Bay 12 Games Forum

Dwarf Fortress: Make complex plans to destroy your complex plans.

I thought they lived in mountains.

Someone thought Mr. Miner......was the right pick.


YEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!

I stumbled upon DF by extreme chance. Long story short, one search later and a quick download, and I had what I expected would be a grueling, fun game. Little did I know that fun has a totally different meaning in this part of the tubes.
I decided to read up on some of the more outstanding DF stories (Boatmurdered, Headshoots, Syrupleaf, and the legend of Asax being among them) before playing. All this did was further my want to start a fortress, and so I did. I had no idea what I was getting into. By the gods was it addicting. I've been playing for about two days now and I have finally had a fortress last into the second year. I am still taking baby steps (I just figured out how to create my first military squad), and I know I am hella far from being able to construct my own fun.
But holy crap this is the first time I have wanted to stick with something that has a learning curve so steep that it feels like I'm walking upside down. I have yet to build across multiple levels, and my stockpile organization is complete crap. I expect to be dead when the first siege arrives.

And the mountain I'm digging into is made out of damn granite. I've taken a few shots that I figure I'd show. Looking for advice, sagely wisdom, criticisms, and ways I could improve upon my current fortress.



1) Barracks, in the process of being dug out. Damn granite, takes forever.
2) Wood Furnace
3) Bowyer's Workshop
4) Smelter
5) Metalsmith's Forge
6) Clothier's Shop
7) Two more workshop rooms, as of yet not dug out
Eight) Mechanic's Workshop
9) Tanner's Shop
10) Kitchen
11) Kennels
12) Butcher's Shop
13) Carpenter's Workshop
14) Mason's Workshop
15) Food Stockpile
16) Temporary Weapon and Armor Storage (plan on moving it closer to the barracks once completed)
17) Craftsdwarf's Workshop
18) Wood Stockpile
19) Gem Stockpile
20) Stone Stockpile
21) Refuse Pit (created it before I did much underground, realized that it was positioned in the area I was designating for living quarters. Oh well)
22) Meeting Area with 5 statues, because I have no idea what I'm doing
23) Dining Room in need of expansion
24) Graveyard big enough for everyone and then some, because I have little hope for these dwarfs
25) Unfinished Hallway for Noble living areas.

The unmarked rooms are 2x2 bedrooms.




1) An area I made so that migrants coming from that pocket in the west would arrive sooner. The pocket was already there, I just dug to it.
2) Walls. Because why not.
3) A massive stone stockpile. Because I don't know any other way to clear rocks off the floor without taking up more underground space. I dislike clutter.
4) Trading Post
5) Slopes down to the underground.
6) Fishery
7) Bridge over a brook. Because I'll be damned if I'm not going to build a bridge over the first source of flowing water I can find.
Eight) Refuse Pit from ground level.




I'm currently enlisting my abundance of farmers and a couple peasants to train as soldiers.

Side Note: My miners are also assigned the task of removing any slopes within the walls, so that attacking forces won't bypass them. I may be a newbie, but I'm not a total loss. I also figured out how to trade no more than two minutes ago, so the exported wealth should go up with the next caravan.