Post 09/11/2024 – I’m Back and working the Orcs

Hi all,

Firstly, my apologies for the delay in releasing new content. Three Plains had to be put on the back burner as I moved in with my partner. This meant I had to get my house ready to rent, and it needed quite a bit of work. The good news is that most of the work is now done, which means I have plenty of free time to focus on Three Plains once more.

Anyway, enough about that. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been quietly converting the new Orc infantry models into what I call the ‘Bleeds’ format. Basically, this is a new format for the print sheets, as you can see in the example below.

I believe this format works great when dealing with smaller models. Anyway, I’m rambling on about this technique. If you’d like to learn more about the thought process behind it, check out my last post (link).

I used to release my new models in two different scales (15mm and 35mm) and in several colours, but not anymore. I found I was spending too much time creating all the different variations, which was bogging me down. From now on, all models will be released in just the standard scale and colour.

All the Orc infantry has been updated. My next task is to start reworking the Orc Nippers, now renamed to ‘Noms’, so called, because they never stop eating.

To flesh out these new models, I have sketched out the Orc’s life cycle. First, an Orc starts life as a ‘Grape.’ There are millions of these little foetuses floating around in their mother’s womb in massive clusters.

In the next stage, they are released into another chamber of the Snort’s womb, where each Grape will uncoil a short tail and turn into a little ‘Ball’. The Ball will sprout four appendages to feel its way around in the darkness of the Mother’s womb. At this stage of development, they are completely independent from the mother for sustenance. With no alternative, the Grapes must hunt each other to feed. This process weeds out the weak and infirm, ensuring that only the strongest survive to the next stage.

The next stage is what is called a ‘Tad,’ as they resemble tadpoles. The Mother Snort will birth hundreds of Tads into their birthing pools. Again, the Tads will feed upon each other and be hunted by their older brothers.

If the Tad survives, it will grow into a yellow ‘Bob,’ named simply because they spend most of their time bobbing up and down in the Mother’s birthing pool, calling out for fresh meat to be tossed in by her. The Bob might feed on its younger siblings, the Tads, but it is quite slow and bulky and would be torn apart by the Tads if not for its yellow complexion. No Orc, no matter what stage of development, will instinctively avoid eating anything yellow. However, if hard-pressed, they will consume yellow-coloured food. So, the yellow Orc young are not completely safe from their older green brothers.

Once a Bob outgrows its mother’s birthing pool, she will scoop it up and toss it out of the shared pool. At this stage, the Bob has grown into a Nom, with arms and legs that are far more developed, and its tail has shrunk into a stub. The Nom is still yellow to protect it from adult green Orcs, but as it grows bigger and stronger, it will gradually turn green, becoming a fully grown adult.

Noms are fearless creatures and will eat almost anything they can get their short, stubby, clawed hands on. They are still quite happy to kill each other for food, but usually, the Iron Mother will assign an older Orc to ensure food is provided for them. Over time, as they age and turn green, they gradually outgrow the care of their guardian and join the Orc gangs they feel most drawn to.

Below are two of the new models, which still need a bit more work. Other than their updated appearance and design, they will function the same, remaining unbreakable and set on a 40x40mm base.

Moving on, I have started working my way through the Orc Codex, correcting my spelling and grammar and updating their lore. I’m not going to lie; AI has been a real game-changer for me. Being dyslexic, having ChatGPT is like having a spell checker and editor all rolled into one.

Anyway, hope you like the update, until next time

Dave

Website: https://printandplayfantasy.com/

Patron:  https://www.patreon.com/DaveTheWargamer

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