N26 Free Ogryn Guide

Introduction

Big ‘uns and Little ‘uns, WE DID IT!

GW have finally recognised that the Ogryns are no longer slaves, WE ARE FREE! 

As well as the new name, we have our own spot in the “Gangs of the Outlands,” hopefully meaning that we will be getting journals like the house gangs in the future (GW if you are reading this, Im more than willing to write it for you, just get in touch), and that is a wonderful thought.

But I know what you are thinking, “Come on 3O, get on with it!” and who am I to disappoint?

What makes them different?

In an edition where a lot has changed, it's nice to see that the Ogryn base strengths have stayed the same. Starting at Strength and Toughness 5, they can weather out a storm of attacks and a 5+ save  and multiple wounds as standard they just dont quit.

If you are looking for a gang that allows you to make mistakes and learn from them, this is the gang for you.

So what has changed this edition? Well for a start Ogryns have lost their “Outlaw” status, Lord Helmaw has decreed that any Ogryn gang that can enforce their freedom can be considered free, basically “We can't seem to stop them so go for it, pay Tithe.” This means we can finally access the trading post fully, that includes ranged weapons! I shouldn't have to tell you how big that is. The Ogryn may have a BS of 5+ at best, but being able to pick up a template weapon until they can get some Advancements is a massive boon.

The leadership of the gang also get the Juggernaut skill for free, this inherent skill is huge for a gang that likes to get close and personal, basically your leader and champions can only be suppressed by ranged attacks if they suffer a wound or an injury dice is rolled and applied to them, letting you run through small arms fire like it doesn't exist.

But enough of this, let's take a look at the Free Ogryn Equipment List.

Weapons and Wargear

Augmetic Weapons

Augmetic weapons are an interesting choice, you can only buy them when you hire the model and you can never remove them once they are bought. This is a bit of a double edged blade, on one side they are strong weapons and some can do you well for the whole of a campaign, on the other side they can really limit you as you progress as you can't upgrade them or replace them.

Arc Welder - 80 credits

For 80 credits the Arc Welder is a superb melee weapon, with S+2, AP-3, Lethality 2 and Blaze (5+), you are wounding nearly everything on 3’s before any upgrades or other modifiers and if you roll a 5+ to wound you get an additional hit added (that you will need to roll another wound roll) potentially getting you 2 wounds for the price of one, especially when you get multiple attacks on all Ogryns, combined with the AP-3 means that even the most armoured fighters will be rolling 6’s to try and save (a 6 always passes) and then we are straight into lethality 2 for each successful wound after reducing the model to 0 wounds. This can add up nicely if you roll well.

Augmetic fist - 15 credits

LOOK WHAT THEY DID TO MY BOY! The augmetic fist in the previous edition was my go to weapon but that is no longer the case, now the Fist is Strength user (so 5 until you get an upgrade) with no AP, Lethality 1 and Knockback. (6+). You are basically paying 15 credits for Knockback (6+) as otherwise it's the same as “Hand weapons” (unarmed) and that's just not worth it at all as you can't replace it later with something better. Pour one out for fallen homies.

Paired Augmetic Fists - 25 credits

The same profile as the Fist above but with one huge difference, it has Paired (2), this means that you get 2 additional attacks for 25 credits, im not saying this is an auto-include as it takes 2 weapon slots, can't be changed or upgraded but you are rolling at least 4 hit dice in melee and your native strength will get wound most things on 3’s. If you want a ganger to get a cheap weapon that can do some damage against other gangers/low armour targets then this isn't a bad pick.

Heavy Rock Cutter -120 credits

Strength +4, AP-4 with Lethality 2, this profile initially looks incredibly strong… And it is. Strength 9 attacks are massive and that AP is frankly overkill, but there are some drawbacks. Firstly its cost, you could get a Ganger for 120 credits, it also has Heavy and Unwieldy so it takes up 2 weapon slots and drops your initiative to 1. This isn't the worst thing in the world as your initiative is likely to be fairly low anyway and you're tough enough to weather a few hits by most fighters before slapping them back. No the biggest draw back is it is only damage 1, this is clearly a monster/vehicle killer but both of those things get multiple wounds so the lack of damage means you are likely to be stuck in melee for a couple of turns, and ideally you want to be getting as much work done as you can when you are spending that much on a weapon.

Heavy Rock Saw - 100 credits

Similar to the Cutter, the Rock Saw is S+3, AP-3, Lethality 2 with Heavy and Unwieldy, you would be forgiven if you thought I would lump this weapon in with the Cutter. You would be very wrong, the Heavy Rock Saw has Damage 2 and so is instantly well worth considering. With S+3 you're hitting at S8 native, AP-3 is tearing through all armour (6s still save) and Damage 2, Lethality 2 will rip and tear its way to your heart, and into your list. This weapon is an expensive pick but it will stay with you for the entirety of a campaign and do work even in the late stages once everyone has buffed up their gangs with extra wounds, toughness and armour, none of it will matter against this beast. Probably the best weapon in the Ogryn equipment list.

Las Cutter - 80 credits

Another giant laid low, the Las Cutter has a beast of a profile, Strength 9, AP-2 damage and Lethality 2 with the Light trait (so you can use it in melee) and a range of 2” - 4” but there are some concerns, firstly its a single shot weapon so you only get 1 shot with it per battle and our BS is 5+ at best. I can’t justify this at all for 80 credits. Being an augmetic weapon you need to pick this up at creation/hiring but for it to be even remotely useful you need to have a bunch of BS improvements, and even then it's 1 shot so you had best make it count, and hope you don't miss. When the Arc welder is the same cost, has higher AP, is S7 native and isn't one shot, the addition of damage 2 or a 4” range just doesn't compare. Do yourself a favour, pick something better.

Storm Welder - 60 credits

Now I know Ogryns have poor BS and so starting with a ranged weapon maybe isn't the best move, however this does have a special place in my heart. For 60 credits you get a Strength 5, 0 Ap weapon with a range of 8” - 16” and unstable, but with the added bonus of shock (6+) and RAPID FIRE 3! Now, do I think you will be able to hit anything with it? No, probably not, not until you can get some improvements at least, but they still make their way into my lists. To add to the downsides, because its rapid fire 3, you have a reasonable chance of going out of ammo, so you will have to reload before shooting again, and if you want to use all of the rapid fire dice (because you don't have to, but you will) and roll 2 or more ammo dice then its useless for the rest of the game. Finally unstable, if you roll a 1 to hit you take an auto hitting auto wounding Damage/Lethality 1 hit, this is a massive improvement on the old version that just took you out of action and because of our multiple wounds it's not a death sentence any more so that's nice. Now this all sounds negative so far, but remember, you can use the Aim (double) action to get a +1 to your hit rolls with it and you don't have to use all the rapid fire dice, you can just use 1 and still be enough of a threat to cordon off an area, only using more dice as and when you want to make sure something is dead.

Another interesting tid bit that has been pointed out to me by, friend of the Guides, Gaz from “Guilders Ford Radio”, the shock trait is triggered by a roll of 6, not a natural 6, so if you aim for +1 to hit you're actually now triggering shock on a 5.

Primitive Weapons and Repurposed Tools

Axe - 15 credits

The axe is fairly basic with Strength user, AP-1 and Lethality 1. That's it, that's all you get for 15 credits. This isn’t a bad choice but it's also not that good either.

Cleaver - 25 credits

Strength user, Ap-1 isn't the best start for a melee weapon especially with no weapon traits, but the cleaver might just be the best cheap melee weapon as it has Lethality 2. Most things at the start of a campaign won't have much in the way of armour so most of the time the AP-1 will be negligible but as you're hitting at S5 anyway you will have an easier time wounding then most gangs and all our models have more then 1 Attack giving us plenty of opportunity to get that Skull result on the injury dice we all love to see.

Maul - 20 credits

Another baseline choice, the Maul gives you S+1, getting us to S6 native that we love, Lethality 1 and Concussion (6+). I think there would be better weapons to pick for 20 credits, so save your credits and buy something better from the trading post.

Two Handed Axe - 40 credits

Strength +1, AP-1 and Lethality 2 is not a bad way to start a weapon profile, Heavy and Unwieldy isn't great but does make sense for a 2 handed weapon, the Two Handed Axe is a good weapon, especially when you have 2 attacks because although its Damage 1 if it takes that last wound away you're rolling 2 injury dice after and that’s tasty.

Two Handed Hammer - 40 credits

Strength +1, 0 AP but Lethality 3 with the Heavy and Unwieldy trait, it's very similar to the Two Handed Axe but out of the 2 I would prefer this one as the lack of AP is a fair trade for Lethality 3. Both the 2 Handed weapons are a ganger/prospect killer rather then something you go hunting multi wound models with, but when used correctly they can be a great.

Spud Jacker - 25 credits

Strength +1 puts us at that sweet spot of wounding toughness 3 models on 2+ and the addition of Knockback (6+) and Concussion (6+) is a nice touch, being able to knock them back an inch towards a drop then reduce their initiative by 1 with Concussion is a nice combo when if they fall over 6” means they are out of action without a roll, even if it does require a 6 to achieve.

Grenades

Grenades across the board have had a downgrade for us big lads and lasses, it used to be you threw your spicy rocks 2 or 3 times your Strength characteristics, no longer is the case, now they have set ranges and that is a HUGE shame.

Because of the changes I generally don't recommend getting any until your BS can be improved and even then I’m not 100% convinced there isn't a better option.

Blasting Charges - 60 credits

A nice Strength 5 hit with Blast 5”, AP-1 Lethality 2, Knockback (5+) but a range of only 6” and Ammo (5+) makes the Blasting charge a dangerous rock to eat (or throw i guess? Each to their own).

Usually I throw this onto a cheap juve and let them take the risk, but as Ogryn doesn't get access to cheap… anything, it's a bit of a risk. And if you are that close you will probably want to charge in any way.

Demo Charges - 85 credits

Even deadlier than the Blasting Charges, the Demo Charge is Strength 6, Ap-3, Lethality 3, Damage 2 with a 6” range, Blast 5” and Ammo 6+, you’re likely to only get 1 shot of this a game, and to be honest with our native BS being as bad as it is its a massive risk as this is just as likely to hit and kill us as it is the enemy. Keep a look out for this on your opponents lists as its a dangerous piece of kit.

Frag Grenades - 30 credits

A slight improvement on range at 9”, with Blast 3”, Knockback (6+) and Ammo 4+ this is much safer to use and can get a group pinned if you are concerned about being outnumbered or can't quite get into charge range this might be worth looking at, especially against larger Toughness 3 gangs that like to swarm at your big lads/lasses.

Incendiary Grenades - 40 credits

I will continue to lament over the old Blaze rules. The Incendiary grenade is similar to the frag grenade nut instead of Knockback has Blaze (5+), an Ammo roll of 5+ and Blast 5”, the Incendiary Grenade is a decent upgrade to the frag thanks to the larger blast profile and the chance to do double hits.

Krak Grenades - 45 credits

Strength 6, AP-2 Lethality 1 and Ammo 4+, the Krak grenade lacks the punch of the blasting charge or the blast template of any of the other grenades. All in all I can see how this would help other gangs that may struggle to fight at Strength 6 but when Ogryns are so strong it's easier for us to just run in and get the work done ourselves.

Armour and Field Armour

Hazard Suit - 10 credits

Armour has fundamentally changed this edition and so now rather than giving an armour save, the Hazard Suit only negates the effects of Rad-phage and Blaze. Now that blaze is just an additional hit on a (x+) it’s not that scary for Ogryns until you start looking at the heavy flamer. Rad-phage reducing Toughness by 1 is a concern so taking a 10 credit suit if you are playing against a rad heavy Van Saar list.

Mesh Armour - 40 credits

Mesh armour now grants +1 to your armour save, its alright but when you can get this from advancements you need to make a decision on what's harder to come by, credits or XP.

Refactor Field - 50 credits

A Refactor shield is very handy if you find yourself playing against high AP weapons because it gives you a 5+ unmodifiable save. When a 6 always saves this is an expensive choice for a slight buff, but mid to late campaign it’s well worth getting for that extra security. But be warned, if you roll a 1 to save with it, it's burned out and can't be used for the rest of the battle.

Personal Equipment

Bio-Booster - 25 credits

The first time a fighter with this piece of equipment rolls one or more injury dice, you reduce the number by 1, if there is only one dice to roll then you roll 2 and pick the best result. When you're already tough as nails it's nice to have even more security, especially with the low model count you will be starting with.

Drop Rig - 10 credits

This will allow you to drop down from one level to another, if you are playing on big vertical boards this can be a God (Emperor) send but if not then its pointless.

Medicae Kit - 20 credits

When a fighter with a Medicae kit assists with a recovery test they roll an additional injury dice and choose which ones to discard. Thats 3 rolls of the injury dice and picking your favourite which is superb, pair it with a Medic Ganger and you can spend your double action getting to them, help them recover in the end phase and then give them a wound back in the next turn, from seriously injured to 2 wounds in no time.

Servo-Harness - Partial - 100 credits

Increase your Strength by 2 and Toughness by 1 (and allowing it to go over the maximum threshold of 10) at the cost of -1 to Initiative and Movement. This looks like a great, and being in the gang list means you don't have to worry about the Trading Points, however given the choice I would prefer to spend the extra 30 credits for the Full Servo-harness so it doesn't reduce your Initiative and Movement (which is already fairly low).

Stim-slug Stash - 25 credits

PUT IT DIRECTLY INTO MY BRAIN! coughs Sorry, I don't know what came over me.

Once per battle you can use this item to increase your Movement, Strength, and Toughness by 2 until the start of your next turn, once it wears off you have to roll a D6, on a 1 they take an auto hitting/wounding L1 hit. Now I presume that means that you have to roll an injury dice straight off, even if you have 2 or more wounds, but it also could just be, lose a wound, ask your arbitrator for their ruling.
I love the Stimms, for 25 credits you can literally punch through ceramite, use it when you want to really make sure you make your charge and/or when something either needs to die or you need to survive. Given the choice I'd be like an Underhive Oprah “You get stimm-sluggs, you get stimm-sluggs, you ALL GET STIMM-SLUGGS!”

Weapon Accessories

Infra-sight - 10 credits

Infra sights allow you to shoot targets obscured by smoke as well as increase the visibility (x”) rule by 9” when using a weapon with this attachment. Handy if you're fighting Nomads or play with the pitch black rules a lot.

Mono-sight - 20 credits

Probably my favourite weapon attachment, when you make an Aimed action with a weapon with this attachment you add 2 to your hit roll. Now, this means that if you add one to a shock weapon, say a Storm Welder, you’re now triggering on a 4+ instead of a 6+ on Rapid fire 3… tasty.

Telescopic sight - 20 credits

Reduce the armour save of your target in cover, granted by the cover, by 1 in the long range.

I haven't made up my mind on this in general but with Ogryn, I doubt you’re going to be making a SniperGryn so I don’t think it will matter (prove me wrong internet).

Fighters

All the Ogryns are strong and tough, they can weather small arms fire like no one else, they may be slower than most (in more ways than one) but they hit like trucks in melee and their Leader and Champions get the innate skill; Juggernaut. Juggernaut stops a fighter from being suppressed by ranged fire unless it causes a wound. This is superb for getting our hardest hitters where we want them, in the thick of it.

Overboss - 180 credits (Leader)

Starting strong with our glorious leader. The Overboss has the typical Ogryn Strength and toughness, but 3 wounds and 3 attacks is great, yes the initiative of 4 is a bit of a let down but lets be honest, if there was ever a fighter that can tank incoming hits before unleashing its wrath back its the Ogryn. Leadership 8 is solid for a gang that really doesn't want to be bottling as numbers are tight, especially in the early stages of a campaign. Keep the Overboss up and kicking to reduce the chance of bottling and you will be fine, they also get access to some great skills that can help you with this.

The Overboss gets access to Brawn and Combat as Primary skills and Savant as secondary which is an odd, but very welcome, choice. Out of these there are some strong choices, my favourite starting skill is “Rain of Blows” from the Combat set. This skill lets you take an additional fight action at the end of a combat on your turn, this lets you do your 3 attacks and then if they is anything still alive in engagement range at the end of the activation, lets you have another pop at getting the kill, great for fighting other big brutes or when you are outnumbered.

There is also the option of “Unstoppable” in the Brawn set, this allows you to recover a wound lost during the battle at the start of each activation on a successful Willpower check as a free action. Now the Willpower of the Ogryn isn't as good as their other stats but with a 7 you have a good chance of it.

Because of his starting XP you will take a while to grow your Leader, needing 12XP for its first advancement, so starting with strong weapons and buffing with equipment is the way to go I would say.

Underboss - 155 credits (Champion)

The Underboss is not much weaker than the Leader, 1 less attack, 1 less initiative and 1 less in all the mental stats, this model is still ready to get work done. The Underboss is a brute of a fighter and will put the fear of the Emperor into anyone they charge into for the 3 seconds they are alive for. With access to the Brawn skill set as Primary and Combat and Servant as Secondary skills, you have potential to make a melee monster and a support piece through Savant as well.

Stevedore Ogryn - 120 credits (Ganger, Specialist)

The Ganger of choice, the Stevedore is superb with its 2 Wounds and 2 Attacks, something most gangers dream of achieving. Sure they won't be winning any Underhive pub quizzes but who cares when they can beat the quiz master to a pulp and take the trophy, who is going to stop them? You? I doubt it.

Being Ganger Specialists they gain access to a Skill they otherwise wouldn't be able to gain access to, the specialisations are:

Out of these options the stand outs are; Heavy, Gunner. Scout and Medic. Heavy if you want a fighter with a heavy weapon (melee or ranged), Gunner for (relatively) fast run and gun, Scout for those hard to reach objectives or Medic to keep your big'uns up and fighting.

Out of these I think Medic is the best choice overall for any gang, and I fully expect people to be including them in every list. 

With their starting XP of 13 you're looking at 6 before getting any advancements which is reasonably good, and will allow you to build the fighter you want to make. Took Gunner and a Storm Welder? Try and get some BS improvements. Took Scout? Look towards Movement and become an objective taking force of nature, the world is your Ash Clam…

Lobo Ogryn - 100 credits (Prospect)

Slower than their fully sentient siblings, the Lobos are still hitting at full force with 2 wounds, 2 attacks and strength and toughness 5. Sure they are still prospects but if you put all the prospects in a room together you would find that by the time you opened the door again there would only be the Lobo and a lot of body parts. Because they start with only 1 XP you get the  advancements initially every 3 XP, which you can get by turning up to a battle and then doing the “Training” post battle action and nothing else. Potentially if you manage to get some work done you could get 2 advancements after game 1 without much hassle, because of its native stats, the Lobo has probably the best growth potential of any model in N26.

Starting Lists

So now that the way we make lists have changed and you only need to balance your Champions, Brutes and Hangers-on with your Leader, Gangers and Prospects, we only need a Leader and Ganger/Prospect and 2 Champions as a minimum, I wouldn't really recommend this as you are likely to be outnumbered anyway and 4 models can get you bogged down while they still have fighters left to capture objectives.

Strong Start

This list is a power house designed to give you the best start to your campaigns until you can hit the Trading Post and get some lovely toys.

Overboss with Heavy Rock Saw and Rain of Blows - 280 credits

A hulking great bugger, the Overboss uses his 3 Attacks to great effect with their HRS, fighting at Strength 8 with AP-3 you should never need to replace this weapon, which is good because you can't, and if something in engagement range is still alive, good news you can fight again as a free action. The down side is you will be fighting second because the HRS has the heavy trait, dropping your initiative to 1 for determining who goes first in an engagement, but lets be honest you will probably be fine.

This combo creates a murder machine in melee, Vehicles and Fighters alike will be torn apart by anything the Overboss can get their hands/saws on.

Underboss with Arc welder and Bull Charge - 235 credits

The Arc Welder gets you to S7 for attacks and bull charge lets you attack with +1 Strength on the charge, getting you to the sweet spot of Strength 8 and wounding even Goliath on 2s the majority of the time.

Underboss with Two Handed Hammer and Nerves of Steal - 195 credits

The most likely model to get an upgrade early on, the 2 handed hammer is a decent weapon against single wound fighters so this models job is to reap the chaff your opponent brings while your Overboss and other Underboss go hunting for the big boys.

Nerves of Steal combined with Juggernaut all but ensures that this fighter is never suppressed from ranged firepower, Juggernaut means you can only be pinned by ranged attacks that wound the fighter and Nerves of Steal lets you take a Cool check to resist it even if it does manage to wound (with Cool 8), it's the Ogryn version of shouting “I didn't hear no bell.”

Medic Stevedore with Cleaver - 145 credits

The smart choice for any gang, the Medic gains the Medicate skill, this means you can take the “Heal Ally” (single) action and heal up a wounded fighter within 1” (providing they aren't seriously injured). Keep them close to your Overboss or Underboss’ to keep them up and fighting all while laughing as your opponent struggles to stop the wall of meat and rage charging towards them.

Scout Stevedore with Paired Augmetic Fists - 145 Credits

My main objective grabber/sniper remover, Scout gives the Ogryn the ability to run up walls, rather than having to use double movement to climb up you use your normal movement to clamber up. This is great on vertical boards and less so on flat ones so your mileage will vary. The Paired Augmetic Fists do limit this Steves potential later on but as their main job is objective based or knocking models off tall buildings its a good pick.

Thanks to paired and the Stevedores native 2 attacks you will be punching your opponent at S5 and any 6s cause Knockback, the weight of attacks is in hope you can knock their shooting models in their vantage points, off said vantage point and splatter them on the levels below.

As stated already this is my stronger list of the 2 for pure output. I would be looking at getting another Stevedore with Storm Welder or template weapon and the gunner Specialty to provide some firepower but a few Lobos for numbers is also a good shout.

Brimming with Potential

Unlike the first list, this isn't quite as strong, but it is the most versatile, using the Lobos’ lack of XP to adapt to whatever the campaign throws at you while your brute Strength and Toughness get you through the early games, this is also a massive starting number for Ogryn.

Overboss with Heavy Rock Saw, Bio-booster and Unstoppable - 305 Credits

Almost identical to the leader in the first list, this fighter however is built for longevity and durability. The Bio-Booster lets you reduce the first lethality roll they suffer in a battle by one, or lets you roll two dice and pick the best, pair this with Unstoppable and you can recover a wound at the start of every activation on a successful Willpower check and what you end up with is a leader that just doesn't stay down.

Underboss with Arc welder and Bull Charge - 235 credits

Exactly the same as above. I know it's not very exciting to have basically the first two fighters be almost carbon copies in a list but the Heavy Rock Saw and Arc Welder are the 2 best melee weapons available to the Ogryns on creation.

Underboss with Fearsome - 155 credits

A controversial choice, this Champion has nothing but a bad attitude and a stink eye that leaves people in a puddle of their own making. I would be working towards getting this fighter some tasty weapons off the Trading Post, maybe a flamer or a power weapon, that can deal with whatever is the scariest thing you're fighting in the campaign. Fearsome forces your opponent to make a Willpower check before charging him, potentially keeping him safe until he can counter charge them. Other options for skills are available if you have a plan for what you would like to get them before game one, but the base is solid.

3 x Naked Lobos - 100 Credits each

The 3OiaT patented Naked Lobos have come back for another edition (thank you Hive Hopper Hal for the reminder) and they are just as good as ever.

Why get bogged down with weapons and wargear at the beginning of a campaign when you hit so hard without them? Spend the credits you would normally spend on them on more bodies instead.

This list is superb for applying pressure on your opponent because they can't just focus fire one model down at a time and keep running. They have to decide whether they want to deal with the naked and angry Lobos going for the objectives of the huge hulking death machines running towards them.

Now obviously this isn't an exhaustive list of viable gangs, just an example of 2 that I have enjoyed playing that give a good starting point to build off.

Campaign Progression

Where do we go from here?

Well the obvious choice is straight to the trading post, with a Leader and 2 Champions doing the trading post post battle action you will have 4TP, which can get you 1 of anything you can afford with your credits, so let's see what's worth it.

Template weapons

The one thing we struggle with as an Ogryn player is hitting the broad side of an Enforcer Precinct, so lets get around that with automatic hits!

Flamers, Combat Shotguns and Webguns are great but be careful of the 6+ ammo rolls, you are likely to be going out of ammo every time you shoot. 

Out of the choices I like the Combat Shotgun for 35 credits, if you run out of shredder ammo, you still have the salvo (although you will most likely miss until you can get the BS improvements) making it a good choice for anyone in your gang.

For the Flamers, now that the Blaze trait has been changed (pour some out for the old Blaze, worked as intended until the last sobs) the normal flamer and heavy flamer are much more viable, and the heavy flamer is no longer unwieldy so you can move and shoot with it in the same turn now. If i was going to take a flamer or a heavy flamer id consider it on a champion instead of a ganger/prospect, because of how the advancements table works now you have much more chance for improvement on your gangers/prospects where as you will really want to be focusing your champions on being the powerhouses they should be and so the template weapon is good for them when they cant charge or there are too many enemies in a small space to justify the risk without softening them up first, and the chance to do a double hit with the weapon thanks to blaze is a good way of doing that.

Everything that can be said of Flamers can also be said about Web, with the difference of instead of getting the chance to hit them twice they cant take standard armour saves, are pinned in place until they pass a Strength check at the end of their turn, they also gain a -1 penalty to all hit rolls. Not as strong as they used to be but still handy to have.

Obviously when/if you get a model to have a reasonable BS you can look at ranged weapons that don’t have the template trait which is a terrifying thing for your opponent, think about a heavy weapon that can't easily be pinned (leader/champion and their juggernaut skill) at Toughness 5 and a minimum of 5+ armour save, laying down fire, fearless, ICONIC!

Melee weapons

There are some superb Melee weapons in the Free Ogryn Equipment list, but we can always improve. For those who are missing the Agumetic Fists of old (It's me, I'm talking about me, maybe you too?) there is the Power Fist… now this weapon is spenny at 105 credits and 3 TP but for that you get S+3, AP-3, Damage and Lethality 2, Breaching (6+) and Concussive (5+), so if you roll a 5 or better to wound they are -1 initiative and no armour saves can be made. Is it overkill? Yes. Will I be looking to get one as soon as humanly (Ogrynly?) possible? Also yes.

Again with the high strength of the Ogryn any weapon in their hands is deadly, look for multi-damage high AP weapons, like power weapons and if you get a +1 to Strength (or +3) you will probably not need any Strength upgrades for a long while as with Strength 6 you will be wounding most things on a 2+, and if you manage to get to Strength 8 you're even wounding Goliath on 2+ as well.

Personal Equipment

This section is very board/situation dependent, if you tend to play on flat, single level boards then a lot of these items are going to be useless, but to that I say, “Play on taller boards!”

Grapnel Launcher - 25 credits, take a double action to travel in a straight line up to 12” as long as you finish the action on a higher level then you started on. Not as good as it used to be (now you have to go up a level) but on tall boards it can be a game changer.

Grav Chute - 30 credits, a fighter with this piece of equipment doesn’t take damage or become suppressed if/when they fall off a piece of scenery. With the changes to falling damage this has become a must have if you’re playing on tall boards, if you fall from more then 6” you are a dead ‘gryn without one of these bad boys, so a 30 credit investment on a 200+ credit Leader/Champion is well worth it.

Servo-harness Partial/Full - 100/130 credits, the servo harness gives a +2 modifier to Strength and Toughness Characteristic (and can allow the model to go above the max threshold, Strength and toughness 12 Ogryn anyone?). If you have the partial harness then this comes with the down side of reducing your Movement and Initiative by 1, this is quite punishing for a gang that already has low initiative and ideally wants to be in slapping distance, but the full harness doesn't have that issue, and if you are at the stage where you're considering a 100+ credits worth of wargear rather than another fighter, you can afford the 30 credits extra.

Bio-booster - 25 credits, what's better than a Fighter that's incredibly hard to kill? Making them even harder to kill! The first time a fighter with the bio booster decreases the lethality of the weapon damaging them by 1, if its only lethality 1 then you get to roll 2 injury dice and pick the best. Sure it only works once, but with the lack of multi-damage weapons so far this edition your fighters can tank a lot of damage and this just keeps your ‘gryn in the fight that little bit longer, which can make a world of difference.

Mounts

Mounts are 35 credits and are no longer the death traps they once were. Now there is no distinction between Hive and Ash Waste games, you can bring mounts to all games. Mounts increase your model's movement to 8” and when you take a dash action you can add 5” rather than using the initiative of the model.

This is HUGE for us, the only down side is you cant take unwieldy weapons or weapons that take up 2 hands, like Paired Augmetic Fists, Heavy Rock Saw/Cutter or the 2 Handed Hammer/Axe, nor can you climb up ladders/obstacles, limiting you to driving up stairs and ramps, limiting on some boards, not an issue on others, pick accordingly.

Boys Before Toys

But maybe you are from the school of “Boys before Toys?” Well if you have followed either of the lists above then the answer is, if you went for the Stevedore list, get some Lobos to boost numbers and if you went with the Lobo list then get yourself a Stevedore or 2 to fill those roles you want covering, like the Medic or Scout for support or the Gunner/Heavy for heavy hitters.

Tactics Cards

With the new edition comes a new way of generating tactics cards, now you gain a number of tactics cards depending on how many Champions you have (1 per),  your Leader generates 2 on creation and then every time you take the “Develop Tactics” post battle action. Unfortunately you don't get to pick but roll on a d66 table. The table we have access to so far is the generic one from the core rule book (hopefully when we get a journal we get access to specific ones), I like the idea that they are random, it lets you build weird and wonderful lists around the tactics you generate.

With that in mind these are 4 of the stand out picks for me; 

Burst of courage - automatically pass a bottle test.

Superb for when poop hits the fan, Ogryn are a low model count gang and losing 2 models instead of one because of bottle checks is a serious loss.

Adrenaline surge - a fighter may perform an additional action for this activation.

What's not to love about having an additional action? Move then charge, charge then Coup de Gras, dash then move. So many useful options.

Thundering Charge - roll 2 d6 for your charge and take the highest.

Guarantee the best chance of success on your charge, when you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail, smash it into a wall.

Chain attack - this fighter can immediately make a charge action, even if they have already performed a charge action already.

What's better than charging and killing a model? Getting to do it twice in one turn, it's a no brainer.

Overall impressions

Overall I think that Ogryns could be one of, if not the strongest gangs at this stage of the new edition of Necromunda. With the current missions available Ogryns have a massive advantage of being able to tank their way to the objectives and sit there until victory is achieved.

They might be a low model count gang but because they are hard to injure and take out of action they just keep coming. 

If you are looking for a gang that is forgiving, has the ability to fight in glorious hand to hand combat and at range (ish) then this is the gang for you.

Obviously I am incredibly biased, but I stand by this statement, just watch out for Escher gangs with their toxin weapons and cowardly ability to run away from us while sticking us with needles. Just rude if you ask me.

Thank you’s

Firstly thank you all for reading, having people reach out and ask me when the guides are going to be coming out and showing their excitement has really helped me realise that people still want my particular flavour of advice and give me the fire and passion to dive right into the new edition and unlock its secrets.

Secondly I would like to thank Gaz from Guilders Ford Radio, HiveHopper Hall from the SCR discord for bouncing ideas to me and Andrew for being willing to do the majority of the play testing and the rest of the Second Best Crew for their help with editing, encouragement and general chaos energy. 

And don't forget, If you have found this helpful, why not check out our Ko-Fi or Patreon below, follow us on social media or shout the website at passing Scummers?

Stay Safe out there Scummers and don’t forget, Abhuman is BEST human!

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