"We'z armed to da teef' and ready for action Boss!"
- —Anonymous Orc Big 'Un[2a]
A monstrous Orc Big 'Un, equipped with an impressive array of armour and weapons, as depicted in concept art for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning.
A Big 'Un is among the largest, most elite Orc or Goblin warriors in a Greenskin tribe, second only to the bosses that lead the tribe's mobs into war. They act as both enforcers and as a dedicated retinue of tough-to-kill warriors under the command of a warboss or big boss' rule.[1a]
Role
"The hardest-hitting mobs in a tribe, Big 'Uns are well placed in melee, where they happily smash their enemies apart."
- —The elite Big 'Uns.[6]
An Orc Big 'Un as depicted in Total War: Warhammer.
A Greenskin's natural goal in life is to constantly fight and grow bigger within his society, which usually results in an increase in both personal status and wealth. Eventually, these Greenskins would only be able to reach a certain size before their growth begins to slow dramatically.[4a] These changes usually occur when a Greenskin finds an opponent that is both larger and stronger than even he is. These Greenskins are usually called Big 'Uns for the Orcs, and Little Big 'Uns for the Goblins,[5a] whom have all grown to such a size that they tower over the rest of their tribe and are decked-out with some of the best armour and weapons around.[1a]
A Savage Orc Big 'Un as depicted in Total War: Warhammer.
These massive Greenskin warriors are considered the enforcers and lieutenants of the tribe's current Greenskin warboss, where their duties usually comprise going around and bashing the heads of those disobedient Greenskins that try to stir up trouble. Only the largest and toughest Greenskin is allowed into this group of bruisers, and the most common way for a Greenskin to become a Big 'Un is to simply challenge one in combat.[4a]
An Orc Boar Boyz Big 'Un as depicted in Total War: Warhammer.
Should the Greenskin win his duel against a Big 'Un, he is often readily accepted into the warboss' retinue. However, as well as being the enforcers of a tribe's warboss, the Big 'Uns are also the greatest potential threat to a warboss' personal rule. Since most Greenskins are constantly trying to find ways to increase their own size and status in the tribe, a Big 'Un would in time challenge the current warboss to a duel.[3a]
A Savage Orc Boar Boyz Big 'Un as depicted in Total War: Warhammer.
Should the Big 'Un win, he would instantly become the tribe's new warboss, but should he lose, the warboss is immediately keen on disciplining his retinue of Big 'Uns to show why he is still the leader of the tribe. Using fear to intimidate his lieutenants into avoiding further disobedience, it is only when the warboss is at his weakest, such as being injured in battle, that a Big 'Un will rise up to challenge him once more.[3a]
When the Greenskin tribes are pressed into battle, the Big 'Uns are known to congregate into their own warbands of heavily-armoured warriors whose responsibility is to safeguard the warboss from all threats. They have also been known to wander around the battlefield as a disciplinary figure that keeps the rest of the ill-disciplined Greenskin horde in line. Should there be brawls springing up amongst the ranks, the Big 'Uns are often sent to quell the infighting before it gets out of control. However, should the situation demand it, the Big 'Uns have also been known to enter the thickest of the fighting, where their toughness and heavily armoured bodies can endure the worst the enemy can throw at them.[4a]
Fightin' Pits
"This is where Big ‘Uns are forged and many teef lost to gambling."
- —Description of Greenskin fightin' pits in Total War: Warhammer.[6]
The Fightin' Pits are for Orcs to "'ave it out wiv each ovver." The strongest, toughest and most scarred Orcs (and the occasional Goblin drunk on mushroom brew) go into the pit for a serious fight against a ferocious opponent, with only one coming back out. On occasion, the Big Boss himself has jumped into the pit after being challenged. The challenger usually only emerging as a disembodied head to be stuck on the Boss Pole.[6]
Types of Big 'Un
Besides the hulking leaders of the standard Orc and Goblin mobs, other Big 'Uns represent the elite of their warrior kind:
- Savage Orc Big 'Uns - Some tribes can boast of a mob of Savage Orc Big 'Uns, the fiercest fighters often marked with the most outlandish warpaint or bearing a larger number of shrunken heads, bangles or other fetishes. Savage Orcs alone are a terrifying prospect to face. Add Big 'Uns to the mix and things get really nasty very quickly...[6]
- Boar Boyz Big 'Uns - Bigger than normal Orcs, and stronger too, the Orc Boar Boy Big 'Uns ride their beasts into enemy lines, devastating all who face them.[6]
- Savage Orc Boar Boyz Big 'Uns - A boar-mounted Savage Orc Big 'Un has a powerful charge and a really unpleasant skill in melee for their foes.[6]
Videos
Sources
- 1: Warhammer Armies: Orcs and Goblins (8th Edition)
- 1a: pg. 36
- 2: Warhammer Battle March (Video Game)
- 2a: Big Un' Orc Unit Quote
- 3: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition: Old World Beastiary (RPG)
- 3a: pp. 22-23
- 4: Warhammer Armies: Orcs and Goblins (5th Edition)
- 4a: pg. 69
- 5: Skarsnik (Novel) by Guy Hayley
- 5a: Ch. 9: "No Job for a Goblin"
- 6: Total War: Warhammer (PC Game)