STOMPY TAKTIKS
There are plenty of ways to use these Orky wrecking machines, but some methods are better than others. No sense in making your barely sane Meks madder by trashin' their hard work with foolish decisions. So here's a bunch of simple tactics and basic ideas for deploying Dreads and Kans in ways you might want to try.
Armoured Shields
To put it simply, you can't shoot what you can't see. Since Kans and Dreads are vehicles that block line of sight, you can protect your Ork hordes partially from annoying stuff like incoming bolter fire with a solid armoured wave of these machines. Just march at the enemy with your Kans, weapons blazing the whole way, and follow behind with a mob or two of Slugga Boyz. This moving wall won't afford you complete protection, but you can hide smaller mobz of specialist Orks like Burna Boyz and Tank Bustas. However, expect your Kans and Dreads to receive a ton of attention from enemy heavy weapons if you use this tactic. If you have enough of them, though, it should all pan out by the time you reach the enemy lines.
Distracting Fire
Ork Deff Dreads and Killa Kans are a frightening bunch of models to have running amok on the tabletop. Due to the fear they tend to generate with enemy commanders, they will attract all sorts of armour piercing shells, rockets, lasers, melta weapons, and explosive artillery. This may seem like a bad thing, but if a 200+ point Land Raider is trying extra hard to blow up an 80-point Deff Dread over 2 turns – you're ahead of the game. These Orky Heavy Support units are excellent at drawing fire away from your troops. If your Deff Dread bites it, so what? There's still a mob of Tank Bustas lurkin' out there, along with four Warbikes, two Warbuggies, and three Zzap Gunz. Keep the horde mentality in mind when playing with Orks. Life is cheap!
Mobile Firebase
If you're facing another army with bunches of lightly armoured troops, then Kans and Dreads can lay down a withering hail of fire AND keep moving forward. If you need a few armour bustin' shots each turn, then Kans and Dreads are able to fit the bill as well AND keep moving forward. See, the deal with Orks is that you want to get to grips with the enemy ASAP. Now that close combat is even more deadly compared to the previous edition, Orks really need to capitalize on this advantage. Kans and Dreads help you get there by blasting the enemy to paste every step of the way!
Vehicle Hunter
Power claws = shredded tank. This simple equation can be used to your advantage over and over. Strength 10 is nothing to laugh at, and it should be used whenever you are able. Run full speed at an annoying tank with three or six Killa Kans, and that tank is toast. You might lose a pair of Kans along the way, but that's part of Ork life. Once the offending tank is in flames, choose a new target and rip it to pieces. Repeat.
Close Combat Terror
Getting any Deff Dread into close combat with enemy infantry is bad news - for your opponent, of course! Deff Dreads always use their front armour in close combat and generally have few things to worry about (melta bombs and power fists) when smashing infantry to a bloody pulp. As a bonus, walkers never check morale in close combat, so nobody's going anywhere until someone is destroyed. Walkers also count as 10 models (or five models if it has an AV of 11, like Killa Kans) making them pretty tough for the enemy to outnumber at a 2:1 ratio. So it's an excellent idea to get them into close combat and rip the enemy asunder with your power claws. Orks have the outstanding potential to field loads of Dreads and Kans, which increases your chances of getting these metal monsters into grips with the enemy. In true Ork fashion, you should do all you can to get them stuck in!
Overwhelming
As mentioned previously, you can drop bunches of Orky walkers on the table for relatively few points. Use this fact to overwhelm the opponent and possibly goad him into making silly mistakes. Face it: having nine Killa Kans deployed across form your army is borderline terrifying. There's just no way to take care of them all before they smash into your lines and wreck havoc. So if you really want to use your Ork walkers effectively, take lots of them. One just ain't gonna cut it.
Mekboyz
The greenskin builders of all things weird and deadly are often more dangerous to be around than they're worth. However, Meks provide excellent battlefield support for Kans and Dreads. A Mek hiding among a group of walkers can take care of minor damage like immobility and damaged weapons that your models may sustain while under fire. Using wargear like multiple Grot Oilers to boost a Mek's efficiency will make them invaluable when you absolutely need to fix a damaged Deff Dread. Also, Mek's have access to neat stuff like Kustom Force Fields (5+ cover save for infantry within 6", vehicles counts as "Hull Down") that help deflect incoming shots a bit. Definitely consider taking a Mekboy along if you're going to field a few walkers.
Manoeuvrable
Dreads and Kans are very manoeuvrable – unlike most tanks and tracked vehicles. In effect, they are just big honkin' armoured infantry. This freedom of movement means you can sneak around the battlefield and avoid most enemy fire by hiding among ruins, buildings, woods, and walls. Before formulating a plan, plot out a route through the battlezone that'll lead you to the enemy and provide plenty of cover. I know this seems really obvious, but you'd be amazed how many people don't take advantage of their Dreads' and Kans' ability to plow through ruined buildings unmolested by enemy heavy weapons.
The Downside
Although they are probably the coolest thing to command in an Ork army, these smoke-belching behemoths have limitations. First off is the issue of armour value. Ork Deff Dreads sport 12 points of armour on the front and Killa Kans have 11. These are good numbers, but not great numbers. Killa Kans are very susceptible to enemy fire – but then again, you get lots of them! This mediocre armour value saves Dreads and Kans from most all standard infantry weaponry, minus the Tau, of course. However, defensive tank weapons like assault cannons, heavy bolters, and multi-lasers, along with plasma guns and meltaguns, can be troublesome. Steer clear of prowling tanks if at all possible, because even at combat speed they can pump out a decent amount of firepower.
In close combat, walkers are quite vulnerable to powerfists and meltabombs. Target and crush models armed in such a manner right away if you have the opportunity. Character models can prove to be a very real danger because of their tendency to have fancy wargear and multiple Attacks. If you go up against an enemy character, bring some help along with you. Also, keep in mind the No Retreat! rule that states that a walker outnumbered 2:1 (or more) that loses close combat automatically suffers a glancing hit(s). So don't go tackling a big brood of Tyranids unless their numbers have been sufficiently lessened beforehand! This limitation is something you really have to keep in mind when deploying Killa Kans as they only count as five models for close-combat purposes.
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