greenskins

Greenskins is a term used in fantasy fiction, especially in Games Workshop's Warhammer settings, to describe a broad class of green-skinned, humanoid beings that are typically depicted as violent, chaotic, and tribal. In Warhammer lore, greenskins are primarily formed from two interrelated sub-races: Orcs and Goblins. The term is used collectively for these groups, though they maintain distinct cultures and characteristics.

Orcs are generally portrayed as larger, stronger fighters who favor direct, brute-force combat and raiding. Goblins are smaller, more numerous, and skilled at ambushes, cunning tricks, and improvised tools. The two groups often compete for resources and status yet can unite under a powerful leader in the face of a common foe, sometimes culminating in a WAAAGH! that boosts their fighting prowess.

Greenskin society is loosely organized into tribes and clans that rely on a warboss or goblin big boss for leadership. Loyalty tends to be to the tribe and to the prospect of glory in battle; internal rivalries are common, leading to frequent skirmishes and opportunistic raids rather than centralized governance.

Technology and magic are crude but effective. Goblins are famous for traps, sneaky equipment, and tinkering with looted devices, while Orcs emphasize brute weapons and war machines such as chariots, catapults, and ramshackle artillery. Magic is chaotic and often channeled by shamans who command chaotic energies, with WAAAGH! as a source and expression of that power.

Greenskins appear across fiction and games as recurring antagonists and, in some settings, as a playable or allied faction. They are notable for their distinctive aesthetic, brutal tactics, and the concept of wild, ungoverned war bands rather than conventional states.