When 10th edition Warhammer 40k was released, I had a crack at what I would do with Orks in the new edition. Despite being a primarily Age of Sigmar site, this has proven to be a popular article, and so (eventually) we’re expanding the series.

As with all these articles, there are some affiliate links for Element Games (UK) and Amazon (US) or Frontline Gaming (US) if you want to buy them. But Bricks and Mortar first! You’ll miss your FLGS if it shuts down.

Spearhead: Kruleboyz

Like the other boxes, the Spearhead box is filled with goodies and makes for fantastic savings when you’re starting out in collecting an army for Age of Sigmar. They are RRP of £87.50 (Affiliate link with Discount US/UK), but most FLGSs provide a discount on this.

Inside the box you get:

• Killaboss on Great Gnashtoof*
• Murknob with Belcha-banna*
• Beast-skewer Killbow (£24)
• 3 Man-skewer Boltboyz (£34)
• 10 Gutrippaz (£37)

That’s a total of £85, but it includes two models you can’t purchase separately (Killaboss on Great Gnashtoof and Murknob with Belcha-banna) unless you bought the Age Of Sigmar 3rd edition starter sets. While the cost is similar to buting the kits you can get on GW, you do get those two additional kits for free essentailly.

Total So Far

This is 680 points towards our target of 1,000 points.

Getting to 1,000 points

To get the Kruleboyz up to 1,000 points, we’re going to add a few extra units that’ll give you something different to paint and give you a little extra punch.

• Swampcalla Shaman with Pot-grot £24 (Affiliate link with Discount US/UK)
• 2x Kruleboyz Monsta-killaz £37each (Affiliate link with Discount US/UK)
• 2x Man-skewer Boltboyz £34 each (Affiliate link with Discount US/UK)
• Orruk Warclans: Manifestations £35.50 (Affiliate link with Discount US/UK)
• Bossrokk Tower £40 (Affiliate link with Discount US/UK)

Dropping the Murknob with Belcha-banna and the Killbow (trust me, you’ll thank me later), this gets us to 1000 points on the dot, and also gives us a couple of spare units to swap in and out.

Battletome Costs

As everyone who buys from Games Workshop knows, once you’ve got the models, you’ll need the Battletome. So you’ll need the Orruk Warclans Battletome for £37.00 (Affiliate link with Discount US/UK).

Total so far at RRP: £363.50 (not cheap, but remember this is Games Workshop, and the second-hand market is worth looking at either locally or on Ebay, a lot of these models such as the Man-skewer Boltboyz can be purchased cheaper after featuring in the Dominion 3rd edition starter box). Plus with online gaming stored offering 15% (or sometimes greater) you could get this for roughly £300.

The Army List

This is the list I’ve come up with

Orruk Warclans | Kruleboyz | Middul Finga
Drops: 2
Manifestation Lore – Manifestations of Gorkamorka

General’s Regiment
Killaboss on Great Gnashtoof (160)
• General
• Slippery Skumbag
• Mork’s Eye Pebble
Gutrippaz (150)
Monsta-killaz (120)
Monsta-killaz (120)

Regiment 1
Swampcalla Shaman with Pot-grot (120)
Man-skewer Boltboyz (220)
• Reinforced
Man-skewer Boltboyz (110)

Faction Terrain
Skaregob Totem

Killaboss on Great Gnashtoof

This sneaky brute is a top pick for your general, he’s mean, mobile, and made for mayhem. He’s itching to scrap, so we’ve kitted him out with Mork’s Eye Pebble, giving him and all friendly Kruleboys units wholly within 12″ Ward (5+) for a turn.

To really get the most out of him, pair him with another Kruleboys unit. That unlocks That’s Ours, Ya Gitz!, giving both units +1 to hit if they’re contesting an objective they don’t control. Even better, that supporting unit gets +3 to their Control Score thanks to All Part of Da Plan.

And if things start going south, don’t worry, this Killaboss is a proper Slippery Skumbag, letting him Retreat at the end of the combat phase without taking mortal damage. Perfect for avoiding those sloggy punch-ups and living to krump another day.

Gutrippaz

Gutrippaz aren’t just here for the intimidation, opponents often sleep on them, but these lads have surprising bite. Their weapons come with Crit (Mortal), dishing out mortal wounds on hit rolls of 6. But when you juice them up in the Hero phase with Venom-encrusted Weapons, those mortal wounds trigger on a 5+ instead. Ten models swinging two attacks each? You’re looking at 6–7 mortal wounds on average before your opponent even starts rolling saves. Nasty stuff.

And they’re not just good at dealing pain, they’re slippery too. With Scare Taktikz, enemy units (non-Heroes) that dare strike back do so at -1 to hit on a 3+. It’s a psychological game, and these boys are playing it like pros.

Monsta-Killaz

Monsta-Killaz are Gutrippaz even nastier cousins, and even better. Like the Gutrippaz, they’ve got Crit (Mortal) baked into their attacks, but each one throws out 3 attacks instead of 2. That’s more stabs, more chances for mortals, and a whole lot more regret for whatever’s standing across from them.

They also pack Anti-Monster (+1 Rend), making them a nightmare for big beasties. Toss in Venom-encrusted Weapons in the Hero phase and you’re fishing for mortals on 5+ instead of 6+. With 7 models, that’s 21 attacks, just enough to match (or beat) 10 Gutrippaz for 6–7 mortal wounds on average. Efficient and brutal.

But they’ve got brains behind the blades too. With the Klutcha-Grot token, you can shut down an opponent’s Monster Rampage on a 2+ — though roll a 1, and the poor grot gets squished (and you lose the chance to do it again). And if you’re facing off against a Monster, Bait and Trap lets you force it to Strike Last on a 3+, buying your boyz the all-important first swing.

Swampcalla Shaman with Pot-grot

He’s no Arcane Wunderkind, but the Swampcalla Shaman brings the weird juice the Kruleboyz need to grease the wheels of war. While he won’t win a spellcasting contest anytime soon, he’s got a few tricks bubbling in the pot.

In the Hero Phase, if he’s still got his trusty Pot-Grot token, you can add +1 to his casting roll, just don’t roll a 4 or less, or the poor grot gets cooked and your bonus vanishes. He also carries Foul Elixirs, letting him hand out a +1 save buff to a friendly unit on a 2+. But roll a 1, and your lads drink the wrong brew and suffer D3 mortal wounds instead. Risky? Sure. Worth it? Perhaps.

The Kruleboyz spell lore has some real swampy gems:

• Choking Mist slows the enemy down and reduces their attacks.
• Da Black Pit deals a few mortal wounds from afar.
• And Mork’s Kunnin’ will increase the save of a nearby Kruleboyz unit.

We’ve gone with the Manifestations of Gorkamorka to keep things thematically muddy, but a Krondspine Incarnate works just as well if you’re after raw carnage.

The Gorkamorka spells are as unpredictable as a Squig on mushrooms:

• Foot of Gork stomps nearby enemies for D3 mortal wounds on a 2+, and reduces their charge rolls by 1.
• Gork-Roara gives friendly units within 12″ +1 to charge rolls if they roll any 5+ on up to two dice, but every 1 or 2 rolled it will instead deal 1 wound to the Shaman, so it’s a bit of a gamble.
• Morkspit Marsh forces enemy units within 6″ to not run (like a Swampy Lifeguard?), and -3 to their control score. That can really swing an objective.

Or, if subtlety’s not your thing, you could just throw in a Krondspine Incarnate and let it munch its way through the battlefield. Gork and Mork would probably approve either way.

Man-Skewer Boltboyz

One of the most iconic, and possibly feared, units in the Kruleboyz arsenal, the Man-Skewer Boltboyz bring serious shooty menace to your swampy horde. With Middul Finger, we’re extending their reach by +3″, pushing their aimed shots out to a nasty 21″ threat range.

They’ve got two firing profiles:

• Hasty Shot gives you +1 attack per model, great when you just need volume. Great for combining with Venom-Encrusted Weapons.
• Aimed Shot, though, is where the real killin’ happens, you get +1 to hit, extra range, and +1 Rend.
  And both profiles pack Crit (Auto-Wound), so any 6s to hit go straight through to the save step with 2 damage each.

For a truly nasty surprise, slap Venom-Encrusted Weapons on them when your melee units aren’t tied up elsewhere. That’ll give them mortal wounds on hit rolls of 5+ meaning you’re suddenly fishing for deadly crits at range, and trust us, it’s as fun as it sounds (for you, anyway).

Skaregob Totem

Right now, it’s mostly for your Swampcalla Shaman, but the Skaregob Totem is a smart pickup, especially since it’s free in points (though not in real-world coin, sadly… that’d be too generous even for Gork). Once your army grows to 2000 points with more foot heroes, its value goes up.

If your Shaman is within 3″ of the Totem, he becomes a Shouty Boss, and while he’s shouting, enemies can only target the Totem with attacks, not him. It’s a sneaky little way to keep your Shaman alive while he stirs up trouble from the back.

It also boosts your Dirty Tricks game. Any trick that targets units wholly within 12″ of the Totem gets +1 to the roll, but if it’s got a Shouty Boss, that range jumps to 18″. So yes, park your Shaman next to it and let the grotty magic flow.

Basically, it’s a loud stick that makes your tricks trickier and your wizard harder to squish. What’s not to love?

Key Points

Squishy as Swamp Slop: Most of your units (except the Killaboss on Gnashtoof) have a humble 5+ save, so they’ll crumple if you sneeze on ’em wrong. Avoid fights you’re not confident of winning, and stay clear of missile units when possible, cover and clever positioning are your best mates.

Use Venom-Encrusted Weapons Every Turn: No excuses. This is your core damage buff. Fishing for mortals on a 5+ turns even the weediest unit into a real threat.

Boost Saves Where You Can: Whether it’s Foul Elixirs, a spell, or Mork’s Eye Pebble, any extra survivability helps, especially if a unit’s about to get lit up by ranged attacks.

Mork’s Eye Pebble: Hold it until you’ve got multiple units under threat, but if it’s the final turn and it’s still unused, pop it anyway. A last-minute Ward can save the day.

Dirty Tricks Are the Best Kind: These aren’t just fun, they’re tactical gold.

Sneaky Sneakin’ can help grab distant objectives (and perfect for tactics like Take the Flanks) or keep your units clear of the enemy’s nastiest hammer.
Note: It’s been FAQ’d so it only works in your movement phase now, don’t trust any old physical cards you have — booo! No more enemy movement phase shenanigans.

Noisy Racket: Got a fight you’re unsure about? Drop this to make an enemy unit Strike Last. Great in a pinch or to swing a multi-combat in your favor.

Lethal Surprise: Don’t forget this if you’re getting charged, if it goes off the enemy takes D3 mortal wounds just for showing up. Classic Kruleboyz hospitality.

WHAT NEXT?

There are a few great directions you can take from here, depending on whether you want to double down on the swampy foot-sloggers or bring in some proper monsters to mix things up.

Personally, I’m a fan of adding a big beastie, something like a Snatchaboss on Sludgeraker Beast or a Mirebrute Troggoth. Both bring serious punch, some resilience, and that lovely intimidation factor.

If you want to stick with your infantry-focused theme, adding another unit of Gutrippaz is a solid call, especially since you’ve likely got enough Man-Skewer Boltboyz already. More bodies means more objectives covered, more chances to trigger synergies, and more tools for your tricks.

That said, some recent tournament lists have gone in a different (but effective) direction, using speed as the key:

• Kragnos
• Corpse-Rippa Vulture
• Monsta-Killaz
• Hurtlin’ Hogz Regiment of Renown

Whatever direction you choose, make sure it fits your playstyle, whether that’s stomping across the board with beasts or skewering your foe from afar.

— Peter