I suppose since I've been brought into the conversation, I might as well speak up.
>There are a lot of logs showing orcs not doing anything
>great.

True, and there are a number of posts where orcs do rather well. Neither of these facts signifies anything either way. Logs tend to be a very poor way to get a feel for how a class/race/etc is doing.

>Most of the orc kills, seem to be an attack of opportunity
> eg, the orc caught someone at a severe disadvantage).

Uhm, well...yeah? Many times orcs die are that way as well. Give an orc time for three commands, and an orc has the abilities to get out of a fight, and get away. Secondly, well...this is the rather obvious part that most people don't seem to grasp. Orcs are just that, orcs. Cowardly, cunning, and NOT the sort to go walking around looking for anything even resembling fair fights.

>I read most of the logs with straklaw in them. He was always
>grouped, and he died soooo much. Seeing as he was the most
>famous orc chief in recent memory.. I assumed he might have
>some skill =P

You might also want to consider the fact that people don't tend to post themselves getting beat on anywhere near as often as they do of them winning. If you want numbers, Straklaw had half again as many kills as deaths. Also, again...orc. Not exactly the most concerned with fairness, and very much concerned with his own livelyhood, which worked rather effectively, considering Straklaw's constitution was still in the 20s when he Immort'ed.

>There's a recent log of a midlevel druid killing (two)
>midlevel orcs (inside) of the grinning skull village.

Well, I haven't seen the log, so I can't comment much on it, but one druid versus two orcs...failing EVERYTHING they could have done, I'm not really thinking of anything that would have prevented from the orcs either just waiting the druid out inside the village, or running away. (Briars yes, but then just wait in the village)

>The general trend that I see is that orcs get stomped.

Personally, the trend I notice is that orcs are very polar. They either stomp people, or get stomped.

>Valguarnera said they were like (rangers or assassins)... but
>where is the stealth? =P I don't see pk happen much in
>swamps..

Personally, I see orcs much more like rangers than assassins, on the fact that there is a great deal of an orc's fight which goes on behind the scenes, and not really noticed in the actual exchange of blows. Orcs have great utility, a strong offense, and with some clever thinking, a very suitable defense to combine with their insane hp.