The New Ork Codex - my thoughts one month in

Back at the end of June, beginning of July Games Workshop released the new Codex Orks.  This was the first of the seventh edition codexes, and follows a new format that I assume will be used ongoing for all the other 7th ed Codexs.  The new format sees a move away from the old method of 'unit overviews and rules summary' section, followed by an army list section at the back of the book - and moves instead to a datasheet format in which all the rules and points are included on one page.

Most of the reviewers and podcasts online are not fans of the format, mainly because it makes the building of an army list more cumbersome.  Personally I like the new layout.  I've spent many a game flipping through codexs trying to find where a rule or stat was presented, having to check 'common special rules, unit rules, and rules that somehow ended up in the army list.  This is always annoying and was never quite consistent enough to be certain.  The new format is more suited as an in game reference (like the seventh ed rulebook).  This has been achieved by sacrificing some 'out of game' convenience, and I think that was the right call.  Time during a game is more precious than time outside the game, so anything that speeds gameplay is good in my book.

Otherwise, I think the rest of the codex is wonderful.  I ended up getting both the print edition (I was lucky enough to get the collectors edition codex, which is the best collectors ed set to date, in my opinion), and the digital iPad edition.  I'm a huge fan of the digital products (see comment above about saving time in game - having a digital reference has saved massive amounts of time in game) and have stopped buying print books for the armies I don't collect - they are cheaper, take less space to store, stay current with FAQs, and are quicker to reference.  It's all good.  The Ork book has some reused art, but also a lot of new art.  The style and layout is great.  I wish they hadn't chosen Bad Moons as the 'in book army' to paint, but thats just because I'm not a fan of yellow Orks.   A supplement called Waaaagh! Ghazkull was also released, which is a nice compliment to the main book, going into the detailed background of the most feared Ork warlord in the galaxy.  The supplement has also been packed with some of the most powerful Ork formations and wargear I have seen to date.  Given both books came in the same box, and given Games Workshop now refers to 'Factions' rather than Codexes when selecting an army, I've just treated both books as one big Ork resource.  I don't play at tournaments, so don't really care if others agree or not (my club is happy with it).

So how have Orks changed?  Much lament has been heard across the web on some of the perceived 'nurfs' that Orks have taken, but I think there is hidden strength in the book.  My experience on the table is quite different to what a lot of theoryhammer bloggers and podcasters have deduced.  I'll go over my impressions overall, then cover off the units in some detail in a subsequent post.

Common Elements

All Orks, excluding Grots, have two common special rules - Mob Rule, and 'Ere we go.  Orks have lost the Waaaagh! special rule - this is now specific to Warbosses.  (as an aside, for years my friends used to think the Warboss was needed to call a Waaaagh, and after endless corrections, finally learned it was not so - but continued to joke about it every time my warboss died before calling the Waaagh.  Now their mistake has become the actual rule.  Seems like a cruel prank by Mork to me).

Mob Rule

No single change in the codex has attracted so much scorn and lamentation as this rule.  In the previous edition mob rule meant that all Orks on mobs of more than 10 were fearless, and substituted their leadership value for the number of Orks in the unit, to a max of 10.  In the new rule, Orks always use their standard leadership (usually 7) and if they fail a moral or pinning test, need to roll on a chart, which will cause them to pass the test depending on the situation, but usually taking D6 S4 hits on the unit as a consequence.  Now, before we go into the impacts of the new rule, it's worth considering the old rule for a moment.  When the old codex was released, it was on the eve of 5th edition, so was obviously written for 5th.  There was a rule in 5th called 'no retreat' which stated that fearless units that lose close combat rounds stay in combat, but take additional wounds numbering equal to the difference in combat result.  So if the Orks lost a combat by 5, they would take 5 more wounds.  I'm certain this rule was put in place specifically with Orks in mind - the Orks get so caught up in the fight, they stick around and take more losses because they can't see their force crumbling around them.  I once had a canny opponent multi-assault a mob of Orks that was almost shielded by a unit of 30 grots.  He charged the grots with two 10-man Grey Hunter Space Wolf squads, and managed to get one marnine into base contact with one Ork boy in the mob of 20.  The marines wiped out the grots entirely, and only my sole Ork could strike back, meaning I lost the combat by 30.  Needless to say the no-retreat rule caused the whole Ork Boyz mobe to be wiped out.    Now I know that was an absolute worst case example (and I was playing against New Zealands top tournament player) but I can comfortably say that at the time Orks were essentially playing as designed.  They don't run from fights, but do lose more Orks as a result of their reckless courage.

The problem is the rule had very negative consequences for other armies with fearless troops - Tyranids and Dark Angels come to mind.  So roll on to 6th edition, and the no retreat rule is removed.  Now fearless is all good, and doesn't lead to model loss.  Suddenly Orks become stronger!  So through 6th edition Orks end up with a 'no consequence' fearless ability that they were not intended to have.  It also led to some strange situations - a mob of 10 Orks with no characters had a higher leadership than a space marine tactical squad lead by a sergeant.  So the Marines fall back when the Orks hold fast?  Doesn't make much sense.  It makes less sense for a unit of boys that costs half what the marines cost points wise.

So now we enter 7th edition and see the new mob rule.  How does it really compare to the old mob rule?  Lets compare based on the mob rule table:

D6 roll of:

Rolling a 1 - if the boys are in combat they are considered to have passed the test.  If they are not they run.  You really want this result when you are taking a combat resolution test, and when it happens it's great, but unfortunately it doesn't happen very often.  Getting this result when not in combat is also not a big deal - the boys run away for a turn then get to try and rally.  You lose some ground, but that's it. Yes, the boys might not rally and may run away - so don't camp them near your table edge - you want to be on your way across the table as soon as possible.  If you are at the mid point or further, you should have at least two tests before you run off the table.  In the old days, if you had less than eleven Orks in the unit, you just ran - this is better.

Rolling a 2-3:  if you have a character in the unit you take d6 strength 4 hits.  If you don't have a character you run.  Ork mobs should always have a character.  You should protect the character as long as possible.  If you stick to these two rules, you will be fine (we'll talk about the d6 hits in a moment.  In my opinion this is the most risky of the three outcomes, but more often than not you will take some wounds and stay in the fight.   All Ork units can take characters, many come with them by default (excludes grots, dey ain't Orks is dey).  So most of the time you are taking hits, but not running.  If you do run, see 1 above.  In the old days, character or not, if you had less than eleven Orks in the unit you just ran.  This is better.

4-6:  if the mob numbers more than 10 Orks they take D6 S4 hits, otherwise they run.  Old rule - If under 10 Orks they just run, over 10 they stick it out.  This is the one situation in which things have gotten worse - but actually comes close to the old no-retreat rule when in combat.

So what we are really seeing is the return of 'no-retreat' type wounds for big mobs, and improved courage for smaller mobs.  If you had a unit of 10 Lootas, and three were shot, in the old days they would take a leadership 7 test or run away.  In the new rules, you have a 1 in 3 chance that they will stick it out if they have a character, albeit with a few wounds, otherwise they will run.  This is actually better than it was.  Big mobs of boys will almost never run (1 in 12 chance) if they have a nob with bosspole.  Yes, they will take wounds from Mob rule, so they should bring more boys.

Now, about those D6 hits.  Remember, you need to roll to wound, so odds are usually half will be negated, and from that you'll usually save 1/6th thanks to the Ork 6+ T-shirt save.  That means 3 wounds usually.  Add 'Eavy Armour and the average wounds drops to 1 - not looking so expensive at 4pts each now is it?  Two dead boys pay for the armour for three Orks.  So for small mobs, like Trukk Boyz, consider taking 'Eavy Armour.  For big mobs consider pain boys, Kustom Force Fields (won't stop the mob rule hits, but will cut back on shooting attacks that may cause the tests) or consider leaders who can either make the units fearless (like Grotsnik), or able to re-roll leadership (like Zagstrukk).

Note that Nob mobs and Meganobs have benefitted significantly from this rule, as they seldom had enough models to benefit from Mob rule before, but now will often take hits, shrug them off (especially Meganobs) and keep going.  Meganobs used to be easy to break and run if you killed a couple - now they are virtually fearless!

So in essence, Orks have lost a rule that was not designed to be as effective as it ended up being in 6th edition.  The irony is that Orks have not been considered a competitive army in 6th ed, even with old mob rule, but back in the early days of 5th were considered top tier, in spite of the no-retreat rule.  Go figure.

'Ere We Go

This rule lets Orks re-roll one dice when charging - sort of a poor mans fleet.  In my experience this rule has been a game changer.  Charges are suddenly much more reliable and Orks have gained asault reach as a result.  In the games I have played this has allowed for some devastating charges.  This rule is fantastic, and almost every single Ork gets it, even War bikers and Deffkoptas.  Nuff said.

Thats all for today - next time I'll go into the individual units to cover how they have changed.