Warhammer 40,000: But Why Play Orks?

I've been posting about my ongoing Ork model conversions for Warhammer 40,000 for a while now, but maybe I should take a moment to offer a brief explanation about what Orks are, and why I favor them as my army of choice.

With any war game, and especially one with rules that get changed over time with new editions, it is important to choose an army you will like regardless of how well the rules in any given edition favor them on the tabletop. War games are a hobby that extends far beyond merely playing the game, and includes the assembly and painting of the pieces too. The fluff behind the game rules encourages Ork players to convert existing models or even build new models from scratch, which scratches my creative itch. Some especially talented gamers even sculpt completely custom models out of Green Stuff!

But why did I choose Orks in the first place? Because in the grim darkness of the far future, where there is only war, Orks are the closest thing to comic relief. They are bloodthirsty brutal barbarians who overwhelm the foe through sheer numbers and a reliance on ramshackle technology that only works because they believe it works.

I started playing in 5th edition, and Orks were still using the codex (faction rulebook) from the 4th edition of the game rules. This book was the official army rulebook up until a new codex was released early during the 7th edition rule set, which unfortunately severely crippled the diversity of armies that were effective in the game. I am cautiously optimistic about the leaks regarding the Orks in the upcoming new edition with its complete rules overhaul across the board.

I'm not a tournament player, so I am not concerned with having any specific proportion of Games Workshop parts in my creations, but GW models always have optional bitz that can be set aside for future projects, and Orks get the most benefit out of using them by far. And using GW parts here and there still ensures some level of visual consistency even in chaotic armies supported by mad scientists.

If you want to learn more about the Ork background lore, check out the fan-built Wikia page and start wikiwalking through the links! The embedded images are all from that page.

Author's note: previously posted on Steemit