Ogre Kingdoms Review (my point of view)

I am still pouring over the Ogre book but I figure I would toss out a army book review to those that are interested in reading more insight about the book from those that already own it.

Lords:

Greasus Goldtooth: For 545 points he isn’t all that impressive when it comes to stats when you compare him to a Tyrant. Down two movement points, up one toughness, extra wound, slower imitative and down 2 attacks does not create a good start to selling this guy. “Everyone has their price” could be useful depending on what army you’re up against. Many would just laugh or take this ability in stride. Hoardmaster lets him work like a beefed up BSB able to auto rally and gives the bonus. His magic items are great but again are they worth those point investment? Unit immune to psychology and a 4+ ward save? All hits in combat (outside of impact and stomps) are at STR 10 and d3 wounds each. Plus, they didn’t allow him Ogre Charge (yet they mention the rule in the Sceptre of the Titans rules. I doubt you will see this bad boy on the table very often, except by players that just really want to throw him out for a good laugh. Being a slower model he will bog down a unit and cause yet another disadvantage.

Skrag the Slaughterer: Well, unless you’re a Gorger fan, there isn’t really a great spot to work this high priced Slaughtermaster in. Ok, he has Frenzy (which can be a bane as well as a blessing), Immune to Poison (ok that is good), Killing Blow (ok) and Terror (not what it used to be). Again, doubt you will see big boy on the table often.

Tyrant: Bubba here will be the popular #2 choice to any Ogre list, perhaps #1 if magic isn’t on your priority list. He is the Swiss army knife choice of the Ogre list when it comes to combos. I expect to see some interesting mixes over the next few months!

Slaughtermaster: I can now have them as a General? Better magic? Yes please, I would take at least one! This guy will be the cornerstone of most lists from here on. Lv 4 will give you the metagame of +2 to casting and dispel attempts. Magic could be a deadly foe to an Ogre list and wise players will be ready for it.

Heroes:

Golgfag Maneater: First I have to say his model is perhaps the worst of the Ogre Kingdom line. What do you get for 260 points? An overpriced Maneater with beefed up stats! Sure you get 20-120 points in free magic items, BUT you are technically already paying for it, the only nice perk is you get to pick before the game. Golgfag’s Maneaters rule isn’t anything special and sucks really, your dictated to take that and limits your choices for any other Maneater units you would want to take. Perhaps if they changed it to may include in addition to as bonus abilities or not count to those on the chart somehow. You may see him in some “fun lists” to have a good laugh.

Bragg the Gutsman: An overpriced Bruiser, what he offers isn’t enough to justify his price. Great looking model and will be used as something else in the army instead.

Bruiser: The Battle Standard Bearer is a must for any army. Don’t leave home without it! A second Bruiser could provide a support function as needed if you’re savvy with a good build for them.

Hunter: Better weapons and can ride a Stonehorn than the old Hunter from prior. Still, he is a tough sell against the other choices of Heroes in the book. Plus, the Stonehorn would eat up a chunk of your points and only would be useful in lists over 2500k where you have room to use up more points and add other goodies to the rare slots.

Butcher: A good support mage to the Slaughtermaster, expect to see either him or a Firebelly in every list as a second caster.

Firebelly: Flaming attacks, Fire Breath, 4+ ward vs. fire and Lore of fire for 20 more points than a Butcher? Yes please! Not to mention a beautiful model! Expect to see this guy pop up in lists all over. I suspect plugged into a secondary unit of Ogres as an IC for them.

Troops:

Ogres: Cheaper now, free light armor is the only major change. Now you can have more in your army! Well, at least a few more.

Ironguts: For 13 more points you get heavy armor and a great weapon, which totals 13 points and is the same throughout the book. So the choice is do you want armor or not? Great weapons or extra weapon/iron fist instead?

Gnoblars: Cheap! Annoying to put the 2.5 point cost in as that makes list building a pain. Always take Trappers! 25 points and forces a unit to make dangerous terrain checks? Yes please! Roles you will see here is bait, flank protection and screens for the rest of the army.

Special Units:

Leadbealchers: Expect to see at least one per OK army from now on with 24” and STR 4 with AP and Multiple Shots (d6). Slow to fire your only disadvantage? You ignore modifiers for moving/shooting and multiple shots! So, only a few modifiers affect your shooting!

Maneaters: Did they improve? Hell yea! Again, these units should be a common unit in most OK builds from now on. Sucks to have lost the Cathayan Longsword but life goes on. Now your able to pick skills for them makes the unit very versatile for any army style.

Sabretusk Pack: Cheap in cost for single unit hunters. Keep them around to snag skirmish units up and war machines. Pair one up with a Hunter and you have another Vanguard unit. Depending on how you kit the Hunter out, you could sit in cover and use the vulture or bolt thrower to shoot or just perhaps sneak forward to take out small units in the back.

Yhetees: For 44 points I would rather take more Ironguts. Their only advantage is speed and a tad stronger than an ogre. Even the “Aura of Frost” rule does little to increase their value as a viable choice.

Gorgers: Slightly buff ogres that can Ambush. These guys could be useful in sneaking into the back field and taking out artillery and weak units. They are also insanely expensive and have no armor to protect them for a single turn before they can raise hell. Not a great choice IMO.

Mournfang Cavalry: This is by far the one single unit to give an honest appraisal on. Why? They are fast, tough, can have a 2+ save and offers up some great options. Yet they are expensive at 60 points a pop (in retrospect this is the cost of 2 ogres, looking at the Ogre and Mournfang they match up pretty well). Still, if you take 2 or 3, take one loss and your rolling against a LD 7. Could put a banner of Discipline in there for an 8, still not that solid. You could keep them near your BSB and General, but then you are at a loss to not take advantage of their speed. Solution is to take at least 4-6, but then you get a pretty sizeable price tag in the exchange. 360 points base for 6, you could have purchased a 12 Ogre Unit or two 6 man blocks when you put it into perspective. Sadly, they didn’t allow Tyrants or Bruisers the option to take a Mournfang as a mount. That would have solved several issues.

Rare:

Gnoblar Scraplauncher: Moving to the rare slot really hurts this guy. Plus with the changes in 8^th on stone throwers leaves it a little to be desired. Add in the cost and it moves to the bottom of the list quickly.

Ironblaster: A very popular golden boy that will grace many lists IMO. This is cannon that Nuln would be jealous of! Chariot, Armor 4+, Move and Fire Cannon, Volley of Cannonballs, 36” range, STR 10 and d6 wounds or STR 10 GRAPESHOT. OUCH!!!!! I would take two please!

Giant: Now that the broken rule is gone, the Giant has stepped up to a decent status again. The only problem is he is going to have to content with an Ironblaster (cheaper) or the two big boys (Stonehorn and Thundertusk) that for a mere 50 points get some serious perks compared to the Giant. You may see the token giant appear in a game, I plan to toss one in mine! I own one and think it would be a nice model on the table.

Stonehorn and Thundertusk: I am going to lump these two into the same review for one simple reason. They are both just about the same. The Stonehorn is your basher and the Thundertusk is more of a shooting means with some nasty close combat thrown in. Really, your choice will be down to taste or perhaps some players may take one of both or two of one! The Stonehorn is without a doubt the better of the two with their ability to charge doing 3d3+3 possible impact hits! Natural armor of 4+ and reduced damage to multiple wounds makes this guy a brick to fight. The Thundertusk is a support monster able to shoot the frost/ice shooting attack allows the riders to shoot as well or can carry a Hunter instead. Plus you have the numbing chill within 6” to force any enemy model with 6” to strike last. That can put some fear into a player if they know about it or one hell of a shock when you tell them this after they charge your Thundertusk. In any case, both are excellent choices and we will see some of these beasties appear on the table!