Thunderers image - Warhammer - The Sundering: Rise of the Witch King mod for Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms

Dwarf Thunderers form the bulk of the missile contingent in a Dwarf Army. There was once a time when Dwarf powder weapons had not been invented and Dwarf Quarrellers reigned supreme with their crossbows. Over time, as the Dwarf Handgun came into common usage, the Crossbow lost its dominance. Nowadays, most Dwarf armies see a pretty even split of Quarrellers and Thunderers. Dwarfs are naturally methodical and slow to panic; and so are suited to reloading and firing both weapons calmly, even when the enemy is right on top of them. The competition between various engineers is such that in the efforts to make increasingly better and more reliable weapons Dwarf Handguns have become the most effective weapons of their type in the world. Most Thunderers have crafted their own weapons and over the years add many augmentations and improvements; and are as a result very proud of their weapons. Despite this, many Dwarfs stick to the good old and reliable crossbow as they begrudge the cost of powder when a bit of brute force will propel a bolt as far as a bullet. There have even been known instances of dwarfs improving their crossbows, though of course this is strictly prohibited without the engineers' guild's knowledge and permission.