Poor dwarves.
Generic humans aside, I’ve always had a fondness for dwarves in fantasy literature and games. They feel less Mary Sueish than those arrogant elves and more serious than the goofy takes you often see with gnomes and goblins. The dwarf I know and respect is one who exudes capability, strength, loyalty, and brute fighting force.
Unfortunately, dwarves have all but been run into the ground by the trope steamroller, which has forever painted them as vaguely Scottish underground axe murderers who are too obsessed with gold and their own beards. Fantasy MMOs have done dwarves no favor by recycling these tropes again and again. I really wish that a game would come along that would dare to use a race like dwarves but in a non-stereotypical fashion.
Are there any fantasy races that are too tropish for your liking? What would you like to see done with them?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
