There's a lot of information about history, culture and so on concerning Orcs, so this is why I've made a reasonably short guide.


Ganjola's Troll Guide: http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=9521240682&sid=1

Resources: http://www.wowwiki.com/ , experience and various guides I've read over the past.. months.
Reconmended and very detailed guide: http://www.wowwiki.com/How_to_roleplay_an_orc

Orcs. A negative name to most. Bah, savages! Barbarians! Brutes! They're evil, evil EVIL! This is of course wrong. The Orcs were once a noble and shamanistic race on Draenor, now called Outland. They were brown, didn't wear anything heavier than leather, hunted, traded with the Draenei.. all kinds of chill stuff.



Appearance

Males: Bulky, large, brutish, 250-300 pounds and 6-7 feet.
Females: Bulky, large, brutish, 200-250 pounds and 5,5 to 6,5 feet.

Hair: Dark brown, violet, dark blue, black
Eyes: Brown, blue, brown, red
Skin: Various variants of green, from olive to blue, from yellow to.. eye-damaging green. (non playable) Fel Orc red and uncorrupted-Orc brown.

Blue eyes, such as Thrall's, are a sign of great destiny. Do not get this unless you're to be a chieftain of a clan or something like that. Even I, Thar'grash Thunderfury, don't have blue eyes. Blood red they are.

Tattoos and scars are one of the things Orcs can be really really pride of, just look at it! Any Orc would be jealous of a tattoo which represents a slain demon, or a scar from said demon. At least.. I would.




Orcish names

Male; Khash, Burksh, Mokshak, Magrush, Tor'mosh
Female; Ungr'sha, Harkma, Morka, Sharkla, Ur'ma

Surnames suchs as Doomhammer and Hellscream are earned names. They are based upon a great dead or trait, and are sometimes taken over by the carrier's son or daughter.

Son/daughter of ?? is also used.



The most important Orcish way

Lok'tar ogar! Victory or death!
Better die a hero than live a coward.



Orcish expressions

Lok'tar ogar! - Victory or death!
Throm'ka. - Well met.
Aka'magosh. - A blessing on you and yours.
Zug-zug. - Okay, acknowledgement.


Dabu. - I obey.
Dae'mon. - Twisted soul.
Gol'kosh! - By my axe!
Kagh! - Run!
Lo'gosh. - Spirit wolf.
Lok-narash! - Arm yourselves.
Lok-regar. - Ready for orders.
Swobu. - As you command.



All good Orcs hate fel, but you must know why! (Besides of their horrible and dramatic past with the fel)

Fel is the purest form of Arcane, the most corrupt form, the most addictive form, the most powerfull form and the.. diabonical form. Fel casters say it's a euphoric experience. This is the ultimate drug, also the most evil one. Demons are to blame for bringing this foul thing to Azeroth. Fel magic corrupts the body and soul. It inevitably leads to corruption and hunger for power, the feeling to wield the power that only fel can provide, there are no 'good' warlocks, these are merely inexperienced or unknowing roleplayers. Hah! You can't trust anything that's green! Bleh.



Shamanism

"Everything that is, is alive."

Ah.. Shamanism. The spiritual backbone of every Orcish society! Unlike druids, shamans worship nature by worshipping the four elements. Wind, water, earth, fire ( life) and the spirits of their ancestors. Totems are a shaman's best friend, they carve purly drawings of spirits and animals in them, those that they wish to draw power from.

Orcish shamans focus more on the raw elements, probably due the Burning Legion luring them away from shamanism such a long time ago. The spirits of Oshu'gun, the mountain of spirits in the now so called 'Nagrand', were severely upset by this, and denied to acknowledge the Orcs and did not supply them with their strength anymore.


A conversation with Grommash Hellscream and Thrall concerning magic;


THRALL: Isn't magic magic?

GROM: Yes and no. Sometimes the effect is the same. For instance, if a shaman was to summon lightning to strike his foes, they would be burned to death. If a warlock was to summon hell's flames against an enemy, they would be burned to death.

THRALL: So magic is magic.

GROM: But lightning is a natural phenomenon. You call it by requesting it. With hell's fire, you make a bargain. It costs a little of yourself.

THRALL: But you said that the shamans were disappearing. Doesn't that mean that the warlock's way was better?

GROM: The warlock's way was quicker, more effective, or so it seemed. But there comes a time when a price must be paid, and sometimes, it is dear indeed.


A conversation with honourable Drek'thar and Thrall concerning the making of calls


DREK'THAR: The wolves are not tamed, not as you might understand the word. They have come to be our friends because I invited them. It is a part of being a shaman. We have a bond with the things of the natural world, and strive always to work in harmony with them. Warlocks would term them spells, but we shamans simply term them calls. We ask, the powers we work with answer. Or not, as they will. I can call the snows, and wind, and lightning. The trees may bend to me when I ask. The rivers may flow where I ask them to.

THRALL: If your power is so great, then why do you continue to live in such a harsh place? If what you are saying is true, you could turn this barren mountaintop into a lush garden. Food would never be difficult to come by, your enemies would never find you—

DREK'THAR (angrily): And I would violate the primary agreement with the elements, and nothing of nature would ever respond to me again! Do you understand nothing? Have the humans sunk their greedy talons in you so deeply that you cannot see what lies at the heart of a shaman's power? I am granted these things because I ask, with respect in my heart, and I am willing to offer something in return. I request only the barest needs for myself and my people. At times, I ask great things, but only when the cause is good and just and wholesome. In return, I thank these powers, knowing they are borrowed only, never bought. They come to me because they choose to, not because I demand it! These are not slaves, Thrall. They are powerful entities who come of their own free will, who are companions in my magic, not my servants. Pagh! You will never understand.



Quick tips for backgrounds

Younger than 7: Kalimdor is your birthplace.
Younger than 25: Orcish interment camp is your birthplace.
Age 27-31: Of age to have joined the Third War.
Older than 31: Draenor is your birthplace.
Older than 45: Of age to have joined the Second War.
Older than 50: Of age to have joined the Third War.
Age 55-69: Of age to have joined the Civil Wars on Draenor.
Older than 70: You were fully grown to see the start of the Civil Wars.
Older than 90: You were fully grown when your kin embraced the fel.

Fast history

The misery all started at roughly -100. Sargeras, creator and leader of the Burning Legion, former vanir titan, master of evil and demons, sended out his second in command, Kil'jaeden, an eredar demon lord, creator of the lich king, to chitchat with Ner'zhul, an Orcish shaman. Ner'zhul was corrupted by Kil'jaeden.. and thus begins the horror. He helped his own kin change into a savage and violent horde.

By the time it got through him, it was already -46! He cut his ties with Kil'jaeden. So, Kil'jaeden reached out for Ner'zhul's best and most powerfull apprentice, Gul'dan. Said Orc creates the infamous Shadow Council, in secret, created to give the bodies of Orcs demonic spirits to increase their power.

He convinces the Orcish race that the honourable shamanistic way is weak at -41! So, they all start worshipped demons like muppets. The fel made them become savage, green, .. green! The Mag'har were lucky, they were excluded from this due their red pox.

The first Horde has been made, it's now -40. A corrupted and brutal bunch they are.. Gul'dan even managed to convince them that the Draenei are planning on conquering Draenor. War breaks out.

21 years later, -19, the Orcs have conquered all inhabiting Draenor. They have nothing to conquer anymore, nothing to pester, but they have so much rage left! Anarchy is the new trend, and a civil war breaks out.

Medivh, a Human, the Oracle, the Last Guardian, the Prophet, the V.I.P., the one controlled by Sargeras, sends Gul'dan visions of the good-for-the-taking Azeroth. Together they open the Dark Portal, the gateway between Azeroth and Outland (Draenor). The Orcish and corrupted Horde now has a new common goal, and thus, it is re-established. This happened at -5.

Now is 0.. the Black Portal is now big enough for the Orcs to go through. A heap of Orcish scouts explore the first glimpses of Azeroth. A small outpost was contstructed in the marshlands, the Black Morass.

1, the first war begins, the horde pours through the Dark Portal! Orgrim Doomhammer, the new Warchief, the one were Orgrimmar was named after, sacks Stormwind 3 years later, in 4.

In 6, the Orcs become allied with the Forest Trolls and send out more reinforcements from Draenor. They start the second war, but they fail to win in the same year. The Dark Portal is destroyed, and Orcs were captured and put into Interment Camps. Only the Warsong and Frostwolves managed to evade this.

16, Thrall, our current warchief and leader, escapes Blackmoore. Blackmoore.. the leader of Durnholde keep, the Human that found Thrall in the wilds, the one that was killed by that very same slave, the drunkard, the abuser, .. The young Orc hears of the Warsong, they lived in freedom, they had a glorious leader, Grommash Hellscream. The two search for the Frostwolves in order to learn more of their heritage as valorous shamanistic warriors.

The Orcs were freed by Thrall and Grom in 23! Lok'tar, brethren! Old enough Orcs joined the new Horde.

24 was an unfortunate year.. Orgrim Doomhammer dies in battle .. Thrall becomes the new warchief of the Horde, and tells his kin about the forsaken shamanistic ways and culture of the olden days.

Medivh warns the Horde in 25 to travel west, to Kalimdor. Orgrimmar was founded, and Grommash Hellscream died a hero's death in battle against Mannoroth, the destructor, the flayer, pit lord, the one favoured by Kil'jaeden and Archimonde. Archimonde was the left hand of Sargeras, one of the greatest and darkest of the Eredar, an archdemon.

Grommash frees the Horde of the curse.

Grom: "I.. have freed myself."
Thrall: "No old friend, you've freed us all."

Exellent guide! Keep it up!

*plots to maybe write one about Trolls*

How to Interact with other races


Orcdom: Hah! Very honourable, lovely bunch.

Trollkind: Good, good friends. They live with us and all, we're kind of close buddies. Although.. that voodoo is strange. Thrall told them not to practice that, luckily!

Tauren: We're absolute soulmates! Honourable, shamanistic, peacefull, .. what more can you ask for? Well.. I wish that druidism part was cut out though, it can't be trusted. Shamanism is the only trustable way I think.

The Forsaken: Bleh. Rotting corpses.. what're they doing in those sewers? They fight without fear though, I like that!

The Sin'dorei: Err.. Arrogant, weak, pink, addicted, disgracive, lightboys, not worthy.


Mankind: Heheh, those pinkskins are pretty good fighters, they fight as a unit. They're still bad though, in their rush to embrace the light, they have missed the very point of it's existance.

Draenei: Oh dear.. are they still mad at us for what we did on Draenor? We know it was pretty bad, and no one wanted it to happen. Better be cautious.

Dwarves and Gnomes: Those little buggers cheat! They hide behind these steel.. things! Cowards.

The Kal'dorei: For every Night Elf you see, there are two you don't. Tricky, cunning, cowardish, purple and positive about their superiority. Hmmph!



Classes

Grunts:

You are a guard, hunter and footman of the Horde, bear your name with pride, Orc!


Shamans:

I am honoured to meet you wise shaman, please, pass your advice upon me. You want to aid me? They have angered you? Lok'tar ogar! Somewhere in the area, an unknowing warlock gets fried by lightning.


Rogues:

Pffft, rogue. You're the second lowest in rank, just above the filthy warlocks! You're lucky Thrall has uses for your clan of cowards.


Warlocks: A-a warlock! Look! Random muttering is to be heard. He's not even trying to hide it! Running around with his fancy robes and all.. is that a minion? LOK-NARASH!


Wolves:

Orcs and wolves are like stench and swines, unseperatable! We Orcs have made a special bond with these valorous, couragous, strong, honourable, loyal and.. amazing beasts..

Copied directly from http://www.wowwiki.com/How_to_roleplay_an_orc


The Doomhammer Archetype

The natural born leader of the orcish people, these orcs most always rise through the ranks to become high ranking raiders and strategists. This breed of orc would sooner give his life then see his fellow orc fall in battle. They are more combative then the Thrall personality, seeking to personally end the corruption of their people by force.
While unsure of Undead and blood elf allies, they remain calm and collected and keep their contempt for their new allies to themselves; most respect their leaders too much to speak out. However, they are not as pig-headed as the Grom archetype and believe that no matter the race everyone has the chance to be honorable.


The Thrall Archetype

This brand of orc is more diplomatic and understanding then any other orcish personality. They refuse to give into the racism and fear-mongering that brought their race into demonic corruption in the first place. They also refuse to believe that peace is unattainable and seek a day when the orcish people can finally have peace in their new home of Kalimdor.
They are more likely to embrace their new allies, believing that there is good in any race. Some of this archetype are gullible, others are very keen-minded; either way, this brand of orc is a product of the new generation born on Azeroth.


The Grom Archetype

The most pig-headed, hard-headed, brash archetype of orc, they are ripe for corruption despite the good nature of some of them. They are the first to voice their disagreement with something, and the first to resort to violence. They are short sighted, short tempered, distrust their new allies and do little to hide this fact. Usually when an orc has this attitude, they're either big enough to back it up, or they don't live long.


The Gul'dan Archetype

No sentient race is above corruption, and the orcs are obviously no exception to this rule. Those of the Gul'dan archetype are corrupters and manipulators. They appear like a civilized orc on the surface, though most are below average physically and don't seem to merit much threat. However, their true threat is their keen intellect that can easily outwit and manipulate others to their cause.

Reserved

Well, I think that was the last, Ganjola keeps beating me with these new subjects.

Allrighty, guilds that I know of for Orcs:

Thunderfury Clan (Orc)
The Worg Riders (Orc, Tauren, Troll)


The Thunderfury Clan is a clan I founded and now lead once more, it has a lot of history, the page is worth while checking http://www.sporeggar.info/The_Thunderfury_Clan.

As for the Worg Riders; http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=9416222453&sid=1


Hopefully this helps, feel free to contact me about Orc related bisuness!

Aka'magosh, friend!

Is my name scaring people from reading this guide like the Troll one, or are orcs just not interresting enough? ^.^

Grom Archetype eh? Good job I roleplay as Warsong :D

Looks like a nice guide.

Thrall type seems more fit to me as Angra is a youth as an Orc

I like this! It's pretty inspiring. - Foune

I'm glad you people liked it, and hopefully, this will have a slight impact on this server's Orcs, a very slight that is.. The situation will improve.

Always good for someone to help the orcish population.Specially since most of the horde are now the annoying elves.And you didn't say much about Orc Hunters which is a shame since we are the most agile form of hunter there is.

Ah, a pleasure to read... I really don't use these forums enough, even though I should.
You definitely have the approval of Luhaalo, however. By the way, I have some additions on Orcish guilds from Argent Dawn (EU):
The Shattered Hand Clan. ( Warrior and Rogue Orcs mainly. )
The Bloodpaw Clan. ( The Alpha Dog - Largest. )
The Stormreaver Clan. ( Evil )

Thank you,
Luhaalo "Nethermane" Kodosong!

There's a pretty nifty theory on WoWWiki (I like it, anyway) that Orcs rarely tell anyone their full name, and that using an Orc's full name when you do not have any form of power over them (i.e. a Shaman, Clan Chieftain etc.) would be greeted with a smack in the face (and all nearby Orcs would gasp and point), followed by a hearty battering.

In other words, it's a sign of authority to use an Orc's full name.

Just thought it might interest someone.

Edit: And a thumbs up for helping out the Orcs. It was mentioned on guild chat recently that someone saw an Orc saying "Me smash silly Blood Elf for not comprehending" or some such. It baffles me that anyone would be able to say "comprehending" but not "I'm going to smash you".

Edit 2: The theory is actually in the War of the Ancients book. Brox introduces himself to Tyrande as Broxigar, because he views her as a Shaman. When Malfurion calls him Broxigar, he says:

"The shaman may call me Broxigar. To you... only Brox."