Orcs have long been seen as one-note villains in a lot of fantasy media, but Dungeons & Dragons’ latest revision is attempting to change this long-standing trope. As any fantasy fan knows, the genre can suffer from a (somewhat ironic) lack of creativity at times. Even today, many fantasy creators cling tightly to genre conventions established by the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien, which makes any changes, like DnD’s new orcs, feel threatening or unprecedented to some.

https://screenrant.com/dnd-2024-orc-changes-race-differences-explainer/