How come Tolkien dwarves are the only dwarves in all fantasy settings that actively use spears as their main weapon? Because the spear is the best possible weapon in caves and tunnels, so it's weird that dnd ones, for example, never got race bonuses to it.
Let's be clear about two things.The worst "fantasy" setting is Warcraft. Tied with it is Warhammer.If your worldly experience only consists of those two things, you need to sit down and listen and not be so eager to raise your hand to speak.
>>94737572Because Gimli, the archetypal fantasy dwarf, used an ax instead of a spear. Simple as.
>>94737572Because in Warhammer dwarfs like axes because elves like trees.
>>94737596Instead of flanderization, we should call it gimlirization.
>>94737572Hell in The Hobbit none of the Dwarves actually had battle axes either they wielded mattocks and their leader used a sword. Yet every Dwarf has to be Gimli.
>>94737572>the spear is the best possible weapon in caves and tunnelsIt's also what you'd want if you're a little person fighting bigger people. You'd want more reach and leverage, not less. The last thing you'd use would be axes.
>>94737590>Lets be clear about two very subjective things.Reddit-tier argument. And even if agreeing with your shit take, it's not true either. Plenty of other fantasy settings have dwarves use axes than Warhammer or Warcraft, so maybe you shouldn't base you should sit down and listen and not be so eager to speak.
>>94737721>Plenty of other fantasy settings have dwarves use axes than Warhammer or WarcraftName 25.
>>94737572I like that mustache from ballsack on that pic
>>94737572Traditional games?
>>94737657"War-mattocks" specifically, so one assumes it was some sort of military pick.
>>94737850Dwarves are very popular fictional creatures found in virtually every fantasy-themed traditional game in one form or another. You'll notice that soon once you start playing games.
>>94738070I know. Just asking what game op is talking about.
>>94737732Snow White and all its variant retellings.
>>94737572I swear I'm not even a spearfag but whenever I think what weapon should short heavily armored stout warriors use, it's the longest polearms and spears. Not axes
>>94737572Kharadron use harpoons, which is kinda like a fancy ranged spear
>>94737572Because spears and pikes are dramatically underrepresented in fantasy in general.
>>94738322He isn't talking about games, because he just wants to bitch about the worldbuilding of settings and literature. If he had any idea how games work, he could easily have the dwarves with spears he so desperately wants.
>>94737732I'm not that guy, but most official DND settings ranging from Forgotten Realms to Eberron. That's already a sizable amount, if you don't count them all as a singular setting. You could probably answer this with just that, if you desired.But other examples:Dwarves (the book series).Dwarf Fortress.Deep Rock Galactic.Tolkien, though not exclusively axes.Dragon Age, but more so Origins.Pathfinder.Shadowrun.Earthdawn.Warhammer 40K, if you count it as separate from Warhammer Fantasy.Age of Sigmar, even if they have more inventive dwarves than just the Warhammer Fantasy ones.Solasta, though technically a DND derivative.Age of Wonders.Might and Magic.There's also 191 games on Steam with the "dwarf" tag as referenced by this specific curator.
>>94737572I always liked the idea that dwarves use repurposed tools; axes, hammers, picks, mattocks. It reenforces there theme as miners and craftsmen.
>>94742525That's warhammer explanation.
>>94742779>BAWWWWWW stop bullying me for offtopic shitposting!
>>94737572While spears are better for the most part, short axes like the dwarf in your image aren't terrible for close-quarters fighting in cramped tunnels. A short sword or a spike on the tip of the axe would be better though since you could also thrust.
How do you turn the spear around when in a tight tunnel?
>>94747275If the enemy is not in front of you, you've fucked up
>>94747275By contracting it.
>>94737590>The worst "fantasy" setting is Warcraft. Tied with it is Warhammer.I know nothing about warcraft or Warhammer, but I'm sure they're not as shit as anime garbage like Frieren or Dungeon Meshi.
>>94747517Well, even if he is in front of you. Its not like caverns are straight or have easily practicable corners.
>>94737590>popular thing is the worstI know several way shittier settings than warcraft and warhammer you exaggerating pretentious spergthese two are mid at worst
>>94741235really? he could reality warp the world so that the core dwarf trope was connected to spears?
>>94747275Use a short spear like the Zulu iklwa
>>94747275there are spears that are shorter than swords, especially if sized to a midget
>>94737572Because every dwarf in modern fantasy is a Gimli copycat. Other dwarves used other weapons, even swords.
Short sword and shield make more sense in tunnel warfare. However, polearms should dominate once they fight in open fields. Also crossbows.
>>94750901>Short sword and shield make more sense in tunnel warfare.No? Tight spaces limit possible slashing attacks
>>94750914You can also stab with a sword, anon.
>>94750914anon means a stabbing sword like a Gladius
>>94750385He could "reality warp" the only world that should matter to him: his own games.
>>94750922>>94751006But short spear would still be better...
>>94737590Warcraft is a mess. A complete and utter mess. But compared to your average Fantasy light novel it's tolkien. Also Dwarves in Warcraft use maces.
>>94751113>But compared to your average Fantasy light novel it's tolkien.Absolutely not. Even some isekai slop about "I turned into a sony walkman in another world and now have a harem of lolis, and not a single one is a day under 1000 years old?! An old-timey 'walking type' fantasy has begun!!" is leagues above the sloppy mess Warcraft has become
>>94751162Nah. I'd rather take a fun shitshow over painfully dull. At least Warcraft is fun to talk about.
In Dwarf Fortress you want a mix of weapons, as no single weapon is good for every opponent. Spears are ideal for fighting large creatures, as their piercing will damage vitals and inflict pain and bleeding to wear them down. Against smaller creatures like humans or goblins, swords and axes are more helpful to slice bits off in one go. Versus undead, you really need some crushing weapons like maces or warhammers - spearing a zombie just gets you a zombie onna stick, and severing a skeleton's arm just means there's a crawling hand behind you now.This has been /v/ fantasy autism.
>>94751340Well that's the beauty of it: Warcraft is a sloppy shitshow AND painfully, generically dull at the same time. Sure you can fill three to five youtuber whiteboy video essays with the backstory of elves in Warcraft, but the end result is still just a boring, shitty knock-off of a boring, shitty knock-off of Tolkien.
>>94751696Dunno, elves just being mutant trolls with delusions of grandeur and a bad habit of becoming magic crackheads is kinda amusing.
Are you all talking about Warcraft (WC1-3), WoW, nu-WoW (TBC+) or neo-WoW (cata+)?
>>94751010>shouldi'm sure he cares about this insight
>>94737572Is this in the silmarrilion because it's not the case in the Hobbit or LoTR
>>94751162No. The best written Isekai is worse than than garbage. >t. Loves isekai
>>94754359Alice in Wonderland.
>>94754132You're right, he doesn't care about games; he only cares about being a mindless lemming and going on and on about the popularity of things.
>>94737572Why would you need racial bonuses for a race to use a weapon as their main weapon?
>>94742779tg is for discussing traditional games. not literature. you can tell because it's called traditional games, and not literature.
>>94747275sharp bit on both ends
>>94747607why did you carve your tunnel like that?
>>94747607just back up lol
>>94751511actually you can kill everything with just axes, and nobody embarks in evil biomes
>>94737572We have a worldbuilding general for you people that dont play games.
>>94737572I remember hating playing as dwarves in the medieval 2 warhammer mod, because they didnt have cavalry. Unlike the Lord of the rings mod where they actually have (shitty) human mercenary cavalry.THey dont even need to have good cav, just any cav at all to run down routing enemies actually made heavy armor slow armies viable.
>>94754359>talking shit about FarscapeShit taste detected Warcraft has been isekai ever since WC2 to boot
>>94747275
Gimli carried an axe because he was such a dyed-in-the-wool elfhater; you see: the edgiest dwarves carry axes because, if they ever went above ground, and ever went into an elvish forest, well, they want to chop down every tree they see, because elves love trees, but these dwarves hate elves so much because of... uh... a bad deal on some custom jewelry that was never properly paid for millennia ago. But, anyway, these chuddy dwarves never bother going above ground, much less to anywhere with trees, they're such chuds, except Gimli, who secretly ended up not hating elves like the other dwarves after all lol.
>>94754530if he doesn't care about games, then why is he talking about them, though?
>>94747557Dungeon Meshi has brought whimsy back to fantasy and you will respect that name in this house.
>>94768607He isn't talking about games.
>>94771820>t. the cancer killing /tg/
>>94737572Gil-galad was here, slayers are gay.
