Why are orcs depicted as a horde race?

>larger, stronger and more durable than humans
>designed for fighting
>spend most of life making war
>can survive off scarcer resources and eat their own dead/enemy dead
>can replace casualties faster
>don't get sick, don't have to worry about infections
>still has to massively outnumber the civilized races to have a chance

Why are orcs always portrayed as a swarm enemy when individually each orc is more than a match for several humans?

Why are aeldar depicted as a small, specialized agile warriors?

Elves usually have better stats than humans, with eldar being straight up superhuman, makes sense for them to be smaller elite forces. Orcs are also physically better than humans in just about everything but massively outnumber them in almost every conflict. A single veteran orc should be more than a match for several humans. humans should need at least a 3:1 advantage or some serious ranged power to take them out

Because Orcs draw inspiration from Germanic Barbarian tribes which were individually stronger then Roman, but their strength was not enough to overcome the more organized force of the Romans.

So as the descendants of the Romans civilization and now the Barbarians we jerk off our ancestors by saying that it would work even if the Germans were superhuman.

not* not now.

It's just inconsistency.

There is also the issue that a race created for war that feels much less physical pain than humans and is generally lower morale.

Because they have shit tactics an no armor. "Aiming" isn't in the Ork dictionary. Boyz get gunned down by the thousands. They die to lasguns and bolters just fine. Orks, not orcs, are an angry mob not an elite army.

No armor and guns are a great equilizer.

>orcs
Cheaper than your state troopers, better than them too. But my god is that squabble chart fun for all the family.

The few instances of isolated Orks in the lore seem to not do so well, especially when imprisoned. They need WAAAgh! energy and get flabby without exposure to it although that last bit is from Xenology.