Quote Originally Posted by Mark Hall View Post
...I imagine some people will have objections to calling them "orcs" and "gnomes" because you are changing them so radically. I'd ignore those people; the terms mean what you want them to mean.
I would generally agree.
On the other hand, I would also ask: is there a specific reason that these races need to be gnomes and orcs? Would you lose anything vital in calling them something else?
I would absolutely ignore the people who take issue "'cause it's different", but I think some people may be genuinely confused, and that is something to consider.
It's your setting, your world, your game. But words mean things, and deviating from those meanings should be done deliberately and carefully.