An experiment in setting design

[Zeal]

Note: I’m trying this experiment with my regular gaming group but I’m curious as to what kind of results I’ll get by doing this on a larger scale.

The general idea is for me to gather a list (provided by you friendly forum folk) of races and a method for them to rise to power.
Eg. Gnomes: Overwhelming military force

(The method need not be that simple, but if it could be limited to a few sentences that would be great.)

Anyways, once I have a list, I’ll be creating a setting out of the mix.

Basically, that’s it, a sort of collaborative setting. Hopefully if I get enough support, I'll post a write-up here.

[Paragon Badger]

Goblins: Once used as massive slave labor for some other nation, now a highly-mobile guerilla faction seeking to create an independent state.

[Pronounceable]

Humans: the other white meat (they never rose to power)

Dwarves: slavery to demonic forces

Ewoks: sticks and stones can break your bones (not entirely serious)

[Uncle Festy]

Githyanki: Finish off Githzerai and Mind Flayers, clearing the route to power.
Githzerai: Finish off Githyanki and Mind Flayers, clearing the route to power.
Jar Jar Binks: RUN AWAY! (again, not entirely serious)

[Gig_Complex]

Halflings: Monopolized the catering/entertainment industries and are now fat little buggers who sit around all day raking in the cash.
Pixies: Took over the world while everyone was under the effects of Irresistible Dance.
Elves: One of them made it to level 15 as a Wizard and promptly took over the world, for clarification look for any of Emperor Tippy's posts in the Gaming section.

[Szilard]

Mindflayers:Kill everything and find out every secret ever, after taking over the world.

[Blackadder]

Half-Elves-Thanks to Half-Elf Khan the (Ala Genghis Khan) Half-Elves are now the high end of the population scale with the few remaining Human settlements being Fundamentalist "Pure" Human's

See Half-Elves breed Half-Elves w/humans and breed Half-Elves with Elves and breed Half-Elves with Half-Elves so if you get a nice Conqueror figurer like Genghis, then it's possible for such a figure to eventually dominate a wide region.
Fun Facts 0.5 Percent of the world's total population is a direct descendant from ol' Genghis (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/02/0214_030214_genghis.html)