Build-A-Setting #1: Orcs, Dwarves, and Elves in the 21st Century

[FF_Ninja]

Greetings and salutations to the grognardiest of communities! I'm in the process of developing a new setting for a GURPS campaign I'm planning, and I would like to ask for creative and theoretical input. I'm attempting to cast as wide a net as possible, so no observation or idea is too far-fetched or bizarre, and no presumption or creative liberty is out of line. Ask questions, but feel free to explore possibilities. I'll eventually use everything that's submitted for fuel and inspiration as I continue to flesh out the setting.


The Goal: Obtain a comprehensive, creative, multi-faceted understanding of the topic. Explore possible side-effects, far-reaching effects, conflicts and contrasts, and innumerable "what-ifs."


Setting Summary: A modern fantasy environment modeled after the real-life 21st century, but where fantasy elements like magic, monsters, and numerous classic fantastic races have always existed.


Today's Topic: What would the presence of Orcs, Dwarves, and Elves look like in the 21st century?


I look forward to exploring this topic with all of you! Tomorrow's Build-A-Setting topic will expand the topic further with additional races beyond the standard "big three".

[Shuckster]

I suppose that depends pretty heavily on which orcs, dwarves, elves (or meta-humans in general) you want to include. After all Tolkien, D&D, Warhammer Fantasy, Shadowrun and a lot of other source materials all have pretty different versions of fantasy races, all of which have very distinct qualities and attributes. For example Orcs in Warhammer are feral, absurdly durable morons who basically just exist to wage war on everything in all directions at once and reproduce by fungal spores whereas Tolkien's orcs are a corrupted race of Elves and Orcs in shadowrun are just kind of larger, brawnier humans with very few differences.

As for pre-established templates, check out GURPS Fantasy, the statistics and traits for a dwarf can be found on page 107, Elves on 108 and Orcs on 110.

[Phantasm]

Are you looking for mythic races like the Celtic fae, Norse Alfar/Dokkalfar/Svartalfar (light, dark, and black elves) and Dvergr (Dwarves), Greek centaurs and satyrs, Persian Girtabi, and Arabic djinn, or more like the Dungeon Fantasy races? This will affect how the "big three" of Elves, Dwarves, and Orcs are handled.

[David Johnston2]

The interesting thing about orcs as Tolkien conceived of them, is that they are extremely well adapted for living in polluted environments. It goes along with Tolkien's contempt for industrialization. Instead of disposable mook soldiers they could instead live in toxic waste dumps churning out manufactured goods for sale to to the rest of the world.

[Gold & Appel Inc]

I was tempted to go too political and America-centric here and say something along the lines of, "If you think bias aligned with skin color is a thing, wait'll you get a load of this," here, but I am totally digging David Johnston2's take on it and would like it if we ran with that.

[FF_Ninja]

I think I default mentally to the stereotypes I observed in the movie Bright. Orcs, very tribalistic and ritualistic even in urban culture, incredibly strong, and typically almost second-class citizens on basis of their predispositions; Elves, incredibly socially affluent, prideful, almost an "ivory tower" feel to how they typically rise above everyone else.

I thought the movie an interesting take on the topic, but obviously there wasn't a whole lot of lore shown off in a two-hour cinema.

I can't imagine an environment that includes such radically different species without some very significant tensions, actual segregation, xenophobia, etc. You have culture clash with existing ethnicities in RL, but fantasy species don't even have the "we're all human" card to play.

[(E)]

You could play around with when the various races came into contact with each other historically.

Assuming a human centered world.

Say for example the Roman empire (or local equivalent) pushed elves out of the "known world" and later the catholic church (or local equivalent) finished the job. The Elves however "Went to the west" and ended up colonizing the America's. Leading to a 17th century "meeting" of the Humans and Elves.

[David Johnston2]

Gurps has two basic flavours of elf. The first kind are the tree huggers, who somehow change themselves to match their environment and want to protect it from menaces such as such as agriculture, open pit mining and urban sprawl using magic to bypass the need for such things to support their own population.

The second are snooty self-absorbed jerks who have abandoned nature in favour of a more urban lifestyle. The second are more likely to prosper, by inserting themselves into human civilization, and using their prettiness, longevity, magic and lack of scruples to rise to the top.

[maximara]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Gurps has two basic flavours of elf. The first kind are the tree huggers, who somehow change themselves to match their environment and want to protect it from menaces such as such as agriculture, open pit mining and urban sprawl using magic to bypass the need for such things to support their own population.

The second are snooty self-absorbed jerks who have abandoned nature in favour of a more urban lifestyle. The second are more likely to prosper, by inserting themselves into human civilization, and using their prettiness, longevity, magic and lack of scruples to rise to the top.

It all depends if you consider "Faerie" as elves. For example, Sylvan Faeries range in appearance from "wood-dwelling humanoids like wood elves, to sentient trees such as Tolkien’s ents, and including some creatures, like dryads, that are somewhere in between." (Classic: Faerie pg 14) and seem to be what inspired the tree hugger elves.

[FF_Ninja]

Now, Dwarves on the other hand...


I can see Dwarves heading some of the largest trade and craft unions - or "guilds" - across the civilized world. If one needed something built, designed, or restored, one would typically contract the local union of some sort and that's likely to be heavily infused with Dwarven blood. Every major metropolis in the western world - and quite a few other places as well - is built on their ingenuity and industriousness.


I wonder if they have any rivals in the trade, either present or ancient?