‘Warhammer: The Old World’ How To Play Orc & Goblin Tribes

Today, take a look at the basics of how to play Warhammer: The Old World’s Orc & Goblin Tribes. It’s time for a WAAAGH!

Orc & Goblin Tribes are a classic fantasy faction and one of the core armies in Warhammer the Old World. The tribal hordes can appear almost anywhere, reveling in battle and worshiping their twin gods. They are a power force of destruction and (small c) chaos in the Old World. They also bring their own brand of weirdness to the game.

So, below, we will offer some tips on how to play the Orc and Goblin Tribes and get started with the army.

Who are the Orcs and Goblins in Warhammer Old World?

Unlike the more civilized faction, the Orcs and Goblins do not come from any one land. They can be found in the world’s wild places and in the ruins of fallen lands. Greenskins are a vast kultur, focused on their love of war and worship of their gods, Gork and Mork. They are also not a unified whole by any means, with many different tribes.

Orcs are the larger of the two races. They have their own subgroups, such as Black Orcs and Savage Orcs. Goblins are smaller and more cunning. You might find normal goblins, forest goblins, Night Goblins, Hob-Goblins, and more. Besides these two races, their armies also included others, such as trolls, giants, squigs, and snotlings. Collectively, they are known as Greenskins.

Orcs and Goblins tend to wage war in Waaagh!s, which is, in effect, a large tribal migration. Led by Warbosses, a massive army of Greenskins will simply go on a rampage, often causing massive damage. At other times, various tribes will settle down for a time. However, the threat of the Greenskins can never really be eliminated.

Why Orcs and Goblins?

Do you like ancient hordes? Are you a big fan of the steppe invaders? Or do you just want to play the funniest faction in the game? Then Orcs and Goblins are for you!

They are a faction that can do almost anything. While they focus on combat, building both magic and shooting lists from them is possible. They can also run a good mix of horde armies, elite armies, and even a bunch of monsters and chariots. There isn’t a whole tone they can’t do.

They are also the faction with the most humor in the game. They bring their own ramshackle child-like wonder to the game. It’s a faction that is great for converters and having a laugh.

Orc and Goblin Strengths

• Strong individual models
• Good rules for fighting in hordes
• Lots of access to chariots
• Fanatics

Orc and Goblin Weaknesses

• It can be a very unreliable and random army
• Low armor/survivability
• It lacks a ton of meta-defining units

Signature Orc and Goblin Rules

• Choppa – Gives most units an improved hand weapon
• Waaagh! – A one turn buff to a units combat effectiveness
• Quell Impetuosity – removes impetuous from nearby units

Orc and Goblin- Armies of Infamy

• Nomadic WAAAGH!- An all-mounted army focused on getting into combat fast
• Troll Horde- An army that focuses on Trolls and other big monsters

Key Orc and Goblin Units Units

Here are some of the most important Orc and Goblin Units for you to know about:

Black Ork Bosses

Orcs and Goblins have a number of fight-y characters. The Black Orc Bigboss and Warbosses are the biggest and bestest of them all. If you want just the best combat character the faction has to offer, then you are looking for the Black Orc Warboss. This is the guy to beat face with.

Night Goblin Shamans

Greenskins also have a good number of caster characters they can take. Among the best of those are the Night Goblin Shamans. They tend to be the most tricksy of the bunch. They also help you unlock Night Goblins. However don’t expect too much of them.

Black Orc Mobs

Black Orc mobs are the faction’s heavy infantry. While they don’t have a ton of tricks up their sleeves they are pretty cheap and some of the toughest infantry in the game with T4 and the option of a 3+ save. Its a flexible and very solid unit.

Orc Mobs

Orc Mobs are the basic Orc infantry. They aren’t amazing but they are very flexible. They can be built as anything from skirmishing archers, to frenzied shock troops. Orc Mobs fill a lot of roles and are cheap, but not all that good.

Night Goblins

A cheap and unit that isn’t all that great in combat, Night Goblins are still a stand out. The truth is you don’t really take Night Goblins for themselves but to allow you to take Fanatics. These ball and chain carrying madgoblins are one of the best things the army has going for it.

Boar Boys

The heavy cavalry of the faction, Orc Boys are a key part of the army. While they don’t quite stack up statswise to other heavy cav they can be very hard hitters. They are also a very points effective unit making it a great choice for any army to bring a few.

Giants

It’s a big stompy monster that might just shove the enemy general down its pants! What is not to love here? Gaints are big and brutal and can be a good support or centerpiece army for Orcs and Goblins. They are not the most meta unit around, but are a ton of fun.

Sample Orc and Goblin Tribes Army

Orc & Goblin Tribes

++ Characters  ++

Goblin Oddnob
– Level 4 Wizard
– Waaagh! Magic

Orc Warboss
– Heavy armour
– Shield
– General
– Boar Chariot [Third Orc crew member]
– Ogre Blade
– Talisman of Protection

Orc Bigboss
– Heavy armour
– Shield
– Battle Standard Bearer [War Banner]
– Boar Chariot [Third Orc crew member]
– Porko’s Pigstikka

++ Core Units  ++

30 Orc Mob 
– Thrusting spears
– Light armour
– Shields
– Big ‘Uns
– Boss (champion)
– Standard bearer
– Musician

20 Goblin Mob 
– Shortbows
– Boss (champion)
– Standard bearer
– Musician

20 Goblin Mob 
– Shortbows
– Boss (champion)
– Standard bearer
– Musician

++ Special Units  ++

8 Orc Boar Boy Mob 
– Cavalry spears
– Heavy armour
– Shields
– Big ‘Uns
– Boss (champion)
– Standard bearer
– Musician

5 Orc Boar Boy Mob 
– Hand weapons
– Cavalry spears
– Heavy armour
– Shields
– Boss (champion)
– Standard bearer
– Musician

Tips For Playing Orcs and Goblins

Orcs and Goblins are the most random and unreliable of the core factions. If you want to enjoy playing them, and many people do, you kind of have to accept this. You will have things go spectacularly amazing, and also wrong. There is no real way around that, and players who don’t like that might really struggle with the faction.

It’s also a really huge faction with a ton of units and can be played in a lot of ways. You’ll likely want to pick one of these play styles or kind of sub-factions to build an army around. While you do have some strong characters and few heavy hitters, you should also recall that, in a lot of ways, your units are outclassed one for one by most enemies. You need to find ways to get your rowdy boyz to work together and pull of some strong combos.

Or say screw it all and charge forward! That is the true Orc way, and it might work out for you. It can certainly be fun.

Author: Abe Apfel

Abe is that rare thing, an Austin local born and raised here. Though he keeps on moving around, DC, Japan, ETC., he always seems to find his way back eventually. Abe has decades of experience with a wide range of tabletop and RPG games, from historicals, to Star Wars to D&D and 40K. He has been contributing to BOLS since almost the start, back when he worked at and then owned a local gaming store. He used to be big into the competitive Warhammer tournament scene but age has mellowed him and he now appreciates a good casual match. He currently covers 40K tactics and lore, as well as all things Star Wars, with occasional dabbling in other topics. Abe remains in mourning over the loss of WFB to this day.