Dwarven Battle Tactics

Aldarion

Neoreactionary Monarchist
Dwarven Battle Tactics

Modern fantasy dwarves are based largely on Tolkien. Even the plural "dwarves" was made up by Tolkien – actual English plural being "dwarfs". Yet Tolkien himself has not written much about dwarven battle tactics, and in general fantasy they can vary a lot.
 

Husky_Khan

The Dog Whistler... I mean Whisperer.
Founder
Dwarven Battle Tactics

Modern fantasy dwarves are based largely on Tolkien. Even the plural "dwarves" was made up by Tolkien – actual English plural being "dwarfs". Yet Tolkien himself has not written much about dwarven battle tactics, and in general fantasy they can vary a lot.

Ranged tactics are used a lot by Warhammer dwarves. I should find some excerpts from the novels. The fortifications of the Karak are pretty impressive, both pre- and post-gunpowder. There's a focus of melee of course, as there's a lot of mining and unlike some fantasy Dwarfs, ones in Warhammer apparently can't even see in the dark. But their defenses are always bristling with various stone and bolt throwers even in the pre-Gunpowder days. They'd even name their war machines and talk about their long battle histories and put their runic magic and enchantments on them, treating them like modern day soldiers would treat a tank or warship.
 

The Whispering Monk

Well-known member
Osaul
Ranged tactics are used a lot by Warhammer dwarves. I should find some excerpts from the novels. The fortifications of the Karak are pretty impressive, both pre- and post-gunpowder. There's a focus of melee of course, as there's a lot of mining and unlike some fantasy Dwarfs, ones in Warhammer apparently can't even see in the dark. But their defenses are always bristling with various stone and bolt throwers even in the pre-Gunpowder days. They'd even name their war machines and talk about their long battle histories and put their runic magic and enchantments on them, treating them like modern day soldiers would treat a tank or warship.

"Blarney Rose is a right, good bolt thrower she is! My Gran made ol' Rose when she was younger than I am now. Gave her some wonderful clean lines, and her bow stave is alloyed with Adamant! When ol' Gran felled a cave troll in one toss of Rose's arm she gave Blarney her first rune. My clan has been blessing Rose with a rune after every fight she's proven victorious!" Points at Blarney Rose sporting dozens of Dwarven Runes.
 

Husky_Khan

The Dog Whistler... I mean Whisperer.
Founder
"Blarney Rose is a right, good bolt thrower she is! My Gran made ol' Rose when she was younger than I am now. Gave her some wonderful clean lines, and her bow stave is alloyed with Adamant! When ol' Gran felled a cave troll in one toss of Rose's arm she gave Blarney her first rune. My clan has been blessing Rose with a rune after every fight she's proven victorious!" Points at Blarney Rose sporting dozens of Dwarven Runes.

Actually in the book I read they were talking about how they used them against Elves during their massive Race War back in the day. :D

Dark days indeed!
 

ATP

Well-known member
In Silmarilion dwarves were only army which was not defeated by Morgoth - their King injured Morgoth dragon who run from the battlefield with rest of monsters,and dwarves take his body and slowlu leaved battlefield,becouse nobody else dared to attack them.

To compare - elves run,and humans either betrayed or died there.
 

Husky_Khan

The Dog Whistler... I mean Whisperer.
Founder
From the one chapter of the book where I recall them praising particular war machines.

"Blarney Rose is a right, good bolt thrower she is! My Gran made ol' Rose when she was younger than I am now. Gave her some wonderful clean lines, and her bow stave is alloyed with Adamant! When ol' Gran felled a cave troll in one toss of Rose's arm she gave Blarney her first rune. My clan has been blessing Rose with a rune after every fight she's proven victorious!" Points at Blarney Rose sporting dozens of Dwarven Runes.

The Doom of Dragonback

The mountainside rang with the shouts of teamsters and overseers, as caravans of war engineers were being brought down from the upper fortifications and dragged out of the halls of the Lower gate. With them came engineers, who focused with lenses and counting stones and calculations, sighting the war machines at advantageous locations along the walls, and rigging pulleys and ropes to hoist bolt throwers and stone lobbers up to the highest towers.

...

"You really like the machines, don't you?"

"I do," the prince admitted with a shy smile. He looked down at a line of machines being assembled on the tier below where they stood. "Down there, that's history. THose two bolt throwers on the left, they're called Windrip and Ironstorm. Designed and built by Thorgad Rinkeldraz, my great-grand-uncle. They first saw battle at the second siege of Barak Varr, where they sank two elven hawkships and drove off a dragonship. They saw battle nearly a score of times safter, more than any single dwarf."




And some other bits from the same chapter.



The wolf riders were pulling back, realizing the dwarfs were not the easy victory they had hoped, leaving the dirty work to the bows of their companions. The night air was filled with more short, black shafts hissing and sighing past, thudding into trees and shields, pinging from mail and plate.

"We can't stay here," growled Grodin. "They'll pick us off."

"They don't have enough arrows," argued Erzakaz. "Keep close to the trees and your shields up."




Sofrik announced that it was time to head back to the woods their group several hundred strong. Last preparations were made. Whetstones sharpened ae blades and knives, shattered shields were replaced, dints knocked out of helmets and belts hung with pouches of bread, flasks of beer and waterskins. The Lower Gate clans were keen hunters and a good number of them brought crossbows and bows, and packs filled with ammunition.

 

Blasterbot

Well-known member
My thought is you gotta look at their body to understand how their tactics would be different. they got shorter limbs great endurance and a surprising amount of strength for their size. based on that recurve bows, crossbows, polearms, cavalry tactics, and pike formations or shield walls would likely be good for them.

Cavalry would be emphasized to make up for their natural lack of speed needed for quick maneuver.

Recurve bows allow for a heavier draw weight without making it as large and unwieldy for their smaller frames.

Crossbows got power in spades and dwarves are usually shown to be mechanically inclined.

If gunpowder is available in setting Dwarves should absolutely be going for firearms and Cannon.

Polearms would help make up for their lack of reach and they provide great leverage for their strength

Pikes would be good for anti-cavalry work which they need since they are generally not very mobile.

Shield wall would be great for the tunnel fighting and that shit is hard on your endurance but they got that.

with their longer lives they generally would be better trained than humans and while they don't reproduce like people they aren't quite as bad as elves either. so I would expect the average professional soldier to be much better than their human counter parts. especially if against a peasant levy.

in CQC I would expect a lot of Grappling to take advantage of their low center of gravity mixed with "low blows" targeting the knees, liver, and other vulnerable bits.
 

Typhonis

Well-known member
Dwarves are supposed to be incredible sprinters. Would they make use of war darts in combat as a way to neutralize enemy shields?
 

Husky_Khan

The Dog Whistler... I mean Whisperer.
Founder
Cavalry would be emphasized to make up for their natural lack of speed needed for quick maneuver.

There was a big battle in the RA Salvatore Drizzt novel Siege of Darkness where the Mithral Hall Dwarves were attacked by the forces of the Drow City of Menzoberranzan. IIRC it was five thousand dwarfs versus eight thousand Drow plus several times that number of Orc and Goblinoid slave troops, plus three Mind Flayer/Illithids. Plus there was a nighttime surface battle where four hundred Human barbarian allies and three hundred cavalry from nearby Northern cities also did some battling. And towards the end three hundred Svirfneblin (Deep Gnomes) showed up clutch towards the end.

I can't recall too much particular in tactics, it's been so long since I read the book but I remember either early in this book, or maybe the previous one, Dwarf cavalry showed up. They were mounted on War Boars of some sort that apparently were willing to romp around the Underdark. For some reason they showed up in a skirmish well before the Big Battle but didn't make an appearance in the Battle itself.

Obviously one of the advantages the Dwarfs did display was that they fought more organized and cohesively, same with the Human Cavalry as well since the Drow tend to be rather selfish and fight as individuals. That works well in the smaller skirmishes in random tunnels and the like, but not in the big surface battles or ones in the larger caverns and undercity areas.
 

AmosTrask

Well-known member
There was a big battle in the RA Salvatore Drizzt novel Siege of Darkness where the Mithral Hall Dwarves were attacked by the forces of the Drow City of Menzoberranzan. IIRC it was five thousand dwarfs versus eight thousand Drow plus several times that number of Orc and Goblinoid slave troops, plus three Mind Flayer/Illithids. Plus there was a nighttime surface battle where four hundred Human barbarian allies and three hundred cavalry from nearby Northern cities also did some battling. And towards the end three hundred Svirfneblin (Deep Gnomes) showed up clutch towards the end.

I can't recall too much particular in tactics, it's been so long since I read the book but I remember either early in this book, or maybe the previous one, Dwarf cavalry showed up. They were mounted on War Boars of some sort that apparently were willing to romp around the Underdark. For some reason they showed up in a skirmish well before the Big Battle but didn't make an appearance in the Battle itself.

Obviously one of the advantages the Dwarfs did display was that they fought more organized and cohesively, same with the Human Cavalry as well since the Drow tend to be rather selfish and fight as individuals. That works well in the smaller skirmishes in random tunnels and the like, but not in the big surface battles or ones in the larger caverns and undercity areas.
The Dwarves used formations, centred around companies of heavy infantry and missile troops. Supplemented by auxiliaries provided by their allies and small units of war boar cavalry and enchanted artillery. Pike and Shot tercios with enchanted crossbows and Svirfneblin with magic muskets. Gnomes are the only race with gunpowder, it is a secret enforced by Gond, God of Artificers and Alchemists.
 
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AmosTrask

Well-known member
A dwarf with a scutum type shield and a short stabbing sword would be nightmare to fight in a confined area like a tunnel passage. Add in some slings with lead shot.
They don't use slings. They usually face heavily armored enemies so they use crossbows enchanted to penetrate multiple enemies.
 

Husky_Khan

The Dog Whistler... I mean Whisperer.
Founder
The Dwarves used formations, centred around companies of heavy infantry and missile troops. Supplemented by auxiliaries provided by their allies and small units of war boar cavalry and enchanted artillery. Pike and Shot tercios with enchanted crossbows and Svirfneblin with magic muskets. Gnomes are the only race with gunpowder, it is a secret enforced by Gond, God of Artificers and Alchemists.

Is that true or are you applying head canon?

I honestly don't know because I never read the Drizzt books past Spine of the World & Passage to Dawn and whatnot. I've kinda wanted to read the Thousand Orcs story books and whatnot with King Obould but never got around to it. I know from the bits I did read that there was a lot of fantasy warfare described in it as well.
 

AmosTrask

Well-known member
Is that true or are you applying head canon?

I honestly don't know because I never read the Drizzt books past Spine of the World & Passage to Dawn and whatnot. I've kinda wanted to read the Thousand Orcs story books and whatnot with King Obould but never got around to it. I know from the bits I did read that there was a lot of fantasy warfare described in it as well.
I'm pulling from multiple books. They were using shield walls, to pike columns and crossbow blocks. The Gond gunpowder thing is canon to Faerun.
 

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