There is a Speciality called Enemy-Lore. If you for instance chose Orc-Lore what do you really know about orcs, and what can you as a LM do to make that Speciality special and interesting? Has anyone made up own orc tribes and such? Making orcs more distinguished from each other, like a Moria Orc does not like like a Lúgbúrgz Orc... Do they use different looks on their armours, weaponry, do they use any jewellry (bones, gems, bead etc). Do they have painted shields, different kind of jagged knives...well the list can go on and on...
/Khamul
Orc tribes
Re: Orc tribes
The dwarf in my player's party has Enemy Lore: Orcs, and so far I've just used it to allow auto successes when tracking them, or for instance when looking at a cave to tell if orcs are inside. It is also easier for him to distinguish between the different orcs: an orc warrior from a messenger of Lurgburz, for example. I'm not entirely sure what the orc tribes have to do with it though?
Re: Orc tribes
I also have a dwarf with Orc-Lore. With tribes I mean different groups of Orcs who lives in Mirkwood, Misty Mountains, Gundabad, Withering Heath, Ered Luin, etc, ect.
Re: Orc tribes
Yeah, I get that. I was just wondering why you need them 
Re: Orc tribes
Just to make it more interesting than just there are some orcs... there are really not so many different foes, but orc, goblins and trolls... to make it more intresting I guess.
Re: Orc tribes
I know Poosticks has created tonnes and tonnes of new adversaries, including about 10 or 20 orc variants. I don't know if he's got an account on the new forums yet, but if you search the old forums you might be able to find them. Or they might be in Rich H's things, cause he compiled them
Re: Orc tribes
That's a good idea, Beleg.
But I still see where Khamul is coming from. Various tribes (provided they are slightly different in how they behave, adorn themselves, geographical distinctions etc) adds a little more diversity to the game. There are very few distinctly different types of foes to encounter - compared to other popular fantasy based RPGs.
Pooh's additional orc adversary options are good - but they're still "orcs" without a lot of diversity between various "archer orcs" or "bandit orcs" or whathaveyou. Each type is just mechanically different. But distinctly identifying this orc as an archer-orc from the Misty Mountains to be vastly different from an archer-orc from Mt.Gundabad or Angmar, or Mordor is more of a flavor difference and worthy of conceptualizing.
But I still see where Khamul is coming from. Various tribes (provided they are slightly different in how they behave, adorn themselves, geographical distinctions etc) adds a little more diversity to the game. There are very few distinctly different types of foes to encounter - compared to other popular fantasy based RPGs.
Pooh's additional orc adversary options are good - but they're still "orcs" without a lot of diversity between various "archer orcs" or "bandit orcs" or whathaveyou. Each type is just mechanically different. But distinctly identifying this orc as an archer-orc from the Misty Mountains to be vastly different from an archer-orc from Mt.Gundabad or Angmar, or Mordor is more of a flavor difference and worthy of conceptualizing.
Re: Orc tribes
Ok, now I get it. Just being dense I guess. I wonder if there's anything written about them already. I mean, I know about the White Hand and the Eye, but I have no idea what orcs of Gundabad had on their armour... a mountain maybe? I'm not very good at this am I?
Re: Orc tribes
hehehe no worries.
For what it's worth, I've seen adventures by Wizards of the Coast for D&D ("Red Hand of Doom" comes to mind) that pain vastly differing tribes of orcs each with their own mini-agendas, and inner-tribe polities. Adventures from Paizo for Pathfinder has does this many times - especially with Goblins (in Rise of the Runelords adventure Path - of this tribe living here and acting this way, and not liking this tribe, or trying to overtake that tribe) and for kobolds in a number of published supplements (including Revenge of the Kobold King adventure series - where one kobold clan hates this one, and that one is working for this one and each has their own issues and agendas), and the Midnight D20 Campaign by Fantasy Flight Games that I've mentioned a few times had a great deal of information on various tribes of orcs - each with their own leadership, direction, distinctive traits and aspects that makes one tribe less terrible or more terrible than another.
I have no such intrinsic knowledge of this stuff as it applies to Middle-earth orcs; so I can't provide any meaningful info that would be considered gospel, but if this was to be invented for one's games purposes, these kinds of things can add a great deal of color to an otherwise cookie-cuttered campaign.
For what it's worth, I've seen adventures by Wizards of the Coast for D&D ("Red Hand of Doom" comes to mind) that pain vastly differing tribes of orcs each with their own mini-agendas, and inner-tribe polities. Adventures from Paizo for Pathfinder has does this many times - especially with Goblins (in Rise of the Runelords adventure Path - of this tribe living here and acting this way, and not liking this tribe, or trying to overtake that tribe) and for kobolds in a number of published supplements (including Revenge of the Kobold King adventure series - where one kobold clan hates this one, and that one is working for this one and each has their own issues and agendas), and the Midnight D20 Campaign by Fantasy Flight Games that I've mentioned a few times had a great deal of information on various tribes of orcs - each with their own leadership, direction, distinctive traits and aspects that makes one tribe less terrible or more terrible than another.
I have no such intrinsic knowledge of this stuff as it applies to Middle-earth orcs; so I can't provide any meaningful info that would be considered gospel, but if this was to be invented for one's games purposes, these kinds of things can add a great deal of color to an otherwise cookie-cuttered campaign.
Re: Orc tribes
Yes that is what I men SirKicley, thanks. I have fought those Red Hand of Doom haha... yes but adding some nice flvour to the different types of orcs to make them more interesting.