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The first chapter of the book introduces orc physiology - a text full of facts enjoyable to read but with no real big surprise. We learn that older orcs may have back problems for example or that they may wear dreadlocks. According to these two examples, the chapter sounds funny. It is not. The author depicts a ferocious race angry for blood and which is far more dangerous than the orcs role-players are used to. Yes orcs relish the taste of blood and like to drink it like milk. Now adventurers have more reasons to run way from them as fast as possible. Even if orcs rarely achieve old age, their sheer number as well as their incredible reproduction rate is enough to make them lethal for any civilized area. However the way orcs are described in this chapter makes the reader want to know more. The facts are interesting and here and there you can get a glimpse at how you can use them in your game. For example, how to recognise a high leader in a war band. The more you read the more you want to discover any weakness that would give you an extra edge. Unfortunately there are none, at least none obvious.
Does it come as a surprise that orcs like to pillage and kill then settle down in the area they have just emptied? Not really. Orcs do not have enough intelligence to think about doing anything with their hands. In the habitat chapter, simple camps and towns are thrown here and there with the bare minimum of resources. Nothing new but nonetheless a section that finds its place in the book as something to mention. At least it gives an insight as to why GMs may now put orc camps when you least expect them. It also describes how orcs do not bother with strong defences but no other details than that is given. One table with information on a couple of basic defences could have broken the monotony of the text.
Within the Society chapter, there is a mention that although orcs are tough and hard to reason with, they can be controlled by powerful sorcerers. This is a concept used frequently by game masters and the theme could have been extended a bit more. Further down the line there is a description about Krak Skulls, a sort of orcs drums, but this paragraph is out of place and their use is not explained fully. Are they used for war or for ceremonials? The critical mass theory introduces more background for the GM. It includes explanations on why you can never really get rid of orcs, how a war band is composed and the tasks assigned to each group within. Information on sorcery and clerics among orcs delivers further options for an orc raiding party. There is also a paragraph about orc games, not much use except as an anecdote.
Methods of Warfare deals with the standard weapons used by orcs and their tactics for attack and defence. There is a paragraph about orcs using siege weapons but being hardly intelligent, the notion of higher standard tools is hard to figure out. More likely these siege weapons are mainly basic rams. On the other hand, Role-playing with Orcs is a lighthearted chapter compared to the rest of the book. There is a long description on how an orc thinks which mostly can be shortened to: is it dangerous? Can I eat it? Can I have sex with it? It continues on by providing us more information on half-orcs, though nothing new than what is presented in the Player’s Handbook, as well as the powerful Battle Shaman prestige class. Since magic is available to orcs, the Battle Shaman, a warrior with spell casting abilities, is a good concept besides the standard clerics and it is nice to note that the class has been extended up to 10th level instead of just 5th level.
Scenarios hooks and ideas follows in the footsteps of Role-playing with Orcs. Ideas vary from standard encounters like raiding parties to more imaginative scenarios like Orc Bait and Vandals. “This means War” is to be noted as a hook using mass combat rules, great for the lucky ones who have access to it. The ready to play scenario at the end of the book entitled Gruk’s Kamp is designed for experienced gamers or higher level characters. Indeed the general’s army comprises 2500 members and the ‘kamp’ is extremely well protected. Description of the ‘kamp’ includes the layout of the settlement, a map of the compound as well as regular guard patrolling routes. Gruk’s tent areas are referenced by letters in the text but the map itself lacks these elements so GMs are left to decide which part of the tent includes what. There seems to be quite a distinction between the “messy” orcs described earlier in the book and the ones presented in the story. They are more civilized and organised, more like a hobgoblin camp. The scenario ends with the statistics of the leader Gruk and Thantarr the battle shaman, two very high level orcs of 16th and 17th level. The Reference List provides with orc general and orc warrior stats for inclusion in the scenario but stats for all orcs ranking officers in between are a waste as they all more or less derived from the same basic warrior stats. The Sorcerer and Battle Shaman stats are also present. Out of curiosity, stat for a basic female orc could have been fun.
Conclusion:
At first glance, the artwork inside the book is a little disappointing. Although the cover and interior cover art are excellent illustrations - Chris Quilliams is superb in his rendition of anatomic portraits - it is a shame to look further within and discover that the rest is really poor. The drawings are also too dark to make out any details.
The first part of the book though not badly written, does not contain a lot of new information. Only of real interest to orc addicts. For ordinary gamers, the information from the monster manual will be enough for a standard game session. The second half of the book is crunchier but could have benefited from more racial description as well as a couple of new abilities. Overall there are fewer rules than the Slayer's Guide to Amazons for example. Nonetheless, this Slayer's guide to Orcs offers a fair amount of information on the culture under the cover of a good storytelling base.
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