Detachment Focus: Freebooter Krew

In this series of articles we take a deep dive into a specific Detachment for a faction, covering the faction’s rules and upgrades and talking about how to build around that faction for competitive play. In this article, we’re covering the Freebooter Krew Detachment for Codex: Orks.

With the piratical-themed release of The Maelstrom, it’s no wonder that the Orks get a look in with the Freebooter Krew. Who needs the dark gods or the Corsair Prince when you’ve got a snazzgun and a bad attitude?

Thanks to Games Workshop for providing a preview copy of these rules. We were also provided with a preview of the Munitorum Field Manual update, but any points referenced are subject to change until published on Warhammer Community and/or the Warhammer 40k App.

Detachment Overview

Flash Gitz. Credit: 40khamslam.

You probably don’t need me to explain that the Freebooter Krew is about playing as Ork Freebooters. Everything here is themed around Orky piracy, with a similar core mechanic to Da Big Hunt with a slightly different spin.

Detachment Rule: Here Be Loot

At the start of the battle round, you select one objective marker, which becomes your loot objective until the start of the next battle round. Your ORKS INFANTRY, MOUNTED, and WALKER units get SUSTAINED HITS 1 if they are either in range of the loot objective, or are targeting a unit which is. Note that this applies to all attacks, both ranged and melee, which is what differentiates it from War Horde. The one thing that’s a bit of a shame here is that Flash Gitz, your most natural choice for the army theme-wise, have SUSTAINED HITS 1 at range already, though it does help their melee, which already sometimes catches foes out with how nasty it is! There's also strong synergy with Lootas, since if you're targetting a foe on your Loot objective their re-rolls will definitely be active.

Enhancements

Da Kaptin (10 points) – WARBOSS only. Once per battle round, at the start of any phase, you can pick a Battle-shocked Orks unit within 12”. That unit takes D3 mortal wounds and is no longer Battle-shocked. A completely fine ability to pop on a Warboss if you have 10pts to spare.
Git-Spotter Squig (20 points) – Can go on any ORKS model. Ranged weapons equipped by models in the bearer’s unit have the IGNORES COVER ability. In an army with a lot of AP-1 and AP-2 shooting, a valuable option to have available.
Bionik Workshop (15 points) – BIG MEK or PAINBOY only. At the start of the battle, you roll a D3 and models in the bearer’s unit get either Bionik Legs (+2” Movement), Bionik Arms (+1 Strength for melee weapons), or a Bionik Bonce (+1 WS for melee weapons). These are all neat, but the unreliability makes it hard to plan around, especially as for your big melee hitters you can just run a Warboss to be sure of getting +1 to hit in melee anyway.
Razgit’s Magik Map (25 points) – Can go on any ORKS model. After deployment, you can pick up to three ORKS INFANTRY units and redeploy them, including putting them into Strategic Reserves. Like other similar abilities, this is held back a bit by the redeploy happening before you know who’s going first, but is a good way to get more value out of Kommandos or Snikrot.

Stratagems

Bash and Grab (Battle Tactic, 1 CP) – Used in the Fight phase on any of your ORKS units that hasn’t fought yet. Until the end of the phase, you can re-roll Wound rolls against enemy units that are within range of your loot objective. Wound re-rolls are straightforwardly great, and especially useful on something like a Beastboss throwing out DEVASTATING WOUNDS.
Grab and Bash (Strategic Ploy, 1 CP) – Use in your Command phase. Pick one non-GRETCHIN unit which is within range of the loot objective. Until the start of your next Command phase, the Waaagh! is active for your unit, even if you have already called the Waaagh! This game. There is a designer’s note on this one clarifying that yes, any Waaagh! abilities are in effect. No using this to get the super-grots going, but very helpful for anything else.
Boardin’ Rush (Battle Tactic, 1 CP) – Use in your Movement phase on one ORKS unit from your army that hasn’t moved yet. Until the end of the phase, that unit auto-Advances 6”. Do you like Advance and charging on your Waaagh turn (or when using Grab and Bash)? Do you want to make it even better?
Deck Fraggers (Strategic Ploy, 1 CP) – Use in your Shooting phase on one of your ORKS units that hasn’t shot yet. Until the end of the phase, ranged weapons in that unit get BLAST when targeting INFANTRY. Most hilarious against other Orks, but useful for upping that shot count against anything with 5+ models, especially if they’re on your loot objective to trigger sustained hits as well.
Rolling Loot-Heap (Strategic Ploy, 1 CP) – Use in your Shooting phase on one FLASH GITZ unit from your army that has not shot yet. That unit gets ANTI-VEHICLE 4+ for its ranged weapons until the end of the phase. Helpful for getting them to punch up with their pile of attacks.
Krump and Run (Strategic Ploy, 1 CP) – Use in your opponent’s Movement phase, just after an enemy unit falls back. One ORKS unit from your army that was within engagement range of that unit at the start of the phase and is not now within engagement range of one or more enemy units can make a Normal move of up to 6”. We all love reactive moves, and a flat 6” is great. If an opponent lines up some shooting against one of your units, then simply disappear behind a wall.

Playing This Detachment

Ork Beastboss by Crab-stuffed Mushrooms

There’s some fun little tech bits in here, with the slightly unusual reactive move and the possibility of redeploys. That said, there’s also just some straightforward running up to things and punching them, with the combo option of being able to reliably get a unit into the Waaagh! every turn, auto-advance them 6”, and then pop some Wound re-rolls on top.

The Detachment rule is a little bit of a mixed bag. It’s straightforwardly powerful if your army can be pointed in the right direction, i.e. onto the loot objective. The fact that you have to pick it at the start of the battle round does make it a little easier for your opponent to control - but then standing on objectives is how you win at Warhammer, so if they’re not doing that to avoid you blasting them then you’re already onto a good thing, and if you’ve gone heavy on shooting you can always pick the objective you’re already stood on to buff those units instead. Do take care, however - since it doesn’t apply to VEHICLES, you won’t be able to blast things from the safety of Trukks or Battlewagons and will need to let down the anchor and leap out onto the battlefield.

A Sample List

[expand title="++ A Pirate’s Life for Me - click to expand ++"]

A Pirate's Life for Me (1990 points)

Orks

Strike Force (2000 points)

Freebooter Krew

CHARACTERS

Beastboss (80 points)

1x Beast Snagga klaw

1x Beastchoppa

1x Shoota

Big Mek (70 points)

1x Kustom mega-blasta

1x Power klaw

Ghazghkull Thraka (235 points)

1x Ghazghkull Thraka
Warlord
1x Gork’s Klaw

1x Mork’s Roar

1x Makari
1x Makari’s stabba

Warboss (85 points)

1x Attack squig

1x Kombi-weapon

1x Power klaw

1x Twin sluggas

Enhancement: Da Kaptin

Warboss (75 points)

1x Attack squig

1x Kombi-weapon

1x Power klaw

1x Twin sluggas

Zodgrod Wortsnagga (90 points)

1x Da Grabzappa

1x Squigstoppa

BATTLELINE

Beast Snagga Boyz (95 points)

9x Beast Snagga Boy
9x Choppa

9x Slugga

1x Beast Snagga Nob
1x Power snappa

1x Slugga

Boyz (170 points)

19x Boy
19x Choppa

19x Slugga

1x Boss Nob
1x Power klaw

1x Slugga

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS

Trukk (70 points)

1x Big shoota

1x Spiked wheels

Trukk (70 points)

1x Big shoota

1x Spiked wheels

OTHER DATASHEETS

Breaka Boyz (140 points)

1x Boss Nob
1x Choppa

1x Rokkit pistol

1x Smash hammer

5x Breaka Boy
5x Smash hammer

Breaka Boyz (140 points)

1x Boss Nob
1x Choppa

1x Rokkit pistol

1x Smash hammer

5x Breaka Boy
5x Smash hammer

Flash Gitz (80 points)

1x Kaptin
1x Choppa

1x Snazzgun

4x Flash Git
4x Choppa

4x Snazzgun

Flash Gitz (80 points)

1x Kaptin
1x Choppa

1x Snazzgun

4x Flash Git
4x Choppa

4x Snazzgun

Flash Gitz (80 points)

1x Kaptin
1x Choppa

1x Snazzgun

4x Flash Git
4x Choppa

4x Snazzgun

Gretchin (80 points)

20x Gretchin
20x Close combat weapon

20x Grot blasta

2x Runtherd
2x Runtherd tools

2x Slugga

Gretchin (40 points)

10x Gretchin
10x Close combat weapon

10x Grot blasta

1x Runtherd
1x Runtherd tools

1x Slugga

Gretchin (40 points)

10x Gretchin
10x Close combat weapon

10x Grot blasta

1x Runtherd
1x Runtherd tools

1x Slugga

Stormboyz (65 points)

4x Stormboy
4x Choppa

4x Slugga

1x Boss Nob
1x Power klaw

1x Slugga

Stormboyz (65 points)

4x Stormboy
4x Choppa

4x Slugga

1x Boss Nob
1x Power klaw

1x Slugga

Tankbustas (140 points)

1x Boss Nob
1x Choppa

2x Rokkit pistol

5x Tankbusta
5x Close combat weapon

1x Pulsa Rokkit

5x Rokkit launcha

Exported with App Version: v1.46.2 (108), Data Version: v732

[/expand]

Look it’s not big or clever. The Ghaz brick is a little slower than it can be in War Horde, but the reliable auto-Advance helps you there, and it still hits hard. Zodgrod and his mates also love that. Everything else is just things that like to shoot or fight - and Flash Gitz because it feels like you’re missing a trick if you don’t have Flash Gitz in a Freebooters Detachment, and even if they already have SUSTAINED HITS they do like being able to get BLAST and ANTI-VEHICLE 4+ as well.

Final Thoughts

Orks have a lot of Detachments already, though their best builds in recent months have once again coalesced around War Horde. The Freebooter Krew adds another option, and one which potentially has some legs - whether peg or otherwise.

Have any questions or feedback? Drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com. Want articles like this linked in your inbox every Monday morning? Sign up for our newsletter. And don’t forget that you can support us on Patreon for backer rewards like early video content, Administratum access, an ad-free experience on our website and more.