Monday, 18 April 2011
O is for Orcs
Orcs are also the largest of the greenskin races--the others being various sizes and mixes of goblins. And Orcs of all types face near universal hatred from all the civilized races of man, elf and dwarf. Where Orcs find allies in war, the treaties are tenuous, at best. Many orc leaders make new enemies from allies.
While their war like nature earns them their reputation, it also has proven to many Dwarf and Empire scholars that Orcs are not without intelligence, if only in matters of war. Some scholars point to the use of magic as proof of the Orcs allegiance to the Ruinous Powers.
The Common Orcs often fill the ranks of Orc war bands, pushing press-ganged goblins forward en masse. War bands are lead by the largest and meanest Black Orc. It is not uncommon in war bands for personal vendettas and greenskin power politics--or just stupidity and bloodthirstiness--to ruin the best laid plans, by Orc or Chaos Champion alike.
Loosely associated with Common and Black Orcs are the Savage Orcs. Outwardly primitive, they proudly worship the twin gods of Gork and Mork. They lead in battle with archers, often to prove the point to their enemies that they are cunning. The shamans of the Savage Orcs are greatly feared on the battle field as they can summon the power of Gork and Mork in great force.
Of all the enemies of dwarfs, the greenskin races are the most hated by dwarfs, and orcs take the greatest amount of that hatred in the form of axe and spilled blood. Dwarfs have fought Orcs for millennia deep in the mountains of the Old World. The dwarf grudge bearers are not likely to allow future generations to forget this hatred. And there are dwarf lore masters that tell of long recorded pacts that if the lost dwarf holds are never to be recovered, then neither dwarf nor greenskin will own them.
Orcs in WFRP 2e take much of gameplay from the long history of greenskin order of battles found in WFB. Orcs are best explored in the Old World Bestiary and visited in WFRP fiction.
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Interesting. For me, orcs remain. They're threaded deeply into the history of the WFRP world, though that's an interesting campaign idea, or "what if" to examine. All the Orcs are dead. Xenocide of the grandest order. The dwarfs make huge headway in their war and across the Old World Orcs are no longer found. How does the balance of power change for goblins? For Dwarfs? For man?
Very cool! I'd thought about doing orcs for O, but I ended up doing ogres. I didn't know there were different types of orcs. Learned something new! =)
Great post.
@Sarah, thanks! Indeed, most games acknowledge various Orc races, if for variety only. WFRP having greater depth than most. IMHO of course.
Heh, I banned orcs from my WFRP old world. Or rather I turned them into goblins. Just a name change, really, but to me orcs are too connected with Tolkien and also D&D.
/Magnus