Goblinoids are a category of humanoidlegendary creatures related to the goblin. The term originated in the Dungeons & Dragonsfantasyrole-playing game, in which goblins and related creatures are a staple of random encounters. Goblinoids are typically barbaric foes of the various human and "demihuman" races. Even though goblinoids in modern fantasy fiction are derived from J. R. R. Tolkien's orcs, in his Middle-earth "orc" and "goblin" were just names for the same race of creatures (although "goblin" specifically refers to the smaller varieties, not hobgoblins/uruks).
Occurrences in various fantasy worlds
In Dungeons & Dragons, the primary goblinoid races are (in order of increasing physical size and strength) goblins, hobgoblins and bugbears. All three are adept at sneaking around, although hobgoblins are more concerned with fighting. Later rules expansions and editions include many other variants. In editions prior to the third, kobolds and orcs were considered goblinoids, but the former has now become a reptilian humanoid, and the latter is significant enough to be a category of its own.
In Warhammer Fantasy, they are known as greenskins and include snotlings (which are even smaller than goblins), gnoblars, kobolds, goblins, hobgoblins, and orcs.
In Warhammer 40,000 they are called orkoids, and include squigs, snotlings, gretchin (equivalent of Warhammer Fantasy goblins), and orks.
It seems this was a deliberate measure to ensure that the Orkoidrace would survive in a hostile universe.
The fact that an entire Orkoid ecosystem can be constructed from the mere presence of but a single Ork, and their general state of total war-readiness, suggests that this is the more likely of the two.
This is the entire basis of the Orkoid ecosystem, producing first Squigs, then Snotlings who cultivate the Squigs and fungus, then Gretchin to build the settlements, and finally the Orks themselves.
This term encompasses an entire race of widely varying creatures: tiny snotlings; common and night goblins; gnoblars, who serve the Ogre Kingdoms in the east; hobgoblins and orcs, both standard and fl.
In Warhammer 40,000 they are called orkoids, and include squigs, snotlings, gretchin (equivalent of Warhammer Fantasygoblins), and orks.
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