Orcs and Goblins

Orcs and Goblins
10–12 minutes
The Orcs and the Goblins, collectively known as Greenskins, are prolific races that live in the
border regions of the Old World, mainly the Badlands in the south and the Dark Lands east
of the World’s Edge Mountains, though some have been able to settle in the most remote
regions of the Empire, Bretonnia and the mountains. They are a barbaric lot who thrives in
raiding and pillaging civilizations they perceive as weaker, be they Men, Dwarfs of even
other Orcs and Goblin tribes.Greenskins are by no means sophisticated. They follow one,
very simple principle: the strongest rules over the weaker. And as strength comes with size,
it is of little surprise that, whenever a tribe is composed by both Orcs and Goblins, the
former lead, and within Orc society, the bigger, meaner Orcs have a higher social status than
the weaker ones. This supremacy is not absolute though, as any sign of weakness from a
higher standing Orc will be an excuse for challenging his status.
This is a fortune for the more civilized races that live in the Old World, as Greenskin tribes
spend most of their time squabbling among themselves. It takes a very strong leader to
settle these infighting for good, and when one of such individuals arises, the Old World
trembles, as multiple tribes will unite under the new Warboss’s banner and form a massive
horde called a Waaagh! that will cross the World’s Edge Mountains to storm the Dwarf
strongholds and lay waste to the border provinces of the Empire.
It is only thanks to the greater discipline and organization of Men and Dwarfs that the Old
World still stands as even small victories against the Waaagh! will shake the leadership its
Warboss exerts on the greenskins. Slowly his authority will start to be challenged by lesser
bosses who are only waiting the right time to take control back, the tribes will resume their
infighting and the green tide will come to a halt.
One of the most famous Warbosses of all times, Azhag

the Slaughterer rose to power after finding a strange iron crown in the ruins of an
abandoned city. As he wore it, the crown started to whisper dark secrets, giving him advice
to defeat his enemies, and imbuing him with sorcerous powers. With the help of the crown,
Azhag amassed a big Waaagh! and started raiding the Old World, his behaviour becoming
stranger and more un-orcish as the time passed. His warriors didn’t care though, as his
plans were the smartest, and he was always ready to fly in the thick of battle on his wyvern
Skullmuncha, bringing victory after victory to the Waaagh!. Eventually the whispers tried to
bring him south, the crown wanting to reunite with its owner: Nagash, the Great
Necromancer, but Azhag still exerted some control over his will. He managed to lay waste to
the Empire and was finally killed in the Battle of Osterwald at the hand of Werner von
Kriegstadt, Grand Master of the Knights Panther. His crown was later secured by the Great
Theogonist, who sealed it in the Imperial Vaults in Altdorf to prevent it from falling into the
wrong hands again.
It is rare for a lowly Goblin to rise to power, but sometimes the

most cunning and wicked can earn their respect from other tribes and form their own
Waaagh!. Grom the Paunch of the Misty Mountain not only had the wits and the attitude to
become a Warboss, but also the strength, for in his youth he ate a chunk of raw Troll meat –
its regenerative power causing him to grow to huge size. Atop his wolf-driven war chariot,
Grom led his army storming through the Empire. He then built a fleet and sailed west, where
he was last seen on Ulthuan, where he laid siege to the Elven city of Tor Yvresse. He was
supposedly slain by the city warden Eltharion the Grim, but his body was never found.
One of the latest threats to the Old World, the infamous Black Orc
Grimgor Ironhide has a reputation of being one of the meanest, toughest Orcs that ever
lived. His veteran bodyguard, the Immortulz, have earned their name after surviving the most
impossible situations, and are the only warriors Grimgor really trusts, preferring the company
of other Black Orcs to other greenskins, who often fall victim to his rage when there are no
enemies to fight.
Mobs of Orc warriors, or ‘da Boyz, form the majority of a Waaagh!.
Strong, tough and with a natural instinct for fighting, they are usually armed with crude axes
and swords, generally known as “Choppas” (the Orc name for anything that can be used as
a cutting weapon). They will often charge head-on, each mob wanting to be the first to hit the
enemy, or to take down the mightiest foes.
Some Orcs have the strange, un-orcish habit of carrying bows in

battle. These Arrer Boyz are seen with suspicion by other honest-to-Mork (or Gork) Orcs, as
stabbing people with arrows is something a bit too “gobliny” for their tastes. Nevertheless, as
they are still able to prove themselves in combat, this oddity is often overlooked, especially
as their ability to soften enemy ranks from afar is quite useful.
Orcs that rise to prominence within the tribe as the strongest, meanest
and smartest will take the title of Big Boss. Their mere presence is enough to quell
animosity within the mobs (though most of the times the right dose of shouting, beating and
head-knocking is required) and to point the infighting-prone Orcs towards the enemy.
Through displays of strength, toughness and bravery, a Big Boss can earn the respect of
whole tribes and lead his own Waaagh!.
Wild War Boars roam the barren Badlands, and are tamed by the
Orcs (as much as a savage boar the size of a horse can tamed) to serve as mounts in battle.
War Boars share many similarities with their riders: they are thick-skinned, stubborn and with
a bad attitude, that will unsaddle and trample over their riders at the first occasion. In battle,
mobs of Boar Boyz serve as shock troops, tearing through enemy ranks with their
devastating charges.
Orcs are already big, strong and mean, but the Black Orcs are even
bigger, stronger and meaner. Their skin having a darker tone than that of other Orcs, they
live for fighting, and usually carry better equipment than their comrades, wearing heavier
armor and often bringing spare weapons to battle, just in case. Uncommon in the greesnskin
ranks, Black Orcs are heavily disciplined, looking at other Orcs with contempt for their unruly
nature.
Orc Shamans are peculiar individuals who share a connection with

the Orc Gods Gork and Mork and can channel their powerful magic. Though they sometimes
display unusual behaviour and are considered a bit crazy among the Orcs, no one dares to
question their action, for they bear the favor of the gods, and no Orc would risk being
incinerated by green lightning for angering a shaman. Unique among wizards, they don’t just
draw their power from the Winds of Magic, but they can collect the raw energies of the Orcs
around them, conjuring more powerful spells as more boyz are nearby. As one can expect,
Orc magic is brutal and straightforward, manifesting in blasts of raw, green energy that bring
havoc to the enemy ranks.
Night Gobins are a subterranean kind of Goblins that infest the caves
below the World’s Edge Mountains. Slightly smaller than the other Goblins, they are
distinguished by their dark cloaks that allow them both to hide in the dim light of the
underground tunnels and also protect them from the sunlight. As their surface kin, Night
Goblins are individually weak and coward, but can make it up with their great numbers. As
long as they maintain a vast numerical superiority, they are can be confident enough to pose
as a serious threat to even the best soldiers.
Mobs of Wolf Riders often accompany Orc and Goblin armies to

harass enemy flanks, scout ahead for danger or chase enemies that flee the battle. Mounted
on vicious Giant Wolves, these goblins usually prefer to engage the enemy from afar, firing
their short bows on the run, but they can also charge small vulnerable enemy units, like
archers and war machines. When confronted directly, however, they prefer to rely on
hit-and-run tactics and are infamously known for being quite unreliable and flee at the first
sign of real danger.
Greenskins are certainly not known for their technology, but

nevertheless they are able to craft some crude war machines. The Rock Lobber is a simple
yet unaccurate siege engine that allows an Orc army to soften the enemy formations before
the eventual charge. Rock Lobbers are generally operated by a crew of Goblins, who are
checked in place by an Orc overseer that has the thankless task of assuring that the lazy
Goblins do what they are told properly and don’t shoot on their own army for fun.
Originally developed by the Goblins as a mean to scout the area
surrounding the tribes’ territories, the Doom Diver Catapult is basically a giant sling that lobs
Goblins into the air. These crazy Goblins wear leather bat-like wings that allow them to glide
through the sky and to maneuver themselves to their target. As they fall screaming onto the
enemies, they can deal considerable amounts of damage. Unsurprisingly, only a few survive
the impact, but nevertheless the thrill of the flight and the opportunity to escape a more
disgusting death (like finishing in the stomach of a Troll) make so that there’s always an
endless queue of willing volunteers.
Trolls are lonely creatures that roam the wild regions of the Old
World, preying on anything they can eat, which means on almost any creature, because a
Troll would eat anything, even rocks! River Trolls are a breed of Trolls that lives in swamps
and marshlands, who stink like rotten fish and usually ambush their prey by hiding
underwater. Occasionally Trolls will band with greenskin tribes, attracted by the perspective
of easy food. They are very strong and exceptionally resilient – their flesh, unless damaged
by fire, can quickly regenerate from even the deepest wounds – but are not the brightest of
creatures, and it’s hard for a Warboss to keep them focused on the battle. More than its
terrible strength, the most dangerous weapon of a Troll is its highly corrosive vomit, who they
are notoriously known to retch upon their enemies, melting armor and searing flesh.

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Orcs and Goblins

One of the most famous Warbosses of all times, Azhag

It is rare for a lowly Goblin to rise to power, but sometimes the

Some Orcs have the strange, un-orcish habit of carrying bows in

Orc Shamans are peculiar individuals who share a connection with

Mobs of Wolf Riders often accompany Orc and Goblin armies to

Greenskins are certainly not known for their technology, but

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