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<blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 9110371" data-attributes="member: 6790260">I think part of the problem is, it can be hard to bridge the gap between intentional trope subversion and a cohesive new concept. That is, much like the issue with Strong Female Character Syndrome, a Nu-Dwarf effort that is merely subversive to be subversive, not because it is a better story for it to be subversive, will almost always fall flat and not appeal to audiences.At its heart, this problem is basically just a special case of the problem with formulaic writing. Which may be why most good &quot;expand the horizons of this D&amp;D race&quot; things tend to center on a well-written character, who personally adds a new dimension to whatever they are (elf, githzerai, what-have-you), since that inherently averts the artificiality problem. The differences and alterations are critical to telling a worthwhile story.So, to anyone out there hoping to reinvigorate our short kings, work on that. Work on making an interesting story that hinges on dwarves being a little bit different from what we usually expect them to be. Whether that necessity is at the character level or the thematic level, make your variant dwarves matter to the telling of a good tale. Which is, of course, a tall order. But you'll need to fulfill it if you want to see those broader horizons. It's always possible. Dak'kon came out of nowhere and is deeply beloved. Perhaps you can do the same.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="EzekielRaiden, post: 9110371, member: 6790260"] I think part of the problem is, it can be hard to bridge the gap between intentional trope subversion and a cohesive new concept. That is, much like the issue with Strong Female Character Syndrome, a Nu-Dwarf effort that is merely subversive to be subversive, not because it is a [I]better story[/I] for it to be subversive, will almost always fall flat and not appeal to audiences. At its heart, this problem is basically just a special case of the problem with formulaic writing. Which may be why most good "expand the horizons of this D&D race" things tend to center on a well-written character, who personally adds a new dimension to whatever they are (elf, githzerai, what-have-you), since that inherently averts the artificiality problem. The differences and alterations are critical to telling a worthwhile story. So, to anyone out there hoping to reinvigorate our short kings, work on that. Work on making an [I]interesting story[/I] that hinges on dwarves being a little bit different from what we usually expect them to be. Whether that necessity is at the character level or the thematic level, make your variant dwarves [I]matter[/I] to the telling of a good tale. Which is, of course, a tall order. But you'll need to fulfill it if you want to see those broader horizons. It's always possible. Dak'kon came out of nowhere and is deeply beloved. Perhaps you can do the same. [/QUOTE]

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