Well, in the Shannara books, the Dwarfs were a superpower and humans a 3rd world race. After the post apocalyptic fall of mankind, which stole man's compounded technological achievements, the Trolls and Gnomes took over. Only the Dwarfs and the Elfs were able to resist their reign, and only when combined with the Druids. Mankind would have gone extinct in Shannara's world without the aid of Dwarfs.
Why should it be any more different for dwarves? 
Its different for Dwarfs because they are subterranean by nature. In Shannara, they mutated from mankind, as a result of going down underground, to avoid the nukes and what not. They evolved stubby legs to traverse vertically better, and increased eye capacity to see in pitch black. As denizens of the earth, they were forced to develop the ability to do more with less. This made them fierce battlefield tacticians and potent adversaries. But in Shannara, the true power of the Dwarf was Hunting. There was no more skillful hunters in the Shannara world than a Dwarf. His low frame and earthy smell cloaked him from most predators, allowing almost invisible passage through areas other races disturbed without even knowing so. Dwarfs are built for both ambush and the long hunt.
That is just one world of many with Dwarfs. I don't know if it shines any light on anything. I imagine mods exist to tweak DF more like certain worlds. I sorta like the Dwarfs in Discworld. There aren't many mentions of them, but they are tinkerers and hoarders. There is magic all over that world tho. From the center at Unseen University to the edge of its flat world as the four elephants spray back up water, into its oceans. To the twinkle in the world turtle's eye.
I used to like Middle Earth, and Moria, until the MMO ruined my impression of the book's verbal imagery. Give me fantasy over reality any day of the week.
Sincerely,
Knutor
Author
Topic: Perhaps the game is becoming too realistic... (Progressing realism?) (Read 2651 times)