The 1st
Choppaz
(Official
History)
The
brothers were born into The Broken Fang clan, but right from the word
go, the other members of the clan thought that there was something
not right about them. The neighbour of their parents recalls: “They
wuz never right, if you know wot I mean? They wuz always sneakin'
about an' fiddlin' wiv stuff. It ain't rite fer an Ork u know.”
Things
came to a head the night before Brain Storma and Sneak were to take
their rightful places amongst The clan. They simply disappeared.
They went to bed as normal and were gone in the morning. Nobody
knows what happened, although rumour and speculation are rife, but
they weren't seen again for over a year and their reappearance has
become the stuff of legend.
Humans had
launched a massive invasion of Aper, the home planet of The Broken
Fang, taking the clan totally by surprise. A series of bloody
defeats had seen the Orks driven back to The Slumz, an area of
ravines and low mountains where the detritus of Ork society tried to
eke out a living. The situation was growing increasingly difficult
for the Orks, as the humans had established a FOP (forward
observation post) on what they called, Signal Hill.
Hidden
amongst broken rocks and gullies, the Orks watched as the humans
gathered themselves for a final assault, when suddenly the sky split
and a flying 'thing' appeared, shrouded in thick smoke. Rock music
blared out, nearly deafening those on the ground below with The Mob
Rulez and fiery trails preluded repeated explosions across the summit
of Signal Hill.
There was
a roar similar to that of a MG and suddenly the humans were in
disarray. At first it was a wavering in their lines, then
individuals began to break ranks. This quickly became a stream and
the stream quickly grew into a raging river, as the human army tried
to flee the airborne death that was hunting them.
Finally,
the weapon fire ceased, the rock music fell silent and all that could
be heard, was the noise of the strange craft's engines. The Orks
rose to their feet and began cheering their saviour, as they shakily
walked into the open. What we now call a helicopter, flew along
their ragged lines, until it hovered in front of the clan chief, Gut
Rippa. Their was a collective gasp of surprise, as everyone
recognised Brain Storma and Sneak through the windscreen, then the
helicopter slowly wheeled around and disappeared towards the setting
sun.
From that
moment on, there has been a trickle of Orks who leave the clan and
head off into the dark, never to be seen again. But the story of
Brain Storma and The 1st Choppaz has become a legend among
Ork clans far and wide. Although still nominally members of The
Broken Fang, the members if the1st are more like
freelancers, who will fight for any Ork with enough money to make it
worth their while. They never have to be summoned, always seeming to
appear exactly when the moment is right.
The 1st
consists of 120 fighting Orks that are organised into 4 squadrons of
30 Orks in 3 Choppaz. The members of the outfit consider themselves
to be special forces, although none of them have any idea as to what
this really is.
Their
first major operation as a unit was to take another hill, this one
called The Boarz Teef in the Black Boar Mountains, prior to the clan
launching operation Smash 'Em. Even though they had already spent a
week behind enemy lines doing some reekon for the planned offensive,
A section was given the honour of taking the hill.
They flew
in low, virtually at ground zero, trying to avoid being spotted by
the enemy, but as they started to climb the northern side of their
target, they came under concentrated fire from ground troops. Brain
Storma himself was in the second choppa and as Fate would have it,
this was the one that was forced to land when its rear rotor was hit.
The pilot
brought the craft down safely, but the Orks found themselves less
than halfway to the summit. Brain Storma organised his team and they
headed towards what they hoped would be friendly positions by the
time they got there.
The
terrain was arduous, even for Orks and sunset found them still short
of their objective. They took shelter for the night in a cave that
was deep enough for them to have a small fire, without its light
being spotted by anyone outside and after posting two sentries, the
rest of the squad turned in.
All hell
broke loose at around 02.00 hours when a male tauranox that had been
tracking them, tried to take one of the sentries for its midnight
snack. Both sentries opened fire, totally forgetting their training
and the fact that they were technically behind enemy lines. But a
lucky shot quickly brought the huge predator down and left everyone
with a hearty breakfast when the sun finally began to rise at 06.30.
After a
great start to the day with barbequed tauranox, the section took off
uphill and reached the rest of their squadron around noon. The
others had used demo charges to make a rough clearing and the rest of
the day was spent opening it up so that other choppaz could land with
reinforcements.
During
that night, the enemy infiltrated to within small weapons range and
the Orks came under sporadic fire from snipers that they couldn't see
due to the heavy undergrowth. But once there was enough light to the
following morning, Brain Storma sent out a squad to consolidate their
position. The following is an excerpt from the squad's report:
'After
'alf 'an 'our of workin' our way through 'evy bush, we came across
one uv the 'umanz. 'E must av thought we wuz wun uv em, cuz 'e stood
up an' da look on 'is face wuz a pikture. 'E stood der wiv 'is arms
by 'is side, 'is eyes an' mouf wide open not nowin' wot to do. So we
shot 'im.'
Once their
perimeter was clear, the Orks could enjoy an unspoilt view of the
main battle as it played out hundreds of feet below them. All they
had to do was spot enemy movements and call in ranges and positions
to the 'evy guns.
The Orks
of The 1st held their LZ high above a vast ocean of
clouds and jungle for close to three weeks, providing vital fire
support and Komms relay for the Orks taking part in the main
offensive. Without their support, it is doubtful whether operation
Smash 'Em would have succeeded.
Choppa
– 200 points + crew, weapons and equipment
Move
– 12+2xD6” Armour – 8 Save - 4+
Crew
– Pilot + at least 3
2
HMG's that are forward firing – 15 points
Range
36” Strength 5 may fire 3 times
1
HMG by either side door with a 180º
arc of fire – 15 points
Range
36” Strength 5 may fire 3 times
(There
is a selection of ammunition to choose from for HMG's at an extra
cost. This is detailed in the specifications appendix that comes
with the main rules sets.)
May
carry 4 missiles, may choose which type (specifications depend on
the type chosen)
OR
a forward
firing mini-gun – 30 points
Range
– 24 Strength – 4 may fire 4 times.
After
the gun has fired, roll a D6 on 4+ you may fire 4 times again and
keep doing so as long as you roll a 4+. If you are not successful
you may not fire next turn as the gun has to be reloaded.
May
use flare dischargers
Can fly, all be
it erratically! The choppaz move 12” + 2xD6” to represent their
erratic nature. Roll once per turn for all choppaz in a squadron.
All choppaz
must maintain a maximum of 12” from the nearest choppa.
They can fly
over all terrain.
They count as
-1SS for enemy firing at them while flying
They may hover.
Must land to
pick up troops but troops can rappel, which means the Choppa can
hover and still deploy troops.
Choppaz are
only lightly armoured, but the pilots are so bad that the craft is
all over the place, making it a miracle if the enemy can hit them.
Hence they get a 4+ save similar to as if they were dodging incoming
fire.
Shock Attak –
The squadron turns on huge speakers as they launch their attack and
have Mob Rulez by Black Sabbath roaring out at full volume. The
enemy must pass a reliability (R) test in their first turn, or suffer
-1 FS and -1 SS for that turn.
Can carry 10
Orks as passengers
Brain Storma
– 100 points + weapons, equipment and skills
|
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
|
6
|
3
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
9
|
Brain
Storma is the leader of the Choppaz
May
add 1 point to 2 stats. EG you could give him an extra attack and a
R of 10
May
have up to 2 skills
Brain
Storma may take equipment from the character equipment at an extra
cost.
Frenzy – he
is so protective over his babies that he gets double attacks when he
charges.
Sneak
– 50 points + weapons, equipment and skills
|
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
|
6
|
3
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
8
|
May
add 1 point to 2 stats. EG you could give him an extra attack and a
R of 9
May
have up to 2 skills
Sneak
may take equipment from the character equipment at an extra cost.
Da Choppaz
– 15 points + weapons, equipment and skills
|
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
|
6
|
3
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
8
|
You
may add 1 to a single stat EG you could give them an extra attack.
May
have a Save of 4+. This can be invulnerable. May have powered body
armour
May
have up to 1 skill
May
have a single handed close combat weapon, grenades and demo charges
Each
figure may also have portable weapons such as LMG's, flamethrowers
1 Ork from each
unit of 10 may upgrade to sniper
Sniper
– 30 points + any equipment and extra weapons.
|
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
|
6
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
8
|
Has
a sniper rifle and a telescopic sight (included in points cost)
May
have a close combat weapon and grenades
May
have armour with a total save of no more than 6. EG a flak jacket.
They may not have a shield.
Snipers
ignore SS penalties for being at over ½
range
If
a sniper can see any part of a target, they may fire at it without
any cover saves applying.
Snipers
always operate on their own.
Snipers
may infiltrate. See infiltrate in the main rules.
The main rules for aeroplanes are covered in the Aces High appendix which is included in the Overkill rules set and is available from www.1poundrules.website All rules sets on the site cost £1 each.
Revell produces an excellent 1:48 scale Huey that is suitable for use with 25-30mm figures.
