Ogre Kingdoms
Our neighbours to the east are not easy to subdue, but if it works they are fantastic tools…
What are things that were especially effective against Ogre Kingdoms? Which things do you need to be careful of?
Strengths
Ogres are unique among the factions in having an army (almost) exclusively made out of Monstrous Infantry units. That means tough individual models and their damage output only decreases in steps and not continuously with every wound inflicted. They hit like a ton of bricks and, thanks to Impact Hits on basically all models, can swipe a front rank at Initiative 10. Their characters on monstrous mounts are especially beefy. The army is pretty fast at M6 for their basic troops and want to be in combat asap. But that doesn’t mean they cannot hurt you in the shooting phase, between Leadbelchers and Ironblasters they can really ruin your day even before close combat started.
Weaknesses
As it is so often the case, one of their strengths is also one of their weaknesses: Everyone is a monstrous infantry model, that means they’re having an even lower model count than you do. Access to Gnoblars can remedy this a little, but they are even weaker than Hobgoblins and will easily succumb to low strength attacks.
While Ogres themselves seem to be very tough, on closer look that’s not even the case: Yes, they all have T4 or higher, but that’s true for many armies, and their armour save is often underwhelming. Another weakness is the Leadership: Only the Tyrant has LD9, often times you can deal with LD8 or even LD7
Tactics
Key to beating Ogres is controlling their movement. More than most armies, Ogres depend on getting that charge off. Your redirecting and screening game has to be top notch. Use Hobgoblin Wolf Riders to redirect their hardest hitters and Cutthroats to screen your units for a counter charge. Remember that Impact Hits need a minimum 3" charge distance to trigger, so a single file of cutthroats in front of your units to take the charge will rob Ogres of their most effective strength. Great Weapons on your Infernal Guard and Black Orcs are your best weapon against Ogres, and even Fireglaives can be quite effective. Leave the Magma Cannon at home and invest in Deathshriekers, Dreadquakes and Hell Cannons: The Deathshrieker’s Demolition rockets have Multiple Wounds D6 under the central hole, which is perfect for going after those tough characters on Stonehorn, while their Infernal Incendiaries are great to trigger those panic tests. The Dreadquake also has Multiple Wounds D6 and the Quake ability is perfect in hindering their movement and stop them from making that critical charge. The Hellcannon has S5 and Multiple Wounds D3 under the whole template, which is fantastic against Ogres, and also easily triggers panic tests. You can also use the Iron Daemon to great effect, but you have to make sure to get that charge off.