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Per a couple requests, below is the unedited version of the tactics section that I had originally written for a Bad Moon theme article.
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Bad Moons Tactics
Bad Moon armies differ slightly from typical Ork armies. While they are still a horde army and still very good at attrition style tactics, their expensive upgrades means they tend to field smaller numbers of units. The trade off for these smaller numbers is a significant increase in ranged fire and firefight ability. Basically, the Bad Moons are just shootier than other clans.
Contrary to popular perception, Orks are not especially lacking in ranged firepower. This is especially true for a Bad Moon clan going to war. The challenge is not limited firepower, but that Ork command and control issues make it difficult to use the firepower they have. Luckily, proper application of tactics can mitigate this weakness somewhat.
The challenge of using Ork ranged fire is their 3+ initiative. With a -1 activation if the formation has BMs, it is quire risky to attempt any actions except those that grant the +2 Waagh bonus to activation. Obviously, Engage and Double Move actions are unsatisfactory for using ranged fire.
The best way to avoid the pitfalls of failed activations is to maneuver within firing range in one action, then attempt Sustained Fire on the next action. That way if you fail the activation you lose only the +1 for sustained and can still fire normally at the target (minus the suppression for the BM gained for failing activation, of course).
Quite naturally, this requires some advance planning and set up on the part of the Ork player. An end-of-turn/beginning-of-turn activation tactic is best to give your opponent the least amount of time to move out of your field of fire. Near the end of the turn, use a Double Move action to get in range and fire at the target, then early the following turn, activate the formation and fire again. Since the Orks? Strategy Rating of 3 cannot be counted on to consistently win the strategy roll at the beginning of the turn it is best to make certain there is an alternate target in range. If your primary target evacuates, you can try to chase them with a Move action or attempt Sustained fire at the alternate target, but either way you can use a Hold action to fire at the alternate if you fail activation.
I?m not making the claim this is an easy tactic, but it will definitely startle your opponent when a formation of Orks who ?can?t shoot? blast a hole in their lines for the first time.
There are also some specific things to note with respect to formations with Bad Moon style upgrades.
Mounted Warbands ? Keep in mind that a formation mounted in wagons has gained a lot more flexibility than the footsloggers. Beyond the obvious speed issue, wagons have good ranged fire and better Firefight values than Ork infantry. Their speed allows them to Double Move into position to support an Engagement, Engage themselves on the following turn, or us Sustained Fire on the following turn.
Walker Warbands ? These are warbands heavy in Killa Kanz, Dreadnoughts, and Stompas. They are slow and because they include higher points-cost units they will be smaller and less able to channel the enemy. Because of that, it?s necessary to make the enemy come to you. I have found the best use of the formations is to drive directly toward enemy objectives. You can divert them to hit the enemy only if you will be able to maintain your drive afterwards. This is a rare case for Orks where inflicting casualties on the enemy does not override other concerns.
Gunz Mobz ? These are great Bad Moon formations and there are several tactics, depending on the way you want to structure your army. For ease of reference, I?ve labeled them Base of Fire, Aggressive Gunz, and Popcorn. It?s also worth noting that large mobz of gunz come in a couple of forms. Obviously, you can build them out of Big or Uge Gunzmob formations. This allows lots of cheap gunz and access to multiple Oddboyz upgrades but they are somewhat fragile. Adding Nobz will help greatly in reducing BMs, which you will need because Gunz don?t count for Mob Up bonuses. The second way of building a mob is by starting with the standard Warband and adding Big Gunz units as Extras. This is more expensive, but has obvious advantages as far as making the mob much more durable. Either approach is completely valid and you should probably choose based on your personal preferences and play style.
Base of Fire ? This is the classic shooty formation tactic. Garrison the mob in cover with a good field of fire and wait for the enemy to poke their heads out. This works best with a large formation, reinforced as much as possible. Otherwise, the enemy may be able to inflict enough casualties to seriously hinder your effectiveness before you can fire a good volley. The only drawback is that you may end up using your Supreme Commander Initiative Reroll because you really want that Sustained Fire bonus.
Aggressive Gunz ? This is my personal favorite way to use Big Gunz. As with Base of Fire it requires a large mob that you garrison. The difference is that the primary goal is forward movement. Just as a Warband formation can be used to press forward and corral the enemy, a Big Gunz formation can do so. Double Moves should be the standard, so you will get the +2 Waagh activation bonus. Also, with 10-15 units at 5+FF, engaging in a firefight is a respectable option. Be sure to look for a corridor of terrain that the mob can use to leapfrog across the board because without some extra defense Big Gunz are more vulnerable than most Ork infantry.
Popcorn ? As the name implies, this tactic will result in lots of formations breaking, or ?popping,? hence the name. Luckily, you will have lots of formations. The basic idea is similar to Base of Fire but instead of a single large mob, you field lots of smaller mobz. At 125 points for 5 gunz, you can field 4 formations for a mere 500 points. This will start you out with a great advantage of activations and allow you to place a lot of BMs through sheer volume. The mobz will break easily if pressed but odds are good that some will recover quickly, maintaining some of the activation advantage and basically keeping lots of potential targets in the enemy?s face. It?s not worth buying upgrades for the most part but one particularly wicked combination presents itself ? SupaZzap Gunz. Putting a single SupaZzap in each would put the cost of 4 formations up to 700 points, but that is 4 TKd3 weapons running around the board. If the enemy has any substantial number of warengines, the pressure it can apply is more than worth the cost.
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Obviously, the final form of the Garrison OW rule will affect these tactics, generally imiproving them considerably.
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Neal
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each delivering its 6BP MW fire each turn.
Orks are a powerful army at close quarters, with deadly short-ranged firepower... not so good at assaulting by themselves (too slow), but a real pain to assault, and extremely resilient.