starting orks?

So I've always tossed around the idea of starting 40k but could never really find an army I liked. But with the new release I really think irks might be where it's at, and since 40k is way bigger than fantasy in my area it would probably give me more play time rather than hang out in the shop time. So I was wondering. Does anyone know of a buying guide (or can list one for me) for the new orks? I'd really like some input before I drop loads of money on anything.

Codex is still a bit fresh to give a definitive answer to this, but I have around 5k orks now, so here are some thoughts in case they help.
First, in previous editions, lots of boyz was the first thing to get, whether large foot-slogging mobs or smaller mobs in trukks. (Unless you were going all-biker, or deffwing, neither or which are possible outside of unbound lists now, so let's not worry about them.) Now however, I'm not sure that's so true - but you'll definitely want a couple of mobs to fill troops requirements.

Outside of troops, both HQ and Heavyweight are crowded, with some good fast or elite choices to take too. Really good (in my experience so far with this ed/codex) are tankbustas and/or lootas, bikers, mek guns, and meganobz. A jet or two is never a bad idea, and battlewagons can still be tough nuts to crack.

As for the rest, stormboyz and deffkoptas are more useable than previously, but neither excel; flash gits are a little unpredictable, but can be fun, burnas are still good, but beware of open top trucks for anything but cheap boyz mobz - exploding trukks will ruin a trukk mob, and so will a template weapon. Nobz and Kommandos are a bit niche, and Gretchin I don't really see the point of anymore, as even mek guns can score back field objectives when uncontested, but some people like them. Cheap "troop tax" if you like lots of toys, I suppose. Dredds seem to take up too much with just 1 per slot, and although kans can be fielded in mobs of up to 5 now, they got more expensive, making them seem like sub-optimal choices, even if the jury is still out a bit on that one.

For HQ, I'd avoid a warboss unless you give him either a bike or mega-armour, depending on your playstyle and other choices. With one of these however, he remains very killy, especially if you add lucky stix and give him kFF mek or painboy support, and he gives you access to Waaagh, which is a good thing. Big meks provide a KFF or shokk attack gun, and while the KFF isn't what it was, it's still handy (note he can take a bike too...) The weirdboy is too unpredictable for me, and none of the special characters seem very worth it.

Depending on how much you want to get into it, there are also sone nifty formations in the supplements, so might be wise to glance at those before you start, as most of them form a good size part of your army at modest point values, and can largely determine what else you should bring to support.

Anyway, hope that helps, welcome to the green side...

I think that was the single most helpful reply I've ever gotten when starting an army... The reason I ask is I really love to paint, but I also love to play, and I have in the past went out and just bought a bunch of toys and found later that I missed something in a codex/army book, and ended up with a bunch of models I couldn't use till either buying more to make a feasible list, or shelving my units and starting again having to wait to play. Don't get me wrong I don't care whether I win, but just getting stomped every time I hit the table because my units don't work together gets annoying, quick.

So in your opinion, would it be worth grabbing some boyz, big mek with shokk, and possibly a wagon & tankbustas to get a base started? Or am I letting the hobby side get the best of me with those amazing models haha.

No, those are all solid choices. If you're going with a BW, I might be tempted to go with Trukk mobs over footsloggas, so as a minimum you want two squads of 10-12 boyz in trukks. Personally I would do this:

12 boyz, 'eavy armor, sluggas and choppas, nob with PK and bosspole,  trukk (reinforced ram as a minimum)
10 boyz, shootas, big shoota, nob with boss pole, trukk (rr)

But it's personal preference now, sluggas are making a bit of a comeback generally I think.

Before you build that shokk mek, it's worth noting that in the current codex it is possible to take a SAG and a bike, which makes for very mobile artillery, and an interesting conversion challenge too. They might FAQ it, but a few people are building them anyway. I'm tempted to myself, but at the moment a KFF big mek on a bike is proving too valuable; and as I said, for me any rate, HQ is the one that fills quickest, even in multiple CAD.

Battlewagons are great, and should be used to transport your Boyz mobs; never put Boyz in a trukk.  Trukks ARE worthwhile, but should be used to transport smaller units of Mega Nobz.  Mega Nobz laugh at the effects of the new Mob rule, and giving them a fast, cheap transport makes them fantastic.

I don't disagree about MANZ in trukks, they are very effective, even 3 in a trukk, but I wouldn't put boyz in battlewagons for the simple reason that it takes up a heavy slot, and if you're making a mobile army, you're going to eat up heavy slots pretty quickly putting your troops in BWs. Trukk boyz have their place still, but the key is target saturation. Or heavy armour, perhaps, but that's still in beta

Having said that, a mob of 20 boyz in a BW is a solid unit, I'd just personally back it up with boyz in trukk units. And on balance, I'd rather use BWs as mobile firing platforms, and use multiple mobs of cheap trukk boyz to close with the enemy. Sure some won't make it, but at around 100 points a mob, they don't all have to.

Sure some won't make it, but at around 100 points a mob, they don't all have to.

That's kinda what I was thinking. What you take for a 1000pt list keeping in mind what I had mentioned earlier seeing as I might have already bought some models

Sorry for delay, had visitors for the weekend.

Ok, so assuming (based on what you've said) you want 1000pts to include a SAG big mek, a BW, some boyz and some tankbustas, I'd probably do something like this:

MA Warboss, bosspole
Big Mek, SAG, 'Eavy armor, fixer upperz
3x MANz in Trukk (rr) [warboss here]
10 boyz in Trukk (rr), incl. nob with bosspole
10 boyz in Trukk (rr), incl. nob with bosspole
10 boyz in Trukk (rr), incl. nob with bosspole
Battlewagon, (killkannon, 2 rokkit launchers, rr, grot riggers) [Tankbustas and big mek in here]
10 tankbustas, nob with bosspole

I'm assuming slugga and choppa boyz here, but if drive-by shootas are more your style, then you'll need to find a few more points; and I'd be tempted to still take at least one assault mob, perhaps with heavy armor as outlined above.

Alternatively, drop the MANz (bit of a luxury at 1000pts) for a couple of PKs among the nobs, and some buggies and/or mek guns. Lucky Stikk on the warboss is great as well; so if you grow the army these are the first additions I'd make to the above. Maybe add some lootas too, as they make better anti-air (for me, anyway) than tankbustas. And of course more trukks with this list, and maybe some biker support.

That's just one way to go though, the nice thing about the new codex is that there are quite a few viable ways to go at the moment. I don't play with the SAG much, but I think I'd put him with Lootas if I did, or with a cheap gretchin mob for ablative wounds.

An alternative to a speed freak army would be to lose all the trukks and the MANz, use the BW as either more of a static platform or an armoured-screen, and go for 2+ larger mobs of ork boyz (15-30) who footslog across the board supported by dakka from the back (SAG, tankbustas, lootas as I said, and even flash gitz).

*edit* I should say that I think a lot of ork players would say to max the number of boyz in a trukk mob (i.e. 12 not 10) to help win combats - I am experimenting with minimum size to get more on the table, but I don't want to force you to as well! For more conventional wisdom, you could drop one of the trukk mobs, add 2 boys to the other 2 trukks, a powerklaw to at least one mob, and then add a couple of buggies or a battery of mek guns to give the target saturation you need when running trukks.

if you want tankbustas, and you want to use the battlewagon as a mobile firing platform, then toss the 'bustas into the battlewagon.  Include a Bigmek in Mega-armor (with or without KFF; your choice).  Boom: you have a tough vehicle with an invul save, filled with a bunch of SnP guys firing missiles out of it.

thanks for the list baron! thats around the same as what i was thinking, although i was planning on shootas.. i also hadn't thought about the RR though.

nihmwit, that might be my first addition to the base force seeing as i alreadyhave the big mech with SAG, and boyz/trucks. i dont see where i'd fit it in with what i've got already. but i really like the idea and appreciate the suggestion!

i was thinking about getting some kans/deff dread/morkanaut for a seperate list. thats down the road a ways though.