I remember dwarf addiction when dwarves had free build. BE is the top players opium to the ghetto players cigarettes for free build.

When I switched races the next age the withdrawals set in at the very beginning.
“Mind if I open a window? I feel like I’m wearing a wool sweater infested with ants!”

But yeah. Soldier aid by high pop, high BR gnomes is one solution. Providing you attack the FB casting entities either through theft, LS, massacre, etc, you can release the soldiers to peasants with L&P and get the ball rolling. Dwarf core, gnome sub core.