I think Orcs are the mystery race...

[Reaper Steve]

but I hope I'm wrong.

Here's the evidence as I see it:
1) WoW (as one of many sources) has made orcs popular.
2) The Orc King all but screams that orcs are trying to become civilzed in D&D
3) D&D is also making orcs more accessible (see Eberron)
4) D&D has been promoting goblins/hobgoblins/bugbears as the evil races

If orcs are the mystery race, I think it will be a huge anticlimactic letdown.
"Look, you can play an orc in D&D now!"
[game show loser music]wa-wa-waaah[/game show loser music]
Thanks, but I can do that elsewhere, and it's not as cool as was when it was a novel idea.
'Orc' is no better than 'half-orc' as a PC race--same 'strong, dumb, uncivilzed brute' only without 'half' in front of it.

I know WotC can do better than that, so I hope orcs are not it.

 

[Baby Samurai]

Please god no, I'm already bitter that Halflings are still in.

 

[Lurks-no-More]

Please god no, I'm already bitter that Halflings are still in.

What's wrong with orcs beyond their Tolkien origin?

 

[Mad Mac]

I agree that playable Orcs as the mystery race would be somewhat anti-climatic compared to something shiny and new, like playable ZipbranniflDracovampkittytaurs, but it wouldn't bother me either. Mostly, I just liked the Half-Orc and would like a good replacement in the PHB.

I'm usually up for some new shiny's, though.

 

[Baby Samurai]

What's wrong with orcs beyond their Tolkien origin?

That's just it, while I'm a huge fan, whenever I see or hear the word Orc or Halfling I think of Middle-Earth, which is fine if I'm running a Middle-Earth campaign, which I would love to do one day with the d20 rules, but not in my Planescape campaign or what have you.

 

[Wormwood]

Yeah really.

I haven't thought of Orcs as Tolkien's since I heard my first "Zabu".

 

[Baby Samurai]

I haven't thought of Orcs as Tolkien's since I heard my first "Zabu".

Zabu?

 

[mhensley]

I'm thinking it will be something totally new to the game. I mean why keep orcs as a race secret, but announce that tieflings will be a pc race? Wouldn't it have made more sense the other way around? Tieflings or eladrin as a race would have been a surprise. Orcs, not so much.

 

[Klaus]

Yeah really.

I haven't thought of Orcs as Tolkien's since I heard my first "Zabu".

Orcs, for me, bring memories of the green-skinned, snouted minions of Venger in the D&D cartoon.

But hey, I'm one of those hertics who only read JRRT because the movies were coming out.

 

[Wormwood]

Zabu?

Whoops, I got my Zug-Zug and my Dabu all messed up.

Stupid holiday.