The 8th Edition Codex Orks: My Thoughts

I really should dust this place more often. Yes. I'm back doing this blog again. Yes, its been ages. But, I've not felt like writing about stuff. So, there's been a new Ork Codex with new models. Before that, there was the 7^th ed codex, that sucked. Then 8^th ed happened which was good. Then the Ork index army list aged like a glass of milk left abandoned next to a radiator. Then, much later, we had Orktober. With the ACTUAL CODEX released November. Suffice to say, its been a long and annoying wait. Here are my first impressions, possibly to be followed by further articles.

The codex as a revised Index list
Now, what annoyed me so much about Orks being so late to a codex was that so much of it was obvious and simple. You could have done it in maybe 3 pages in a Chapter Approved. 1 page for discounted prices of about 10%, 1.5 pages for stratagems, and the rest for some kind of shooty rule. So, the first question I have to ask is: did they do the obvious bug fixes? My first instinct is to say yes, as I'm somewhat impressed with the end product. Not everything is as I'd like, but there's enough rebalancing so multiple playstyles are feasible. Its also noteworthy how many little additions have been made that so easily could have been ignored. Case in point, we now have three flavours of Battlewagon, and Kans get multiple different melee weapons. On the flipside, Boyz are now 7 points each, BOO! BOO, I SAY! But I can live with it. This leads us neatly to the next section.

The matter of shooty
Orks never suffered because they lacked close combat ability, they suffered because they lacked reliable tools for shooting. This is simply due to the nature of dice modifiers, which would completely disable such attacks by demanding a 7+ on a six-sided die. Of course Orks were never actually good at shooting, anyone whom claims otherwise is misspeaking at best or cherry-picking data at worst(1), but we shouldn't have been incapable. The result? A very melee-centric army with loads of infantry, and maybe some grot artillery. GW has came in, done the obvious fix, and took it further with the Dakka Dakka Dakka rule. This makes ranged attacks functional again, and fits in very well with existing units. Those of you wishing to make a go of it have plenty of choice too, with the Bad Moons being explicitly a shooty clan, with only Goffs and Snakebites selecting against it. Of course, the other reason for slow & choppy ork forces was overpriced fast stuff, so lets talk about the real reason you are here.


Freeks & new tactics
Orks are the first faction in a while to get new units, excluding beakies, and this brings another concern. GW has a habit of balancing rules to sell new models, which was the match that lit the raging dumpster fire that was the 7th ed codex. The question here is not necessarily do these new units work, its also "did they make something popular suck?" Well, as mentioned they did make boyz more expensive. Mek Guns got reworked too, removing crew shenanigans. And they declined to include a few units without current models, such as, surprise-surprise, the old trakks and buggies. These units seem to be both useful and characterful, a stark contrast to the mishandled launch of the 'Orkanauts. However, its rather difficult not to look at the Evil Suns rules and not say something like, "Yeah, this is too good.". You could easily have one rule removed from the Kulture and it still be powerful, but given how my old favourites Deathskulls turned out, maybe I shouldn't throw stones. Less cynically, the new speedwaagh units seem to be a culmination of something bubbling below the surface in Ork rules: vehicles as close combat units. Its not a new idea, as this can be found as early as 1992 with the old Epic game, and then appearing as dethrollas and wreking balls for more modern kits. Ork vehicles now clearly value the Fight Phase as much as the infantry do. And their role is to drive straight at the enemy lines, firing all the way, and then Tokyo Drift into people. I remain undecided as to which of these new ones are actually the must-haves, if the term can actually be applied to any of them. The Shokkjump Dragsta and Kustom Boostablasta seem to be the most obvious choices, but these models in general are hovering around the 120 points bracket for something with Trukk-like durability. People don't seem to like the Squigbuggy, I dunno. One thing more immediately useful is the Tellyporta strategem, which allows you drop a Gorkanaut anywhere you need it, which did win me a game.

Conclusion

Ehhhh, it looks OK.

Foot Notes

1) Don't even start with your 1^st edition, your Feral Orks or your Lootas. An accuracy of 50% is average, not good, and while you can have shooty orks, you can also have tough Aeldari. It doesn't mean all of them are.