Usually, the typical Dungeons & Dragons-style setting has multiple races occupying areas to provide new and different challenges. In 5th Edition, the goblinoid races (goblins, bugbears, and hobgoblins) have been really detailed and made into a fascinating cultural group and a unique threat. So having Pecheneg horse archers replaced with goblins riding wargs is mostly a stylistic thing. It also establishes a threat of the Goblin/Pecheneg tribes overwhelming the lands of men and elves, with their evil gods, and so on.
One of my other favorite games and game settings in Ars Magica, which is a more low-fantasy setting where the Pechenegs (as they existed in 1220 CE) would be perfectly fine as Mythic Europe doesn't feature the wide variety of intelligent species found in more high-fantast settings.
So it really comes down to the style of game setting one wants to play. I could go either way with this, but most people prefer settings where the "monsters" are easily identifiable.
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Usually, the typical Dungeons & Dragons-style setting has multiple races occupying areas to provide new and different challenges. In 5th Edition, the goblinoid races (goblins, bugbears, and hobgoblins) have been really detailed and made into a fascinating cultural group and a unique threat. So having Pecheneg horse archers replaced with goblins riding wargs is mostly a stylistic thing. It also establishes a threat of the Goblin/Pecheneg tribes overwhelming the lands of men and elves, with their evil gods, and so on.
One of my other favorite games and game settings in Ars Magica, which is a more low-fantasy setting where the Pechenegs (as they existed in 1220 CE) would be perfectly fine as Mythic Europe doesn't feature the wide variety of intelligent species found in more high-fantast settings.
So it really comes down to the style of game setting one wants to play. I could go either way with this, but most people prefer settings where the "monsters" are easily identifiable.