Because of the Skull Pass boxed set, this army is probably the most noteworthy departure from my typical checklist that I use to create an army.  When I follow that checklist to make an army, I end up with an Orc heavy force that fields very few goblins and sports 2 large units of Black Orcs.  Effective on the battlefield?  Probably.  But it would be much more expensive and Army Composition would not score as well.  Never the less, I am including that "other" Orc Heavy army list here for anyone interested in it.  Just click on the Orc icon at the start of this paragraph to see it (Sneaky, aren't I?).

Although you all ready have 1 troll, he is not very effective on his own.  You need to keep him within 12" of your General in order to control his Stupidity and, at this stage, he was best utilized as a support unit to help your battle lines (only run him ahead of your lines if you wish to stop an enemy unit from charging you).  By adding 2 more trolls ($22 each) you can build them up to a formidable fighting unit.  Now, they can be your "Shock unit" until you get the Black Orcs completed.  To take advantage of their speed, I will deploy the mounted Battle Standard Bearer with the unit to function as a "babysitter" for the trolls.  With a movement of 7, he will not slow down the unit and since he is a character attached to the unit, you can use his Leadership of 8 even when you are outside of your General's 12" command radius.  Never the less, do not send these guys out unsupported because they will break and flee if they lose combat (for example, if an enemy unit flanks them).  Keep a unit of Spider Riders nearby for support, or keep them in your battle line with your Night Goblin mobs.

Now that we've bolstered some of the units you all ready have, let's add a pair of Spear Chukka's, which brings your army strength up to 991 points at this stage.  ($17 each).  Spear Chukka's are the great equalizer on the battlefield.  They can take a big shot character off the back of his big scary monstrous mount, they can inflict multiple wounds to other targets (like chariots and giants) and they can punch through the thickest armor, which makes units of knights think twice before giving you a flank shot with them.  Because of this, however, I favor deploying them on each end of your battle line.  This means that your mobs won't be as likely to get in the way (and block their line of sight) and it is that much harder for the enemy not to offer you a flank shot while he is lining up on your units.  Because we have not added Bullies yet, they are vulnerable to panic.  So, if a unit of Spider Riders or fleeing goblins runs through them, it is likely they will turn tail and run also.  The best way to address this is by giving each of them a Bully, but you will need to do this by scrounging up a couple of individual Orcs from friends or the Internet.  In the meantime, I would try to get by without them for a while and add them after you've spent your money on more important units, like your Squigs.

Notice how we have our Core unit selections filled out and now we are starting to build up our Special Unit choices?  Since 2 Spear Chukka's count as only 1 Special Unit choice, that gives us plenty of room for other choices.  Next, I would go with 5 Squig Hoppers (a box of 5 costs $30).  This also puts you over the 1,000-point mark t 1,066 points.  Squig Hoppers are fast, skirmishing units that can really pack a punch!  These will replace your Spider Riders as the War Machine Hunters as you send them around the flank to get at your enemy's war machines.  Bear in mind, though, that they can dish it out, but can't take it.  Their Immune to Psychology is big when it comes to Fear, Terror and Panic, but they are only toughness 3 and will get butchered by any unit that can strike first or shooting attacks.  Therefore, try to take advantage of cover as much as possible (as skirmishers, they move through woods freely).  If need be, send your Spider Riders along to screen them.  5 Squig Hoppers are more expensive (points-wise) than 5 Spider Riders.  Bear in mind, that this unit will not have enough strength to remove rank bonus, etc. if you choose to flank an enemy unit with them.  So, leave that role to your Spider Riders.  These guys should be used specifically in an anti-war machine, march blocking, create mahem behind enemy lines mode.

Once you have created 1 unit of 5, I would go ahead and build a second unit of 5 (another $30).  This allows you to put a unit on each end of your battle line and, along with the Spider Riders, launch a pincer attack around your opponent's army while you close in with your blocks of Night Goblins.  Unless you have a heavy cavalry unit or something on a flank to contend with, I would keep your trolls in your battle line and use them as your Shock unit (which means that you won't have to keep your Battle Standard attached to them if your General remains within 12").  At 1,141 points, this is all ready a pretty potent force.

Now it's time to take it up a notch and build a unit of 20 Black Orcs to be your real Shock Unit.  This entails purchasing two boxes ($25 each) to complete a unit of 20.  If you give them a magic banner along with the command group, you could bring your army up to 1,500 points at this stage.  The best way to assemble the unit is to build out half of them with additional hand weapons and half with great weapons and mix them together.  If you can get your hands on some extra shields, gluing these to the backs of 5-8 models allows you to configure the unit around as you see fit, depending on how you equip them.  If you give them shields, simply move the shield equipped models to the front and back ranks (if the shields are on the backs).  Otherwise, placing them in the front and sides will give the impression that the entire unit is equipped with shields.

Many players often get confused what weapon to use on the battlefield.  Since a Black Orc gets Strength 5 in the first turn of combat when fighting with a choppa (or 2 choppa's) it is best to use the choppa most of the time.  Using a Great Weapon means you always strike last and you only have a Strength 6 (one better than the first turn with the choppa).  Use this when you are up against enemies with a high armor save (3+ or better) to deal with them.  Think of the Great Weapons as can-openers.  Otherwise, rely on your choppa's to do the work and try as much as possible to win the combat in the first round (so that you do not lose the benefit of the choppa in later rounds).  These are your Shock Troops and should be placed somewhere in your battle line and supported on each side by mobs of Night Goblins or your Trolls.  The biggest vulnerability to Shock Troops is in allowing your enemy to get onto its flanks.  In rare cases, however, have confidence that your Black Orcs can function on their own (with a high Leadership and no animosity) so that they don't need your General nearby.

By now I would be ready to add an Orc Shaman ($12).  Although you cannot add him to the army yet (you need 2,000 points to add another character) you may want the option of replacing the Night Goblin Shaman with him, since Orc magic can be a little more powerful than Goblin magic.  In addition, he is a little more steady when it comes to Leadership and a decent fighter if he gets stuck in with the rest.  If you attach him to a unit of Night Goblins, they will benefit from his Leadership 7 once they get outside of your General's command radius.  So, he serves a multi-purpose role as a leader of troops as well as a spell caster.  Never the less, you may also find you are playing opponents where you need extra magic/anti-magic dice and he can replace the Battle Standard Bearer if need be (just keep the trolls close to the General).

My next purchase would be another unit of Night Goblins ($30).  At face value, it's another core unit to add to your battle line and increases the size of your army (where the Orc Shaman purchase really just expanded your options).  But, what's more important is how this purchase gets you to the final army list.  First, take the quivers from the sprue and give them to your Spider Riders (since, to date,  they have not been armed with short bows).  I also chose to lop off the useless standard and replaced it with a spear from this sprue.  If you have a spare instrument with them, add that to the Spider Rider boss.  The goal is to have 2 units of Spider Riders with bows and musicians.  That's it.  No unit Boss and no standards.  This keeps them dedicated to their function and takes excess points away from them if they are to perform as "throw away" units.

Secondly, your current Night Goblin units have spears.  These are extra points being assigned to these mobs when (with a WS of 2) they're not going to win any battles with their fighting prowess, so why permit more of them to fight by giving them spears?  What you want them to do is get stuck in and hold or overwhelm the enemy with numbers.  This means you want to go with the hand weapon & shield combination.  By equipping this newly purchased unit with hand weapons & shields, you can accomplish this and either fill in the front of all units with them (making 2-3 units with hand weapon & shield) or by deploying a unit equipped this way while the others have spears.

Lastly, this is the only way to get nets in order to assign netters to your units.  Nets are fun because they are another tool used to frustrate your opponents on the table top.  There's nothing more enjoyable than seeing his Strength 4 unit (which has a -1 armor save modifier) reduced to Strength 3 because of the nets.  Coupling this with hand weapon & shield, you suddenly have a unit that is going to have it's hands full dealing with a goblin mob!

By now, you are at about 1,700 points.  The final 2 acquisitions will put your army over the top to the 2,250-point level (and if you include the additional Night Goblins not being used, you are at about 2,300 points).

The Orc Warlord on a Wyvern for $45 puts you over the 2,000-point threshhold.  Whenever I put a powerful character on the back of a beast, I like to insure he has a good saving throw since he is vulnerable to enemy shooting and magic (now that he is a Large Target).  Since the Orcs & Goblins don't have anything with a high armor save or ward save, I go for the Armor of Gork and simply increase his Toughness.  Offensively, I think every army should have a weapon that negates armor saves.  The only one that does this is Ironclaw's Waagh Cleava, which is too expensive for this situation (since he would be very vulnerable to opposing attacks without magic armor).  Therefore, the next best thing is Shaga's Screamin' Sword, especially if you keep your Warlord in the middle of the battle line where numerous enemy characters may be gathered.

Now then, it is tempting to let your heroic character on a monster go flying off and reap havoc on the opposite side of the battlefield.  Do not fall for this tactic!  Your mobs of Night Goblins will surely run away and leave you alone to die on the battlefield if you do this.  It is your job, as the General, to stay with the army and use your leadership to drive them forward and keep them in combat as long as possible.  I initially used him on foot or mounted on a boar, but found that his talents were being wasted as he was never in position to assist in any of the combats due to the mass amount of Night Goblins around.  Therefore, the Wyvern is used so that he can lead from behind (yet see over his units) and vault into any nearby combat, where ever he is needed.  Thus, treat the Wyvern as a command platform from which to operate in the center, rather than a Fantasy beast with which to fly away and play on the other side of the table.

Last, but by no means least, is the Giant:  The Orcs & Goblins "must have" unit.  As another Large Target, the first priority of your Giant is to help draw missile fire away from your Warlord on the Wyvern.  I rarely deploy only 1 Large target in an army simply because it screams "Look at Me!  Shoot at Me!"  By fielding the Giant, now the enemy has to choose or disperse his fire at one of the two tempting targets.  I like to deploy him last, on one of the flanks, as a way to "upset the balance."  With Squigs and Spider Riders on each flank all ready, your opponent will be dealing with the prospect of being enveloped.  By stacking the Giant to one side, you have just weighted one side over the other and this will be where the strong side attack comes from.  Preferrably, your opponent will focus on the Giant as being a significant threat and, therefore, not pay as much attention to the Shock troops and Warlord you have in the center of your line.

At final tally on April 9, 2009, this army comes in at $375 (plus the cost of the Skull Pass boxed game).  For the Collector's Tournament, that results in a Score of 16 for price and 15 for army composition.

Remember, try to advance with your battle line as evenly as possible.  If one or two units get out of line due to Animosity rolls, adjust the movement of the line in the next turn in order to keep the line as cohesive as possible.

Regarding other units in the Army Book (pro's and con's):

• Black Orc Characters are tough, but I think they are over-priced for what they contribute.  Many players try to use them to quell animosity in the lines and keep the battle lines more cohesive.  I look at it this way:  Animosity is part of the flavor of the Orcs & Goblins army.  Embrace it.  Live with it.  In most cases, you will have multiples of the same unit type to make up for if one unit squabbles while another unit doesn't.  Also, the Waagh rule essentially allows you to make up for any difficulties in your lines when the time comes to finally close with the enemy,
• Goblin Characters are under-rated.  Although you don't want to rely on them for Leadership, a feisty Goblin Big Boss with a Toughness 4 and magical weapon can be quite an unpleasant surprise for under 100 points.  I will sometimes mount one on a wolf and use him as a war machine hunter to change things up.
• Orc Boyz are a good bet, since a mob of 10 with shields is THE throw-away unit of the army, yet has a 4+ armor save in close combat and fights with Strength 4 on their first turn.  They are the backbone of the other list.  However, this list was built around the Night Goblins from Skull Pass.  Soooo....
• I left out Boar Boyz and chariots simply because it does no good to send fast (expensive) units out ahead of the line only to be beaten since they lack support.  I only use these units if I am in an "all cavalry" mode.  In addition, chariots are dangerous for a mob army such as this since fleeing chariots now cause impact damage to friendly units.
• Pump Wagons are a cheap alternative to a chariot, but take up a rare slot and should not unseat a Giant.  Never the less, they could be used in place of the trolls on a list such as this.  Their Immunity to Psychology makes them safer than chariots.