Orcs and Goblins

Orcs and Goblins

Overview

The Orcs and Goblins — collectively called the @Greenskins — are one of the most widespread and destructive forces in the Old World. Born of crude violence and primal savagery, they are the antithesis of order and civilisation. Wherever they gather, ruin follows. Empires fall, kingdoms burn, and whole regions can be laid waste beneath the stampede of a Greenskin horde.

The Old World’s races have fought the Orcs and Goblins for thousands of years. Dwarfs still record their grudges from the ancient War of Vengeance, while the men of the Empire and Bretonnia know the devastation of Greenskin incursions all too well. From the blasted badlands of the south to the frozen peaks of Norsca, the Greenskins thrive wherever war and hardship are found.

Their strength lies not in cleverness, craft, or strategy, but in overwhelming numbers and sheer brutality. A Greenskin tribe can swell from a handful of squabbling warbands to a continent-shaking Waaagh! in the space of months, drawn together by the promise of slaughter and loot. Unlike other races, who wage war to conquer or defend, the Greenskins live for battle itself. To them, fighting is not a means but an end — the ultimate expression of life and purpose.

Society

Greenskin “society” is little more than organised chaos. They have no true culture, no laws, no written language, and no interest in permanence. Instead, their lives revolve around the endless cycle of fighting, feasting, and squabbling. Tribes rise and fall constantly, bound together only by the strength of a chief who can beat others into submission.

Leadership and the Strong Rule

The strongest Orc, usually the biggest brute with the loudest bellow, naturally becomes the Warboss. His rule lasts only so long as he can maintain it by force. Challenges are common: rivals will attack at the slightest sign of weakness. Victory in such duels cements a leader’s authority, while defeat usually means death. For Goblins, who are weaker, leadership is a matter of guile, trickery, and the ability to survive assassination attempts.

Tribal Life

Greenskins live in crude encampments, caves, or stolen ruins. They build little of their own, preferring to loot or scavenge what others have made. Despite their disorder, tribes often grow to immense size, containing not only Orcs and Goblins but also Snotlings, Squigs, and enslaved beasts of war.

Squabbles between rival mobs are constant. Fights break out over food, loot, or sheer boredom, and are usually settled with fists, clubs, or axes. The losers rarely hold grudges for long — once they wake up, they’re often laughing along with the victors. This anarchic existence would collapse in any other race, but Greenskins thrive on it.

The Waaagh!

The greatest expression of Greenskin society is the Waaagh!, a holy war and mass migration rolled into one. When a powerful Warboss rises, the tribes gather into an unstoppable tide. The Waaagh! feeds itself — each victory attracts more followers, and each battle stokes the fervour of the horde. At its peak, a Waaagh! is not only an army but a psychic storm, an explosion of Greenskin energy that can topple nations.

Religion

Orc and Goblin belief centres on their gods: Gork and Mork. To outsiders, they seem indistinguishable, but to Greenskins the difference is obvious.

Gork is brutal but cunning.

Mork is cunning but brutal.

This distinction, nonsensical to other races, perfectly embodies Greenskin thinking. The gods are seen not as distant, lofty beings, but as ever-present forces of battle. They are believed to live through every punch thrown, every axe swung, and every skull cracked.

Shamans and the Waaagh! Energy

Orc and Goblin shamans channel the raw psychic energy of their kind, known as Waaagh! energy. When Greenskins gather, their crude belief and lust for violence creates a tangible field of power that shamans can tap into. This makes Greenskin magic unpredictable, often explosive, but devastating in battle. Shamans claim they are channeling the will of Gork and Mork, and in a sense, they are: the gods are made manifest in the collective hunger for mayhem.

Subspecies

Greenskins come in many shapes and sizes, though all share the same love of violence.

Orcs

The largest and most dominant subspecies, Orcs are hulking brutes bred for war. Their green skin is tough, their bodies immensely strong, and their appetite for battle insatiable. Orcs love a good fight above all else, and their hierarchy is simple: the bigger and tougher you are, the higher your status.

Black Orcs – The biggest and most disciplined Orcs. Created long ago by Chaos Dwarfs, they are larger, meaner, and more heavily armoured than their kin. Though prone to violence, they have enough sense to fight in ranks, making them devastating shock troops.

Savage Orcs – Primitive, half-naked Orcs who daub themselves in warpaint and live by the wild. They revere Gork and Mork with frenzied rituals, and their magic tattoos are said to protect them from harm.

Goblins

Smaller, weaker, and sneakier than Orcs, Goblins survive by wit and treachery. They are cowardly in open battle, but excel in ambush, sabotage, and trickery. Though mocked by Orcs, they often prove surprisingly dangerous in large numbers.

Night Goblins – Pale, cave-dwelling Goblins who worship the moon and live among Squigs. They wear black hoods, carry poisoned weapons, and often fight in wild, frenzied mobs. Their shamans are infamous for unstable, hallucinatory magic.

Forest Goblins – Inhabitants of deep jungles and forests, these Goblins worship spiders and ride them into battle. They are known for venom-coated weapons and ambush tactics.

Other Greenskins

Snotlings – The smallest and least threatening of the breed. Barely intelligent, they scurry underfoot, serving as fodder, slaves, or comic relief. Despite their weakness, they often gather in swarms that can overwhelm the unwary.

Squigs – Not true Greenskins, but feral beasts bred by them. Squigs are all teeth and muscle, used as pets, food, or weapons of war. From bouncing attack Squigs to massive herds, they embody the insane creativity of Goblins.

Conclusion

The Orcs and Goblins are the eternal enemy of civilisation. They do not build, they do not plan, and they care nothing for peace. They are destruction given form, a force of nature as unstoppable as a storm. Yet for all their savagery, there is a strange vitality to them. Where others despair, the Greenskins laugh. Where others mourn, they brawl. And when their gods Gork and Mork bellow for war, the world trembles beneath the thunder of the Waaagh!