Two more Chainmail figures finished, the Orc Berzerker and the Orc Trooper. These two, while similar in appearance, could not have been more different in rendition. The Orc Berzerker (on the left) is terribly two-dimensional and features a grotesquely long face and a ridiculous Sanjaya pony-hawk. I love the Orc Trooper, on the other hand, with his variety of weapons and don Quixote helmet he looks just like a wandering mercenary.

A little backstory on the skin color (which I could chalk up to matching the Chainmail box, but won’t). In Dungeons & Dragons there are three races that are virtually identical: orcs, hobgoblins, and bugbears. Each are described as essentially “large goblinoids,” with bugbears at perhaps the largest size, with hobgoblins being more “militaristic,” and orcs just your generic mooks. They all serve the same purpose: to be bad PC-esque humanoids. They have PC-range stats, use armor and carry weapons. For low level PC’s, they serve as equal sparring partners, and for high level PC’s become fodder for monstrous villains to employ. This doesn’t even factor gnolls and ogres.

But you have distinguish them from each other without making them green, like The Other Major Company does. In addition, they need to be sort of dark and ruddy to give them a wild, outdoorsy appearance. Ergo, bugbears are brown (like bears), hobgoblins are dark red, and orcs end up gray-green (or in this case, hippo gray). Think I’m crazy? When Games Workshop needed to give a unique flesh tone to their Ogre Kingdoms, they picked almost an identical color scheme to the earlier Chainmail Orcs.

Okay, back to these two. I think I’ll field them in Mordheim as Orc Boyz, with either axes or two-hand weapons. Next up, the Orc Druid, I mean Shaman!