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Dwarves and Oil

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
newtonyd
Jun 30, 2010 20:54:53 So I was trying to figure out a way to make certain encounters more fun in my campaign, as well as make a dwarven clan a bit different from the old 'dig up ore, make weapons' cliche, when I began to think about the often used ploy of barrels o' flammable oil often brought up in various games and stories. It dawned on me that I'd never heard about the origin of oil in any of these old games, or even much of a description of the oil itself.

Are we talking about vegetable oil? Whale oil? Gasoline? Were fantasy folk in these realms actually pumping up fossil fuels, processing the crude, and making oil products?

I got the strange idea of a dwarf clan living in a valley with many scattered deposits of oil and digging through the ground to find new deposits as they drain old ones dry.

Am I jumping the shark here? I'd like to know if anyone knows any actual explanation for where all of this oil comes from.
#2
Jharii
Jun 30, 2010 21:10:29 Actually, this is pretty clever and would make an excellent alternative to the stereotypical dwarves.
#3
cahrn
Jun 30, 2010 22:52:54 Doesnt seem like theres anything wrong with your idea. I think it would require a large amount of both technology and labor to actually drill (dig) for oil, but nothing that some dwarves couldnt overcome. Im not sure but it seems logical to me that in a generic fantasy world or a medieval world that weaponized oil would likely be collected simply by harvesting it in locations where oil was known to seep out of the ground (tar pit, etc).

Going along with that riff, perhaps the dwarves stumbled upon the oil seeping up and started digging to find out where it came from.

By the way, gasoline is a byproduct of the oil refining process, along with other stuff like diesel and kerosine. I'd be a bit skeptical if your dwarves had the technology to refine crude oil, but heck, its your game. In the old days, gasoline and many other substances that are highly valued today were simply dumped as waste during refining... then the internal combustion engine came along.
#4
TregMallin
Jul 01, 2010 6:42:17

Going along with that riff, perhaps the dwarves stumbled upon the oil seeping up and started digging to find out where it came from.

One of them was out one day, shooting at some food, when up from the ground came a bubbling crude...

It seems reasonable, particularly the tar pit or the natural seepage. Seems like the kind of thing a group of dwarves would seek to explore further.
#5
jfparmel
Jul 01, 2010 16:38:52 I'll second that this is a clever idea. I'd just note that in the ancient world oil was usually derived from vegatables and nuts. Perhaps your dwarves grow some sort of root or carrot that they press for oil. Perhaps they need certain ground types and growing these roots takes most of the nutrients out of the soil and thus the quest for more land.

Regardless, I like the idea. Kudos and good luck.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 newtonyd Jun 30, 2010 20:54:53	So I was trying to figure out a way to make certain encounters more fun in my campaign, as well as make a dwarven clan a bit different from the old 'dig up ore, make weapons' cliche, when I began to think about the often used ploy of barrels o' flammable oil often brought up in various games and stories. It dawned on me that I'd never heard about the origin of oil in any of these old games, or even much of a description of the oil itself. Are we talking about vegetable oil? Whale oil? Gasoline? Were fantasy folk in these realms actually pumping up fossil fuels, processing the crude, and making oil products? I got the strange idea of a dwarf clan living in a valley with many scattered deposits of oil and digging through the ground to find new deposits as they drain old ones dry. Am I jumping the shark here? I'd like to know if anyone knows any actual explanation for where all of this oil comes from.
#2 Jharii Jun 30, 2010 21:10:29	Actually, this is pretty clever and would make an excellent alternative to the stereotypical dwarves.
#3 cahrn Jun 30, 2010 22:52:54	Doesnt seem like theres anything wrong with your idea. I think it would require a large amount of both technology and labor to actually drill (dig) for oil, but nothing that some dwarves couldnt overcome. Im not sure but it seems logical to me that in a generic fantasy world or a medieval world that weaponized oil would likely be collected simply by harvesting it in locations where oil was known to seep out of the ground (tar pit, etc). Going along with that riff, perhaps the dwarves stumbled upon the oil seeping up and started digging to find out where it came from. By the way, gasoline is a byproduct of the oil refining process, along with other stuff like diesel and kerosine. I'd be a bit skeptical if your dwarves had the technology to refine crude oil, but heck, its your game. In the old days, gasoline and many other substances that are highly valued today were simply dumped as waste during refining... then the internal combustion engine came along.
#4 TregMallin Jul 01, 2010 6:42:17	Going along with that riff, perhaps the dwarves stumbled upon the oil seeping up and started digging to find out where it came from. One of them was out one day, shooting at some food, when up from the ground came a bubbling crude... It seems reasonable, particularly the tar pit or the natural seepage. Seems like the kind of thing a group of dwarves would seek to explore further.
#5 jfparmel Jul 01, 2010 16:38:52	I'll second that this is a clever idea. I'd just note that in the ancient world oil was usually derived from vegatables and nuts. Perhaps your dwarves grow some sort of root or carrot that they press for oil. Perhaps they need certain ground types and growing these roots takes most of the nutrients out of the soil and thus the quest for more land. Regardless, I like the idea. Kudos and good luck.