Bad Moons

"Bought me a deffblasta off Rotskrag earlier. Nice little killa. Just ask Rotskrag. Hur Hur."

— Fat Druzka, Flash Git

The Bad Moons are a powerful and very wealthy Ork tribe or "Klan". The Bad Moons are the richest of all the Ork klanz. This is because their teeth grow faster than anyone else's, meaning that even the lowliest Bad Moon Ork has a steady supply of the standard form of Ork wealth. This is not regarded as an unfair advantage, as any Ork who is big and ferocious enough can simply smash the teeth out of a Bad Moons' head. In fact, many Ork Warbosses like to keep a mob of Bad Moons around for just this purpose, their toothy gobs a ready supply of extra teef. It is often not a terrible deal for the Bad Moons either, as any Ork tough enough to beat their teeth out of them is usually one worth following into a fight. The Bad Moons essentially fulfill the role of a merchant caste in what passes for Ork society, and have a reputation for showing off. They are always continuously buying, selling, swapping, and conning to get teeth. The highest-ranking amongst them wear garishly decorated war banners on their backs and the richest openly flaunt their wealth by wearing necklaces of Ork teeth. These Orks prefer a posh and refined lifestyle, at least by Ork standards. Instead of rushing in to melee combat immediately like many of their brethren, they sometimes hang well back, firing their deadly Snazzguns into the fray while their mobs of Gretchin slaves wade into the enemy ranks to do the dirty work, with tooth and claw and Choppa.

History

"Yer rich! Yer flashy! Yer got a proppa Orky stoutness about yer belly and yer got more big, shooty, and ded 'ard gear 'dan any udder two Orks put togevvur. Now tell me 'dat ain't 'da life."

— Blazarg Gilttoof, Flash Git

Typical Bad Moon Flash Git — A typical Bad Moons Nob

The wealthiest and most ostentatious of the Ork klanz, the Bad Moons are idle, venal Orks with a reputation for showing off and using their wealth and status like a club to bludgeon other, less fortunate Orks into line. The Orkish economy, such as it is, is based on "teef," which are literally Ork teeth, harvested from living and dead Orks. An Ork's teeth constantly grow, and those that are lost are quickly replaced, which means a nearly endless, if slowly produced, supply of currency. In such an economy, the Orks whose teeth grow the quickest are the wealthiest, and the teeth of the Bad Moons grow the fastest of all. Bad Moons are loud-mouthed, tight-fisted braggarts who spend their teeth on only the finest things, from Shootas and Choppas to fancy clothes. In camp as well as in battle, they swagger about in the best armour that teef can buy, festooned in shiny bits of precious metals, gems, and other precious items of value.

Some Runtherdz reckon that it must have been the Bad Moons that came up with the whole concept of Ork teef being used to buy things, when the klan figured out how quick their teeth grow. Of course there are other Runtherdz who say it is the other way round, and when teef became Ork currency the Bad Moons made their teeth grow quicker so they would have the most. In either case, Orks seldom dwell on such things for long, as knocking out teeth is far more interesting than talking about them. Bad Moons make excellent merchants and money lenders. They know the value of any item at a glance, and with a quick study of an individual, they can discern exactly how much that individual is willing to pay for something. Always eager to acquire new luxuries, haggling Bad Moons are a fixture in any Ork gathering where goods and services are being exchanged.

All this wealth means that Bad Moons have an ostentatious reputation, and their vehicles are festooned with gaudy decoration and gold plating, as is the majority of their wargear. As gold is considered practically worthless by most Orks, being too soft to make good weapons or vehicles, they are more than happy to trade it away to Bad Moons for the more valuable teef. Bad Moons love gold more than any other metal, and will commonly have a couple of glinting teeth in their avaricious grins. If there is a downside to their wealth, it is the fact that while they have access to more teef and better loot than the average Ork, it is also incredibly easy to separate them from said wealth. All it takes is a bigger, tougher Ork to come along and smash a Bad Moons' teeth out of his head to make a serious dent in their cash flow. This is seen as right, proper, and fair by all Orks, even Bad Moons, as the violent "might makes right, biggest is best" part of Orkish society balances out the otherwise constantly expanding wealth available to Bad Moons.

Bad Moons mobs are always well-equipped, at least by Ork standards. Their Nobz often sport flashy back banners and massive, kustomised weapons, and are followed by entourages of scurrying Grot servants loaded down with ammunition and chests of teef. Some of this ornamentation is simply to show other Orks just what a big deal the Bad Moons are. This could include huge coloured totems above their wagons bearing grinning Ork faces, or teetering statues of Gork or Mork built from precious metals and stones all mashed together (they're more valuable that way). Bosses and Nobz of the Bad Moons klan are well-known as aficionados of kustom Battlewagons, which are huge, heavily-armed, flashy vehicles designed to carry an entire mob along with all of its Gretchin, Snotlings, Squigs, and any other gubbins they can squeeze in.

The wealthiest, most well-heeled Bad Moons become Flash Gits. Though they are not unique to this klan, many Bad Moons aspire to such Orky opulence, and these Orks possess more teef than sense and are absolutely addicted to loud, flashy, highly-customised weapons. Strutting around with expensive Snazzguns and Kustom Shootas, Flash Gits tend to have a "style over substance" mindset that appeals to the greedy Bad Moons. While all Flash Gits are known to be arrogant, conniving, treacherous scum with a decidedly mercenary and "un-Orky" mindset, those from the Bad Moons klan are considered the worst of all.

A mob of Bad Moon Nobz on foot will bristle with personalised Kombi-weapons and gold-plated Deffgunz, sauntering into battle with firepower enough to slaughter whole platoons of the enemy. These heavily-armed braggards think it is a blast to wipe out an enemy unit just as a rival Ork klan is about to engage them in melee. Another aspect of the wealthy Bad Moon klan are their pretensions to knowledge (such as it is understood among the Orks). Basically, the Bad Moons have a reputation for knowing things most Orks see no practical use for. This klan also tends to have a lot of Weirdboyz, who use their wealth to dress flamboyantly. Unfortunately for them, they often end up being dragged off to battle and used against the enemy like any other weapon.

Notable Campaigns

A New Weapon (979.M41) - Nazdreg, a Bad Moons Warlord noted for his wealth and flair, bullies his Meks into performing ever more progressive and bizarre experiments. Despite some nasty "setbacks" ranging from spontaneous combustion to sporadic gravity reversal, Nazdreg's Meks perfect their Tellyporta designs. The Warlord barters his new technology with Ghazghkull in exchange for an alliance.
A Hundred, Hundred Teef (987.M41) - WAAAGH! Ozdakka rampages through the Helshrike Systems, millions of Orks led by the legendary Bad Moon Boss of Bosses Ozdakka. Such is the utter destruction wrought by the WAAAGH!, entire worlds being smashed to scrap and dragged off into the stars by the unstoppable Orks, that the Adeptus Terra dispatches a Vindicare Assassin to take out Ozdakka and his most powerful Nobz. Brutally effective, the nameless assassin stalks the battlefields of Helshrike, sniping Orks from the shadows and taking a terrible toll on Ozdakka's bosses. In a fit of rage, the Warboss offers a hundred, hundred teef –- more than most Orks can comprehend -- for the head of the unseen killer. As word spreads of the bounty, even more Orks flock to Ozdakka's banner and his WAAAGH! swells until it is even larger than ever. However, the Warboss does not live to enjoy the destruction he has wrought upon the Helshrike Sector, as the assassin's final shot takes Ozdakka's head from his shoulders before the Imperial agent is overwhelmed by a mob of Bad Moons intent on claiming the immense prize.

Notable Bad Moons

Badrukk Freebooter King — The infamous Ork Freebooter Kaptin and former Bad Moon, Badrukk the Freebooterz King

Badrukk - Kaptin Badrukk is the greatest Freebooter of his age, a monstrous, roaring Ork privateer bedecked in barbarous finery. Badrukk's Flash Gitz carry enough firepower into battle to level a well-defended hab-block, and the Kaptin totes the most fearsome firearm of the lot. Badrukk and his villainous crew are legends among their own cutthroat subculture, thundering through space in their oversized Kill Kroozer Da Blacktoof, and they have fought at the side of every major Warboss worth following in recent history. Wherever the Kaptin and his ladz make planetfall, misery and destruction are sure to follow, for Badrukk's Flash Gitz are superlative reavers who live to commit murder and cause mayhem, stealing everything they can get their klawz on. Years ago, Badrukk was chased out of the Bad Moons klan on charges of having too many teef for his own good. From the day of his exile, Badrukk's accomplishments have far outstripped those of his fellow Freebooter kaptins.
Big Mek Mogrok - An infamous Big Mek of the Split-Grin Bad Moons tribe, it was Mogrok who first convinced Grukk to look beyond conquering one planet, and to launch his Red WAAAGH! into the stars. Big Mek Mogrok was a know-it-all git through and through. He was the kind of Ork who would rather build a giant war engine covered in Dakkaguns than run towards the foe pell-mell, getting shot to bits in the normal Greenskin manner. Though he has often been accused of "not being one of da Boyz," Mogrok is so good at creating big, impressive war machines that not even Grukk himself was dumb enough to refuse him a place in the upper echelons of the tribe. Though none of the would-be Ork Warlords of the WAAAGH! liked to admit it, Mogrok had been the power behind the throne for quite some time. Always close at hand, Mogrok made sure Grukk was attacking the best worlds and keeping the tribes in line. Filled with all kinds of technological inspiration, Mogrok always seems to have another trick in his bag of scrap, often pulling something out at the last minute to turn the tide in favour of Grukk and his Boyz. When, during the Battle of Bonewash, Grukk's Skullcrackers were ambushed by rebel Grots of the Red-toe Tribe it was Mogrok's Shokktraktor truck that sucked up the diminutive warriors and sprayed them across the desert like green and red confetti.

Gashrakk Da Flash - Gashrakk da Flash was once first mate to none other than Kaptin Badrukk, the famous Ork pirate. According to rumour, even Badrukk had gotten sick of Gashrakk's swaggering pretension and so had forced him off his ship. Heading off on his own, Gashrakk had massed a small fleet of Kroozers and was haunting the Sanctus Sub-sector when Grukk Face-rippa left the primitive world of Eyrok to launch his Red WAAAGH!. Seeing an opportunity to increase his wealth, and to have a good fight too, Gashrakk "happened" to cross paths with the Goff Warboss and offered his services. Ripe for some rough leadership after Grukk staved in the skull of their last boss, the Split-Grin tribe quickly fell into line behind Gashrakk. In the time-honoured tradition of the Bad Moons klan, to gain leadership of the Split-Grins he bribed most of its Nobz with the best guns and Choppas teef could buy. Those who did not fall into line soon found themselves the targets of their former comrades' new arsenal. Gashrakk has an unusual compulsion to own the shiniest, newest wargear he can get his hands on, and keeps his Grot hordes busy in a never-ending cycle of polishing, scrubbing and repainting. His lads like to boast their boss never fires the same gun twice. Most of the time, they're right -– Gashrakk has a crew of Gretchin who carry a selection of his Kustom Shootas to war so he never has to worry about repeating himself. Despite –- or perhaps because of -– his obsessive need to show off, Gashrakk is a serious force to be reckoned with. The Bad Moon's every act is thought out in advance. Battle plans are carefully prepared to ensure maximum showyness. Indeed, it is not unheard of for Gashrakk to refuse to commit his forces to a fight unless he knows he's on to a winner. This has been known to cause grumbles of resentment amongst Gashrakk's ladz, but the boss keeps his warband in line by showering them with loot.

Nazdreg CCG Card — Warboss Nazdreg Ug Urdgrub

Nazdreg Ug Urdgrub - Nazdreg Ug Urdgrub is a large and cunning Ork Warlord of the Bad Moons klan. His personal Space Hulk crashlanded on the doomed world of Medusa V in 999.M41 and he and his Ork WAAAGH! participated in the great battle known in Imperial records as the Fall of Medusa V campaign. Even though the battle on Medusa V ultimately led to another defeat for his Orks, Nazdreg and many of his Boyz managed to get off the planet alive. After learning that the Imperial forces had damaged his Space Hulk beyond any hope of repair, Nazdreg came up with a (by Orkish standards) truly brilliant escape plan. Nazdred is an exception amongst the brutish Orks, and demonstrates a measure of both intelligence and patience, as he speaks excellent Imperial Low Gothic and understands the "carrot and stick" approach of rewards and punishments to boost the productivity of his hapless human and Gretchin slaves.
Ozdakka - Ozdakka, the legendary Bad Moon Boss of Bosses, led a large WAAAGH! on a rampage through the Helshrike System in 987.M41. In response, the Adeptus Terra dispatched an Imperial assassin to take out the troublesome Warboss. The assassin constantly harried Ozdakka, killing his Nobz one by one. Frustrated, in exasperation, Ozdakka offered an outrageous sum of "hundred, hundred teef" as a bounty for the assassin's head. Unfortunately, he doesn't live to enjoy the chaos and destruction his WAAAGH! spread throughout the Helshrike Sector, as the assassin executed Ozdakka with a well-placed head shot.

Notable Bad Moons Tribes

Split-Grin Bad Moons

All Bad Moons Orks have a well-deserved reputation for being as proud of their loot as of their prowess in battle. The Split-Grin tribe are among the worst of their kind, and have amassed piles of teef in recent years. Following the trail of destruction sown by Grukk and the Red WAAAGH!, Gashrakk da Flash and his Split-Grins rival Grukk's own tribe in size and status. For years the Split-Grin Bad Moons scraped out an existence on Eyrok skirmishing with their rivals, the Goffs of the Skullcracker tribe. Their Warboss, Skagfing, was content to lead his Boyz in the brawl with the Goffs and make some teef in the process, trading with Freebooterz for shiny stuff. The big guns of the klan kept the Skullcrackers in check, and Skagfing liked to make jokes about poor old Krugg the "Tyrant" who couldn't afford a good Shoota. The Split-Grin tribe might not have been huge, but they had the best loot, and the biggest guns to keep other Orks from getting their hands on it.

This all changed when Grukk met Mogrok and decided to take control of all Eyrok's Orks. Skagfing had only recently heard about his rival's death when Grukk and his lads smashed their way into the Bad Moons camp, the Goff Warlord sacrificing loads of Boyz as he charged to in pin Skagfing down, stand on his chest, and messily rip his face from his skull. In a single bloody blow, the Split-Grins were absorbed into the Skullcrackers and Grukk took control of the tribe. In Skagfing's place a bunch of Nobz tried to bully their way to the top, but none of them could match the raw aggression and prodigious size of Grukk.

Fragmented and leaderless, the Split-Grin tribe became inferior to the Skullcrackers. Grukk used the tribe for its massive guns and kustom weapons, draining their stockpiles to build up his warband. The Split-Grin tribe also gave Grukk access to the Sanctus Reach Sub-sector's Freebooterz, giving the Ork Warboss a way off Eyrok and out into the void. Of course, Freebooterz' tastes are just as extravagant as Bad Moons, and so as soon as Grukk's warband took to the stars, the fortunes of the Split-Grins changed again. Drawn to Grukk Face-rippa's Red WAAAGH! by riches untold, Gashrakk took over as Warboss of the Split-Grin tribe.

Bad Moons Tactics

Dakka Boyz — Bad Moons Boyz display their preference for ranged combat

Bad Moons are more likely to engage their foes at range than most other Orks, punctuating their raucous cackling with the fire of their long-ranged weapons. Bad Moons prefer to kill with their extravagant and deafening guns. Therefore, Bad Moons often have many Flash Gitz, who set up across the battlefield before the fighting starts in earnest and lay waste to anyone who comes into their fire lanes. Bad Moons are usually capable melee combatants, but prefer to fight at range. As such, if they find themselves too close to use their guns effectively, Bad Moons sometimes reposition themselves to other convenient positions where they can continue firing their guns unimpeded.

Klan Beliefs

The Bad Moons are notoriously avaricious and greedy and care about nothing except the acquisition of wealth. They will even go so far to attain wealth by engaging in highly secret deals with other alien races to gain access to technology and wargear unavailable to other Orks. They also love to spend their teeth on food, which means many Bad Moons are a bit stout around the belt.

Klan Appearance

Klan Colours

Morgob Bad Moon Nob — Morgob, a Bad Moons Nob, wearing the gaudy colours of his klan

The Bad Moons favour flashy and gaudy colours in their liveries, usually golden yellow and black for their wargear, taking a snarling moon on a field of black flames as their klan emblem. Their armour and wargear is painted with gaudy patterns in the klan colours, with a heavy emphasis on yellow, gold, and red, and they have more jewellery and piercings than any other Ork klan. If something looks valuable, a Bad Moon will find a way to wear it, stick it through his body or bolt it onto the side of his vehicle, preferably somewhere that every other Ork can clearly see it. However, it is only a fool who underestimates the raw strength of the Ork underneath the ostentation. A Bad Moons Warboss is just as happy to use a shiny boss-pole to smash skulls in as he is to use it to boast of his wealth.

Klan Icon

The Bad Moons klan sigil is a snarling yellow crescent moon over a black sunburst on a yellow banner. Their banners are often chased with black and white check, embroidered with threads of gold, and encrusted with glittery, shiny bitz.

Sources

Codex: Orks (7th Edition), pp. 29, 39-40, 56, 62, 68, 72-76, 83, 85
Codex: Orks (4th Edition), pg. 14
Codex: Orks (2nd Edition), pg. 23
Only War: Enemies of the Imperium (RPG), pp. 60-61
Red Waaagh! Campaign Supplement (7th Edition), pp. 57, 63-64, 66, 80-87
White Dwarf 349 (UK), Preview & "Da Boyz Are Back In Town" & "Clan Loyalties," by Phil Kelly, pp. 3, 18, 32
White Dwarf 290 (UK), "Chapter Approved: Ork Clanz"