On Dwarves... Part One : I Like Dwarves, Do You Like Dwarves?

[Ghostman]

Well...

You could make a world where there's one group of dwarves that are of the generic pseudo-Tolkien type, another group that are modern steampunk dwarves, and a third group that are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ripoffs. Then add one more group based on dwarves from Norse mythology.

Then plug your ears so you won't go deaf from the sound of millions of geeks wailing in unison.
 :protest:

[Lmns Crn]

What about room for dwarves to not monoculture race? Has anyone seen that done? How'd it work out?

Best decision I ever made.

You could make a world where there's one group of dwarves that are of the generic pseudo-Tolkien type, another group that are modern steampunk dwarves, and a third group that are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ripoffs. Then add one more group based on dwarves from Norse mythology.

entire[/i] setting, and I'd still enjoy playing in it.

[LordVreeg]

[blockquote=LC][blockquote=Ninja D!]
What about room for dwarves to not monoculture race? Has anyone seen that done? How'd it work out? [/blockquote]

Best decision I ever made.[/blockquote]

Yeah.
I threw my dwarves (klaxiks) into a historical situation where they, the Hobyts, and the Gnomics were actually all created together as the Stunatu (Working Folk, Omwo~), and much of their earliest cultural predelictions is based on those three races all serving the early Omwo~ stewards.  

I also set up a situation where almost all races can crossbreed in celtricia, so Red Hobyts are actually a strong Hobyt/klaxik cross strain, etc.  

Though there is a little bit of 'klaxik' specific culture, there is more 'stunatu' culture, and all of this is overshadowed by the rise of culture overcoming racial bias, a major conflict in Celtricia.

This history I wrote for a specific adventure illustrates this in the first paragraph.  Settlements are rarely monoracial.

[Ninja D!]

You could make a world where there's one group of dwarves that are of the generic pseudo-Tolkien type, another group that are modern steampunk dwarves, and a third group that are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ripoffs. Then add one more group based on dwarves from Norse mythology.

entire[/i] setting, and I'd still enjoy playing in it.

Agreed.

[Seraph]

Dwarves in my setting:

1. Mines.  Yes, they have mines--quite extensive ones--and many miners BUT, mining is not the sum of their race.
They are a race of craftsmen more than specifically miners.  Guilds are important.  There are the Builders and the Masons, the Smiths and the Weapons makers, the Tanners and the Furriers, etc.  There is a certain sense of connection with the earth, and they tend more towards crafts that involve the earth.

2. War. Open war just generally isn't as common as it once was.  There is a lot of open space these days.  The City-States are far flung.  There aren't that many wars for territory at present.  That said, the dwarves do have a history of war and conquest with the Issachar empire.  These days most nations keep militias, but not trained armies.  The Dwarven laypeople tend to fight with war pick and war hammers more than with axes, as these are martial variants of the tools of their trades.

3. Alcohol. Sure, they drink a lot.  But it's not necessarily a huge cultural feature.  The lower classes; practically refugees from the Migrations, drink off long hours in the mines.  

4. Beards.  Yes, they have beards.  Yes, they love those beards and take great pride in them.  They love their money more, though.  They actually weave their money into their beards, putting their two favorite things in the same spot.  Beards are a form of competition, and actually have multiple layers of competition.  Beards are a sign of manhood (NO the women do NOT HAVE BEARDS.  That's just weird.) and the length of one's beard is a contest of sorts (you know the kind).  The threading of the beard with money, in this case, rings of precious metal, also turns your beard into a display of your personal wealth and power.  

5. Subterranean.  Well, sort of.  The City of Issachar, for instance, is built into Taran's Peak.  The city exists within, below, and surrounding the mountain.  The area surrounding the mountain is bustling and cosmopolitan, seeing many traders coming in and out, many of them coming in on their dirigibles, some even arriving having dared the dangers of the Wastes.  The mountain interior is the sole property of the Issach, and represents a fortress which the city can be withdrawn into when under siege.  Beneath the mountain are the slums and the mines.  The lowest class of peasantry live here.  

[Ninja D!]

1. Mines.  Yes, they have mines--quite extensive ones--and many miners BUT, mining is not the sum of their race.They are a race of craftsmen more than specifically miners.  Guilds are important.  There are the Builders and the Masons, the Smiths and the Weapons makers, the Tanners and the Furriers, etc.  There is a certain sense of connection with the earth, and they tend more towards crafts that involve the earth.

I really like that way of doing it. The mining would be more of a means to an end but could still be a backdrop, if you wanted it to be.

The Dwarven laypeople tend to fight with war pick and war hammers more than with axes, as these are martial variants of the tools of their trades.

That way of doing it always made more sense to me, yet the idea of dwarves with axes persists.

4. Beards.  Yes, they have beards.  Yes, they love those beards and take great pride in them.  They love their money more, though.  They actually weave their money into their beards, putting their two favorite things in the same spot.  Beards are a form of competition, and actually have multiple layers of competition.  Beards are a sign of manhood (NO the women do NOT HAVE BEARDS.  That's just weird.) and the length of one's beard is a contest of sorts (you know the kind).  The threading of the beard with money, in this case, rings of precious metal, also turns your beard into a display of your personal wealth and power.

Very traditionally dwarf-like and flavorful, yet the way you describe it makes it sound as though it could be particularly interesting (if played up).

5. Subterranean.  Well, sort of.  The City of Issachar, for instance, is built into Taran's Peak.  The city exists within, below, and surrounding the mountain.  The area surrounding the mountain is bustling and cosmopolitan, seeing many traders coming in and out, many of them coming in on their dirigibles, some even arriving having dared the dangers of the Wastes.  The mountain interior is the sole property of the Issach, and represents a fortress which the city can be withdrawn into when under siege.  Beneath the mountain are the slums and the mines.  The lowest class of peasantry live here.

I like the idea of a surface city above an underground dwarven stronghold. It would be a place where trade could take place, without the dwarves having to allow outsiders into their home. Is that the only settlement of dwarves in your setting? If not, do others follow the same kind of set up?

[Seraph]

I like the idea of a surface city above an underground dwarven stronghold. It would be a place where trade could take place, without the dwarves having to allow outsiders into their home. Is that the only settlement of dwarves in your setting? If not, do others follow the same kind of set up?

It is not the only settlement of dwarves, but it is the largest and most iconic.  You have Isar, to the southwest that functions somewhat similarly, but has a different feel and focus to it, based on its history.  Isar is actually even more of a stronghold than Issachar, as it has not had to function as the seat of imperial rule.  These are, at least, the dwarven-majority settlements.  Teckall also has a sizable dwarf minority, and there are small dwarven sub-communities in a number of City-States.