Shadowrun RPG Lore: Dwarfs

Hoi there, chummers, and welcome to The Sixth World, the show where we wade through a river of dreck to get at the chipped truth of the Shadowrun universe. My name's Happy, and on today's episode, we're taking a look at what it means to be a dwarf in The Sixth World, as told by the words of Thaddeus, a dwarf, trid, pirate, and decker. Okay, the most obvious thing about being a dwarf is our height. Yeah, we're shorter than everyone else. So we spend our lives dealing with a world built for taller people. People who often talk down to us figuratively as well as literally. Half-size we ain't, though. Most of us have shorter legs in proportion than our torsos, well, than other races, which means we're not much smaller than humans from waist to neck. We can probably borrow your shirts, however. We cannot reach shelves in stores or get a good view of art in most museums. And just try getting served in a On the other hand, we can fit into tight spaces. Always useful in my line of work. And we don't bang our heads on low-hanging branches. Watch out, Stretch. Some dwarves may try to walk you right into trouble and obstacles. Folk who were called dwarves long before the Awakening had limbs that didn't grow in proportion to their torsos, but they weren't the dwarf race we know today. Probably because the long existence of dwarf-like people, lots of old stories involve dwarves. And let me tell you, these stories have caused real problems for dwarves in the modern world. Too many people think they know what we're like because they've read Grimm's fairy tales or some weird fantasy epic. They're surprised to find out that we don't all dig in mines or hunger after gold or live in cute little cottages in the woods. Even worse, our short stature makes us lots of other people see us as children. Get this though. That doesn't make any sense. Oh, get this through your heads, okay? A dwarf over the age of 18 is an adult. Patting a dwarf on the head, pinching him in the cheek or fixing his clothes is about as rude as he can possibly get. So is talking to dwarves in bright sing-song voices, usually reserved for kids who ain't even out their diapers. You ask me, this kind of treatment is the reason why many dwarves put on a tough act, being gruff and cold towards people of other races. Lots of young dwarves end up in fights trying to prove themselves or defend themselves from intrusive pats on the head. That's where the stereotypes of the hot-headed halfers come from. You spend a day being patted and pinched, see how calm you are about it. Of course, being treated like a cute kid does have a few advantages, much as I sometimes hate to admit it. Other people often underestimate us, from businessmen to street toughs. More than one dwarf has let the other guy think he can pull one over on the cute little half pint and then wham! Taking the big and full for all he's worth. Many other typical dwarf behaviours also stem from outside causes. Take the idea that dwarves like to live underground, in caves or basements. Well, the fact is, us dwarves feel more comfortable in small spaces. Big surprise, right? So a dwarf is more likely to take advantage of the cheaper rents in basement apartments, or maybe live in a cave because it's comfy and convenient. The house is nature built, what more could anyone want? As for the stereotypes that all dwarves are brilliant natural mechanics, I'm not sure where that got started, probably in some of those fairy tales. It's become something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Lots of dwarf children take little tool sets as their first toys, and schools channel us into math and science. Of course, in many fields, dwarf mechanics do have a natural advantage, because we can squeeze into smaller spaces. I suppose there may even be a genetic difference in intelligence types that makes us more likely to be good at putting things together. If there is, though, it skipped me. I can't figure out the workings of my toaster, let alone a car. You just... I'll try that again. You should see the looks I get when I tell people I have no idea how their car won't start. You can cut that as you like. And that's the chip truth, Choomers. Let me know what you think in the comments section, and don't forget to hit that like button and subscribe to my channel for more Shadowrun content. Hit that notification bell so you will always know when I upload a brand new Shadowrun video, and until next time, remember to shoot straight and never, ever, deal with a dragon.