Actually Craglord, the Numenorians were just as masterful workers of stone as the Dwarves. All you have to do is look at Minas Tirith, the Argonath, Amon Sul in its prime, Osgiliath, etc. I think each good faction should have 3 researchable castle upgrades, Gondor already has 3, giving the Dwarves the oil cask or another upgrade would give them 3, and then Rohan would just need 3. In terms of defence, Rohan is by far the weakest, all you need are a few catapults, so something definitely needs to be done for them.
Yes, I agree about numbers of researchable castle upgrades. Maybe you can make some list of current available castle upgrades so we can discuss properly (Right now I can't remember all names of them, their properties etc).
About comparison between Dwarves and Numenorians, there is no way that Numenorians were equal to Dwarven skills at stone shaping/building. Numenorians were also described like race of men which was very good at constructional problems in general, I say that Numenorians probably constructed buildings of great beauty and quality. Dwarven buildings were of better quality but lesser beauty. That is my opinion.
P.S. Dwarves helped during history many times to other races and build for them. If one of most ancient elves (Tingol) was impressed with their work, that is indication that Dwarves construced buildings of great beauty and quality. Also Dwarves repaired Gate at Minas Thirith after Sauron final fall. Simply Dwarves were engineering race. They was created by Aule, that is enough information about their "genetic" predispositions.
I agree about you CragLord about the Stonework and Gate upgrade for Dwarves as the greatest stonemakers but the Team will simply say that Gondro and Arnor already has those Upgrades and it will not be unique!But I am all for that idea may be something like "Kahzad-Dum Stonework" and "Great Gates of Erebor"/"Great Gates" and will be awsome!
Yes, I know you agree.
Simply team uses their position to deny those ideas, and I must say it is wrong in some cases. (My simple opinion!) We have already unique, or that will induce unbalance. Don't want to write more about that "situation". Again I say idea is here,Lore facts are here also, if team already deny it what to do, lets reconsider other prepositions.
But this doesnt mean Tienity idea is bad and it can really be something like between them like having the "Khazad-Dum Stonework" and isntead of "Reinforced Gates"/"Great Gates" we can have "Oil Crates" for Gate protecion!?
I didn't say his idea is bad, you have concluded wrong from my comment!
99,99% of his ideas are nice/epic, and you know I support most of them, and I am always trying to help you to polish them! I just said that kind of thinking (I thought it was yours): Gondor already had unique wall/gate upgrade, we won't add it for dwarves, that was little stupid in my opinion. Sometime we use uniqueness of some already existing idea to block some other idea (and in general that is not main reason), or block idea from prospective of balance/unbalance (that should be main reason, not something else). If some kind of Gate upgrade should exist, then it is upgrade of hp or armour against siege attacks, simply that is better in my opinion (but team deny this as you said). About those barrels, I don't have anything against, simply we will have fire aoe damage here, others don't have that, what similar could you implement for Imladris gate or Rohan gate? I am talking about aoe damage upgrade.
Anyway, this is all on theoretic base. Maybe is better to make list with current castle upgrades, and then start proper discussion.