Rat Ogres - Are they worth it?

[Acerak]

Example: Last month's WPS grand tournament I was drawn against Geoff Porrit's skaven. He had taken a RO, I had not. His RO was doing some spectacular damage until I clicked that he was almost always using it as a rogue hunter-killer and not involving it in the drive. This made it easy to lure his RO off to one side then surround him with players and force him to start his turn with a 1/2 die block. I even used this as a turnover tactic late in the game: I declined to chase down the ballcarrier and instead surrounded his rat ogre trying to force a turnover on the spot. Unluckily it didn't work outright, despite the good odds of it doing so. It did, however, force him to send players to his RO's rescue, giving me better field position and eventually the match.

Geoff must have learned his lesson prior to Resurrection, because he showed up with Headsplitter in tow

-C.

[Marcus]

Geoff must have learned his lesson prior to Resurrection, because he showed up with Headsplitter in tow

His quote over dinner that evening: "Rat Ogres just aren't worth it are they?"



Marcus

[Norse]

Pro as a skill...

very cunning way of getting round no re-roll issue with allies, very cunning indeed...

The kind of cunning one would expect from a Skaven player! Sure you're not getting a team?

[Warp Fiend]

Alot of good advice! Thanks, I think that I'll probably leave him out of my starting team for the season, but maybe pick one up later in the season.... We will see though, I still want to play some test games to see how much of a hinderance he is, should be ok if I keep him off of the line.

[Longshot]

It always depend of your way of playing.
For mytself, i would take it but not at the beginning.
i prefer having 4 gunter runner before.
Rat Ogre are good blitzers.

[Trambi]

Longshot : Remember that they play 2k1 ed. So wild animal is different, and unremovable in addition.

[Norse]

I tested a RO this weekend against my wife..

admittedly she was using Woodies (and doesn't know the WA rules yet), so was unwilling to get too close to him, but I found him very usable as a fast defender. His Frenzy is very good when people run down too near the audience as well...

Do not underestimate him, but do use him carefully if you pick him...

[Longshot]

so WA sucks a lot,forget about Mino and Rat Ogre. argh, unless...no, forget it

[Trambi]

Longshot : I think it could be tactical challenge ...
I don't think RO and Mino sucks they are harder to play well. I'm think it's very interesting

[Mad Makz]

From my own experiences with Rat Ogres, I think they are well worth it if used wisely.

Firsty, they come with prehensile tail. You can keep them one square back from the half as a defender on the flanks and they'll work well defensively. You can simply put them on the edge of the scrimmage line to bash away opposing players, then work your way down as the newly unmarked player at the edge makes an assist and so on.

Also you DON'T have to use them first. You can simply not use them.

Enemy has the ball, your Ratogre can't move without using up your vital blitz? Just don't move him this turn. It's not a T.O unless you touch him, so just leave him be, you should have enough players to do the job without him just because he should have evened up the odds by sending some of the opposing teams players to the injury box earlier. Of course, if he's been knocked down then you have to risk an atrocious foul next turn, but hey, if you are going to score as long as you don't move, then you are sweet. If the enemy is going to score, well maybe they'll ignore the chance to foul (especially if the ref has his eye on them) so they can get they don't get caught and cause a turn over. Finally, even if they DO foul, that's what you have an apothecary for, isn't it?

Finally, Oh, he's a big guy, no re-rolls.

But wait, he can get Pro, as has already been mentioned.

But there's more still, ANOTHER player can get Leader. It doesn't say he can't use a Leader re-roll either. Which makes sense really, one of your linmen who rolls a double happens to have originally come from Clan Moulder, and he's taken some time out in between games to coach the rat ogre a bit more.

So Really, I don't see any big issue in using a Rat Ogre, his flaws are problematic, but not insurmountable (mine has block after his second game this season. Oh, and he scored a touchdown in the first game, their Agility of 3 is nothing to be sneezed at.)

If they still required double the SPP's to get a level up, then I'd be a little more uncertain, but the rate which they can churn out the casualties means the earlier you buy them, the earlier in the league they'll be useful. After all, if you buy one half way through the league, and every lineman and his dog has block, you're just asking for a world of hurt aren't yah.

[Ghost of Pariah]

Trambi asked:

And what about a minotaure in Norsca team ?

Put one on mine right from the get go and we ended up winning the final!
My minotaur earned the most spp's on the team. My play style was very "Nordic". I hit hard on the line to soften them up, secured the ball, gave it to the mino and sent him through the defense at the weakest point. Most of my games played like that old children's game "Red Rover"
(remember that? Red Rover, Red Rover send Bo Dacious on over!)
I loved it. Gone were my days of thinking and mulling over the current turn. I just threw block after block after foul after foul until the big horned one fell into the endzone. Seems to work for now. lol

[Dragonman]

That good to know i thought you had to use them as it says

Wild Animal - This player MUST go first each turn, never receives ANY offensive assists, and if he begins his action standing (ie not prone), he must block an opponent who is adjacent to him at the start of his action.

but i never thought not to use them at all, thereby skipping that rule.

[GalakStarscraper]

That good to know i thought you had to use them as it says

Wild Animal - This player MUST go first each turn, never receives ANY offensive assists, and if he begins his action standing (ie not prone), he must block an opponent who is adjacent to him at the start of his action.

but i never thought not to use them at all, thereby skipping that rule.

Dragonman ... Mad Makz is incorrect partially. You can only choose to not use them at all if there are no players standing adjacent to him or the Rat Ogre is prone or stunned.

The ruling was that as soon as you start to move another fig without having moved the Wild Animal first that it is a turnover .... its been clarified many times. The Wild Animal MUST go first and if he is standing and has an opponent adjacent to him then he must block them.

Just wanted to be clear on this one.

Galak

[christer]

he must block an opponent who is adjacent to him at the start of his action

Note that you must play the RO if it is adjacent to a player from the opposing team, so in that particular situation you cannot choose to not block/blitz one of the adjacent players..

-- Christer

[Dragonman]

thats sounds more like it, thats what i thought beforehand glad i caught that extra post or i might have done that wrong on my next turn with mine