We’ve already peeked inside the pages of the forthcoming Arcane Journal: Orc & Goblin Tribes this week, but we’re not yet done with them. Today we’re speaking to the designers about how they want these unruly louts to play.
JTY: The number one thing to understand is that more or less throughout the Warhammer Fantasy Battles era, Orcs and Goblins suffered from Animosity. In Warhammer: The Old World, they do not – and there’s a very good reason for this. They are aggressive, and they want to get across the battlefield and get stuck in. Various iterations of Animosity in Warhammer Fantasy Battles rendered this army unplayable to a greater or lesser extent. When you’ve got a unit that refuses to move, instead shooting or even charging the nearest friendly unit – as they did in the fourth edition* – it’s not fun.
So they’ve become Impetuous instead. Orcs should be uncontrollable, but that difficulty should express itself in a desire to get to the enemy as fast as possible. The best-laid plans of the most intelligent Warboss will crumble when the lads are tearing across the battlefield. We’ve been asked why Warbosses are Impetuous – that’s because they’re also Orcs! Black Orcs are a bit smarter, but in general Orc battle plans are usually no more complex than “you go there, you go there, and we’ll go over and thump them”.
Danny: When there’s nobody else around, Orcs will 100% fight among themselves, but when there’s an enemy stood a few hundred yards away, they’re more concerned with closing that distance.
JTY: In general, Orcs are fast across the ground. They want to charge. They will charge whether the player wants them to or not. That’s deliberate, because that’s what Orcs are. Now if you can get that charge off on your terms, it will be devastating. If you wait for the opponent to approach and they get the drop on you, you’ll be beaten up.
Most Orc and Goblin units are Warband units, so they’re full of confidence when everything is going their way. As soon as something goes slightly wrong, that bravado is gone and they’ll start running for the hills.
With these two USRs**, plus the Magic Items and Spells that make them faster and more aggressive, we feel like we’ve made them more Orc-y.
Danny: Your opponent can draw you out for really long charges that you may well fail, and then you’ll get counter-charged. Choosing your charge is the hallmark of a canny Orc general.
JTY: Impetuous is a useful tool – and it’s not just for the Orcs and Goblins. We’re often asked why High Elf Dragon Princes have it, but every single description since they first appeared in the fourth edition has been about how they are impetuous and rash, too eager to charge.
Danny: As for other rules, I really feel like Choppas encapsulates the straightforward design of orc armaments. That re-roll To Wound on the charge makes such a big difference to the casualties you cause. When you’re hit, you really feel it.
JTY: Waaagh! is also very thematic. Orcs have the best battle cry, so why not use it? Stacking these bonuses up makes Orcs amazing – but one thing they can’t escape is that they’re wildly inaccurate. They’re very strong, but their Weapon Skill is not great. They’re seldom hitting on better than 4s but they’re often hit back on 3s – that’s deliberate, as Orcs tend to be swinging their weapons and hoping for the best a lot of the time.
Throwing spears are a change to the core rules that reflect the different ways spears can be used. These aren’t ranged throwing weapons like javelins – they’re combat weapons thrown over the head of the Orc in front of you, just a few feet from the enemy. Get the charge, add in magic items like the Big Red Raggedy Flag or the Waaagh! Banner, cast ‘Ere We Go with a Shaman, and your army will shift across the battlefield with tremendous aggression and then – hopefully – cause some hits.
Danny: The other big downside of orcs is that they’re tough but don’t wear much armour. So high-Strength shooting attacks with just a little AP will hurt – things like crossbows and handguns. Orcs hate being shot at – especially by anything that’s S4.
JTY: Orcs don’t like Dwarf gunlines either – but if there’s any army in the game that can charge you in Turn 2, it’s Orcs and Goblins.
Meanwhile, Night Goblin Fanatics are deliberately very good. They’re more straightforward than they used to be – they don’t interrupt the game with that mid-move pause like they did in Warhammer Fantasy Battles. They won’t win you a game outright, and there are ways to deal with them, but they put people off charging. The new rules for releasing them play upon your opponent’s nerves a bit more, and that’s what makes them so good. They’re there for psychological warfare.
Danny: Remember – Fanatics are just as good at making holes in your army as they are your enemy’s – you always have to be careful when you unleash them.
In terms of list building, I really like the variety here. Even though there are units you’ll see in most lists, there’ll be some very different armies. I personally never leave home without a unit of Big ‘Uns, and Giants are fantastic. Trolls are also very good and I like Boar Boys, but there’ll always be people’s pet units – and it’s quite nice that they are all perfectly fine to put in your list.
JTY: You might want to field lots of Goblins, Wolf Riders, and Chariots for a faster-moving army – it’s about recognising what you like, and leaning into their particular strengths and weaknesses. However, it’s not an army you can be infinitely tactical with because almost everything is Impetuous or Stupid!
Danny: If you’re going to bring Trolls, it’s worth considering your general. With a Warboss on a Wyvern who’s looking to fly off and disrupt the back line, suddenly your Trolls are relying on their own Leadership to pass Stupidity. These little synergies make the difference as to how functional your army is. It’s important to look at the units you’re taking to make sure you’re covering the weaknesses as best you can.
JTY: We’ve focused on putting in a lot more synergies in every army in the Old World, and you’ll start seeing more of that as the Arcane Journals arrive with more stuff – but I think players are already realising that there are quite a lot of combos to be found with the Magic, Magic Items, and USRs.
Thanks guys, that was fascinating. Tomorrow we’re looking at all the lovely vintage miniatures coming back on a Made to Order basis, and we’ll round out the week in the World of Legend with a guide to painting Orc and Goblin skin tones.
* You had to roll a double 1… but that’s more common than you think!
**Universal Special Rules