Why did I pick the name 'Irondog'?

Well, to answer that, we're going to need have a little lesson in Chinese Astrology. Bear with me on this...

There are twelve animal signs in the Chinese Zodiac; in addition, there are also five elements. Depending on the year you were born, your Chinese Horoscope will be associated with an element and an animal. For example, a man born in 1956 would have Fire as his element and Monkey as his animal, referred to as a 'Fire Monkey'. Each element-animal combination only comes around once every 60 years. I was born in 1970, the Year of the Metal Dog.

The Dog lunar sign is also associated with the Metal element, so when the Metal year rolls around it produces a formidable double Metal sign. Tibetans call this combination the "Iron Dog" and look upon it's year with considerable apprehension as it could be either very good or very bad, depending on whether the year takes a positive or negative course.

So there you have it. The Iron Dog. A sign of extremes. But is it good or bad?

I'll let you be the judge.
 

The background for the Orks was fairly limited in those early days, but something about them appealed to me. I think it mostly had to do with the following excerpt from the book:

People say on their first meeting Man and Ork exchanged a long, hard look, didn't care much for what they saw, and began a long interstellar conflict that has gone on ever since.

A few years later, the 2nd edition of the game followed. The Orks retained their comical nature, and received a serious boost in the background department. There were three hardcover game supplement books devoted entirely to Orks, more than any other army. The 2nd edition days were great for Ork players. Even though most of your weapons were just as dangerous to you as they were to the enemy, Orks were great fun to play.

After a hiatus of several years I got back into 40k during 3rd edition. I found that the rules had not only been vastly simplified, but the character of the Ork army had changed. They were more thuggish and brutal rather than comical, but they still had some of the greatest background in the game. I always meant to pick up the Orks, but was sidetracked by other armies, notably the Tau and the Space Wolves.

When the 4th edition of 40k was released, I finally came around to the Orks again. By this time the rules for the Orks were 'dated' to say the least. They were considered by many to be an underpowered army, but I still managed to do just fine with them. Besides, I play Orks for their character, and the Ork models are some of the most characterful in the entire range.

Fast forward to today. The new Codex: Orks has brought "Da Boyz" up to a competitive level equal to the other 40k armies, something they had been missing for a long time. I will miss their underdog status, but the new rules and models are just too cool!

In the beginning, there was the word. And the word was...

WAAAGH!