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[martinuzz]

As the title says, allow children to read books in the library, so they don't need to spend the first few years of their adult life catching up with the libraries' book inventory.

[Starver]

Spoiler: Warning..? (click to show/hide)

[Hamsmagoo]

You don't think that's realistic? Don't most of us spend our first few years of maturity in school?

[Uthimienure]

Children knowing the secrets of life and death... could be !!!FUN!!!

[Starver]

(I know that's Hams's replying to the OP, but to follow up Hams myself...)

I was pretty much a bookworm from a very early age. When in Junior school (whatever that is in K-12+ notation, but 8, 9, 10-ish in age, give or take Summer Baby adjustment) I was also not the only one to 'run out' of the grade-appropriate reading serieses and 'ironically' go back to picking up the books from the bookshelves in the Infants (immediate years post-K) area of the school. But I think I was the only one to spend playtimes rearranging the limited reference shelving back to Dewey Decimal rather than whatever other order they were in.

This continued into Secondary school (I spent a fair few lunchtimes in the old book store off to the side of the rarely used but significant library in that school, and probably arranged to take home a few of the more out-of-date ones, I recall a pre-moonshot book on space exploration, barely more accurate than Tintin In Space, I suppose) and I devoured the public library stocks as well.

But I know a few of my peers were probably bibliophobes to the day they quit school at 17-or-so. And some were probably barred from unaccompanied wandering in any library, for good reason[1].


In short, I don't think it's a bad suggestion, but you need a preference (or need?) mechanic to vary things. And just because I could check out more than half a dozen+ books from the public library, then return them read before the week is out to pick up another ½d+ again, I'm sure that this was not the normal allowance for a child's ticket.  Some unpredictability needs to be built in as to whether books are read or merely relocated (half way down the stairwell to the magma furnaces?) during pre-maturity, and that should definitely continue (or be reinforced, or maybe reversed) in adulthood.


@Uth: That too. Mix it up as to what it mean, of course.

[1] Remembering one such individual, with a particularly distinctive name, I just looked 'him' up. Assuming he's not the 90yo who has the obituary in California, the other example is listed at Companies House as a director of a firm, but has a birthdate two years prior to mine. I mean, if they actually held pupils back a year, in our system, I can believe they held my guy back two, but I'm not sure he'd have been there if he no longer had to be.

[Hamsmagoo]

Of course there's always room for more detail in the simulation. Preferences in the young adult dwarves should be a factor, but pressure from the parents could be another factor. Maybe universities with libraries linked to guilds for young peasant adults to aim for a specialization before being accepted into the guild of their choice (or their parents' choice).

[Loam]

Children need more to do in general, so they aren't just booze-parasites for the first twelve years. A simple suggestion would be to let them do most of the non-work "idle" tasks adults can do: reading, socializing (singing/dancing/storytelling), praying (they might do that already, not sure), etc. Children also help with harvests, so it's not impossible they could do some other light work. That would give them something to do other than "play."

People have suggested schools and/or apprenticeships before, which seem like good ideas to me. Various sports could also be used to train physical attributes or some military skills.

(I actually think there could be more granularity in the "child" stage, something like: pre-school age (1-6) for just play/games; training age (6-12) which would include schooling or apprenticeship, to gain skill before growing up; then perhaps "adolescence" for a few years, during which they'd be able to work normally but couldn't do some adult stuff, like get married, hold positions, or join the military (though they could do military training). All of which would depend on creature and culture, of course. Just my thoughts.)

[Azerty]

That would give them something to do other than "play."

Even playing might be more useful, since these toys might improve some of their stats (after all, OTL we had mini-kitchen used to teach young girls to cook and chemistry sets teaching... well, chemistry... to the users).

[Red Diamond]

Well, not ALL children.  I doubt the typical 1-year old can read.  The complicated thing here is how to define when the typical child in the general world (outside our fortress) learns to read, while still making the children of our fortress depend upon the learning to read labour being successfully activated. 

[MiguelT]

(somewhat related suggestion here)

I like the idea of children becoming apprentices of a mason or a blacksmith at some point (maybe eight years old? At this age they might be able to read too). An apprenticeship system is already in the game and it would give them some skill points in a reasonable fashion.

The little ones could follow around theirs masters during crafting jobs. It could count as social interaction too.

[Leonidas]

If children are reading books, then we need a category of books written specifically for children. The books would teach values and develop the reader skill.

And they would be divided by age. Ages 0-4 could read The Hungry Little Gorlak. Ages 5-8 could read Little Fort on the Savannah or Diary of a Wimpy Dwarf. Ages 9-12 could read Moonlight, an erotic story about adolescent vampires.

You could have a lot of fun with those titles.

Edit: One Carp, Two Carp, Red Carp, Blue Carp

[Shonai_Dweller]

If children are reading books, then we need a category of books written specifically for children. The books would teach values and develop the reader skill.

And they would be divided by age. Ages 0-4 could read The Hungry Little Gorlak. Ages 5-8 could read Little Fort on the Savannah or Diary of a Wimpy Dwarf. Ages 9-12 could read Moonlight, an erotic story about adolescent vampires.

You could have a lot of fun with those titles.

Edit: One Carp, Two Carp, Red Carp, Blue Carp

So long as this is just a general trend, not actually hard blocking 9 year old children from reading "Tales of Terror for 10 year olds", 'cos that just wouldn't be realistic.

[Starver]

There's got to be several large tomes about Kings And Rings that generally feature a Kobold suddenly caught up in an adventure to find or destroy some important piece of jewellery, prominently featuring travel through and between abandoned fortresses and necromancer towers. It remains popular for many years after its creation, as young dwarves rediscover it.

The far more extensive "Roundworld Series", about a strange planet that curves under itself and doesn't have an edge and all without a hint of magic and much humour, would seem to be far too under-rated though enjoyed by all ages, compared to the "Harry The Potter" scrolls that somehow manages to create a tweenage fandom around a 'School for Craftsdwarfs' and one young orphan who does not realise he is inately skilled in ceramics production and somehow key in the fight against the resurgent Leatherworkers who want to remove and tan every noncrafting dwarf's skin.

Later on, many adult and adolescent dwarves alike will rave about the travelling mummers roaming around with their bawdy and violent tavern presentation of the series of scrolls collectively known as "A Performance Of Magma And Glacier" in which clothes are regularly shed and much brawling takes place, often simultaneously.

[Bumber]

the "Harry The Potter" scrolls

Or "The Hairy Potter"

[Starver]

(I'll give you that one.)