Brace yourselves for impact people, Huge post incoming. This is a current result of my tests and thinking. That's how I'd see the ork fleet [some elements I still don't know what to do with, more on that later...]
I'm afraid we'll have to build new Ork pdf from scratch. Current BFG:R file is probably close, but it will still need rewriting of rules on scale that will probably force several changes in page layout. I wouldn't touch any pdf's until we know what we want to put in there.
But first, here's my take on Ork vessels, + some upgrade ideas.
First of all, Designer's Notes. Sort of
. I've been wondering what role should Ork fleet have. How to, you could say, preserve its Orkishness while retaining usefulness. One thing is randomness. Randomness is Orky. It, however, can sometimes cripple the fleet without enemy's help. So it needs to be toned down. What else is Orky? Close combat is Orky. So In this version of rules, I try to make the fleet close combat oriented. At the present, Nids do it well, with combination of their insane boarding modifiers and claws and tentacles allowing them to attack ships in base contact. That's nice, but not entirely Orky. Not enough brute force in it.
What's similar to close combat and showing more Orkiness? Ramming. So Orks, I thought, should be a ram-boarding fleet with gun support. With a dash of randomness added. Their 10 hit cruisers already offer some advantage because of higher boarding value. Additionally, +1 modifier. That's good. 6+ armour and 10 hits also help with ramming. This, together with various upgrades made availible for them make them suitably Orky even when randomness is reduced.
CHARACTERS:+40 pts, every one of them. You may buy 1 for every 500 pts. They have one re-roll base, may buy one more for +20, two more for +40.
Warboss: double boarding value.
Kaptain: +1 Ld
Big Mek: +1 shield, re-roll repairing criticals
because Mek should help in actual repairs, I think...UNIVERSAL RULES:All Ahead Full: Ork ships automatically pass Ld test required to go on All Ahead Full order. Ork ships may only move 2D6 on All Ahead Full special orders. Note that vessels equipped with Soopa Engines ignore this rule and will travel the full 4d6 on All Ahead Full special orders as normal.
Boarding: Ork ships add +1 to their boarding value.
Turrets: Ork Turrets hit only on roll of 5+. Note that when shooting at ordnance that is only hit on a roll of 6, Ork Turrets need 6 to hit.
Ramming: Ork vessels noted to have Rams inflict one automatic point of damage when ramming, before normal damage rolls are made.
How come Imperials have bonuses to ramming while Orks don't Klaws: Klaws are unaffected by special orders of any kind but cannot be used by capital ships if they are crippled. Any time the ship equipped with Klaws moves in base contact with any one enemy ship during the movement phase, it may immediately stop its movement. If it does, it must attempt to board it this turn.
I didn't want to make it copy-paste of Tyranid claws as it was in Clanz list. I felt that upgrade helping in coordination of ramming and boarding would be more useful than one more way to deal damage.Ork Escorts: Get a free escort ship if they roll ld 5 or 6. Get +1 ld when in squadron of 6 or more. Squadron size 3-10
Gunz: If firepower is random, it's rolled each time gun is fired.
Heavy Gunz: Heavy guns do not get the left column shift on the gunnery table to close range but inflict 2 damage per hit. They suffer from an extra right column shift when firing over 15 cm.
I too think that left shift for close range would be an overkill.Launchas: The strength of a salvo from a torpedolauncha is generated randomly each time it is fired. Ork ships in squadrons may never combine their torpedoes into larger salvoes.
Zzap Gunz: Lances. After shooting, place blast marker touching back of your base.
Launch Bays: Equipped with Fighta bommas and Assault boats, If random, count attack craft limit for highest value.
Orks like close combat - a-boats as standard seem to reflect it quite well.CHARACTER UPGRADES: Unlike upgrades listed near ship entry, these can only be taken by ships carrying characters. Every re-roll a character has allows you to buy one of these (each upgrade can be bought only once per ship):
-Extra Turrets: ship increases its turret value by +2, up to maximum of 6. +20 pts.
if you REALLY need to have extremely ordnance-resistant ship. It takes a character upgrade slot, though.-Mega armoured boarding parties: +1 to boarding actions and hit&run results, -1 to enemy hit&run result. +15 pts.
-Extra power field: +1 shield, can be combined with Kustom Force Fields, +20 pts.
-Mad Meks: repairs criticals on 4+, +20 pts.
-More Dakka: ship may re-roll strength one weapon per turn. +10 pts
simpler than separate upgrades for gunz, lances and torps...-Grot riggers: +1 Ld when attempting to reload ordnance. +15 pts
used to be called looted torpedos in BFG:R. But as it also seemed to work on launch bays...KLAN UPGRADES:Any capital ship may take one of those:
Goffs: +1 to boarding, +1Ld to ramming attempts. +20 pts
Evil Sunz: +5 cm speed +20
Bad Moonz: +1 Ld when reloading ordnance. +15pts
They're rich. They can afford all the fancy stuff like fuel and torpedos Deathskulls: may buy one more character upgrade than usual. That means ships with no character on board can still buy 1. +15
Blood Axes: Random Imperial refit. +20
Snakebites: Only Roks, Hulks and Escorts. +1 Ld when bracing for impact. [free]
Any escort squadron may take one of those:
Goffs: +1 to boarding, +1Ld to ramming attempts. +20 pts
Evil Sunz: +5 cm speed +20
Bad Moonz: +1 Ld when reloading ordnance. +15
Deathskulls: not sure. Blood Axes: Up to half of squadron may be imperial escorts. They still have Ork Ld. [free]
Snakebites: Only Roks, Hulks and Escorts. +1 Ld when bracing for impact. [free]
Kill Kroozer:165 pts
| TYPE/HITS | SPEED | TURNS | SHIELDS | ARMOUR | TURRETS |
| Cruiser/10 | 20 | 45 | 1 | 6+/5+/4+ | 3 |
| ARMAMENT | RANGE/SPEED | FIREPOWER/STR | FIRE ARC |
| Port Heavy Gunz | 30 | 4 | Left |
| Port Gunz | 30 | 6 | Left |
| Starboard Heavy Gunz | 30 | 4 | Right |
| Starboard Gunz | 30 | 6 | Right |
| Prow Heavy Gunz | 30 | 6 | Front |
| Prow Gunz | 45 | 6+d6 i guess this one can be kept random, as even 7 is still solid. | Front |
Ork Kill Kroozer is equipped with Ram. As standard. Makes people want to ram if they already paid for bonus.An Ork Kill kroozer may replace its prow heavy gunz battery with a torpedo launcha
(speed 30cm, Strength D6+2) for +10 points. If this option is taken, the kroozer may carry
boarding torpedoes (speed 20cm, Strength D6+2) for +5 points. It may also
replace its port and starboart heavy gunz for D6 torpedoes for no cost.Alternatively, it may replace its port and starboard heavy gunz batteries with str2 Zzap Gunz with range 30 for +20 pts.
It may also replace its prow heavy gunz with str2 range 30 Zzap Gunz for +5 pts.
Above upgrades allow you to turn Kroozer into torpedo or lance-boat. Separating lance upgrade from characters would make people actually take it from time to time, as now it tends to beovershadowed by clearly superior options.Ork Kill Kroozer may be equipped with Soopa Boostas for +25 pts. the ship gains +5cm speed, and it rolls 4D6cm when on All Ahead Full special orders.
i think, and correct me if I'm wrong, that this version is in most cases more desirable than sacrificing firepower to get it.Ork Kroozer may be equipped with Kustom Force Field for +15 pts. It replaces its shields value with d3, rolled at the beginning of its every turn, before orders are declared.
More Orky than +1 shield. Yeah, from time to time upgrade does nothing, but it doesn't render ship useless.Ork Kill Kroozer may be equipped with Klaws for +10 points.
For fans of boarding actions.Terror Ship:185 pts
| TYPE/HITS | SPEED | TURNS | SHIELDS | ARMOUR | TURRETS |
| Cruiser/10 | 20 | 45 | 1 | 6+/5+/4+ | 3 |
| ARMAMENT | RANGE/SPEED | FIREPOWER/STR | FIRE ARC |
| Port Launch Bay | - | 2 | - |
| Port Gunz | 30 | 5 | Left |
| Starboard Launch Bay | - | 2 | - |
| Starboard Gunz | 30 | 5 | Right |
| Prow Heavy Gunz | 30 | 6 | Front |
| Prow Gunz | 45 | 4+d6 | Front |
Ork Terror Ship is equipped with Ram.An Ork Terror Ship may replace its prow heavy gunz battery with a torpedo launcha
(speed 30cm, Strength D6+2) for +10 points. If this option is taken, the kroozer may carry
boarding torpedoes (speed 20cm, Strength D6+2) for +5 points.
It may also replace its prow heavy gunz with str2 range 30 Zzap Gunz for +5 pts.
Ork Terror Ship may be equipped with Soopa Boostas for +25 pts.
It may be equipped with Kustom Force Field for +15 pts. It replaces its shields value with d3, rolled at the beginning of its every turn, before orders are declared.
Ork Kill Kroozer may be equipped with Klaws for +10 points.
Onslaught Attack Ship:30 pts
| TYPE/HITS | SPEED | TURNS | SHIELDS | ARMOUR | TURRETS |
| Escort/1 | 20 | 45 | 1 | 6+/4+ | 2 |
| ARMAMENT | RANGE/SPEED | FIREPOWER/STR | FIRE ARC |
| Gunz | 30 | d6+1 | L/F/R |
May exchange 1 firepower for Soopa Boostas for +5 pts.
given that they also increase speed in this version, a slight point increase.I've given it L/F/R guns to redefine its role a bit. With Savage having 30cm rang, it seemed like a superior option in most respects when fightinc capital ships, so L/F/R guns are supposed to help Onslaught fight more nimble targets, namely enemy escorts. As escorts are in general fragile, random firepower seemed ok - large squadron still rolls a lot of dice, and even low result is potentially lethal.Savage Gunship:35 pts
| TYPE/HITS | SPEED | TURNS | SHIELDS | ARMOUR | TURRETS |
| Escort/1 | 25 | 45 | 1 | 6+/4+ | 2 |
| ARMAMENT | RANGE/SPEED | FIREPOWER/STR | FIRE ARC |
| Heavy Gunz | 30 | 4 | Front |
Savage Gunship has Soopa Boostas. Speed bonus is already taken into account.
No real changes here, just a point adjustment due to extra speed and range.Ravager Attack Ship:40 pts
| TYPE/HITS | SPEED | TURNS | SHIELDS | ARMOUR | TURRETS |
| Escort/1 | 25 | 45 | 1 | 6+/4+ | 3 |
| ARMAMENT | RANGE/SPEED | FIREPOWER/STR | FIRE ARC |
| Gunz | 30 | 2 | Front |
| Launchas | 30 | d6 | Front |
May exchange 1 firepower for Soopa Boostas for +5 pts.
Except for turrets, no change. If you want random torpedos, its solid ship.Brute Ram Ship:25 pts
| TYPE/HITS | SPEED | TURNS | SHIELDS | ARMOUR | TURRETS |
| Escort/1 | 25 | 45 | 1 | 6+/4+ | 3 |
| ARMAMENT | RANGE/SPEED | FIREPOWER/STR | FIRE ARC |
| Prow Gunz | 30 | 2 | L/F/R |
rolls 4d6 for ramming damage.
May exchange 1 firepower for Soopa Boostas for +5 pts.
May buy Ram for +10 pts.
Added ram option. It seems fitting Grunt Assault Ship:40 pts
| TYPE/HITS | SPEED | TURNS | SHIELDS | ARMOUR | TURRETS |
| Escort/2 | 25 | 45 | 1 | 6+/4+ | 3 |
| ARMAMENT | RANGE/SPEED | FIREPOWER/STR | FIRE ARC |
| Prow Gunz | 30 | 2 | L/F/R |
Boarding value 4, Cannot Come to New Heading.
May exchange 1 firepower for Soopa Boostas for +5 pts.
didn't have this option, i think it could use it...May buy Klaws for +10 pts.
Added klaws option, second hit [it's a large ship, after all and option for Boostas.Rok:80 pts
| TYPE/HITS | SPEED | TURNS | SHIELDS | ARMOUR | TURRETS |
| Defense/8 | 10 | Special | 1 | 5+ | 2 |
| ARMAMENT | RANGE/SPEED | FIREPOWER/STR | FIRE ARC |
| Gunz | 45 | d6+6 | all around |
| Heavy Gunz | 30 | 4 | all around |
| Torpedos | 30 | d6 | all around |
Upgraded Heavy Gunz range and turrets value. Apart from that, I think it seemed solid.SHIPS I'M NOT SURE WHAT TO DO WITH AND WHY:Battleships: They as of now, have just 2 more hits than a Kroozer. Weapons and other stats seem ok, but I think they should be tougher somehow...
Hammer: Kroozer with battleship's weapons. Another reason I think battleships need rethinking - it's not really that more fragile than them, while being cheaper.
Zukov's Klaw: Still need to read into its rules in detail.
Basha Lite Kroozer: 6 hits, while normal kroozer has 10. And it moves like normal kroozer. It either needs more mobility or more toughness.
Hulks: I'm not touching these. They seem to work on their own...
FLEET STRUCTURE:I'd leave Klanz fleet as it is, apart from adding Kaptains and Meks as character options. I'd throw out WAAGH list - Klanz should take its place when it comes to representing hure Ork forces.
Pirate list: Remove cruiser cap. Can only buy as many different Klan upgrades it has characters.
Or even limit to just one Klan? A bit too restrictive, I think.