Dwarves have always been my favorite fantasy race. They were the first I connected with when I got into fantasy. My first Warhammer Fantasy army? Dwarves. My very first AD&D character? A Dwarf Wizard (yes, that was a mistake). I played a Dwarf Cleric in EverQuest , and when my friends begged me to go Alliance in World of Warcraft , I rolled a Paladin, basically a glorified priest back in Vanilla (iykyk). And of course, I always pick dwarves in Dragon Age when the option is there and pretty much any fantasy game or setting if they are in. I love all the flavors: Hill Dwarves, Mountain Dwarves, Gold Dwarves, Redcaps, Duergar. And of course, the archetype that sets the standard for all: Tolkien’s dwarves. Stubborn, strong, mountain-dwelling, grudge-keeping, tradition-bound miners. The blueprint. Most fantasy settings barely deviate from it. Which, to be fair, isn’t necessarily a problem. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But it does raise a question: why do dwarves get so little varia...