"Should Dwarves have ships?" Topic

Should Dwarves have a navy?

Only if they are by the water.

They do in Man 'O War. Ironclads and Submarines….

Dwarven navies are one of many things that can be done well or done badly. I heartily endorse the former. I will ignore the latter. I'm not sure I've seen any I strongly dislike. We do seem to have collectively agreed that dwarves allow us to use mid-19th century technology in fantasy games if we like, and that has to be a good thing.

Yuppers, the Man O'War ironclads and subs are great!

Uncharted Seas gives two factions of Dwarves ironclads and submarines.

Sure, though I don't see them as ocean going explorers per se. Perhaps very purpose built ships to protect fjords, inland and underground lakes, and armored ferries to name a few.

In a high fantasy setting ships are hardly needed to explore due to the option of magic and flying. Mass migrations of common folk may or may not rely on such, but heroes and rulers probably have many options other than getting pitched into the sea.

Dwarfs are beings of the earth in fantasy and real life folklore.

Of course its fantasy so as a wise person once said "Do whatever you want!" I just think it should make sense. Have a reason, explanation, backstory, etc.

Airships seem pretty cool too. Who knows when an errant pick-axe might pierce a pocket of buoyant gas!

In the Man o' War game by Games Workshop, the Dwarves have quite a few options as to their navy:

link

Depends on the setting.

I think they surely could have – after all, nothing says "hello dwarven sailor" more than a steam-driven ironclad with a bloody big cannon

We're talking high fantasy, right? Assuming these are the default miner types that also sport plate armor and firearms, seems like some overengineered galleons, ironclads, and tattooed shorties with beaded braids and twin pistols should fit right in.

The only RPG setting I've gamed in which Dwarves had ships was a Black Powder Fantasy setting. They had three types of steam ships operating out of a single port related to trade and commerce, and rarely tried to project power:

1. Light armed/armored sloops for patrolling
2. Well armed and moderately commerce ships for Dwarven controlled trade
3. Heavily armed/armored coastal defense monitors

Yep as noted … they do in Man O' War …

Easily the best models in Man-O-War.

I'm 5'7" and was in a navy, so …

I think they would use beer barrels cut in half, lengthways.

I really liked the dwarven ships in Uncharted Seas.

Why not???

Only small ones ….

Dwarves would make good fighter pilots because they are short and stout. And as everyone knows, when your heart is closer to your center of gravity you can pull more g forces. Therefore it only makes logical sense that dwarves should have an Air Force.

They might make good tank crews too … They are short and strong ! They'd fit better in the cramped conditions of most AFVs. And strong enough to load those heavy shells and pull maintenance.

Most often, the cliches on Dwarven appearance is that of the Norse or Vikings – both predominantly seafaring peoples.

No.

Most often, the cliches on Dwarven appearance is that of the Norse or Vikings – both predominantly seafaring peoples.

But with Scottish accents.

If you regard dwarves as being able to mine volcanic islands, then I would say so. As one person said, if they live by the water then yes. Based on common factors of environmental factors not a book genre.

Whether or not they have ships is unimportant. What IS important is that whatever they have be high-tech, overengineered and fire-power intensive.

I'm pretty sure they shouldn't have ships if they are in Middle Earth.

I'm not too fussed about any other dwarfs :)