New Orc Paper Warmaster Armies

The Orc way of life is war. Every Orc measures his worth by the number of enemies he has slain - and also the number of friends, for Orcs fight each other all the time. By fighting they establish which of them is best and this is reflected in their curious metabolism. The more dominant an Orc becomes the bigger he grows so it is always easy to see which Orcs are in charge and who is boss - just look for the big guy. --Warmaster Armies

I wasn't planning on overhauling my Orc paper army, but it got swept up in the winds of change as I started working on a Goblin paper army set. Many of the changes are esthetic so that units like Wolf Riders and Wolf Chariots look like Cavalry and Chariot units in my current sets. I made several other style changes as well, removing some units while adding others. This will allow units in this new Orc set to work with units in the Goblin set I'm currently working on. And who doesn't like even more goblins!

Ironically, I'm still using my old Orc paper army simply because I don't feel like cutting apart new counters. I'm so bad (wife says 'lazy') that I'm still using my Empire set I made 20 years ago--it looks nasty (and the counters back then were a tad smaller than regulation) but all the counters are mounted on MDF bases. I'd just rather spend time making a new army than replacing an old one. (I'm looking at those forlorn Plano boxes of Warmaster armies as I type this.) So, if you like your old Orc set, you can keep using it. Otherwise, take these 'new and improved' greenskins for a spin around the Old World.

Printing the Counters
I hope you find these paper army sets useful. You can print them at places like Staples or Kinkos, using 110lb card stock paper printed at actual size. You can also print on regular paper and then glue the counters to wooden bases. (Check the older posts on how I did this with my Empire army.) Do not print the pdf to "fit margins." Always print at 100%.  I like printing the counter sets on good copy paper, spray gluing the dull side of a 'Silver Age' comic backing board with Super 77, attaching a sheet to the board, and then cutting out the counters using a sharp Xacto knife with a steel ruler. Using the backing boards makes for cheap, sturdy counters. I like keeping the shiny side down to make moving them easier on a table. Note: This set is designed to fit Silver Age and larger comic backing boards.

Click on the counter set image above to download the complete army counter set in PDF format. The set has enough counters to create many armies of 2,000 points or less. Of course, if you need more counters simply print more copies!

Roll Green Tide!
Never played the Greenskins in Warmaster? Need some help playing those crazy hordes? Then download Wayne Rozier's free article "Grunt Tzu: The Art of Waaagh!" from issue 5 of the old Warmaster Magazine. Those aloof High Elves and stubborn Dwarfs won't be kicking sand in your metaphorical Orc face anymore!

Sample Orc Army Lists for Warmaster
Now, I can't let you leave without some sample army lists to get you started playing your Orc army. I've collected these over the years from various email lists and forums. Some lists are even my own creations. Of course, I can't guarantee you'll win with these lists, especially my lists, but at least they will get you going with original Warmaster or Warmaster Revolution.

Total Points: 1,000
Break Point: 5
2x Orc Warriors
1x Black Orcs
2x Goblins
2x Boar Riders
2x Wolf Chariots
1x Orc General
2x Orc Hero
1x Orc Shaman
1x Goblin Shaman
(Back when we could buy Warmaster starter army boxes, this list used the contents of that box plus a few more packs to create an inexpensive and effective 1,000 point starter Orc army.)

Total Points: 1,000
Break Point: 6
3x Orc Warriors
3x Goblins
1x Trolls
1x Ogres
1x Black Orcs
3x Wolf Riders
1x Orc General
1x Orc Hero
1x Orc Shaman
(This basic army packs a bit more punch in some ways, but watch out for the stupidity of those Trolls!)

Total Points: 1,420
Break Point: 8
6x Orc Warriors
4x Goblins
3x Boar Riders
2x Wolf Chariots
1x Rock Lobber
1x Orc General
2x Orc Heroes
1x Orc Shaman
1x Goblin Hero
1x Goblin Shaman
(Spend the remaining 80 points as you please to reach 1,500.)

Total Points: 2,000
Break Point: 13
6x Orc Warriors
2x Black Orcs
8x Goblins
2x Boar Riders
4x Wolf Riders
1x Giant
2x Rock Lobbers
1x Orc General
2x Orc Hero
1x Orc Shaman
2x Goblin Hero
1x Goblin Shaman