A quick query on your BSB being a Black Orc as opposed to a Savage Orc - is it to give you more options where to place him and for animosity quelling (as well as some better protection from gear)?
Yes and yes, spot on in fact! I usually trust my Savage Orc Big 'Uns not to fail their leadership check when I don't want them to charge, but I don't trust them not to fail animosity. Having to charge the closest enemy and overrun if you break them can cost you a game if you're not careful. The Black Orc usually helps out with that in the first couple of rounds. It's important also since I want my Shaman to be casting - not fighting due to animosity. But the BSB will usually join his Black Orc buddies later on. It depends a little bit on what they're going up against. If I'm facing artillery he might join them immediately to give them a 6+ wardsave against those hits. If I go up against death magic he usually hangs back with the Savages for the added ward save against souldrains. It depends really.
Other thoughts:
- I really need to remember to deploy my Great Shaman on the corner of the Savage Orc unit closest to the Black Orcs, as they need the 'Ere We Go spell cast on them just as much as the Savages. Not getting both within reach of the spell cost me the Black Orcs when I went up against the Irongut Ogres.
- I keep forgetting to call for the Waaagh! during games. Possibly because I seem to be waiting for the moment when I have plenty of Orc units in combat who will benefit from it. Really though, it mostly helps the Warboss when he flies into fights. Had I called for it in the end when I was going up against the Bruiser with the Tenderizer, I might have been able to win that combat by a few points.
- Speaking of the Wyvern, I'm starting to feel like the Other Trickster's Shard is better on paper than actual game use. I keep imagining it being useful against Daemons or things like Cauldrons of Blood, but it's so situational. If I do go up against a character with ward saves, the thunderstomp from the Wyvern will usually kill him anyway. Instead, I'd like to try out the Potion of Strength. Not for the charge, no, S6 is quite enough. But if I do go up against Treemen and Hellcannons, I'd like to be able to kill them off in the second round of combat if I don't break them on the charge.
- After doing so well with my Gobbo list, I decided to give my Orc list some Rock Lobbers, but they really don't fit with the playstyle. With the gobbos, I'd rather not fight until I have to, while the Orcs want to get into combat by round 2. Granted, Ogres aren't that good for lobbing rocks at, but I really just felt that I was fighting so early, they had no juicy targets to fire at. So they're out.
- Really liking the Pump Wagons though, in particular the Spikey Roller. I'm thinking about giving the other one some mushrooms to prevent my enemies from taking armor saves against my impact hits.
- Yet to try out the Boar Boyz and the Savage Orc Boar Boyz. They might be good, perhaps more useful to me than the Wolf Chariots, but only time will tell.
- Finally, I'm starting to feel that my unit of 6 trolls aren't cutting it in combat against stronger foes. I'd like to buff them to a unit of 8 instead, deploy them 4x2 and see how they do.
