

So Bummer Bowl 7 is approaching, which for those who don’t know is my gaming circle’s annual miniature gaming tournament where the loser of each round advances, and the overall loser of the event wins the highly-non-coveted Bummer Belt–which is covered in the plastic spoons that were used as prizes in the early days of the Bummer Bowl (the original was fished out of a trash bin for that express purpose).

Yes, sadly I am the Bummer Belt holder for my loss-win of the tourney in 2021. Hoping to change that this year.

This year, like last year, we’ve selected Aeronautica Imperialis as our game of choice for the Bummer Bowl event (we’ve also done Warmachine/Hordes and Blood Bowl in the past). It’s a fun system with goofy and really swing-y luck-based results that none of us play enough to be particularly great at. While last year I ran my Genestealer Cult-infected Imperial Navy force, this year I’ve been working on an Ork Air Waaagh. And I’ve gotten a bunch of models all painted up for the event!

It’s the same color scheme as my Ork force, and I’m really pleased with it. Above are (L-R) a Dakkajet, a Fighta-Bommer, and a Grot Bommer (plus two little autonomous gretchin-piloted grot bombs that move around the board as markers).

This set above (L-R) is two more Dakkajets, plus the the big beastie, the Mega Bommer. It’s such an absurd thing, I simply loved the model. It’s like a bumblebee: that stubby lumpy thing should not be able to fly.

For the event, the squadron will have no upgrades whatsoever (most of those pretty bombs and missiles will remain in the launch bays). I’m really looking forward to it, as it was a lot of fun to paint them up, and I really do enjoy the randomness of the game and the way it plays. We use the optional rules for damage type, where planes can be trailing smoke or lit on fire–or spin around in a sudden tailspin–and they’re a complete blast for making the game extra silly and random.

Painting Challenge 2022 Progress

Warhammer 40k Orks Power Level Painted: 94

Aeronautica Imperialis Orks Air Waaagh Points Painted: 197

Orktober 2022

Orktober 2022

It’s that time of year again! ORKTOBER!

We’re doing “Git Race 2” on Thursday, October 6th, which will be similar to our Git Race from 2019 event (https://leviathancult.com/2019/09/03/orktober-2019-git-race/) but with newly-done rules.

Git Race 2

Welcome to the careening light-vehicle bashing demolition derby race for glory (and fungus glory). Each participant can field a single one of the vehicles from the following list:

FactionAvailable Racing Vehicles
OrksTrukk, Kustom Boosta-Blasta, Shokkjump Dragsta, Boomdakka Snazzwagon, Megatrakk Scrapjet, Rukkatrukk Squigbuggy
Space Marines (all chapters)Rhino, Primaris Impulsor, Primaris Invader ATV
Adeptus MechanicusSkorpius Dunerider
Astra MilitarumTaurox (all variants), Chimera, Hellhound (and variants)
Sisters of BattleRhino
CSM, Thousand Sons, and Death GuardRhino, Blight Hauler
TauDevilfish, Piranha (all variants)
Eldar (all sorts)Wave Serpent, Raider, Venom, Starweaver, Vyper
Genestealer CultGoliath Truck, Achilles Ridgerunner
NecronsGhost Ark
Chaos Daemons and TyranidsSorry, none of these. Daemons players add a Rhino for your CSM allies, and Tyranids if you’re not into Genestealer Cult then get thee to one of their Goliaths!

The rules are simple. It’s an Ork racetrack where the Bad Moonz have assembled to watch a demolition derby take place while they’re killing time before the next Waaagh launches. They’ve looted a bunch of different vehicles and kept them roughly as-is: to see which bits are killy and which bits are sturdy–to save both.

All vehicles have the following modification: they are now BS 5+ and Leadership 7 (obviously, as they’re driven by Orks), and whether Ork or not they’ve got no Clan affiliations (or other codex faction rules, obvously). The goal is to race around the track, causing as much damage and making as many laps as possible. When a vehicle is wrecked, it’s pulled to the side of the track and repaired by a swarm of mekboyz and grot spanners (and injured drivers replaced or jury-rigged by painboyz). Wrecked vehicles lose a turn of shooting and movement (their next turn), then tear off back into action the following round. There is no charge or melee phase–as everyone’s intent on racing rather than raw crumpin’. That said, collisions can happen, particularly at the point where the track criss-crosses. If your movement takes you within an inch of another vehicle at the end of the move, you can choose to sideswipe (each vehicle takes 1 mortal wound), or ram (both vehicles take d6 mortal wounds). It’s a breakneck race, so shooting can only be done at vehicles that are ahead of yours in the race (mario kart blue shell rules). And driving can go off the track if needed, but that reduces speed by d6 inches for that turn. For the figure-eight intersection, vehicles can test their leadership on 2d6: if successful they can take the jump side of the intersection (yes, there’s a jump!), which adds a bonus 6″ to their move for that turn.

We’ll track number of laps, number of spectacular crashes, number of jumps, and number of times each driver reduced an opposing racer to zero wounds. Players will get bonus entries into the prize draw for the top of each of these. And everyone will get an entry for playing. Multiple great GW prizes to be had (Games Workshop themselves provided prize support for our event, owing to the success of the prior one!).

A Few Old School Orks will come out of the woodwork for this one
Crusade: Faster and Faster

Crusade: Faster and Faster

More Crusade Games, two against Michael’s Deathwatch and one versus Dave’s Ultramarines and Imperial Knights combined arms force. Gonna just do some highlight pics of the games.

Ork Meganobz close in on the Deathwatch
The fast boyz added to the force have been great fun to use so far.
Duel between the Big Mek in Mega Armor and the Librarian–I love the two-tone cloak of the librarian’s paint job. Kudos Michael!
Bikes versus Warbikes
Dave’s Ultramarines meet the Deffrolla
Sneaky Ultramarines used a Crusade-tech teleporter to get behind the grots and wipe them out.
Beast Snagga Boyz hide in the building to try and survive the gatling fire of the Knight
The Waaagh manages to reach the core of the Ultramarines lines

All in all some fun games against a lot of Space Marines. Definitely good fun with the Orks, as the Meganobz rush is just brutal stuff for many forces to face.

Painting Progress

I’m working on some speedier models for my force, starting with a Kustom Boosta Blasta. I’m looking to build a Speed Waaagh as an alternative to my Deffwing all-meganobz force, just to present some varied options to my foes at times. Pretty pleased with this buggy!

Painting Challenge 2022 Progress

Warhammer 40k Orks Power Level Painted: 95/365

Crusade: The Waaagh Spreads

Crusade: The Waaagh Spreads

Another set of Planetary Empire games with the Orks. Making big gains for Orks on the main map, though honestly it’s in large part due to our other player in the Campaign Enrico (whose Bad Moonz have some serious territory). My Goffs in red are at least foot-holding two asteroids and the big planet.

I think we are going to make our goal the asteroid belt and the main planet. See if we can’t get those two things conquered fully.

Game Four

Hrukgrog and Gagrak were, in the Ork tribe, Minderz. Their job was to help their Warboss, Drozgurk, win scraps with the green energy of the Waaagh. Problem was, their Goffs clan didn’t have any Weirdboyz. The last one they had watched over blew himself up with a particularly strong discharge of energy that came out of his cranium rather than his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth–the right paths for the energy(Gagrak nearly lost his arm to the shrapnel of skull). So they took a page out of the Deathskullz playbook, and just looted themselves a Weirdboy. Amidst the chaos of the invasion of the planets, the allied Bad Moonz force that was fighting alongside them showed that they had more Weirdboyz (multiple towers full!). So Hrukgog and Gagrak just went and snatched one for themselves.

Unfortunately, their scurry across the battlefields of Scylla Prime after abducting their Weirdboy attracted the attention of a scouting Imperial Armiger. Hrukgrog and Gagrak were watching for pursuing Bad Moonz, but entirely missed the Knight’s sighting of them. Which meant that their trail back to the encampment that the Goffs had established on the planet was noted, tracked, and followed by a force of Knights. The deadly war machines of the Imperium struck in a rush, their scouting Armiger Warglaives reaching the Orks first. As Knights cannot be entirely stealthy, the Orks managed to mobilize their forces and rushed to resist the attack’s spearhead: with Meganobz and their drill-laden Battlewagon leading the charge.

The larger Knights followed the smaller, and that’s where the Ork lines simply broke. Scores of foot troops and the elite Meganobz both suffered under their fire and titanic assault. Big Mek Ursatz tried to support the forces, only to watch wave after wave torn apart by one of the Knights. He took a swat from the thing’s massive powerfirst, which knocked him clear across the ruins where they fought to collapse in a heap under the rubble.

Painboy ‘Eadfragg Muzritt also battled the massive knight, fighting in the shadow of it as the remaining boyz were crushed underfoot and via massive fist. His power claw had ample cutters, but they were for bone and flesh not the reinforced armor of the massive knights. While he severed a few cables, otherwise the mighty war machine was unharmed. Thus, when it moved away (to pursue more sizable targets) ‘Eadfragg celebrated. No doubt the pilot of the massive suit was afraid of him, that his warlike prowess was too much for the titan.

Unfortunately for ‘Eadfragg he didn’t quite grasp the tactical situation, nor did he see the Armiger Helverin approaching him from behind and ranging in its twin autocannons on his form. With a blast of rapid shells, ‘Eadfragg’s celebration quickly became a situation where his grot orderly was dragging his shattered body away from the smoking crater that remained.

The remaining Orks had to flee–mounting up in their vehicles, gathering their casualties, and making escapes–in the face of the onslaught of the Imperial Knights. Warboss Drozgurk stewed inside the cabin of his Battlewagon, entirely oblivious to his enterprising Minderz whose actions lured the Knights to attack him. His force was attacked by Knights. And that meant Knights would need to pay. Drozgurk got on his shouter to the Rok supporting the force, where Big Mek Ursatz’ fellows were keeping up the production of weapons. He demanded they use their sighting tools to find him where the Knights were. Knights were going to get krumped, he pledged.

Game Five

The call came two days later. Knights were on the plains of Scylla Prime. The shouter reported how far away and what direction (“many many many seven miles toward the mountains”) Knights were spotted by his Rok-based spotterz. And so with a roar, Warboss Drozgurk directed his forces to make for the mountains. Some of the nuances were lost on the Orks, that this was a household of Chaos-aligned Knights that were themselves hunting the same Imperial Knights that had attacked Drozgurk’s enclave. They were Knights, and that was what the Orks intended to krump.

Waves of Gretchin were summoned from the crews of vehicles and sent forward to be a picket screen against the big warsuits. While the Gretchin were cut down in droves, the main line of Drozgurk’s forces–hard units like Meganobz and Battlewagons–prepared to strike. His main Meganobz mob, now with a few new Nobz who had looted mega armor during the last battle, unloaded salvos of rokkits that started to detonate into the massive Knights. While the armor could take some assault, the sheer volume of explosives started to make a dent.

Such was the vengeance-fueled fury of Warboss Drozgurk that his forces actually cooperated effectively, and timed their assault into the Knights in concert. Wave after wave of Meganobz, the massive battlewagons, and Beast Snagga Boyz all took their choppas, saws, and claws to the assembled Knight forces. Two Knights and an Armiger all fell in the same wave, the catastrophic damage taking even a few Ork casualties as they exploded upon being torn apart.

Only the leader of the Knights, which had a strange flail-like set of weapons on its arm, managed to survive the push. It took strikes back, and despite the power emanating from its massive cannon arm, just could not crack the armor of the Battlewagon that opposed it.

With four other Knights wrecked, the fifth–the leader–limped away to not be destroyed as well. The Orks paused their assault, happy to take all of the scrap that was left from all the fallen knights. Big Mek Ursatz started dispatching his cutting crews immediately, carving up the Knights’ armor and hydraulic systems both to help manufacture even more suits of mega armor. Warboss Drozgurk was pleased. The Knights had changed their colors and brought other weapons, but he still gave them a better krump than they’d given him before. This planet was a good one. Plenty of fights to be had. He called up to the Rok in his shouter again. “Spottaz spot us some moar targets, ya filthy gitz. It’s time ta krump!”

Game Six

The portents were constantly shifting for the Thousand Sons, those ancient warriors of Tzeentch who walked in suits of hollow, dust-filled armor. So many forces were vying for the Scylla system the fates continued to flux–sometimes something that was the right move would suddenly be something to be avoided at all costs when casting their divinations. Their chief sorcerer had even summoned a group of pink horrors to help advise him in where their force should strike next. For the moment, it showed that the Orks were a particular threat: they had attacked and dealt a serious blow to the allied Chaos Knights that were supporting operations in the system. The Orks were indeed a perpetual nuisance, their very chaotic behavior was the antithesis of Tzeentch’s careful planning and decades of schemes. Stopping their random behavior would mean a more predictable system, which meant more of the great Changer of Ways’ plans coming to fruition.

The Thousand Sons struck when the Orks were re-arming themselves in a small abandoned research facility in the plains of Scylla Prime. Ancient Thunderhawks landed groups of their warriors at range, who immediately started the barrage of their deadly fire. Initial fire inflicted some casualties, but it was the Battlewagons that drew a great deal of their fire–and while the great war machines were damaged, they kept rumbling forward. One of them reached the Thousand Sons lines, where its massive Deff Rolla crushed more than a few of the slow-moving ancient suits.

Scarab terminators teleported down onto the battlefield to support the approach, only to find themselves amid the assault of Killsaw-armed Meganobz. The saws proved to be absurdly deadly to the ancient warriors, cutting off limbs and into the central armor itself. Where there had been a full team of ten terminators, only three lived to strike back at the Orks. They managed to kill one, but the remaining two managed to slice the rest of them to pieces.

The psychic onslaught of the Thousand Sons was the only thing that kept their force reasonably in the battle. Slowly but surely they started getting Ork after Ork to fall, their brains burning with the psychic energy. A group of Beast Snagga Boyz was cut down to a man by the psychic onslaught. Arcs of energy ran from the Sorcerers to the Orks, bursting their heads or lighting their whole body on fire.

However, the Orks were too aggressive in grabbing control of key portions of the battlefield, so while their numbers thinned–and the heavy hitters of the Thousand Sons were too easily slain. Meganobz cut down a Deamon Prince, while Warboss Drazgurk himself tore apart a rampaging Maulerfiend himself. Too many losses meant a need for retreat, and the Thousand Sons took discretion as the better part of valor. Soon enough the time would be right for stopping the Orks. Just not this day.

Painting Progress

Finished up the angry Painboy, just in time for him to have his moment of failure hah. Still pretty pleased with how he turned out. I kind of like the survivability it provides the big gang of Meganobz, but man it comes at a higher cost that I’d like so I’m unsure how useful it is. But the model looks great, I think.

Next, finished a unit of ten Beast Snagga Boyz. Really showed me how the red colors will look balanced with more natural colors and skin tones for the orks. There’s always the danger of the Christmas curse with this color scheme: green and red and white accents. But I think I dodge it really well with these.

Finally, first of the Battlewagons–this one a Bonebreaka style. Had fun doing this one, and it took a ton of time to get sorted and highlighted. Finding the balance of black plates with red plates was the biggest challenge of this one, and I think future ones will also have to work to strike that same balance. Needs to be a bit of black, but still the bulk being red, to really look right in my view. So far so good.

I’ve got another Battlewagon in-progress, a buggy, and some bikes, so should be a good next set of completed models with my next update.

Painting Challenge 2022 Progress

Warhammer 40k Orks Power Level Painted: 91/365

World of Teef 2: Desperate Assault

World of Teef 2: Desperate Assault

[Second battle report from the set of Shrine World Planetary Invasion games that I’m playing with some friends. For part one, see here: https://orksesneverdefeated.com/2022/05/27/world-of-teef-1-da-tellyporta-attack/ ]

After blunting the initial teleporter-based Ork strikes, the Imperial forces moved to consolidate gains across the planet–hoping to whittle down the remaining pockets of Ork resistance. In one sector, the red-daubed forces of one Warband mingled with the mustard yellow of another, the survival situation of being pressed on all sides meaning more than clan affiliations. Their backs were against a literal wall, a big intractable section of collapsed cathedrals meant their only way out was to push back against the forces of Space Wolves and Sisters of Battle that had been hemming them in. And like any cornered beast, this made the Orks more dangerous.

As it was a Shrine world under assault, and the most dire of emergencies, it is no surprise that another incarnation of Saint Celestine awakened amongst the faithful. A figure born and reborn in times of strife, she appeared amongst the Sisters lines and encouraged the Space Wolves to unleash themselves in pure pursuit of the Ork forces. Squads of Space Wolves primaris stalked through the ruined streets, closing the gap on the Ork menace.

The Adeptus Sororitas was also helping close the net, with squads of Battle Sisters and their deadly Paragon Warsuits taking the more defensive posture with firepower. They finished a set of vows that the holy shrines celebrating their most valiant martyrs and heroes would not fall to the Ork predations on their watch: burning incense, lighting candles, and general other offerings to the Emperor. As the husks from the burnt offerings drifted on the wind, they marched forward toward the Ork line.

The Space Wolves were joined by a Knight, Canis Rex, a freeblade Knight piloted by Hekhtur Cereberan. Hekhtur had been working with the Space Wolves to find an enclave of Iron Warriors heretic marines and extinguish them, when the call to defend the Shrine world came. He gladly accompanied the Wolf lords to the surface to lend his Knight’s might against the Ork menace.

It was Canis Rex that led the core of the charge into the Ork lines, and while his massive las-impulsor blew the Orks’ massive Battle Fortress apart right away, it was smaller threats that started to take their toll on the mighty war machine. Squads of Tankbusta boyz loosed their rokkits into the mighty war machine, followed by a bomb squig laden with explosives that damaged the Knight’s right shinguard.

Elsewhere the spearhead of warsuits hitting the Ork lines were making progress. The Bad Moonz had to call their Warboss to the fore to help take out the marauding warsuits, only to eventually be grievously injured by the Wulfen dreadnaught’s scything axe blade.

Canis Rex shattered a Trukk and started turning its sights on the boyz that piled out, only to find a gang of Meganobz with Killsaws come rumbling toward it. With brutal efficiency their saws began carving pieces of the mighty war machine, and it had to cede the field to seek repairs lest it be overwhelmed and demolished. The Meganobz howled with frustrated triumph in its wake.

By choosing to attack headlong, the Imperial forces left their back lines open to the squads of Orks that were escaping the press of the cordon. A mob of Trukk boyz managed to get to grips with Saint Celestine, killing her attendants and gravely pressuring her own defenses. While she cut them down, they had pinned her in place long enough that the tide of Meganobz that followed the Trukk ran her into the ground with their devastating attacks.

The Space Wolves’ Librarian had taken some incidental fire during the battle, and was relocating back to the strategic objective spot to support the Battle Sisters’ lines. A marauding Trukk scored a hit on him with its Big Shoota, and in turning to face the vehicle he dropped his guard for just a second… when a lone surviving grot from a squad of Gretchin tossed a cluster of stikkbombz his way. The shrapnel from the explosions caught him right where his battle plate was already damaged, and a lethal shard of metal carved through both hearts striking him dead.

With the forces that led the attack on the Ork lines broken, the waves of Orks remaining spread out to the reserve spots where Space Wolves and Sisters of Battle squads of the line were holding key objectives. The firefights were valiant, but when the Orks reached their lines the savagery of their assaults finished off the stalwart defenders.

While the Orks had been hard-pressed during the tellyporta attack due to being spread out, they proved that when they could work in concert they were a force to be reckoned with. The third and final phase of the war for the Shrine World was about to commence: the protracted fight where each side tried its best to grind the opponents into dust and ashes. Too much of the world had been already trampled for the Imperials to call it a clean victory, but the Ork Waaagh was still not in firm control of the planet either. The fate of all hung in the balance as both sides raced toward the final confrontation.

Painting Progress

Got a fair amount done this phase. Finished a classic Rogue Trader era Weirdboy (with his Minderz firing him like a gun). I liked the idea of looting another Clan’s weirdboy, so my red and black Orks stole a Bad Moonz weirdboy to use for their forces. Really pleased with how it turned out.

The karma of finishing up units paid off in the game, as the Grot with the stikkbomb was clutch in the battle. Glad to get these done so I can have them to round out the Battalion.

And I did up a second unit of Gretchin just to keep that flow going. Good to get some of the horde aspects of the army painted up.

Painting Challenge 2022 Progress

Warhammer 40k Orks Power Level Painted: 72/365

Match Play: Da Shiny Tin’eadz

Match Play: Da Shiny Tin’eadz

Got a chance to play a new player at my local game store, Alex, and his Custodes. Not a Crusade or Campaign game but just for fun. Here’s the write up. Mission was a Nachmund mission: Display of Spiritual Might. My secondaries were Assassinate (he had lots of characters), Domination (I had numbers so thought I might get lucky, and this was definitely a “one has three, one has one” sort of mission), and Stomp ‘Em Good (kinda tough given Custodes were elite, but thought maybe I could pull it off… spoiler alert, I didn’t hah).

Game

It was dawn on the planet, a manufacturing world in the fringe of the Segmentum Solar just past the Cicatrix Maledictum. It had been 8,000 years since Orks ravaged the planet as a part of the War of the Beast in M.32, and yet now they were back. The Cicatrix played havoc on Imperial warp travel, so it well might be even worse on the incautious Orks. Whatever the reason, they had arrived, and the landers had been pouring down from the Space Hulk and pair of Kill Kroozers since they appeared in the system. In the early dawn light, the shadows of the force–particularly a massive Morkanaut–cast long ahead as they fought their way though the shanty town.

While the Custodes were charged with defense of Holy Terra, there was a contingent of them that had been pursuing off-world aims as part of a broader defense (they’d crossed paths with some Genecults that linked back to Terra). As such, they were closest to respond. The contingent, more formal and leadership-heavy than would be ordinary, assembled as close as their lander could get them to the Ork front lines.

The Captain on the Jetbike roared ahead of the main force–which were all on foot–to scout out the battlefield and engage with the Orks as soon as he could. Unfortunately he ran right into the towering Morkanaut. The blistering hail of weapons fire from the towering beast formed such a curtain of electrical discharge, the bike’s propulsion systems caught and sputtered. The metallic beast’s crushing claws managed to swipe the bike once, and with the damage it was all the Captain could do to retreat and get himself and the precious artifact bike back to safety and a Tech adept.

The other Custodes leadership group came in two waves, Trajann and a Blade Champion with the main line, with two Shield Captains in Terminator armor using short-range teleportation strikes to join the attack alongside a group of Allarus Custodians. The Orks had some sort of battlewagon with a massive drill that moved through the earth, followed by waves of Mega-armored Nobz. Trajann stood valiantly against them, but the huge battlewagon proved to be just too sturdy (or too ramshackle) to take down easily. He found himself beset by Meganobz while trying to down the clanking behemoth of a vehicle. The Blade Champion lept into the fray, killing swathes of the heavily armored Nobz himself, but the waves were just too many. Even a single slip in coordination and the massive saws or pincers of the Ork suits could damage. With the battlewagon continuing to grind down their line of troops, they had to cede the point and make a fighting retreat. This was not Holy Terra itself, and thus tactical discretion when damage started to pile up was the order Trajann enforced. He didn’t want to lose a single brother to the odd happenstance of an Ork attack while they were responding to a different matter.

One valiant brother had fallen in the main line, while the rest had retreated in the face of considerable damage. Given a chance, the brothers could cut through the Orks’ armor easily–but the sheer numbers advantage of the Orks, plus the fire of their combi-rokkits and skorchas took a toll in terms of damage. Numerous brothers took enough damage to need to pull back to safety.

One lone Shield Captain in Terminator Armor stood firm, refusing to cede the ground while the enemy still stood. Whether he had a link to the planet, a streak of stubbornness, or a vow against the Orks it didn’t matter: he stood toe-to-toe with the massive Morkanaut and resolved to take down the giant monstrosity before he left the field.

Seconds bled into minutes as the titanic clash continued. All the other Custodes had left the field, calling to their companion over vox that he should come with them, that this was a moment for discretion. The remaining Meganobz were turning around, consolidating objectives on the battlefield, and starting to look in his direction. The Morkanaut’s attacks were being stopped by careful parries alongside the raw power of his armor’s protective field generator, but even his near-eternal strength and training started to waver. Blow after blow came closer to hurting him, and the occasional weapons shot (as the thing blazed away with all guns as well) managed to wound him. His strikes were damaging the thing, limiting its own attacks more and more. But still, it wasn’t enough. The massive claw swung and he was a little too slow, and it seized his leg. With a surprisingly quiet “snip” the leg came off entirely, and the Shield Captain fell to the ground. The mighty machine started swinging again and again down onto him, pulverizing his form further and further–the smoke and steam from the rents where his weapon had scored the metal frame of the Ork machine seeming like boiling anger at this foe.

Pict caps of the fight–gathered by data-servo skulls–were relayed to Trajann’s display. He watched his brother, veteran of a thousand fights, battle valiantly but fall to the Morkanaut. His blood boiled. The Orks needed to be stopped. This was not Terra, but it was the Segmentum Solar. This was the domain of Man, not of Orks. He vowed they would return this fight to the Orks tenfold, and that the fallen Shield Captain’s sacrifice and fervor would not be forgotten. He appended the data file to auxillary artisans, to have a new vambrace made for the Shield Captain that would replace the fallen one–to honor his legacy.

Painting Progress

Finished up three Meganobz (from a set of 12 total new ones to add to my “Deffwing” force). Super-fun to complete them as always.

Painting Challenge 2022 Progress

Warhammer 40k Orks Power Level Painted: 64/365