How Many A's in a Waaargh?
Space Orks in Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader and how they somehow ended up the best supported faction in WH40K's first edition.
When Warhammer 40,000 was released Orks were stock bad guys doing bad guy things like invading planets and setting themselves up as governor. The Ork commander Thrugg Bullneck in the rulebook scenario was motivated by a cache of jewels. Then Orks went bonkers. This is the story of Orks in 1st edition.
Orkoid Space and the Ork Domains (1987)
People say on their first meeting Man and Ork exchanged a long, hard look, didn't care much for what they saw, and began the long interstellar conflict that has gone on ever since.
-Rogue Trader
Orks have two sections in the Rogue Trader rulebook.
Orks
Orks were only slightly different from humans in terms of game profile - a little bit tougher, a little bit more stupid.
Orks had an interesting rule in that they were subject to hatred tests against all opponents. This rule could often compel models to move towards the hated enemy and attack them in close combat.
Orks were not good at close combat! Weapon Skill 3 and Initiative 2 meant they were striking last against most opponents with poor chances to hit. The only benefit of hatred was that they were immune to rout tests in this state. Orks were better off gunning down their enemies at range where Toughness 4 made them a bit more durable.
The games master could waive the hatred rule against all except Squats. This rule was never mentioned again.
Gretchins
Although cannibalistic, they will eat any meat but relish the taste of human flesh above all others.
Gretchin had one of the weaker profiles in the rulebook and their weapon chart allowed them to generate a bow, crossbow, hand-bow, musket or shotgun. These were not especially rubbish weapons but all but the bow had the slow rule meaning they couldn't be moved and fired. Shotguns were versatile weapons with three ammunition options - scatter, solid or gas.
Luggub's Drop Legion - Charadon Ork Taskforce (1988)
For the last time, Orks are green!
-Jon Blanch, Battle Colours, The Book of the Astronomicon
The Book of the Astronomicon supplement contains the first Ork army list. Compulsory choices are:
-
1 War Chief (commander)
-
1 Shaman (psyker)
-
2 Commissars (surgeon/torturers)
-
2 Discipline-Masters (sub-chiefs)
-
3 Grenadier Squads (mostly bolter armed)
-
2 Commando Squads (mostly bolt pistol armed)
-
1 Bombadier (sic) Squad (crack grenades, a grenade launcher, a missile launcher and a flamer)
This makes the minimum army size 66 models at 1,202 points.
This was optimistic! Orks had an entirely metal range when this book was released. The RTB02 Space Ork Raiders ↗ box set only included 17 models.
The list has more optional units. Gretchins are absent, perhaps because the first dedicated models wouldn't be released until a year later.
Torgox's Buccaneers
One of a few special characters in the same book, Torgox is a psychic mutant Ork pirate. His psychic powers are Aura of Resistance, Hammerhand, Mental Blow, Jinx, Rally and Smash. The most interesting one is Jinx - it can be used to prevent a weapon from firing but can also be used to narrative effect like repairing broken technology.
Waaargh!
In 1990 Orks underwent a radical makeover. Orks received three dedicated books which were frequently previewed in White Dwarf magazine.
Orks were the only WH40K faction to get this much attention in 1st edition. Chaos had two thick Realm of Chaos books but the 40K rules played second fiddle to the Warhammer fantasy sections.
There was a new miniature range to match, including the RTB13 ↗ plastic box set.
Waaargh The Orks! (1990)
The cry Waa-Ork is shouted on a thousand worlds as the Orks rampage through the universe on their holy war.
Waaargh The Orks! is a source book detailing the Orkoid species, their way of life, factions, clan colours and iconography. There are no war game rules. Or binding. Seriously, there is no binding. My copy was sold wrapped in cellophane and is held together by a bit of string. At least the holes came pre-punched.
A third Orkoid, the Snotling, was introduced. Squigs are described at length. There are a few short stories, some featuring Makari the Gretchin ↗ , and a bunch of colour plates. They only real nods to anything other than fiction are the 'Eavy Metal pages and a painting guide at the back.
Orks are divided into Bad Moons, Blood-Axes, Death Skulls, Evil Sunz, Goffs & Snake-Bites clans. Each gets a page of illustrations. There is a glyph alphabet .
According to this book Orks are marsupials, something best forgotten.
'Ere We Go - Orks in Warhammer 40,000 (1991)
'Ere We Go was the closest thing to a codex 40K first edition ever got to.
There are pages and pages of rules for Painboyz, Runtherdz, Weirdboyz, Mekaniaks and Madboyz.
PAINBOYZ BIONIK BITZ CHART
D100 RESULT 01-20 KUSTOM HANDS 21-40 KUSTOM ARMS 41-60 KUSTOM LEGS 61-80 REBUILT KRANIUM 81+ DOC'S SURPRISE
Everything about Orks in this time is a bunch or random stuff happening during army generation and in game. Ork Warboss Ghazghkull ↗ rolled REBUILT KRANIUM on the Painboy chart and a special character was born. He gained a psychic power and a headbutt attack. The original Ghazghkull was a stock Goff boss model ↗ with plastic embellishments and a back banner.
The back of the book has all the ORKY EVENTS, MALFUNCTION and REPAIR cards.
ORKY EVENTS - SNAKE-BITE WARDANCE
One Snake-Bite boyzmob suddenly decides to perform the ancient and sacred 'Waaargh Dance'. They remain where they are and do not move shoot or fight while they perform the dance which lasts
D6turns. If a Weirdboy is within24"of the dance he immediately gains3D6power points. If a mob are charged by enemy models while doing the dance they fight back in a state of frenzy. If there is more than one Snake-Bite mob randomly determine which mob is affected.
There are rules for about 50 units in 'Ere We Go. The book includes Goff, Snakebite and Blood Axe army lists. The clan army lists are all similar - telling units apart is a game of spot the difference. The only difference between the Goff and Blood Axe Stormboyz is the text layout.
The Wild Boyz and Ogryn mobs are an excuse to use fantasy Orcs and Ogres in 40K. This book has all the vehicle rules.
Like many army lists of the era, you might need to take one unit to take another. You need a Mekaniak to take a vehicle. You need a Boyz Mob to take a Mekaniak, but not if it is a Goff Boyz Mob. Your Goff army would need to take a Boyz Mob from another clan, which was permitted. Goffs aren't completely out in the cold - the Warboss Retinue can have one of each Oddboy and Renegade Mekboyz from Freebooterz can be hired.
Freebooterz (1991)
Freebooterz adds over 60 more units and includes Freebooter, Bad Moon, Evil Sunz and Death Skull army lists. The Freebooter army list has some of the most interesting units and miniatures the game has ever generated - Flash Gitz, Ork-Genestealer Hybrids, Renegade Speed Freeks and Khorne's Stormboyz.
Freebooterz also has the artillery rules.
The Bubble Chukka is an artillery piece that can't affect infantry in a game version dominated by infantry. When it hits a building or vehicle it can wrap it in a force field. The Ork player keeps the target secret until the target building occupants or vehicle fire or receive fire.
BUBBLE CHUKKA
D6 RESULT 1-4 Missed! The target is completely unaffected. 5-6 Surprise! The target has been bubbled. A shot against the target from outside has no effect - the shell or energy bolt is deflected harmlessly away. If the target itself is attempting to shoot from within the bubbled building or vehicle then the shots rebound and automatically hit their firers. Work out damage as if troops had been shot with their own weapons. Work out shots against vehicles by rolling the on the hit location template as normal. If the shot misses then the vehicle had a lucky escape and the shot has lodged in the ground. Once the bubble has been revealed and shots rebounded, test immediately to see if the bubble has burst - the bubble bursts on a D6 or more. If the bubble has not burst it continues to affect the target in following turns; test to see if the bubble bursts after every turn that one or more shots have been rebounded.
Modelling
Both books include some modelling and painting guides. The sample Goff army demonstrates a five stage painting strategy to get a painted army onto the tabletop: basic colours, lining, washes, highlights and finishing. You can stop at any stage beyond basic colours, perhaps only applying more detail for important models.
Not everything has to be 'Eavy Metal standard.
Playing Orks
Either roll your own army using the Rogue Trader rulebook as a guide or use 'Ere We Go/Freebooterz. The army lists in The Book of the Astronomicon are rubbish.
'Ere We Go and Freebooterz are best used in concert but if you have to choose 'Ere We Go is the essential one.
I thought that the Ork books were a marvellous creation. If I had stuck around we would have produced similar books for all the 40K and Warhammer races (not necessarily with that many volumes though) and kept them 'Permanently in Print as Paperbacks'. The Warhammer world could have developed into a splendidly textured alternative reality for gamers to explore. All they would have to do would be to pick up a book and walk right in.
-Bryan Ansell, 2015, interview on the Realm of Chaos 80s ↗ blog
Ghazghkull Returns (1992)
Although closely associated with 40K 2nd edition the first official model of the special character Ghazghkull was released towards the tail end of Rogue Trader's reign.
Rules can be found in White Dwarf 152 alongside those for Gretchin sidekick Makari and arch rival Commissar Yarrick ↗ . The rest of Ghazghkull's retinue can be picked from 'Ere We Go.
Ghazghkull has a special headbutt attack that hit at strength 10 causing D3 wounds with a -4 save modifier. Hero Hammer was almost upon us!