Orcs, Elves, and the One Cliché to Rule Them All

[lebarjack]

I always thought that the Norse Mythos' elves were quite different from Tolkien's ones.
The only elves (Alf?) that I can imagine with Vanheim are Dwarven smithes and Svartalf (Svart Alf?)
Van seems to be some other mythic race.

[Kristoffer O]

The distinction between alfir, vanir, dwarves, dragons, aesir, giants and trolls is not clearly drawn. Aesir marry giants, dwarves are dragons, vanir are gods, giants are gods, giants are trolls, gods kill trolls, alfir live with vanir, dwarves are alfir and the dead are living.

All that is known is that humans are humans and the gods will die.

[Daynarr]

Ooook, now i have a headache.

[Morkilus]

Can you see Tolkein's elves making blood sacrifices, summoning devils, and calling lightning from the sky? The Dominions Vanir are so much more interesting, and the bonus is they're closer to the original myth. I'm having fun writing stories about the "elves" that dominate humanity and demand children for rituals, while coveting their numbers and fecundity.

I still can't figure out Abysia; I've lazily avoided them since I can't really conceptualize their flavor. Perhaps people want those fantasy standbys since they automatically create unit diversity with minimal imaginative effort; all the work has already been done. But with more ancient, diverse mythology you can always read up on a nation from hundreds of sources, not just stuff from J.R.R. and R.A. Salvatore.

[Nerfix]

So far Dominions is the only game with "lava people" I have played...

[Reverend Zombie]

Nerfix said:
So far Dominions is the only game with "lava people" I have played...

I think they were in Fantasy General(?), and are sort of a Dungeons and Dragons staple, no?

[Ed Kolis]

Dom2 lacks orcs, elves, and hobbits? Hmm, last I checked the Tuatha sure resembled elves (isn't "Sidhe" one of Tolkien's elf races?), and the Hoburgsmen are just another name for hobbits (Tolkien) / halflings (D&D) / hurthlings (ADOM)... the only thing really lacking is orcs
I still think that Clockwork Horrors should produce mecha-Horrors, though, not mecha-Hoburgsmen

[Nerfix]

Reverend Zombie said:

I think they were in Fantasy General(?), and are sort of a Dungeons and Dragons staple, no?

Well place emphasis on "I have played".

Though I haven't heard of DD lava people.