D&D 4E 1/2 Orcs in 4E (Rich Baker scoop)

[Professor Phobos]

I should note that it is much easier to make something more adult than it is to make it more kid friendly, so I, personally, am not concerned about any "sanitizing" of D&D products since I'm going to make them pretty dark anyway.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Half-orcs

The article you linked states half-orcs were created by Saruman's sorcery rather than the old fashioned method.

 

[buzz]

I disagree.

What you choose to do with D&D is your prerogative. As-written, it is the game that I described. It's about heroic adventure, not complicated introspection. (Which, in no way, means that it is shallow. It's just not, e.g., Sorcerer.)

 

[IanB]

The article you linked states half-orcs were created by Saruman's sorcery rather than the old fashioned method.

Damn, meant to bring my books to work with me today to check this, but my recollection is that it isn't ever spelled out specifically how they came to exist. For another internet encyclopedia type source:

"Creatures bred from Orcs and Men by the Wizard Saruman in his stronghold at Isengard. Like Sauron's Uruk-hai, they could withstand sunlight. The more Man-like of them, of perhaps a slightly different breed, were known as Goblin-men."

From http://www.glyphweb.com/ARDA/

 

[Rechan]

I am relatively certain it has little or nothing to do with kids, and everything to do with an attempt to shift their player base away from being overwhelmingly male. There are a lot of other data points over the last several years that point to that.

Like WotC saying they're trying to bring more women into the game, and going so far as to create a Women Gamers' area on their website (Astrid's parlor in the forums).