After Action Report #2: Orks vs. Tau Empire

I WON! That never happens in 40k. Seriously, I'm only exaggerating a little. Contrary to how the two systems of Warhammer are usually assumed to work I've always had more trouble understanding (and therefore winning) 40k. Its probably worth analysing why one of these days but I'm going to enjoy my victory lap first and see if there's anything worth learning from this victory.

Matters of Reality

1000 points, my Orks versus Dave's Tau Empire. Victory to me in Turn Six by way of tabling with a two Victory Points advantage beforehand. On the character pool side of things three of my characters are out for the count and under the care of the Mad Doks: my Big Mek with Shokk Attak Gun, my primary Warboss Kaptin Thunderguts and little Mek Mistah Chubb.

Matters of Story

After four games in this campaign I have finally broken out of my starting zone, capturing an area on the southern bank of a coastal estuary to the north of my home base. With the Kaptin still busy back at the rokk having bits stitched back on the other Warboss Mistah Krumpins, who won this victory, is going to be getting some quality plotting done.

He's also going to hosting a barbecue for the boyz. They have to get rid of all those Tau corpses somehow and bashing heads is hungry work.

On the “cinematic moments” side of things, in Turn Six the only model Dave had on the table was Darkstrider, who made a desperate dash into some rocks with five Flash Gitz, six Gretchin, three Deffkoptas and three Killa Kanz on his tail. The Flash Gitz got the kill in the end, so that'll have to go in the fiction.

Lessons Learnt

I've become much less timid about combat so the 20-man Boyz mobs are coming into their own. I'm currently running two in the thousand points list, I think for the fifteen hundred I'll add a third with shootas. Weight of numbers is always the way to go with Orks.

I tried out my Mek Gunz as Kannon (they're usually Zzap Gunz) and I have to say I did prefer them. The choice between a high-strength single shot and a lower strength blast template gave me much needed versatility. I think I'll keep them like this for a while.

The Flash Gitz spent most of the game stationary and finally taking advantage of their gitfindas and they really came into their own. The secret to using them, I've decided, is knowing when to sacrifice the gitfinda bonus by moving and when to hold your ground. I know “holding your ground” is an odd concept for an Ork army, but there it is.

Slapped a Kustom Force Field on the Big Mek and stuck him next to the Mek Gunz. Sadly the Big Mek blew himself up in Turn One so I'm not sure how useful spending those thirty points were.

Future Refinements

Expanding to fifteen hundred points I think definitely another twenty-man mob of Boyz. Also, with my Big Mek out for a game it may be time to try the Weirdboy.