So Tasty

When you consider how many games use the same core mechanics and rules the importance of using flavour to differentiate them becomes apparent. Game flavour can also provide a justification for why things work the way they do. One of my favourite pieces of game flavour is the Orks in Warhammer 40,000.

The original Warhammer Orcs were a thick brutish race; so how do you justify them being in space, travelling between worlds, and being a serious threat to the highly advanced super human Space Marines? First their existence is explained by them having been genetically engineered by the Old Ones, a now extinct alien race, as guards. Secondly, the way that these brutes get by is justified by giving them a collective psychic field, which means that anything the Orks believe in will work as long as their are enough of them around. For example if an Ork paints his vehicle red is will go faster because that is what they believe, also yellow missiles make larger explosions for the same reason. However, if a human were to pick up an Ork shoota it wouldn't fire as it is actually just a piece of junk.

When playing the game Orks still follow the same rules as everyone else and it is possible to use them as an army without even knowing about their origins, beliefs, and diet (fungi). The background flavour just helps to flesh them out and answer any smart alec who wants to try and poke holes in the idea of Space Orks.