Are 6th Edition Orks Getting kicked In The Balls?

So with 6th edition just round the corner, and a so-called copy already leaked, on the Internet I thought I would just take a few minutes to air my thoughts and opinions in regards to what lies in wait for the green juggernaut. I like many of the changes a lot as far as changing the overall game so let's go into a little bit more detail.

Some of the changes I really like:

1. Forests are "dense" and thus you can't draw LOS through them (encourages maneouvering)

2. The awful KP system has been changed so units award KP based upon their actual cost (exspensive units award more KP, etc.)

3. Reserves are actually far more interesting and useful and not just randomly arriving.

4. Deepstriking can be low or high risk depending on how aggressive you want to be

5. Stratagems add depth and variety to gameplay in many different ways

6. Terrain in general is more varied and impactful on play. Fortifications, etc. will be used more (all this means more play variety).

7. All models within 3" (currently 2") of a friendly attacking model within a unit can attack. 

8. Run moves are not random anymore

9. Turn phases: Move, Assault, Shoot, Consolidate (so all those shoota shots are not going to allow your opponent to take your assault away by removing key models)

10. "Alpha Strike" by subsequent ork mobs on enemy units already engaged means striking at INT10

As for Orks?

On the plus side ork boys with slugga/ccw get four attacks each on the charge...=) (Horde armies will return, especially orks and nids) 180 orks rushing across the table at far greater threat range then before are going to be scary. Loss of save in cc due to ccw having AP6 is sad since many other armis didnt suffer this loss.

So shouldn't boys be cheaper?

 Fearless actually got somewhat better - you don't automatically take the fearless wounds UNLESS you fail a leadership test. This leadership test seems to be modified by the number of wounds suffered, I think. Now, most mobs will have LD10 for Mob Rule, so this helps. The Bosspole may help here as well, not sure. Also, close combat attacks are calculated from the models in base to base and out to 3" instead of just 2" like we have now. So that weight of attacks will really help even things out.  

We won't always be attacking a character leading a unit, and the character can't always charge the nob in a close combat, he'll likely have to still use his Directed Attacks against models he's in base contact with. The sniper rules for Directed Attacks mean we are always going to want to take 'Eavy Armor for the Nobz, that's for sure and change in wound allocation means nobz are far less durable, and this used to be the prime thing that people used to justify their points cost.

 Regarding snipers being able to target Nobs. If a unit shoots through an intervening unit, it cannot make use of the directed hits special rule. So Grots became really useful for protecting our PK nobs from snipers and such, which is something the (nerfed) KFF cannot do.

Shootas are still going to be amazing at shooting and just as solid (actually a bit more) in combat. Surely it means that a sensible option is to take a bit of both? That way your Sluggas can run ahead and the shootas have a more supportive role. To be honest if I ever ran a Green Horde, I'd have done that anyway in 5th. So I think saying Shootas suck ass just sounds a little silly to me. Shootas can still hand over more armour saves in shooting than most other units whilst on the move in a unit that will spend most turns fearless. They're still going to be exceptionally adaptive. It just means you'll have to relearn how to use them. If you don't want to do that, I'd give the whole of 6th Ed a miss, because it'll be the same for everyone. Shootas have become less obvious vs. Sluggas, that's all. IMO a wise Ork player always keeps themselves a sizeable collection of both.

Flashgits count as having targeters, so always count their target as stationary. This means they hit most things on a 4+, which is very nice. 

The KFF I was expecting to be adjusted like that, so it's not a huge shock. It was odd that it protected vehicles better than troops somehow.

Kan squadrons actually got better. A squadron gets to have a save against Stunned, Shaken, and Immobilized, and the save is modified by how many models are in the vehicle squadron. So the save starts out at 5+, and would go up to 4+ or even 3+, depending.

Weapons damaged from combat works differently, and it seems you won't always lose the biggest and best gun you have straight away.

There's a lot that's changed - even the turn sequence seems to be Move > Assault > Shoot > Consolidate, with out of sequence things like Bombs in Movement phase and shooting attacks done in Assault. Still have to read a lot of it.

Bikes got the biggest screwin' over. The +1 Toughness works only against shooting... At least we will all agree now that bikes are a shooty unit. Needless to say that biker nobz are completely out the window. Also, the improved Evasion Value bikes get is negated if the unit that is shooting them has its leader within 12".

The way I see it

That change is definitely on the horizon for the short-term anyway until the new 40k rule book and Ork Codex comes out, but fear not GW has a good idea of what it wants to get out of orks, and I'm sure there's something quite sneaky coming down the line. So all in all if it means getting back to basics in regards to your army them it's going to be no surprise after all keeping your orks nice and simple is the best way to play.