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Do orks have any concept of families? I understand that they don't really have parents and children, but are orks from the same "spore batch" considered brothers or are they just more Boyz? It seems like it would be hard to keep track of who else is from the same origin ork as you, but orks are a very strange race so you never know

Part of the reason I'm asking is because I was trying to think up fluff for my army and I considered having my mek and warboss be brothers. I then thought maybe that doesn't work (based on my above question) so I settled on the idea of them being twins, meaning a single spore produced two orks. Is that completely slowed or is it a common occurence?

No

No what? Did you even have time to read my post?

Somehow I sincerely doubt it.

There's just nothing to support it. Orks aren't born like we are, they would never know who their parents are, etc.

(frankly they also wouldn't care)

Yeah that's what I thought. What about the twin idea, is that feasible? Maybe I should post that in the fiction forum...

Orks probably don't keep track of what batch they came from, or at least don't seem to recognize other orks from the same batch. The closest they have to genetic connection is their tribe. No was just a really, really simple answer, sorry.

Just have them be friends from yoof, as the Orks call it.

Mr. Nobody: Yeah, I hope I didn't come across as rude. Thanks for the answers!

Melissia wrote:Just have them be friends from yoof, as the Orks call it.

That would probably be a better idea, yeah ^^

Afaik ork drivers/pilots/general machinery operators are usually 'friends' as far as orks can be friends.

Not orky .

Ixias wrote:Do orks have any concept of families? I understand that they don't really have parents and children, but are orks from the same "spore batch" considered brothers or are they just more Boyz? It seems like it would be hard to keep track of who else is from the same origin ork as you, but orks are a very strange race so you never know

Part of the reason I'm asking is because I was trying to think up fluff for my army and I considered having my mek and warboss be brothers. I then thought maybe that doesn't work (based on my above question) so I settled on the idea of them being twins, meaning a single spore produced two orks. Is that completely slowed or is it a common occurence?

One of the conceptual strengths of the ork genesis (emerging from spores as subadults) is that it neatly explains a lot of the orkish psychology and (lack of) ethics. Orks don't have a 'vulnerable' stage, where they require the care of other orks. They don't have older orks who have cared for them in their youth. The 'greenskins' smaller than them (gretchin and snotlings) will always be smaller, weaker, and inferior to them, and simply aren't worthy (to orks) of protection or care. They don't NEED to behave altruistically toward other orks, though they can certainly cooperate to attain shared goals. Thus, a lot of the human moral values of empathy, compassion, and nurture are simply foreign to orks.

Combined with this, orks actually experience benefits from domination and violence. Not only do they become larger and stronger through brutalizing other orks, this means that they also do not enter a weaker, more vulnerable stage as they become elderly (unless they get beaten down, but that happens regardless of age). Therefore, they also don't experience the social needs of caring for the elderly, either. Evolutionarily, humans (thanks to their long childhood and vulnerable infancy) NEED to have a psychological tendency to find babies cute, and to bond with their own children and parents. Orks don't, thanks to their emergence as competent adults complete with skill sets.

Because orks genuinely don't need some of the social ties and structures that humans need (caring for the young and the elderly), it makes more sense that their society is so brutal and rapacious. Orks can perhaps intellectually understand that human young are vulnerable and require protection, rather than being 'umie grots to put to work, but emotionally, I don't think that they would really understand human feelings like familial bonds (though I bet the smartest orks would be quick to cotton onto them as another vulnerability of the 'umies).

Having said all of that, I wouldn't bother about the two orks (warboss and big mek) being twins. Instead, you could simply have them both emerging from their spores at the same time, and fighting together against a common threat (say a feral squig) immediately. Two orks who have grown up always fighting together might be bonded in a similar way to brothers, even though this would be colored by the everpresent orkish propensity for violence. Indeed, both orks might actually WANT to dominate the other, but be a bit worried that they were too evenly matched. Even an ork is loathe to take on another ork if he's not reasonably confident that he will be the victor. Two orks who share a long personal history, and who have experienced a great deal of success together, might consider each other 'best mates'.

For a bit more humor, you might even have the Mek have a Bionik Arm, having "donated" his arm to the Warboss (which is possible thanks to robust orkish physiology). That would actually make him the Boss's "Right Hand Man".

also just to add, i read that most ork spores are dropped when they are killed. even if they did find out who the ork they came from was, they couldn't and probably wouldn't even bother to find them

What if, when the spore pod was first growing, it fell onto a choppa and split in half. then being a plant, each half of the spore pod grew into two orks? maybe?

the only thing is that you have a Boss and a Mek both of whom would have different genetic dispositions, one being huge, the other having the genetic memory of machines thing. having them be related would be a little odd I guess, as they have very different DNA.

Make up some stories about the 2 young Orks getting into trouble/Solving Mysteries/Starting a Rock band?

Da Butcha wrote:*Snip*

Thanks for a very fun, informative and entertaining text! I think I will use your idea about them fighting side by side practically from birth, it makes things much less complicated than to start tampering with twins and such. Very nice post, if there was a like-button I would most deinitely press it!

yes, the two fighting side by side from birth is definitely better. Fluff wise and headache wise


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Even my Tyranid would be closer recognized as "brothers" than orks lol. It is very distinguishable where they are from.

Ork is killed, spores hit the ground (most likely dozens of orks in a couple of feet)

Spores grow and continue growing.

Eventualy "adolescent" ork comes into being.

I guess they look around and figure out what to do from there.

Ixias wrote:Yeah that's what I thought. What about the twin idea, is that feasible? Maybe I should post that in the fiction forum...

I like the idea of two ork "twins" ("Spore boyz"?) that grew from the same mutated spore...

Paint/model them so that one guy has scarred/mutilated skin on his left side and the other on his right side as if they had to tear themselves apart...

Lots of things could explain this mutation: radiation/mutation, the warping power of chaos, freak chance, etc.

Given that GW can't even keep their own fluff straight and change it anyways as often as the wind blows, I see no reason for fluff nazis to scream "No111" as if fluff is sacred...

CT GAMER wrote:

Ixias wrote:Yeah that's what I thought. What about the twin idea, is that feasible? Maybe I should post that in the fiction forum...

I like the idea of two ork "twins" ("Spore boyz"?) that grew from the same mutated spore...

Paint/model them so that one guy has scarred/mutilated skin on his left side and the other on his right side as if they had to tear themselves apart...

Lots of things could explain this mutation: radiation/mutation, the warping power of chaos, freak chance, etc.

Given that GW can't even keep their own fluff straight and change it anyways as often as the wind blows, I see no reason for fluff nazis to scream "No111" as if fluff is sacred...

That wouldnt work, not for what he is trying to do. He wants his mek and his warboss to be really close. If they were from the same spore they would have to be the same type of ork

xXSir MontyXx wrote:

CT GAMER wrote:

Ixias wrote:Yeah that's what I thought. What about the twin idea, is that feasible? Maybe I should post that in the fiction forum...

I like the idea of two ork "twins" ("Spore boyz"?) that grew from the same mutated spore...

Paint/model them so that one guy has scarred/mutilated skin on his left side and the other on his right side as if they had to tear themselves apart...

Lots of things could explain this mutation: radiation/mutation, the warping power of chaos, freak chance, etc.

Given that GW can't even keep their own fluff straight and change it anyways as often as the wind blows, I see no reason for fluff nazis to scream "No111" as if fluff is sacred...

That wouldnt work, not for what he is trying to do. He wants his mek and his warboss to be really close. If they were from the same spore they would have to be the same type of ork

I'm gonna point out that in a world of laser weapons, warp travel, psykers, daemons, chaos gods, warp anomalies,planet eating aliens and all other manner of silliness that it is quite possible to come up with a justification for such.

It is possible that through random chance the spore in question was that of an Ork that was to be a supreme specimen, an ork with mek aptitude but also considerable physical prowess. Obviously Ghaz and some of the other Ork special characters came from a spore, so consider this spore an example of similar exceptionality.

Now suppose said spore was dropped upon a daemon would under the reality changing influence of the warp itself (just for arguments sake). The power of the warp (perhaps at the whim of some bored daemon prince or even chaos god) altered/mutated/magicked the spore causing the forming Ork to be "torn in two" such that his mek aptitude coalesced in one half and his physical prowess in the other.

The Imperium should thank it's stars that this Ork was split into two because if he had formed as one individual he might have risen to be the greatest threat the Imperium had ever known...

Again this would make for a great modeling project with half of each deformed/scarred to represent the split.


In short: Anything is possible in the 40K universe. Likely? No, but not impossible (the warp makes reality irrelevant).

I think people are worrying way too much over nothing tbh...

CT GAMER wrote:*Snip long post*

Damn...when you put it like that, I really really want them to be twins! I will have to think this over. Friends are much easier to do, but how you described your twin idea is so much more epic! One a mek prodigy that builds shokk attack guns like other meks assemble sluggas, the other a physical fighter strong enough to wrestle a squiggoth! Ok maybe that's greatly exaggerated but I really, really like that idea.

Mr Nobody wrote:No

That is not a helpful post.

The moderators have been known to come down on people making that sort of post.

I apologize.

Ixias wrote:

CT GAMER wrote:*Snip long post*

Damn...when you put it like that, I really really want them to be twins! I will have to think this over. Friends are much easier to do, but how you described your twin idea is so much more epic! One a mek prodigy that builds shokk attack guns like other meks assemble sluggas, the other a physical fighter strong enough to wrestle a squiggoth! Ok maybe that's greatly exaggerated but I really, really like that idea.

I think it has a lot of story fluff potential:

1. Did chaos simply act as the agent-cause of the biological/physiological split or are they still (even slightly) tainted by chaos?

2. IS their relationship love-hate? Do they feud and bicker seeing the other as weaker/inferior half?

3. Do they complete each other's sentences or feel a psychic "bond" with each other like real world twins claim?

4. Does the Mek plot to find a way to reunite them perhaps using some "invenshun" he hopes to build?

I can see them as arguing one minute and then working together another. maybe they have wild mood swings or dreams due to seeing what the other sees or slip into weird states of dementia at times due to residual shared consciousness and the mental torment it causes, etc., etc.

Just some thoughts...

Heh, this thread was unintentionally informative! I did know that Orks come from spores, however, how do they evolve from there? Are they like plants, developing like a stalk and then growing ars and other body parts from there, or are they a formless pile of goo slowly becoming a fullblown badass ork?
Always wondered about that.

I think that orks tend to group together. After all, there are six distinct clans, plus some fuff would suggest that they definately can get to know eachother.

@CT GAMER: I fell in love with your "mutated by chaos"-idea. If you don't mind, I'm going to shamelessly steal it and modify it =)

Ixias wrote:@CT GAMER: I fell in love with your "mutated by chaos"-idea. If you don't mind, I'm going to shamelessly steal it and modify it =)

No problem.

CT GAMER wrote:

Ixias wrote:@CT GAMER: I fell in love with your "mutated by chaos"-idea. If you don't mind, I'm going to shamelessly steal it and modify it =)

No problem.

Cool! I'll work on writing something up, will post it when it's done (although that can take a good while).

Da Butcha wrote:For a bit more humor, you might even have the Mek have a Bionik Arm, having "donated" his arm to the Warboss (which is possible thanks to robust orkish physiology). That would actually make him the Boss's "Right Hand Man".

That... that's BRILLIANT!

Melissia wrote:

Da Butcha wrote:For a bit more humor, you might even have the Mek have a Bionik Arm, having "donated" his arm to the Warboss (which is possible thanks to robust orkish physiology). That would actually make him the Boss's "Right Hand Man".

That... that's BRILLIANT!

Indeed it is XD Can't believe I missed that earlier, I just HAVE to incorporate that!

CT GAMER wrote:

Ixias wrote:

CT GAMER wrote:*Snip long post*

Damn...when you put it like that, I really really want them to be twins! I will have to think this over. Friends are much easier to do, but how you described your twin idea is so much more epic! One a mek prodigy that builds shokk attack guns like other meks assemble sluggas, the other a physical fighter strong enough to wrestle a squiggoth! Ok maybe that's greatly exaggerated but I really, really like that idea.

I think it has a lot of story fluff potential:

1. Did chaos simply act as the agent-cause of the biological/physiological split or are they still (even slightly) tainted by chaos?

2. IS their relationship love-hate? Do they feud and bicker seeing the other as weaker/inferior half?

3. Do they complete each other's sentences or feel a psychic "bond" with each other like real world twins claim?

4. Does the Mek plot to find a way to reunite them perhaps using some "invenshun" he hopes to build?

I can see them as arguing one minute and then working together another. maybe they have wild mood swings or dreams due to seeing what the other sees or slip into weird states of dementia at times due to residual shared consciousness and the mental torment it causes, etc., etc.

Just some thoughts...

It nearly sounds like the 40k Ork equivelant of Twins . Want a Big Mek Danny Devito now.

But seriously though. It sounds like it has potential the way he wrote it.