Why don't giants rule the world?

[Warren Okuma]

Sheer number of humans (and other races). That's why.

Sheer number of high level humans that is.

 

[Khuxan]

2. Bad timming. The races that might have the potential to dominate (Orcs, Hobgoblins, etc), have to deal with well established nations of the common races, who have a vested interest in keeping these 'lessers' in check. A human kingdom would keep an eye on nearby hoboblins, and if the warbands started to fall under a single leader, they'd take steps (maybe starting a war, or just sic some adventures on them).

Ooh! An interesting campaign would be one where the orcs, hobgoblins, gnolls, kobolds, lizardfolk, bugbears and tieflings were the civilised ones fighting off hordes of halflings (they breed like rats!), elves, dwarves, and so on.

 

[LoneWolf23]

I once read in a GURPS sourcebook that there are three elements that explain Humanity's dominance in fantasy settings. Aggressiveness, Organisation and Fecundity. Any race trying to challenge Humanity's dominance in any setting has to at least match it in those three fields.

Orcs are aggressive and fecund, but nowhere near as organized. Dwarves are organized, but not so aggressive or fecund. Now, dragons, giants and the like are powerful creatures themselves, but seldom organize in groups larger then families (Or in dragons' cases, at all).

Thus, the main reason why dragons aren't running things is because they simply don't like working together for such a common goal.

 

[prosfilaes]

I think part of the advantage humans have is that Evil doesn't work together well. Humans can move into an area without triggering an immediate attack by their Good neighbors. If hobgoblins and orcs move into the area, everyone is going to assume that they're going to attack and try to enslave their neighbors, so why not attack first? A race that tries to make its neighbors into slaves is going to constantly be fighting an all-fronts war.

 

[taliesin15]

Or, for that matter, dragons? Or aboleths? Or beholders? Or mind flayers?

Kind of depends on the flavor of the campaign, of course, but I would tend to argue that the humanoid races (humans, dwarves, elves, halflings and gnomes) tend to ally themselves against evil outsiders, thus creating a kind of balance of power. Which to me seems what one would want in a milieu. But then again I've seen interesting alternatives, like a large human kingdom assaulted by endless undead.