Ogre Kingdoms

A bunch of lards being dudes.

"Welcome to Flavortown."

– Guy Fieri

"The gluttons dig their own graves with their teeth."

– James Howell

"I'll take a double triple bossy deluxe, on a raft, 4x4 animal style. Extra shingles with the shimmy and a squeeze, light axle grease, make it cry, burn it, and let it swim."

– The average Ogre order when they go out to eat

"No voice in our ears but the Maw
We relish the sound of its call
We’ll plunder and feast on any man, any beast
Doesn’t matter, we’ll snack on them all

The stragglers we didn’t consume
Are chucked in our sacrifice stew
They scream and they run
But that’s part of the fun
‘Cause the Ogres are coming to get ya!

Oh, Ogres, Ogres
Chomping on meats
Filling our guts with our struggling treats
Tearing, chewing
We kill for the Maw
The power and grub’s what we’re doing it for!
Crunching and biting
We kill for the Maw
The power and grub’s what we’re doing it for!"

– The Ogres' trailer music from Total War: Warhammer III

The Ogre Kingdoms are a faction in Warhammer Fantasy, although it's really more of a geographical term than a political term, as Ogres in WFB aren't really "united" in any rational sense. In fact, they're spread out across the Warhammer World, some making up tribes that, in turn, make up the "kingdoms," whereas others serve as mercenaries for other factions (although there's not really an in-game way to represent this as of now).

Ogres used to live in the Warhammer World's equivalent to Mongolia, but they were driven away by the arrival of the Great Maw, some sort of literal giant maw that stuck into the ground and makes Ogres really, really hungry. They began to move westwards, ending up in the massive Mountains of Mourn to the east of the Dark Lands (which, in turn, is east of the Old World). These would eventually become known as the Ogre Kingdoms, but Ogres are continuing to move west, working for some forces and invading (and eating) others.

History

Pre-Chaos

Way back in the early days of the world, the Old Ones knew that Chaos was approaching and they feverishly worked to find a way to prevent it by engineering a race capable of fighting Daemons and winning. They created Lizardmen to aid them as servants, and set to work first creating an environment to place the race in to live up to its full potential, then study them and decide if they were a success. First they made the Elves, who were too slow to reproduce and too frail to survive prolonged war. Then the Dwarfs, who were incapable of using magic and too rigid in their culture to change fast enough to adapt to Daemon trickery. Then they created Humans, who were too corruptible. At this point the Old Ones began panicking, and created a bunch of races (so everyone who isn't one of the main groups) all of which were flawed in one way or another (the Halflings of the Moot are in fact prototype Ogres). Finally, they produce the Ogres. At first they seemed to have all the desirable traits the old ones were looking for. They were as adaptable and fast breeding as man, able to survive all but the harshest of conditions, resistant to mutation, long lived, fairly intelligent, and they could eat just about anything. The Ogres were a half-finished race, though, as the old ones had yet to curb the creature's intense hunger. At this point, the Warp Gates collapsed preventing the Old Ones from distributing the ogres and using them as soldiers. As such, Ogres, despite being the race theoretically capable of fighting Chaos and winning, were left without the means or knowledge of how to do so. Also, ogres are huge, like, REALLY huge, so them being really hungry is a lot more of a problem than you'd think.

Great Maw

"The feast is OVER! There's no more food! Go home and - wait, no put me down!!!!"

– Cathayan Emperor, finally sick of the Ogre's nearly eating his empire under the table

Ogres initially lived in tribes, which wandered the steppes of Warhammer Mongolia following nomadic giant animals which they ate whole. This kept them happy for thousands of years. But as the numbers of the Ogres increased, their half-completed environment was unable to support them. They began attempting to cross the passes that lead to the other races of the world. Nearest them was the Humans of Cathay, AKA Warhammer China. Ogres learned stone-age technology such as "fire" and "wheels" from the Cathayans, and for the first time tasted the meat of intelligent beings: and it was FUCKING DELICIOUS. The Emperor of Cathay, who was apparently an immortal dragon god, used his magic and the mages of his court to pull a mysterious creature from space down into the middle of the Ogre lands where it promptly pulled a Tunguska. Said impact reverberated through the world, with all races feeling the shock (Dwarfs everywhere carved Malachite murals of the event, menacing with spikes of Cat Bone. Elves wrote a sonnet about it, which is actually a metaphor for why Dwarfs are short. Humans made up a myth about a hero fucking the Earth God Ishneros bareback). The impact wiped out 2/3 of the Ogre race instantly, and the comet reached the molten core of the world. The land of the Ogres was destroyed, burned to a crisp and rendered mostly lifeless. The survivors of the Ogres believed that they had been punished by an angry god for their sins (what they think those sins were varies from group to group) and they came to worship the giant crater as the physical manifestation of their God. Somehow, this also caused an unnatural hunger for every Ogre that could not be sated. This came to be the basis for their ENTIRE culture, and also lead to the current "fatty boy" look of their race. Natural selection came into play as the weak were eaten by the strong. The only Ogres that survived this dark era were absolute fucking badasses with skin that could stop cannonballs and muscles underneath that could crack said cannonballs (cannonball soup makes a great pre-cannon team barbeque dish by the way). With tribes consuming themselves into oblivion and survivors being fed on by larger tribes without end as Ogres could never feel satisfied, Ogres had to find new lands and new meats. Cathay was blocked by natural barriers, so westward they went, tribe by tribe.

An Ogre named Groth Onefinger stepped forth and lead his tribe to the site of impact of the comet. The areas surrounding the hole were dangerous enough to kill even the hardened Ogres, and those that survived found that the pit wasn't just a hole. It was a pit, surrounded by muscle and rimmed by teeth. It had no discernible end. It was alive and the dangers around it were simply its intake of breath and respiration. Since that day, Ogres no matter where in the world they were born return at some point in their lives to visit the Great Maw, and all Ogres worship it as their deity and adorn their crafts in images of it.

War in the Sky

The Ogres became the first race in the setting to cross the natural boundaries of the Old Ones. They carved their way through impassible mountains and ascended the heights, finding new beasts to eat. Ones that were just as capable of eating them, but regardless still new flesh. Ogres once again passed through a challenge that consumed the weakest of their race, strengthening the survivors and their descendants. In the frozen wastes, everything was capable of preying on Ogres, and tribes couldn't rest or take shelter without being consumed to the last. The Ogres that managed to reach the tops of the peaks found rolling hills of a more temperate climate, where enormous herds of succulent mammoths were tended by their cousins, the Skytitans. The Skytitans had a great civilization on top of what is now the Ancient Giant Lands, only descending the bottom when tending to their herds, and carved fortresses and artwork worthy of Elves and Dwarfs into the peaks. The Ogres initially preyed on the herd animals, which were powerful enough that an entire tribe was needed to kill one (and an entire tribe could find themselves feasting for a longer time than thought possible). The Skytitans didn't take kindly to the Ogre invasion of their lands, and fought a war to render the dwindled race extinct. The weapons of war and magics of the Skytitans slew most of the Ogre race in what came to be known as the War in the Sky, but in the end the dwindled Ogres still outnumbered the Skytitans hundreds to one and the isolated, singular lifestyle of the Skytitans prevented them from uniting, resulting in each Skytitan being besieged and eaten (often alive) in his own home by packs of vermin-like Ogres. Soon most of the race was consumed, the last of the Skytitans having become so large and hardened (as Skytitans grew larger and tougher as they aged) that they were indistinguishable from the mountains themselves, with small numbers of survivors banding together and setting sail on fortresses built on the tops of solidified clouds, but where they went and if they survived the journey is unknown. Some Skytitans fled to other lands on foot, most of them devolving and inbreeding into the current Giants: monsters that dwell the hills looking for battle and food (in that order), with no art or culture to speak of, and oftentimes goaded (often with large quantities of alcohol) to march alongside Beastmen, Greenskins, and Chaos devotees.

The victorious Ogres enslaved the Skytitan's children, consumed the mammoth herds of the Skytitans, destroyed their fortresses and covered up ancient carvings depicting the Old Ones and their wisdom with grease paintings (literally, paints made of grease and charcoal from cooking fires) depicting great meals eaten by Ogre tribes. The magical radiation that the Great Maw had sent into the atmosphere made the mountain tops dangerous, and with the depletion of most of the Skytitan's mammoth herds, most Ogres continued westward. Those that stayed turned feral, grew fur, and became Yeti (called "Yhete" in Warhammer). With the mass cannibalism that followed the comet impact leaving only the strong and the War in the Sky killing off those who weren't strong enough to survive the massive war, this back to back double whammy meant that the men and women of the Ogres became even more powerful as only the toughest bastards and bitches managed to live through.

Modern Day

The Ogres ascended the peaks of the Giants and found themselves in the Mountains of Mourn. Here, they found more animals than they had ever dreamed of. They found Dwarfs (who believe a mountain made of solid gold is found somewhere in the Mountains of Mourn, and thus keep attempting to invade), greenskins, Skaven, and Humans. Ogres kept some Goblins as pets and bred (and ate) them, and within a few generations they wound up creating a new race of servile greenskins called Gnoblars. Ogres managed to push the semi-intelligent beings who originally inhabited the Mountains of Mourn (called Dragon Ogres) entirely out, leaving them confined to the Chaos Wastes. They also drove out Beastmen who had begun to dwell in the lower peaks.

Ogres carved their own territory in these lands out, and Ogre tyrants became more permanent fixtures of tribal rule rather than simply "biggest loudest guy who was still alive in the morning". They fought off any threats that came to the Ogres, among them a Daemon invasion (leading some Ogres to develop a taste for them) and a giant living glacier that the Ogres battled during a particularly bad winter (allegedly living anyway). When Orc slaves managed to escape the Chaos Dwarfs into the Mountains of Mourn, they fought with the Ogres for land and eventually found their way into valleys beyond the notice of the Ogres where they began to build their numbers. At one point the Skaven attempted to invade the Ogres. The resulting battles almost led to extinction among the Skaven, as the Ogres found their way into the tunnels and developed a taste for them.

The tribes expanded, and true diplomacy was born. Eventually some tribes discovered that there was greater gains to be had by being amicable to the smaller races than simply eating them outright (asking yearly tributes from multiple villages on a cycle gave more meat than just eating all of them and if the villagers get uppity you could have farmer steak and your wife could have seamstress soup to remind the survivors of their place, plus actually honoring the protection racket can provide ample foes to make delicious Greenskin sausage, Beastman kebab and Undead jerky), and Ogres spread throughout the world as mercenaries to be hired by anyone who had goods they could convince the Ogres had some value, and edible foes.

Ogres, by the nature of their creation, are resistant to the effects of the Warp, and of magic. Despite this many ended up swearing themselves to Chaos for different reasons, be it the hedonistic encouragements of Slaanesh, the encouragement for slaughter and trophy-taking by Khorne, the similarity between themselves and the servants of Nurgle as well as the camaraderie of being part of a tribe that will never turn on itself (besides backstabbing the leader, but that's just par for the course), or the fact Tzeentch will either do the thinking for them so they can just focus on what they do best or give them spiffy mutations like extra mouths so they can eat even more. Warriors of Chaos make use of the Ogres as living siege weapons, while the Ogres make use of the Warriors as playthings and snacks. But Ogres are a neutral race, just as likely to learn to read and write (at a very basic level) so they can peruse wanted posters in the Empire for bandits and vampires, all of which make lovely snacks with the bonus that the Ogre ends up with a decent amount of gold at the end with which he can purchase the clothes of an Empire nobleman (fitted about twenty sizes up) with which to dress himself so he can dine with polite society. Sometimes ON polite society if he's lucky enough to be challenged to a duel while there. Still others sail the world, becoming pirates and devouring sea monster and crew (and ship) alike depending on who they cross paths with. Still others find employ amongst High Elves, being studied by mages of Saphery between battles against Dark Elves. Some wander Athel Loren, growing moss from their backs and their skin hardening like bark until they're indistinguishable from treekin themselves. Other Ogres are even employed by said Dark Elves, who were so impressed by their capacity for brutal violence they recruited Ogres instead of enslaving them. Ogres today can be found amongst any group in the world, doing whatever they can, always eating, always looking for more. Sometimes individually, sometimes in groups.

During the End Times the Ogre Kingdoms were taken over by the Orcs under Grimgor Ironhide and joined his Beast WAAAAGH! after Ironhide defeated the last Overtyrant, Greasus Goldtooth. They invaded Cathay and later took part in the last stand against Chaos in a losing effort.

Age of Sigmar

Now named "Ogors" (because trademark), they exist in the mortal realms as the Ogor Mawtribes. They are largely the same, barring the division of units into “Gutbusters” (on-foot regular ogres and gnoblars) and “Beastclaw Raiders” (hunters and snowy monsters).

Regions

• Mountains of Mourn: Most Ogres are found in the Mountains of Mourn, considered their homeland. Those that wander or make their homes in other lands return, or send representatives, to tell their stories which usually results in some Ogres leaving the homeland and joining them. Sometimes this results in an entire tribe living outside the Mountains of Mourn, but inevitably they will seek contact again with their kin. This is the primary method through which they expand across the globe. The Mountains themselves change constantly, as they are constantly bathed in radiation from the Warp. Many dangerous animals wander the Mountains. To smaller races, these are dangerous beasts worthy of a small Crusade of Bretonnian knights, or a party of High Elf White Lions of Chrace, or a hunting party of Strigoi and ghouls. To Ogres, it's either a single meal or a pet. The largest of them are at best mounts. The mountains themselves are full of caves and tunnels that lead to everything from portals to the Warp to Dwarf Fortresses, to greenskin WAAAGH!s in formation, and things ancient and unknowable beyond these; all of which are great sources of meals. Half the peaks are volcanic, half sub arctic. All bother Ogres as much as a bit of rain or sun. Mount Thug is notable in the range for actually being alive, and Ogres have a great deal of respect for those who escape being eaten or crushed by it as they scale its peaks to feed on the bloated animals that live in spaces Mount Thug can't reach. The Fire Mouth is an active volcano with periodic eruptions nearby the greatest concentrations of Ogres, and they believe it's the bastard offspring of the sun and the Great Maw. The Firebellies are a cult that worship this "god" which they believe is the wargod of the Ogre pantheon. Each Kingdom is ruled by a Tyrant, and his domain extends literally as far as he can see at his place of dwelling. Tyrants as such place a big deal of importance on thrones and hills. Tyrants that manage to gain control of important sites, like the passes that lead to the Great Maw or out to the western kingdoms face constant challenges from other Tyrants, and reap the rewards of demanding tribute (often food, sometimes a percentage of the Ogre pilgrims in the group as meat).

• Challenge Stone: A large stone found at the northernmost edge of the Mountains of Mourn and the southernmost edge of the Chaos Wastes. When held by the Warriors of Chaos, it is fought over and rededicated from one Chaos God to another. When held by Ogres, they fight to inscribe their tribe symbol on the stone for bragging rights the world over. The two sides CONSTANTLY fight over the stone. Currently controlled by the Bloodmaw tribe after they beat the shit out of a Chaos force, culminating in their Tyrant slaying a Chimera and the Chaos warlord riding it in three blows.

• The World: Seriously. They're fucking everywhere.

• Nippon: Apparently, a group of Ogres called Oni live within Nippon. It is unknown if that is just their given name by the locals, or if they are another Ogre subspecies such as Yetis and Gorgers.

Tribes

Ogre tribes are numerous, and constantly changing. Most are named for a notable Ogre in them, or a characteristic common to members. Ogres are not the kind to trace lineages or politics outside their own generation, and as such tribes are a mark of the present rather than past or future (some tribes do manage to defy this, existing across multiple generations. This is a rarity). Tribes change locations, even within its Tyrant's own kingdom, constantly. Memories of the coming of the Great Maw still exist, and it's within the imagination of Ogres that it could happen again one day. As such, Ogres are mostly nomadic and their possessions are few and easily packed. The most valuable thing to an Ogre is his tribe's Mawtooth, a single great tooth and flag which at gatherings of their kind is arranged with others in a circle, making an effigy of their god.

• Goldtooth: A tribe lasting across multiple generations, known to be the wealthiest. Currently led by Greasus Goldtooth(that's Tradelord Greasus Tribestealer Drakecrush Gatecrasher Hoardmaster Goldtooth the Shockingly Obese to you, peasant!). Known for elaborate displays of wealth, like feeding other tribes and blinging out their gutplates. Goldtooths are known for having a large number of Ironguts, and are the most feared tribe.

• 

  Goldtooth symbol.

• Thunderguts: Known for rampaging through the lands of the Old World and taking over towns or taking hostages, then demanding food as payment. They usually end up either demanding more and more, or eating their hostages. Greenskins and Empire humans alike fear them greatly.

• 

  Thunderguts symbol.

• Crossed Clubs: Known for producing more Maneater mercenaries than other tribes. Also for lying constantly about everything they do, making up tall tales of glory. Each veteran (veterans themselves being a rarity amongst Ogres) wears gear obtained in their travels and proudly displays trophies earned, making them a rather motley crew of clashing colors and gearschemes (obviously the tribe designed for the greenstuff addict in mind).

• 

  Crossed Clubs symbol.

• The Sons of the Mountain: Living on one of the tallest and coldest peaks in the Mountains of Mourn, the Sons of the Mountain tribe are wealthy from trading the meat, pelts, and ivory of creatures that live only in their home. Many Yhete are found amongst them, and the Ogres of the Sons of the Mountain paint themselves entirely in white paint and dwell amongst the beasts they hunt directly.

• 

  Sons of the Mountain symbol.

• The Feastmasters: Known a generation ago for producing high quality meals (for a portion of the feast), the current Tyrant Blaut Feastmaster captured Halflings from the Moot in his travels. To this day, Halflings fill the role for Feastmasters that Gnoblars fulfill for most tribes. As a result, the Feastmaster cooking has improved greatly.

• 

  Feastmaster symbol.

• The Rock Skulls: The toughest tribe of Ogres, who are known best for the skill of breaking boulders with their heads (apparently a big deal among Ogres). They're also known for being fairly unintelligent. When Skarsnik the Goblin waged his great wars against the Dwarfs, he brought the entire Rock Skull tribe with him as support. In negotiations with the Goblins for what they were willing to pay for the support of the tribe, he convinced the Rock Skulls to instead pay HIM for them to fight.

• 

  Rock Skulls symbol.

• The Blood Guzzlers: Inhabit the areas of the Mountains of Mourn known to host more giant spiders than anywhere else in the world. That's...pretty much it. They eat spiders.

• 

  Blood Guzzlers symbol.

• The Ironskins: Physically powerful Ogres that wear black gutplates. Known for taking massive numbers of captives, and not eating them, they trade freely with the Chaos Dwarfs, and their Tyrant rides a mechanical mount given to him to provide better ties between the two groups.

• 

  Ironskin symbol.

• Lazarghs: The single oldest tribe, descended from Groth Onefinger himself. Live closest to the ancient Giant lands, most have mutated in various (non-Chaos) ways and cover themselves with cloaks. Their teeth fall out often, leading them to simply jab black jagged rocks directly into their gums, horrifying even the toughest, most scarred Ogres. They carry bells, and hang them to mark the pass to the Great Maw.

• 

  Lazargh symbol.

• The Mountaineaters: Recently, an Ogre named Bauldig Mountaineater conquered every challenge Ogres had to offer him. Climbed Mount Thug, fought every beast, and destroyed Bigstride Peak by burrowing in and eating the heart of that mountain. A tribe of fanboys and groupies gathered to him, each eating rocks and dwelling in caves. The only meat they eat comes from subterranean races like goblins, Dwarfs, and Skaven.

• 

  Mountaineater symbol.

• The Eyebiters: A clan that controls a series of desolate passes leading to and from many of the Ogre lands. They demand large tributes from any who pass through, and raid all settlements and hunt all monsters within their range. The Tyrant of the Eyebiters has fathered more children to grow into adulthood than any Ogre.

• 

  Eyebiters symbol.

• Tribe of Shrewd Fulg: A tribe of Ogres scared shitless of showing the barest hint of rebellion against their Tyrant, Shrewd Fulg, despite him being old and hunchbacked. Why? Because Shrewd Fulg is a spiteful slaver who trades his own tribesmembers to the Skaven of Clan Moulder to mutate into Rat Ogres. Even his own bodyguards don't dare to fart in his vicinity.

Army

Characters

• Greasus Goldtooth: The current Overtyrant of the Ogres in the Mountain of Mourn. Gained leadership of his tribe after killing and eating his own father in a pit fight.

• Golgfag Maneater: The greatest Ogre mercenary alive, and the one all others are named after. He earned renown fighting against the Dwarfs in the World Edge Mountains, eating, fighting and robbing his way into notoriety. At first fighting against the dwarfs of Karak Kadrin, then for them after pissing off his Orc employer by drinking all the booze, then robbing the Dwarf King blind, after they paid him. Golgfag got locked up by those same dwarfs later. He impressed Ungrim Ironfist by eating everyone else in the dungeon but his oldest friend(who still lost a leg). Ungrim wept that such a majestic creature was being imprisoned and ordered his release. His rap sheet includes: looting on Ulthuan, being decorated by Karl Franz, coining the Ogre slang word for Knights as "Tinned Food", making and losing countless fortunes, and downing more of the dwarfs' most prized beer then most of them have even seen. He's so famous that his title of Maneater has become the word for all Ogre Mercenaries. Golgfag got the title after eating his human paymaster and making off with the gold chests. Despite the name he'll eat anything like any other Ogre, though he especially likes halfling. Golgfag leads the renowned and rather imaginatively named mercenary band "Golgfag's Maneaters".

• Bragg The Gutsman: Traveling bruiser and executioner. As a young Ogre Bragg found he had a talent for killing shit, naturally knowing where to swing for the best results. Bragg was a fairly average brusier until he forged his signature weapon "Great Gutgouger" from the magical axes of a Black Orc Warboss he killed, which increased his killing ability tenfold. What made him infamous however was his discovery that he could cut around other Ogre's gutplates disemboweling them. Ogres are scared shitless of him because of this, since Ogres' guts are sacred to them and Ogre anatomy means its a long, nearly irreversible and agonizing death as their guts unravel after being disemboweled. Bragg realized he had a good thing going, and left his tribe to go solo, taking his one man murder show on the road seeking battle. He is welcomed by all tribes to fight alongside them thanks to his killing ability, but feared and hated as he inevitably cuts someone from that same tribe open for challenging him, at which point he gets kicked out. Bragg isn't bothered one bit, happily leaving to do it all over again somewhere else. He can't become a Tyrant since no Ogres are willing to follow him thanks to his grim reputation, even if he kills the old one. He wears a black hood like some human executioners, figuring if he's got a fierce reputation, might as well make the most of it.

• Skrag the Slaughterer: The Great Prophet of the Great Maw. Viciously attached to his back is a giant pot, which he fills with enemies AS HE FIGHTS. What he misses is grabbed by Gnoblars in service directly to him (ranking them above even common Ogres) and put into the pot. He was the head Slaughtermaster of the Rockgrinder tribe. He angered the Tyrant by cooking their favorite Gnoblar and serving it to him at a feast. In retribution the Tyrant hacked off and ate both of Skrag's hands, had his pot chained to his body, then cast him into tunnels even Ogres feared. He immediately impaled his former cooking tools into his stumps, and set forth. Long forgotten Gorgers attacked him, and they found themselves hacked up and in his pot. After dicing up their leader, the Gorgers followed him as if members of a tribe he leads. He found himself reaching the surface through a cavern none of the Gorgers had ever seen before. He and his followers set upon the tribe, killing and feasting on them all. Upon putting the finishing touches on a lovely dish made entirely out of the former Tyrant, his wounds sans his missing hands healed and his pot and cooking implements were strengthened with the magic of the Great Maw. Now a tribeless Ogre, Skrag wanders the lands of the Ogres joining in battles whenever he can. Welcomed by all, he not only turns the tide of battle but also prepares and cooks the resulting corpses with great skill.

• Shrewd Fulg: An old and irritable tyrant who sells his own kind to Skaven to make into Rat Ogres in return for having Clan Moulder back his rule. His tribe appears in Total War Warhammer 3, but he doesn't appear, opting to lead from behind the scenes as he is old and hunchbacked. Instead, his henchman Targog is who you speak to during diplomacy and who you fight in battles.

• Braugh the Slavelord: Braugh was once a prisoner to a Necromancer, but he escaped his bonds, found the Necromancer in a coffin, beat him to death with a chair and skinned him. Afterwards he celebrated by eating half the Necromancer's other captives and taking the rest as slaves, but then he discovered something very interesting. The magic of the Necromancer lingered on in a set of chains; Braugh now uses those chains to cast spells as a Wizard and bind his slaves' souls so that if they die, they come back as a Zombie. This allows him to make a very profitable living as both a slave trader and a spellslinger-for-hire.

Generic Characters

• Tyrant: The head of an Ogre tribe. Rules by virtue of his ability to defeat challengers, and reputation. Anyone can challenge the Tyrant for his position in a fight without gutplates where the loser is eaten alive. These fights are the most common form of entertainment for Ogres. Tyrants have the best gear, the most names, and most children of any Ogre in a given tribe.

• Bruisers: The subordinates of the Tyrants, and oftentimes future Tyrants come from their ranks. They can do anything they want so long as it doesn't offend the Tyrant or their fellow Bruisers. Like the Tyrant, Bruisers can be challenged to one on one combat. The winner eats the loser, and attains the rank of Bruiser.

• Slaughtermaster/Butcher: The priesthood of the Ogres, Butchers handle all meat considered the property of the Tyrant, Bruisers, or the whole tribe. Considered a direct line between the Great Maw and the common Ogre, Butchers enjoy a position equal to Tyrants but entirely separate. Tyrants take great care not to offend Butchers lest the tribe abandon him fearing a comet crashing down atop their heads. Butchers are known to kill any Ogres who offend them to feed to the group, or to randomly take body parts from the tribe for flavoring. They carry holy implements, all of which aid in cooking or preparing, at all times. They are larger than any other Ogre in any given group, getting the best choice of meat and consuming it (being a direct link between the tribe and the Great Maw). Butchers do not wear gutplates as a declaration of faith that the Great Maw has got their backs guts. Any Ogre child with a gift for magic, or is seen blessed in some way, is taken by a Butcher and fed a copious amount of meat. As he grows, he is fed things that are poisonous and inedible even to ogres to strengthen his gut (based on the real-life practice called mithridatism - ingesting poisons to develop a resistance or immunity to them) things to make his gut ever stronger to hold the essence of the Great Maw. Most Butchers learn the Gut Magic of the Ogres, being things related to their culture like strengthening the skin of Ogres, tenderizing the meat of (still living) enemies, and causing the earth to swallow foes alive as sacrifice "appetizers". Others learn other magic Lores, all in their belief related to the Great Maw (Lore of Heavens=the comet, Lore of Death=consumption from the Great Maw, and so on). Slaughtermasters are simply the leaders amongst the Butchers.

• Hunters: Lone Ogres who take the role of a WoW huntard. Usually tribeless, they wander through the mountains and wild in search of beasts to prey upon. Sometimes they’ll even take some of them alive and bring them back to some other tribe as a gift to the Tyrant. A feast will be held in the Hunter’s honor where he will tell stories about his adventures before quietly vanishing back into the wilderness.

• Firebellies: Strange religious fanatics that worship a volcano called the Fire Mouth. There are three tests. The first is to eat super-hot chili (powerful enough that it's implied to be a laxative, a substitute for boiling oil or both) and keep it down. Then they have to track down and eat a giant firebug that lives in volcanoes. The final test to join the cult is to be dipped into the caldera of the Fire Mouth, eat a mouthful of magma and come out alive. Though, on the upside, those who survive can breathe fire, use fire magic and are almost immune to heat.

Core

• Ogre Bulls: The basic Ogre that lacks any particular rank. Ogres are (repeatedly) described as having a bully mentality by GW (oh the irony). If they want it, they try to take it. If you aren't respecting them enough, or it's been too long since they reminded you WHO gets the respect, they rough you up. The only way to stop them is to prove you're better than them, at which point they'll likely back the fuck off and suck up to you as the new boss (this behavior is reminiscent of Orks in 40k, however Orks tend to naturally follow the biggest whereas Ogres are likely to see "biggest" as a challenge to their own masculinity and attempt to EAT the biggest Ogre, and become the biggest themselves). Generally speaking, most Ogres are dumb as rocks and it takes an extraordinary Ogre to learn lessons. Those that do invariably reach some degree of old age, and probably aren't in this category for long.

• Ironguts: Ironguts are the basic Ogre, but with armor. They tend to be a bit tougher than their fellows as a means of natural selection, since Ogres squabble amongst each other for gear, so the Ogre who manages to KEEP his equipment is one that can't be challenged by un-armored Ogres for it. The types of equipment varies; for some Ogres, it's the tools from a farm the Ogres consumed (livestock, crops, AND family. Probably the house and their little dog too) bent and tied as weapons and the shield and flattened helmets of the local town guard tied to their limbs for armor. For others, it's a well crated suit of Gromril armor from the Dwarfs who the Ogre has served as a mercenary. Some Ironguts have evolved natural armor, like Ogres who have lived for so long in Nehekhara that the sand has been worn directly into their skin, compacting as they flex until it's almost like they have stone skin. Bruisers and Tyrants have some say as to who is an Irongut and who isn't, as divvying up the spoils of war usually falls to them (if they're giving out any at all). Like Silver Helms for High Elves and Black Orcs for greenskins, Ironguts are the Ogre variety to which most of the race looks to as exemplary of their kind.

• Gnoblars: Small greenskins that evolved to their current state when Ogres moved from the mountains of the Giants to the Mountains of Mourn. Gnoblars have the place of being the singularly most mistreated beings in either Warhammer setting, as Ogres see them somewhere between vermin like insects that are simply a fact of life to deal with, or very low and undepletable slaves. Sometimes as food if there's nothing better around, although some Gnoblars wind up in the position of "favorite hunting dog" as long as the Ogre can remember them. Meanwhile, Gnoblars see Ogres as a mix of living gods and eternal masters. They differ from Goblins in that they are much smaller, and while Goblins have pronounced noses the face of a Gnoblar is mostly nose. This gives them a beak appearance, making them resemble a Jim Henson Muppet character.

Special

• Leadbelchers: Ogres who carry around field cannons as hand weapons, which they will shove just about every jagged object into and hit people with in close quarters like some ginormous shotguns. They are typically seen as rather unhinged by their fellow Ogres, which usually means that they get to be good for a bit of fun. Their cannons also look suspiciously like Imperial and Dwarf cannons (in fact, they do take them after successful fights or get themselves custom-forged guns from the Chaos Dwarves). If these guys don't have at least one scar, such as missing eyes, burnt skin, disfigured faces, etc., they're doing it wrong.

• Maneaters: If this was D&D these guys would be an ogre adventurer. They can take a variety of special rules and special gear, and make themselves look like the corresponding region they've been working in, such as stabbing feathers into their skull like State Troopers without the headgear, or jabbing sharp rocks into their gums to emulate vampires. On a more practical level some of them pick up some interesting tools in foreign parts like muskets.

• Sabretusk Pack: Sabre tooth tigers, but wolves, great for hunting war machines. Though with LD 4 they will run from anything. Standard use is to get a single one and run it into the nearest cannon - If someone focuses it out, they've severely wasted some shots that could've gone to cutting down Ogres.

• Yhetees: The Ogres frozen, mutant, hillbilly cousins. Got all magical attacks, not really good for much else though. Their models also look even more like deranged chimpanzees than the old Gutter Runner models.

• Mournfang Cavalry: Ogres on the backs of smaller woolly mammoths (as in "as small as a trebutchet"), great for causing mayhem to your opponents troops. Known for being one of the only things that can scare Chaos Knights.

• Gorgers: Albino baby ogres who were born without a characteristic paunch whoa are thrown to die in a tribes warpstone caves, but these ones survived by eating whatever they can find down there: such as rats, roaches, rocks and each other. In lore these landshark troglodytes are supposed to be both insanely aggressive and hungry with high killing capabilities. Tabletop-wise they are also known for being pretty useless... But then again, what do you expect from a emaciated albino loser?

Rare

• Gnoblar Scraplaunchers: Sometimes, a group of Gnoblars get together to fight alone - Most of the times, that will be in huge rabbles of mutant Goblins below even slave status, which won't do much other than piss off a unit of Chaos Warriors, but once in a while, they'll get together, find a woolly rhino and strap a chariot to it, on which a catapult is placed. Unfortunately, Gnoblars can only get to the smallest of objects, as Ogres take all the rest, so it's mostly scrap and stuff they throw about with it... Fortunately, there's a lot of scrap in an Ogre camp.

• Ironblasters: Same chariot, same rhino, but with an Ogre on top, alongside a fucking big cannon, taken from the Skyholds of the Giants back in the day. As such, these cannons are sorta held as relics in the individual tribes, as much as an inedible thing can be to Ogres. Also known for being the cannon in the game that can move AND shoot. I'll say it again. Move. And. Shoot. Can also charge and kill stuff as a chariot. Truly, Ogre Kingdoms is the superior WFB faction.

• Slave Giants: Said people the Ogres stole the cannons from. Also made them into inbred animals and reduced them to sub-tribal wandering monsters. Also still use them for battle, because fuck them, right? Basically the same as any other Giant in any other faction, but here, they are enslaved by the race that destroyed their civilization unknowingly, because Ogres never really kept history like that. Ogres are dicks like that.

• Stonehorns: A mammoth/rhino hybrid with stone bones, and the attitude of a pissed-off bull in a china shop. Have so great an urge to headbutt anything they see that only the youngest of the race have any skin on their forehead, which leads to them looking like Skeletor, if Skeletor was made of stone. They eat minerals and meat, so gemstones protrude from their bones like freckles from skin. For some-odd reason, Ogre Hunters use them as mounts, which really doesn't make sense, as the fucking thing can't stand straight unless it's headbutting the ground it's standing on, but no one's gonna complain about having a steed that can literally bulldoze just about anything into the ground. Also, there's the question of how the hell they reproduce since Stonehorns of either gender would be too busy head-butting everything in sight to actually mate. The best guess on how that process works would be that the male has to headbutt the female until she's too tired to fight him before mating with her.

• Thundertusks: Legends are told about the legendary thundertusk "Fridge" who acompanied a band of ogres through the Empire and coined the term "Fridgereted" for frozen chunks of meat that will keep fresh throughout the winter. Less volatile than the Stonehorn, Thundertusks are used as combined fridge, walking meat and watchtowers, with one or two Ogres sitting on top with ranged weaponry like throwing spears, harpoon launchers held like crossbows and fucking sabertooth-jaws fitted on chains, so the Ogre in question can make the enemy come over to him. Thundertusks are naturally freezy, and makes its surroundings colder by being there. This is quite useful for freezing less tough creatures down, so the Ogres can catch them before they slit their bellies. They even have a frost-breath-like attack for further freezing. Shame it looks like a retarded mandrill fused with a mammoth, but without the trunk. One might find oneself asking how the Thundertusk eats when it has so many tusks and the like in the way. The answer? Well...I don't have one, but hopefully there is one out there somewhere. Edit: Apparently it's a combination of skill, a long and dexterous tongue, and using their tusks to flip the meat of slain prey into the air and directly into their gaping maws.

Total Warhammer

Ogre Mercenaries are going to be recruitable for all factions after getting their FLC through Total War Access, with individual locations that they can be recruited from randomly appearing around areas where conflicts and battles occur, as is frankly logical for mercenaries. These mercenary units include thicc dual-wielding ogres, thicc Maneaters wielding a weapon and a "pistol", and extra thicc Mournfang Cavalry. This is certainly just a taste (heh) of the Ogres before the full Ogre Kingdoms factions release as pre-order DLC for Total Warhammer 3, which really wasn't that all surprising given the Ogre Kingdoms were always a full faction in WFB while the iffier sorts of Kislev and Cathay were confirmed for 3's release factions instead.

As of November 4th, 2021, they got a trailer, and even got a song with it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Bbp98oMsjA

As unlikely as it was, even minor background character Shrewd Fulg was able to make an indirect appearance, as his tribe, simply called "Fulg" as a shortening of "Tribe of Shrewd Fulg" appears as a minor faction. In an un-Ogre-like way, Shrewd Fulg doesn't lead his own armies in battle, being old and hunchbacked. Instead, his henchman Targog acts as the face you speak to during negotiations and war.

Total War also revealed that a civilization of intelligent, multicolored, talking ponies lived in a hidden valley within the Ogre Kingdoms, inspired by My Little Pony. They don't even make an appearance as models in the game, their entire civilization is immediately butchered and devoured by the Ogres in a special encounter.

Misc Fluff

• Ogres don't have priests. Butchers and cooks are their holy men. The only interest Ogres have in the faiths of others is in traditions related to eating. This can be awkward when, in the company of a group of Sigmarites for example, the Ogre bodyguard keeps commenting on how he can't wait for someone to die for the funeral feast (even more awkward when he thinks that eating the body of the deceased is part of it).
• Most Ogres wear a piece of armor over their stomach, a gutplate. Gutplates are sort of the equivalent of full plate armor for Ogres, as their most important organs are all hidden behind the large race-wide paunch they have. Helmets and shoulderpads are secondary as anything big enough to pierce an ogre's head and shoulders with weapons would likely ignore the armor anyway. Plus, given their fixation on eating and the god they worship, their guts are considered sacred. Only Butchers and Slaughtermasters eschew a gutplate, preferring to put their trust in the Great Maw to protect them.
• In older lore, Tyrants love their favorite weapons. An Ogre touching the Tyrant's weapon, who wasn't the Tyrant himself, was punished by being force-fed their own hands.
• Ogres enjoy pitfighting, and use it to settle disputes. The winner is allowed to eat part of the loser, ranging from an appendage (such as a nose) to an entire limb. If Ogres remove their gutplates in a pit fight, that means it's a fight to the death where the winner will eat the loser in front of the crowd.
• Ogres are known to collect names. Their first name is usually a guttural sound made by the mother or father upon seeing the infant, the last being their tribe. But anything they choose to add to their name from their life experiences is attached as well. Sometimes these names are less than complimentary words Ogres don't understand like "debased" or "unscrupulous" or "acrid". The result can be interesting ("Gulk 'Scampered Engorged Beareater Bling Topsyturvy Gelatinous' Goldtooth" for example). These names literally strengthen the Ogres on the tabletop, counting as upgrades that came from the experiences they had (also a bit of Orkish "clap your hands if you believe, and it will happen" style magic).
• Ogre Biology is weird. For one their gut isn't actually filled with fat, but rows upon rows of muscle, which lets them crunch up anything inside with ease. Their skin is also extremely thick (literally) which also hints that they likely don't have any feeling in them, allowing them to do cringe-worthy levels of stuff to their outer hides (like piercing them with hooks) that other saner races would rarely do.
  • Between cultural/religious and biological reasons, being disemboweled is considered the worst possible way to die for ogres; Ogres only die when all their guts finish pouring out of the stomach wound, and ogres have lots and lots and lots of intestines, so it's a slow, irreversible, and incredibly painful process. Even watching another ogre get disemboweled can cause a reaction similar to men watching another man getting his balls slowly crushed. Gutplates prevent this (for the most part), so Gut Up, young bull!
• It's possible that the Halflings and Ogres were meant to be companion species in a similar manner to Kroxigors and Skinks. While there are exceptions, members of the two races have an uncanny tendency to get along when they meet. After the depature of the Old Ones left the two species in seperate geographic locations, the Ogres started taking on Gnoblars as their protectorates, which could be related to their affinity with Halflings through the Ogres trying to fill in the void caused by their missing companions with an inferior substitute.
• Broadly speaking Ogres are smart enough to understand the "How" of basic tasks, but are too stupid to wonder "why"? They can build carts to help them schlep their stuff around, but they'd never ponder why rotating round bits makes things move better. If an Ogre sees a Goblin about, hit on the head and you have a snack. A Gnoblar that does stuff for an ogre will typically be spared a club to the noggin and might be tossed some scraps. Why do this? Goblins cause trouble, Gnoblars will do stuff for you. That's all their blunt minds can understand and they won't/can't think deeper on it. Big Abstract ideas like Morality or Grand causes go just over their heads: you like yer mates 'cause they're yer mates and as the biggest fattest ogre can bash your brains if you don't do what he says you follow his orders.

Crunch(ing and Biting)

Ogres are a low pop army with lots of fun rules. They're fairly strong right now, so they're increasingly popular. Despite this, most new players don't know much about Ogre Kingdoms fluff so by doing your research you can easily gain some 'ham cred. Ogres on the charge hit like artillery blasts. Ogres can upgrade their standard bearers to have Gnoblars in a makeshit crows nest on top of them, allowing all characters and the champion in the unit to get "Look Out Sir" benefits. In addition, Ogres get a few nifty weapons no other army gets.

Gallery

NOTE: Some of the models below are conversions, but there are official GW models among them. Can you guess which is which?

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  Araby Ogre

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  Beastmen Ogre

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  Bretonnian Ogre

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  Cathay Ogre

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  Dark Elf Ogre

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  Dwarf Ogre

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  Chaos Dwarf Ogre

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  High Elf Ogre

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  Lizardmen Ogre

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  Nippon Ogre

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  Orcs & Goblins Ogre

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  Skaven Ogre

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  Empire Ogre

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  Tomb Kings Ogre

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  Vampire Counts Ogre

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  Warriors of Chaos Ogre

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  Wood Elves Ogre

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  Ninja Ogre

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  Pirate Ogre

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  Crossdressing Ogre

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  ogre Slaan

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  lustrian standard

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  lustrian bulls

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  lustrian bruiser

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  lustrian thundertusk

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  lustrian "sabretusk"

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  lustrian hunter

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  orc bulls

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  Cathay

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  orc leadbelchers

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  tzeentch bull

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  lizardmen leadbelcher

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  skaven

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  Lady Ogres in Blood Bowl. EXTRA THICC

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  A wandering female Maneater serving as a bodyguard falls for her liege.

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See Also

• Ogre Kingdoms tactica for playing them in WHFB.
• Ogre tactics for the glorious 6th edition
• Ogre Kingdoms Creation Tables to make your own tribe.
• Ogryn for their 40k counterparts.
• Ogor Mawtribes for their AoS sucessors.

Playable Factions in Warhammer Fantasy Battle
Human Kingdoms:	The Empire of Man - Bretonnia
Elves:	High Elves - Dark Elves - Wood Elves
Dwarven:	Dwarfs - Chaos Dwarfs
Undead:	Tomb Kings - Vampire Counts
Heirs of the Old Ones:	Lizardmen
Greenskins	Orcs - Goblins
Ogrekind	Ogre Kingdoms
Servants of Chaos	Warriors of Chaos - Daemons of Chaos - Beastmen
Skavenkind	Skaven

Regions and Areas of the Warhammer World
Areas of The Old World:	The Empire of Man - Bretonnia - Albion - Estalia - Tilea - Kislev - Norsca - Border Princes - Worlds Edge Mountains - Karak Eight-Peaks
Areas of The New World:	Naggaroth - Lustria
Areas of The Eastern Lands:	Cathay - Nippon - Ogre Kingdoms - Dark Lands - Kingdoms of Ind - Khuresh - Eastern Steppes
Areas of The Southlands:	Nehekhara - Araby - Badlands - Marshes of Madness
Other Areas of the world:	Ulthuan - Athel Loren - Chaos Wastes - Skavenblight - Lost Isles of Elithis
Main bodies of Water:	The Great Ocean - The Far Sea - The Sea of Dread - Inner Sea of Ulthuan