The Warhammer 40k 10th edition Orks army rules have been revealed by Games Workshop in the latest Warhammer 40k Faction Focus article, and they’re gloriously straightforward. The preview on the Warhammer Community website on Wednesday shows that the Waaagh! army rule makes the whole Ork army better at punching people and harder to kill for one battle round – and that’s it.
Specifically, you can activate the Waaagh! for one battle round in a game. It allows your Orks to charge after advancing, grants them +1 Strength and +1 Attack in melee, and grants a 5+ invulnerable save. It’s similar to the ‘Call the Waaagh!’ ability that the Ork Warboss or Deffkilla Wartrike can use in the Orks’ current Warhammer 40k codex, but doesn’t rely on you bringing a specific model.
The newly unveiled datasheet for Ghazghkhull Thraka shows that ‘Ghazghkhull’s Waaagh! Banner’ can push this effect further. The banner is the big icon carried by Ghazghkhull’s gretchin sidekick Makari, and it’s a totem of Ghaz’s supremacy as an Ork warlord. When you call the Waaagh!, Ork units within 12” of Makari gain the Lethal Hits weapon ability on melee attacks. That means that critical hits in melee (usually on a natural hit roll of six) will automatically wound.
The first Orks Detachment is also simple and brutal in equal measure: according to the article, the Waaagh! Tribe grants your Orks the Sustained Hits 1 weapon ability on melee attacks. This means that critical hits in melee will generate an additional hit.
The article reveals two new 40k stratagems for the Detachment, continuing the fighty theme. The ‘Orks is Never Beaten’ stratagem costs 2CP and allows Orks that are slain in melee by an enemy unit to fight back before their model is removed. ‘Ere We Go’ grants an infantry unit +2 to Advance and Charge rolls for a turn for 1CP; combine that with the Waaagh! ability to advance and charge for a healthy +4” threat range.
If you’re an Orks fan, or just want to know more about this bizarre race of belligerent fungi, I highly recommend the Warhammer 40k books ‘Ghazghkhull Thraka: Prophet of the Waaagh!’ by Nate Crowley and ‘Brutal Kunnin’ by Mike Brooks. Though very different in scope and focus, both books are equal parts funny, violent, and surprising, a perfect fit for the Orks.