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[Crafty Barnardo]

As per the topic, does anyone know why coffins aren't automatically designated for burial when built?  Is there some other purpose for a coffin?  Does anyone use coffins as decoration?

[Jreengus]

Coffin art =p now you mention it it does seem wierd.

[tp12]

...noticed that too lately. i put a legendary coffin in a meager office once to make it better.

[Troas]

I believe it is undesignated since a coffin could either be used for commoners or as a designated tomb.  And once it is occupied it is difficult to repurpose - nobles are a bit picky that way, they don't consider used coffins to be acceptable.

One interesting tidbit I found - on one of my earlier fortress I'd used a graveyard for several years until I decided to convert to using coffins after a goblin invasion killed off a lot of dwarves at once.  However I was puzzled - after making coffins for all the casualties none were bing hauled.  It turns out that burial is strictly FDFB -  first dead first buried.  My initial dozen coffins were being used as cenotaphs to the dwarves who had decomposed in the graveyard.  None of the more recent corpses were buried until I'd built enough coffins to memorialize all previous dead.

[Hyperturtle]

I think we should be able to use coffins as dining tables.  Embed a few gems into them and load the coffin with meat, maybe put some wheels on it for catering purposes...

[Benitosimies]

Separate it by ditch + drawbridge into a chamber next to a cage troll. Raise the bridge, release the troll, see if trolls destroy coffins.

You know. To study other species.

You could build gigantic, cyclopean cemeteries to inflate your fortress's Gross Domestic Product.

As for the original question, someone already answered, but it's sort of a way to "Save me a coffin". So you don't make a sacred plump helmet garden for a fallen hero who saved the fortress from Doom Goblins and then Stumpy The Fortress Idiot gets buried in it.

[greggbert]

One good reason is so you can encrust them.  If you have to place them as soon as built like archery targets and walls, then you can't encrust them with Gems to honor your dead master mason.

[ March 26, 2008: Message edited by: greggbert ]

[numerobis]

quote:Originally posted by greggbert:
<STRONG>One good reason is so you can encrust them.  If you have to place them as soon as built like archery targets and walls, then you can't encrust them with Gems to honor your dead master mason.
</STRONG>

I believe the question is why, when you place them, aren't they automatically for burial; and the answer is that it's so you can make a tomb for your royalty even as you let the commoners rot.

[Crafty Barnardo]

That makes sense, but it still seems like an unnecessary extra step.  This is another reason why it would be nice to be able to assign coffins to creatures after they die.

[Earthquake Damage]

Two questions:

1.  If an owned room contains but is not defined by a coffin (and thus isn't actually a tomb), does the owner use that coffin when he dies?

2.  If one dwarf has two or more tombs, what happens to the excess tombs?  Are they still reserved for the dead dwarf even though they remain empty, or are they freed for other dwarves?