You can always throw in ogres, ogres fit everywhere in Warhammer! With the outline you've given, you could slip in anything a bit scruffy and a bit morally flexible. From an army point of view it'd be nice if you could find some sort of mounted models to fit the bill. From a background point of view, I wonder what their leadership is, what their goals are...
PS if this was D&D there would definitely be lycanthropes. Wherever part-human malcontents gather, there are were-somethings!
I've got a solid idea for a setting in my head, bits and pieces of details, scenarios/campaigns, and other stuff actually written out. If I had a little more time during the day and some local players, I feel like I could run a hell of a story driven campaign with a lot of RPG elements. It really is an "
Alt(ernate War)hammer" focused on the Wasteland & Marienburg. Marienburg and its hinterland are not only the setting, but define the races, politics, etc.
In my Althammer, there is no Chaos as a major power, though some bits may get added in later. However, the Skaven are still there, but mostly in their role as stealthy, cowardly schemers working from the shadows. Fimir/Fomorians are also there, and their old history with the Skaven in the region. Both are ancient but very small players on the current stage.
Orcs have been almost completely driven out of the western Old World within recent history, and some (few) even assimilated as mercenaries the way that Ogres have. Goblins are more populous & verminous, and more heterogeneous than the usual Warhammer style (my excuse to paint a variety of figures under the heading "goblin"), and still lurk in the mountains and deep forests. They sort of occupy the role Beastmen do in "Warhammer Prime". I don't have much for "dark elves" as anything other than a different political party within High Elf society. I think my concept of heroes & villains is a little more subtle and subjective than some of the WFB tropes/cliches.
The focus is definitely human-centric, with hobbits and half-orcs playing a "familiar" secondary role, and elves and dwarfs playing a "foreign" secondary role. Marienburg is the center, with Bretonnia and the Empire currently held at bay, but a constant threat.
It’s the story of a wealthy city and it’s precarious interactions with two adjacent & competing empires, two ancient but still powerful rivals, two equally ancient but shadowy cultures, and multiple factions that are theoretically “internal” to the hinterland over which they rule, but definitely separated by the great walls (physical and metaphorical) of the city.
In terms of motivation, leadership, etc. it breaks down into a lot of small competing factions that makes for good political drama/intrigue and shifting alliances. A good excuse to paint a variety of figures, but leave it open to play them in different combinations!
I've been working on a system of army & scenario selection based on the idea of a pre-game bidding in which two or more players have to recruit different factions, which will in-turn determine their army composition and motivation in the subsequent game(s).
In terms of mounted models as you mentioned, my miniatures "wish list" at this point includes some of the Perry French knights to paint up as Bretonnian malcontents & ne'er-do-wells, sort of like wandering Free Companies of real world history. They can be hired as mercenaries, or join with bandits & rebels, motivated by little more than their own advancement (...loot....) I'm not seeing the "half-orcs", nor their human counterparts, as fielding much cavalry. But they may have some close allies... Since the geography I'm focusing on, which quickly goes from mountain, to broken foothill & moorland, and then quickly to swamps & coastal marshes, I'm not sure I want to place a big emphasis on heavy cavalry anyway.
As far as lycanthropes, or anthropomorphic figures in general, I'm struggling with that. There are a number of figures I want to paint -- old Tom Meier trogs, RP "Thumpers" that I've had forever and semi-recently stripped. (Great sculpts!) I've been looking at werewolves from a few manufacturers (started by the possibility of painting my old Citadel Wood Elves for the next Old World Army Challenge -- shapechangers!), and the Frostgrave gnolls too.
But I'm having trouble justifying any of them for the setting. The best I can think of is similar to some of the WFB "distant" settings... Side stages like the New World was explored in the early published WFB scenarios (amazons, Slann, norse….) But I'm still trying to document my ideas for the core setting. (And hopping to eventually fine players, etc...) So I'm not sure I'm ready to venture off too far on tangents yet.
That's the base setting. The Adversary that gets dropped in, and becomes the second major faction, is the undead. But I’ve posted enough words without pictures for now, and the less said about the dead…. the better.