Sunday, January 4, 2009

Where are all the Greenskin Novels and Lore?

One of the things I really enjoy about WAR and the Warhammer IP is the background lore and novels fleshing out the setting. I don't really RP, but I do enjoy reading novels that are related to whatever career I happen to be putting time into. It kind of helps me get into the mindset of the character I am playing.  I read the Gotrek and Felix series as a starting point, I read Oathbreaker when I started up my Ironbreaker  (I still can't find Grudge Bearer). I went through the Malus Darkblade series as I started my Blackguard. 


And so following this pattern, when I picked up my Black Orc, Kurok, and started leveling him again I started to look for related Greenskin lore. And well, there really isn't any. There is of course the background info associated with the tabletop game and other stuff like that. But looking through blacklibrary.com fails to turn up a single novel based on the Greenskins as protagonists. Orcs and Gobbos are usually used as cannon fodder bad guys, or perhaps a strong warboss is the main baddie. In general, their lives and motivations aren't examined too closely, as they are basically there to kill things and to be killed by the heroes.


I can sort of understand why. Greenskins are big, bloodthirsty, loud, violent slabs of muscle, prone to random cannibalism and unreasoning ferocity. Not exactly the most sympathetic characters to write about. The Greenskins and Gobbos are akin to an elemental force, except they are sentient, live to fight, and they hate you. Now there are novels that deal with marauders in the Chaos Wastes as well as champions of Khorne. Now I do realize that the protagonists of these books are still human. They may be cruel or insane, they could be fanatical worshippers of the Ruinous Powers, but they still retain their basic, relatable humanity. They are characters the reader can still empathize with, even though they are basically "evil". These characters tend to be anti-heroes, being intrinsically iniquitous themselves, but fighting against a greater malefactor that poses a larger threat to the world. 


Another example is Malus Darkblade, who by any moral compass is a thoroughly detestable individual. He is a slaver, a murderer and worse. Yet we root for him because he is flung into conflict against forces that can wreak destruction on a much greater scale than Malus ever could.


Based on these examples I feel that there is room for a Greenskin novel. Don't forget that Greenskins are basically a bunch of football hooligans that kill anyone who they don't like in da name of Gork and Mork. They even talk in a Cockney accent! Greenskins also are famous for their infighting and beatin' on da gits and bashin' on da stunties. Let's have the premise that the book can focus on a particular Orc, we can call him Rippa. The book can follow his life starting from his first kill, culminating with his epic defeat of a rival Boss, thus consolidating the tribes into a great WAAAGH! The book can detail his many battles and epic kills, in his struggle to be "Da Big Boss". You could throw in a Gobbo sidekick, but that's a bit too derivative for my taste. It would also be cool for him to possibly loot or find a particularly powerful magic weapon or artifact, just to spice things up. I mean, many movies don't have much more plot than stringing together action pieces, so why couldn't a novel work on the same mechanic? 


Even if some readers are turned off by a book that is basically about an Orc killing things over and over on his way to the top, I'm sure that many more readers would be thrilled to catch a glimpse into the life and culture of the Orcs and Gobbos. Greenskins are one of the most popular armies in the tabletop game, for a reason. They are considered one of the more entertaining armies to play, due to their flavor and fun factor.


There you have it. Games Workshop, I don't need credit or anything for this idea, just use it. Get C.L. Werner or William King on it stat! Perhaps we could have Nathan Long even. So, is there anything you gents would like to see in a Greenskin novel?

6 comments:

  1. Heya, welcome to blogging! :)
    This is Ventris over at Alt Much?. Just saw your comment on Syp's site and thought I'd take a look.

    Though not WAR canon there is a book out with Orcs as protagonists. It's called, of course, Orcs: http://www.amazon.com/Orcs-Stan-Nicholls/dp/0316033707/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231188205&sr=8-1

    I think the problem with Orcs was that it tried to be serious.

    Anyway - good luck with the blog!

    V

    ReplyDelete
  2. A serious Orc book? Wow. I will check the link, thanks very much.

    And congratulations on being my first ever commenter! Thanks for checking it out!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I don't like the book by Stan Nicholls as I find the orcs there to be too..human-like, but that could be just personal taste.

    The problem with Warhammer-Greenskins is the language. I really find it hard reading how they speak for longer than 5 minutes ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm reading CL Werner Witch Hunter Omnibus, really good.

    Yeah I would like more Greenskin books, I really like that, maybe a smart shammie who can speak a little better telling the tale. I really enjoy Warhammer lore and stories.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well, there is a particular unlock in the IC that describes a strange experience as seen through the eyes of a Beastman.

    Point being, if this can be done with a Beastman, why not Greenskins? They have better dialogue and can be written about from an omnipotent viewpoint, as this can make it easier to read with less Cockney and feel almost like a scientist writing about a new test subject.

    Personally though, I find myself talking loik da orcs all da time, an' I'z ain't even role-playin'. Wot?

    /coughcough

    ReplyDelete
  6. There is a comic book written from the perspective of the Orks, the Warhammer 40k equivalent called Blood and Thunder. It was written by Dan Abnett, one of the best of the Black Library authors. Even though it focuses on the WH40K version, the cultures are identical, and it gives you a great deal of insight into how da boyz do wut dey do!

    ReplyDelete