Orcs - discussion

[Kallith]

I liked a lot the orcs from Arcanum, and those from warcraft 3.

This was a welcome change from the "always (chaotic) evil low level enemy"

 

So YES, for orcs as a coherent race (maybe tribal / shamanistic), even if it is not a playable race.

[Tusck]

I would have chosen the option where Orcs are NPCs who are semi-civilized in that they will talk to you if your rep is high with them, but are chaotic and full of fury.... but it didn't exist.

[Vandoon]

I like orcs in game however personally I would be unlikely to play one.

[Calmar]

I do not very much like orcs to be depicted as honourable warriors . This usually involves plots around the lines of 'society loathes them, but Player is smart and can easily see that they're just misunderstood'. That's like creating a race of infernal fiends, but making them non-evil - what would be the point?

 

To me, I believe orcs should be wretched, evil and cunning minions, or a ruthless, butal and evil fighting force. If a setting has to have orcs, then they should be orcs and not some attempt to turn the stereotype upside down.

[Slaunyeh]

Oh gosh, pet peeve incoming:

 

IF orcs were to be included, I'd like them to be orcs. The word bring some expectations with it, and if you try to be all hip and 'oh-gosh-look-at-how-different-we-are' about it, everyone just ends up confused. Are orcs primitive brutes? Are they honourable samurai? Maybe they are both because half our writing staff didn't get the memo!

 

If you want to have orcs, they should be, well, orc-y. If you want something unique and special and different, but vaguely orc-inspired... go ahead. Just do everyone a favour and don't call them orcs.

 

There. I didn't rant for twenty pages. I call that a win!

[Oerwinde]

I say have an orc-like race but don't make them evil. Warlike and agressive yes, evil no.

[ArchBeast]

Oh gosh, pet peeve incoming:

 

IF orcs were to be included, I'd like them to be orcs. The word bring some expectations with it, and if you try to be all hip and 'oh-gosh-look-at-how-different-we-are' about it, everyone just ends up confused. Are orcs primitive brutes? Are they honourable samurai? Maybe they are both because half our writing staff didn't get the memo!

 

If you want to have orcs, they should be, well, orc-y. If you want something unique and special and different, but vaguely orc-inspired... go ahead. Just do everyone a favour and don't call them orcs.

 

There. I didn't rant for twenty pages. I call that a win!

 

Yeah we have 24 interpretations of elves and dwarves. Your logic is like "They made them evil so they are evil" ORCs are not created by Tolkien, Elves are not created by Tolkien and Trolles are not created or dicoverd by Tolkien. And your thinking like "orc must be evil and don't change that" is the same logic like "someone crated evil race named orc so why the hell we must be original, let/s just copy and paste everything"

 

They are from folk adaptations, and this is 1 thing i don't like in P:E Orlans and Aumauas race names, they are not insired, they have no connetions to there name .... (at this moment) we have 1/2 of known game creatures to be adaptations and 1/2 to be Obsidaian Created. I don't like this idea, you will go wiht pure inspirations like Tolkien, or D&D desiners or go with own monsters like Fallout ...

[Pope]

Call me conservative, but I'd rather have Orcs as a playable race (from a fresh POV) than the new races they're coming up with.

 

In fantasy, I feel there's only two ways you can go:

- you either re-imagine the traditional races

- or you design all new races (+ human of course)

 

But hey that's just me.

[Jarmo]

ORCs are not created by Tolkien,

 

Yes they are.

In that there are some earlier references to something of same or similar name, but orcs as we know them (ie. not ghosts or pixies or somesuch) are indeed JRR's creation.

Elves are not, goblins are not, trolls are not.

[ArchBeast]

ORCs are not created by Tolkien,

 

Yes they are.

In that there are some earlier references to something of same or similar name, but orcs as we know them (ie. not ghosts or pixies or somesuch) are indeed JRR's creation.

Elves are not, goblins are not, trolls are not.

 

as what ? Tolkien sad that orcs are elves changed by the evil (Morgoth) and funny is that that he also called them goblins and many times orc and gobiln whar definiction to the same race... if you tell me that he invented goblins i will propalbt die laughting ...

 

So Tolkien ORC creation was not only incomplete but also shallow and never again adapted the same whay, there where in his books only for exciuse of fighting. If not orcs there will be Yugoi, Aumaha, demons, vampires, trolls, goblins, hobgoblins etc. (and by the whay tolkien orc are more simmillar to hobgoblins or bugbear from d&D)

 

He in whole his carrier never mention about orc female (dwarve female to propably) in my opinion he was bad writher

 

D&D orcs are diffrent, Warcraft orc are diffrent, Warhammers orcs are diffrent, Tokien orc are diffrent. An when someone tells me that orcs are only bad its only shows his narrowminded and not knowing the subject.

Edited October 19, 2012 by ArchBeast

[Slaunyeh]

Yeah we have 24 interpretations of elves and dwarves. Your logic is like "They made them evil so they are evil" ORCs are not created by Tolkien

 

Uhm, I'm pretty sure orcs were created by Tolkien (unlike, say, elves and dwarves that he just put his own spin on).

 

Anyway, that isn't my logic at all. What I'm saying is that when you say "orc", everyone is going to have some basic expectations associated with the term. Not necessarily the exact same expectations, but the word carries a lot of baggage. There's a really tiring trope plaguing most current fantasy settings of being oh-so-different and look-how-we-subvert-classic-fantasy-tropes (note the irony). My "logic", as you call it, is that the further you deviate from the 'classic' orc, the less people will instinctively know what the heck you are talking about, and the more you have to explain everything.

 

Eventually you get to the point where you might just have called your race something else to avoid the initial confusion.

 

I guess I have to make this point clear though: This is not an on/off switch. I'm not saying you have to recreate Tolkien-esque orcs down to the last wart or you should call them something else. In fact, I'm not even convinced that Tolkien's orc is necessarily the 'default assumption', anyway. But at some point it just gets silly. Especially if you've not been good enough to communicate this to your own writing staff, so that some stories will involve orcs being classic orcs, and some will have orcs being the pink fluffy sheep that they are in your setting (or whatever).

 

As much as some people go "bah, Darkspawn are just orcs", that's exactly the point. They are the DA:O setting's equivalence of orcs, but they aren't particular orcish. If they had been called orcs, the differences would have caused more confusion than benefit. There's no reason for them to be orcs, unless they are actually, you know, orcs.

 

In short: The advantage of having an orc race in your setting, is that people will have a general idea of what they are about, so you save some explaining. All you have to do is focus on how orcs fit into your setting, and perhaps how your orcs deviate from the norm (for instances, orcs don't absolutely have to be chaotic evil. Maybe they have been somewhat 'civilized' in this time frame). The disadvantage of having orcs in your setting, is that if you really imagined something completely different, not only will you have to detail everything about this race, you also have some default assumptions actively working against you. That headache is entirely unnecessary.

[FreeMayk]

I like Half-Orc race. Since BG2 i play with them.

[D'rez]

If there where to be Orc's, I think Orc's should be savage brutes and mainly hostile creatures.. Perhaps some could be exhiles and for that be NPC's. But I rather not see them as playable character. Half Orc if fine by me, but they still should be limited in inteligence and therefore only be fighting/tanking machines.

[Gahir]

Imo we have missed the greatest race to play yet, namely Boo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minsc ( super rodent to Minsc) imagen a race consistent of Hamster DNA based on Werewolf frame . All we need is some half tard party member who is losing grip on reality and we are set to go.

[harhar!]

Orks yes. Not just enemies. Also not green.

 

More like this:

 

 

Otherwise Ur-shak sad

 

[romka-unknown]

Orcs hostile.

Like this one. In the game they will be far and isometric

 

 

[ddillon]

Voted for "fully playable race". I liked the Orcs in Morrowind. I'd likely be more interested in playing a race like that than Elf or Dwarf.

 

I don't want "Half-Orc" or "Half-Ogre" races unless they're subrace options. I'd prefer a "full" Orc race.

Edited October 20, 2012 by ddillon

[Gurkog]

I wouldn't mind Orcs if they aren't the stereotyped 'evil-bad guy' race. That is just way over-used. I would not mind having the elves be the evil bastages that I can smash with mallets and choke them with their own entrails.... elf genocide *drool*.

[Nerei]

I would not mind having orcs added to the game, they can add something.

I am not sure what they could/should be like, it would really depend on the setting as a whole and I do not feel I have enough information about that to start playing race designer.

I would really hope that if they add them though they become more than evil low level enemy worth roughly 65xp, that would be a near complete waste of them and they might as well be replaced with brigands.

Playable or not, evil or not, I do not mind either way if it is done well.

 

So yes to orcs as a well defined races with their own culture, no to orcs as cheap enemies.

[.Leif.]

I would love to be able to play an Orc, just don't make them anything like the Qunari. Orcs are brutal, beastial, and ugly. Green skin, sharp teeth and thick muscles. I would prefer something closer to the classical Tolkenesque depiction of Orcs rather than more watered-down versions. I still very much appreciate how the Orisimer are depicted in the Elder Scrolls series. Let the subraces of Orc be different tribal cultures.

[MoobooMagoo]

I'm all for more race choices as long as they have an interesting back story.

 

Even better if those race choices had an impact in the way different people reacted to you.

[Coincidence]

Maybe the Warcraft RTS series and Morrowind influenced me... But I like orcs who are as developed as anyone else, and can be good or evil. It seems much rarer, which would make PE more interesting to me. Perhaps some racist persecution going on by other races who think Orcs are just mindless beasts.

[Barothmuk]

Absolutely. One of my favourite types of character to roleplay is the ostracized half-orc who is incapable of fitting into either human society or orcish society.

 

The only problem I have with implementing orcs is the fear that they'll try the all too common trope of "subverting" the orcs in an attempt to make them different. I don't want a race of sophisticated, noble, warriors. What I want is a race of primitive, barbaric, brutes with crude weaponary and a love of violence who are hated by all.

[sirchet]

I'd like to see a wide range of Orcs and Half Orcs, just like people some are good and some are evil, so ... some would be friends and some would be adversaries, but you decide which.

[Luckmann]

How about a "Yes" option? Nothing more, nothing less.

 

Yes.