26 July 2017

Another Half-orc -- and more in the future?



I ended up ordering the second figure that I had been considering for a half-orc shaman. Shawoman? Maybe priestess is better. She looks more refined than the connotations "shaman" usually carry. And to be honest, with her attire, the jar in her hand, and the staff -- I'd be half tempted to use her as a priestess of some sort with the Merienburders.

I had initially wanted to replace the jar, but it would require completely re-sculpting the hand. Not something I'm in the mood to do right now, but I can always pick up a second miniature and do that in the future.

Speaking of the future, two things on my mind regarding half-orcs today. One is that Black Tree is doing another 50% off sale and I'm tempted to double my half-orcs. I'd like more variety, but I do really like these figures. So that got me thinking about head-swaps, which, in turn got me thinking about... Two is that I should try sculpting some oalf-orc heads aesthetically resembling (as best as my meagre sculpting skills will allow) that could be used on some of the plastic human kits to turn them into half-orcs. I'm thinking along the lines of some of the Frostgrave plastics, but possibly also plastics or bits from Perry, Gripping Beast, and/or Fireforge. Maybe a big mix of all of those for a more irregular look.

At any rate, back to the new priestess, from Reaper, alongside samples from the rest of the clan:


She's a little taller than the average troopers, but that's OK. She's also standing more upright than any of the others as well, including the larger shaman and warrior.


5 comments:

  1. Wow, she's tall! On the other hand, it helps to further reinforce the variety of sizes, and maybe half orcs are sexually dimorphic.

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    1. I'm also open to the idea that she's half orc and the other half elf, rather than human.

      In any case, I like the idea of an increased or exaggerated diversity under the umbrella term "half-orc." More like "mixed blood outcasts who have formed a heterogeneous community.

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  2. Some good ideas here. I would love to see half orc heads on other figures. It seems like the shaman you just finished would be taller than her if he locked his knees.

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  3. I like the idea of Half Orcs as a hetereogenous community of outcasts. I also like the idea of second generation half orcs (or quarter orcs of your being precise) and the half orcs inter-breeding. However this does raise my problem with half orcs in Warhammer.

    While AD&D did allow the looking at of half Orcs's as race , in Warhammer they seem to be an after thought that raised questions about Orcs and showed Orc background not to be that well though out. If Half Orcs are the result of war rape, then is orc reproduction so similar to humans that they also have some kind of family unit/ parental care that would be required to raise all the Orcs for the wars? What has happened to all the half dwarfs and half elves? After all they would have similar reproduction to humans and huans are unlikely to shy from rape in war fare in a fantasy setting.

    Fimir unashamedly use rape in their reproduction and it works well because of their source an to give them a special menace. The reduction of Half Orcs to marauding barbarians takes something away from them in my opinion. Unless you look at orcs as fungus releasing fungus spores. Fungus sporse get everywhere and fungal infections can be fatal. Imagine if this fungal infection deformed your babies genes, cause things to spring from infected wounds and so on? A more sinister half orc origin that doesn't reduce orcs to a metaphor for barbarian invaders and keeping them distinct from the actual barbarian invader metaphor of the chaos hordes and the more sinister fear and vulnerability that Fimir are meant to instill.

    Anyway, just some thoughts on Half Orcs. I love your miniatures and always find what you paint inspiring and helping me to keep up with my own hobby despite being basically isolated from like minded players.

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    1. Thanks. I'm feeling pretty isolated too, so painting and planning is what I mostly do.

      Thanks for the ideas.

      As far as the nature & biology of orcs & half orcs, I'm drifting away from later Warhammer background, and considering things in my own terms. I like Tolkien's idea of orcs, trolls, etc. as being corruptions of other races. I'm also planning on using the term as a bit of a generic, which is why I'd like to get more variety for the half-orcs (smaller minis, larger, etc.)

      I'm ignoring chaos, so the orcs are OK as "barbarians" but I'd like to portray the half-orcs as outsiders -- not really welcome in any of the dominant cultures, they've formed several of their own villages in the foothills & mountain valleys.

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