Writing How to Orc?

[Cipiteca396]

Those are also easily the worst orcs in the fantasy genre. Way to prove my point.

The problem with that is the savage, mindless orc was created by DnD. The original orcs created by Tolkien were civilized but evil. In fact, due to Saruman's influence, they were probably the most civilized race in terms of technology. DnD turned them into a tribal race that were just a step up from goblins(which were the same race in Tolkien's work) so they could be a decent enemy. Warhammer turned them into less evil but very stupid fighting machines, and Warcraft leaned into the tribal thing by using the noble savage stereotype.
Your vision of orcs seems to heavily lean into the Warhammer vision, or maybe DnD's. That doesn't mean it's 'correct' or that any other way of portraying them is wrong.

 

[Lloyd]

The problem with that is the savage, mindless orc was created by DnD. The original orcs created by Tolkien were civilized but evil. In fact, due to Saruman's influence, they were probably the most civilized race in terms of technology. DnD turned them into a tribal race that were just a step up from goblins(which were the same race in Tolkien's work) so they could be a decent enemy. Warhammer turned them into less evil but very stupid fighting machines, and Warcraft leaned into the tribal thing by using the noble savage stereotype.
Your vision of orcs seems to heavily lean into the Warhammer vision, or maybe DnD's. That doesn't mean it's 'correct' or that any other way of portraying them is wrong.

Tolkien's orcs were never the most civilized race, although they had technology and skilled craftsmen, they were barely civilized. They were created by the first dark lord and were always a race of chaos. The only reason the orcs even had a semblance of a society was because of the dark lords controlling them, not the other way around.

 

[Cipiteca396]

Tolkien's orcs were never the most civilized race, although they had technology and skilled craftsmen, they were barely civilized. They were created by the first dark lord and were always a race of chaos. The only reason the orcs even had a semblance of a society was because of the dark lords controlling them, not the other way around.

Meh, you and I have a difference in our definitions of civilized. Much like the British and the people they colonized. Tolkien orcs are not Moral beings, but they have a culture, intelligence, social hierarchy and skills that they rely on.
Not every orc was being controlled by a dark lord. The goblins from the Hobbit are a good example, as are the orcs of Moria. The ones in service were definitely more organized, though.

 

[EducatedHomelessGuy]

How about, now hear me out, An Orc... But with big mommy milkers. Eh?! Eh??? Right???
But in all seriousness, how about. Your MC is a low level orc living peaceful within his mountain village. Unfortunately, the world is at war between the demon king and the human kingdom, MC's home is caught in the crossfire between the two forces and his family dies. Furious of the circumstances, he decides to unite the all of the Orc tribes scattered around the world in order to combat both the humans and the demonkin. Of course a few Stockholm syndrome prisoners of war sprinkled here and there would be a riot. Especially someone with big mommy milkers.
You could add some leveling systems here in there to spice things up

Welp, if yer not gona use this, then I will Muahahahaha!

 

[Hego]

I've got a huge list of interesting characters/concepts waiting for me to have the time and write a story about them. Currently working on one, but can't resist adding more to the pile.

So now for the topic of this post: ORCS!
I want to prepare for a story with an Orc/Ork/Orruk/Uruk MC. But... what would make a story about him interesting? Obviously he fights a lot. He has a reason to form an army/WAAAGH to enact his vengeance. And of course, in line with generic fantasy & D&D tropes, he'll make his own troops/officers as as Orcs do best (capture people yadayada, Goblin Slayer).

But what other things can he do? Or would "revenge event -> training montage -> first troops -> first raid -> more troops -> Godly attention -> Crusade & counter attack -> victory, Greenskins rule supreme" be enough?

I'd like to hear your thoughts and any additional ideas you have are much appreciated. Thoughts on system/no system? Reincarnation or 'pure' Orc? Let me know!

I've had this premise swimming in my mind for a while bit I really can't do anything with it because my current story is going to take literal years to finish(If I actually manage to finish it) so it could be great if it's any help to you.



So there is a man, a Scottish lad, that loves to fight. Violence always seemed like the correct answer to any of his life's problems. He never hit women or children, of course, he wasn't total scum. But he liked to fight, he was good at it and he always believed that he would go down swinging. Then he got cancer, and he slowly withered away alone in a hospital bed. Because he liked to fight, and everyone thought he was an asshole because of it.



When he finally died months after the doctors expected him to kick the bucket he was so unresigned with his fate that his soul was picked up by the Savage god, a two-headed orcish deity as big as a mountain. The savage god proposed a bargain. The main character must become his champion and reincarnate as an orc in a fantasy world where each race has a patron deity. There are 3 things the main character must do:

1. Reunite the divided Orc clans

2. Kill the previous champion of the Savage god who changed sides and now serves the Demon god.

3. Beat every other champion of gods because the Savage god is the strongest one there is.

reasoning don't mean shit if the results are as clear as day.

you're like a guy trying to make a guide book to hook ups and picking up women. you can make all these logical turns and hypothesis on observations when the simple fact of the matter is ur durr smart orc Grug do Science is an interesting premise enough to hook common readers. who cares if they're established? the fact that they're established characters makes it even better now that the troupe is taken and turned over its fucking head by doing everything its not supposed to do. trying to justify against it is pointless when it's already proven to work.

hell, there's an artist called @baalbuddy on twitter and his entire schtick is horny uncultured elves and tired orcs and he's got a wicked audience looking for that shit. who cares if its unoriginal or simple or silly? it's a troupe with a wellspring of comedic element and opportunities for new story beats that deviate from the usual fantasy troupe.

the pursuit to be serious and adhering to set stereotypes is exactly what caused the stagnation in fantasy titles as of late.

if I'm in the main site and got forced to choose between SERIOUS HEAVY DARK FANTASY and funny haha orc in a labcoat, I'm going for the latter, because I know for a fact that I've read the former twenty times over under better hands and pens.

Except we don't have a lot of books with orcs as the main characters that would explore the themes of being an orc in either LET'S KRUMP DA UMIES or war is hell and orcs are demons kinda way. If you're going out of your way to make your character an orc and all you do is make him a wise human but big and green I'm going to agree that it's just nothing but a waste and kinda lazy. And if you're going to say it's boring to have a whole book about an orc acting in a stereotypical manner then I'm going to say you just lack imagination. Something being subversive doesn't automatically make it good.

 

[Macrendil-Ysmir]

I've had this premise swimming in my mind for a while bit I really can't do anything with it because my current story is going to take literal years to finish(If I actually manage to finish it) so it could be great if it's any help to you.



So there is a man, a Scottish lad, that loves to fight. Violence always seemed like the correct answer to any of his life's problems. He never hit women or children, of course, he wasn't total scum. But he liked to fight, he was good at it and he always believed that he would go down swinging. Then he got cancer, and he slowly withered away alone in a hospital bed. Because he liked to fight, and everyone thought he was an asshole because of it.



When he finally died months after the doctors expected him to kick the bucket he was so unresigned with his fate that his soul was picked up by the Savage god, a two-headed orcish deity as big as a mountain. The savage god proposed a bargain. The main character must become his champion and reincarnate as an orc in a fantasy world where each race has a patron deity. There are 3 things the main character must do:

1. Reunite the divided Orc clans

2. Kill the previous champion of the Savage god who changed sides and now serves the Demon god.

3. Beat every other champion of gods because the Savage god is the strongest one there is.

Except we don't have a lot of books with orcs as the main characters that would explore the themes of being an orc in either LET'S KRUMP DA UMIES or war is hell and orcs are demons kinda way. If you're going out of your way to make your character an orc and all you do is make him a wise human but big and green I'm going to agree that it's just nothing but a waste and kinda lazy. And if you're going to say it's boring to have a whole book about an orc acting in a stereotypical manner then I'm going to say you just lack imagination. Something being subversive doesn't automatically make it good.

I see some similarities in setting, like the tribes & gods. Been working on deepening context and world-building etc. and its getting somewhere. If/When I start my Orc-story (want to finish my ongoing one first) I don't want the MC to be reincarnated though. I'm taking the "home destroyed & enslaved"-approach as a drive for my MC, with some things that explain his combination of 'primitive' Orc-ness and higher intellect (superior Orc-race, divine conflicts -> racial favouritism & discrimination, etc.etc.)

 

[Ai-chan]

I've got a huge list of interesting characters/concepts waiting for me to have the time and write a story about them. Currently working on one, but can't resist adding more to the pile.

So now for the topic of this post: ORCS!
I want to prepare for a story with an Orc/Ork/Orruk/Uruk MC. But... what would make a story about him interesting? Obviously he fights a lot. He has a reason to form an army/WAAAGH to enact his vengeance. And of course, in line with generic fantasy & D&D tropes, he'll make his own troops/officers as as Orcs do best (capture people yadayada, Goblin Slayer).

But what other things can he do? Or would "revenge event -> training montage -> first troops -> first raid -> more troops -> Godly attention -> Crusade & counter attack -> victory, Greenskins rule supreme" be enough?

I'd like to hear your thoughts and any additional ideas you have are much appreciated. Thoughts on system/no system? Reincarnation or 'pure' Orc? Let me know!

For a waaagh to start, an orc must have a reason to piss off the big leagues.

What reason could you use? Well, let's consider the following:

1. Grok wouldn't pay his meals. Mork crushed him with a hammer. Morros thinks that's evil so Morros declares waaagh on the nearby human settlement because Mork is huge and Morros doesn't want to fight him. But he got a bloodlust from seeing Grok turned into mincemeat, and he's joined by the other orcs because orcs be fighting, pillaging and shit.

2. Grok wouldn't pay his meals. Mork suggested that Grok go raid a human village to loot some shinies. So Grok declares waaagh and the other orcs joined because they just wanted to fight.

3. Grok wouldn't pay his meals. Mork smashes his girlfriend Grokzilla with the flat side of his axe as an example. Grok swears revenge on Mork and gathers reputation and army by waaagh on the nearby knife ears. When he came back, Mork had also succeeded on a waaagh against the half-men of Karaz A Karak and they both joined forces to smash Tor Yvresse. Revenge? What revenge?

4. Grok wouldn't pay his meals. Mork ties him up and sets fire to the tavern. Mork calls for a waaagh using the burning tavern as his symbol. He proclaims that the waaagh is to uphold orcish rights to eat and drink without paying. Once their waaagh is done, nobody would dare ask an orc for payment. It doesn't matter that the justification is a fallacy. Mork was just jealous that Grok dared to eat without paying and he decided he wanted to eat without paying too!