Now, time to make some people angry. Even angrier than VT's Landraider are sux post.So, we have yet to discuss:
Lootas
Burna Boys
Tankbustas.
Lets overview these with their similarities and then move onto the differences after that.
1. 15pts each. that's 2 1/2 basic boys per model
2. All have basic boy statline (BS2, Ld7 is whats relevant here)
3. Only tankbustas have a Nob upgrade, Burnas and Lootas don't, hence no Bosspoles
4. All have unit sizes of 5-15, which means a full block of 15 is 225 points. Almost a Land Raider
5. None have a dedicated transport option
Right, so now that we have that out of the way..
TankBustasRating: Average
Fun Factor: You are armed with WHAT?
Fail Factor: BS WHAT?
First argumentative point. Tankbustas. These guys draw a lot of hate, as in an Orky World of "no brain click die" armies, these guys need to actually use "tactics".
So, why is that.
Firstly our gun is a Rokkit Launcha. For those who don't know what this is...
S8 AP3 Assault 1.
That's what the entire squad is armed with, by default, for 15 pts.
They also get Tankbusta bombs which are Meltabombs with S6 (instead of 8).
So whats the catch?
They have a special rule, Glory Hogs.
An Ork finds something glorious in being able to boast about killing something twenty times his size. P 42. Don't we all :)
So, the rule.
Tankbustas must always attempt to shoot at and/or assault an enemy vehicle if there is one in line of sight, regardless of range. If there is nothing in LOS, do as you will.
Yup, there's those 3 words right there... "regardless of range". That's OK, says Mr Long Fangs, Missiles have 48" Range. Who cares? Well, my range is 24". See, I care.
Now, other upgrades.
There are 3.
Firstly, a standard Nob, with standard upgrades.
Second, Tankhammers. Up to 2 Tankbustas can take their rokkits and instead of firing them, duct-tape them to the end of a stick and belt a tank with them. Why would you do this? They are S10 in CC. That's S10, not just against vehicles, but also against infantry. They don't ignore saves though, from what I can see. BoLS found out what this would look like IRL: Real Life Tankbustas
Last, Bomb-Squigs.
So cute :) You can whack up to 3 of these guys in your squad, and a Busta can "shoot" one instead of a Rokkit. Why? S8 shot again, and hits on a 2+, 18" Range.
The way this works (and was FAQ'd too), is that on a 2+ they hit the nearest enemy vehicle. They act independently so don't affect the squad's target. On a 1, it hits your nearest vehicle. Still, BS5 Squigs are awesome.
So this where the "tactics" come in. We put these guys in a Battlewagon, pick a target to kill.
We move up the wagon, bail out on the wrong side, making sure our target is close to the wrong side of the wagon. We loose 3 Bomb Squigs, hitting on a 2+ with no cover saves from our BW being in the road (FAQ thank you) and then shoot the remaining 12 Rokkits into something else.
The BW blocks LOS to any vehicle targets we don't want to see, so that's good, and we can unload in the long fangs / combat squad / grots / whatevers.
So, overall, a pretty average unit. The Glory Hogs rule is there solely to stop you unloading into the Space Marines nearby, and instead use the unit for what it was designed to do, eat vehicles... which it unfortunately ain't so good at.
Burna Boyz
Rating: Better than Average
Fun Factor: You are armed with WHAT?
Fail Factor: BS SO WHAT
Take a Flamer.
Give to every Squad member.
Charge 15pts/ea
Overview completed.
Actually, that's not true.
There are a few things worth mentioning, just to keep the rabble down.
1. Mek Upgrade.
Don't. You get a Gets Hot S8 AP1 shot. Its free to do, but why bother.
2. If you feel suicidal, as long as you don't flame with a burna, its a power weapon in assault. Awesome!
3. ... OK, run out of things.
Burnas are simple squad to use. Drive up in a Battlewagon (or Trukk), throw 15 flame templates, move on. How hard is that? Not even assault termies like that.
Really, if these guys got a dedicated transport, they would be rated WTF BBQ HAX but the Transport HS slot tax really kills them.
Lootas
These guys are the intarwebs favourite unit. Sorry boys. Bad news.Rating: Better than Average, not quite "good"
Fun Factor: You are armed with WHAT? How many shots?
Fail Factor: At least they can't misfire
Whoa fester. Time to get that insanity looked at!
Well, hear me out. Lets overview, then argue.
Weapon: Deffgun.
S7 AP4 48" range. Its an autocannon. Everyone gets one, as per the standard.
Oh, unlike a true autocannon the fire D3 Heavy shots, so no moving!
So for a full squad, you are talking 15-45. for 3 full squads filling your elites, you are talking 45-135 shots.
You are still BS2, so you hit 5-15 depending on your roll. Still, good odds hey?
We can also do the Mek upgrade path, if you are so inclined.
These guys DESTROY light vehicles (<= AV12) all day, every day, and are the most reliable way to do this at range in the Ork Codex.
So, argue time.
Why don't I like Lootas. Well, there are a few reasons. The fact I can number them shows how much I dislike them.
1. They are terrible in any Comp environment, and mean you lost craploads of Comp (Komp?) points.
2. For a full squad of 225, I can almost get 2x5 Fangs with 4ML each. Cheap? Not really.
3. They are Elites, and eat valuable elites slots. With the firepower we see here, they should really be HS, and would in some ways synergize better there.
4. No leadership, at all. Small arms fire means these guys run, and generally by the time the squad runs (7 models left), they are gone as they are < 50% strength. No nob upgrade option to force re rolls, nothing.
5. They are an ideal target for small arms fire, which lets your opponent fire his heavy stuff at your heavy stuff, and his little stuff at your Lootas.
6. They are left behind on the table, and become easy pickings. With any army you need to stay together, with Orks, more so.
7. The other Orks maintain that the Lootas are a bunch of grasping, unscrupulous swine with no more concept of honour than a baked squig. P43. When the codex says this about you, whats a fester to argue?
Now, I know that this will cause uproar, but there ya go.
Awesome, awesome firepower, countered by a few reasonably relevant issues that means we just don't quite scrape into HELL YEAH territory.
