Are Orcs That Bad?

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Gwathagor

Distance probably has much to do with it; also, I imagine that Shagrat and Gorbag's insubordinate attitudes would have been impossible had Sauron actually been in possession of the Ring at that time. His power over his subjects was imcomplete without it.

And yet, even having direct possession of his Ring Sauron was defeated twice (against Numenor and also the Last Alliance). Strange how such concentrated malice and a supernatural force of coercion could utterly fail, particularly in the case of Sauron's forces fleeing without a fight before Ar-Pharazon and the Numenoreans. One would think that such a binding of will as exerted by the Ring would cause Sauron's subjects to blindly be slaughtered by the superior Numenoreans; instead, the orcs seem to have maintained their own will (and common sense) and just ran rather than being butchered.

It seems Sauron did no better with his Ring than without it; in fact, his greatest military successes against Gondor and Arnor occurred without the Ring (although indirectly through the WiKi, Wainriders, Balchoth, etc.). Sauron sucked as a general/military tactician -- his true abilities lied in personal appeal, dissembling, influence and deception (as Annatar and among the Numenoreans, for instance). Which leads to the question: would Sauron have been better served concentrating on searching for the Ring or directing his attack on the West at an earlier date?