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.

You been a very Badd Rukk Boy

Kaptin Badrukk is an interesting Ork character.... at least story standpoint. Who doesn't love a gold and tooth loving Space Ork Pirate? The concept of the Freebooter leaves an indelible mark on many, but Kaptin Badrukk has never lived up to Ork players' vision of what they want for this lovable character. Games Workshop just won't ever commit fully to a superior shooty Ork unit; let along a Ork character, making Kaptin Badrukk fall through the cracks without a place to land.

Before we get started dissecting, lets take a quick look at the differences between the 2007 and 2014 Kaptin Badrukk codex rules.

(Click to Enlarge)

Kaptin Badrukk Rules 2007

HQ: Kaptin Badrukk - 135 Points

WS

BS

S

T

W

I

A

Ld

Sv

5

2

4

4

2

3

4

9

3+


badruckrulesold

Kaptin Badrukk Rules 2014

HQ: Kaptin Badrukk - 110 Points

WS

BS

S

T

W

I

A

Ld

Sv

5

2

4

4

2

3

4

9

3+

 

UNIT TYPE:
Infantry (Character).

UNIT COMPOSITION:
1 (Unique)
WARGEAR:
• Slugga
• Choppa
• Stikkbombs
• Bosspole
• Gitfinda
• Goldtoof armour
• Da Rippa

WARLORD TRAIT:
• Kunnin’ but Brutal

SPECIAL RULES:
• ’Ere We Go!
• Furious Charge
• Independent Character
• Mob Rule

OPTIONS:
• Take up to 3 ammo runts…3 pts each

[show-rjqc id="7"]

Readers of my previous tactics will notice a few changes to how these reviews are presented. Now you will find is a break down each unit into five broad categories.

Utility

Kaptin Badrukk utility is very limited; not only does he not provide any bonuses for other units he joins, worse he takes up a valuable HQ slot better used for any other character. He doesn't even give a bonus to Flash Gitz! Kaptin Badrukk only tangible uniqueness is having an invulnerable save, but if you are going to base an army strategy on +5 save you might want to consider playing a different game.

Cost

The most head scratching part of Kaptin Badrukk is his relative high price, at 110 points, while an improvement over his previous iteration is still 50 points too much. I could forgive Kaptin Badrukk if he was cheaper than a Warboss, because then you could use him as an empty FoC selection. As it is Kaptin Badrukk, doesn't have good enough stats when compared to any other HQ.

Speed

This is another missed opportunity, Kaptin Badrukk fluff should have been a great excuse to give him Outflank or some other sneaky git power, instead he is just as fast as a normal Ork. If Logan Grimnar could get a pimp ride why shouldn't Kaptin Badrukk?

Assaulty

Kaptin Badrukk is blessed with a sizable amount of attacks, only problem he doesn't have any way to leverage it. Kaptin Badrukk doesn't even have a slugga or choppa instead he has Nob skills without Nob tools. Even stranger is Kaptin Badrukk WS5 to go along with his four attacks, why doesn't the Da Rippa have a secondary mêlée purpose is beyond me.

Shooty

The supposed highlight of Kaptin Badrukk is the Da Rippa, a weapon with Gets Hot on a two wound model! What I don't get is why doesn't Kaptin Badrukk get BS3 base, I know there is this whole Ork bad shooting constant, but if any character should be the exception it should be Kaptin Badrukk! Other problems include the relative short-range, and why isn't the gun Master-crafted?

The concept of the Freebooter leaves an indelible mark on many, but Kaptin Badrukk has never lived up to Ork players' vision of what they want for this lovable character.

A Real Bad Moon

Years ago, Badrukk was chased out of the Bad Moons clan on charges of having too many teef for his own good. From the day of his exile, Badrukk's accomplishments have far outstripped those of his fellow Freebooter kaptins. Fighting alongside the fleet of Warlord Garaghak, Badrukk blunted a tendril of the Tyranid Hive Fleet Kraken in 993.M41 with an all-guns-blazing raid upon the Norn Queen at its heart. During the War of Dakka, his warriors outshot a Tau Hunter Cadre. Some even claim that the Kaptin personally brought down a Freeblade Knight armed with nought but a hair Squig and several inebriated Snotlings, though it seems likely that such tales have grown in the telling. Some even claim that the Kaptin has personally killed one of the powerful spaceborne leviathans called Void-Whales.

Putting all Together...

Kaptin Badrukk as you can surmise has quite a few problems, all of which makes it very hard finding a place for him in any Ork army. It is too bad, his model is very cool looking and the fluff is unique, but for most players they at least want some semblance of playability. So how can you make Kaptin Badrukk work? There are a few possible ideas, if you want to go full shooty Ork army, Warbosses and Painboys aren't a must. Kaptin Badrukk with say, a Big Mek is a viable option combined with Flash Gitz or Shoota Boyz. The AP2 is rare sight for Orks and along with an attached Slow & Purposeful model means Gitfindas can be used on the move. Kaptin Badrukk does the best save combination of any Ork model when paired with a Painboy against AP2 wounds. To truly use Kaptin Badrukk one must rely on a concept of "when redundancy runs out", if the Big Mek or other HQ choice provides what you need then Kaptin Badrukk becomes an option, otherwise you are wasting your time. Kaptin Badrukk's own formation also has some fringe benefits that can be broken down later.

-- Kaptin Badrukk Army Templates--

Kaptin Badrukk All Comers List

Kaptin Badrukk Allied Detachment

Kaptin Badrukk Great Waaagh! Detachment List

Kaptin Badrukk Ork Horde Detachment List

Kaptin Badrukk's Flash Gitz Formation List

Formations

Kaptin Badrukk’s Flash Gitz: This formation is your best bet to get some use out of Kaptin Badrukk, which is still minimal. It is the Flash Gitz and not Kaptin Badrukk that actually provide something, making taking it for Kaptin Badrukk all the more depressing. We will go into more detail with this formation later when we review Flash Gitz.

Detachments

Ork Horde Detachment: This detachment can provide some cover when taking Kaptin Badrukk. The extra HQ slot really allows for playing around with lists, and the mass of troops you can bring can hide Kaptin Badrukk so he can provide a little extra firepower. You can also have Kaptin Badrukk take challenges and hope the Invulnerable save provides a speed bump to protect more valuable characters.

Great Waaagh! Detachment: Kaptin Badrukk is a great whimsy choice for this detachment. In large point games or ones where detachment rules aren't strict, I can easily see Kaptin Badrukk leading his Flash Gitz gunning down units with the help of a few lucky rolls. Conceptually it also works, imagine Kaptin Badrukk deep striking in or with a Weirdboy blowing stuff up.

Final Thoughts...

Overall, Kaptin Badrukk is the worse HQ in the codex and might be the worse unit overall in the codex. Kaptin Badrukk cost is his most egregious offense, followed by not being still being an upgrade character. This really means Kaptin Badrukk should only be left to the fluff dustbin of lists and nothing more

Warning

It's Like Tactics is rated theory hammer because these are general observations and assumptions based on only few tested games.

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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…