tactica
10-20-2010, 07:35 AM
Hello I’m tactica I have written a series of 10 detailed ork tacticas which I am posting on this and other forums in order to get some feed back. I will post one tactica per week, when the articles are complete any website that wants to use them as a sticky or add them to their article database is welcome to have them.
This article is split up into five distinct sections these are…
Section One: Introduction - This section briefly explains what a Battlewagon Bash army is and summarizes what units a typical Battlewagon Bash army consists of.
Section Two: Advantages - This section outlines some of the main advantages of a Battlewagon themed army.
Section Three: Disadvantages This section looks at the weaknesses of a Battlewagon army pointing out ways in which opponents may seek to capitalize on these weaknesses.
Section Four: Over Coming weakness and Maximizing Advantages. (The Do’s and Don’ts) – This section details how best to use a Battlewagon army detailing some tips which will (hopefully) optimize your own Battlewagon armies performance.
Section Five: How The Army Works – This final part of the tactica is a detailed battle report which is included to demonstrate exactly how a Battlewagon army performs in practice.
The Section One: Introduction
The Battlewagon Bash is the polar opposite of the Horde tactic. Rather than fielding swathes and swathes of boyz it involves fielding four or five units mounted in Battlewagons supported by boyz hiding in tukks behind the Battlewagons. A typical 1500point Battlewagon Bash army deploys a bit like this with all the infantry mounted in transports. Note how the trukks do their best to hide behind either the Battlewagons or terrain.
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/158/image1lc.jpg
Section Two: Advantages
Force Denial. – If you deploy your forces carefully your opponent will only be able to shoot at AV14 Battlewagons. Any weapon they have that is S7 or under will be virtually useless. When facing a Battlewagon Bash army it is not unusual in the slightest for the majority of enemy units to be left absolutely impotent. In this example the Battlewagons are able to advance unharmed on the enemy position. Once within range the Boyz spill out of their transports and assault en mass.
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/1899/image2afk.jpg
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/2958/image3rl.jpg
Deff Rollas – Its hard to over emphasize just how awesome and useful Deff Rollas are. A Battlewagon Bash list is unique amongst all other 40k armies in that it is able to inflict massive amounts of damage in the movement phase this alone puts the Battlewagon bash army at a huge advantage over most other forces. However Deff Rollas also give an Ork force more subtle advantages. For one Battlewagon Bash armies do not always need to include ati tank specialists, as most enemy armor can be dealt with by the S10 rollas, allowing more points to be invested in other units. However perhaps the biggest advantage the Deff rollas give is their ability to knock out enemy transport vehicles without the need to disembark.
In this example a unit of truck mounted boyz dismounts then charges and destroys as Imperial Chimera, forcing it to spill its cargo of Imperial troops. The boyz are then counter attacked and destroyed in the Imperial players turn by the very same troops that were previously occupying the now destroyed Chimera.
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/9602/image4lj.jpg
http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/5507/image5ny.jpg
However Battlewagon mounted units have no such problems. In the Ork movement phase the Wagon rams the Chimera destroying it and, once again, forcing it to spill its cargo of Imperial troops. Only then do the Boyz dismount to finish of the Imperial troops in the assault phase.
http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/9642/image6b.jpg
Permanent Protection – A Battlewagon list is one of the very few mechanized armies in 40k that can destroy enemies without the need for the units on board to disembark. Battlewagons are opened topped as such units such as Shoota Boyz, Tank Bustas, Burna Boyz and Flash Gits can quite happily cruse around firing at enemy units without ever needing to disembark.
Maneuverability – Finally one advantage that should never be overlooked is the sheer maneuverability that a Battlewagon list can give. As we have seen previously foot slogger list can be given the slip by faster opponents. Battlewagon lists rarely, if ever, suffer from this vulnerability.
Section Three: Disadvantages
Vulnerable to anti tank – This is the big problem that faces all armies that rely on force denial to win games. Once your opponent knows that they will be facing an army with three or four Battlewagons it is very likely they will tailor their list to include as much anti tank units as possible. If such units are not dealt with swiftly they will decimate your army in short order.
Vulnerable to artillery – One way you opponent will try to destroy the vulnerable truck mounted units hiding behind your shield of Battlewagons is to utilize artillery that can fire over the top of the Wagons. In too many cases a fool hardy Ork general will deployed five or so trukks crammed in behind about three or four wagons. This cramped deployment is an ideal target rich environment for artillery units. 'umies players particularly will mercilessly bombard Ork formations such as this, ruining the Ork battle plans from turn one.
Can struggle against skimmers – Many Battlewagon Bash players fall into the trap of believing that because they have three Deff Rollas in their force they do not need to worry about enemy armor. Nothing could be further from the truth! panzee and fish'ead tanks in particular can easily stay well outside ramming range of your wagons and when you do get close enough to ram there is every chance the skimmers will escape harm by simply dodging the cumbersome ramming attempt.
Vulnerable to being out flanked – Skimmers and other rapid units can use their considerable speed to get around your formation enabling them to fire on the weaker flank and rear armour of the wagons also to target the more vulnerable trukks. In this example the panzee have out flanked the Ork formation and destroy it with ease
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/3329/image7d.jpg
Limited model count – Most Battlewagon Bash armies will feature at least three Battlewagons this is quite an investment in points. Armies that include four or more Battlewagons will also need to spend points on units of Nobs and, this is because three Wagons may be taken Heavy Support choices and any further Wagons must be transport choice for Nob units. All this means a Battlewagon themed army is much smaller than a typical Ork force. This limited model count means it can be difficult for a Battlewagon army to deal with horde armies such as other Orks and Nids.
Section Four: Over Coming weakness and Maximizing Advantages. (The Do’s and Don’ts)
Don’t put too many units in your Wagons – Take this advice with a slight pinch of salt - But it is inevitable your wagons will bear the brunt of the enemy fire power and despite their AV of 14 it is likely that one or more of your wagons will eventually get destroyed, especially if your opponent has tailored their force to optimize its anti tank potential. So try to Keep the majority of you units in the trukks behind the wagons and safely out of LoS of the enemy guns, I realize this is counter-intuitive but believe it or not your units will be safer in the trukks than the wagons. Only a minority of your units should be placed in the Wagons
Do protect your flanks. – While most enemy armor can be dealt with by the Deff Rollas some units, such as those pesky Hammerheads attempting to outflank your formation, can only be brought down by fire power. It’s worth including a small unit of five or so Tank Bustas with Bomb Squigs in an open topped battlewagon. Such units can down enemy skimmers with relative ease. Also make sure to protect your flanks with intelligent use of terrain. In this example two hammerheads have attempted to get round the back of the Ork formation. One is fired upon by a unit of tank busters mounted in a battlewagon on the Ork right flank the other can not get a clear shot due to the interviewing terrain.
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/7938/image8dg.jpg
Don’t be complacent – Battlewagons are AV14 but they are by no means invincible its vital that you give them as much protection as possible. Make sure all your wagons have extra armor and grot riggers. I also like to take a Big Mekk in one of my Waggons his KFF gives the entire formation a cover save and he can assist if any of the wagons get damaged. Also don't be complacent when it comes to the ability of Deff Rollas, its worht investing the points in some Grabba Claws and Wrekin Balls to give the rollas all the help they can get when smashing into enemy tanks
Do include mobile anti Hord Units – The fact is you will struggle against hordes, for this reason I like to use this little trick. In one of your wagons take a unit of no mare than ten Burna Boyz. This unt can perform drive by flaming on horde style units. In this example the battlewagon maneuvers to enable the Burna Boyz on board to five on the large unit of panzee Guardians. All ten Burna Boyz fire and the template covers only three Guardians. This may seem like a disappointing total, however bear in mind ten burners are firing at once causing 10 x 3 = 30 hits wiping out the guardians utterly!
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/2480/image9vge.jpg
Do get to grips with enemy artillery – It is well worth including a Green Baron (or two) to speed ahead of the main force a knock out enemy artillery as quickly as possible. The Barron can use its scout move to assault enemy artillery from turn one….simple!
Section Five: How The Army Works
To illustrate how a Battlewagon Bash army works in practice here is a quick 1,500 point battle report showing them in action. In this game you will note that none of the Battlewaggons have been equipped with a Deff Rolla. This as been done deliberately to demonstrate that Battlewagon armies are not a one trick pony and can win games with or without Deff Rollas.
Scenario Special Rules.
In this battle a KoS army is attempting to break through the Iron Brotherhood lines. The Iron Brotherhood must do everything in their power to prevent this from happening. This Scenario uses the ‘kill points’ rule, in addition to this the Orks will score one additional kill point for each scoring unit they manage to have in the Iron Brotherhood half of the table at the end of the game. Simulary the Iron Brotherhood will score one additional kill point for each ork scoring unit that is either wiped out or fails to make it into the Iron Brotherhood half of the table by the end of the game. The Battle is taking place in an woodland clearing and the terrain was set up to represent this.
Army Lists
Orks
HQ
Big Mek, KFF
Elite
5 x Tank Busters, 3 x Bomb Squigs, Nob, Boss Pole, Tankhammer
5 x Mega Nobs, 1 x Combi Scorcha, 4 x Combi Rokkit Launcha
Troops
12 x Boyz, Nob, Power Claw, Boss Pole, Truck
12 x Boyz, Nob, Power Claw, Boss Pole, Truck
12 x Boyz, Nob, Power Claw, Boss Pole, Truck
12 x Boyz, Nob, Power Claw, Boss Pole, Truck
12 x Boyz, Nob, Power Claw, Boss Pole, Truck
Heavy Support
Battle Wagon, Riggers, Armour Plates, Ard Case, Big Shoota
Battle Wagon, Riggers, Armour Plates, Big Shoota
Battle Wagon, Riggers, Armour Plates, Big Shoota
Iron Brotherhood
HQ
Teach Father, Bike, 2 x Plasma Pistols, 2 x Servitors
Troops
10 x Tactical Beakies, Plasma Cannon, Plasma Gun, Sergeant with Combi Plasma, razorback with Heavy Bolters
10 x Tactical Beakies, Plasma Cannon, Plasma Gun, Sergeant with Combi Plasma, razorback with Heavy Bolters
Elite
Dreadnaught with Assault cannon
Dreadnaught with Assault cannon
5 x Assault terminators
Heavy Support
Land Raider, Lascannons, Heavy Bolters, Multi Melter
Predator, Autocannon, Heavy Bolters
Predator, Autocannon, Heavy Bolters
Iron Brotherhood Deployment
(1)The Iron Brotherhood deployed their mechanized task force in a defensive formation with Dreadnaughts protecting either flank against the threat of Ork outflanking units.
(2) The Brotherhood opted to split the two tactical squads into four five man teams, two of the five man teams, armed with plasma cannons deployed in a ruin to the left of their deployment zone which had been fortified by the Tech Father leading their task force, thus granting them a 3+ cover save
(3)The remaining two five man squads armed with plasma guns deployed in their Razorback transport vehicles
(4) At the center of the Brotherhood lines was a Land Raider transporting a unit of five assault terminators. This unit would anchor the Brotherhood line and allow the terminators to launch a counterattack against any ork assaults.
http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/1576/image1rr.jpg
Ork Deployment
(1) The main body of the Ork army consisted of 5 squads of truck mounted boyz all of which came with a PK armed nob. These deployed out of LoS of the Brotherhood guns by hiding behind a mobile shield of three AV14 Battlewagons.
(2) The battlewagons themselves transported 5 tankbusta boyz, 5 Mega Nobs and a Big Mek with a KFF which gave the entire formation a 5+ cover save
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/5271/image2epl.jpg
Iron Brotherhood Turn One
For the most part the Ironbrotherhood was content to simply sit back and pound the oncoming Ork battle wagons. Unfortunately for the brotherhood most of their big guns were unable to harm the AV14 battlewagons and these were the only units they had LoS to.
(1) The only weapons that were in range and capable of harming an AV14 target were the God Hammer paten las cannons on the Land raider. This guns took aim but only managed to get a crew shaken result on the central battlewagon.
http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/7104/image3y.jpg
Ork Turn One
The Ork formation sped forward doing their upmost to make sure their fragile trucks were kept out of LoS by either the Battlewagons or by terrain.
(1) The only shooting from the Orks came from the Tank Busta Boyz mounted on the Battlewagon on the left of the Ork formation, they unleashed three bomb squigs, which proved to be (just) out of range and two rokkits, one of the rokkits managed to destroy the twin linked heavy bolters on the Razorback
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/4164/image4sq.jpg
Iron Brotherhood Turn Two
(1)Eager to halt the ork advancement, the Dreadnaught on the left flank moved forward and let fly with its assault cannon, although all four shots were on target, the cannon failed to cause any harm to the battlewagon and merely annoyed the occupants by scratching the paintwork
(2) Meanwhile the Land raider containing the Assault Terminators edged forward accompanied by the second Dreadnaught, it was the Brotherhood commanders plan that the Terminators and Dreadnaught should form a bulwark to halt the inevitable Ork charge and push the green skins back. After moving both the Land Raider and the Dreadnaught targeted the Battlewagons but once again failed to get though the AV14 armour or the Meks Force Field.
(3) on the right flank a predator and razor back edged away from the oncoming Orks in the hope of being safe from assault in the following turns
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/9281/image5cm.jpg
Ork Turn Two
The orks once again sped forward taking care to maintain their formation and so prevent damage to the fragile truks behind.
In this turn the Big Mek decided that his truck mounted boyz were still (just) to far away to dismount and make an attack on the beakie lines, as such the only forces he sent into combat this turn were the Tank Busta Boyz and the Mega Nobs. This units had the formidable task of breaking though the beakie bulwark in the hope that the truck mounted boyz would then be able to poor though the breach and assault the beakie position in the next turn.
(1) the tank busta boyz set about this task with glee as they assaulted the Land Raider. However to the shock of everyone present the tank bustas only managed to get a crew shaken result on the Landraider.
(2) The mega nobs faired better as they managed to bring down the Dreadnaught but they lost two of their number in the process.
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/3624/image6gc.jpg
Iron Brotherhood Turn Three
(1)Finally with a target in their sights that was not AV14 the Tacitical squad in the Ruins fired their plasma cannons into the tankbusta boyz. Destroying the entire unit with ease.
(2) the last remaining brotherhood dreadnaught attempted to follow suit but, despite fring on the side armour of the battlewagon, was still unable to score a single penetrating hit…*sigh* rendering is just not what it used to be.
(3) Desperate to halt the Ork advance and from that all important impenetrable bulwark the assault terminators charged forwarded and finally managed to destroy one of the Ork Battlewagons
(4) Meanwhile the Tech Father took aim with is two plasma pistols and killed a Mega Nob. The job was then finished by a tactical squad that dismounted from their razorback and fired their plasma gun and their sergeants combi plasma at the Mega Nobs, wiping them out.
http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/5621/image7w.jpg
Ork Turn Three
Now it was time for the Orks to make their move…Now it was time for WAAAGH! All the Ork truck mounted units made their move this charge and they all managed to enter into combat with beakie units
(1)On the left flank a squad of truck boyz managed to destroy an beakie dread
(2) The beakie combat squads were easly overran by two units of truck boyz who then quite gleefully occupied the ruin to benefit from its 3+ cover save
(3) The Terminators were similarly overrun, their strom shields providing them little defence against the sheer volume of choppa attacks. It had been a decisive charge for the Orks, but had they left themselves open to a counter attack?
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/5836/image8pf.jpg
Ironbrotherhood Turn Four
The Ironbrother hood had little in the way of launching a counter attack, and so were forced to resort to relatively desperate measures, attempting to grab easy kill points by destroying soft targets
(1) On the left flank a predator managed to destroy an Ork Truck with its auto cannon, salvaging one kill point.
(2) The Land Raider disappointed all as it only managed to destroy the weapon on the Ork Truck it targeted
(3) On the right flank the combined fire power of a Predator and razor back managed to salvage an other victory point by destroying an other Truck.
http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/3898/image9s.jpg
Ork Turn Four
The Orks were now free to run rampant over the Imperial lines and struck where ever they pleased
(1) those boyz not yet in assault range of Imperial units remounted their trucks as the Orks reformed their formation in an attempt to stop giving away cheap victory points.
(2 & 3) Units that were in range assaulted the beakie tanks and where they did so tore them to pieces forcing the inhabitants to dismount.
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/8701/image10n.jpg
beakie Turn Five
(1)Due to the desperate nature of the situation the Beakies backed of in order to prevent assault. All available units then let rip on a unit of truck boyz killing 10 of them and sending the rest scurrying from this onslaught. The only downside was that a tactical beakie killed himself when his Plasma gun overheated…Doh!
http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/6527/image11m.jpg
Ork Turn Five
(1)The orks that had just witnessed the demise of the nearby squad opted to hide out of LoS of the imperial guns by sheltering behind a burning razorback wreck.
(2) The last Ork boy from his unit continued to run, but as he did so he levelled his slugga and took aim at the beakie sergeant, to the amazement of all the Ork boy managed to hit the sergeant right between the eyes killing him instantly and scoring an other kill point for the boyz.
( 3 & 4) Meanwhile the Orks continued to maintain their formation in order to prevent giving away cheap kill points.
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/8752/image12je.jpg
beakie Turn Six
In this turn the Beakies continued to blaze away at the Boyz occupying their deployment zone. Two heavy Bolters, two twnin linked heavy bolters, an auto cannon and two twin linked lascannons all fired on the boyz occupying the fortified ruins. Unsurprisingly the boyz opted to go to ground thus gaining a 2+ cover save. After the salvo was over not a single Ork was harmed.
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/4320/image13b.jpg
Ork Turn Six
In the final turn the orks moved all their scoring units into the beakie half of the table. The blockade had been broken with ease. It was a solid victory for the greenskins
Conclusion
There is nothing more fun or more Orky than slamming a Battlewagon full of boyz right into the middle of the enemy lines. And if use effective this tactic can also be a real winner! So have fun! PS if you just read the whole thing please leave some sort of feed back, thanx.
This article is split up into five distinct sections these are…
Section One: Introduction - This section briefly explains what a Battlewagon Bash army is and summarizes what units a typical Battlewagon Bash army consists of.
Section Two: Advantages - This section outlines some of the main advantages of a Battlewagon themed army.
Section Three: Disadvantages This section looks at the weaknesses of a Battlewagon army pointing out ways in which opponents may seek to capitalize on these weaknesses.
Section Four: Over Coming weakness and Maximizing Advantages. (The Do’s and Don’ts) – This section details how best to use a Battlewagon army detailing some tips which will (hopefully) optimize your own Battlewagon armies performance.
Section Five: How The Army Works – This final part of the tactica is a detailed battle report which is included to demonstrate exactly how a Battlewagon army performs in practice.
The Section One: Introduction
The Battlewagon Bash is the polar opposite of the Horde tactic. Rather than fielding swathes and swathes of boyz it involves fielding four or five units mounted in Battlewagons supported by boyz hiding in tukks behind the Battlewagons. A typical 1500point Battlewagon Bash army deploys a bit like this with all the infantry mounted in transports. Note how the trukks do their best to hide behind either the Battlewagons or terrain.
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/158/image1lc.jpg
Section Two: Advantages
Force Denial. – If you deploy your forces carefully your opponent will only be able to shoot at AV14 Battlewagons. Any weapon they have that is S7 or under will be virtually useless. When facing a Battlewagon Bash army it is not unusual in the slightest for the majority of enemy units to be left absolutely impotent. In this example the Battlewagons are able to advance unharmed on the enemy position. Once within range the Boyz spill out of their transports and assault en mass.
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/1899/image2afk.jpg
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/2958/image3rl.jpg
Deff Rollas – Its hard to over emphasize just how awesome and useful Deff Rollas are. A Battlewagon Bash list is unique amongst all other 40k armies in that it is able to inflict massive amounts of damage in the movement phase this alone puts the Battlewagon bash army at a huge advantage over most other forces. However Deff Rollas also give an Ork force more subtle advantages. For one Battlewagon Bash armies do not always need to include ati tank specialists, as most enemy armor can be dealt with by the S10 rollas, allowing more points to be invested in other units. However perhaps the biggest advantage the Deff rollas give is their ability to knock out enemy transport vehicles without the need to disembark.
In this example a unit of truck mounted boyz dismounts then charges and destroys as Imperial Chimera, forcing it to spill its cargo of Imperial troops. The boyz are then counter attacked and destroyed in the Imperial players turn by the very same troops that were previously occupying the now destroyed Chimera.
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/9602/image4lj.jpg
http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/5507/image5ny.jpg
However Battlewagon mounted units have no such problems. In the Ork movement phase the Wagon rams the Chimera destroying it and, once again, forcing it to spill its cargo of Imperial troops. Only then do the Boyz dismount to finish of the Imperial troops in the assault phase.
http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/9642/image6b.jpg
Permanent Protection – A Battlewagon list is one of the very few mechanized armies in 40k that can destroy enemies without the need for the units on board to disembark. Battlewagons are opened topped as such units such as Shoota Boyz, Tank Bustas, Burna Boyz and Flash Gits can quite happily cruse around firing at enemy units without ever needing to disembark.
Maneuverability – Finally one advantage that should never be overlooked is the sheer maneuverability that a Battlewagon list can give. As we have seen previously foot slogger list can be given the slip by faster opponents. Battlewagon lists rarely, if ever, suffer from this vulnerability.
Section Three: Disadvantages
Vulnerable to anti tank – This is the big problem that faces all armies that rely on force denial to win games. Once your opponent knows that they will be facing an army with three or four Battlewagons it is very likely they will tailor their list to include as much anti tank units as possible. If such units are not dealt with swiftly they will decimate your army in short order.
Vulnerable to artillery – One way you opponent will try to destroy the vulnerable truck mounted units hiding behind your shield of Battlewagons is to utilize artillery that can fire over the top of the Wagons. In too many cases a fool hardy Ork general will deployed five or so trukks crammed in behind about three or four wagons. This cramped deployment is an ideal target rich environment for artillery units. 'umies players particularly will mercilessly bombard Ork formations such as this, ruining the Ork battle plans from turn one.
Can struggle against skimmers – Many Battlewagon Bash players fall into the trap of believing that because they have three Deff Rollas in their force they do not need to worry about enemy armor. Nothing could be further from the truth! panzee and fish'ead tanks in particular can easily stay well outside ramming range of your wagons and when you do get close enough to ram there is every chance the skimmers will escape harm by simply dodging the cumbersome ramming attempt.
Vulnerable to being out flanked – Skimmers and other rapid units can use their considerable speed to get around your formation enabling them to fire on the weaker flank and rear armour of the wagons also to target the more vulnerable trukks. In this example the panzee have out flanked the Ork formation and destroy it with ease
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/3329/image7d.jpg
Limited model count – Most Battlewagon Bash armies will feature at least three Battlewagons this is quite an investment in points. Armies that include four or more Battlewagons will also need to spend points on units of Nobs and, this is because three Wagons may be taken Heavy Support choices and any further Wagons must be transport choice for Nob units. All this means a Battlewagon themed army is much smaller than a typical Ork force. This limited model count means it can be difficult for a Battlewagon army to deal with horde armies such as other Orks and Nids.
Section Four: Over Coming weakness and Maximizing Advantages. (The Do’s and Don’ts)
Don’t put too many units in your Wagons – Take this advice with a slight pinch of salt - But it is inevitable your wagons will bear the brunt of the enemy fire power and despite their AV of 14 it is likely that one or more of your wagons will eventually get destroyed, especially if your opponent has tailored their force to optimize its anti tank potential. So try to Keep the majority of you units in the trukks behind the wagons and safely out of LoS of the enemy guns, I realize this is counter-intuitive but believe it or not your units will be safer in the trukks than the wagons. Only a minority of your units should be placed in the Wagons
Do protect your flanks. – While most enemy armor can be dealt with by the Deff Rollas some units, such as those pesky Hammerheads attempting to outflank your formation, can only be brought down by fire power. It’s worth including a small unit of five or so Tank Bustas with Bomb Squigs in an open topped battlewagon. Such units can down enemy skimmers with relative ease. Also make sure to protect your flanks with intelligent use of terrain. In this example two hammerheads have attempted to get round the back of the Ork formation. One is fired upon by a unit of tank busters mounted in a battlewagon on the Ork right flank the other can not get a clear shot due to the interviewing terrain.
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/7938/image8dg.jpg
Don’t be complacent – Battlewagons are AV14 but they are by no means invincible its vital that you give them as much protection as possible. Make sure all your wagons have extra armor and grot riggers. I also like to take a Big Mekk in one of my Waggons his KFF gives the entire formation a cover save and he can assist if any of the wagons get damaged. Also don't be complacent when it comes to the ability of Deff Rollas, its worht investing the points in some Grabba Claws and Wrekin Balls to give the rollas all the help they can get when smashing into enemy tanks
Do include mobile anti Hord Units – The fact is you will struggle against hordes, for this reason I like to use this little trick. In one of your wagons take a unit of no mare than ten Burna Boyz. This unt can perform drive by flaming on horde style units. In this example the battlewagon maneuvers to enable the Burna Boyz on board to five on the large unit of panzee Guardians. All ten Burna Boyz fire and the template covers only three Guardians. This may seem like a disappointing total, however bear in mind ten burners are firing at once causing 10 x 3 = 30 hits wiping out the guardians utterly!
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/2480/image9vge.jpg
Do get to grips with enemy artillery – It is well worth including a Green Baron (or two) to speed ahead of the main force a knock out enemy artillery as quickly as possible. The Barron can use its scout move to assault enemy artillery from turn one….simple!
Section Five: How The Army Works
To illustrate how a Battlewagon Bash army works in practice here is a quick 1,500 point battle report showing them in action. In this game you will note that none of the Battlewaggons have been equipped with a Deff Rolla. This as been done deliberately to demonstrate that Battlewagon armies are not a one trick pony and can win games with or without Deff Rollas.
Scenario Special Rules.
In this battle a KoS army is attempting to break through the Iron Brotherhood lines. The Iron Brotherhood must do everything in their power to prevent this from happening. This Scenario uses the ‘kill points’ rule, in addition to this the Orks will score one additional kill point for each scoring unit they manage to have in the Iron Brotherhood half of the table at the end of the game. Simulary the Iron Brotherhood will score one additional kill point for each ork scoring unit that is either wiped out or fails to make it into the Iron Brotherhood half of the table by the end of the game. The Battle is taking place in an woodland clearing and the terrain was set up to represent this.
Army Lists
Orks
HQ
Big Mek, KFF
Elite
5 x Tank Busters, 3 x Bomb Squigs, Nob, Boss Pole, Tankhammer
5 x Mega Nobs, 1 x Combi Scorcha, 4 x Combi Rokkit Launcha
Troops
12 x Boyz, Nob, Power Claw, Boss Pole, Truck
12 x Boyz, Nob, Power Claw, Boss Pole, Truck
12 x Boyz, Nob, Power Claw, Boss Pole, Truck
12 x Boyz, Nob, Power Claw, Boss Pole, Truck
12 x Boyz, Nob, Power Claw, Boss Pole, Truck
Heavy Support
Battle Wagon, Riggers, Armour Plates, Ard Case, Big Shoota
Battle Wagon, Riggers, Armour Plates, Big Shoota
Battle Wagon, Riggers, Armour Plates, Big Shoota
Iron Brotherhood
HQ
Teach Father, Bike, 2 x Plasma Pistols, 2 x Servitors
Troops
10 x Tactical Beakies, Plasma Cannon, Plasma Gun, Sergeant with Combi Plasma, razorback with Heavy Bolters
10 x Tactical Beakies, Plasma Cannon, Plasma Gun, Sergeant with Combi Plasma, razorback with Heavy Bolters
Elite
Dreadnaught with Assault cannon
Dreadnaught with Assault cannon
5 x Assault terminators
Heavy Support
Land Raider, Lascannons, Heavy Bolters, Multi Melter
Predator, Autocannon, Heavy Bolters
Predator, Autocannon, Heavy Bolters
Iron Brotherhood Deployment
(1)The Iron Brotherhood deployed their mechanized task force in a defensive formation with Dreadnaughts protecting either flank against the threat of Ork outflanking units.
(2) The Brotherhood opted to split the two tactical squads into four five man teams, two of the five man teams, armed with plasma cannons deployed in a ruin to the left of their deployment zone which had been fortified by the Tech Father leading their task force, thus granting them a 3+ cover save
(3)The remaining two five man squads armed with plasma guns deployed in their Razorback transport vehicles
(4) At the center of the Brotherhood lines was a Land Raider transporting a unit of five assault terminators. This unit would anchor the Brotherhood line and allow the terminators to launch a counterattack against any ork assaults.
http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/1576/image1rr.jpg
Ork Deployment
(1) The main body of the Ork army consisted of 5 squads of truck mounted boyz all of which came with a PK armed nob. These deployed out of LoS of the Brotherhood guns by hiding behind a mobile shield of three AV14 Battlewagons.
(2) The battlewagons themselves transported 5 tankbusta boyz, 5 Mega Nobs and a Big Mek with a KFF which gave the entire formation a 5+ cover save
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/5271/image2epl.jpg
Iron Brotherhood Turn One
For the most part the Ironbrotherhood was content to simply sit back and pound the oncoming Ork battle wagons. Unfortunately for the brotherhood most of their big guns were unable to harm the AV14 battlewagons and these were the only units they had LoS to.
(1) The only weapons that were in range and capable of harming an AV14 target were the God Hammer paten las cannons on the Land raider. This guns took aim but only managed to get a crew shaken result on the central battlewagon.
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Ork Turn One
The Ork formation sped forward doing their upmost to make sure their fragile trucks were kept out of LoS by either the Battlewagons or by terrain.
(1) The only shooting from the Orks came from the Tank Busta Boyz mounted on the Battlewagon on the left of the Ork formation, they unleashed three bomb squigs, which proved to be (just) out of range and two rokkits, one of the rokkits managed to destroy the twin linked heavy bolters on the Razorback
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/4164/image4sq.jpg
Iron Brotherhood Turn Two
(1)Eager to halt the ork advancement, the Dreadnaught on the left flank moved forward and let fly with its assault cannon, although all four shots were on target, the cannon failed to cause any harm to the battlewagon and merely annoyed the occupants by scratching the paintwork
(2) Meanwhile the Land raider containing the Assault Terminators edged forward accompanied by the second Dreadnaught, it was the Brotherhood commanders plan that the Terminators and Dreadnaught should form a bulwark to halt the inevitable Ork charge and push the green skins back. After moving both the Land Raider and the Dreadnaught targeted the Battlewagons but once again failed to get though the AV14 armour or the Meks Force Field.
(3) on the right flank a predator and razor back edged away from the oncoming Orks in the hope of being safe from assault in the following turns
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Ork Turn Two
The orks once again sped forward taking care to maintain their formation and so prevent damage to the fragile truks behind.
In this turn the Big Mek decided that his truck mounted boyz were still (just) to far away to dismount and make an attack on the beakie lines, as such the only forces he sent into combat this turn were the Tank Busta Boyz and the Mega Nobs. This units had the formidable task of breaking though the beakie bulwark in the hope that the truck mounted boyz would then be able to poor though the breach and assault the beakie position in the next turn.
(1) the tank busta boyz set about this task with glee as they assaulted the Land Raider. However to the shock of everyone present the tank bustas only managed to get a crew shaken result on the Landraider.
(2) The mega nobs faired better as they managed to bring down the Dreadnaught but they lost two of their number in the process.
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/3624/image6gc.jpg
Iron Brotherhood Turn Three
(1)Finally with a target in their sights that was not AV14 the Tacitical squad in the Ruins fired their plasma cannons into the tankbusta boyz. Destroying the entire unit with ease.
(2) the last remaining brotherhood dreadnaught attempted to follow suit but, despite fring on the side armour of the battlewagon, was still unable to score a single penetrating hit…*sigh* rendering is just not what it used to be.
(3) Desperate to halt the Ork advance and from that all important impenetrable bulwark the assault terminators charged forwarded and finally managed to destroy one of the Ork Battlewagons
(4) Meanwhile the Tech Father took aim with is two plasma pistols and killed a Mega Nob. The job was then finished by a tactical squad that dismounted from their razorback and fired their plasma gun and their sergeants combi plasma at the Mega Nobs, wiping them out.
http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/5621/image7w.jpg
Ork Turn Three
Now it was time for the Orks to make their move…Now it was time for WAAAGH! All the Ork truck mounted units made their move this charge and they all managed to enter into combat with beakie units
(1)On the left flank a squad of truck boyz managed to destroy an beakie dread
(2) The beakie combat squads were easly overran by two units of truck boyz who then quite gleefully occupied the ruin to benefit from its 3+ cover save
(3) The Terminators were similarly overrun, their strom shields providing them little defence against the sheer volume of choppa attacks. It had been a decisive charge for the Orks, but had they left themselves open to a counter attack?
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/5836/image8pf.jpg
Ironbrotherhood Turn Four
The Ironbrother hood had little in the way of launching a counter attack, and so were forced to resort to relatively desperate measures, attempting to grab easy kill points by destroying soft targets
(1) On the left flank a predator managed to destroy an Ork Truck with its auto cannon, salvaging one kill point.
(2) The Land Raider disappointed all as it only managed to destroy the weapon on the Ork Truck it targeted
(3) On the right flank the combined fire power of a Predator and razor back managed to salvage an other victory point by destroying an other Truck.
http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/3898/image9s.jpg
Ork Turn Four
The Orks were now free to run rampant over the Imperial lines and struck where ever they pleased
(1) those boyz not yet in assault range of Imperial units remounted their trucks as the Orks reformed their formation in an attempt to stop giving away cheap victory points.
(2 & 3) Units that were in range assaulted the beakie tanks and where they did so tore them to pieces forcing the inhabitants to dismount.
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/8701/image10n.jpg
beakie Turn Five
(1)Due to the desperate nature of the situation the Beakies backed of in order to prevent assault. All available units then let rip on a unit of truck boyz killing 10 of them and sending the rest scurrying from this onslaught. The only downside was that a tactical beakie killed himself when his Plasma gun overheated…Doh!
http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/6527/image11m.jpg
Ork Turn Five
(1)The orks that had just witnessed the demise of the nearby squad opted to hide out of LoS of the imperial guns by sheltering behind a burning razorback wreck.
(2) The last Ork boy from his unit continued to run, but as he did so he levelled his slugga and took aim at the beakie sergeant, to the amazement of all the Ork boy managed to hit the sergeant right between the eyes killing him instantly and scoring an other kill point for the boyz.
( 3 & 4) Meanwhile the Orks continued to maintain their formation in order to prevent giving away cheap kill points.
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/8752/image12je.jpg
beakie Turn Six
In this turn the Beakies continued to blaze away at the Boyz occupying their deployment zone. Two heavy Bolters, two twnin linked heavy bolters, an auto cannon and two twin linked lascannons all fired on the boyz occupying the fortified ruins. Unsurprisingly the boyz opted to go to ground thus gaining a 2+ cover save. After the salvo was over not a single Ork was harmed.
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/4320/image13b.jpg
Ork Turn Six
In the final turn the orks moved all their scoring units into the beakie half of the table. The blockade had been broken with ease. It was a solid victory for the greenskins
Conclusion
There is nothing more fun or more Orky than slamming a Battlewagon full of boyz right into the middle of the enemy lines. And if use effective this tactic can also be a real winner! So have fun! PS if you just read the whole thing please leave some sort of feed back, thanx.