Brainstorm

Hello all, I am new to this forum but not to Warhammer.  Allow me to introduce myself!

Name's Joel (needless to say), and I started playing Warhammer about 8 or 9 years ago.  Well, I use the term "playing" loosely here...  I have always been much more interested in the modelling and painting side of things, and through all these years probably have fewer than a dozen battles to my name!

Long story short: I began as a Dark Elf general, learned the ropes of the hobby while maintaining about a 50/50 win:loss ratio with my pals of the time.  I moved, never connected with the game store cliques, but continued to buy and build figures from many of the other armies.  I bought the books, too, because I love reading about the gruesome armies of Warhammer.  To date, I have tried my hand at Dark Elves, Vampire Counts, Lizardmen, and Chaos (Slaanesh and Warriors).  A couple years ago, I discovered the Ogre Kingdoms and felt an instant burning in the pit of my stomach.  After all these years, wandering like a Maneater amidst the various territories of the Old World, I think I have found my home in the Mountains of Mourn!

I have just begun to brainstorm about possible clan themes, but so far my favorite idea is a kind of merger between my Dark Elf roots and my new Ogre home; I'm thinking Clan Brainstorm, ruled by the once-upon-a-time mercenary to the Druchii, who studied closely the elven art of familial hatred, Tyrant Gorrath Kineater!

Any lore-hounds feel like there are issues with the background story?  I like the idea of an ogre clan that is spear-headed by a somewhat (relatively speaking) cunning leader...  I'm imagining converted Maneaters drawing on Dark Elf themes, maybe even tapping into some Dogs of War options.

Anyway, I've been enjoying reading the forums, and I am glad to be here!

Welcome to the Stronghold!

My only issue with a DE themed Ogre army is that the DE would be more likely to enslave the Ogres, not hire them. It could still be cool though ...

I can see an entire tribe of ogres hiring out to the druchii - the returns in slaves (i.e. food) and possibly enhanced kit would be right up their street.  No problems fluff-wise at all.

that's one of the great things about ogres - they work for anybody!

Yep, they don't discriminate, but eat anything.

Welcome Joel, one thing: please don't try to put the slim designs of dark elves on the brutish ogres.
That is, if you're not a great converter, because most of the time, it seems too far off.

Welcome to the Stronghold! Oh and the feeling in your gut, its called the maw  (but no, seriously i suggest you see a doctor  )

Welcome to the Stronghold!

My only issue with a DE themed Ogre army is that the DE would be more likely to enslave the Ogres, not hire them. It could still be cool though ...

I thought of this after my initial post and thought of a couple work-arounds.

1) In one scenario my tyrant WAS enslaved by them, maybe even for a very long time.  During this time he was mocked and abused, and he internalized all of it until his hatred was a consuming white flame inside his head that almost matched the burning hunger in his gut (I'm getting an idea for an ogreish clan symbol... a "white flame"--a.k.a. a handprint--slapped on the forehead or gutplate).  In this scenario, just to summarize, Gorrath may have tried to use brute force to escape; of course this didn't work--more likely it was not only anticipated by the Dark Elves, but used to whip the big guy into a frenzy for their amusement and to exert their control over him.  Eventually he learned to bide his time, and eventually--either a contingent of the noble house brought him with them to war, or were ambushed on the field by High Elves, etc.--eventually his moment came.  He devoured his former masters and began his long journey home.

2) Briefly: Gorrath and his bull buddies hired out to the Dark Elves, either to a weaker house or a house with an ulterior agenda (i.e. they planned to send the ogres on a job that would likely be their demise, or it was a mission the elves wanted to keep their hands clean of, maybe an intra-house feud, etc.)  The ogres did such a bang-up job that they were rewarded and sent on their way, as per the mercenary contract.

Yep, they don't discriminate, but eat anything.

Welcome Joel, one thing: please don't try to put the slim designs of dark elves on the brutish ogres.
That is, if you're not a great converter, because most of the time, it seems too far off.

Definitely won't be seeing any ogres with draich swords here 

I'm thinking of taking Dark Elf style and imagining how the same graceful imagery would come out if created by the hands of an ogre.  A couple example ideas I have:

* I can use Dark Elf weapon bits in my leadbelchers' cannons.
* Tinkering with the idea of replacing a hunter's harpoon with a reaper bolt thrower turned sideways.
* Maybe applying principles of Dark Elf enslavement methods to the way my ogres handle their slavegiants and gnoblars--not yet sure how to implement this idea; I have to look back through my Dark Elf stuff and see if anything pops out.