The name of this game is very close to Columbia Games' HarnMaster supplement "Nasty, Brutish and Short -- The Orcs of Harn". It is probably unintentional (both deriving from Thomas Hobbes' observation about the lives of men), but it is a bit unfortunate.
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:
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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.
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.
Another game in the same vein is Great Ork Gods, which I reviewed some time ago. You will find it in the database and it was/is free. Since I have penchant for wacky ork games I would like to try both games but stuff like this is hard to get in Europe if there is no online version.
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I don’t want realism. I want magic! -- Tennessee Williams
The name of this game is very close to Columbia Games' HarnMaster supplement "Nasty, Brutish and Short -- The Orcs of Harn". It is probably unintentional (both deriving from Thomas Hobbes' observation about the lives of men), but it is a bit unfortunate.
That's exactly where it came from. I found out about the Harnmaster supplement a couple years after I had placed a playtest version up on the web for comment. A bit unfortunate, agreed, but at that point I wasn't going to change the name since the name was carrying a big chunk of the premise (as well as being related to the names of the Stats: Nasty. Brute. Grok (most orcs are a bit short on Grok)).
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The game sounds fun, though, in a Toon-like way.
Thanks! I certainly think it is, and the folks who play it seem to like it. I've actually never played Toon, so I have no comparison there; I would say it has a Paranoia-like vibe to it.
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.
Just for the sake of the record: I was pointed towards and quickly browsed a copy of ORK! about two years ago, right after the release of the PDF version of my own game. I'd never even heard about it before then, and I didn't really get a chance to read much more than a couple of pages.
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<snip> 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.
Well, maybe not first , but it does sound like fun!
There's also another game along the same theme called Great Ork Gods (You're Green, You're Ugly, and the Gods Hate You) by Jack Aidley, which is loads of fun to play and should be coming out soon. It began development around the same time the old PDF version of ORX was being finished, IIRC. Check it out!
'Nasty, Brutish and Short' is a truncated and oft-parodied excerpt from Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan, and refers to the life of man. It has frequently carried the rider 'just like [species X] themselves'. I seem to remember Terry Pratchett using it in reference to one of the discworld races, possibly the gnomes, or the gnolls. The full quotation in its original format is:
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Originally Posted by Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan
"Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of Warre, where every man is Enemy to every man; the same is consequent to the time, wherein men live without other security, than what their own strength, and their own invention shall furnish them withall. In such condition, there is no place for Industry; because the fruit thereof is uncertain; and consequently no Culture of the Earth; no Navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by Sea; no commodious Building; no Instruments of moving, and removing such things as require much force; no Knowledge of the face of the Earth; no account of Time; no Arts; no Letters; no Society; and which is worst of all, continuall feare, and danger of violent death; And the life of man, solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and short."
...so it's debatable how much copycatting is going on.
One thing that did strike me about the game as you describe it is its similarity to that grand old beer-and-pretzels game, Kobolds Ate My Baby. Except it sounds like it doesn't have anywhere near the same sense of humour as that amusing little game does.
'Nasty, Brutish and Short' is a truncated and oft-parodied excerpt from Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan, and refers to the life of man...so it's debatable how much copycatting is going on.
I realized I should have been clearer: when I stated "That's where it came from" above, I was referring to the Hobbes' quote, not the Harnmaster product.
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One thing that did strike me about the game as you describe it is its similarity to that grand old beer-and-pretzels game, Kobolds Ate My Baby. Except it sounds like it doesn't have anywhere near the same sense of humour as that amusing little game does.
Interesting; I've never seen Kobolds Ate My Baby, though I've heard of it. If you might indulge my curiosity, in what ways does it sound similar?
As well, and this might be more a question for Chris, I have been wondering what makes a game a "beer-and-pretzels" game? What is the definition?
I ask because I've never thought of ORX as being BnP or a one-shot or similar. It was developed with the intention of long-term play, as some parts of the system do not start firing until you've played a number of sessions (Loot and Fate, specifically). Because of this, the print version includes optional rule-tweaks developed specifically to allow for for Con play and pick-up games.
As to the humor, I mentioned elsewhere that ORX is swiftly shaping up to be one of those games where you either hate the way sounds, or love the way it sounds.
The two extant reviews differ completely in their view of the humor, from "hateful, appalling and annoying" to "funny enough to buy the book just to read!" Non-reviewers who have read the text have given the same split feedback, from "HAHA! The humor is GREAT!" to "Please take the humor out!"
So I have to chalk it up to a personal preference issue, thus I think Chris' advice is spot-on regarding checking out the book before purchase to see if the humor is your thing. You are certainly welcome to browse the 8-page preview at Lulu.
, but it does sound like fun!
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