Space. The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of a madman. To boldly go where no elf, dwarf, halfling, orc, goblin, dragon, etc. have ever gone before.
First, Orcs. What are they doing in space? Orcs were indigenous to a lush but mountainous planet. These mountains were chock full of rich deposits of ore used by dwarves to build ships and all manner of machinery. Naturally, the dwarves swooped in with little regard for the natives that they considered savages. Attacks were made. Battles were won and lost on both sides but, ultimately, the primitive orcs were no match for the technologically superior dwarves. The dwarves began taking orcs as slaves to work in their mines and factories. The dwarven empire had a vast trade network comprising hundreds of planets. The dwarves soon realized that orc slaves were also a valuable commodity with which to trade.
Goblins. Where there are Orcs, there are Goblins - intermingling or existing in their own distinct tribes. This and their physical similarities reinforces the notion that Goblins are a sub-race of Orcs. One in 20 orcish offspring are actually Goblins. One in 20 goblin offspring develop into Orcs. One in 100 offspring of both races develop into an Orclops - a giant, one-eyed Orc.
Dwarves and Elves. Dwarves and Elves live in neighboring star-systems and were among the first races to begin interacting via interstellar travel. There are notable differences between their technologies. Dwarven tech is big, heavy, tough, and...terribly inefficient. Also highly pollutant. Little thought is given to aesthetics or egalitarian concerns by Dwarven engineers or, for that matter, by Dwarves as a race, generally. In Star Trek terms, Dwarves are sort of a mish-mash of Klingon and Feringi culture.
Elven tech is quite the opposite of Dwarven tech. It is light, highly efficient, and produces little to no pollution. As a consequence, Elven tech tends to be very fragile and takes longer to produce. While Dwarves take a mass production approach, Elves do not. Elves are not consumed with making tech and trading it for profit, unlike Men and Dwarves. In Star Trek terms, Elves are Vulcans. Like the Vulcans, there are elements of mysticism in their culture. Virtually all Elves possess psionic abilities of some nature. Which reminds me. While Elves are technologically advanced enough and capable of interstellar travel, they have little need or desire to do so. Their society is very egalitarian and 'green'. They use very little, produce little waste. recycle most waste, and live lives that are very connected with nature.
Of course, Man is somewhere in between the Elves and the Dwarves in many senses, including technology. Where Elves and Dwarves are long-lived and few in number, Man is relatively short-lived and prolific. Man is the most dominate species in the galaxy, not because of their long lives or advanced technology - but by their sheer, over-whelming numbers and their insatiable wanderlust. To most Elves, Man is a galactic plague. While many Dwarves would agree with the Elves, it seldom fosters any hostility. To dwarves, humans are a vast sea of profit. It is estimated that 50% of the habitable planets and moons in the galaxy have been colonized by humans. Elves have kept to their home planet and it's many moons. Dwarves colonize quite a bit but mostly on a temporary basis. They setup colonies where there are resources, strip the heavenly body of it's resources and move on. This would seem to make Dwarves the true plague of the galaxy but their small populations and usual practice of restricting their mining operations to worlds without sentient life keep this criticism at bay.
Halflings. Where there are humans, there are usually halflings - intermingling in human society or existing in their own distict communities. This and the facts that no one really knows their true origin and their resemblance to humans, reinforces the notion that halflings are simply a sub-race of humans.
Kobolds, Devils, Gargoyles, Demons, and Dragons
These creatures are all native to the Dwarven homeworld but have since spread to nearly all populated planets that support life. Kobolds (sometimes called Gremlins) are small and easily sneak aboard large cargo ships and lay their eggs. Lab studies have determined that rougly 1 in 50 Kobold eggs produce Devils or Imps. This creature is basically a Kobold with wings. One in 500 Kobold hatchlings develop into Gargoyles. These creatures are larger than Kobold, have wings, and a slightly higher intelligence. One in 1,000 Kobold hatchlings develop into Demons or Dragon-men. These creatures are much larger than Kobolds, have wings and a superior intelligence. Dragons. One in 2,000 Kobold hatchlings will grow into a Dragon. If left undisturbed, Kobold populations form a hive with a Dragon as the queen. She has the ability to lay eggs that hatch into Kobolds, Devils, or Demons as she sees fit. (Obviously, the ideas here flow from the Aliens movies.)
Psionics and Magic
Its all the same. I will refer to it as magic. Various characters will refer to magic by various names depending on their backgrounds. In general, psionics refers to lower-level forms of magic that manipulate a creatures senses or cognitive processes. Illusions and mind control are often considered psionic. Trip could be as well. In general, if the magic has no visible manifestation or method of transmittal outside of perception, it tends to be viewed as a psionic ability. If the magic has visible manifestations and methods of transmittal (Rope, Fire, Shadow, Fireball, etc.) it tends to be viewed as 'magic', sorcery, witch-craft, etc. A true and truthful practitioner of such abilities would tell you that it isn't psionics or magics. It is simply a more advanced form of science. Practitioners tend to think of it as an art-form and a science. After all, there are repeatable, teachable procedures that produce somewhat predictable results. As one's skill with the art increases, the results become more predictable.
Drow. In their ancient past, a banished sect of Elves colonized some world and became the Drow. Think Vulcans and Romulans.
So, take all of this and fast-forward 1000 years. The various races have intermingled quite a bit on habitable planets. A Galactic Federation of these worlds is formed. Dwarves have stopped using Orcs and Goblins as slaves, instead using robots and droids.
Every 40,000 or so years, something happens that makes interstellar travel impossible - something disrupts the warp fields or something. Scientists can't explain it. It is noted, however, that these periods are also marked by increased encounters of seemingly supernatural or divine influences. Of course, these 40,000 year periods are so long that most of the knowledge of the previous period is lost. We have a setting for Space, Space-Fantasy, and Fantasy adventures. Just pick the epoch you want.
