Dakka Dakka: Battlefleet Gothic - Armada's Orks

Orks should not be allowed to pilot spaceships. I imagine their first attempts to reach the stars were a lot like my first attempts to launch a Kerbal Space Program: nasty, brutish and short. And yet, somehow, through a combination of determination and hunger for war, the 'orrible creatures have their own fleets in Games Workshop's spacebiff strategy game, Battlefleet Gothic. The upcoming digital adaptation, Armada [official site], has captured the unique flair of scrappy Ork ships, as revealed in the new screenshots, above and below.

Of the Orks, the official word says:

"Orks are not your typical space-faring species. Their ships are usually built from scrap, hulks of other ships, and in some rare cases even from asteroids. But what their ships lack in reliability is made up for with sheer firepower and particularly strong prow armor. 'More Dakka' would be their motto, and charging forward, all cannons blazing and ramming the enemy ships is a totally valid 'tactic' in the mind of any Ork captain."

I remember the first time I played Games Workshop's other ship-on ship combat game, Man O' War. All I wanted was a ship that could survive a good ramming maneuver. I'm fairly sure I managed to sink my own ships while attempting to punch through an elven catamaran that looked like it was made out of tissue. That was one of the most disappointing moments of my young life.

Something tells me I won't have that problem with these Ork bruisers. Click to see them full size.

I've already written about some of the smart features Tindalos are working into Armada, including proper fleet management, with captains to control and discipline (and even execute). Right now I'm stuck in memories of Man O' War though - I always wanted a Dark Elf fleet, even though I found their monstrous ships a bit frightening. In the end I think I stuck with a few Imperial tubs because the starter kit included a few and I was too skint to switch allegiances.