A dwarf controlled world

I got the pdf of Living Fantasy recently and the section on coinage sparked a thought- why don't dwarves rule if they are the ones mining metals that are used as money? It would be easy to do by dropping the veins of ore by 2 or 3 miles so that humans and gnomes have little or no access.

To keep their technological edge, the dwarves would keep all the iron they mine and allow the surface world to only obtain brass or bronze. They use the money they produce to pay spies to keep an eye out for non-dwarves who are using iron or steel items.

Gnomes are lesser allies who are used for their magical and alchemical abilities, humans and halflings toil in the fields to produce food and staff the armies the dwarves use to war with the elves and other "resistant" "light lovers". Orcs and the goblinoids are screwed as they have little in terms of metal items and are stuck in the middle of a war between races much more powerful than them.

I am not going to develop this and am posting so that others might take the idea and run with it.

Check out dragon mech. Dwarves become, if not the rulers, probably the most powerful race politically.

Isn't the most likely solution that people stop relying so heavily on metal items? Dwarves are up to the standard D&D tech level, everyone else is using highly developed stone and wood technology.

Elves kidnap gnome alchemists to perfect a wood-hardening solution. Druids wielding more efficient ironwood spells become a powerful economic faction. Orcs become consumate flint-knappers.

Dirigible said:

Isn't the most likely solution that people stop relying so heavily on metal items?

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Indeed, see Darksun for more details.

Interesting concept, however. Indeed, if dwarves were like this (greedy and essentually theives) they would hold a high place in world politics. However, dwarves are also reknowned for their slow breeding (as are gnomes), and thus they couldn't control every mine shaft the surface races put in the ground. Thus, there might be a few nations with iron or steel weapons and who control a great area of the surface lands, at peace with neighboring elven kingdoms.

Very interesting idea, indeed.

Wouldn't the usual D&D games move underground then? Wouldn't drow and other subterrainian races become the new 'big' threat (or at least bigger than they already are)?

Well for starters, doorways would only be 4 ft tall...

However, dwarves are also reknowned for their slow breeding (as are gnomes), and thus they couldn't control every mine shaft the surface races put in the ground.

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So? Money can buy anything from some people and the gold flowing into the coffers and high grade bronze weapons and armor on the armies of human and halfling "allies" would easily provide them a lot more bodies for defense.

Wouldn't the usual D&D games move underground then? Wouldn't drow and other subterrainian races become the new 'big' threat (or at least bigger than they already are)?

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That is up to the DM, but I would not start the campaign below and would erase the existance of most nondwarves. Heck I might have the reason for all this is to keep nosey people away from a locked gate to the Abyss.

Elves kidnap gnome alchemists to perfect a wood-hardening solution. Druids wielding more efficient ironwood spells become a powerful economic faction. Orcs become consumate flint-knappers.

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Sure, why not and so what. Flint weapons are nothing against hard metal- the orcs are still screwed. Elves have even slower breeding than dwarves and their human armies so stronger wood doesn't enter the equation much.

Dark Sun does provide for an interesting idea- the dwarves have manipulated the surface world's societies and driven the halflings to carnivorous tendencies. They cause fear even in orcs due to their depraved acts to the dead.

Hardly screwed - all the steel battlaxes and plate armour won't do much good when 20 green thugs dogpile you.

DMH said:

So? Money can buy anything from some people and the gold flowing into the coffers and high grade bronze weapons and armor on the armies of human and halfling "allies" would easily provide them a lot more bodies for defense.

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Say what? How does this pertain to slow breeding?

If Dwarves ruled they'd have big people tossing contests.