Bay 12 Games Forum

So, if you make this a burrow with noone assigned, would it mean that your dwarves won't go in there?

I think your appraiser architect is going to be one bored puppy.  You might consider putting those skills as secondaries to more often used skills.  Example: why miner/stonecrafter  This means you can either be enlarging your domain or (assumption) making profit.  Seems like you might want to do both at the same time. 
When I think through the opening of the game I try to get the first 7 dedicated as much as possible but spread that dedication such that no (little) idleness early on.  Once you have a sufficiently large population, then idleness if merely annoying (early on it can be trouble - think orcs,etc). 
It seems like at first you will need:
    Mining
    Food
    Hauling
    Mechanic (levers, bridges, traps, etc)
    Beds
    tables/Chairs
    Weapon Production (depends on starting purchases) or wealth creation

While 2 miners is good, you can actually survive with 1 - just dig dirt first.
So maybe something like:

Miner/Trader
Farmer/Brewer
Hauler/Weapon Smith
Mech./wood burner
Carpenter/wood cutter
Mason/Apprasier
Furnace Operator/Architect

the other restriction you haven't discussed is Military - who can be part of it?  You might want to require training before hand, in which case I would go:

Farmer/Brewer
Hauler/Carpenter
Mech./wood burner
Axeman/wood cutter
Mason/Apprasier
Furnace Operator/Architect

Also, some people hav pointed out that Mason can't do anything that a Carpenter can't do (as far as what they can make - just has to be made out of wood instead), so you could actually cut the mason and have back the weaponsmith (or armorsmith or stone crafter or the other miner).

If you don't mind selling food, get a cook instead of the weapon/armor-smith.  Happiness + money.  Though you would have to focus on cage and stone traps.

2 scenarios:
flat land "fortress" - these usually have a quick moat or wall built.  If moat, then LARGE (60x60 area) if wall then small 15x15.  Moat requires large area because it gets in the way of the farm and storage. Center of fortress is a 3x3 staircase that will eventually go all the way to the bottom (and may bt the only stair case)  Trade center will be outside and may be in a double bridged wall/moat pocket away from main fort.

Hill-side fortress - carve a 3 wide hallway into the hill 10 deep, turn and go 10/11 deep then build 3x3 staircase. Build bridge for door. There is always an underground meeting area between entrance and stairs.  allows the animals to notice the theives.

1st dirt level is always farms & food/drink storage, butcher/tanner/leatherworker+leather storage, work worker + tree storage.  Also barracks (in the mountain it is usually the inside of the corner).  In the flat fort it is a 10x10 area around the stairs. (hopefully recuits will notice theives).

A Legendary farmer can keep a fort of 200 fed with only 9 farm plots overall, as long as 6 of them are Quarry Bushes, all plots are fertilized, and none of them are allowed to go fallow for any season.  Keeping a fort of 500 fed like that would be nearly impossible, however...

Actually, I suspect if you take a Legendary Farmer and a Lengendary Cook you could easy feed all 500 - legendary food can buy a WHOLE bunch of raw foods.

Anybody try dumping all the usual suspect clothing BEFORE starting wrestling training? 

Quote from: XmasApe on January 19, 2010, 10:28:55 am

You know what they say about kitchen staff...

...they either love you or decapitate you with a cleaver?

change the "or" to an "and" and I think you are on to something...

One of the kids waited a little too long to get off Pleasure Island  (Pinocchio)