Ork (Warhammer 40,000)
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The Orks are a race from the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe. They are in some ways equivalent to Warhammer Fantasy Orcs, particularly in terms of their physical appearance, but vary in some biological and cultural details.
Some Games Workshop designers claim that Orky culture and military tactics are loosely based on those of the Scottish Highlanders. They are seen by their enemies (everyone else) as savage, warlike and crude, but they are the most numerous species in the whole galaxy, outnumbering every other race except perhaps the Tyranids, although the Tyranids do not have a permanent population of any size due to their unique way of spawning and devouring bio-matter. However, the power of the Ork race as a whole is limited due to the fact that they are split into hundreds of tiny empires, often warring between themselves. Were the Orks ever to unite, they would probably crush all opposition in a massive migration-invasion known as a Waaagh!
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[edit] The History of Orks
Orks first appeared in the Rogue Trader rulebook and the Space Orks boxed set, containing eighteen metal models. These Orks were squat, powerfully muscled humanoids, wielding crude ballistic weaponry (usually blackpowder or other explosive projectile-based equivalent) and large "stikkbomz" or stick grenades; along with their helmets and other paraphernalia, these are apparently modeled on German equipment from World War I.
Additional rules, cultural details, and painting guidelines were given in the later expansions Waagh Da Orks and 'Ere We Go!. An explanation for the combination of brutal stupidity with relatively high technology was now found: Orks had been created, in times long past, as a warrior race by the long-vanished Brain Boyz. (This theme recurs in recent editions, the Orks having been created by the Old Ones to fight the Necrons in the war that shattered their galactic civilization that existed prior to the rise of the Eldar. In later editions Brain Boyz would then be the Old Ones)
Orks are thus genetically engineered to be muscular, aggressive, and none too bright; their technology is maintained by Oddboyz who have genetic dispositions to do well at special tasks. Indeed, the Brain Boyz were apparently able to encode information on how to build simple machinery in the genetic strands of Orks; thus Mekboyz require very little training in their function (or any at all), since they understand mechanical principle at an instinctive level.
Specializations include Painboyz, the ork equivalent of medics and doctors, they stitch up Orks wounded in battle, but also like to conduct unnecessary and gruesome medical experiments on their patients (such as replacing limbs with mechanical contraptions and transplanting heads). The Slaverz (harshly) direct the efforts of Gretchin (or 'Grotz'), the smaller and smarter (this not being too difficult) servants equivalent to goblins. Waagh da Orks also informs us of the existence of more specialised castes such as Bankaboyz, who controlled the Orks' supply of 'teef' (see Kurrency below), Yellerz who function as Orkish priests and Brewerz who made beer; however, as the game became more combat-oriented, these were never mentioned again. Even Waagh da Orks gives no information on them other than their bare existence; it may be assumed that when the Orks go to war, these castes fight as ordinary Slugga & Choppa armed Boyz.
[edit] Later Versions
As the game evolved, some of the clunkier (if more flavour-filled) rules regarding Orks were dropped, though their culture remained much the same. For example, 'Ere we Go contains several pages of rules for mobs (ie, squads) of Madboyz, Orks whom even other Orks consider maladjusted. (It should be noted that an average Ork would be considered dangerously aggressive to the point of insanity in a human society). The Madboyz change their behaviour unpredictably according to dice rolls whenever conditions change, for example, when an enemy unit charges into combat with them. A roll is first made to determine which subset of behaviour is going to apply, such as 'Skitzo' and 'Manik', then another roll is made to see how this overall insanity manifests. The results vary from charging the closest enemy, with bonuses to their combat attributes ("Waargh! Dat makes me mad!") to phobic avoidance of all vehicles, even ones on their own side ("Urr! Keep dem wurrin' teknikol bitz away!") While often very amusing, this was highly time-consuming, and dropped in the later editions, which were streamlined for combat. However, in the Feral Orks PDF, there are new rules for Madboyz.
The main background change lies in their method of reproduction. According to Waagh da Orks, Orks are born to feral enclaves as Wildboyz. They are then recruited into warbands and fight for a while with primitive weapons such as spears, before being recruited into a Boyz Mob and being given their first gun. If they survive the ensuing ten or twenty years of warfare, they become overwhelmed with the urge to go off 'lookin' fer sumfink' and wander back to their enclaves to breed, developing sexual characteristics on the way. In newer editions, however, adult Orks are constantly giving off spores which lie in the ground, often for years, waiting to develop into Orks or Gretchin. Thus a world invaded by Orks will be troubled by them for hundreds of years to come, even if the original assault is beaten off. The problem is in one way solved by the Orks themselves, however; they fight each other as often as they fight other races, and if they run out of other species to kill, they simply start waging war upon themselves.
The origins of the Orks have also been changed with the arrival of the 3rd edition of Codex: Necrons. In this book, a race called the Krork is described as a hardy green-skinned race, created by the Old Ones to defend their last strongholds against warp spawned horrors. In another part of the codex, there is some text in which the C'tan called the Deceiver expresses surprise that humanity and the Krork have spread everywhere. Since humanity and the orks are the most numerous races in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, the connection is obvious (as is the name similarity). The book Xenology also implies that the Orks were created by an ancient race.
Ork weaponry is built by the Mekboyz or Mekanikz, as well as being captured from enemies or delivered as tribute. Weaponry is intentionally portrayed as being rather Rube Goldberg-ish, (or in British terms Heath Robinson-esque) often steam-driven and with clunky, early-industrial driving belts and hillbilly armor and extraneous bells, whistles, and gongs. More recently, vehicles have spouted pollutants from wasteful engines, been coated in welded plates, and altogether seem built from scrap parts. Weapons are often based on teleporter and force field technology, which the robust Ork physiology can use more easily than humans. A weapon found in 'Ere we Go, for instance, is the Snotling Teleport Gun (also known as the Shokk Attack Gun). Snotlings are a tiny, Orkoid race even smaller than Gretchin and less bright than Orks, thus they are not usually of much use in combat. The weapon sends the Snotlings through a tunnel through a daemon-infested alternate dimension known as the Warp. The horrors the Snotlings experience drive them mad, and they emerge inside enemy power armor or vehicles as a biting, scratching mass. The Teleport Gun suffered from severe inaccuracy, but could be quite effective when it did hit.
In their current incarnation, Orks are very much a close-combat-optimised species, their weapons having short range and low accuracy - though this can sometimes be made up by sheer numbers. Orks are quite cheap in terms of in-game points, that is, it is possible to build a very large army, colloquially known as a 'sea of green' or 'green tide' from the skin colour. This is often necessary, since the effectiveness of an individual Ork at anything but the shortest range is small, and the Ork commander must be prepared to absorb considerable casualties in his effort to close in for a choppa work. This is in contrast to their earlier editions, where the large number of fun, but inaccurate weapons and special rules could easily make them rather unfocused, a jack-of-all-trades army but master of none. Some have accused the designers of regarding the Orks more as comic relief than as a serious army, and being more concerned with the flavour than the effect of weapons designed for them. If so, the designers have reined in their imaginations considerably where Orks are concerned, drawing the race more into line with the overall gritty, doom-laden feel of WH40K.
[edit] Physiology
Orks are green-skinned, a side effect of their symbiotic relationship with fungi (explained in more detail below). Orks are genetically engineered for combat, and quite efficiently so. They are extremely strong, and their squat bodies can withstand immense punishment. This is fortunate since the Painboyz operate on a generally nineteenth-century level of "surjikul" knowledge; unlike humans, though, Orks are quite capable of having limbs freely chopped and swapped onto a different body, and surviving the experience to fight again.
They eat fungi of all kinds as well as meat. A particularly favoured ingredient in their diet are Squigs, short for 'Squiggly beasts' — a variety of symbiotic races about the size of a cat but only possessing a set of lower legs or no legs at all. In earlier editions, Squigs were said to be a form of Tyranid with Ork genes. These include the "Eatin Squig", a limbless blob which feeds on fungus, the "Growler Squig", a legged variety used as a sheepdog for Gretchin (in third and fourth editions referred to as a "Squighound" and available as an item of wargear), the "Attack Squig" a powerfully voracious little beast available as an item of wargear, and the "Face-eater Squig", a ferociously toothed variety used both as a weapon and for entries in face-eating contests. (The Ork and the Squig both open their mouths and bite, in a parody of a kiss. If the Ork eats the Squig, he wins. If he keels over backwards, he loses.) There is also a larger sub-species of Squig, called a Squiggoth, that ranges in size from about that of an elephant to a 60-plus-foot monstrosity capable of stomping buildings into rubble. Squiggoths are used as pack animals and in combat as the carriers of mobile fortresses. Another species of Squig is the "Hair-Squig" which the Orks do not eat, but wear on their heads as a form of decoration.
Orks grow all through their lives; the effect is particularly notable in successful Orks. As the Ork survives combats and wins trophies, the respect of other Orks will produce in him an effect somewhat similar to adolescence in the human male: He puts on muscle, becomes more aggressive and assertive, and generally throws his weight around. If he wins the ensuing challenges to single combat, he may become a Nob, a leader of Orks, noticeably larger, tougher and a darker green than the average. Once he begins to grow, an Ork will generally keep getting bigger, stronger and greener until he is beaten by a bigger or more cunning Ork. Warbosses and Warlords, the rulers of continents and empires, are very large Orks indeed, often standing three meters tall or higher. Ghazghkull himself is a towering 6 metres in height.
Orks are generally a short lived race. Assuming they aren't killed in combat, a buggy accident or by a rival, an ork will live to roughly 40 terran years before expiring naturally - though very few orks reach this stage. More notably, boss orks seem to live longer the more powerful they are, with Ghazghkull possibly being a hundred years old. It seems ork warbosses live a similarly long time unless a rival or enemy does them in first. The process causing this is unknown, but most likely another legacy of the brainboyz genetic manipulation, designed to create a more permanent leadership base for the Orks.
[edit] The Waaagh!
Ork behavior is dominated by the Waaagh!, a gestalt psychic field they generate that affects the Ork psyche, as it allows Orks to instinctively recognise who is 'bigga' and therefore in charge. All Orks generate this field, and it grows stronger as the Orks enjoy themselves, generally while fighting. The Waaagh! helps give momentum (and the name) to the Orks' planet-crushing Waaaghs. These Waaaghs are a cross between a mass migration, holy crusade, looting party and pub crawl, with a bit of genocide thrown in for good measure. Millions of Orks will gather together, drawn to the power of a single dominant Ork called a Warboss, who is larger and more intelligent than the Orks around him. Then the Orks will set off to find an enemy to fight -- any enemy. Ork Waaaghs will sweep whole planetary systems away and destroy armies and fleets in tides of bloodlust and carnage, and only once the Orks have killed every available enemy will they start to fight amongst themselves again. In some cases Warlords eventually forge their Waaagh into an empire, although very different to the Imperium. The most famous is Charadon, which has been ruled for centuries by successful emperors called 'Arch Arsonist,' although the Octarius empire is run by the Overfiend (a title used as a nickname for Andy Chambers, a former high-level Games Workshop Games Developer)
The Imperium has theorised that this gestalt psychic field also has a telekinetic effect, allowing Ork technology to work; this argument has since been debunked, even by the Imperium itself. It is believed that the reason this argument came into existence is that the Imperium believes that a machine spirit inhabits all technology, and that this machine spirit serves humanity. If this is the case, without a machine spirit Ork machines could not work, requiring some psychic effect to justify their often devastating effect. However, Genetor Lukas Anzion has noted that many Ork-built machines and weapons will not function properly (or at all) unless wielded by an Orkoid; this seems to apply chiefly to more complicated examples of Ork technology, such as force fields and teleporters, as simple items (e.g. guns and vehicles) have been known to function properly for human users. This could also be explained by more sophisticated equipment being extremely individual and totally unfathomable to anyone except the Mekboy who put it together.
[edit] Biology
Orks consist of two symbiotic organisms: one comparable to a terrestrial animal and the other to an alga or fungus living in the first's bloodstream. The animal cells carry the genetic information of only the individual's subspecies, but the alga has genetic information for all the varieties of Orkoid, as well as the different Oddboyz. The alga also helps heal wounds quickly. Ork biology lends itself well to combat; they are extraordinarily strong and tough and are naturally good fighters, always looking for a scrap.
[edit] The Dawn of Orks
There are two semi competing theories relating to why Orks have this unique biology. The first is that they were adapted by their masters, a race referred to in Ork legends as "Brain Boyz;" theorized by Imperial scientists to be the ancestors to the Snotlings, the Brain Boyz were a race that soared to intelligence upon eating a particular species of mushroom and spread across the galaxy with the help of their less intelligent Ork slaves, but whose empire fell apart when the Orks consumed all traces of the mushroom which only grew on their home planet. Before the Brain Boyz regressed into the permanently juvenile Snotlings, they genetically engineered the Orks' DNA to include a 'techno gene'. This gene develops in Orks as they grow, influencing their minds and releasing encoded knowledge; in a similar way that a human baby will reflexively hold its breath under water or a horse can walk half an hour after being born, an Ork's techno gene gives it information on how to fight, operate weapons, and speak his language. Ork specialists, such as Mekboyz and Painboyz, are the mechanics and surgeons of Ork society, and receive their knowledge through these techno genes. It seems this was a deliberate measure to ensure that the Orkoid race would survive in a hostile universe.
The more modern theory is that Brain Boyz were the Old Ones, and the Orks are the descendants of the green-skinned Krork, created as a survivor race by the Old Ones in their wars against the Necrontyr. The fact that an entire Orkoid ecosystem can be constructed from the mere presence of but a single Ork, and their general state of total war-readiness, suggests that this is the more likely of the two. One widely dismissed extrapolation of this theory states that most of the first theory was correct in that the Grechin/Snotlings were in fact the Brain Boyz and also the near mythical Old Ones. Proponents point to certain small but incontestable facts 1: There are no known depictions of an Old One. 2: Almost every planet which has any trace of their artifacts is also crawling with Orks and grechin. 3: Snotlings are well documented as having a peculiar symbiotic relationship with other forms of fungus. Only after ingesting a fantastically large range of species will they begin to grow in stature and become the semi-intelligent Gretchin.
[edit] Reproduction
In previous editions of 40k, Orks reproduced when they got old; wandering into the wilderness to die, with new Orks budding off the corpse. Later, this was retconned so that the old Orks would gestate a litter of Orks in a marsupial-like pouch, raising the young orks in orky kulture. In 'Gorkamorka', this was retconned again into the current version, which follows:
Orks have not only survived, they have prospered and are more numerous than humanity. This at least is due in part to how they reproduce. Orks reproduce through the release of spores, which grow into a plant-like womb underground that nourishes the bodies of the various Orkoid species. This is the entire basis of the Orkoid ecosystem, producing first Squigs, then Snotlings who cultivate the Squigs and fungus, then Gretchin to build the settlements, and finally the Orks themselves. This means the Orks, where ever they go, will have an abundance of food, slaves and other resources, a moving ecosystem that supports them as they go on their Waaaghs!
This also makes it extremely difficult to rid a planet of Orks, even if the initial invasion is defeated. Orks release spores throughout their lives, but release them particularly at the moment of death; to prevent this you must decapitate them shortly after killing them (within, as said in the Fifteen Hours novel, around seven hours, as the battle took around five hours, and Bulaven mentioned they would start walking around again in two hours) and then burn their bodies and heads (Scanlon, 2005). Without a nearby population of Orks, the fungus will eventually start the Ork life cycle anew. Decades after weathering an Ork Waaagh! settlements on a planet can find themselves faced with an unexpected attack from feral Ork tribes coming out of the wilderness.
[edit] Orkoid Subspecies
Gretchin are the Orks' slaves. Small, grasping, green creatures with the overall demeanor of a whipped dog, gretchin are at the wrong end of everything, including the food chain. Gretchin are used to clear minefields, distract the enemy in combat, assist Oddboyz and act as a living carpet for larger Orks to cross difficult ground. In fact, it has been joked by some hobbyists that if Gretchin do anything correctly, they will either be injured, or die. They are overall similar to the Warhammer Fantasy goblins. In Gorkamorka, it was revealed that snotlings are actually young gretchin. They originally were used in swarms like in Warhammer Fantasy and could even be fired out of a shokk attack gun, but have become standard-base 'grotz', pulling 40k away from Fantasy more. They are used as a screening unit and are lead by the Slaverz. They are highly unpredictable, with a special rule meaning they will duck for cover and actually be removed from the board if they fail a leadership roll, which is pitifully low. If the slaver passes a morale check, he finds them all and they are placed on the board again.
More unusual are the squigs. Squigs are animals that share the same general algae-based biology of the Orks and gretchin, and are used as food, clothing, weapons and even hair, being trained as guard squigs and attack squigs, as well as super-massive squiggoths.
In the first and second editions of the game, squigs were the result of Tyranid manipulation of Orkish gene-matter and could be present in either army. Orks were said to have discovered the first squigs aboard a Tyranid bio-ship and recognised them as being "Orky", subsequently taking the little creatures home. Squigs then spread throughout Ork space. However, since this conflicts with the more recent descriptions of the Orkoid ecosystem, this has been dropped. Squigs are now exclusively orky, with ripper swarms replacing them in the Tyranid list.
[edit] Oddboyz
Although a standard Ork boy's genetically encoded knowledge allows him to keep his weapons in working order, there is always a need for specialists who can do things most can't. These "oddboyz" develop instinctive knowledge useful for specific tasks.
Mad Doks (also known as 'Painboyz') are responsible for fixing injuries that even the Ork physiology can't repair, such as severed limbs and brain damage. An Ork will only go to the Dok when he has no other choice, as these Oddboyz are infamous for trying out experimental procedures (such as the greatly feared squig brain transplant) on patients while they are under anesthesia (known as "concussion" to other races). Doks are responsible for attaching bioniks, although sometimes they aren't paying attention and replace the wrong part of the patient's body. High-ranking Doks are known as 'painbosses' and are known to be accompanied by cybork bodyguards.
Herdas are the Oddboyz who take care of squigs. They are not much seen on the battlefield in warbands past the feral stage, as their uses are mostly rendered obsolete by the advent of vehicles.
Yellerz are Orks which have been naturally gifted with an incredibly loud voice. These Orks usefulness is nowhere near as important as the majority of the other Oddboyz and they do not make an appearance in the 40K game. They do however appear in the specialist game Epic. In this game large titans are one of the main weapons and each army has their own versions. the Ork titans, known as Gargants, are huge lumbering constructions built in the image of the Ork gods by Mekboyz. It is on top of these titans that a Yellerz talents are put to use. Using an amplifier to further increase their voices volume, they shout communications to other Orks and Gargants and in return they themselves recieve communications and orders from other Yellerz. Yellerz are also known to act as priests in Orc society when not in battle, preaching to their bretheren with their super natural voices.
Mekboyz (also known as 'Mekaniks' or just 'Meks') are Ork engineers, who build all the gunz, vehicles, and other machines used by Orks. They are especially important to Speed Freeks. Important meks are known as 'Big Meks', who lead groups of lesser meks armed with all variety of kustom equipment and combi-weapons. Their main cause of death would be officially listed as 'eksperiment (sic) gone wrong' if Orks bothered with all that sort of thing.
Pigdoks are an odd combination of Dok and Mek, although not as skilled as either individually. They are found in feral Ork tribes, tending the boars that are ridden to battle by the primitives. Their main use in battle is to provide 'doping' to increase the ferocity of the various beasts that feral Orks take to war, as well as some of the Orks themselves.
Slavers (also known as 'runtherdz') are the Orks who have the patience to take care of gretchin and other slaves. Their trademark weapons are the whip and grabba stikk.
Wyrdboyz (also spelled Weirdboyz) are the Ork psykers. One major difference between them and the psykers of other races is that wyrdboyz draw on the power of the Waaagh! instead of the power of The Warp, a dangerous realm full of daemons, where other races' psykers draw their powers. However, the Waaagh! has its own perils for Ork wyrdboyz: if they soak up too much of this power, their heads explode, much like a catastrophic mistake for a Warhammer Fantasy greenskin shaman, causing a powerful psychic backlash that can cause other Orks' heads to explode as well. Naturally, wyrdboyz avoid combat as much as possible, but the ability to gout green flame capable of melting armour and shoot bolts of lightning is too great for most warbosses to resist, and they get dragged into combat anyway. Some wyrdboyz actually become addicted to the power and seek out battles; these exceptionally dangerous individuals are known as Warpheads. Wyrdboyz do not appear anymore in Ork communities that have evolved beyond the feral stage.
Smartboyz The graphic novel "Deff Squadron" featured the name Smartboyz several times, most used for the character Gimzod, a co-pilot. Judging by Gimzod's role, Smartboyz seems to be the name for a normal fighter type Ork who is oddly intelligent, and who often find themselves used to to help bigger Bosses on their missions in several things that the Boss might forget, like reminding them of their actual mission. Gimzod in particular was able to spell many words with an "h" in them, and often had a clear overview on the current situation. It's not clear where exactly a Smartboy stands in the Ork hierachy, however Gimzod's Boss once said: "There's is a difference between bein' smartboy an' bein' a smart git.", indicating that Gimzod is only useful to him as long as he knows his place. Its also possible that Smartboyz are only tolerated in the Blood Axe clan and would be killed in other Clans because of being too un-Orky ('ez too tellagit!).
Other oddboyz include Sumboyz (bankers/accountants), Minderz (Bodygaurds for Weirdboyz), Flyboys(Pilots of aircraft and some spacecraft), Diggerz (Miners and tunnelers), and Brewboyz (alcohol manufacturers), all of which having an important role in ork culture (although not on the battlefield). There are also many more oddboyz who's role in Ork society is barely noticed or are of no use in most battles so are never given much attention. Their services are essential all the same and some dedicated Ork players have been known to invent them to add more character to their Ork armies and Ork background in general. These non-official Odd boyz include Butcaboys (raise and slaughter cattle), Story Boyz (historians and writers of Ork glyphs/graffiti due to Smartboy like intelligence), Tailorboyz (able to harvest material from silksquigs and make clothes), Barberboyz (breed and dye hair squigs), Buildaboys (construction workers also used to help Meks build large warmachines) and Ripoffboyz (Merchants selling anything from food to munitions to massive engines of war)
[edit] Society
Orks gather into various levels of organization. The first is the mob, a squad-level unit of Orks with similar ideas of how to act on the battlefield, generally led by a Nob (a person - Ork, in this case - of wealth or social importance. Short for "noble," but pronounced "knob"). A number of mobs will gather together into a warband, which is roughly equivalent to an Imperial Guard company (although with a greater variation in size), led by a warboss. The largest organizational unit is the tribe, a group of numerous warbands all under the command of a warboss. Different tribes can be united by a powerful warlord when he raises a Waaagh!.
[edit] Language
The Orks speak the same language that most humans do although due to possessing tusks they can't pronounce words in the same way as humans do. For example, they seem unable to voice some letters, such as the letter "h". Therefore, they pronounce words such as hunter as "'Unter", head as "'Ead", and so forth. Their speech seems largely based on a Cockney or Estuary English accent, although it is important to note that English is only used to represent the Imperial language so we can understand it; humans actually speak Low Gothic and High Gothic which are descended from today's languages but almost certainly unintelligible to us. In the game's 2nd edition (and repeated with additions and modifications in the game Gorkamorka) the orks have a runic/glyphic language, with simple symbols used to carry the meaning of certain words (generally battlefield/mechanical concepts) with glyphs capable of spelling words without a specific symbol. While this has not been carried into the 3rd edition codex, your average ork warband will still be covered in these glyphs, often painted in clan colours.
In addition, they do not pluralise in the same fashion as the Imperium, preferring the harsh buzzing of 'z' to the soft hissing of 's.' So, the term for multiple Orks armed with sluggas and choppas is Slugga Boyz, and so on for Mekboyz, Grotz, Mad Dokz, etc.
[edit] Religion
Orks believe in two gods - Gork and Mork- Gork being a cunningly brutal god; and Mork being a brutally cunning god (the subtle distinction being that one hits you when you're not looking at him, the other hits you hard when you are). There is a different mythology sometimes portrayed in which Gork and Mork are the gods of Defense and Attack. Orks can't agree which god plays which role, and debates about this topic often erupt into fighting. The priesthood of these gods has no in-game representation, although the infamous Goff Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka claims to be receiving visions from both. Also, there has been some mention of Yellerz (the ork version of a priest) although they are not seen ingame. In earlier versions a third god, Bork, appeared, but has since been dropped. Orks generally tend to distinguish between Gork and Mork as one being mean, and the other being meaner. Some divisions lie in determining who is meaner; another factor preventing Orks from being united. It is doubtful if the distinction between Gork and Mork means anything in Ork culture, as long as it allows them to bash something. Perhaps Gork and Mork are actually one god.
In the specialist game Gorkamorka the surviving Orks of a space hulk crash on a desert planet desperatley try to rebuild a spacecraft from the ruins of their previous one so that they may leave the planet and rejoin the Waaagh! There are many theories about how this new spacecraft would do this including that it's really an enormous teleportation device that will transport all the Orks on to a passing spacehulk or friendly Ork craft. Another theory is that the monstrosity will simply take off into space with all the Orks aboard. However as the new space craft grew in size it began to gain a similarity to one of the Ork gods just as Ork Gargants do. This of course immediatley led to a violent debate erupting between all the Orks present as to which God it looks like. Those that believe it looked more like Gork called themselves Gorkers and those who thought it to be Mork called themselves Morkers and the society was split in two. The rivalry between the two sides became the biggest obstacle to the Orks ever leaving the planet because as soon as they stopped concentrating on finding a way off the planet and started fighting each other, construction on the new space craft slowed to a practical halt and the battle between the two sides practically destroyed it. The Meks then decided to call the figure Gorkamorka to stop any future fighting and allowed any Ork to believe it was either Gork or Mork. This is just another example of how the Orks built in animosity has held back their progress severly and how their religon can inspire their violent tendencies. Perhaps this character flaw was purposely built into Ork personality by their ancient creators to prevent them from ever growing too powerful.
[edit] Kurrency
Orks use their teeth ("teef") as currency. This is quite a natural solution to inflation and income support, as orks go through teeth in a similar manner to sharks, replacing them quite frequently, and they degrade over time, so it is impossible to hoard them. This keeps prices constant, ensures all orks have access to money, and allows constant values to be placed on commodities. A toof will buy a good squig pie and a tankard of fungus beer, while a bag of teef will buy a cheap buggy. A big flash battlewagon could cost a warboss hundreds of teef. In some stories there are references to captured human scientists developing a preservative which slows down teef degradation, and making some warbosses rich and as a consequence fueling inflation.
Bad Moonz are one of the richest clanz (See below) due to their slight genetic difference which makes their teeth grow earlier and quicker making them richer than the other clanz.
[edit] Da Clanz
Ork clanz are not communities but rather philosophical delineations of the different varieties of Ork. Each has its own colours, markings, and ways of waging war. Orks tend to form warbands with others who follow the same clan, but different groups tend to be lumped together after suffering casualties during a Waaagh!. There are six famous clans:
[edit] Bad Moonz
The Bad Moonz are the richest Orks around, because their teeth grow faster than anyone else's (this shows that, at least in one case, the clan affiliation has a physical effect). The other Clanz don't mind this, because they figure that if they want more money, they can always knock a Bad Moon Ork over the head and take his teeth. They trade with other Orks to get the biggest guns, the flashiest gear, and the best food, but are not as concerned with close combat as other Orks...perhaps due to their larger girth. They have been noted to have a greater proportion of wyrdboyz than other clans, but they still do not appear past the feral stage. The signature mob of the Bad Moons is 'flash gitz', Orks with devastating kustom shootas. Their marks are the yellow crescent moon and the black flames. Warboss Nazdreg Ug Urdgrub is a member of the Bad Moonz clan.
[edit] Blood Axez
The Blood Axez were the first to encounter the Imperium. They have picked up many human tactics, such as using camouflage (although it may seem a bit too brightly colored to a human's eye) and retreating when they're losing ("it don't count as losing, cuz we can also come back for anuvver go, see?"). They trade with humans for equipment and vehicles, and have even worked as mercenaries for the Imperium at times (such as the Battle at Big Toof River). All of these things lead followers of other clanz to brand them as dangerously treacherous, cowardly, and, worst of all, "un-Orky" so they are often abused or even targeted for destruction by other Orks. However, other Orks often fail to notice that when Blood Axes retreat, they usually go back 'fer anuvver go' properly reinforced, with more Boyz and bigger gunz. Most Blood Axes are back-stabbing 'kommandos'. Their symbol is a pair of crossed axes. The Blood Axes were once one of the wealthiest clans until most of them were wiped out in a battle with other clans called 'Da Big Party.' Judging by their usage of ranks and the love for medals by their leaders, it can be assumed that the members of the Fly boyz, Deff Squad are actualy Blood Axez.
[edit] Death Skulls
The Death Skulls are looters who grab whatever they can from corpses on the battlefield, although they aren't above taking things from other Orks who aren't watching. This has earned them the name of "Thieving gitz who take anyting dat izn't nailed down" by the other Orks. They collect anything that might be useful, as well as various lucky trinkets and charms. They are superstitious even for Orks, and often paint themselves blue (which Orks feel is a lucky color) to protect themselves from harm. It is not uncommon to find looted vehicles in Death Skull armies, such as Chimeras and Rhinos. Their symbol is the horned skull. Deathskulls have a larger number of gretchin compared to other clanz, as the grots are used to scout around, helping their ork masters to look for gubbinz they can steal. In battles these gretchin will often be fielded right in front of the orks themselves, for obvious reasons. Painters often use the "Braveheart-style" of facepaint when painting Death Skull models.
[edit] Evil Sunz
The Evil Sunz love going fast, and thus most join the Kult of Speed. Even warbands that haven't given completely over to their love of speed will often have many bikes or vehicles in their force. The clan also contains more Mekboyz than most, and therefore they often field more mechanical creations than other clanz. Their symbol is a red sun with a grimacing face. The Evil Sun symbol is also found in Warhammer Fantasy. Most vehicles of the Evil Sunz are painted red with flames down the side to tie in with their main belief that "Da red wunz go fasta!".
In Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War Winter Assault and Dark Crusade the Warboss Gorgutz is from this clan. His banner matches the Evil Suns and his army colors also match.
[edit] Goffs
The Goffs (think Goths) are the toughest and most brutal Orks, roughly equivalent to Warhammer Fantasy Black Orcs. They value close combat above all else, and have a large proportion of veteran Skarboyz and also carry a lot of units called stormboyz, orks with crude 'rokkit packz'. Goffs dress mostly in black, with some white checks for relief, as they see bright colors as being un-Orky. Anyone deviating too much from the Clan colour scheme will at best be given a "right good kicking" or at worst be booted out of Da Clan or even killed by a passing Nob or Warboss as an example. Their symbol is the black or red bull's head, and Nobz almost always wear big horns on their helmets. Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka is a member of the Goff Clan.
[edit] Snakebites
The Snakebites prefer tradition to technology, shunning things like force fields and vehicles in favor of protecting themselves with war paint and riding into battle on huge boars. Depending on how fundamental they are, they may remain as feral Orks even after their civilization can advance to the next stage. Snakebites' symbol is the venomous serpent (or in some cases a boar's head), and they always take some along so they can have initiation rituals where Orks endure being bitten. A feature of the army are the Boarboyz, Orks who ride into battle on giant boars and cyboars (mechanically-enhanced boars), they also feature the largest number of Herdas, Runtherdz and 'active' Wyrdboyz (due to their society remaining in the feral state for longer if not indefinate periods).
[edit] The Kult of Speed
Although most Orks prefer slaughter and explosions, some become addicted to driving very fast. These crazy individuals band together in 'Kults of Speed' (known as Speed Freeks to the Orks), complete with their own mobs and warbands, full of buggies, bikes, and trukks. Most vehicles are painted red as, according to Orky superstition, "Da red wunz go fasta!" They rely on meks to build and maintain their vehicles, and sometimes a warband is even led by a Big Mek instead of a Warboss. The Kult of Speed is not a true Klan as such: many orks from different klans will fall to the addiction of being the fastest. Speed kults can include any of the previously mentioned klans, from looted tank filled dethskull armour warbandz, to regimented bloodaxe armour "krumpanies", to Goff warbandz chock full of trukks and boyz trying to get into combat first. The Evil Sunz are the most common of all Speed kultists, and it is from them the common stereotype originates.
[edit] Flyboyz
A subset of the Kult of Speed, some Orks in their desire for speed crave to fly through the air like birds. Their demand and addiction for speed cannot be satisifed on the ground, so they take to the skies in cobbled together aircraft, taking great pleasure in divebombing enemy (and friendly) targets. Flyboyz are considered mad by Ork standards, and will often live in semi-exile, only associating with other Flyboyz, Gretchin slaves, and the Meks responsible for maintaining their 'fighta-bommaz'.
A graphic novel called Deff Sqwadron covers the lives of Flyboyz and breaks down the use of an Orky airplane. Notable parts are the brakes which are often removed, the gun-sight which is almost never used, the fuel lines wired through the cockpit in case the pilot gets thirsty, the dials that nobody knows what they do and also the 'steery-stick'.
[edit] Feral Orks
Feral Orks are a subspecies of Ork who have evolved in a more "rural" society than the standard Ork. Official army lists have been published allowing their use in the main Warhammer 40,000 game as well as in Epic: Armageddon. [1][2]. Special units to be found in a Feral Ork army include Boarboyz, who ride wild boars and Squiggoths, giant dinosaur-like monsters used as fighting machines.
[edit] Technology
Ork technology appears ramshackle and slapped-together, but is as potent as any weapons used by the Imperium or other races, except for the ones they make themselves. Ork technology (or "teknologee") is characterised by a constant stream of poorly thought-out experimentation and constantly trying to outdo the competition to build the biggest gun, the largest gargant (a huge land-based walker), or the fastest buggy. Therefore, Ork technology is not uniform, lending Ork warbands a cobbled together and random appearance. Ork mechanics ("Mekboyz") are specialists in the field of producing powerful force fields that can protect against damage, and at battlefield improvisation of repairs. Traditionally, ork meks are masters of teleportation, force field and tractor cannon technology, all technologies used when hitching onto space hulks (large conglomerations of interstellar wreckage used by the orks as improvised transport ships/battleships). They are superior to even the Eldar in these fields, as the Third War for Armageddon shows. They can salvage almost any burnt-out wreck (including some Imperium vehicles), and many Ork vehicles have been reported destroyed dozens of times, only to be cobbled back together, given a fresh lick of paint (if even that), and sent back into the fray. It can also be done with weapons, producing kombi-skorchas built from looted Imperial heavy flamers, or big shootas made from redesigned heavy bolters. The tough, resilient nature of Orks means they accept crude bionics, transplants, and other medical shenanigans being performed on them with ease. This physiological quirk is necessary for bionics to function, since Ork bio-medical technology is so crude, and useless.
[edit] Appeal
Ork armies take their appeal from being a highly unique and comical army in the usually dark and grim 40k universe, although Games Workshop is attempting to undo that. An Ork army gives its commanding player numerical superiority on the battlefield, as Ork units are less point-intensive than that of other races. The downside of this is that Ork units perform poorly in individual ranged combat, and, like the Imperial Guard, require massed volleys of fire to ensure sufficient damage. Their melee abilities, however, are much more satisfactory, giving them an edge in close combat and hand-to-hand battles. In addition, Ork armies can use a variety of original and interesting rule sets to help give them an edge over their opponents. Secondary ork armies are very customaziable; orks are easily converted. Looted vehicles add a huge variety when it comes to personalizing your army; weather you want supreme firepower or just looking for some heavy armor on the field, the orks can bring it.
[edit] References
- ^ McQuirk, Space. Spored to be Wild: Feral Ork army list (PDF). Games Workshop. Retrieved on 2006-09-15.
- ^ Johnson, Jervis; and Keefe, Matt. "1.3 Feral Orks", Epic: Swordwind (PDF), Games Workshop, 36 – 41. Retrieved on 2006-09-15.
- Chambers, Andy; Thorpe, Gav, and Priestley, Rick (1997). Gorkamorka: Da Uvver Book. Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-872372-55-4.
- Chambers, Andy (2001). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Orks, 2nd Edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-869893-38-7.
- Chambers, Andy; and Thorpe, Gav (1998). Digganob. Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-872372-01-5.
- Johnson, Jervis (1993). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Orks, 1st Edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-872372-95-3.
- Scanlon, Michael (2005). Fifteen Hours. Nottingham: Black Library. ISBN 1-84416-231-1.
- Chambers, Andy; Haines, Pete; McNeill, Graham; Kelly, Phil and Hoare, Andy (2002). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Necrons, 2nd Edition, Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-190-7.
