Background - Warboss Wagonkrumpa and Big Boss Thudguts

Originally posted in 2013, but has been updated.

This article continues my series on the background of WAAGH! Drillteef. This article focuses on the first Warboss to join the WAAGH!, Warboss Wagonkrumpa. The model was originally just a regular Blackreach Warboss, but after a while I decided to convert him up and add some character. I also added a Battlepouch and used him as an objective marker in the Adepticon Team Tournament. Old Wagonkrumpa doesn't see the table very much anymore due to how much my mega-armored Warboss brings to the table, but he's still one of my favorite characters in the army. Thudguts is more of a secondary character and his story mainly hinges on his jealousy of Wagonkrumpa.

In Drillteef's early days, before his ambition grew into a WAAGH! of his own, he met a jovial Warboss named Wagonkrumpa from a Speed Freakz splinter clan which had joined WAAGH! Grok. Wagonkrumpa was an odd Ork. He was often soft-spoken and friendly. He rarely thumped his Boyz when they angered him... or, more oddly, they didn't seem to anger him at all. They still fought amongst themselves, of course, and Wagonkrumpa did quite enjoy their violent antics.

There were still several occasions where an upstart Nob tried to take advantage of this strange behavior and usurp Wagonkrumpa. This was generally a bad idea as Wagonkrumpa was still da biggest lad in the warband and had a way of knocking the head off anyone who attempted to take his position. Still, the low mortality rate among his Boyz meant that Wagonkrumpa began to cultivate a lot of Nobz in his ranks. These Nobz became known as Da Krumpin' Squad, over twenty Orks strong and a terrible force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.

Many Boyz flocked to Wagonkrumpa's banner including a large number of Brainboyz, for although they still feared the wrath of the Nobz, at least they didn't have to suffer a wholesale slaughter by some half-witted Warboss who got sparked off every time you made him feel stupid. Besides, Wagonkrumpa was quite a trig fellow. He was cunning, for sure. Some Orks mistakenly interpreted cunning for cowardice and joviality for weakness. Whether true or not, few had the gall to upset such a large number of Nobs and Mekboyz.

A great deal of time passed before Drillteef actually witnessed Wagonkrumpa in action. Of course, he'd heard rumors of the Warboss's combat prowess and brutality towards the enemy, but even the forward-thinking Doc Drillteef had a hard time believing that such a soft-spoken Ork could command the respect and provide the example needed to win campaigns. Drillteef actually expected Wagonkrumpa's chief mek, Big Mek Skar 'Ead to be pulling the Warboss's strings.

Their first battle together was against a small Tau world on the fringes of WAAGH! Grok's southern border systems. On the first hot afternoon on this world, they spotted a Tau cadre on maneuvers in the distance.  Wagonkrumpa ordered his trukks and wagons full speed ahead, hooking to the left and the Boyz on foot to veer off to the right.

When the smell of exhaust filled the air and the sight of all those Tau skimmers filled his vision, Wagonkrumpa snapped.  In a blind frenzy, he launched himself out of his Battlewagon, Da Fat Pig, and tore through Devilfish after Devilfish.  Oil, gubbinz, and gore soon littered the battlefield.  Meanwhile, the Tau tried to fall back but found their left flank full of Orks and were quickly cut down.

Drillteef grinned with approval and decided he was going to use Wagonkrumpa in his WAAGH! no matter how many teef he had to knock out of his boyz heads to pay for it.

As it turned out, the number of actual teef required was zero. When they first negotiated their alliance, the only thing Wagonkrumpa demanded was a hefty cut of the salvage when the spoils of war were divided. Doc Drillteef agreed without hesitation. With the number of Meks and other Brainboyz under the Warboss, Drillteef knew that they would be a source of powerful discoveries. Know-wots were sometimes the key to victory as much as cunning tactics and brute force.

When the time came for Drillteef to take over the WAAGH! from Grok, Wagonkrumpa and his Krumpin' Squad stood beside the Doc. Without him, WAAGH! Drillteef would probably have never been a reality and the rest of the bosses know it.

During one of WAAGH! Drillteef's early campaigns against some nameless Imperial Guard unit lost in the Eastern Fringe, Boss Thudguts made a move against Wagonkrumpa.  Big Boss Thudguts is a typical Ork Warboss. He is big, ugly, nasty, and greedy. He was attracted to WAAGH! Drillteef in the early years after hearing that Mad Doc was consolidating power and wealth in the area and had been winning campaigns against the Beakies and other 'umies.  

Although they were not prone to the avarice of the Death Skulls, his camp was a rather wealthy one. Most of his Boyz either packed Shootas or 'Eavy Armor. One squad even owned Deffguns and he had his own bright-red Battlewagon, the Orktimus. It wasn't enough for him, though. He was jealous of Wagonkrumpa and all the favors he seemed to get from the Doc. He wanted to be able to build things and equip his Boyz without having to beg the strange Warboss or his right-hand-Ork, the self-important Big Mek Skar 'Ead.

One day, his temper eventually spilled over and he led his men into Wagonkrumpa's territory at sunset. The upstart boss charged his 'Ardboyz into the brainboy camps. Although the night lit up with Burnas and Kustom Mega Blastas, the camps were demolished and the Brainboyz were abducted.  

Wagonkrumpa was quite surprised by this and his Nobz were infuriated that such a thing could happen right under their noses. Wagonkrumpa forbade his Nobz from retaliating. He jumped in The Fat Pig himself and drove into Thudguts' camps where he politely asked for his Brainboyz back. Thudguts bellowed a laugh at that and proclaimed that he'd won them "Fair 'n square!" and suggested that Wagonkrumpa should crawl back to Mad Doc and ask him for some new Mekboyz.  

Thudguts' Kaptins had a good laugh at that.

Wagonkrumpa displayed no emotional reaction whatsoever. He thought on it for a moment, then calmly went back to Drillteef and asked for some new Mekboyz.

Enraged, Mad Doc stomped down to Thudguts' camps where he found several of Wagonkrumpa's disobedient (yet loyal) Nobs gathered outside ready to crack some skulls. The sea of Ork parted as the Doc waded through them towards Thudguts. "Oi, boss!" was all he got out before Mad Doc smashed the Ork's head off with a clean swing of his power klaw.

"Dread 'im!" he ordered the caged Mekboyz before he dragged the Boss's body away. Thudguts' Boyz watched on in horror over the next three hours as their boss's head was integrated with an empty Deff Dread smaller than a Killa Kan! He was enraged when he awoke, but Big Mek Skar 'Ead had cunningly built in a power cut-off for the Dread's legs. No matter how hard he tried, Thudguts couldn't reach anyone to clobber them.  

They all had a good laugh at that.

Thudguts spent the rest of the campaign in that Dread body, but Mad Doc eventually gave him his body back (along with a few inconspicuous cybork implants). After that, Wagonkrumpa's camps were protected by an electric barricade system, but it wasn't necessary. Threats of death are one thing, but humiliation in front of all is another thing entirely!