These nasty fellows have all seen combat in my Dwimmermount campaign. I'm sorry to say that, despite their fearsome appearances, they didn't prove much of a match for the adventurers they faced. Perhaps their brethren deeper in the dungeon will learn something from their mistakes.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
More Orcs Minis
For your amusement, here's a trio of pig faced orcs, again painted by my good friend and player of Dordagdonar.
These nasty fellows have all seen combat in my Dwimmermount campaign. I'm sorry to say that, despite their fearsome appearances, they didn't prove much of a match for the adventurers they faced. Perhaps their brethren deeper in the dungeon will learn something from their mistakes.
These nasty fellows have all seen combat in my Dwimmermount campaign. I'm sorry to say that, despite their fearsome appearances, they didn't prove much of a match for the adventurers they faced. Perhaps their brethren deeper in the dungeon will learn something from their mistakes.
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Ah yes, classic orcs from a time when they were PC fodder, rather than the noble badasses they become sometime in the 90's.
ReplyDeleteI was never a big fan of the Hildebrandt pig-faced orcs of yore, but then again, fodder is fodder no matter the face.
I wish you could buy these in the pre-painted variety for the time-strapped gamer Well done.
ReplyDeleteThey look like conversions from my Mordheim skaven figures. Do you know what company that makes 'em?
ReplyDeleteCool minis, BTW...love the poleaxe one on the left.
@Kiltedyaksman, who wrote:
ReplyDeleteI wish you could buy these in the pre-painted variety for the time-strapped gamer…
You can have a service do it for you. For example:
PrimEvil Studios
@JB Do you know what company that makes 'em?
ReplyDeleteOtherworld miniatures. I bought their demon idol and painted it for a 1e PHB cover diorama I made for my brother's 40th birthday present a couple years ago. (Yes, we are a family of nerds)
I have many minis, but so far have resisted using them in my LL games. I've been trying to wean my players from the grid and tactical.
Man, pig-faced orcs are awesome! What the heck happened to them?
ReplyDeleteI didn't even knew the concept until a couple of years ago I opened a 1st ed MM and saw the pic for the orcs. My reaction was a big "WTF?" followed by a surrender to the coolness of orcish piggery.
Are Otherworld minis distributed in North America? I love them, but the shipping from the UK looks prohibitive.
ReplyDeleteI, again, REALLY need to paint my set of these. They are just too cool, that I'm afraid to mess them up. The Bugbears that Otherworld produces are awesome as well.
ReplyDeleteI've often referred to the move from the pig-faced orc to the "noble savage" orc of 3rd ed and beyond as the "Klingonization" of orcs. In Star Trek, Klingons were just bad guys, and needed no other motivation than "we're the bad guys". Then further Star Trek series made it necessary to make Klingons more interesting as characters, as there were now "good guy" Klingons. The same move occurred with the orc as they were used as a playable race. They needed more dimension, even though most people I've known to play them have never been interested in the depth of their roleplaying more than the number of damage dice they get to roll.
I prefer the original orc. They are more comical and fun to bring in in hordes than the grim, fanatics of 4th edition.
Put your FLGS in contact with Warpathgames.com.
ReplyDeleteWarpathgames is a distributor for Otherworld miniatures, and your FLGS should be able to bring some figs in for you.
My FLGS, The Sentry Box, put me onto Warpathgames, as I had been inquiring with them whether they could do a special order for me.
APIC
Steve Z:
ReplyDelete"I prefer the original orc. They are more comical and fun to bring in in hordes than the grim, fanatics of 4th edition."
Since 4e monsters have almost zero characterisation, I've been running my 4e orcs very much as slightly comedic, though lethal, pig-faced brutes a la 1e.
Very nicely done. I'm in awe of anyone who can paint these things well, as my attempts have been universally awful!
ReplyDeleteIMCs I don't care for the "noble savage" image, but neither do I like "just bad" humanoids. I like my humanoids to have a niche in the world.
ReplyDeleteFor orcs, I use a culture where the individual orc's existence and place in their society (to use the term loosely) is based almost solely upon how much they kill and loot (trophies and spoils). They live on raiding and fighting and expend a great deal of effort fighting with each other, either between or within tribes. As a result, it is extremely rare for the race to organize itself into any sizable force or advance much beyond the raiding, semi-nomadic lifestyle that they usually follow.
I am ambivalent about what my minis look like. The OW ones capture that retro vibe perfectly, but look far too different from the rest of my umpteen other orc minis. My current faves are the old HeroQuest orcs or Reaper's Bull Orcs from the Warlord line. Both have pretty different looks, but since I already own them, I deal with it. =)
Here's the link to the Pig-faced Orcs on the Otherworld site.
ReplyDeleteI have tons of Kev Adams' old Space Orks btw. Love his work.
Ahhhh, the Orcs the way I conceive of them. Pig-snouted. Bighara's conception of Orcs is similar to the Britons' conception of Dames and Norsemen, except that when they weren't riding their longships and pillaging, they would be good farmers and dutyful familymen (whereas Britons kept slaves). Not sure if Norsmen kept slaves, but the whole notion of I need to buy a new plough, let's go to Ireland, burn that village, take what they got, I guess evens it out with the slave and oath men keeping Anglo-Saxons they raided.
ReplyDelete@Anthony, Otherworld does ship to North America. James lives in Canada and I've seen other bloggers here in the states post their collections.
ReplyDeleteThese are totally awesome. Want!
ReplyDelete@ Paladin and Jay:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info. I'll have to see if my LFGS can get these.
Brooze:
ReplyDelete"Not sure if Norsmen kept slaves..."
Yes, they kept slaves.
The thing that never satisfied me with AD&D, especially all the secodn edition products, were the real differences between the Orcs, Gobljns, Hobgoblins and Bugbears. Initially, I just wanted to get rid of the lot and make my setting different tribes of humanity, but then I realized that it would make the game less fascinating, and not more. Still, I wasn't thrilled with the functional notion of Goblin, Hobgoblin and Bugbear being three levels of humanoid cannon fodder (to include Kobolds for the truly low level adventures). Anybody came up wioth any real differences between the Orcs and Hobgoblins, other than Hobgoblins being more militarized and better armored and Orcs being more slovenly and constantly warring with each other?
ReplyDelete