Dwarves aren't cool anymore

[Psyren]

I know 5e is the current edition, but beyond that I don't really know a lot about it...but I have heard about this issue. Isn't this kind of hand-in-hand with the whole "bumpy forehead" or "let's make sure everyone is the same bland, because we don't want to be accused of making some kind of generalized statement about things outside of our game"?

Yes, there exist people seemingly incapable of critically evaluating mechanically distinct racial features who view the shift towards floating ASIs in this way. I do not consider those people remotely persuasive.

If we were to think about "dwarfiness" we might identify 3 - 5 common themes or characteristics. Coming up with a Thingum for each, and then letting the player choose which applies could be cool. Some game somewhere must have already done this...it is just "feat selection" but for races instead of levels.

The level 1 feat already accomplishes this though. Want a "Craftsdwarf?" Grab a bunch of tools with your base proficiencies and replenish them with Skilled (or maybe the 5.5e version will let you take both), or take Artificer Initiate. Want a "Hardy" dwarf? Grab Tough, Magic Initiate (Resistance+Blade Ward), or Lucky. Want a "Delver" or "Mountain Ranger" dwarf? Grab Skilled (Survival / Perception / Nature).