This article was written for a previous version of the Blood Bowl rules and has some outdated information in it. You might still find it contains some useful information.
There is now an an updated Blood Bowl 2020 Second Season Orc Starting Rosters article.
Orc Starting Roster Overview:
Orc players are fairly cheap compared to most other teams and you can start with a lot of your positional players. This also means that there are quite a few different starting lineups that are not only possible but also viable to start with and do well. As such the variations you will see are mostly going to be down to the personal preference of the coach in charge of the team and all the lineups are really just slight variations of each other.
Rounded TV1000 Orc Starting Roster:
| Quantity | Player / Item | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Linemen | 100k |
| 1 | Thrower | 70k |
| 4 | Black Orc Blockers | 320k |
| 4 | Blitzers | 320k |
| 3 | Rerolls | 180k |
| Total | 990k |
This is my preferred starting lineup for an Orc team in a league. Starting off with all four maximum allowed Blitzers and Black Orc Blockers. Starting with the more reliable strong players lets you get the maximum amount of games for them to hopefully get an MVP and start developing. It also gets the maximum number of players who start with Block on the team which is invaluable at the start. That is eight players straight away and while I would like to get both Throwers and one Lineman that doesn’t leave enough money for three rerolls. So one Thrower gets you Sure Hands to start with saving the rerolls for other rolls and two Linemen round out the required eleven players.
Three rerolls is as low as I like to go and is a reasonable amount to start with. That leaves you with 10k left over which I would save towards hopefully getting an Apothecary after the first game. It is possible to start with both Throwers though you have to drop the other Lineman down to a Goblin, though no self respecting Orc likes to play with Goblins!
Max Strength TV1000 Orc Starting Roster:
| Quantity | Player / Item | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lineman | 50k |
| 1 | Thrower | 70k |
| 4 | Black Orc Blockers | 320k |
| 4 | Blitzers | 320k |
| 1 | Troll | 110k |
| 2 | Rerolls | 120k |
| Total | 990k |
Some players like to go for the maximum possible starting strength, there are a couple of ways of doing this but a common way is to drop a reroll. The rounded lineup already has the four Black Orc Blockers and the only way to make it stronger is to include a Troll. This will make the team even harder to get through by hitting and with Regeneration they can live a bit longer as well. Trolls are however less reliable players and this can cost you games if you aren’t careful, dropping a reroll to afford him also will mean the team overall is less reliable as well.
Throw Team Mate TV1000 Orc Starting Roster:
| Quantity | Player / Item | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goblin | 40k |
| 1 | Thrower | 70k |
| 4 | Black Orc Blockers | 320k |
| 4 | Blitzers | 320k |
| 1 | Troll | 110k |
| 2 | Rerolls | 120k |
| Total | 980k |
This is a very slight variation to the max strength lineup but swaps a Lineman for a Goblin. This does save you an extra 10k, though it does add a fragile Goblin to the team. They are weak and have low armour and can become a big target as the easiest player on your team to hurt. A Goblin can offer some more speed and manoeuvrability to the team and obviously the Throw Team Mate option for one turn scores. You need to decide if it is worth having the fragile player on the team, you could spend a lot of the game with only ten players.
TV1000 Orc Starting Roster Summary:
With the many different Orc players that you can create a team with these are by no means a definitive list of ways to create an Orc team. Other variations would be to start with a Troll but fit three rerolls in. To do that though you need to drop a Black Orc Blocker or Blitzer and common perception is that doing this isn’t a good trade off. Either of those players is quite a bit cheaper than a Troll and is far more reliable. The advantage the Troll gives is a slightly more strength and the possibility of a one turn touchdown provided you also have a Goblin available.
You could also look to go for a deep bench by dropping Black Orc Blockers or Blitzers and getting more Linemen instead. Though with most Orc players having high armour and usually being stronger than most opponents, it isn’t often you get outnumbered anyway. It is also possible with Orcs to go for a more themed option, perhaps starting with all four possible Goblins for example.
I think you’re perhaps missing a two thrower build – when receiving I personally think it’s worth dropping the extra armour point for the sake of getting Sure Hands coverage all over your half.
You have to take a Goblin instead of a Lineman to maintain 3 re-rolls + all positionals (excluding the troll), but the little guy has his own strengths (not Strength, mind you!) and Stunty can be invaluable in a pinch… if you remember not to leave him exposed to opportunistic Blitzes.
EDIT: Ah you’ve actually mentioned that in the article, apologies.
Wow, nice write up. I had to laugh when I saw your well Rounded list as that is the exact list I’ve been contemplating for a league I’m going to run. I noticed there wasn’t a lot of talk of team progression so I was wondering if you like to add Linemen for a hard bench or a Troll and some goblins for option play?
After getting an Apothecary first like usual there isn’t really too much to talk about with purchases for Orc teams. You start with nearly all of your positional player and with your high armour a deep bench isn’t really needed. Most coaches will get a Troll if they didn’t start with one, then perhaps a fourth reroll. A Goblin isn’t uncommon just to have sitting on the bench for one turn touchdown attempts. Due to this it is rare to see more than one or two Linemen on an Orc team.
Of course any true self respecting Orc wouldn’t want to be on the same team as a Goblin! Orc teams can probably cope fine without either a Troll or a Goblin but it is rare to see a team that is purposefully not taking either.
With so much ST4 and Strength skill access already, I find the Troll more hassle than he’s worth. If you take both a goblin and a troll, then you have a remote chance at a one-turner attempt, but whether you want to pay 150 TV for such an undependable extra option is another question.
I personally don’t understand why Goblins are allowed to be on an Orc team. But a possible build if your a Goblin lover but want some bashing ability is the following lineup:
4 Goblins
1 Troll
1 Thrower
4 Blitzers
2 Black Orcs
3 rerolls
Its a bit 1-dimensional, but if you give the Goblins Diving Catch and the Thrower Hail Mary Pass, then you can hold the line with the Troll and Black Orcs, blitz a hole with the Blitzers and use them to support your Gobs. 4 Gobs and 4 Blitzers bunched together have a pretty good chance of catching the pass once it is thrown by the Thrower.
The other option is to drop one of the positionals and get 4 rerolls, although i think having a reserve is a good idea considering you have 4 Goblins on the team.
The Orc lineup I’ve been running with lately is: 4 Blitzers, 3 Black Orcs, 1 Thrower, 2 Linemean, 1 Goblin, 3 rerolls and an apothecary. So similar to your “rounded” roster, but dropping a Black Orc for a Goblin and an apothecary.
Part of that is that I’ve had some bad experiences in the past with not having an apothecary, even for one game.
The thing with the Black Orcs is they are really prone to turnovers until you get them Block. So starting with one less is not a huge issue. As you point out, having the 4 Blitzers who do have Block is much more important.
You slightly lower the chance one of your Black Orcs will get MVP (3 /11 instead of 4/11). But MVP is so random anyway, I find that you need to go out and actively try to get your Black Orcs SPP. Given Orcs will normally take a whole half to score, I try and get my Black Orcs up the field, get one into a cage with the Thrower (who has probably been carrying the ball). On about turn 6-8 I try and hand off the ball to the BO. Sure, they don’t have a great chance of catching it, but you can use re-rolls (if you have any left), or retry in future turns. Ideally you want to grind out a 2-0 win where a Black Orc has scored the 2 touchdowns.
In terms of development I’ve added a Troll as soon as I could manage in my team, purely due to meeting a lot of tough teams online. The troll really proved his worth when I encountered a chaos team with a minotaur – the wild animal roll failed far more than my really stupid roll due to the use of teammates in support, only failing once. Using the troll to mark more and block or blitz only when needed really helped manage his usefulness.
My next step will be a second thrower for more ball handling duties – it will give me 2 lineman on the bench and I can use them in defensive plays with the throwers kept for offense due to fragility.
I’ve said this in a couple of threads on the subject but I’ll stick it in again here.
For my starting Orc roster I almost always go with the “rounded” roster except I take a Gobbo in place of one lineorc and upgrade the other to a thrower.
Once I have an apoc my next buy is a troll, then a second Gobbo unless there are replacements needed. At this point I can stop buying new players except replacements for injured/dead. I’ll often grab a 4th reroll and just bank the rest.
The Gobbo is often one of my top scorers, he tends to hold position around the safest side of the cage (sideline side or back or whatever depending on positions) where he is, for the most part, protected. If it looks like scoring isn’t going to happen a quick stunty run can quickly turn the tables. First skill is almost always catch for receiving a handoff or pass in these final turns, sure feet is often second to increase his reliable threat range. Catch is also a great skill for OTTD and if you only have one turn it’s great to have the option. On defence he usually hangs with the troll helping with really stupid, preventing assists and occasionally becoming a projectile at a cage. Pre Troll the Gobbo and Throwers usually hang back to intercept receivers or plug break throughs while the 8 fighting orcs get stuck in.
The Gobbo adds options to an Orc team and I’ll take one even without a troll. I do like to have a reserve when I field a Gobbo but I can go a few matches without, it’s rare that I look at my Gobbo and wish he was a lineorc but I have a few times had a lineorc and wished he was a Gobbo so that’s the way I play it.
Another line-up I’m about to try is a re-roll heavy line-up. Obviously re-rolls after start up cost double, and for Orcs that’s pretty tough (120k). So I’m going to try: 3 Black Orcs, 4 Blitzers, 4 Linemen, 4 rerolls.
It’s worth pointing out that I’m playing this on he computer game, where my (computer) opponents will already have TV1200 teams, so I’ll use the extra game funds to cover an apothecary.
I would still start as “normal”, with 200k in inducements you can get an Apothecary and that extra Reroll. 120k for a reroll isn’t a problem for Orcs. You start with nearly every player you want already and they have AV9 so getting hurt is a lower risk. You don’t really have much else to save up for, Orcs tend to be a cash rich team like Dwarves.
Dropping the Black Orc, you have to save up for an Apothecary (unless you just use Inducements) then save up for the Black Orc. That is likely at least 3 games if not 4 that he misses out on chances to get blocking casualties and an MVP for the first skill.
I’m not saying it won’t work, Orcs are a fairly straightforward team to play. I just don’t think your reasons for doing so necessarily hold water. Good Luck!
Just used the Orc rounded TV1000 starting roster in my first Naggaroth Open league match, and played against a Chaos team. Man it was an absolute slug fest of a match, however in the end on the very last turn of the game I was able to score a touchdown, and win! This line up is very impressive to start with, as it’s got lots of versatility.
I will propose other build for long running leagues.
1 Troll
4 Black Orcs
2 Blitzers
4 Gobbos
4 Re-rolls
It will save your TV in long run because of 4 re-rolls. 990. You can change 1 gobbo for lineman, if you wish. Key is having 4 BoBs to get them SSPs early
Thanks for the suggestion, though I think I’d still go with the same roster for an Orc team. I would suggest that dropping two of your Blitzers isn’t optimal, you lose 2x Block which can be crucial, especially when starting and your team is light of skills. You can also get extra rerolls using inducements until you have saved up for more. Due to the high armour of an Orc team, you tend not to need to replace players too often compared to most, so saving money isn’t a massive concern.
I have used this lineup for a starting Orc team. I find the Goblin to be useful not only for scoring but also for getting tight spaces to lend a strategic assist.
4 Black Orc Blockers
4 Blitzers
2 Throwers
1 Goblin
3 Re-rolls
I know it’s very similar to some of the ones already suggested and no, it’s not as strong as the Rounded team suggested by Coach. Still, I find it way more fun to play and those gobbos are a real pain in the butt to a lot of opponents:
1 Troll
3 Black Orcs
3 Blitzers
1 Lineman
3 Gobbos
4 RR’s
Total: 1000k
(Next buys: Apo, Thrower, Black Orc/Blitzer)
I just felt obligated to contribute to the starting line up issue. I play in a board game league with six other players (http://freodom.blogspot.com/search/label/HKIRBBTL). After 4 games, I’m 1st in the rankings, 10 TD made and 0 against. This was my starting line up:
4 Black Orcs
4 Blitzers
2 Thrower
1 Lineman
2 RR’s
1 Apothecary
= 1000k
I wasn’t that nervous or worried about the 2 RR because the plan was not to block/blitz with the Black Orcs, unless it was necessary. They’ve been rich in winnings and so far purchased 2 RR’s more, with 40k in the bank. Probably going to buy the Troll asap.
Hi guys!
What u tink about this list?!
(4x) – Blitzer
(3x) – Black Ork
(2x) – Goblin
(1x) – Thrower
(1x) – Troll
(3x) Reroll
Totatal 1.000.000
Here’s my thoughts concerning the Orc starting roster:
– 3 RR are a must. 4 is luxurious, 2 is not enough.
– For the Orc team, development of the Blockers is crucial. For the development of the Blockers, MVPs are key. In order to maximize the chance of the Blockers getting as many as possible of those precious MVPs, I start with a bench of 11 and the max number of blockers (4 Black Orcs and a Troll).
– Orc Linemen are not really useful. In the long run, there’ll be 10 positionals and the Troll, so the Lineorcs end up on the bench.
Going form this, I start with:
3 ReRolls (18)
4 Black Orc (32)
3 Blitzer (24)
1 Thrower ( 7)
1 Troll (11)
2 Goblin ( 8)
(100)
The first few games aren’t that easy but if you get lucky on the CAS rolls in the first half, this set-up really shines. Defense is key! Stop the opponent from scoring and take your sweet time to score yourself. Hand the ball to a Black Orc if possible – once they all have Block, this team starts to play itself.
Further purchases are the Apo (duh), the missing Blitzer and then the 2nd Thrower and a Lineorc. By that time, one of the Goblins is probably history. I don’t replace dead Goblins and just use journeymen if the need arises. I’d even cut a Goblin from the roster if he ends up as the 14th player, 13 is plenty. There aren’t going to be that many opportunities to bring in reserves anyway and Orcs have the best armour in the game.
In order to use the Lineorc, I like to turn him into a Dirty Player – makes sense later in a league when you can foul really expensive advanced players. Plus, it’s the only job none of the other players can do. If only Goblins could learn Dirty Player, I’d never hire Lineorcs at all.
For those who rather like Lineorcs, 1 Thrower + 2 Goblins = 3 Lineorcs. That way, you can still start with 3 RR and 5 Blockers and don’t have to field any Goblins.
two Black Orcs, two Throwers, one Blitzer, seven linemen, one Goblin, three Re-rolls and a Fan Factor 5. This forms a good foundation on which to build a succesful team. My first purchase after a few games would be an Apothecary, and after this you can concentrate on strengthening the front-line with more Blitzers and Black Orcs.
Your plans should then involve adding extra bits and pieces like Goblin Secret Weapons, Cheerleaders and Assistant Coaches as well as saving up for a Star Player such as Varag Ghoulchewer or an Ogre or Troll.
Thanks for the comment Jesse, but I don’t really consider that to be a great way to start the team. You can start the team with 3 rerolls and all four Blitzers and Black Orcs. You don’t need to purchase any Fan Factor which you can read about at http://bbtactics.com/fan-factor-fame/
Also saving money up to hire the Star Players for one games isn’t really cost effective, it sounds that you may be using an older version of the rules…
Yeah i was quoting white dwarf vol 175
I’m a guy who happens to be a fan of both the maneuverability of goblins and the armor of lineorcs. With that in mind this is the starting roster I tend to use:
4x Black Orcs
4x Blitzers
2x Goblins
2x Lineorcs
3x RR
Grand total: 1mill
You do lose out on pass and sure hands, but in turn you get 12 players which opens you up to fouling options and gives you a backup. Without a dedicated ball handler you can also pick and choose the player to score with and spread SPP around or even make one of the lineorcs a dedicated AV9 ball handler. I buy an apothecary followed by a troll and then I’m pretty set to hoard the gold to replace losses. With 13 player bench you can be really aggressive and foul happy with the goblins as even if you lose both of them you will have a full AV9 roster.
I’m trying out the following via cyanide. I’d love some input from anyone else that has tried it:
4 Blitzer
4 Black Orc
4 Goblin
3 RR
20k Bank
A bit of a joke, yes. But i love lizards, and this build feels familiar, just 140k from the apo and Troll needed to complete the team.
I use for figthing Orcs this list from a WD article: 3 Black orcs, 3 Blitzers, 2 Throwers, 4 lines, 2 RR and 6 fans. To Brain Orcs: 2 BO, 2 Blitzers, 1 Thrower, 1 Troll, 4 liners, 3 Goblins, 2 RR and 6 Fans…
As far as I know all the Blood Bowl articles that were in White Dwarf were written for older versions of the rules. Since the rules have changed I wouldn’t recommend those two starting rosters. If you haven’t already, go and read the http://bbtactics.com/fan-factor-fame/ article I wrote back in 2009.
Okey Coach! I from México and that article was my only information to play with orcs. I used the figthing orcs list on a season versus AI. Its true about the kicking events in your favor…My problems in the last stages were when I needed gold to manteniced the team with 1 N7, 4 N6, 5 N5, 3 N4 and 1 N3 Players!
I will use the list from this page! The figthing one! 😉
I’ve been playing an Orc team during a recent tabletop league and decided to practice in fumbbl matches. I originally went with the “Rounded” roster but dropped the Linemen for another Thrower and a Goblin. After playing a few matches and starting a few new teams, I eventually ended up with this starting roster:
1 x Troll
4 x Blitzers
1 x Thrower
1 x Goblin
2 x Linemen
2 x Black Orcs
This gives you a TV of 980, so you have 20k in the bank for the first purchase of an apo. Alternatively you could swap out a Lino for a Thrower, or the Gobbo for another Lino.
Dump the Troll on the LoS and if you’re facing a bashy team, put the BoBs down there too. If it’s more of an agile team, put the Linos there and the BoBs out in the widezones, making it much more difficult for them to rush around a flank, while the Troll makes it much more difficult to push through the centre.
Troll + Gobbo allows for the emergency OTTD attempt, and I’ve found that having 2 BoBs makes it much easier to skill them up – by the time you’ve bought the remaining BoBs, your originals should have Block.
Next up add another Thrower and/or Gobbo so you’ve got one for throwing and one for fouling. If you’re worried about TV bloat then you can drop the Linos, although hopefully by this point one of them will have a skill, so can be used for Kick duty instead of giving it to a positional.
It’s not a perfect roster (but what is?) but so far it’s the one I’ve had the most fun/success with.
Now I just wish I’d gone this way with my tabletop team from the start!
Forgot to mention, you get 3 rerolls with that roster in the 980k!
I would always go with the best of the Orc team. That is the Troll with a goblin for the potential of a one turn touchdown. 4 BOB for the ultimate annoying cheap strenght and 4 blitzers because they simply have to make the touchdowns and are the fastest pieces on the scene. 2 rerolls make sense, but should also suffice.
This brings the total to 910.
Add in the thrower because a sure hands guy with pass acces (for leader) is usefull and you have a full set of 11 players, 20K left. save it for the Apo after game one and you are done. There is no need for lineman on an orc team. Having 12 players after game 2 is usefull, 13 if you like fouling. However, if you like fouling, use 40k goblins, since they are cheaper. If i would face off against the above team, strenght wins. If i face off against another team, a bob on its own is a good speedbump.
Looks like a change in player cost makes the Rounded team, or any team 4 Blitz & 4 Blorc, unable to get 3 rr.
Blitzers in BB2 cost 90000 so, a total of 680,000 for a 4/4 team.
Yes it appears the developers of Blood Bowl 2 have made some changes from the actual tabletop Blood Bowl rules.
In BB2, I believe you can go with 4 Black Orcs, 4 Blitzers, 2 Linemen, 1 Goblin and 3 rerolls.
Can go for the Thrower after the Apo.
Can also do 1 Troll, 4 Black Orcs, 4 Blitzers, 1 Lineman, 1 Goblin and 2 rerolls.
It’s quite an odd change, but if you can negotiate your first few game with a slightly weaker roster, you should be fine.
Hey, as a starting Orc coach I’d like to get your opinion on development of the team. I’ve got all the positionals except for 1 Thrower and the Troll. I’m running without goblins in the team. Sitting on 4 rerolls and Apo. I have 200k so I need to start spending. Would you recommend getting the troll and putting him on the line with 2 blackorcs for ultimatte roadblock or getting into the whole Stadium upgrades/cheerleaders etc. shabang or maybe something completely else?
Most of that stuff isn’t in the official Blood Bowl rules and has just been added to the new computer game. As a result I can’t really advise you on stadium upgrades etc. You could try the forum though I don’t know how many people are familiar with them. Good Luck!
Hello Coach, hello all !
I was thinking starting an Orc team, going
4 Black Orcs
4 Blitzers
3 Gobbo
4 Rerolls.
Is 4 reroll too many to start with ?
Thanks and great site !
Four rerolls isn’t too many though you may find that three Goblins are going to be hard to protect.
With the 4 Bo 4 Blitz 1thrower 2linemen an 3RR which are the Next recommended buys?
I started buying the Apo, but I’m not sure if is better to buy the second thrower or save for the troll.
Any advices?
That all depends if you want a Troll or not, if you do then save for one. If you don’t intend to ever get a Troll then grab a Lineman, or perhaps save up for another team reroll. It can also be handy to keep some money in the bank to replace your positional players if they pick up an injury or even die!
Thanks! Finally I decided to save for another Reroll. Thanks!