Hey there--
I think a caveat is in order: ORX didn't get here first. Way back in 2000, Green Ronin published ORK!, a quintessential beer-and-pretzels RPG by Todd Miller and Chris Pramas. I loved it so much I wrote the
original press release:
Quote:
For the first time, an RPG takes you into the world of the archetypal fantasy heavy. And it's more bizarre than you ever imagined. Ork society--a collection of crowded, stinking villages ruled by wily Shamans--doesn't give an inch. From the moment you're born (as a nameless Gunk), you've go to scrap and claw for everything. If you let down your guard for an instant, another Ork will smash your head, eat your brains and take what you've got. Want to survive? You'd better start busting some heads yourself. Ork life is truly "nasty, brutish and short"--not to mention driven by warrior hubris, blood feuds and all other manner of dumb reasons to stomp and be stomped.
But you don't have to confine yourself to beating on your fellow Orks. The world is full of creatures to vent your aggression on (if they don't tear you apart first). Look into a cave, and you're likely to get snatched up by a Troll--huge, many-headed and hungry for Ork meat. That is, unless a Creeping Crud drops from the ceiling and sucks the meat off your bones. Get near a body of water and you may find yourself snatched up by a Giant Squid. And the skies are thick with Flying Monkeys, dive-bombing the unwary in little bellhop outfits.
Humans are dimly understood, but passionately hated, enemies, and they come in two flavors--Sour Men, strange, powerful zealots from across the sea who stomp through the wilderness trying to convert anyone they meet (and pounding anyone who won't); and Squishy Men, tiny, cheerful, hairy-footed fellows who like nothing better than singing jolly songs, smoking pipes and caring for duckies. Needless to say, self-respecting Orks love nothing more than committing atrocities against this kindhearted species.
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I haven't read ORX, but I urge you to give ORK! a shot first. The game is an absolute riot and a breeze to play: The rules will take you about five minutes to figure out and you will literally never run out of adventure ideas.
Naturally, I have a vested interest in saying all of this. I know the authors, and I contributed a few odds and ends to the book. But even if I hadn't, I'd feel passionate about the game. It's a true hidden gem, and deserves a much bigger audience.
Take care,
Rob