My Tactics pledge: I am not the greatest player, nor a seal pup. I will endeavor to speak from my experience and always be honest about what is theory and what is play tested. Never will I assume to know better than anyone else... unless I must call out ego or pretension.
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Charging for Life...
Finally, I have enough games under my belt to have sense of how the new Orks play and what better place to start than with the Warboss. This linchpin of many Ork forces hasn't gone anywhere between editions, he now has the flexibility combined with the cost advantages from previous editions. Like the Chaos Space Marine Lords, the Ork Warboss is almost a must take because of his intrinsic abilities and ease of use. Even with more options than ever before, you will find this unit falling into familiar assault monster territory and nothing else, but is that really a bad thing?
Before we get started take a quick look at the differences between the between the 2007 and 2014 Warboss codex rules.
(Click to Enlarge)
Warboss Rules 2014
HQ: Warboss - 60 Points
WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | Sv |
5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 6 |
UNIT TYPE:
Infantry (Character).
UNIT COMPOSITION:
1 Warboss
WARGEAR:
• Slugga
• Choppa
• Stikkbombs
SPECIAL RULES:
• ’Ere We Go!
• Furious Charge
• Independent Character
• Mob Rule
OPTIONS:
• May take ’eavy armour…4 pts
• May replace slugga and choppa with mega armour, twin-linked shoota and power klaw…40
pts
• May take items from the Ranged Weapons, Melee Weapons, Runts & Squigs, Orky
Know-wots and/or Gifts of Gork and Mork lists.
Readers of my previous tactics will notice a few changes to how these reviews are presented. Now I am breaking down each unit into five broad categories.
Utility
The critical reason for the Warboss utility is being the sole generator of the Waaagh! The ability to get your Boyz across the board can never be underestimated. As the new Mob Rule you want to avoid losing units to bad Morale or Pinning checks; better they die in combat than to shooting. The Warboss also has access to a fabulous array of stuff from the Ork Wargear section. Old standbys like the Warbike and Power Klaw are mixed in with the Da Finkin’ Kap and the Da Lucky Stikk… Then you have the Warboss being the backbone of many formations and detachments, replacing the ability to change force org slots for various units. The only drawback to Warboss survivability is the Cybork Body nerf.
Cost
The Warboss is an amazing bargain for a HQ, starting at 60 pts and rarely exceeding 150 points you get a lot with this unit. The biggest benefit is being T5 and T6 on a bike making the Warboss really hard to kill. He also has the highest LD around and Ork artifacts by in large are cheap. To put it in perspective the standard Warboss load out of Powerclaw, Warbike, and the Da Finkin’ Kap is only 120 pts, compared to the Space Marine Chapter Master cheese load out of 265 pts. Now tell me what is better two Warbosses or one tricked out Chapter Master?
Speed
A Warboss at first blush seems like slow a plodding unit, especially in Mega Armour. Warbosses will find themselves either using the Waaagh! to get across, or on the back of a mechanized hog. Not to mention Warbosses can jump into the many Open-Topped options Orks provide. It makes the Warboss a deceivingly speedy unit.
Assaulty
The Warboss are a pinnacle of Ork assault technology. That is if you always take a Power Klaw, with the rise of many T5 multi-wound threats the Ork Warboss having S10 attacks is critical. They don't even need Furious Charge to accomplish this. The Warboss is also gifted with four base attacks and coupled with the Attack Squig re-roll you have a reliable killing machine. The extra helping of Toughness also make it hard for opponents to cut through a Warboss especially on a Warbike. Multiplying the Warboss slick devastation is helped by a few Artifacts and a Painboy for Feel no Pain. Damage output goes with the cost of this unit, as you won't feel like you ever wasted the points, even faced with assured mutual destruction.
Shooty
The Warboss weakest link is the lack of any ranged threat. The Warbike adds a bit of shooting, but you really don't want your Warboss shooting when he could be running closer to his targets. The only real good investment is the Kombi-Skorcha; dropping a S5 Flamer Weapon is a great equalizer when faced against opposing hordes bent on fungal eradication. Other than that, relying on BS2 is only going to make for sad faces, even with a Gitfinda.
Like the Chaos Space Marine Lords, the Ork Warboss is almost a must take because of his intrinsic abilities and ease of use.
Artefactual
Putting all Together...
The Ork Warboss is a cheap beast of a unit. He fits in every Ork army, unless you are going Mek heavy. The Ork codex is really helped by so many assault variations, and thankfully the Warboss can adapt to them all. Mega Nob unit, Nob Biker unit, 30-man Boyz unit, or 15-man Battlewagon Burner unit, he can join taking even the most average assault unit over the top. Ork armies with all the different formations and detachments are often not restricted to just having one Warboss, you can have two or even three if it fits your needs, providing some Ork super units for you to play with.
Using a Warboss is really only about being a blunt instrument, don't try to do too much with this unit. He should be focused on getting into Assault as fast as possible, so don't hesitate. Running will be nine out 10 times the right choice over shooting, and calling the Waaagh early the same. As a Warlord the Warboss is better off sticking to the rule book tables over any codex or supplement equivalent. This isn't just because of the Da Finkin’ Kap, but it doesn't hurt.
-- Warboss Load Outs--
Warboss (135 pts)
Infantry (Character); Stikkbombs; Slugga; Warbike; Power Klaw; Da Lucky Stikk; Twin-linked Dakkagun x1
Warboss (114 pts)
Infantry (Character); Stikkbombs; Choppa; 'Eavy Armour; Attack Squig; Bosspole; Kombi Weapon with Skorcha; Headwoppa's Killchoppa
Warboss in Mega Armour (125 pts)
Infantry (Character); Stikkbombs; Power Klaw; Twin-linked Shoota; Mega Armour; Da Lucky Stikk
Warboss (120 pts)
Infantry (Character); Stikkbombs; Choppa; Slugga; Attack Squig; Warbike; Choppa of Da Ragnarork; Twin-linked Dakkagun
1 Warboss (105 pts)
Infantry (Character); Stikkbombs; Slugga; Power Klaw; Big Bosspole
Formations
Ork Warband: Take advantage of the Stampede rule. Great formation for a Nob Bikers unit and try to go for the Like a Thunderbolt! Ork Warlord trait.
Final Thoughts...
Not matter how you slice it the Ork Warboss is one of the better units in the new codex, the amount of options to kill with is damn good, and much of the Wargear can fill in gaps for the rest of your army. The Warboss can find his groove in lots of situations. Experimenting with Formations, (Bullyboyz) units you wouldn't expect a Warboss to join is often the key to creating creative Ork armies you wouldn't ever find in previous editions.
Warning
It's Like Tactics is rated theory hammer because these are general observations and assumptions based on only few tested games.
Email Me!
For tactical articles feel free to email me to continue the discussion or if you discover an inaccurate interpretations of the rules– edits will be made accordingly. Also check out other articles in this series…
- Chaos Space Marine Tactica Link Page
- Chaos Daemons Tactica Link Page
- Ork First Impressions
- Breaking Down the Ork Codex
- Warboss Review
- Weirdboy Review
- Mek Review
- Big Mek Review
- Painboy Review
- Mad Doc Grotsnik Review
- Kaptain Badrukk Review
- Boss Zagstruk Review
- Boyz Review
- Gretchin Review
- Burna Boyz Review
- Tankbustas Review
- Nobz Review
- Meganobz Review
- Kommandos Review
- Trukk Review
- Stormboyz Review
- Deffkopta Review
- Ork Flyer Review
- Warbikers Review
- Warbuggies Review
- Mek Gunz Review
- Battlewagon Review
- Deff Dread Review
- Killa Kans Review
- Gorkanaut & Morkanaut Review
- Lootas Review
- Flash Gitz Review
- Ghazghkull Thraka Review
- Stompa Review
- Final Ork Codex Breakdown