Know Your Enemy - Tau Empire in 6th Edition

Thought I'd resurrect a series that I started a long time ago. I've still got to write up the apocalypse game but it seems like a mammoth task that I can't be bothered to start at the moment. Anyway, the Know Your Enemy series is intended as a guide for people to better understand the armies they're likely to face on the battlefields of the 41st millennium. The previous posts in this series entitled "Know Thy Enemy" are a bit dated now so I thought I'd slightly change the name so that the tags will help people limit themselves to the up-to-date stuff. As I'm playing with Tau a lot recently I thought I'd give people some tips on how to beat them.

The Basics
With the update to the codex back in April, Tau have gone from a mediocre dated army that only a handful of diehard players use to a top tier army that can really pack a punch. The basic mechanic of the Tau hasn't changed a great deal. They still deal a lot of damage at extended range and their basic weaponry is S5 instead of the usual S4. They still suck in combat (for the most part) and the majority of the heavy firepower comes from crisis teams.

Unusually in 40K, Tau have a mixture of toughness and strength values. Their standard profile is T3/S3 but their suits are mostly T4/S5 (or T6/S6 for riptides). However, their other stats are pretty uniform with most units having BS3, WS2 and Initiative 2. The most notable exceptions to this are commanders who have improved BS/WS as you might expect.

Strengths and Weaknesses
On the face of it Tau are a gunline army. However, don't expect them to simply sit back and shoot. Of course they can do that, and do it well, but their real strength lies in their unexpected mobility. The main things that set Tau apart though are a prevalance of both Skyfire and Interceptor, Ignores Cover thanks to Markerlights, Storm of Fire from the Ethereals (making Fire Warriors devastating at close range) and Supporting Fire. The last one of that list has gone some way to addressing their weakness in combat.

There's no doubting one of the main weaknesses of the Tau is combat. However, you may not get there. Slogging your way on foot towards a Tau gunline is pretty much suicide but dropping in from the skies or outflanking won't help you much. Expect your reserves to be targetted as soon as they arrive. If you can get into combat then they'll fold pretty quickly but it's worth thinking about Supporting Fire. Manipulation of Overwatch is pretty key for defeating Tau, more on that below though.

There are two other important weaknesses too. Firstly, Tau troops really aren't good at taking objectives, never mind holding them. You can throw fire warriors in devilfish but they're pretty expensive which takes away valuable points for other toys. Kroot may be able to Outflank but they fold under the slightest pressure. The second weakness is their ability to deal with AV13/14. The majority of their firepower is either S5 or S7 and their melta weaponry is limited to select units.

5 Units to Watch Out For
1. Riptides

The most notable addition in the new book, these towering battlesuits are capable of some serious damage. The standard loadout is an ion accelerator (3 S7 AP2 shots or a large S8 AP2 blast), fusion blaster (18" melta), early warning override (Interceptor) and velocity tracker (Skyfire). What makes the riptide deadly is the ability to take out entire units as they arrive from reserve. The main gun has a 60" range so there aren't many places a unit can arrive and be out of range. If they can get their hands on a couple of markerlight hits then that unit of marines will be losing their cover save. The nova reactor turns an already deadly unit into a disgustingly good one.

The combination of interceptor and skyfire is also pretty deadly. Some Tau players will incorrectly try and fire both weapons in their opponents turn when actually a multi-tracker only allows for two weapons to be fired in the Shooting Phase. Even so, position your flyer within 9" (melta half-range) of a riptide and be prepared to lose it. A lot of Tau players are now taking 2 or even 3 riptides due to their ability to dominate flyers and deep strikers alike.

2. Broadsides
There are some horrible lists with broadsides in. In the previous codex Broadsides wielded S10 AP1 railguns but they've down been downgraded to S8 AP1 heavy rail rifles. However, they also have the option of  the S7 high yield missile pods and these are what you're likely to find most broadsides equipped with. The choice is then between Skyfire and Interceptor (a broadside can't have both as standard). Most players go with Interceptor and rely on twin-linkage and shot volume to compensate for Snap Shots against flyers.

The missile pods are pretty short range but it isn't difficult to position them so that they can cover most of the board. Broadsides can also take missile drones for even more S7 fire at lower BS. For this reason they're often joined by a commander to boost the drones to BS5. The commander can also be given upgrades to allow a squad of broadsides to ignore cover and/or re-roll armour pens (or wounds against MCs). They can also fire their S5 secondar weapons at the same time. Each squad of suits can put out a sickening volume of fire that few opponents can withstand. All this from a suit with two wounds and a 2+ save.

3. Crisis Suits & Commanders
Whilst crisis suits are incredibly versatile with a wide array of different weapon options the most commonly used weapons are missile pods (more S7 fire), plasma rifles (S6 AP2) and fusion blasters (18" meltas). They often deep strike into enemy lines to enable them to bring down vehicles and heavy weapons teams alike.

What they're infamous for though is their "jump-shoot-jump" manoeuvre. This allows them to hide behind cover, pop out to shoot and then hide again afterward. They can even do this on the turn they deep strike now. This makes crisis teams incredibly slippery. The commander can be given a 2+ save too which enables him to act as a tank.

4. Fire Warriors

Not as popular as kroot (see below) but worth mentioning due to the combination of large squads of fire warriors with an ethereal. If they're joined by one of these guys then at 15" each fire warrior can put out 3 S5 shots. Combine that with some markerlight hits to boost BS and you've got a deceptively deadly unit. Bear in mind they can also fire that number of shots on Overwatch (or Supporting Fire). They aren't particularly good at holding objectives though and crumble in combat if you survive the Overwatch.

5. Kroot
Pretty weak but nevertheless their cheap as hell. At just 6pts a piece most players will take these over fire warriors for the simple fact that their a scoring unit that doesn't prevent them from affording more riptides and broadsides. The key trick for Kroot is to Outflank onto objectives and hide out in cover. They can also deal with weaker units like cultists, guardsment, termagants who may be holding objectives. It's important to remember this when placing your objectives.

How to Beat Them
Tau can really hamper your gameplan, especially if that plan relies on flyers or deep strikers. However, the key is to adapt your playstyle to compensate. For starters it's worth bearing in mind that their Troop choices are weak and pretty easy to take down. As with any GEQ army flamers (particularly heavy ones) are your friend. It's easy to overlook the troops when you've got to concentrate on things like riptides but with most games based around objectives you should concentrate on their troops if you can.

If your opponent has a mass of fire warriors with an Ethereal then you should make the Ethereal a priority target right away. It's crucial to remember those precision shots for sniping him out of the unit. Not only will killing him dramatically reduce the effectiveness of the fire warriors but he'll give you a bonus VP too.

Taking out those broadsides can be a pain. They can be dealt with pretty easily by things like TH/SS terminators but any decent Tau general will priortise them as soon as they appear. However, a land raider (which some Tau armies would struggle to take out) with some terminators inside, may be a solution.

Markerlights are a big deal for Tau. In a similar way to Imperial Guard orders, if you can take out the source you can drastically reduce the firepower. Pathfinders are pretty easy to deal with and, although slightly more slippery, marker drone teams aren't too difficult to deal with if you can get them at an angle where the commander can't tank.

With Tau there's a tipping point. Expect to lose a lot early on but in later turns as you get into combat you'll start to turn the tide. The key to getting into combat is manipulating their Overwatch. Trying to approach a Tau gunline head on is foolish as theres likely to be a network of Supporting Fire. However, by picking off units on the edges of the formation you can minimise the amount of fire coming your way. If you're charging with multiple units the order in which you declare the charges is important too.

Conclusion
Tau can be incredibly tough for some armies to beat. There are some top level builds that are pretty difficult for any army to deal with so don't be disheartened if you lose to them. The important things to remember are that their troops are weak and that you shouldn't feed your units to them one at a time.

Know Thy Enemy - Part 3: Chaos Space Marines

Been a while since I've posted but I thought I'd finally get round to writing another post in this series. Well so far we've done a xenos army and an Imperial army so it's about time the traitors got a look in. Time then to look at the Chaos Space Marines and see what they've got that we need to worry about.

The Basics

The CSM codex is one of the older books that is still very playable in 5th edition. There's rumours abound that we'll be treated to a new codex with the supposed 6th edition release. However, let's see what they've got to offer in their current guise. Like the Space Wolves they've got decent basic troops that have both bolter and a pair of CC weapons (although they are slightly more expensive than our greys).

Although some people theme their armies to followers of a particular Chaos god i.e. Thousand Sons, Khorne Berserkers or Plague Marines. Most armies will be a mixture of all four, combining the strengths of each.

Strengths and Weaknesses

As I've mentioned the basic troops are pretty nice on their own with Ld 10, bolter and pair of CC weapons on top of the normal marine statline they're pretty reliable. The strength of a CSM army lies in the other Troops options though. Some of these can seem like immovable objects at times and all are very capable in combat. 

Like any Space Marine army all their units are pretty hardy and will stand up to quite a lot of punishment. With some units being fearless and the rest having high leadership you're unlikely to make them run either.

Their main weakness is their cost. Whilst they have similar options to the loyalist Space Marine armies the same unit can be more expensive in a CSM army. This means that against a SW army you're likely to outnumber them. Don't be fooled though because high Ld and some very robust troops means that it won't seem like you have an advantage.

Most units seem like they're more expensive but are actually slightly better than their loyalist counterparts. Chaos Havocs for example are 15pts base (like long fangs) but their weapons are more expensive i.e. 20pts for a missile launcher and 35pts for a lascannon. However, even with a heavy weapon they still have two CC weapons so they'll have more chance of surviving an assault.

The other notable weakness is a lack of psychic defence. Their sorcerers don't have a psychic hood (or equivalent) but then they do have some nasty powers to make up for it.

5 Units to Watch Out For

1. OBLITERATORS

Two wound terminators that are equipped with a range of heavy/special weapons and can choose which to fire. Sounds pretty nasty eh? They aren't cheap but with that amount of flexibility and the ability to deep strike it's difficult to see why your opponent wouldn't take them! They can choose from lascannon, multi-melta, plasma cannon, twin-linked plasma/melta/flamer. This means they're a threat at range and up close too.

Did I mention they've also got powerfists and 2A base just in case their firepower isn't enough?

2. DAEMON PRINCE 

Of the variety of HQ choices available the Daemon Prince seems to be the most popular and it's easy to see why. For a start they've got a really nice model but on the table they're pretty nasty. Monstrous creatures with WS7, 4 attacks at S6 and four wounds at T5.

Most people take them with wings and lash of submission. This basically means they can move like jump troops and pull units towards them before charging in and making a mess of them.

3. KHORNE BERSERKERS

Khorne Berserkers are pretty deadly in combat. They've got WS5, 2 attacks base (4 on the change) and with Furious Charge not much will survive being assaulted by them. A 10 man squad will put out 40 S5 attacks on the charge! Fearless means you'll struggle to pick them off before being charged too!

They're often taken in rhinos with a skull champion bearing a power fist (with 3 base attacks!). Makes for a pretty expensive unit at 285pts but they don't usually struggle to pay for themselves.

4. THOUSAND SONS

Another hefty Troops choice comes in the form of Thousand Sons. Anyone familiar with the SW fluff will know that these guys should be our sworn enemies as wolf players! They're a shooty unit that isn't particularly great in combat but their main advantages are their Inferno Bolts (AP3) and the combination of 3+/4++ save with fearless means you won't shift them easily. Even if you charge them with a full unit of hunters or terminators you'll still be chewing through them a few turns later!

A squad of 10 in a rhino will cost a minimum of 312pts which means you won't face many of them though. They're not very maneuvrable with their Slow and Purposeful either so you'll most likely see them hugging objectives.

5. ABADDON THE DESPOILER

The behemoth of the Chaos Space Marine army, Abaddon is a combat monster who will deal with pretty much anyone in combat. He's got 2+/4++ armour, 4 wounds at T5 (with Eternal Warrior), upto 11 power weapon attacks on the charge at S8 and I6 which can re-roll to wound. Pretty nasty eh? He's not totally unstoppable but he'll still cause you a LOT of problems.

He'll normally be accompanied by a squad of terminators as an escort and probably in a land raider to give him the devastating charge.

OTHER NOTABLE UNITS

Plague marines are one of the most durable units in the game with T5 and Feel No Pain not to mention their defensive grenades mean you'll lose your charge bonus. The Defiler can put out a punishing amount of firepower and fights like a dreadnought in combat. Chaos Terminators aren't all that different to their loyalist equivalent but are always nasty and can be equipped with a good variety of weapons.

How to beat them with Space Wolves

Like any other MEQ army you've got to make them take as many armour saves as you can or hit them with low AP weaponry. Although a lot of their units are hard to shift most of them can be ignored until you've dealt with the main threats. They'll rely on transports to get their berserkers and thousand sons into range just like you will so it's a good idea to have your long fangs de-meching them as soon as you can. Berserkers aren't all that durable out in the open so concentrate some fire on them to reduce the impact of their charge. Like BA they rely on getting the charge to be truly deadly so if you can prevent this they'll not be as lethal.

Your rune priests should be pretty effective at shutting down their daemon princes and sorcerers and it's important that you position them to cover as much of the field as possible. Use your long fangs to soften up the daemon princes so you've got a better chance against them in combat. They'll ordinarily only have a 5+ invuln. save so krak missiles should deal with them nicely. 

Similarly, make obliterators take as many saves from S8 weapons as possible as they'll suffer instant death if they roll a 1 from krak missiles. Lascannons should be pretty effective at evaporating them! Since there's likely to be deep striking terminators try to ensure your obvious targets are well protected from this kind of attack.

Abaddon can be pretty tricky to deal with but the likes of Logan will provide an interesting match up!

Know Thy Enemy - Part 2: Blood Angels

In the second post in this series I'm going to talk about the Blood Angels. They're the vampires to our were wolves! It's pretty topical since they've recently had some new models and also because I'm playing alongside them in the Warhammer 40,000 Doubles Tournament in a couple of weeks time.

The Basics
The key thing to note about the Blood Angels army is their speed! With pretty much every vehicle being fast, most of their troops having access to jump packs and librarians that can sprout wings they're going to be on you quickly. They're very much an assault orientated army relying on a devastating charge to make short work of their enemies. That doesn't mean to say you won't ever see them shooting it out but personally I think it's a waste of the codex to make a shooty BA army.

The most common type of BA army is a heavily mechanised razorspam list with small assault units inside razorbacks supported by predators and dreads. Also there's a lot of all jump pack lists floating around and I think it's here that we really see them shine. Whilst the transports are cheap and have a lot more firepower I think jump pack lists are a lot harder to deal with for us.
 

Strengths and Weaknesses
There's no doubting that Blood Angels have a devastating charge. Most of the units either have Furious Charge themselves, are granted it by proximity to a Sanguinary Priest (more of those later) or by succumbing to the red thirst. This means that they're S5 and I5 on the charge. This means that they're hitting our Space Wolves with a flurry of powerful attacks before we've even had chance to make use of Counter Attack. Not to mention you'll struggle shooting them down before combat thanks to their Feel No Pain.

The librarians have some nasty psychic powers that make them combat monsters and their special characters are all pretty fearsome opponents. Dante's curse can really take the sting out of one of your HQ choices too. Their fast vehicles mean that they can power up the battlefield, fire off a volley and still deploy troops.

They sound pretty invincible then? Well not completely. There's no doubt that their charge is nasty but if you charge them then they're no better than normal marines (except for FNP). Therefore if they don't manage to make a mess of you in the first round of combat they may find the tide turning in successive rounds. As with any marine army power weapons and low AP are your friend. 


Their other weakness is that they're very expensive, particulary jump pack armies. A Space Wolf army will nearly always outnumber a BA one and this can be a real problem for them in the long game.
 
5 Units to Watch Out For
1. SANGUINARY PRIESTS
These guys turn a strong army into a ridiculous one. A BA player can have upto 3 as a single elite choice and these can then be assigned to squads individually (in a similar way to our Wolf Guard). Whilst their statline isn't all that exciting the special rules make a huge difference. Any unit within 6" gets Feel No Pain and Furious Charge. That means that a normal assault squad will strike at I5 S5 on the charge and they'll get an additional 4+ save after any failed 3+ saves. You'll be amazed at how many times they seem to pass that 4+. 


This can be a real problem for shooty armies as they rely on thinning out assault units before they reach their lines. Once in combat the priest is fairly easy to deal with as you can pair him up with a shiny power weapon and then his brethren are no better than a normal marine.


2. DREADNOUGHTS
This is a pretty broad bracket for Blood Angels as a BA player can field a ludicrous number of dreads. There are three types Furioso, Death Company and Librarian these are in addition to standard dreads. The librarian is pretty self explanatory since he's essentially just a BA librarian in a dreadnought body. Both he and the Furioso dread have AV13 which means they're difficult to deal with in combat. The death company dread has rage which means he has to head towards the nearest target making him a bit awkward to use.


Blood talons can wipe swathes of your troops from the face of the board. Basically as long as they keep scoring kills they keep going! Scary eh?


3. BAAL PREDATORS
Normal predators don't see much use these days as they're often dwarfed by better heavy support choices but Baal Predators are Fast Attack. Like other BA vehicles they're fast which means they can cover ground whilst still firing. They come with either a flamestorm cannon or twin-linked assault cannon turret. The flamestorm is the same as featured on Land Raiders and can make short work of power armoured troops.


Baal predators can use their Scouts rule to either get right into your face on Turn 1 or more worryingly they can outflank. This can make them very deadly for removing squads of infantry from objectives even if they aren't close to the table edge.


4. DEATH COMPANY
The Death Company and their chaplain Lemartes can make short work of any squads they come into contact with. The fact that the BA player has limited control over them means that they aren't used too often but when they are it doesn't end well for their opponents. Feel No Pain, Fearless, Furious Charge and Relentless all come as standard for these guys who also have WS 5 and 2 attacks. Not difficult to see why they're one to watch out for!

5. MEPHISTON
Although Special Characters seem to struggle to make it into many peoples lists Mephiston is an exception. He's a one man killing machine that very few opponents can overcome in close combat. He has T6, 5 wounds and a 2+ save which means he can soak up more firepower than most vehicles and enemy units will struggle to wound him with normal attacks. His psychic powers (of which he can use 3 per turn) allow him to move as if he has a jump pack, give him Preferred Enemy and S10 power weapon attacks. 

I've seen him make very short work of other independent characters and whole squads of Thunderwolves and thanks to his initiative of 7 he's normally killed everything before he gets hit.

Thankfully he can't join squads and he doesn't have an invulnerable save. This means that high strength low AP isn't his friend but then you're not shooting his tanks! Power fists are his worst nightmare so squads of terminators can worry him.
 
OTHER NOTABLE UNITS
The brand new Stormraven can deliver an assault squad and dreadnought right into the heart of your lines. Not only that put it packs a nasty punch of its own too. AV12 and no second dice for melta weapons means it won't be straighforward to take down either. Assault Squads are the backbone of any BA force and they can either take cheap transports or jump packs. In their jump pack guise they can deep strike and only scatter d6" which takes a lot of the risk out of it. Commander Dante's squad won't scatter at all when they deep strike and as mentioned before his curse reduces one of your ICs stats quite significantly.

How to beat them with Space Wolves

As I've already mentioned BA rely on the charge. Obviously they're marines so they're not a pushover if they get charged but it's definitely in your interests to deny them the opportunity. Although it can be very easy for them not to field any transports it's also possible that they'll have tons so you're going to need your Long Fangs. Krak missiles will also make short work of FNP targets as they're S8 and AP3 negates any saves (except cover of course). Vindicators can give even FNP models a headache but I'd only take them if you know you're fighting BA as they aren't brilliant otherwise.

Unlike our Grey Hunters, BA assault troops have to sacrifice a bonus attack if they want to take meltaguns which helps your cause. Be sure to stay in your transport until the last possible moment so that they run the risk of failing to demech you and being forced to waste their charge destroying a rhino. Power weapons are your friend as always and be sure to keep an eye on those Sanguinary Priests, ensuring that your power weapons will be able to assign attacks to them. On the charge your grey hunters won't have much of a problem but if they get charged by BA then make sure you've got Wolf Standards to give you some nice re-rolls. I personally love using Ragnar Blackmane against them. Not only is he I6 on the charge but he allows us to play the Furious Charge game too!

Since they're normally going to get FNP your opponent will probably not spend too much time worrying about getting them a cover save so use this to your advantage and pepper any squad that breaks into the open. FNP will mean that your firepower isn't all that effective but if there's no vehicles for you to take down then by all means go for the troops.


If you opponent is fielding Death Company then use their Rage to your advantage. Make sure that you keep an eye on which unit is closest to them and you can steer them away from objectives and out of cover. Focus some firepower onto dreadnoughts and try and keep them immobilised. The specialist ones tend to lack long range fire so if you can keep them at arms length they aren't too big a threat.


Finally, Mephiston, feel free to use your heavy weapons on him, he especially doesn't like meltaguns and plasma weapons too. It may seem a waste to use these against something other than a transport but then you have to weigh up which is a bigger threat. As I've already mentioned terminators aren't his friend so Thunder Hammers, Power Fists, Wolf Claws and Frost Blades are all likely to cause him problems.

Know Thy Enemy - Part 1: The Orks

Since I finished the Special Characters series a while a go (there's links to each article on the right). I decided I needed a new running series. Welcome to Know Thy Enemy. Each post will cover a different race from the WH40K universe and what you can expect when facing them with your Space Wolves army. Whilst these will obviously geared towards SW players, anyone reading with another army will certainly find something useful from each post. Without further ado we'll start with everyone's favourite greenskins, the Orks!

The Basics

The Orks are certainly the comedy army of 40K. I don't mean that they aren't a serious threat just that there's soo many random things that can happen when facing them that it can sometimes be comical! They're an all out assault army that likes nothing more than getting right in your face as early as possible. Their average BS of 2 means that it's unlikely they'll give you any problems at range (although you'll be surprised how many 5s & 6s Ork players seem to roll) but once they're in combat with you it's very hard to shift them. 

There are probably three main types of Ork armies out there. The most basic of which is the footslogging army with large mobs of boyz who weather a hail of fire as they charge into combat with you. The second is based around hordes of trukks or battlewagons filled with various nasties and finally the more dark sider stats army, the bikers army.

Strengths and Weaknesses

As I've already mentioned Orks are excellent in hand-to-hand combat but struggle when it comes to shooting. Their average troops are pretty cheap (6pts each) which means you should expect to face a lot of them. The combination of furious charge and a Waaagh! (which I'll cover in a bit) means you really need to be denying them the charge or peppering them with fire so it doesn't hurt as much when they get to your lines. The problem is that if a unit of orks is over 10 models strong then it becomes fearless which means you're unlikely to make them run.

The only bonus is that as Space Wolves it doesn't matter so much if they do get the charge (which they mostly will). Ork boyz only have an initiative of 2 (3 on the charge) which means that if you get a nice counter-attack you can thin them out pretty well before they do you too much damage.

The Waaagh! is what converts a strong combat army into a deadly one. Once per game your opponent can call a Waaagh! which means most of his army becomes Fleet allowing him to reach your lines from upto 18" away. It's even more impressive when you throw Ghazghkull into the mix but I'll get to that later.

Finally, their unpredictability is both a strength and a weakness at the same time. Sometimes things can go horribly wrong and units can take themselves out. Other times they pull off a devastating move which you had no way of protecting yourself against. It's worth bearing in mind that most of the "random" units get overlooked by internet lists as they're just too unreliable. I think it's a real shame since it's what makes Orks fun to play against.

5 Units to Watch Out For

1. BOYZ
Perhaps the most lethal unit in the Ork army is it's most basic troops choice, Boyz. On paper they don't seem like much but when you consider that you can have 30 of them in a mob who'll be fearless until you kill 2/3 of them it soon becomes clear that they're not to be scoffed at. They've got a handy WS of 4 and 4 S4 attacks each on the charge. A totally vanilla 30 strong mob (costing 180pts) puts out 120 attacks then! The only saving grace is that initiative that I've mentioned.

Your best bet for dealing with them is plenty of pie plates and rapid fire. Thin out their numbers before they get close. Easier said than done on the Waaagh! though.

2. BIG MEKS
These basically come in two different flavours. Kustom force field or Shokk attack gun. The former grants all units within 6" a 5+ cover save and vehicles are counted as obscured targets. This can make it surprisingly difficult to blow up trukks/battlewagons before they get to you. The Shokk attack gun can either be devastating or provide you with some fantastic comedy moments. It's strength is determined by rolling 2D6 each time it fires and on doubles some funny things can happen such as the big mek being launched into the middle of his target unit. Less funny when a whole unit is removed from play though!

3. NOBZ

Nobz are the Ork equivalent of our Wolf Guard. They act as an upgrade to several of the basic units. These are most often used with power klaws in mobs of boyz. There isn't anything to like about a guy who has two wounds and 4 S9 power fist attacks on the charge! Not fun when your opponent takes a full squad of nobz with a painboy giving them feel no pain. They can be very hard to shift. As I've mentioned these are also used as bikers. This gives them two wounds at T5 and 5 attacks each on the charge (without klaws). Couple that with the speed at which they can reach your lines (with a 3+ cover save on their approach) and they can be really nasty. This is why nob biker armies are pretty deadly in tournaments. Another alternative is meganobz, a bit like terminators but without the invulnerable save. The only saving grace is that they're slow and purposeful so you can usually keep your distance.

4. BATTLEWAGONS

Along with their less well armoured cousins, trukks, battlewagons are an essential part of any mechanised ork force. What makes them ideal for the orks is that they are all open topped and the trukks are fast. This means that the they can move 12" (18" for trukks) and then the occupants can disembark and still assault 6". This gives the unit an effective range of 20" (26" for trukks). Battlewagons are AV14 on the front which means they can be used to protect the trukks for the first turn or two. Battlewagons can also have a fearsome array of weaponry. The killkannon is an S7 AP3 ordnance weapon, the Zzap gun has 2D6 strength and AP2 and the death rolla inflicts D6 S10 hits when tank shocking.

5. GHAZGHKULL THRAKKA

This guy is just unreal. Whilst in most armies it often isn't worth the cost to include a special character, Ghazghkull is all but essential at around the 2K mark. He's got 7 S10 attacks on the charge. He's also pretty difficult to kill. Assuming you wipe out the probably hefty unit he's with you'll be facing a 2+ save and Eternal Warrior to remove his 4 wounds.

What makes Ghazghkull worth taking though (if the above wasn't enough) is his special Waaagh! This lasts two turns and makes all ork units fearless as well as giving them a guaranteed 6" run and therefore 18" charge. That ork army that seemed far enough away to deal with suddenly got real close.

Oh and it makes his 2+ save invulnerable for the two turns the Waaagh! is in effect. That means in order to kill him during those two turns you'd need to inflict 6 hits per wound (on average). My advice, don't even try to take him down during the Waaagh! focus on everyone else and come back to him once he's not so insanely hard to touch.

Speaking of which I notice Ghazghkull has been thrown into the Arena of Death over at Claws and Fists.

OTHER NOTABLE UNITS

Kommandos when accompanied by Snikrot can come on from any table edge without having to roll for it when they come in from reserve. Stormboyz with Zagstruk can deep strike and assault the same turn. A full squad of Lootas can potentially put out 45 S7 shots per turn. Tankbustas are a squad full of the equivalent of a krak missile launcher for 15pts each. Finally, Killa Kans are cheap dakka considering the number of S6 blasts they can pump out.

How to beat them with Space Wolves
The key to our success when fighting Orks is to not fall into the trap of sitting back and letting them come to you. It's unlikely you'll thin them out enough to stop them being a real handful in combat by standing your ground. The best bet is to take the fight to them and try to deny them the torrent effect, making sure each of your units is only engaged by one of your opponents.

Try and distract them with fast moving units such as land speeders or even drop pods. This will split up their force and make the Waaagh! less devastating. Protecting your long fangs from their reserves will not be easy so a couple of squads is probably advisable. Template weapons are your friend against foot slogging armies so plenty of missile launchers.

Stop transports in their tracks as early as possible. Whilst this is obvious against any mech army it really pays off against Orks. Try and blow up the front line of trukks so that the rest have to steer around wreckage or difficult terrain. If Ghazghkull is in a transport (and he probably will be) then make that a priority. You don't really want him getting anywhere near you and better to have him slogging it on foot (slowly) while you take away his bodyguard.

Whilst it may be tempting to ditch the transports in favour of getting to shoot at them for longer I'd keep them so that he has to demech you thus denying him the furious charge.

Jaws of the World Wolf is going to cause havoc against orks. Try and target the power klaw nobz and you'll probably take a good number of boyz down with him. Without the nob the squad is a lot less potent and more likely to break (if he had a bosspole). Murderous Hurricane can really hurt a boyz squad, in the initial attack isn't successful then your opponent still has to choose between staying still or risking losing a good few orks to dangerous terrain tests.

The only special character I'd bother with is Ragnar. His flurry of attacks and furious charge will make mincemeat of Orks should he get the charge!

Right, time to put my money where my mouth is. Me and Matt are having an Orktakular day at the weekend. I'm playing his Orks with 2K of my Wolves and then I take over the green tide and take on 2K of his blood angels. Let's see if my tips to take them down are actually any good! I predict I'll fail miserably and you'll all lose what little respect you may have had for me!