Mr Mystery
05-10-2014, 12:11 PM
How do?
And this is the fourth in the regularly irregular series which investigate what each army is about. For those who haven't read the three previous threads, here's a quick recap.
These threads are about a general overview of each army. What it does, what it doesn't do, and what the major appeal of it is. What these threads are not about is tactical aid. You won't find anything netlisty, or even a guide to internal synergy. They're intended as as a very general look at the soul of the army.
Now, on this one, you'll have to forgive me if I go a bit wibbly in areas. Ogre Kingdoms are very much my army. Got a good sized collection, and I loves them!
Without further ado, here we go!
As ever, first up I'll be taking a squizz at the army special rules. These are the best place to find out what sets one army apart from it's contemporaries. With Ogres, these are really just icing on the cake. You see, Ogres stand apart as the only fully Monstrous Infantry army in the game.
First one in the book? Ogre Charge. Get you guts out lads, it's time for a serious perk! Essentially, every completed Ogre charge benefits from Impact hits. 1 per Ogre in the front rank, at that models strength. Which is tasty. But there's more! If you've got ranks in your unit, each one adds a point of Strength to that charge. So two ranks of Ogres impact at Strength 5, three ranks at Strength 6, and so on. And the goodies don't stop there. Oh no. You see, if you roll 10 or more on the charge dice, those impact hits go up to D3 per model. In short, a dream charge for my 6 wide, 3 deep units? Potentially 18 S6 impact hits, straight off the bat. Doesn't matter who your opponent is, that is going to hurt, and hurt a lot.
Second one is Ironfists. Bit of an oddity, as rather than an army wide rule, this is a specific bit of kit available to some units. In essence, an Ironfist acts exactly like a shield, so +1 to your armour, and that 6+ Ward Save from parry. The added bonus here is that unlike a conventional Shield, Ironfists can be fully utilised by mounted models.
Third one....is an odd one. Lookout Gnoblars. In short, an upgrade to your Banners, these allow you a Look Out Sir! as long as you have three rank and file models, instead of five. Not what I'd consider essential meself, but a tasty treat for those who wants it.
Ogre Kingdoms also benefit from some special Ogre Weapons, available here and there throughout the army. First one is the Chaintrap. Short ranged, S6, Killing Blow missile weapon. They're fun rather than deadly; though as any long term Warhammer player can guarantee you, that Killing Blow is going come into play at a most inconvenient moment for your opponent!
Next up is the Harpoon Launcher. Mostly found on Hunters, these are a deadly little addition. Think a light Bolt Thrower. 36" range, S6, move or fire, and does D3 wounds. Good fun if you've got one!
Ogre Pistols. Yeah, these are handguns, but quick to fire. Mostly spotted on Maneater units (more on those in a bit).
And that's the Ogre Special Toys covered! Time to move on to......
Ogre Characters.
Blimey. Blimey crikey. Blimey crikey o'reilly these guys are tough as old boots!
As you might expect from the background, these lads don't really do subtle. One way or another, they're all about mushing up your enemy into splutchy little pancakes.
Tyrants are your bog standard fighty lord types. Loads of attacks, good stats across the board, and in no surprise, the best Ld available to your army (9, if anyone is wondering). Their stats alone make them more than a match for most enemy characters, with really only Chaos Lords being capable of matching one without upgrades. 100 point magic item allowance can make them really, really filthy, and more capable of kicking a Dragon to death on their own.
Slaughtermasters are the other non-SC Lord choice, and are all wizardy, in addition to being a rock hard Ogre character. Can choose from Lore of the Great Maw, Heavens, Beasts or Death. Pretty average caster, but as above, married to the statline of an Ogre. Easily the most strategically flexible caster in the entire game, they can smoosh up most Lord and Heroes in other books if push comes to shove.
Heroes now.
Bruisers - Yep, mini-Tyrants, with much the same role. Common to all Ogre characters is their dependability when it comes to breaking heads. For what you get, pretty cheap and cheerful. Bung them in a unit with just a Great Weapon and they'll be happy as....as....well, an Ogre in a chip shop. Can also be upgraded to a BSB (quite important to Ogres, due to distinctly middling Ld in the army).
Hunters. Our first specialist character. Can only join Sabretusks, but can ride a Stonehorn (I'll cover them on their own). Can't be your general. A decent back up character, and can have a variety of unpleasant weapons. Like the Harpoon Launcher.
Butchers. Hero level caster. Like the Bruiser, just a 'nothing too special here' little Bro to the Slaughtermaster. A distinctly average caster, married to a respectable statline.
Firebelly. Ah...the new kid! And really, really flexible. Lore of Fire wizard, Ogre statline....and a breath weapon. Definite unit support character! That Breath Weapon can help to whittle down units attempting to tarpit. Not as magically flexible as Butchers, but they do have their own role in the army.
And that's the characters all covered off. Keen eye will note the common theme - They're all pretty respectable in combat. Which is just as well, as that's where the army is best off - up close, personal, and breaking heads! Unlike some other armies, these characters are all largely interchangable. None are a particularly stronger choice for any given force, as none have particularly special abilities. This is something I personally like about them!
Turn the page in the army book, and we get to.....
Core Units
Three choices here for us.....
Ogres - Here they are, the average lads of the army. Monstrous Infantry, decently resilient thanks to T4 and W3 each, though somewhat lacking in the armour department, with their best available save being 5+ from their standard light armour, and Ironfist upgrade. For their points costs, they're actually really, really good! Combine Ogre Charge impact hits, the sheer amount of attacks they can bung out (all at S4), and then finally Stomp (again, bunch of S4 hits) and they'll go through enemy infantry like a hot knife through butter.
Ironguts - Good bit pricier in points than plain old Ogres, but the extra carnage brought by their great weapons is not to be sniffed at. Decent sized unit will smash up absolutely anything you care to point them at. And thanks to the standard Ogre initiative of 2, the drawbacks of great weapons are pretty much negligible, as few would strike after an Ogre anyways. Each unit can also take a Magic Standard, a nice little bonus all round.
Gnoblars - They're small, they're weedy, but my word are they cheap and cheerful! They have throwing weapons, which can be fun, and can also be upgraded to include some Trappers. Trappers are easily the bestest thing about Gnoblars by a country mile. you see, if you've got Trappers in your unit, anyone successfully charging the Gnoblars has to make a Dangeous Terrain test for each and every model in the charging unit. That's a 1 in 6 chance of each testing model being removed. Not particularly dependable I know, but in line with the standard laws of Warhammer, those tests will work best against something really, really nasty. Like Chaos Knights. Other than that, Gnoblars are just, well, Gnoblars!
Special Units
Well hello.....this is the section where we start to get really fun stuff.
Leadbelchers. Our first dedicated Shooty Unit, and what a Shooty Unit! Lots of shots, good strength, and all carried around by an Ogre. Good for thinning out enemy ranks, and just as capable of dishing out the hurt in combat to boot (and usually boot in the groin). These guys truly cannot be underestimated, and I know I said there'd be no strategic coverage in this thread, I don't leave home without a unit of these. They work beautifully on a flank, where they can take nearly anything your opponent sends to get them....
Maneaters. The heavy infantry of Ogres. Each one is close to the statline of the Bruiser hero, and are marvellously flexible. From a wide choice of weapon types (though a brace of Ogre Pistols remains a firm favourite with most players), to being able to choose two USRs from a set list. This unit really is what you make of it. They can be sneaky, they can be stubborn. They can break lines, they can hold lines. Definitely worth considering in your army, as they can be used to fill in gaps in your general plan thanks to being so dashed flexible!
Sabretusk Packs. KITTY! Very, very bad *** Kitties, and sadly quite often overlooked. For what you get, they're pretty well costed. Not quite as tough as an Ogre, they are however an awful lost faster. And you can field a single Sabretusk as a unit. Should you want to. Personally, I've had some laughs with them in units of three. Send them tearing up the board, and use them to jump enemy hero level characters. Even if only two can get into BTB, that's 6 S4 attacks you're unleashing on the poor sap, which is often enough to drop a W2 character. And goes without saying they solve that pesky Wandering Wizard problem pretty sharpish, and are also pretty capable of slaughtering small units of missile troops in combat, thanks to their really good base size/attack count ratio.
Yhetees. Ridiculously fast, solid I4, S5, and enemies in base contact with them get -1 WS. Oh, and Swiftstride too. Small units can prove a good counter to Cavalry, should they get they charge. I don't have any in my army, but that's mostly because I don't like the models. Oh, and they have Magical Attacks, which can prove very handy against Vampire Count armies, as they can beat up Wraiths, Banshees and Spirithosts with relative impunity!
Mournfang Cavalry. Best. Cavalry. In. The. Game. Seriously, these guys are mental. D3 impact hits, can be upgraded to a 2+ save, and seven (count 'em!) attacks per model standard, 4 of which are S5. If you're happy with a lower save, can also have a great weapon for extra squishy attacks. They're not necessarily cheap points wise, but definitely effective.
Gorger. Bit of a Lone Wolf. Unbreakable, Killing Blow, Frenzy, Fear and Ambusher. Really come into their own if your opponent has artillery, especially as artillery is the bane of Ogres everywhere. And thanks to that Unbreakable, can also be used as a disposable distraction unit. Again slight break from promise, but I've had success using them to tarpit enemy tarpits before they get close enough to my battle line to be a concern. They get killed eventually, but by the time they've dropped, unless I'm really unlucky, the rest of my army has got stuck in good and proper, and the enemy tarpit no longer has much of a role!
Rare Units
The hardest of the hard, and funnest of the fun.
Gnoblar Scrap Launcher. It's not a Chariot. It's not a Stone Thrower. It's both!. The launcher itself has the potential to be really nasty, thanks to Killing Blow, but is otherwise a bit weedy as artillery goes. So it's just as well it also counts as a Chariot! Pretty fairly pointed overall.
Ironblaster. Like the Scrap Launcher, but with a seriously heavy duty cannon instead of a slightly peculiar Stone Thrower. This thing is feared and hated by non-Ogre players in equal measure. One of the best cannons in the game, you roll two dice for the Bounce, and use the highest, and only fails to bounce if both dice are 'misfire'. Grapeshots at S10 to boot. And it can move and fire. And it's a sodding chariot! Seriously, why wouldn't you take one. Or indeed two :) And despite it's reputation, it's pretty well pointed, being 170.
Giant. Well, what can I say? It's a Giant. If you like them, it's great. If not, it's not :)
Stonehorn. The first of our two big beasties. Absolutely gloriously hard to kill. Solid Toughness, 4+ save, and any multiple wounds are halved, rounded down. Also reasonably fast. Ride carries a Chaintrap (see above), which can be swapped for a Harpoon Launcher at no cost (I always swap meself). Instead of attacking on the charge, it instead does 3D3 impact hits, or 3D3+3 if you rolled 10+ on the charge dice. Ridden by a standard Ogre, who also gets to attack, and can also Thunderstomp after it's impact hits. All in all, it's capable of taking on an average sized unit single handedly, and will make a real mess in doing so! Also, despite it's points the Stonehorn is one of nature's Flankers. In short, there's not a lot on your average flank that's going to stop it, and it also sets it up nicely for flank charges. It may not disrupt the enemies ranks, but it will most definitely disrupt their lives. Permanently....
Thunderusk. This is a real support unit! Big beasty, two riders. Has a Stone Thrower attack (no, really!), and grants any enemy model with 6" (though note model, not unit) Always Strikes Last - a massive benefit to Ogres, as it neatly offsets our horrendous I2. Riders are again standard Ogres. One has a Chain Trap, the other a Harpoon Launcher. Same points cost as a Stonehorn, these like the characters are on equal footing when it comes to a choice between them. Stonehorn is more directly fighty, but the Thundertusk does more than just hurt stuff.
And this is the fourth in the regularly irregular series which investigate what each army is about. For those who haven't read the three previous threads, here's a quick recap.
These threads are about a general overview of each army. What it does, what it doesn't do, and what the major appeal of it is. What these threads are not about is tactical aid. You won't find anything netlisty, or even a guide to internal synergy. They're intended as as a very general look at the soul of the army.
Now, on this one, you'll have to forgive me if I go a bit wibbly in areas. Ogre Kingdoms are very much my army. Got a good sized collection, and I loves them!
Without further ado, here we go!
As ever, first up I'll be taking a squizz at the army special rules. These are the best place to find out what sets one army apart from it's contemporaries. With Ogres, these are really just icing on the cake. You see, Ogres stand apart as the only fully Monstrous Infantry army in the game.
First one in the book? Ogre Charge. Get you guts out lads, it's time for a serious perk! Essentially, every completed Ogre charge benefits from Impact hits. 1 per Ogre in the front rank, at that models strength. Which is tasty. But there's more! If you've got ranks in your unit, each one adds a point of Strength to that charge. So two ranks of Ogres impact at Strength 5, three ranks at Strength 6, and so on. And the goodies don't stop there. Oh no. You see, if you roll 10 or more on the charge dice, those impact hits go up to D3 per model. In short, a dream charge for my 6 wide, 3 deep units? Potentially 18 S6 impact hits, straight off the bat. Doesn't matter who your opponent is, that is going to hurt, and hurt a lot.
Second one is Ironfists. Bit of an oddity, as rather than an army wide rule, this is a specific bit of kit available to some units. In essence, an Ironfist acts exactly like a shield, so +1 to your armour, and that 6+ Ward Save from parry. The added bonus here is that unlike a conventional Shield, Ironfists can be fully utilised by mounted models.
Third one....is an odd one. Lookout Gnoblars. In short, an upgrade to your Banners, these allow you a Look Out Sir! as long as you have three rank and file models, instead of five. Not what I'd consider essential meself, but a tasty treat for those who wants it.
Ogre Kingdoms also benefit from some special Ogre Weapons, available here and there throughout the army. First one is the Chaintrap. Short ranged, S6, Killing Blow missile weapon. They're fun rather than deadly; though as any long term Warhammer player can guarantee you, that Killing Blow is going come into play at a most inconvenient moment for your opponent!
Next up is the Harpoon Launcher. Mostly found on Hunters, these are a deadly little addition. Think a light Bolt Thrower. 36" range, S6, move or fire, and does D3 wounds. Good fun if you've got one!
Ogre Pistols. Yeah, these are handguns, but quick to fire. Mostly spotted on Maneater units (more on those in a bit).
And that's the Ogre Special Toys covered! Time to move on to......
Ogre Characters.
Blimey. Blimey crikey. Blimey crikey o'reilly these guys are tough as old boots!
As you might expect from the background, these lads don't really do subtle. One way or another, they're all about mushing up your enemy into splutchy little pancakes.
Tyrants are your bog standard fighty lord types. Loads of attacks, good stats across the board, and in no surprise, the best Ld available to your army (9, if anyone is wondering). Their stats alone make them more than a match for most enemy characters, with really only Chaos Lords being capable of matching one without upgrades. 100 point magic item allowance can make them really, really filthy, and more capable of kicking a Dragon to death on their own.
Slaughtermasters are the other non-SC Lord choice, and are all wizardy, in addition to being a rock hard Ogre character. Can choose from Lore of the Great Maw, Heavens, Beasts or Death. Pretty average caster, but as above, married to the statline of an Ogre. Easily the most strategically flexible caster in the entire game, they can smoosh up most Lord and Heroes in other books if push comes to shove.
Heroes now.
Bruisers - Yep, mini-Tyrants, with much the same role. Common to all Ogre characters is their dependability when it comes to breaking heads. For what you get, pretty cheap and cheerful. Bung them in a unit with just a Great Weapon and they'll be happy as....as....well, an Ogre in a chip shop. Can also be upgraded to a BSB (quite important to Ogres, due to distinctly middling Ld in the army).
Hunters. Our first specialist character. Can only join Sabretusks, but can ride a Stonehorn (I'll cover them on their own). Can't be your general. A decent back up character, and can have a variety of unpleasant weapons. Like the Harpoon Launcher.
Butchers. Hero level caster. Like the Bruiser, just a 'nothing too special here' little Bro to the Slaughtermaster. A distinctly average caster, married to a respectable statline.
Firebelly. Ah...the new kid! And really, really flexible. Lore of Fire wizard, Ogre statline....and a breath weapon. Definite unit support character! That Breath Weapon can help to whittle down units attempting to tarpit. Not as magically flexible as Butchers, but they do have their own role in the army.
And that's the characters all covered off. Keen eye will note the common theme - They're all pretty respectable in combat. Which is just as well, as that's where the army is best off - up close, personal, and breaking heads! Unlike some other armies, these characters are all largely interchangable. None are a particularly stronger choice for any given force, as none have particularly special abilities. This is something I personally like about them!
Turn the page in the army book, and we get to.....
Core Units
Three choices here for us.....
Ogres - Here they are, the average lads of the army. Monstrous Infantry, decently resilient thanks to T4 and W3 each, though somewhat lacking in the armour department, with their best available save being 5+ from their standard light armour, and Ironfist upgrade. For their points costs, they're actually really, really good! Combine Ogre Charge impact hits, the sheer amount of attacks they can bung out (all at S4), and then finally Stomp (again, bunch of S4 hits) and they'll go through enemy infantry like a hot knife through butter.
Ironguts - Good bit pricier in points than plain old Ogres, but the extra carnage brought by their great weapons is not to be sniffed at. Decent sized unit will smash up absolutely anything you care to point them at. And thanks to the standard Ogre initiative of 2, the drawbacks of great weapons are pretty much negligible, as few would strike after an Ogre anyways. Each unit can also take a Magic Standard, a nice little bonus all round.
Gnoblars - They're small, they're weedy, but my word are they cheap and cheerful! They have throwing weapons, which can be fun, and can also be upgraded to include some Trappers. Trappers are easily the bestest thing about Gnoblars by a country mile. you see, if you've got Trappers in your unit, anyone successfully charging the Gnoblars has to make a Dangeous Terrain test for each and every model in the charging unit. That's a 1 in 6 chance of each testing model being removed. Not particularly dependable I know, but in line with the standard laws of Warhammer, those tests will work best against something really, really nasty. Like Chaos Knights. Other than that, Gnoblars are just, well, Gnoblars!
Special Units
Well hello.....this is the section where we start to get really fun stuff.
Leadbelchers. Our first dedicated Shooty Unit, and what a Shooty Unit! Lots of shots, good strength, and all carried around by an Ogre. Good for thinning out enemy ranks, and just as capable of dishing out the hurt in combat to boot (and usually boot in the groin). These guys truly cannot be underestimated, and I know I said there'd be no strategic coverage in this thread, I don't leave home without a unit of these. They work beautifully on a flank, where they can take nearly anything your opponent sends to get them....
Maneaters. The heavy infantry of Ogres. Each one is close to the statline of the Bruiser hero, and are marvellously flexible. From a wide choice of weapon types (though a brace of Ogre Pistols remains a firm favourite with most players), to being able to choose two USRs from a set list. This unit really is what you make of it. They can be sneaky, they can be stubborn. They can break lines, they can hold lines. Definitely worth considering in your army, as they can be used to fill in gaps in your general plan thanks to being so dashed flexible!
Sabretusk Packs. KITTY! Very, very bad *** Kitties, and sadly quite often overlooked. For what you get, they're pretty well costed. Not quite as tough as an Ogre, they are however an awful lost faster. And you can field a single Sabretusk as a unit. Should you want to. Personally, I've had some laughs with them in units of three. Send them tearing up the board, and use them to jump enemy hero level characters. Even if only two can get into BTB, that's 6 S4 attacks you're unleashing on the poor sap, which is often enough to drop a W2 character. And goes without saying they solve that pesky Wandering Wizard problem pretty sharpish, and are also pretty capable of slaughtering small units of missile troops in combat, thanks to their really good base size/attack count ratio.
Yhetees. Ridiculously fast, solid I4, S5, and enemies in base contact with them get -1 WS. Oh, and Swiftstride too. Small units can prove a good counter to Cavalry, should they get they charge. I don't have any in my army, but that's mostly because I don't like the models. Oh, and they have Magical Attacks, which can prove very handy against Vampire Count armies, as they can beat up Wraiths, Banshees and Spirithosts with relative impunity!
Mournfang Cavalry. Best. Cavalry. In. The. Game. Seriously, these guys are mental. D3 impact hits, can be upgraded to a 2+ save, and seven (count 'em!) attacks per model standard, 4 of which are S5. If you're happy with a lower save, can also have a great weapon for extra squishy attacks. They're not necessarily cheap points wise, but definitely effective.
Gorger. Bit of a Lone Wolf. Unbreakable, Killing Blow, Frenzy, Fear and Ambusher. Really come into their own if your opponent has artillery, especially as artillery is the bane of Ogres everywhere. And thanks to that Unbreakable, can also be used as a disposable distraction unit. Again slight break from promise, but I've had success using them to tarpit enemy tarpits before they get close enough to my battle line to be a concern. They get killed eventually, but by the time they've dropped, unless I'm really unlucky, the rest of my army has got stuck in good and proper, and the enemy tarpit no longer has much of a role!
Rare Units
The hardest of the hard, and funnest of the fun.
Gnoblar Scrap Launcher. It's not a Chariot. It's not a Stone Thrower. It's both!. The launcher itself has the potential to be really nasty, thanks to Killing Blow, but is otherwise a bit weedy as artillery goes. So it's just as well it also counts as a Chariot! Pretty fairly pointed overall.
Ironblaster. Like the Scrap Launcher, but with a seriously heavy duty cannon instead of a slightly peculiar Stone Thrower. This thing is feared and hated by non-Ogre players in equal measure. One of the best cannons in the game, you roll two dice for the Bounce, and use the highest, and only fails to bounce if both dice are 'misfire'. Grapeshots at S10 to boot. And it can move and fire. And it's a sodding chariot! Seriously, why wouldn't you take one. Or indeed two :) And despite it's reputation, it's pretty well pointed, being 170.
Giant. Well, what can I say? It's a Giant. If you like them, it's great. If not, it's not :)
Stonehorn. The first of our two big beasties. Absolutely gloriously hard to kill. Solid Toughness, 4+ save, and any multiple wounds are halved, rounded down. Also reasonably fast. Ride carries a Chaintrap (see above), which can be swapped for a Harpoon Launcher at no cost (I always swap meself). Instead of attacking on the charge, it instead does 3D3 impact hits, or 3D3+3 if you rolled 10+ on the charge dice. Ridden by a standard Ogre, who also gets to attack, and can also Thunderstomp after it's impact hits. All in all, it's capable of taking on an average sized unit single handedly, and will make a real mess in doing so! Also, despite it's points the Stonehorn is one of nature's Flankers. In short, there's not a lot on your average flank that's going to stop it, and it also sets it up nicely for flank charges. It may not disrupt the enemies ranks, but it will most definitely disrupt their lives. Permanently....
Thunderusk. This is a real support unit! Big beasty, two riders. Has a Stone Thrower attack (no, really!), and grants any enemy model with 6" (though note model, not unit) Always Strikes Last - a massive benefit to Ogres, as it neatly offsets our horrendous I2. Riders are again standard Ogres. One has a Chain Trap, the other a Harpoon Launcher. Same points cost as a Stonehorn, these like the characters are on equal footing when it comes to a choice between them. Stonehorn is more directly fighty, but the Thundertusk does more than just hurt stuff.