Well I’ve got it in my mind to write up another tactical article to pass the time while I’m working on my big Skaven one (at home sick=far too much spare time) and I’ve decided to write about mercenary ogres and how you, the Empire player, can get the most out of them.

The first question you probably ask is “I have so many amazing rare choices already! Why would I take ogres?”
The answer is that ogres provide the aptly named Ogre Sized (40mm) models, something that an Empire army lacks. In an ogre army, there are two basic ways of taking Ogres; MSU and Deathstar. It only takes a small mental jump to transfer these two play styles to an Empire army.

MSU

Evidently you’re not going to have multiple (i.e. 5-6) units of ogres, but a smaller, cheaper unit of ogres or maybe even two can be a valuable asset to your army.
They’re fast, capable flankers, but unlike heavier units like knights they won’t draw heavy artillery fire.
And this is where the magic comes in. MSU Ogres are strong enough to, if stuck in the flank, reliably take down almost anything. However, at this size they aren’t seen as enough of a threat to spend a lot of energy getting rid of. Here’s a unit-by-unit, MSU ogre analysis.

Bulls and Ironguts

Both of these units have similar applications, so I’ll list them together.

Three bulls with a bellower and additional hand weapons will set you back 127pts for 12 S4 attacks along with those juicy bull charge hits that you should always try to use (they’re especially juicy against these new ASF High Elves). These units are the embodiment of the above ideas. The enemy sees a small unit of ogres, and targets them if they can, but otherwise chooses to go for bigger and better things. They’re extremely powerful flankers, in an empire army especially with their superior movement and relatively cheap points cost.

Ironguts will attract a bit more attention, but higher leadership and S6 great weapons mean that they hit much harder than bulls. Use them wisely as they will get shot at.

Like all MSU ogre units though, they are extremely vulnerable to panic and should never attempt to charge ranked enemy units head on. It’s suicide, pure and simple. It’s the flank or paired with a ranked empire unit or nothing. Combined frontal charges I do heartily recommend though, as the static combat resolution supplied by the state troops combined with the ogres’ sheer hitting power will cause a hell of a mess.

Leadbelchers

Two leadbelchers with a bellower I find is the best build. Remember that a turn spent rallying counts as a turn spent reloading; this seems to indicate to me that GW intended them to be the ultimate fleeing unit. You use superior movement to get into position and shoot, the enemy charges, you flee. Rinse and repeat. Keep a second unit (bulls, knights etc.) nearby to intercept if the enemy gets too close.

Maneater

The MSU maneater approach entails a single maneater equipped however you’de like. When it’s taking up two of your rare choices, I don’t recommend it. Without gut magic to support them, I find maneaters hideously overcosted.

Deathstar

Deathstar ogres are usually recommended against in the context of an ogre army; they’re too expensive and liable to getting flanked. However when used as mercenaries, a unit of 8-10 ogres with command options will hit harder than anything the empire army can muster, and if paired properly with the Empire’s powerful infantry blocks, is an extremely effective tactic.

Bulls and Ironguts

8 Bulls with ironfists, light armour, a bellower and a standard clock in at just under 400pts. However any unit they charge, dies: pure and simple. Remember that you cause fear, and at this point have US24. With a frontage of four you can punt out an obscene number of attacks that will mean you outnumber most enemies (if you didn’t anyway), and that means the enemy is now Ld2 for their break test.

This unit will attract all kinds of nasty firepower, which may be a bad thing, but is also a good thing. The enemy will throw everything they have at this unit, and you can use this to your advantage. Frighten the enemy with stories of massive and deadly units they’ve killed, taking the attention away from the rest of your army, who are sneakily doing their own thing in the background. And as I said, if this unit ends up in combat, they’ll win.

Leadbelchers

These guys have a maximum Unit size of 5, which isn’t exactly a deathstar, but placing these guys in a line and marching them up a flank is a very strong deterrent to flankers. Imagine 1.5 helblasters that have the combat potential of five ogres. They cost about twice as much, but against the ‘belchers most enemies won’t even try approaching them with anything short of a battalion.

Maneaters

So you have two rare choices and a lot of points to spare: what do you do? Well I personally think a big unit (4-5) of maneaters are very, very powerful. With great weapons, your unit pumps out 16 WS4 S7 attacks, not including bull charge. They’re stubborn Ld8 too, which just makes them even better for holding down a flank. In most cases, they can do it entirely without support.

The cons are there though: they’re expensive and actually pretty fragile, having the same protection as a same sized unit of ironguts at three times the price. That said, if you want a unit that can bust open absolutely everything, this is the unit to do it.

And of course, Ogres look great! They’re easy and fun to convert and the models add a lot more to an army than ‘just another artillery piece’. As an Empire player, noone ever complimented by steam tanks, but the amount of attention my ogres attract makes me smile every time.

So there you have it! Crack out of the paychest and get ready to have the ground rumble beneath your feet. Trust me: it’s worth it.