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Hi Chaps,

So I was reading a story within the RT era 'Waaarghh Da Orks' book which related to a minor Ork klan named 'Da White Spiders'. They are an offshoot of the Snakebites who poisoned themsleves with spiders rather than snakes as an initiation ritual.

Now it is unclear whether these were just a household, a whole tribe, or an actual Klan as we now understand it encompassing multiple tribes on this world.

However, when discussing Ork Klans (in the same book I think) it clearly states that their are many minor Klans other than the big six (i.e. Snakebites, Goffs, Evil Suns, Deathskulls, Bad Moons and Blood Axes) that crop up especially in isolated populations of Orks.

So to my question, have you read any other background stories regarding other minor Ork klans or do you have any ideas about what other minor Klans would be like?

Cheers
Kroem

Kroem wrote:
Hi Chaps,

So I was reading a story within the RT era 'Waaarghh Da Orks' book which related to a minor Ork klan named 'Da White Spiders'. They are an offshoot of the Snakebites who poisoned themsleves with spiders rather than snakes as an initiation ritual.

Now it is unclear whether these were just a household, a whole tribe, or an actual Klan as we now understand it encompassing multiple tribes on this world.

However, when discussing Ork Klans (in the same book I think) it clearly states that their are many minor Klans other than the big six (i.e. Snakebites, Goffs, Evil Suns, Deathskulls, Bad Moons and Blood Axes) that crop up especially in isolated populations of Orks.

So to my question, have you read any other background stories regarding other minor Ork klans or do you have any ideas about what other minor Klans would be like?

Cheers
Kroem

Each of the Clans seems to embody a particular aspect of the Ork Psyche, not dissimilar to how Aspect Warriors of the Eldar embody aspects of Khaine. This makes a surprising amount of sense given that both were created by the Old Ones to fight the Necrons. For example, Bad Moons embody the Gold is Power aspect of the Orks' Might Makes Right culture, in that if you have the teef for it, all the power can be yours. Goffs embody raw Orkiness, fighting, krumping and fighting. Deathskulls again embody the Might Makes Right system of "If you can steal it and stop others taking it, you're the rightful owner." Evil Suns embody the need for speed. Etc.

One key difference between Aspect Warriors and Klans is that Klans provide Ork society with an evolutionary purpose, and serve a function other than personal fulfillment. For example, Snakebites do the farmwork, rounding up Grots, Squigs and Snotlings, education and history. Bad Moons provide a constantly competitive economy and force Orks to continually work to improve their weaponry, because there's always some git with a face fulla teef who'll be down to Big Lugs for that Kustom Shoota if they don't buy it first. Blood Axes are common source of Stormboyz, who are the most static and rigid of Orks, and provide a young, confused Ork the correct indoctrination and purpose to become a full-fledged killing machine, thus stomping out any nothing of passivity of laziness. Deathskulls are miners and bring fresh materials to the war machine, while also keeping the population on their guard, meaning they're unlikely to be caught off-guard by surprise attacks. Finally, Goffs remind everyone that at the end of the day, Orks do one thing and one thing only, and that's fight and krump and Waaaagh! and also that Bigga is Bestest!


So, a minor Klan? Maybe one with a focus on Mekboys, to keep the Ork's technologically innovative? Or one that focuses on Wierdboyz and keeps them connected to the Waaagh! energy

Yes I see your point about the Klans each serving Ork society in different ways rather than being a haphazard collection of ideas. That is interesting and I hadn't really considered it before.

As for minor klans, I have only one example right now, i.e. Da White Spiders, so it is difficult to figure out what GW had in mind when they wrote about them.

Da White Spiders only seem to differ from the Snakebites in terms of ritual and cultural/social practice. Although, as the story relates how a White Spiders Warboss is negotiating with a painboy for a bionic leg, they also seem to have a more favourable outlook toward technology than some of the more fundamental Snakebites.

It is possible that in isolated populations of Orks the requirements of their society change, therefore the emphasis of the major klans could shift to accommodate and adapt to this new environment. If isolated for long enough in a specialised environment perhaps these differences could become so great that a minor klan forms.

An example that occurred to me is perhaps somewhere in the galaxy there is a ancient gas giant with colossal crumbling space stations, built in the dark age of technology, that silently skim the clouds harvesting He-3 for some ancient and arcane process. Amongst these floating islands roving bands of Orks, the heirs of some long forgotten waargh, scrape out an existence in the rolling clouds.

In this environment the usual Evil Sons temperament would have little outlet (neither the space or tech level for cars), but I could see Orks who enjoy speed gravitating toward jet packs and flying machines, maybe even gliders! Slowly their culture changes from valuing pure speed and noise to valuing pulse pounding acrobatics and 'falling with style'.
The bravest of Orks would show off by performing insanely dangerous stunts as close to the floating stations as they could.

This is what I imagine minor klans are supposed to represent. Not a completely new and different ideology, but the smaller adaptations and changes to the main Ork klans that is inevitable in a galaxy a massive as the Milky Way.

I nk the intention for things like the White Spiders was the same as the intention behind mentions of Craftworld Lugganath, lesser Tyranid Hive fleets and the many and various SPace Marine Chapters and Imperial Guard regiments that only exist as a name; to allow you room to add something to your "canon".

Also, Waaagh! The orks was the very first book to introduce the Ork Clans (One of the few Ork words not spelled with a "K", for obvious reasons ) and tribes; Bill King, Bryan Ansell and Nigel Stillman were literally making this stuff up as they went along, so it's not surprising that some things didn't survive. It could have been as simple as there being no room for a White Spiders army list in 'Ere We Go or Freebooterz.

Every clan has different ways of working. They have different goals and different ways of achieving them. This is why orks are split into two usual but different styles. You have the kunning but brutal, and the brutal but kunning. Some favor brutal tactics with cunning reinforcement, and others have cunning tactics with brutal enforcement. In nerd reality, they're kinda hard genetically encoded as to the way they function. That's why you have tribes that are purely savages, while others are full of mek boyz filled to the brim with all sorts of tech. Those are not the norm, though. Usually, at some point, someone from within or without finds the orks and leads them towards some goal.
Orks always have goals, even if they're just to beat the hell out of other orks in the area.
From there they grow and grow, and based on their genetic programming they wind up based on some sort of warfare. Be it brute force or machine based,you have everything in the world to work with. Make it yours. If you really want to enforce the spider aspect, you can get warhammer fantasy models of goblins riding spiders. That should be a great jumping off point!

One of the few Ork words not spelled with a "K"

Haha yea I didn't think about that, we don't want any Grand Wizards getting lost now do we...

Warhammer 40k wiki seems to have both spellings so I'm not the only one not to notice the connection though!

If you really want to enforce the spider aspect

I think they are cool, but I'm not the one who created them. The White Spiders come from a story called 'The Spider Temple' in the 1990 'Waaargh the Orks' book for Rogue Trader.

I was hoping minor clans were mentioned in other GW literature, but seeing as no one has pointed out any other instances of them appearing I guess not.

As AndrewGPaul said, I suppose the minor Ork clans must have disappeared as the editions have rolled by.