Ogre Kingdoms 8th Edition Army Ratings/Buying Guide (2013)

Hey guys! Got myself a few games under my belt 30 to be exact at the point of writing this.
I have read and re-read the rulebook (still learning) and I pretty much know the ogre book off by heart. I have searched and searched the web and found very few "Beginners buying guides" for the Ogres. So I have decided to take Monikers Idea 1 step further and write up a "section by section" report on the OK book. I will list the name, page number and rate them on ease to play. I will also write a summary on how particular units have performed for myself and others (via battle reports). Once completing the stage by stage of the Ogre Kingdoms army list I will move onto an in depth magic report, magic items and big names. Rating and marking them in the same way as the army list.
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This is all subject to personal opinion and personal experience. What I state in this Tactica is not guaranteed to reflect on everyone's meta game. It is aimed at new starts and helping them with their first purchases.
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If you liked this thread and found it helpful please vote for a sticky and hopefully it will help other fledgling tyrants also.
Also here is a link to Moniker's hard work in bringing together various different posts that cover tactics, list building and various other bits and pieces.
http://www.ogrestronghold.com/forum/index.php?topic=26514.0


 
Credits -
Moniker                               Rockmuncher
RJ_Payne                            SGT-Pozy
McSheehy                           Adam B (The Dice Abide)
1D4Chan.org                      Reynorpadilla
Greatmaw                           Skarvald the Troll-faced (Wftwg)
Matt1785                            Byronic
nells                                    Nathbot
ThegreatMawk
Kyte
Az_barag
Dreadgrass
Mrfantastical

Ogre Kingdoms Army List -
I will not be covering Ogre Kingdoms special characters because I have never played with them or seen them played (they do not seem viable).
The Army list will be rated on a tiered system, taking into account; ease of play, point for stats and special rules. No upgrades or magic items will be included for the purpose of ratings. Ratings will apply to “naked” models.

Ratings -
A - Very strong choice and relatively easy to use.
B - Strong choice and relatively easy to use.
C - Difficult to use and situational, strength will depend on situation and player skill.

Lords -
Both of our lord choices are Very strong and bring different things to the table. It purely depends on which role you need them to fill. A combat lord – Tyrant. A combat mage – Slaughter Master (or Tyrant with wizarding hat!!!!)

 
Tyrant – (A-) Page 33
The Tyrant, our combat lord choice! A role he fills very well, he can be kitted out to be a tank or a killy lord. It all comes down to personal taste which lord choice you would rather run, point for point they are both very effective at that they do. The Tyrant may not be the best combat lord in the game but none of the other can claim to have 5 wounds and T5 base! Despite what the fluff states this guy cannot go around challenging lords willy nilly, he will get himself killed eventually. In 8th edition people will have noticed the abundance of D3 wounds weapons and units, this affects our lords survivability greatly. T5 W5 is nothing to sniff at however I would prefer he had a better initiative as this is what he will suffer most for. Most players use him to deny CR and generate a whole tonne on rank and file troops to win combats while accepting challenges with the unit champion. This is the most effective method for using him and also the safest way to protect your >300pt investment. Arguments over who is a better lord can be found in every corner of the internet. One such argument can be found here - Tyrant Vs Slaughter Master
 
Slaughter Master – (A) Page 35
Our wizard, the big daddy and the tribes "chef" (I use this term loosely). Our wizard has a better stat line that a fair amount of combat hero's! He can be made level 4 (for a price) and like the Tyrant can be kitted to be a Casting Beast, Tank or a Slaugher Master. He has access to the Lore of the Maw, Beasts, Death and Heavens, however one caster in your army MUST take Lore of the Maw which is in no way a bad thing. As below RJ_Payne has done a fantastic write up on the Maw lore covering its strengths and weaknesses (not many). The SM can fill a variety of roles as the chief caster in an army and it usually falls to him to keep his fellow fatties alive! The Slaughter Master is the easier of the two lord choices to use effectively and while he may be a significant investment at 350pt+ for a decent set up he more than makes his price back by making your army more survivable and hit harder! The special rule "immune to poison" is not something to forget, it does not come into play very often but you will be thankful when it does!

NOTE: As of right now, it's not listed in the book, but Slaughtermasters can take a Great Weapon for 10 points. In addition, it is technically allowed for you to take Magic Armor, due to the fact that they can take Ironfists. This is confirmed in the FAQ, but discouraged. (Thanks 1D4chan.org)
 
Heroes -
 
Bruiser –  (A) (with BsB) (B) (without) page 34
Cheap and effective! The BsB is a staple in ALL ogres lists due to our general low leadership. We always have a lot of points tied up in our units and the last thing we need is them running away.
The Bruiser is a good fighter and can be equiped similarly to the Tyrant. He can be tanky or killy depending on what you need. However most ogre players make their BsB as tough as possible because so much hinges on his survival. For 105pts standard he is a good choice but without the BsB he is better replaced with some more Ironguts.
 
Hunter – (C-) (on foot with Sabres) (C) (with Stone Horn) page 37
The hunter is a fickle one... he is 25pts more expensive than a Bruiser and brings very little more to the table. He can be mounted on a stonehorn however I have never found either build effective.
Sticking him on a stone horn with other tricksters shard upgrade against daemons can be fun however. Discussion found here - Hunter on Stone Horn
 
Butcher – (B+) page 35
The butcher is your amateur Slaughter Master. He is basic level 1 and can be upgraded to level 2. He has the same access to lores as the Slaughter Master. The butcher fulfils a variety of roles from your "Butcher tax" (taking the maw lore so your level 4 may use another lore) "Hellheart caddy" carrying the Hellheart deep into your enemies ranks and popping it for maximum effect and lastly to take another lore to supplement a Level 4 Maw caster. The other lores are situational and depend on personal play style and preference. The butcher is not quite as useful as the Slaughter Master, however he does cost half the points!

Fire Belly – (B+) page 36
Our other Hero level caster. The firebelly is exempt from the implications the Maw lore places on our casters since all he can use is Lore of Fire. The lore of fire can be handy to clear chaff with fireball or supplement our units with buffs. Like the Butcher the Firebelly can be upgraded to a level 2 caster again for a cost. He fulfils most of the same roles the Butcher does, "Hellheart caddy" and unit support. (exempt from butcher tax) He costs 20pts more than a butcher base and has the same stat line. However he also has flaming attacks special rule, a breath weapon (2d6 S4 hits in combat! yes please, oh and they are flaming also - Tomb Kings love this guy!) and a 4+ ward against flaming attacks! Give this guy a Dragon bane gem for a 2+ ward, charge him into a unit with flaming banner and pop that breath weapon for some really easy CR. Both of our hero choice casters are strong for their point cost and will do well by any player. Its all down to personal taste.

Core -

Ogres or Bulls for some vets  - (B) page 39
This topic is heavily debated. Iron Guts or Ogres. Ogres are a reasonable price of 32pts and come with an Iron Fist (that is how you are running them, right?) They can be run in all sorts of formations. 3X2, 3x3, 4x4 and even 6x3 for a reasonable price. (for ogres anyway) Ogres are good on their own but they really do need some support whether it be from one of our viable hero choices or a lord. If a Slaughter Master/Butcher gets some buffs off on these guys then that B goes to a A depending on what buffs you managed to pull off. Ogres while more survivable than Iron guts (slightly) do not quite have the same impact or fear factor.
 
Iron Guts – (B+) page 40
Iron guts, like ogres are not overly tough. They do hit hard, but they pay for it! Costing 11pts more than your standard ogre (with IF, because that is what your running) you get +1ld, and a great weapon. They also have the option of a 50pts standard but that just adds more cost. Iron guts are very effective at hunting heavy cavalry and monsters. Like ogres they cause fear which can be handy, but most armies we face will have decent leadership, a bsb or a high leadership lord. So it does not come into play very often. I find I get more milage from them and more bang for my buck. I would prefer it if they had some sort of rule that gave them a 4+ armour over a 5+ like “thick skinned” or “battle hardened”, something of that sort but alas we have been stuck with the standard heavy armour save. Running both units simultaneously one as a Hammer (Iron guts) one as an Anvil (Ogres) while more tactically challenging can be of great benefit and there are not many opponents who will survive a fight like that!
Ogres vs Iron guts Math
 
Gnoblars – (C) - (C+)(trappers) page 48
Who doesnt love them, really? We all do. Little green snotlings that die in droves to a stiff breeze. 
They can be upgraded to be trappers making enemies charging take difficult terrain tests. They are usefull as speed bumps to prevent charges (not for long) and do not cause panic in ogres. There are not many uses aside from being a speed bump. M4 also means they move slower than the rest of your army meaning it will slow the rest down so they can do their job. Not the most efficient re-director but certainly useful in their own way.
Gnoblar tactics
 
Special Units - 

Lead Belchers- (B+) page 41
Honestly I love them. Same stats as an ogre, same price as an Iron gut. What do they get? Range 24, D6 shots, S4,  Arm. Pen shots with no penalty for move and shooting or multiple shots! Wow.
A unit of 6 can be devastating. It can “delete” monsters through weight if fire, it can soften up big nasty combat blocks for your ogres, it can clear chaff. It has a variety of different roles and I feel 6 is definetly the magic number! They are a very strong choice for any army with a number of different roles to play, be it supporting your main combat block, clearing chaff or wizard hunting!
Leadbelcher review
 
Man Eater – (A) page 42 (there are too many possibilities for me to rate every single one... So down to pure customisability I have rated them an A which seems very fair for what they bring to the table)
Man Eaters... they do live up to their name. They are a VERY strong choice for the ogres. They can be fast and stubborn! Scout Swiftstride? The ratings system does not really apply very well to the Man eaters, however I have tried my best. We have powerful builds, situational builds and weak builds. There really was no fair way to rate them, but I believe they well deserve an A! There are so many posibilities of rule choices and equipment options. So instead of talking through there all I have found an appropriate link thanks to Monkier. Man Eaters
 
Sabre Tusks – (A+) page 38
They are our cheap re-directors. They cost a minimal amount of points and do a great deal. I prefer these over Gnoblars because they are cheaper (aguably) and more mobile. They have a base Movement of 8! They are war machine hunters extraordinair and can block charges well being a single character unit. Meaning you dont have to worry about that Ld4. One of the best re-directors in the game, cheapest and they still have a good profile! WS4 ogre!?
Tactics found here in Monikers Post - Sabre Tusk Tactics
 
Yhetees – (C) page 45
Yhetees are not our strongest choice. However they do have their uses, for example - Ethereal hosts and armies will avoid them like the plague. Yhetees have magical attacks and an aura that reduces WS by 1 (no longer -1 to hit) There is a massive debate as to whether WS0 units can actually attack back (WS0 by failing fear and the aura effect) or if they auto hit on a 6! However there is not so much debate about the fact we auto hit WS0 units, which is handy in its self. The Yhetees are a little pricy for their stat line, however they do have a purpose. It may not be as clear as the other units but it is there I assure you. They are rated C because of difficulty of use, by no means do I suggest it is a weak unit.
A discussion about the Yhetee aura
 
Mournfang Cavelry – (A+) page 43
What can I say that hasnt already been said. Other than I prefer to run these with Iron fists for a 2+ save and parry! For me these are an auto include in any list I write. Even in 1000pts games! They are relativly cheap for what you get, I mean D3 S5 impacts, 3 S4 attacks 4 S5 attacks?! Did i mention that was EACH!? These beasties will annihilate RnF on the charge and will very rarely lose a combat. With M8 basic and swiftstride it is very easy to get off a decent charge and with the standard of swiftness to make your opponent crap his pants when they march 18”!
Man Eaters vs MFC
 
Gorger – (C) page 44
The uses for these guys are very limited. They do not have a weak statline, where they suffer most is their infiltrate rule. Turning up on T2 at earliest are what make these guys hard to play. If you run 2 you are an Ironblaster down for 2 turns! Also when they do turn up your opponent has an entire turn to react to them. If they could charge from infiltrate then I would love them! However this is not the case. Like the Yhetee they have their uses they are just more difficult to use (successfully) than most models in our army. Again hence the C rating, not because it is a bad unit just out of playing difficulty.
Using a Gorger

Rare Units -

Scrap Launcher – (B-) page 49
It is cheaper than last edition while only being marjonaly worse off. A S3 (kb) stone thrower is handy and relativly cheap way to deal with Night Goblin hoards and well... T3 hoards of any sort I suppose. These do have their place in our armies but there are more effective options. The scrapie is again one of those situational units that suffers due to the abundance of strong choices provided by our army book!

Ironblaster – (A+) page 50
The big daddy when it comes down to cannons! Re-rolling that bounce roll is nothing short of epic! It has saved me from wasting that cannon shot so many times I cant even count! The misfire chart is far from unfair and even if you do blow your cannon up you still have a super chariot. The cannon is a very strong choice for any ogre player because it can fulfil a variety of roles. The main one being our ranged anti-war machine. This cannon is also very good against infantry and character sniping with that re-rollable bounce die! As for combat, the cannon is actually a chariot not a war machine in its self and can be devastating on the charge!
Scrappy vs Ironblaster

Giant – (C) page 46
I have never ran one myself but have seen a few being played. If they dont die to cannon fire on T1 and actually make it to combat they still manage to do very little. For such a big bloke surely he would just trample all those little pointly helmeted midgets, right? Wrong... he picks one up, sticks it in his pants and stops what he's doing becuase he reaslied “**** that guy had a sword!”
Uses of a Giant

Stonehorn – (C+) page 52
While this big beastie is tough and cannot be 1 hit by cannons (so the opponents answer is to shoot two at it). It hits very hard on a charge, while Frenzy can be problematic from time to time on Ld7. He is still going to smash things even if he fails frenzy test, Terror can be handy on smaller units like Men at arms with no BsB etc. In my oppinion he is a little over priced, at 200pts I think we would see them more often, but alas it was not to be. As for the 4+ Armour save, why not a ward?! I mean anything fighting this or shooting this is going to be a high enought str to nullify this measly armour save!
Stonehorn Tactics

Thundertusk – (C+) page 54
The Stonehorns brother from another mother... It confers the ASL rule to all “MODELS” within 6”. If this ruling was FAQ'd to “units” then these would be a staple in every list. Making the enemy ASL against ogres would see our armies fair alot better when fighting higher initiative units. (almost every army) The sphere of ice is quite handy and most opponents dont expect it, D3 wounds can be handy. While this model does not have an armour save like the stonehorn it does not make it any less survivable since anything hitting/shooting these models will be a high enough strength to remove said armour.
Thundertusk Tactics
Stonehorn vs Thundertusk

Magic – All credit for this section goes to RJ_Payne for his indepth review of ogre magic and handy matrix on the link bellow!
“The Lore of the Great Maw is a unique and exclusive deck to the Ogres and has so many great uses and synergies with the Ogre army that it has become an absolute guaranteed inclusion in my Ogre armies. Overall the lore focuses on buffing your units to make them stronger, tougher or regenerative. In my opinion the Lore is most effective used by a level 4 where the low casting values become even easier to reach, allowing you to cast more spells and therefore take advantage of the lore attribute. Additionally it favours an aggressive style of play where you put your 5 wound level four into the fray with defensive (and sometimes offensive!) items like a 4+ ward.

Lore Attribute: Bloodgruel
Every time a butcher successfully casts a spell you roll a D6, on 2+ you get a wound back and a +1 to your next cast or dispel attempt. On a 1 you take a strength 6 hit, which in most cases wounds on a 3+ and then if you are like me and run a 4+ ward you only take a wound 33% of the time. This is a great little rule which can keep your slaughtermaster alive long after he should have died and when combined with defensive items and the crown of command he isn't going anywhere fast. The +1 to cast is also a great rule really helping you cast more spells and regenerate more wounds. Also if you end the phase with this buff active you also stand a better chance of dispelling the first spell your opponent attempts! The other benefit of this attribute is ability to regain wounds caused by miscast which really become a lot less of a worry for ogres (although you still don't want to be rolling a cascade if you can help it!!!). I hinge my army around my slaughtermaster and anything which makes him more resilient is a big bonus to me.

Signature Spell: Spinemarrow
With a 12" range you can make a unit stubborn on a really low casting value. You can boost the spell to a 24" range if needs be. I really like this spell and it is a cheeky way to get around the Swedish Comp system, avoiding the 35pt penalty for taking the crown of command. I often cast this early in a phase to gain the blood gruel buff and sometimes draw out a few dispel. If you are like me and use 3 bull units as redirectors or flank charge anchors then you can make them stubborn, holding an enemy unit in place while you set up a flank or rear charge. Use in conjunction with the +1 toughness or regen spell you can make these units very difficult to shift. Another nice use for this spell is making large leadbelcher units stubborn and therefore very effective at holding up large enemy units. As Ogres are often fighting enemies which have many more ranks and are therefore steadfast (and stubborn) it can take a while before you are able to break an opponent. More often than not Ogres will win the war of attrition being able to put out a lot of hurt and absorb alot of punish via wounds and high toughness. Being able to weather the storm of the first few rounds of combat by being stubborn can allow you to win the marathon in the long run!

1. Bonecrusher
This spell is a magic missile with a range of 18" (36" when boosted) which causes 2D6 Str 2 hits with no armour save. This is a great spell for clearing chaff (especially units like chameleons, gutter runners, shades and way watchers) or killing off knights. Its also quite good at causing some wounds on monsters or war machines where you would normally wound on 6s anyway.

2. Bull Gorger
Bull Gorger is an augments spell which increases the strength of a unit by 1 within in 12" or all units within 12" when boosted. This is probably my favourite spell in the lore as it can massively swing combat in your favour. The thing to bear in mind is that it also increases the strength of your stomps and impacts making standard ogres str 5 (str 6 maneaters!) which will wound most infantry on 2s and also inflict further armour save penalties. Its a really easy spell to cast on one unit and is also easy to cast in the bubble form making it a very reliable way of buffing units, more often than not opponents will blow their dispel dice on trollguts leaving you free to get this off.

3. Toothcracker
This spell is an augment which increases the target toughness by 1 and can be boosted to all units within 12 of the caster. Its a great spell and really easy to cast on one unit which is often all you need! It can be used to buff your large combat blocks or even just a small road block/redirector making your units of 3 bulls even harder to shift. The Ogres really benefit from working as a unit all within 12" of the general, BSB and spell caster to maximise your bubble buffs and make your army rock solid and horrendously damaging in combat!

4. Brain Gobbler
Brain gobbler is a hex spell which forces a unit to take a panic test and can be boosted to increase range and has a relatively low casting value. This spell is a bit more situational and less useful against opponents with high leadership and with a nearby BSB. However since it is a hex it does not require Line of sight and can be chucked out behind your lines to panic off pesky scouts or flyers like terradons or gutter runners. Its also useful in a mirror match to panic off flanking mournfang who are out of range of the general/bsb. Its also very useful used on chaff units like sabretusks and warhounds.  A nice combo would be to also cast doom and darkness and panic off an important combat unit turn 1. Just thinking about it I wonder if there is a place for a double LvL 4 or 3 Slaughtermaster list? It works really well for Lizards and might work for Ogres too with their inherent resilience and number of wounds. Watch this space I might work up a list with them!

5. Trollguts
Arguably the real power behind combat ogre lists and one of the reasons I think a Level 4 maw is the probably the best general choice. Trollguts is an augment spell which gives the target regeneration (4+) and can be boosted to effect every unit within 12". This regen bubble instantly makes your army massively resilient to incoming damage ranged and combat. Especially against cannon lists where because Ogres are monstrous infantry if it fails to kill a model the cannon stops dead. This can let you do some neat tricks using units of 3 bulls as meat shields 1" in front of ironblasters. Presuming that you got regen off on both and the cannonball bounce would hit both there is only a 11% chance of wounding the Ironblaster and only a 4% chance of killing it with one shot! Compare this to just shooting the ironblaster on its own with a 27% of killing it with one shot with no regen or bull shield. This spell and other bubble buffs are one of the reasons I am now using units of 3 bulls with extra hand weapons (or more recently units of 3 leadbelchers) as (albeit expensive) chaff and re-directors. These units can be amazingly good when buffed up, wiping out opposing chaff with ease (4 strength 5 attacks each plus stomps and impacts when buffed) and very resilient and reliable when buffed with stubborn,  tooth cracker and/or trollguts. Even elite combat units will struggle to deal 9 wounds to a toughness 5 regenerating unit!

Regen is a great combat buff too, allowing you half the incoming damage and can massively swing combats in your favour. Naturally flaming attacks negate all this but with ogres being monstrous infantry and therefore immune to killing blow (although not heroic alas!) you can chuck on a dragonbane gem or a dragonhelm to give you a 2+ ward against anything which negates your regen! The power of this is spell is also a weakness, everyone knows about it and will throw all their dice at dispelling it, you can use this to your advantage however and plan for actually getting off bull gorger or tooth cracker. Against gunline armies bubble this early on to primarily protect you from the worst of their shooting and they may get jumpy and pull out a dispel scroll. Its difficult to cast the bubble version however and I would recommend 5 dice (when you have the +1 bonus from blood gruel) or even 6 when casting it. The spell is also really easy to cast on a single unit and quite often that is all you need later in the game when your main unit/gutstar is in combat. If you roll well in the magic phase you can start to get off 2-3 spells quite reliably if you 2-4 dice each spell.

6. The Maw
The final spell in the deck is actually one of the worst spells in the book, its a direct damage spell which is similar to pit of shades but when you pass the initiative test you only take a strength 3 hit (which is nice), fail it and you take a strength 8 hit causing D6 wounds. It can be place anywhere within 24" and scatters like a stone thrower, it is really easy to cast and can be boosted to use the large round template. All sounds amazing so far but here is where it goes horribly wrong (for me in particular more often than not!). If you roll a miss fire on the scatter then your opponent can place the template, anywhere.... Which means your initiative 2/3 gutstar with multi wound models and characters is about to be flattened! This has (and will I'm sure again in the future) made me lose me games. The risk is monstrous and even if it does go off safely it still scatters and can potentially miss. I would only ever cast this spell if I was in dire straits and this was my only chance of winning but even then odds are I would have swapped this spell for something more useful!

Casting Dice Guide
Here is a link to a handy wee cheat sheet for casting Spells from the Lore of the Great Maw I made:

http://paint-hammer.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/magic-lore-review-lore-of-great-maw.html”

Big Names -
Page 61

I'll be honest, I wish ogres could choose to take big names say a tyrant up to 50pts and a bruiser 25pts, separate from their magic item allotment!
However what we are stuck with is that big names suck up points that could “arguably” be used better elsewhere. So here I will start off rating the Big Names on pts cost and usefullness.

 
Mawseeker – (A)
As far as I can fathom the most popular and strongest big name we have. T6 tyrant is handy for denying CR. Stupidity can be almost ignored on Ld9 re-rollable. Could do with a points reduction however.
Wallcrusher – (C-)
Too situational and needs to be lowered in points before anyone will consider it.
Kineater – (C)
Again situational, re-rolling that leadership test can save you a unit, however your BsB is generally with your tyrant giving a 12” re-rollable bubble over 6”.
Mouintaineater – (C)
Less than usefull, in all honesty you want to avoid duelling anything that will wound you on 2's anyway. If it cannot be avoided a ward save would be a better choice.
Giantbreaker – (B)
+1S is useful and reasonably priced. However the sword of might is cheaper and does the same thing with no downside.
Deathcheater – (B-)
This would be more useful if it were usable after the rolls to wound! So in this case you use it, he rolls bad and doesn’t need to re-roll anyway.
Longstrider – (C)
I suppose this could be handy on a hunter with sabre tusks? Other than that its a bit redundant.
Beastkiller – (C)
Again on a hunter (which most people don’t take for a good reason) it could be handy but with the abundance of cannons this edition you don’t see a whole lot of big gribblies to use this on.
Brawler guts – (B-)
This would only be good if you could stick this on a hunter/stonehorn combo and it affected the stonehorn! Other than that its negligible.
 
Magic Items -
Page 62

Honestly I will just skip the two weapons we have in our magic items section as I have never seen anyone take them for any reason other than fun.

Tundermace – (C-)
Siegebreaker – (C-)
Gnoblar Thiefstone (also known as “Trollstone”) - (B)
The gnoblar thiefstone is all based from luck. Yes you can roll a 6 and get a 4+ward. However you have the same chances of stealing an item from one of your other characters also!
Greedyfist – (B)
When Death fisting was all the craze then yes it was good item to take, however now the FAQ has been release and seen us shot of that tactic. The 6+ ward it provides is not going to be used very often (lets face it, how often do you make your 6+ ward) and any wizard in combat with someone wielding this is not going to be worrying about his diminishing wizard levels, but his diminishing wounds.
Gutmaw – (B-)
Sounds awesome! Then you read “only in duels” and think “oh... that sucks”
Gruts Sickle – (A)
1 wound on your unit and a chance to lose your wizard, yes please. Lets face how often do we roll double 1's, and I don’t mean when we are rolling to wound (somehow I always roll more 1's in that phase) +2 to casting can really help you dominate the magic phase forcing your opponent to use more dispell dice than you do casting dice.
Hellheart – (A)
This is awesome! Ok, sometimes you roll a 1-2 and it does nothing. But when you roll a 6 and you get 2-3 mages (just watch your opponents face) and a few of them get cascade or detonate. It can really make its points back.
Rockeye – (B+)
Can be useful if you are playing a comp or hidden lists. However most games people play are open lists and you know what your opponent has.
Rune maw – (B+)
I would like to take it more, but 60pts is an awefull lot when it doesn’t effect spells like Mind razor, Purple Nurple (sun) etc. However you will be thankful you took it when someone gets dwellers off and its only 2+ to nullify the spell. Recommended if you are taking a Character bus with all your points tied up.
Dragonhide banner – (A+)
Re-rolling 1's is AWESOME. But the breath weapon could be a little more useful since 9/10 we are striking last in initiative order therefore the ASL effect from the banner will only take effect in the enemy’s turn. This thing on the MFC or ME on the charge will wreck someone's day however. re-rolling impact hits, wounds, armour saves you name it! It will do a tonne of damage and for 50pts its not over priced at all.

Buying Guide -
 
Now I have covered and marked (fairly?) each unit and section in our Army book I would like to move onto the buying guide since that was the whole reason behind this post.
For a start I cannot reccomend anything but our Battalion! With 6 Ironguts (more than per box) 6 Ogres,  15 gnoblars (if you purchase some bases) and 4 Leadbelchers.
This is the perfect starter, it provides you with 3 solid units that will be the staple of most armies, also with some imagination, some green stuff and some time you can make those ogres into characters should you wish. From mine I built – Tyrant, Bruiser, Butcher, SM, 2x Firebellys!

Purchases in order of preference and useability -
1# Battalion
2#Slaughter Master
3#Bruiser
4#Mournfangs
5#Iron Blaster
6#Butcher (or firebellies)
7#Battaltion 

 
In my opinion there is little reason to buy boxes of ogres seperatly. Our battalion includes 3 good units and if you decide you dont need any ogres? Then you can turn them into Man Eaters very easily with the spare parts from each kit.
The above list should provide you with >2000pts of ogres using only the best units in our book (in my opinion). While the ogre kingdoms have a fair variety of units in our book, we often see the same ones being taken over and over. This is because they are either A- Easier to use B- Better stats per pt.
By all means throw in a gorger or two, or even some yhetees for some fluff/flavour but do not expect them to win you games is all I am saying. They are more difficult to use effectivly or there are simply better units in our book that can do their jobs. That is why I have not included the likes of Gorgers + Yhetees in the buying guide.
As for special characters, like I have stated at the top of this post, I have never played them or seen them played. So I do not feel I can pass judgment on them fairly. That is the reason they are not part of the buying guide, I do not feel they should be “auto-included” in an all comers army.
 

If anyone has any advice, Changes to suggest, things to add etc. Please PM me and I will add your contribution and name to the credits at the top.
Also if I have missed something please let me know so I can amend it.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Building your Lords and Heroes
 
Start by asking your self, what purpose do I want my Lord or Hero to fill?
Do I want a Tank lord who will deny CR generation? Do I want a lord who has 8 S6 attacks? Do I want a caster with +6 to casting?
There are so many possibilities for gearing our characters that there is no way I will be able to fit them all in one post. What I am aiming to achieve is give you a general idea of different "cookie cutter" builds for our lords and hero's and a brief description on what they bring to the table.
 
Lords -
 
Tyrant - Tank - Maw Seeker, Tricksters Helm, 10 pts remaining
The Tyrant in this set up is geared for denying CR against RnF troops, they will hit on 5's with his WS6 and wound on 6's with his T6! So realistically they will not get many if any wounds through and even when they do they have to re-roll them! This makes him a very tough character for infantry (and some cavalry) to deal with.
Tyrant - Killy - Sword of Bloodshed, Potion of speed, Giantbreaker 10 points remaining.
This set up will allow you to have 8 S6 attacks and the potion allows you to ignore our low initiative for a turn. This tyrant is good for duelling characters, he will get hurt in return if he doesn't kill them out right however. Additionally if used against rank and file (without potion) will generally strike at the same time and will kill 5 out of 8 attacks.
Link to a discussion on Tyrant set ups - http://www.ogrestronghold.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=e4b75e6d27bf8754eb7537fad545f5d9&topic=25636.0
 
Slaughter Master - Casting - Gruts Sickle, Talisman or Preservation 5pts remaining
This set up provides your with a level 6 caster (level 7 after 1 cast of a maw spell) in exchange for a wound on his unit every turn and a chance of losing him on a double 1! This has never happened to myself and statistically is very unlikely to happen to anyone. Every time I use it the well known "playing with fire" phrase pops into my head.
 
Slaughter Master - Combat - Fencers Blades, Glittering Scales, Crown of command or Dispel scroll are both common options for the last 40pts.
This provides you with a WS10 W5 T5 model! who also regenerates wounds on every cast if he is playing with the maw lore. As you can see this provides you with a well placed and hard to hit character, and lets not forget the -1 to hit from glittering scales! 6's to hit him makes him a tough opponent for any lord or unit!
 
Heroes -
 
 
Bruiser - Tank - BsB, Armour of Destiny
The BsB is the lynch pin of our army without which we would be failing leadership tests left right and centre! The AoD provides him with heavy armour and a 4+ ward save! making him hard to damage and even wounds that do get through he still has a 4++.
 
Bruiser - Standard Bearer (magic) - BsB, Runemaw
While more expensive than the above AoD Bruiser it provides protection to the Bruisers unit, not just the character himself. It provides protection from spells by forcing every spell targeting the unit to be re-directed on a 2+. It is reasonably priced and well worth playing if your local players use a lot of magic.
A Discussion on BsB set ups - http://www.ogrestronghold.com/forum/index.php?topic=26393.0
 
Butcher - Hellheart caddy - Hellheart, Level 1
The butcher remains at level 1 because generally he will be marched out of his unit into the middle of enemy territory to let loose the Hellheart. Which still rather expensive at 150pts he is the cheapest way of carrying the Hellheart and ruining your opponents key magic phase!
 
Butcher - Common Load out - Dispel Scroll, Level 2, Sword of striking (really any other item up to 25pts, magic weapons are useful in case of ethereal units)
This load out is played just as you would imagine, he will sit in 2nd rank and cast till his hearts content. The Dispel Scroll provides a bit of magic protection and only mages can carry them.
 
Firebelly - Removing regen - Potion of speed
The breath weapon and flaming attacks all take place in initiative order, therefore striking before the rest of your lords and unit allows you to remove regeneration for them. This is only viable in an open list game because you know what your opponent will bring, for example ogres vs ogres and you know he will get guts off on his Iron guts, you could then remove it before your Iron guts strike while still keeping yours.
The firebelly is generally set up in the same way the butcher is, Hellheart caddy, dispel scroll carrier etc.
What changes is the tactics that can be used by the model, for instance the Firebelly has access to flaming attacks and a breath weapon. Both of which would lead to a more offensive style of play.
A link to Firebelly Builds - http://www.ogrestronghold.com/forum/index.php?topic=25207.0
 
 
I did not have much time this morning and I will expand on this at a later date (when I have more time) if you have any more information to add post it below, PM me or just shout at me and tell me its rubbish
But seriously, I cannot cover every cookie cutter setup we have because there is so many and it comes down to play style, this was just meant to give a taster.

Ogre Kingdoms Strengths and Weaknesses
 
Ogre kingdoms is an elite army ie. Low model count and expensive units. Meaning that every decision you make is vital! We will be out deployed, we will be out steadfast (90% of the time) opponents will find it easier to get more than 1 unit in our front/flanks because of our base sizes etc.
While ogres are a very strong army in 8th edition they do suffer from quite a few weaknesses as I will detail below. However that is not to say we do not have many or any strengths! (far from it actually)
 
Strengths -
 
I'll start with our movement, M6 is a massive boon to our army! Most armies out there would kill for M6! (dwarves - lol) It allows us to pull off longer charges more successfully than most armies and with our ogre charge and impact hits depending on it, it is a necessity. Lets imagine that the enemy is 12″ away, M4 armies will complete that charge 42% of the time, while M5 armies will succeed 58% of the time, neither of those odds are really fantastic, but the fast M6 Ogre Kingdoms will make that charge 72% of the time!  That is a massive advantage, especially compared to M4 armies.  To put that in prospective, an Ogre will make a 12″ charge as often as a human will make a 10″ charge.  Using your extra movement, it is easy to put yourself in a position where the opponent has unfavourable odds of success, while you have very good odds. Math from this post - http://www.thediceabide.com/2011/09/math-hammer-whfb-charge-distance/
 
Ogres have raw strength and toughness values of 4, which makes many elves quite jealous.  They’re often wounding on 3′s and being wounded on 5′s, making them a tough force to fight in melee, not to mention their characters who often sport 5′s, which are wounding on 2′s and being wounded on 6′s when compared to your standard 3/3.  It’s because of these relatively superior stats that charging into a fight with a bunch of spearmen, which can often be intimidating, really isnt’ that bad and you’ll often win with just your raw power.
 
On top of our good strength and toughness values we also have 3 Wounds and 3 attacks! Being monstrous infantry we get 3 supporting attacks per ogre! Lets not forget those impact his (+1 str for every rank) and our stomps! This all makes ogres very dangerous in combat, especially if they get the charge!
 
Troops aside, the Ogre army has access to devastating monsters, Monstrous heavy cavalry, versatile Maneaters, the occasional war machine (well... chariot), and lets not forget our uber cheap re-directors! Bearing in mind they are some of the best in the game! (IMO) There are definitely a few ways to play the Ogres, just pick your flavour. You can use the fast and extraordinarily resilient Mournfangs against hordes of low strength troops and just laugh as you grind them away, killing rank after rank, or alternatively, you can run a Stonehorn which will grind RnF units into a paste on a charge and just keep going! All of our units are viable, some more so than other. However Each one of our units has one thing in common. They hit bloody hard!
 
Weaknesses -
 
Ogre kingdoms is not an over powered army, as the strengths section may suggest, we also have our weaknesses. While our troops have fairly impressive stat lines, they are also extremely expensive, weighing in at 30 points for a stripped Bull or 43 points for the slightly more beefy Irongut. Your typical unit of Ogres will probably be about 8 strong, which means you will only have 1 rank when it comes to calculating combat results, and also means that enemy units will almost always be Steadfast. In turn the lack of units means we will not be adding many banners or charges into the combat result. Meaning we really need to do a tonne of damage to compensate, especially if we are charged!
 
The Lore of the Great Maw is a very impressive lore to have, since it is full of AOE buffs, it ends up resembling Lore of Life or Lore of Heavens in a way.  The problem with Ogre magic though is that our casters are extremely expensive.  If you want that coveted level 4 caster in your army, get ready to suffer the consequences of having a LD8 general in your army and a decent chunk of points tied up with him!  Also, unless you want Lore of Fire or Lore of the Great Maw, you will need to have 2 casters before you have access to the other lores, since at least one of your Butchers must have Great Maw. While Lore of the Great Maw is not a bad lore, it can be frustrating if it does not suit your play style and you would rather use another. Meaning you need to invest a great deal of points into your "butcher tax" before you can use the lore you want, or that suits you.
 
Ogres also lack a ranged presence. Some may argue, talking about our lead belchers, Iron Blasters, Man eaters, Thundertusk? and Scrap launcher. That argument is valid, however these models all cost much more than your regular ogres! While these units do perform admirably on the battle field they are generally out shot by most armies and we are better sticking to accentuating our strengths rather than trying to compensate for our weaknesses!
 
While our units do have higher than average S/T/W/M/A we do suffer with our low initiative, leadership and weapon skill! The first is their poor WS 3.  Almost all ogres in the army, even the elite Ironguts are WS3, meaning that unless the enemy fails a fear test, their impressive number of attacks will be hurt by their low skill, additionally, this also means that enemies will frequently hit you back on 3′s, which isn't so good for us. In addition to their low WS, they also have a low Initiative, so they’ll be striking at the same time as Orcs and Dwarfs, which frequently results loss of combat proficiency before we get to strike!  Possibly the most dangerous low stat for the Ogres though is their Leadership. Most Ogre units have a LD of 7, which means that if they lose combat, even by 1, they have a good chance of running away, thankfully it should be rare that you lose combat. Additionally most ogre players do tend to run a BsB giving us re-rolls and a Stubborn crown for those moments that do not go in our favour! Ironguts and Maneaters are the exception to this poor LD rule, as they both have a respectable LD of 8. So in this case if you face a tough combat you are probably better charging with a higher Ld unit for less chance of being run down by girly high elves!
 
Inevitably ogres do have a large variety of play styles despite being able to field so little models. Our army building section will be added soon and it will hopefully help you utilise the units in our book to their full!
 
I hope this has helped, and again if you have any feedback/suggestions then please let me know!

Big Rule Book Magic Review
 
Lore of Death

Lore Attribute: Life Leeching
For every wound caused by a Lore of Death spell, you roll a dice, on a 5+, you get an extra power dice.  This means if you have a particularly offensive selection of spells, you can extend your magic phase quite far, allowing you to use more spells from your Lore of Death, or even have another caster push out a bit extra magic.  As far as attributes go, this is one of the best in my opinion, it is not situational like so many other lores, though it does require you dealing wounds.  The fact that most spells from the Lore of Death only hurt a single target is often going to be the limiting factor for Life Leeching, since that usually means you’ll only be rolling 2-3 dice to see if you get any bonus.
 
Signature Spell: Spirit Leech
The signature spell for the Lore of Death has a pretty low casting value, which can be easily cast with a single dice from a level 4.  Simply put, when you cast this spell on your target model (a single enemy model), you both roll a D6 and add your unmodified LD.  If your total is higher, you deal the difference in wounds to the target.  The wording of the spell is actually very important, as the BRB FAQ says that your unmodified LD is the highest LD in the unit.  As much as I disagree with that, it’s what the FAQ says, so that’s how it’s played for the time being.  This means, if you’re taking a level 1-2 with this spell, stick him in the unit with a LD10 character for maximum effect.
 
1. Aspect of the Dreadknight
This spell has pretty much the lowest casting value in the game, and can be reliably cast with a single dice by a level 1 wizard, and for good reason, it kind of sucks.  Casting this spell gives a unit of yours fear, or for a bit of a higher casting value, Terror.  I can’t think of a time where I’d voluntarily take this spell, honestly.
 
2. Caress of Laniph
Here we go with another character sniping spell!  This spell has a fairly short range, though can be boosted for 24″, a low casting value, and targets a single enemy model.  That target is going to suffer 2D6 minus their strength, hits that wound on 4+ and ignore armour.  Since most casters and BSB’s are only going to be S3/4, that’s a fairly high chance to obliterate a character without a ward save.
 
3. Soulblight
This Hex has a moderate casting value, a respectable 24″ range and will reduce the targets S/T by 1.  Anyone who has played this game a while quickly realizes that can totally shift a combat, on top of that, for double the casting value, it can target EVERY enemy unit within 24″… Holy crap that’s awesome!  Facing an army of S/T3 Ogres is not nearly as threatening, or even better, taking those pesky elves down to S/T2!  This is a fantastic spell and very threatening to every opponent, if you roll it, this is a keeper.
 
4. Doom and Darkness
Another Hex with a 24″, though this one is Remains in Play, the target of this spell is at -3 LD, while the spell is in effect.  There are many ways you can abuse this spell, since there are many abilities in the game which can be affected by LD (such as a Banshee’s scream).  Additionally, if your army does cause fear (or you used Aspect of the Dreadknight), this will significantly increase the chances of your enemy unit succumbing to fear, which isn’t bad to think about.  Since it is Remains in Play, you can expect that the opponent will want to dispel it in their own turn, if their unit is at any risk, so it is best used when you’re planning to take advantage of it in the same turn.
 
5. The Fate of Bjuna
This spell is very similar to Caress of Laniph, except for one important distinction, it cannot have a boosted range.  Since it is such a short range, you can expect that your opponent will avoid it if at all possible, and it will probably only be used later in the game to any great effect.  Like Caress, you roll 2D6, except this time, you subtract the targets Toughness, and it wounds on 2+, additionally, if the target survives, they’re Stupid for the rest of the game.  If I had to pick between this and Caress, I would probably pick Caress every time, though this is still far from being a bad spell, even when cast against a T5 monster, you can do a couple wounds and hope that Stupidity helps you out a bit later.
 
6. The Purple Sun of Xereus
Purple Sun is probably the most feared spell in the game.  Like any other Vortex, this spell uses a template, which remains in play after being cast.  It will shoot forward from your wizard an artillery dice x3″, and anything in the path must take an Initiative test or is slain with no saves of any kind allowed.  If you misfire, you centre it on the wizard and scatter it D6″, everything in it’s path suffers the same fate as if you didn’t misfire.  If you boost this to a whopping 25+ you can use the large blast, though often that’s overkill.  If you’re facing against a low to moderate Initiative army (1-4) this spell is going to be a huge threat, though against Elves and Chaos Warriors, their I5 makes this a pretty meagre power for the risk involved.  Ogres are especially vulnerable, since their I2 means you’ll deal a heft amount of damage each time it is cast.
 
Lore of Heavens -

Lore Attribute: Roiling Skies
When there is lightning, high winds and flying chunks of rock, being in the sky isn’t exactly the safest place.  In addition to any other damage, flying models take a bit extra (D6 S4) from the Lore of Heavens.  Similar to Lore of Light, this attribute is interesting, but it’s not something which adds any versatility to the lore, so it really doesn’t have much place in a battle plan.  It is however, a nice bonus when your pesky enemy flyers are hovering about.
 
Signature Spell: Iceshard Blizzard
This spell is very similar to Pha’s Protection, though with a much longer range.  Unlike Pha’s, this spell cannot be used to create an aura effect, but instead, it can be boosted for a mighty 48″ range, allowing you to cast it on enemy artillery pieces that you don’t want firing cannon balls down your gullet.
 
1. Harmonic Convergence
This is actually the lowest casting value spell in the lore, but that doesn’t make it a slouch at all.  Giving your unit the ability to re-roll 1′s can be extremely powerful, especially when you’re hitting on 3′s, wounding on 2/3′s and have a nasty 2+ armour save.  Unfortunately however, on units that don’t have good armour, high WS, or are already re-rolling hits/wounds, it is not particularly good.  If you’re wounding on 6′s, re-rolling 1′s is only going to give you a slight increase in damage output, but re-rolling 1′s, when those are half of your misses, then you’re on to something…
 
2. Wind Blast
This is kind of an interesting magic missile, that I’m sure can be used in some creative ways.  Basically, the unit hit is pushed back D3+1″, and if they run into another unit or impassible terrain, the unit takes a few low strength hits (as does the unit they run into).  You can boost the spell to push the unit D6+2″, though at a fairly steep casting value.  This could be used to push enemies out of charge range, or at the very least, decrease their chance of succeeding in a charge, but I’m sure there may be some other uses I haven’t thought of.
 
3. Curse of the Midnight Wind
This is the opposite of Harmonic Convergence, basically a hex that forces people to re-roll 6′s.  As the opposite, that also means you want to cast it on units that are hitting or wounding on 5′s, because then you’ll really make it hard for them to kill you in combat.  Similarly, this spell has diminished effectiveness against units that wound on 2′s or hitting on 3′s.  The casting value is fairly moderate, and if you double it, you can cast it as an area of effect.
 
4. Urannon’s Thunderbolt
Finally some real damage!  This is your standard magic missile, except at S6!  Hell yes!  The casting value is still fairly moderate, and for just a little more (+3), you can increase it to a 48″ range, allowing you to reach out and hit some vulnerable units across the board.  If you’re shooting at flyers, you’re going to cause even more hits from Roiling Skies, so keep that in mind!
 
5. Comet of Casandora
This is probably the most feared spell in the lore, and rightfully so.  Basically, you’re going to pick a spot, which becomes a ticking time bomb, every magic phase you’ll test to see if the comet hits, or if it gets bigger (noted by placing a token).  The longer it takes to arrive, the stronger the attack will be when it lands.  Since this spell doesn’t cause immediate damage, and could even take a couple turns to strike, it is much better off cast early in the game, and is often a waste after turn 4.  If you double the casting value, you can double the effect, starting with 2 tokens and adding 2 tokens every turn it doesn’t arrive.  This spell is most effective against static armies that can’t really afford to run out of the way of falling debris, and against really fast armies, it may be less of a threat.
 
6. Chain Lightning
This spell is basically Urannon’s Thunderbolt that keeps going on a 3+.  Each time it strikes a target, you roll the dice, if successful, you pick another target within 6″ of the last target.  This keeps happening until you roll a 1-2, or if there are no more new targets (the same target cant be struck twice).  As a “6″ spell, I find it a little lack lustre, though with some luck, you can start the chain at one end of the enemy battle line and have it roll across the field.  It’s casting value is a bit high for it’s damage output, especially when compared to things like Dwellers, but it’s still a spell that should be feared, and will definitely take a chunk out of small units.
 
Lore of Beasts

Lore Attribute
Lore of Beasts has a predictable affinity towards monsters and other beasts.  Because of this, spells you cast that are targeting units of War Beasts, Cavalry, Monstrous Beasts, Monstrous Cavalry, Chariots, Monsters, Swarms or any unit from the Beastman book are all slightly easier to cast.  This isn’t a huge benefit most of the time, but can occasionally help, but don’t let this mediocre lore attribute discourage you.
 
Signature Spell: Wyssan’s Wildform
As far as Signature Spells go, this one has a pretty high casting cost, but it does grant a friendly unit +1S/T.  This can turn your mediocre unit of spearmen into S4/T4 fighting machines, or alternatively, if you play Beastmen, this can boost you to S4 T5, meaning you’ll be wounded on 6′s by many attacks.  Being a Signature Spell, you can even take a couple level 1 or 2 wizards just to spam this ability.  Compared to other Signature Spells, this one is pretty great.
 
1. The Flock of Doom
Initially I thought this spell was pretty weak, but when you analyze it, you have a very low casting value spell with potentially a 48″ range that will wound many things on 5′s.  If you really want, you could cast this on enemy warmachines, where you’d be wounding on 6′s even with a Fireball.  Overall, it’s not super impressive, but for how cheap it is to cast, it’s not terrible either.
 
2. Pann’s Impenetrable Pelt
This is clearly the stinker of the group, having a mid to high casting value and only increasing the Toughness of characters.  If you are planning on running a lot of characters who are all in challenges, it could be alright, but ultimately it’s not that spectacular, sorry Pann!
 
3. The Amber Spear
Pretty straight forward, the Amber Spear is a bolt thrower that’s going to automatically hit and if you want, you can buff it up to S10 causing D6 wounds.  This is another spell which I always welcome with my Beastmen, since they lack any traditional artillery, the opportunity to pop a scary target before it hits my lines is always welcome, or even skewering a few knights or other tough models that I normally have a hard time getting through.  In an army that has plenty of artillery to choose from, just think of this as another piece in the arsenal, though it automatically hits and gives you the opportunity to kill something before your shooting phase, freeing up more targets for your big guns.
 
4. The Curse of Anraheir
Now we’re to my favourite spell in the lore, as well as the spell with the most uses.  The curse has a very long range and targets a single unit, that unit will have a penalty to hit for shooting and melee, treat all terrain (except impassable) as dangerous and fail dangerous terrain tests on a 1 or 2.  Now lets think about that, “all terrain” includes Open Ground as it is listed as a terrain type in the book, and even to back that up, the cavalry rules say that they take dangerous terrain tests for any terrain that isn’t open ground or hills.
If your enemy thinks that he’s about to get a devastating charge onto a unit of yours, a simple application of this spell could be all you need to divert the attack.  People don’t like losing 1/3 of their unit before swords are even swung, and additionally they don’t like having penalties to hit, especially if they’re already hitting on 5′s.  If that unit has to charge through some terrain as well (say an obstacle), then they’re losing 1/3 of their unit, then 1/3 again as they hit the obstacle, then 1/3 again as they hit the open ground on the other side of the obstacle, that adds up to 19:27 of their models dead, or about 70%.  That’s just ugly.
 
5. Savage Beast of Horros
This is a spell which often can get overlooked, but I think is a great one to have in the pocket.  +3 S/A to a character can turn even a lowly mage into a viscous fighting machine and if you’re already a nasty combat character, it will turn you into a crazy killing machine.  Often times you’ll have more than one character in combat, like the wizard, the hero/general in the same unit, or a BSB.  Suddenly casting the AOE version is giving you 9 more attacks at a high strength.
 
6. Transformation of Kadon
Last but not least, we have Transformation.  Like other spells, this gets a bad rap, but mostly from people who I believe don’t know how to use it properly.  If you cast this and you’re not currently engaged in combat, you’re probably going to die, that’s all there is to it.  Since it is a Remains in Play spell, your opponent can dispel it during their turn and leave you out in the open, and suddenly every gun and bow the enemy has is pointed as your wizard. When cast while in combat, turning into a Mountain Chimera suddenly gives you a Fear causing unit in the fight, which can be nice, but more importantly 4D6 WS7 S7 poisoned attacks, plus a breath weapon for 2D6 S4 more auto-hits, followed by D6 S7 stomps… That’s a pretty solid way to obliterate an enemy unit in combat.  If your mage on foot would normally be out of LoS of the enemy, after you wreck the enemy unit and they’re presumably dead, run down or worse, you can always revert back to your normal size, get your look-out-sir from being near the unit it was in originally and walk back to safety.
 
Lore of Fire

Lore Attribute
Kindleflame.  As the rulebook puts it, “Fire feeds fire.” and it’s lore attribute reflects that well.  Everything from this lore is predictably a flaming attack, and in addition to that each time you hit a unit with a magic missile or direct damage spell from the Lore of Fire, and that unit has previously been hit by a magic missile or direct damage from the Lore of Fire, you will get +D3 to cast!  It may not seem like a big benefit, but effectively it can make it so that your lowly level 2 is casting like a level 3-5.  If you have access to a bound spell Fireball (like the Ruby Ring of Ruin) then you can use it to get the chain reaction started with little investment.
 
Signature Spell: Fireball
Fireball is your very generic magic missile.  It does a random number of hits at S4 with a moderate 24″ range.  The most important thing about this spell though is that it has 3 casting values, and each one beyond the first both increases the range and the number of hits caused.  What makes that so spectacular is that it gives you plenty of options.  If you don’t have many other important spells to cast, you can toss a bunch of dice into doing a plethora of flaming hits, or if you only have a couple dice left over, you can throw a low level fireball.

1. Cascading Fire Cloak
Fire Cloak has a very low casting value that even a level 2 could cast reliably on a single dice, plus it’s remains in play so that you can cast and forget.  If your enemy doesn’t dispel it in their turn (people always forget or get carried away), then you’re going to be doing up to 4D6 hits on any unit that you’ve been in combat with for a full game turn… Pretty gross for such a low level spell.  Since this spell does require being in combat to work though, it’s pretty risky in the hands of elves and empire, but for Lizards and Ogres, you can usually afford to get your caster dug in.
 
2. Flaming Sword of Rhuin
Another fantastic utility spell.  Flaming Sword gives your unit +1 to wound, flaming, magical attacks, for both shooting and melee.  No matter what the composition of your army, this spell is always a great tool in the arsenal and is the spell that I covet the most with my Firebelly.  If your army has any ranged presence at all, then this is a great tool, cast it on a cannon to auto-wound anything it hits, or on crossbows to wound on 3′s or 2′s.  It doesn’t take any great combos to make it effective, just cast it on something that you intend to use to kill something else with.  Like I said, Lore of Fire isn’t about subtlety.
 
3. The Burning Head
Now we’re on to my least favourite spell in the lore, I guess it had to happen sometime.  Flaming head is basically a big cannon ball bounce, hitting every model in the line drawn from the caster, and causing panic tests.  It’s not that it’s a bad spell, it is just that for the casting value, you can deal quite a bit more damage with Fireball against a specific target, and causing panic tests isn’t quite as scary as it used to be.
 
4. Piercing Bolts of Burning
Tired of seeing those units of 50 Skaven Slaves or Goblins ranked 10 deep?  Me too!  D3 hits per rank of five or more models in the unit can really cause people to raise their eyebrow, especially when they’re running massive blocks to get steadfast.  It’s a bit more situational than Fireball, but it can be far more devastating, and still has a low casting value.  If you know you’re facing someone with these gigantic units, then this is a spell to keep.
 
5. Fulminating Flame Cage
At first glance, this spell sounds like the ultimate elf eraser, causing a S4 hit to every model in the unit, if the unit moves at all.  The downside is that if they don’t move, you just cast a very expensive fireball.  The best way to use this spell is to assume that the enemy isn’t going to move, so either cast it on them and try to force panic (Burning Head?), or better yet, cast it on a unit that you don’t want to charge you!  If your opponent is using a lovely horde of Empire Halberdiers, suddenly charging means that they’re losing 2/3 of their unit before they even strike… This is an effect much like other spells (Curse of Anraheir), except that having a set Strength value means that it can be much more effective in many situations.
 
6. Flame Storm
The final spell of the lore, Flamestorm is the highest casting value in all of the Lore of Fire at a mighty base casting value of 13!  That super low casting means that when combined with Kindleflame, it is actually fairly easy for a Level 4 to cast this spell on just 2 dice.  Essentially, this will cause a hit like a flaming stone thrower (scattering a D6 instead of artillery dice), or alternatively, you can cast it on a very easy 16+, which gives you a large blast, but scattering further if it misses.  Overall, it’s not a crazy unit dominating spell, but it can still cause quite a bit of damage for how low the casting value is.
 
The above magic review has been extracted from Adam B's blog on "The Dice Abide". This is not my own work.

Painting Ogres

The following has been extracted from a post by "Byronic". He has a large list of tutorials that can be found HERE.
An alternative paint Scheme submitted by Nathbot can be found HERE.
 
The ever prevalent Dreadboi's given us another tutorial, helping us out with those tricky ogres and their massive expanses of flesh!

SKIN

First off, I prime my miniatures black and then dust them with white spray paint...should come out looking something like this!


(please note I cut out the flash on the ogres teeth...somehow it escaped me when preparing the mini!)

Then i base coat the skin in Tallarn Flesh...keep this coat thin and do a couple of coats...don't worry about being messy as this is just the base colour!! I painted boots and belt in calthan brown, the trousers in whatever colour suited (was a vallejo browny green!) and the metal in Vallejo model air Aluminium!




Then the first step on the skin is to shade with Ogryn Flesh...i put the wash in any crease...i did not want to wash all of the flesh as i wanted to keep the original colour peaking through...i applied it heavily on the face and in the deep crevices...




I also washed everything else with devlan mud!

After this step i feathered Tallarn flesh back onto the flesh...generally, I kept the paint thin and built up the layers slowly...




Then i mixed up tallarn flesh with Vallejo Model Air Sand about 70/30...again keep the paint thin and keep thinking where the light hits the flesh - i.e. eyebrows, top lip, top of muscles etc!




Finally, on the very highest edges, I used a 50/50 mix of the skin highlight to make the muscles and face really pop! I believe that having kept the paint thin and letting the basecoat shine through a little, by using a couple of colours, you can achieve very interesting skin colours!

In this step I washed the top lip and the nipples with baal red wash...this is to suggest blood flow to those areas!



I washed under the eyes with a mix of badab black and purple to suggest tiredness and pigmentation!
This also brings out the definition of the eyes alot more!



STONE

Stone was painted codex grey, washed with badab black/devlan mud and then lines were painted again with codex grey...not too fancy but hey! I think it looks good

METAL

I painted the gut plate brazen brass and washed it with Devlan Mud and Badab black...
once dry I drybrushed it with silver and then gave it a final watered coat of devlan mud to make gold brassy coloured again!

Then to achieve the verdigris effect, I diluted some hawk turquoise in some iso alcohol...this really brakes down the paint making it flow well and is totally colourless! DO NOT GET ANY ON YOU/IN YOUR MOUTH/EYES! IT IS FOUL STUFF!
Water works just fine for this step but make sure it is totally clear

The silver details were painted with Model Air Aluminium....washed with badab black/devlan mud...

Then I stippled on an orangey brown colour (i used Vallejo but vermin brown/solar macharius orange would work!).

Concentrate this on the middle of the weapon/shield as this is where the rust wouldn't be rubbed off by use!



Streak in silver on the pointy bits and towards the edges to suggest the wear and tear that will no doubt ensure on an ogre campaign! I'd imagine regular swords used as toothpicks!



Again wash with a little Devlan mud if it is too bright!

Should turn out like this!




BASE

Paint the base Calthan Brown and then use PVA to stick down sand

Wash with Devlan Mud!



Drybrush with Calthan Brown, then Iyanden Darksun and then Deneb Stone!

Repaint the sides Calthan Brown and then stick on any static grass that you want to!

Follow all of this and you will hopefully get something that looks like this when you finish!



Any questions please ask here or PM me!

Hope this helps

Happy Painting!
 
The Above was extracted from Byronic's post on Element Games.
 

Chris

Hey hey. Don't mean to be a spoil sport, it is a nice write up you've done of course, but I did notice a few lines of text from another website used in your post.  I know its super informal and not a big deal, but maybe you could make mention of in it your first post just in case?
Here's the link: http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Warhammer/Tactics/Ogre_Kingdoms

I am in the middle of adjusting some things I have recently added it as it was better than what I wrote up.
 
I am getting to the credits
Don't worry everyone will get their dues
 
Chris
 
Edit -
Credits have been updated appropriately.

Excellent, excellent. In that case, carry on!

Good job overall! 

Can I suggest rating the spells on /10 too? Your review would look more uniform.

I think this is a great idea and you've done an excellent job so far. My suggestions:

1) The exact ratings are very judgmental and arguable. But most people will probably agree on a tier, lets say a three tier system. For example: slaughtermasters, bruiser bsb, mournfang, leadbelchers, ironguts, ironblaster, and kitties are all probably top tier. Ogres, stonehorn, thundertusk, scraplauncher, gnoblars, are probably normal tier. Yhettis, gorgers, giants, greasus are what I would gently characterize as the "fluff" tier. And then maybe a fourth tier, bragg crapsman, who can be in his own tier without any needed title...

2) I would add a section for synergies. mournfang/swifstride maneaters with dragonhide banner. bruiser bsb and banner of discipline for a rerollable ld 9 bubble. mawseeker and tricksters helm on a tyrant for a t6, reroll to wound.

3) Add a section on our weaknesses: poisoned attacks. leadership tests. initiative tests. Maybe list some really bad ogre killers like mindrazor, purple sun, leadership bombs.

Good job

I noticed you are a bit sparesome with the 10/10. I find that some units do deserve it

I'd actually rate these a full 10/10. Because they are as good as they can get within their own limits.

BSB with Runemaw
Ironblaster
Mournfang
Sabretusks

@ Zeroth - I would love to rate the models 10/10 (more so the Ironblaster) However this is all down to speculation and personal experience as I stated back at the start I didn't rate the Runemaw BsB because I personally don't like the set up Like I said under the magic items section. MFC have their weaknesses also being a big target etc. The two models I would change to a 10/10 are sabres + Ironblaster. However I am re-considering my rating system.
 
@ Nells - Yes I agree with the tier system. I was considering changing to Rating A,B,C. As for more sections I have reserved two posting areas where I will do List building (feel free to contribute) and I was toying with doing Synergies like you said. Possibly even cover how the BRB lores affect our book. (If I get some time) I do plan to keep expanding this project adding more and more information. If you would be happy to contribute feel free to throw up another post and I will tie it in, or PM me and I will place it in one of the reserved spots and add your name into the credits appropriately.
 
@ Funky - I did want to rate the spells but every spell is situational therefore the rating system would change far too often. eg - A flaming unit is going to attack my block of ogres, my normal reaction would be throw off a troll guts on them over toothcracker. However the enemy having flaming attacks changes my priority. If you get my meaning. Additionaly It would also change depending on the winds, there are too many variables to rate the spells. I believe it is best to read the script and decide for yourself. Also it is RJ's work and I take no credit for it.
 
@ Maestro - Thank you I was not trying to plagiarise from other sites. I was simply improving the standard of my work and working backwards to the credits I will in time change the entries when I have some more free time if you would rather However what I would write on the characters would be very similar anyway
 
Chris
 
Update -
Changed Rating system
Added page numbers
Compressed posts allowing me to keep it all on one page when more is contributed by myself or others
Let me know If you think any of the ratings need changed.
Thank you
 
Chris

I have now freed up 6 posting slots, my plans are as follows (unless someone can recommend better)
 
1- Character builds
Tyrant,SM,Bruiser,Butcher,Firebelly are the common choices so I will make a list of common pieces of kit taken on each. I will not rate them because the rating system would have the same flaws as stated above trying to rate the spells. I will also ask for contributions asking for good general "tanking" "killing" "annoying" builds like the T6 Tyrant with re-rolling to wound him.
2- BRB Lores
How they can be used with the ogres and what combos work.
3- Weaknesses and how to deal with them
I will need some help and contributions from more experienced ogre players than I, but I will still share my experiences and may we all learn from it!
4- List Building
5- Tactics
Covering deployment basics and general baiting charges etc.
I will also have a section where I will link more complex tactics if some more experiences players would be willing to post their experiences with certain units etc. This was aimed at beginner ogre players but there is no reason why it shouldn't be for everyone.
6- Any ideas?
I thought maybe things to watch out for in other armies? things that cause is problems. Like a quick run down
Eg.
Tomb Kings
RnF Skeletons (Joking...) but you get the point?

 
Chris

Heh, so many units rated C here that I use...

This is good - though I am wondering, if it's an army rating and buying guide, I don't know if it helps when you freely admit that your personal preference colours it so much. Maybe a system out of 10 would give people a better sense that there's not just 'Great, average, bad'. I definitely wouldn't consider Gorgers bad in any way.

You have to remember that being bad in an Ogre army is still pretty good by a lot of other armies' standards. I can imagine a lot of other armies would kill for Yhetees.

I have a bone to pick with a few of the ratings here.

Tyrant: I love the guy as much as most, but you have to admit his overall utility is not quite that of the Slaughtermaster. I'd say a B+ or an A- is fair.

Hunter: This guy is VERY conditional, and I'd actually say that using him to "slingshot" himself and a Sabretusk forward is his best use. C- is as high as I'd go.

Stonehorn: Mostly redundant with Mournfangs, and eats up Iblaster points. C- in my opinion.

All,

I think at this time and given the massive contributions, we would be better off accepting that the text cannot contain all the aspects of the ogre army and that the original purpose was to provide an introductory ranking of units, models and spells. This has been done greatly so far!

The conditional aspects and combinations of units does merit its own future contribution. It is a fantastic asset of the ogre army that despite the low number of units can field so many variations.

I propose that the current text should not be significantly expanded but rather the text level should be improved, and we should rather discuss what new 'chapters' to add. In the light of the recent suggestions I recommend a "Typical army setups of the Ogres" (listing the various army builds gutstar, MSU, allcomers etc) and a "units tactics and synergistic analysis of the ogres".

These two (and hopefully more coming) sections can then answer more theoretical questions that would otherwise be too advanced and space consuming for the initial ranking.

I'd like myself to add the list of ogres armies including the basis for each type, uses, strengths and weaknesses.

It is truly great to see so many contributions thus far.

Cheers

@Rothgar - Yes I knew people would have a bone to pick with the ratings
I have rated the models from my own experience and other players that I have seen play them (hence no special characters) as I advised in my first post. The ratings will change over time going by general player feedback like both you and psycho have submitted. The pole is up to see how many players would like to see this continued. I agree, the ratings are all very situational, so what I have done is mark them on ease of use, points per characteristic and special rules and how the affect game play. The ratings are purely there to help newer players select the strongest and easiest to use choices in our book. Yes I agree the hunter has his place and I will expand into a section detailing where the lower "rated" models can be used effectively. I am more than happy if you would like to submit some input in this case.
 
@Psycho - Yes there are a lot of C rated units in our book, purely because I am rating them against other units in our book, not other armies. If it was rated against other armies then yes most would be A-B. As above the ratings system was only in place to help newer players select the strongest and most popular choices. I will start a section detailing how the "lower rated" models should/could be used to full advantage. However I will need some input from more experienced players as I do not feel I have enough experience with these units myself as I very rarely run them. I did have a rating system in place on a scale of 1-10 however the ABC system is more general and works more like a tier system. A - Auto include B - Strong choice C - Optional.
By no means am I suggesting our units are down right bad, by most army book standards we have very strong choices, even our weaker ones! I will fill in the first post and explain the tier system so there is no more confusion. C does not mean "avoid this unit at all costs" just means it is more difficult to use than say your Iron blaster etc.
 
As for the tyrant choice yes I agree he is a weaker choice than the SM but as far as lord choices go in our book, points per characteristic he is very good, hence the A. The choice between Tyrant + SM is a personal one and both can be considered strong. I have had just as much success with either of them. Albeit the tyrant was more difficult to use.
 
As for the personal tastes yes, I will be updating sections of the post as I go and I do agree it taints it a little. Although I did explain at the start it was all rated through personal experience.
Ill have a look over it today and see what I can fix
I think for the time being I will keep the ABC rating, but I will explain it in the first post so it is clear I am not branding any particular unit bad, just more difficult to use effectively.
 
Thank you Joakim, I would be more than happy to have your contributions added, same goes for anyone else who feels they have something in this area to contribute to the ogre stronghold community.
 
Chris
 
Update -
Re-wrote some of the entries
Changed a few ratings
Added in some tactical posts + discussions (none for gorger)
updated credits

Hey mcsheehy,

I want to add that I lost my caster and big game the very first time I used gruts sickle. After math hammering it I realized that if you use it every turn there's exactly a 1/6 chance of rolling snake eyes per game.

The odds that you won't lose your caster before turn 5 are better but I think it's a lot riskier than is presented here.

:-)

Otherwise I think it's a great overall effort that is needed for new players.

Hey Morfiend
Yes the chances are 1/6 for losing you caster. However for what gruts sickle brings to the game for ogres, I believe it is a necessary risk.
In that case the Hellheart description is even more misleading as we really have a 1/3 or 1/2 chance of it doing nothing rolling on a 1-3. They are some the most powerful Items in our book, yes they do require a gamble but casting at level 7 for a couple of phases will allow you to dominate the casting phase on those turns.
Losing your SM on T1 is inevitably going to happen as this game is all about averages and luck, it will happen sooner or later and that is something you need to accept when playing Gruts Sickle. It is not necessary to use it every magic phase (I do) and 1/6 chance of losing your wizard every game is not unheard of. You have the same chance of failing your LoS every turn. I have lost my wizard to miscasts on turn 1 several times but never lost anything to gruts sickle.
Every time you cast there is an element of risk and adding gruts sickle just makes it more of a gamble to cast every turn.
I don't believe the description of the item is misleading, anyone who uses the item knows its a gamble. If you play with gruts sickle and use it in every casting phase you are just tempting the dice gods even more They are very rarely on my side anyway, but there is more chance to make your wizard useless through a miscast than the Gruts sickle. It just adds another element of risk to the game
 
Chris

Added - Strengths + Weaknesses
Added BrB lores review
 
Chris

Correct me if I'm entirely wrong, but I don't think you can make your battle standard bearer "tanky". A BSB isn't allowed to take any magic items, so at best you're looking at a heavy armor + ironfist for a 4+ armor and 6+ ward.

You can take magic items so long as you don't take a magical standard
 
Chris

You can take magic items so long as you don't take a magical standard
 
Chris

Woops, silly me. You're entirely right!

I am so used to taking runemaw on my BSB that I completely forgot that you can take a normal standard and still use your magic items.

Don't run big buses myself, so no use for a runemaw
 
Besides... its purple sun I worry about in my meta and it doesn't affect it sadly
 
Chris

Having recently added the Weaknesses + Strengths, BrB lores etc.
 
I was wondering... what would the Ogre Kingdoms community like to see in the next few posts?
If you have any ideas, or changes you feel would benefit the community as a general, then please voice your opinion and I'll see what I can do!
 
Chris

Favourable/Unfavourable matchups. This might require some digging into tournament result data but a listing of all potential opponents and the chances of a victory. I know there are lots of variables that cannot possibly be accounted for (It is Warhammer afterall) but it is still possible to see which armies we can beat more often than not.

Your right LatteOKapi
 
That would be a good addition to the guide, and you are also right in the fact it will be a lot of work lol
As for the Variables, the reason I have avoided such things at the moment is the new army books and the ones that will be our soon could/will change the tables dramatically. However there are ways around that
 
Ill start digging tomorrow and see what I can find!
 
Chris

Also remember that the lore review is very generic and not really applicable to Ogres in many ways.

For a start, I believe the reviewer severely underestimated Iceshard Blizzard and Pann's Impenetrable Pelt. Likewise, I believe the Fire lore is entirely overrated, particularly with the lack of autowounding. A bit more in-depth look of what works and doesn't work for Ogres would be in order, I believe.

True - I can't see many Ogre players going near Purple Sun. That thing could backfire far more horribly than The Maw ever could. Plus, the lore of Fire spells have to be assessed from the point of view of a Firebelly.

I agree with the above statements and I will amend the lore reviews to show how they best effect ogres instead of a general review.
 
At the moment I am sifting through the "favourable match ups" from different tournament results... Its very variable lol.
1 tournament had 3 ogre players attend and 2 won drawing 1st place with 100% win rate, another had 7 ogre players with almost 100% lose rates against the same armies!? This is going to take a wee while
 
As for the lore reviews I will leave it as it is for the time being, until I have the time to adjust it. If anyone would like to help, feel free!
 
Chris

A word of advice on that front, as I have written up similar reviews for other armies - I suggest you look at the lists involved more so than the results, think about what how you would expect the game to go, then compile the win/loss results to confirm or deny your hypothesis. It helps control for player skill a bit, which is definitely a factor in tournament play.

If it still looks a little odd, consider enquiring about battle reports too - I've seen a tournament report with the Warriors of Chaos book where he suffered rather badly due to losing his Lvl 4 Daemon Prince in nearly half his games due to miscasts. Similarly, I've turned the tide of two games recently by making the snake eyes break test.

Unlikely results seem, well, unlikely, but in tournaments where there's only, say, 2 Ogre players, that's enough to change the assessment, particularly if the army list wasn't conventional - blame can go in the wrong place.

(Though this is probably asking a lot, so it might be worth gathering some general opinions too from other sites on facing Ogres).

Thank you to both Rothgar and Psycho
 
I have resorted to looking on other websites tacticas for other armies. Some of them cover "vs Ogres" and the good ones talk about countering certain units and how to deal with them etc.
As for the tournament results, Its far too varied and it will need constant updating. I don't mind keeping this thread updated for ogre players but I already work over 60 hours a week and have a social life on top of that. I will more than happily post links to certain tournament results, however I will not type up and hypothesise about the results since the same lists do well and fail against the same match ups. As I have just proved in my last 2 games. Ran against TK yesterday, both played the same list twice. Game 1 I tabled him in T4. Game 2 my gut star ran off the board before seeing combat same with my Mfc...  (I was a sad ogre)
 
The game is too dependent on luck, however I am happy to do a write up on what units counter what in certain armies. This list will still change and will still need updating etc, however it is less likely and it is just theoretical. It is by no means written in stone, Im sure somewhere 10 ghouls have beaten a hoard of Ironguts in combat, as unlikely as it may seem im sure someone has seen it happen
 
As for the information, I will fill out the basis of the post at some point over the weekend. However I will need input from more experienced ogre players to make sure I am giving out correct information on each unit's counter etc.
 
Eg -
 
Iron gut -
High strength attacks, ASL, M6, Ld8, A3.
Counter to - Knights, Heavy armoured troops, Monsters, High Toughness opponents.
 
Obviously when I come to write the actual post I will go into a little more detail, but you get the idea
 
Chris

Chris

This is just fantastic. I'm working on a second army at the moment and planning to come back to my beloved ogres soon. This will be really helpful in shaping my collection as I add the 8th edition units to my army. It will be invaluable to all those who are just starting out too.

Would love to see this stickied. Well done on the article, found it really enjoyable.

Thank you for your kind words Skorag
 
Glad it has helped, however it is still a work in progress!
 
Chris

Sorry everyone.
 
I have put this thread on hold this week, had too much on my plate this week.
 
The week coming I will be working on this as much as possible to meet the requests from the Ogre Stronghold. I have contemplated adding in a painting tutorial for budding hobbyists, if you would find this helpful could you please let me know? In the mean time I will work over the information I already have and amend it so it is an easier read and more suited to Ogre Kingdoms.
If you have any feedback or changes you would like to see please post back and let me know!
 
Chris

Update -
 
Ogre Painting added.
 
Byronic's Tutorials list has also been added.
 
Chris

Hey Chris,

fantastic work! As a fairly new ogre player, it really helped me a lot!

If you plan on further additions, how about some sort of generic lists against other armies? Something like "When going against Skaven, you better take this, this and that while leaving that, that and that at home." Even though there is more than one viable list against each army, a little guideline would help especially the less experienced players like me. I know that we got tacticas against each other army in the forum, but those threads are filled with small informations and a lot of questions, which makes them really hard to read when you are looking for some quick information.

Regards from Germany
Sebastian

Unfavorable match ups is kind of too specific. For example a large block of any sort of troop choice with great weapons can be bad news for ogres if not handled right. Anything that equal or exceeds the toughness of a basic ogre really.

Hey guys.
 
I'm glad it was of some use to you Sebastian
I love the idea of favourable match ups etc, but like Zippy has said it is far too variable. For instance, if I advise you to take Iron guts vs Warriors of Chaos (assuming they take sword and shield warriors) and he take massive hoards of Marauders instead, then you would be better served by ogres. If you get me.
There are too many viable choices for each army and different set ups, it would be impossible for me to do a list of favourable match ups for any army However I am going to be writing a "How to build your army" post Once I've finished re-writing the BRB Lores so they are more suited towards Ogres instead of just a general review
 
If there is anything else you would like to see, please let me know!
 
Chris

Sorry for the late reply, I tend to not notice sticky threads, derp...

I agree that Purple Sun is better than the Maw in terms of reliability, but the whole Vortex thing means the Sun might bimble off in the wrong direction at the wrong time. I dunno, I can see it throwing a game even with good positioning (have seen it do it to other armies). Perhaps I'm being paranoid, but I do feel that it's still something to consider.

That, and my Death Dude would probably be in a unit of Ironguts anyways for the Standard of Discipline benefits. Still, perfectly valid points to consider though, I will concede that.

Hey guys
 
Been away for a LONG time
between work commitments and painting my lizzies
sorry... re-painting. No I didn't jump on the band wagon
 
As for the purple sun comments. I firmly believe (may be biased due to my bad luck) that any low I armies like Lizzies and Ogres should stay away from any spells that have a chance of backfiring. It always happens when I need it most or least depending on your perspective
As far as this tactica goes, in future I will try and update it more often (sorry guys) but if anyone would like to write an article and PM me it, post it or what ever I'll be more than happy to tie it in somewhere.
 
 
Now that a bit of time has passed since I started this project, I would appreciate it if we could "start a fresh" rather than trying to pick up where I left off. First off I would appreciate any feedback on the Tactica as it stands, what would make it better? more readable? would you like to submit something and have it added? If you have any ideas please let me know. Running this by myself and two businesses is hard work
 
Thanks guys!
All the best
Chris

This was extremely helpful. Thank you

Painting on those ogres is really good

Hey guys, new Tyrant here! I've got Skaven, Daemon, and WoC armies already, but a new year means a new army!

I think I'm off to a good start with a Battalion, a box of Mournfang, and a Stonehorn. Gonna use the bits from the Mournfang and Stonehorn kits to convert a couple of characters, mainly a Bruiser BSB.

I'm just wondering what next? A second battalion? More Mournfang? Ironblaster?

Indeed, a fine and extremely helpful guide/thread! Helped me get to grips with what I need, despite being a long time veteran of the hobby. Starting a new army never without new surprises

- Loran