Half a year ago I posed this same question to Fluger and even from greatest Ork defender he basically said, “If you like to play with one hand cut off then go right ahead”. The reason I asked the question was because my Ork playing background I have never really used or needed it. I started playing Orks when I got five AoBR Orks sets–  around the release of the Space Marines 5th ed codex. My Ork force has since grown to the point where it dominates one of my display cases just waiting to spill out.

Typically I don’t play models I don’t have, so for the last three years of my Ork career I have only played with a KFF once. Without the KFF I have won more with Orks than any other army in 5th edition. This is not to say I don’t lose games, far from it, it is just my most success has come playing my Orks. The only armies that have given my green Boyz any real trouble has been Space Wolves or other Ork players.

I have thought long and hard on how I been winning without maybe the most Internet approved piece of wargear.  The first and most important thing I had to consider when understanding why I had success without a KFF, was I didn’t play typical Ork lists.

Remember I said I got five sets of AoBR boyz? That forced me into Greentide at a very early age, but that evolved into a hybrid of units that I play today.

In the beginning it really didn’t make sense to use the KFF especially when you can get 4+ cover for most of your Greentide. Within a year though my Ork lists came to consist of two trukks, two warbosses, one lootas squad, one or two nobz squads, one or two blob ork squads, one or two grot squads, and copters. This was because those were the only Ork models I owned, not some grand design to forcibly gimp myself.

So what did I learn from playing such a minimal lists?

I learned to almost always put my Trukks in reserve. The obvious reason being that you cannot shoot a trukks that are not around, but the main reason was it allowed me to place them in response to my opponents movements. Having the entire board edge to come (especially in Spearhead) has some great advantages. The second thing I learned was that those trukks were going to die and it is not worth crying about it– even with Nobs inside. Another thing I learned was that large Ork Squads find cover easier than I expected because of how much space they take up.

Spreading Orks across the board is an easy and effective, (Fluger has talked about this) with covering the center of the board pretty east. I also learned (not many Ork players do) Nobz seem to survive longer as a counter assault unit instead of leading the charge. This discovery I am sure was an extension of leaving them in reserve so often. I also usually have about six scoring units in my lists (once again not by design) forcing my opponents to deal with three (30 Boyz, Nobz, Grots) distinctly different units each posing different struggles to get through.

Today my lists now mix in Wierdboyz, Snikrot, and Buggies which have all proved fun and effective. Here are some previous posts from me and Fluger about those units that you might find useful.

Wierdboyz Tactics

 

 

 

Snikrot Tactics

 

 

 

Buggy Tactics

 

 

 

These new elements has made it even easier to never consider the KFF, especially when I can put the Warboss with Snikrot.

All of this is not brain science, but it does illustrate some simple ways players often don’t play Orks. Obviously, the over-arching reason I never need a KFF is because I don’t play Mech Ork armies. My Ork armies are designed to spread out, utilize the entire board and being forced into a KFF bubble no matter how large seems restricting to my style of play. Besides Mech Ork lists are so easy to telegraph.

My journey without a KFF has made me consider that possibility that many Ork players are handicapped by the KFF. Not because it is a bad piece of wargear (obviously is it pretty fantastic), but because they have not experimented with the rest of the codex. Making many Ork players too limited in list design and allows certain other armies to easily take them apart. This is all wild speculation, but I wonder if I could be on to something…

What do you think?

Also do you think it is possible for Orks to win and be competitive without the KFF?