And wizards can't recharge unless they are within the magical area, much like Ley Lines. Thus, enchanted monsters and mages would be located within the magic borders of an area although the physical areas may be larger or smaller. There is the physical world of Girdlegard and there is the Enchanted Realms of Girdlegard which is the magical overlay whose borders are somewhat different than the physical realm. More interesting is how there are two maps of the same world. Probably would want to start them at a higher level to represent their decades of training within their strongholds before being permitted to wander the world, thus using the game rules to emulate how one dwarf can easily defeat a dozen men or orcs with nary a scratch. The world would be VERY easy to translate to D&D - especially for a Dwarf-centric campaign. Is there anything in The Dwarves that you could yank for your D&D game? The sequel 'War of the Dwarves' hits US shelves next year. Dude probably plays Warhammer too.Īccording to wikipedia, The Dwarves is an international best seller and there will be a movie shot in 2010. Okay, here's a itty bitty hint: Markus really likes Dark Elves too. I won't give away any plot spoilers because you are probably already excited about the book or you're not. Of course, our dwarves go on a great quest to save the world. They have problems with humans, they don't like elves, they brew the best beer and like to sing, work with metal, gold, diamonds and stone. Our dwarf warriors chop through 20, 30, 40 orcs in single combat. Markus wrote 6 Shadowrun novels and 4 books like 'Choose Your Own Adventure' where you get to be the fantasy hero. The whole book screams 'I'm a gamer' and it should.

If you are looking for something that redefines the genre, this ain't that book.

If you are in the mood for a fantasy Big Mac, The Dwarves is a fun read. In English, the book is an enjoyable piece of junk food. I have no idea if Markus is a great writer in his native tongue. THE DWARVES by Markus Heitz has hit the US shelves with an English edition. Thus, its no suprise that somebody would write a fantasy novel that's 99% focussed on the short bearded dudes with axes.

Die Zwerge by Markus Heitz