The most broken weapon in the game, the Shokk Attack Gun

But which game?
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[@Drdaniel5]

My friends play a bit of 2nd edition, what version of the battle bible has that ruling about the shokk attack gun being treated as a support weapon? It's not in the one I have 1.6.5. Edit: The change in targeting comes from the website of Ed Etkin back in 97ish where he'd email Jervis Johnson and Andy Chambers rules questions and they'd reply with what they thought were the right way to play. Only a select few of these questions made it into White Dwarf and are therefore "official". Thus whoever compiled the Battle Bible used the PDF summery of Ed's questions and answers in clarifying anything they found odd.

[@OldenDemon]

Ah, that explains it. Working out if it’s “legal” or not adds an extra layer of complexity into the gaming experience

[@joeyoung431]

Having once lost an entire squad of teleporter-enabled Terminators to a single shokk attack volley, I can say I didn't, at the time, regard the weapon as over-powered; orks were the comic relief in 2nd ed and playing against them was consenting to arrant tomfoolery. I sat out 3rd ed so I can't say if toning down the silliness changed gameplay much.

[@oldhammerfan1810]

I agree, 2nd Ed orks we’re great fun to play as you never knew what they would do!

[@junibug6790]

In casual play, it sounds like good fun. In tournament play, it sounds like it would've been maddening.

[@mildlyderanged]

There wasn't much of a tournament scene in 2nd edition, optimised lists and "meta" would come in much later, to the detriment of the hobby in my view

[@zlobzor]

@@mildlyderanged There's nothing wrong with playing competitively, or building a strong "meta" army. Just got to communicate with your opponent if you want to play like that. The only bad way of playing is not meeting your opponent's expectations. :) Personally, balance is a good thing. I want to be able to take any army, and have an OK chance of putting up a fight. Getting curb stomped because your opponent's army is just better was a bad experience. I didn't have the joy of 1st/2nd edition 40k, but I kinda want to play some games. Even if my beloved Tau are excluded.

[@DarkLordFoamy]

Ahhhhhh my most favourite thing of the Ork tech in 2nd ed. I will never forget the game where the snotlings killed Bjorn the Fell Handed, hijacked the dread and then blasted a long fang squad to pieces. Such fun.

[@Stuffandstuff974]

Proppa orky

[@anotherzingbo]

The 'Ere We Go era Ork rules for Rogue Trader were insane, I saw a Shokk Attack Gin in action once but I can't imagine what a game that used Weirdboyz, Mekanaks, Madboyz, Tinboyz, etc, all together would have been like. Possibly somebody tried it once and the game is still going on today...

[@SusCalvin]

The madboyz are funky. Random behaviour, I think. WFB continued to have random orc nonsense. Orc magic was often random. Orc units would suffer animosity between them if they had to stand and walk without anything to fight. They could decide to randomly start throwing rocks at another unit or start a fight within their own unit. I think ork torpedoes in Battlefleet Gothic stood out by having a random Strength. They have no idea what they load in the tube.

[@anotherzingbo]

@@SusCalvin it wasn't just the randomness, it was the pages and pages of rules and tables that were necessary to run these units, even in a game as crunchy as Rogue Trader could be it was excessive and looked incredibly time consuming.

[@OldenDemon]

If we hit 100,000 subs i'll do a live stream of a Rogue Trader battle with all the rules

[@anotherzingbo]

@@OldenDemon right, I better start creating a few sock puppet accounts. 😉

[@petsdinner]

We have Bryan Ansell to thank for the glorious unhingedness of Rogue Trader Orks! Ansell was much more of a roleplayer than a wargamer per se and so leant hard into the wonderfully weird thematic elements with practically zero concern for game balance or ease of play. Also he was in charge so if he said that Orks would get three army books then they got three army books! Much of this wildness got ported into 2nd ed and the rest is history.

[@SusCalvin]

WFB had some randomness as well. Orc spells were often random in effect and magnitude and direction. Orcs who had to stand around or walk about without anything to fight rolled to see if they picked a fight with the nearest orc unit, started a brawl in their own regiment or decided to get the enemy first by running ahead madly. Units like night goblins hopped up on shrooms with a giant ball and wagons manned by a horde of snotlings at pumps existed.

[@OldenDemon]

I think they should embrace it and go "full weird" with Warhammer: The Old World.

[@SusCalvin]

@@OldenDemon Warhammer Fantasy had snotball in Middenheim. A snotling taped up with leater strips into an immobile but wiggling ball used to play some old-fashioned early modern period bri'ish football. The kind where goals are loosely defined spots on the street and the rules are unclear about how you can punch or wrassle the opponents or where the game field actually ends.

[@nigelagilebear]

He also deliberately arranged for units to be over powered so the models sell.

[@CellHeart]

@@SusCalvin You telling me Night goblin Ball and Chain Fanatics and the Snotling pump wagon were phased out?! Seems like the aggressive corporatism really drained all the fun and colour of the IP, just sad

[@Madhattersinjeans]

Very lore centric take on rules, utterly impractical yet as a story or narrative device it's perfect. Such a colourful game

[@danh945]

True story: The Shokk Attack Gun was invented in in 1985, but it took 5 years to write up the rules, hence why it was released 4 years after Rogue Trader.

[@SusCalvin]

The delight GW had for oddly detailed rules about a very specific thing would show in Warhammer Fantasy RP as well. In the densely packed text or expanded in WD or half-official fanzines like Warpstone there could be between a page or a half, sometimes two, detailing something like surgery or busking. Rules that were situationally tacked onto the existing rules.

[@OldenDemon]

You could tell some people really really got into the lore behind some stuff

[@KillerOrca]

I miss some of that hyper-fixation level detail.

[@SusCalvin]

@@OldenDemon This is the same people who released the WFRP 1st edition when they hadn't figured out Chaos completely yet, and wrote "We know we only have two chaos gods, but we will fill out the other two later" in their core rulebook. Which they did, a bit later the two chaos books were released. It was detail in a little thing here and there which the players might not need more than once. Like the cleanliness of the barber-surgeon or the gunpowder weapons of Araby.

[@SusCalvin]

@@OldenDemon Fun fact about the gods in WFRP 1st ed, they toyed with the idea of making an Elric-style pantheon of cosmic Law that stood counter to the Chaos pantheon. Most proper people in the Old World don't care for either and prefer their local gods like Shallya, Sigmar, the different elf/dwarf gods or Stromfels if you're a twat. But for a little time they had named Law gods.

[@Rotheric]

The Shokk Attack Gun was fun in 2nd Edition, but tbh nobody was really worried about it being broken, because the Pulsar Rokkits were so much worse. For 50pts you got a single shot weapon that would prevent all enemy infantry & artillery from moving or firing in a 2D6 radius and prevent all vehicles & walkers from shooting. You didn't have to make a to hit roll, you just had to roll how far exactly it flew in a straight line. However, with no limitations on their number except max. 50% of points for support units, in a small 2000pt game you could easily take 16, fire 4 each round and render the complete enemy army useless for the whole game.

[@jonroads8281]

One of the first models I ever bought! I never even owned an Ork army, not did I have the game or know the rules at that point. Just bought the model because it was cool 😀

[@impguardwarhamer]

4th-6th edition shokk attack gun was still pretty fun. You rolled 2d6 for the weapons strength, but any doubles would have you consulting a chart of silly events that would happen instead. Imperial Armour 8 (raid on kastorel-novem) also introduced a custom vehicle called the 'mekboy junka', a generic vehicle profile without an official model similar to the looted wagon that would let you mount the shokk attack gun on a vehicle

[@drfishynooooo881]

1000% agree. Shokk Attack Gunz should be in Gorkamorka

[@Kirioth]

Best opening image to a video I've ever seen.

[@OldenDemon]

I’m sensing this was linked somewhere. Thanks if it was you

[@Mr.Goufball]

@@OldenDemonI am the one who suggested to kirioth we raid you. He was doing a stream where we were going around raiding a bunch of different channels. I apologise for all the girth I brought to your comment section.

[@OldenDemon]

@@Mr.Goufball glad you all enjoyed the video, feel free to raid more of them

[@giacomoromano8842]

I don't remember which edition it was, but i loved the version of the Shokk-attak gun where you rolled two dices on a table and see what happened. Favourites of mine were the 12, a literal warp rift where a horde of demons poured into reality, and so everyone around the target suffered a lot of damage, and i think a 4, in which case, the MEK was teleported against the target in direct contact. Being him a big mek, this wasn't always a bad thing, but when you shooted at a dreadnought, it definitely was.

[@SimonTrimby]

These existed in Epic 40K as well. I recall the rules saying how disconcerting it could be for a terrified, screaming, defecating snotling to suddenly appear down the left leg of your terminator armour.

[@toastle8005]

Or *IN YOUR LEFT LEG*

[@HeartlessNinny1]

Man, I love this channel. I played 3rd, and I played Orks, but I didn't really get into the faction until I came back to the game recently. Thinking back, I did miss some of the silliness.

[@Charlie-qn4dp]

My first ever shokk attack gun just got delivered. Can’t wait to get it stripped, repainted and on the table.

[@Tipsythomas]

Nice, is that the classic or newer version?

[@Charlie-qn4dp]

@@Tipsythomas the classic, metal one

[@flamingdonut9456]

Still have my 2nd edition shock attack gun in the attic. Was only looking at it a few days ago. Evil Sunz clan, paint job not bad for a 14 year old, but put my all into it! Cheers for the memories!👍

[@AzraelFM]

look the absolute girth of the dog helmet

[@vandur2322]

I always love "you might die with no saves of any kind" type weapons. Truly 3rd edition was horrible. If it never happened then maybe i would never have lost interest in GW for a decade

[@michaelryan6947]

Was it Wayne England who drew the snotlings?? Loved that artwork...and thanks for reminding me where I bought the Ork Codex...Edinburgh! The codex was brilliant! The weekend even better but the records of that are under Inquistitorial seal...

[@Twr0740]

This was one of my first purchases after I was lucky enough to be given a 2nd Ed box set. I loved this model and loved it's rules lol

[@stujm84]

I like to think that there was some bogey flicking primary school child somewhere in the UK during the 1970s who is clearly the inspiration for the name, if not the concept of, the Snotling Attack Gun. (Its in everyone's interest to not try to imagine the inspiration for the Snotling Pump Wagon from WHFB!) I seem to remember most Ork guns were as much a danger to everything around them as they were to the enemy (assuming that they got on target)

[@Gorbz]

Ah, the good old days when taking Orks was a recipie for laughing the entire game.

[@slaaneshhedonite7068]

Over my decades of which there are many I have played this game. I only rage quit one tournament. Fooking pulssa rokkets I was running a damn near all skimmer Eldar army. He had enough rokkets to destroy pretty much everything I had. A couple years later I worked at GW and ran the tournies for the Americas and to this day they still bastardize many of my scenario & tournament designs. Bastards.

[@Bobyoudontneeemyname]

Time go get that stormcast statue..

[@maxbrandt6]

I remember when the Ork Shokk Attack gun came out, yeah, 13 pages of rules for one weapon is ridiculous! I stopped reading after two pages!

[@Dunrah]

Love the randomness of ork lore

[@dstanful]

Orks really did get much more dull and less fun after 2nd ed. Just turned into shouty generic alien yobs really, haven't yet recovered as far as I can tell

[@nassirahmad4873]

I love Shokk Attack Guns! They’re one of the Orkiest things in the game, and I hope they get some wacky rules when the full 10th edition codex comes out. Whenever that is. 2030, perhaps.

[@quint3ssent1a]

I started Warhammer at 5th edition (coincidentally, Orks) and even in 5th Shokk attack gun was looking like a whole essay of rules and a bag of things that could potentially happen. But that huge rule was nothing compared to what is shown in the video about old Shokk gun.

[@Mr.Goufball]

The shock attack gun was most certainly girthy.

[@robodog3571]

My mate played with orks during the RT era and as if the actual rules weren't bad enough he also claimed that each base has 9 snotlings so thats 9 shots per base :(

[@Palooka37]

If I might humbly request the Squig Katapult for one of your videos - I would be ever so grateful. My time with 2nd edition was brief, but it always seemed kinda ridiculous at the time. Was I just a whiny 12 year old, or was it actually crazy good?

[@dstanful]

it was (and is). insta kill

[@MADSAHAD]

Remember the day of Orks, Gretchen and Snotlings

[@nathanlewis2681]

Yup those blastard gunz were the bane to my Death Deathwing Terminators. I think they were one of the most effective guns against my termies.

[@OldenDemon]

It looks designed to kill that kind of stuff

[@nathanlewis2681]

@OldenDemon yeah I could have understood there was a slight chance against the most impervious armour. But the damage table it had made it overpowered and making my favourite minis not worth taking when facing the orks. Wow That brings back some memories almost 3 decades old.

[@Triceratopping]

the Scanner wargear card rules text really tickles me. "Hidden troops are automatically detected if they are within 24." Okay but better immediately re-emphasise it. "Detects hidden troops within 24." And then a final summary line at the bottom, oh hey btw, "Detects hidden troops within 24"

[@OldenDemon]

I really need to do a rule explanation on that

[@Triceratopping]

@@OldenDemon yeah still just a bit unclear on what it detects and how far away 🤨

[@VorpalDerringer]

With the inconsistency in the other videos, I'm surprised it didn't say detects hidden enemies, then troops then vehicles, all with three different ranges, one including a stat test.

[@dstanful]

@@OldenDemon still waiting for a video on hidden/detected/spotted...

[@OldenDemon]

@@dstanful I use “Valve Time”

[@andrewharper1609]

I really like the Shokk Attack Gun. I have fond memories of taking down my friend's Eldar Dreadnought with one. Frankly I miss the Ere we go/Freebooterz era Orks. They were fun in a way everything since has been a pale imitation of.

[@mrwri]

The fact that 8th edition was only 8 pages was the warning sign to me that the dream was dead. This wasn't a game for people to enjoy anymore, it was an excuse to get people in the door.

[@gustavoaraujopenha8463]

And that's why it's so much popular now! Because people don't enjoy it! Wait a second...

[@godconvoy]

Best Girthioth Girthy doggo! 🐕

[@McBurnside6380]

I used to hope and pray I would get the malfunction strat card in 2nd. These things messed up up Dread's and Leman russ tanks fairly often. Good fun though.

[@CarnelianUK]

Shokk Attack guns are just one of those things that made 1st and 2nd edition Orks the best faction. Sod having 93 different flavours of Space Marine, give me pages of rules for bolting miscellaneous weapons together, and random tables that will either make my Warboss the Prophet of the Waaagh, or turn him into a drooling moron with a monowheel instead of legs.

[@jojojozbourne]

Fantastic video!

[@paramite67]

I love your video, i just wonder why is there a AI art of a dog sometime, but otherwise its very insightful !

[@OldenDemon]

I haven’t got a live stream setup to shoot my face yet. To be fair, the dog is a mercy

[@Niveama468]

I see your 2nd edition Shokk attack gun and i raise you with the Space Marine/Epic version which could 1 shot a warlord titan.

[@OldenDemon]

Epic is coming "soon"

[@tychobrahe3941]

Still bloody cool though. The original rules for Madboys in Ere We Go were pretty interesting, maybe they could go on your list for future vids?

[@OldenDemon]

I am tempted, I think some of the designations haven't aged particularly well

[@Stuffandstuff974]

I can remember snotlings being a troops option

[@dominichails6256]

Hopefully we'll have a video on mad Boyz, so many tables....

[@jordansorcery]

A simpler time. Back when shokks were shokks and orkz wuz orkz!

[@pmc1727]

Waiting for the hop splat gun to make a comeback in 11th

[@mo_dakka]

A: I am so glad I found your channel. B: I genuinely think 80s (and perhaps on into the early 90s) Warhammer was just the lads getting drunk and writing whatever came into their collective imagination.

[@OldenDemon]

Almost certainly

[@vanishingfolklore]

3rd edition is when i said goodbye

[@mwnciboo]

Shock attak was awesome... But the Chain gun was mental, that thing would scatter all over the place.

[@CocoHutzpah]

I want to play Rogue Trader someday. I was thinking just using my Guard, but with how zany the Orks are, maybe I'll go hunting for some old boyz

[@hammdogporkington3058]

1:36 As opposed to the straight laced no-no sense brooders they are today??

[@svenjonsson]

It was basically the only good thing in my 2nd ed army!

[@chrism7395]

Followed by the dark wilderness decade of the 3rd edition Codex

[@aglumm9469]

Awesome video.

[@MatthewBester]

I don't think I've ever successfully hit anything with the SAG.

[@oldhammerfan1810]

That was the joy of it, one game it would cause carnage and then it would self destruct after doing nothing in the next game, great days lol

[@TETRADECAGONE]

ERE WE GO ERE WE GO ERE WE GO!

[@oldhammerfan1810]

ORKS ORKS ORKS! It’s definitely krumping time!

[@nobularlol]

thanks for another enjoyable video!

[@OldenDemon]

You're welcome

[@peterclarke7240]

the shokk attak gun wasnt broken. it was perfect.

[@stryke-jn3kv]

Yep, still peeved about what they did to my beloved Orks in 3rd and that goes trebly so for the wonder that was the Shokk Attack Gun. It was too beautiful to be allowed to live when the boyz lost their orky souls.

[@ep1phany62]

Do the Splatter Cannon:)

[@BrianFlyingPenguin]

6:06 And Wierdboyz.

[@billiondollarclownfarm]

this is so good

[@themilo1567]

Ah, yes, the old shokk attack gun rules. Honestly, while I don't want to go back to 8 pages of rules I do wish they got a bit more flavor nowadays. Even if it's just using snotlings as ammo again. They feel so boring nowadays, even if they are still very swingy. Do absolutely adore the model though. Talking about models, I liked your little dig at Stormcast. I must admit, I personally don't entirely hate the first, or second for that matter, wave of Stormcast. Paladins are pretty cool and I conceptually like some of the characters. Still, they got it so right with Dominion that somebody at GW has to be kicking themselves for not launching the game with those designs. Even if Vindicators are a absolute nightmare to transport compared with Liberators.

[@andrewlaidlaw5951]

Let's go crack that statue! 😂

[@littlemisspipebomb4723]

Love the video but really wish you'd move past the AI art trend, especially when there's so much great classic 40k art to pull from

[@Yurt_enthusiast7]

The perfect weapon for the setting, too bad now in 10th it's reduced 1 sentence of rules.

[@transvestosaurus878]

Ded Orky

[@ImmortaleyeStudio]

I could be misremembering, but couldn't the mech-boy get accidentally shot through his own attack gun if he got unlucky?

[@Yurt_enthusiast7]

At least in the 3-7 editions they could! Counted as a charge as well😁

[@doctoronishispsychosislab1474]

Due to being in love with my box set of 30 Beakies i had to beat up several none geek wanna be giiga chads during my school years. i was every ones mate in chess club ^^

[@Mrphilipjcook]

*vindictor

[@DaSkwire]

Love these videos (unrelated avatar 🙂)

[@OldenDemon]

I can see I struck a chord with this one

[@growliff5998]

@@OldenDemonyour humor is perfect for this format

[@mentalmonk139]

​Geeithy Gang

[@OldenDemon]

I feel like there is an excellent joke I have missed somewhere

[@mentalmonk139]

Kirioth sent us and we're beimg terrors :D it's a misspelling of Girthy Gang! Sorry for all the cursed comments btw @@OldenDemon

[@SheepWaveMeByeBye]

The AI art is not very pleasant to watch.

[@OldenDemon]

It’s that or b-roll of me talking, I chose an ai dog for the sake of all humanity

[@goforitpainting]

Cool 👍

[@redgreen09]

well me steell have the mini and whan i get bak to tabels out thare plain to ues it last my evil plan to nest vid

[@EOTA564]

2nd Ed D-Cannon next?

[@garrett666]

First!! NOPE :(

[@lucianaurelius2418]

Do you have a discord? If not you should