Over the last few days i've been giving in to my primal instincts and harking back to the days when "Orcs was Orcs and beasts was big". The source of this revelation has been building my new unit of Savage Orcs for my Warhammer army.
Tactically i'd already tried out these primitive greenskins in a game a few weeks back, proxying in some normal orcs to represent them. It was a mixed experience but there was enough good stuff there to invest in a couple of boxes and build a unit of twenty for real. At the same time I finally managed to justify the fund for my long awaited Arachnarok Spider.
Whats really grabbed me with both of these models is the level of character thats been modelled into them. Orc and Goblin units are hardly short of personality, the army stands out very much as both a very serious force but also the comic relief in both franchises. But in the latest offerings on the more primal theme they really have found a new level, even now looking across at my half painted 'big stabba' I can't help but smile at not only the model itself but the brilliantly simple concept of two Orcs running towards their target brandishing a battering ram sized spear. But it got me thinking, this is how all fantasy Orcs should be!
The more I mussed on this the more it made sense to me. If GW invented the Orcs as a new army for WFB now i'm sure that the whole army would be based on this caveman theme. In a world where a Dwarf or Elf haven't mastered anything beyond a metal sword it makes total sense that an Orc or Goblin would be little more than primal brutes. Think of the fun that could be had expanding on that theme too. As well as the Orc Boyz, Boar and Spider Riders and the formidable Arachnarok you could easily make room for a Mammoth complete with howdah. The rest of the army could delve further into hunting techniques with trackers as a skirmishing unit or hunting wolf packs. Further exploration of the Shamans practices could also yield possibilities with Shamanic acolytes and the possibilities of 'special' warpaints.
For the moment though, like all other players, I will have to content myself with the current options and enjoying the kits we have.
