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[LegoLord]

Quietust: I don't think I've ever had a miner make a craft artifact. Are you sure about that?

Aye, 'is true.  I ha' it happen 'afore, laddie.

[Kyronea]

If Mūthkat was already a legendary Engraver and she withdrew from society (as opposed to being possessed), then her artifact just made her even more legendary, more than enough to guarantee nothing but ≡exceptional≡ and ☼masterwork☼ engravings (whereas a Legendary+0 will still frequently only hit *superior*). It probably also boosted her attributes quite a bit, so it's not a total loss.

Also, nickel would be great for training a blacksmith or metal crafter, considering you're up to your armpits in garnierite. Z-Stocks will tell you exactly how much you have (unlike the build menu which, as Zon has observed, maxes out at 99).

Not to mention you could always use more barrels and bins, if nothing else, and nickel works just as well for that as anything else does. Or you could have nickel statues, or nickel doors...

[The Architect]

Really loving your writing, man. Keep it up!

More specifically: the way you played off the crawling elf (probably an amputee) was hilarious. And the wildlife trap was highly entertaining. I really love the way you weave your characters into the story.

And now, a short commentary by that ornery dwarf, Archibold! Warning folks: this one's a real knee-smasher!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

"Elizar, a fine champion with eleven kills including the titan Anetha Grizzlyelder the Numbers of Aging, finds me as I'm felling the tallest rock-- I mean, tree I can find."

Archibold crumpled the newstablet in disgust. A champion, eh? There's only one Champion around here, he thought to himself. Well, a few of those other dwarves deserve some real credit. Of course. However, no one could think worse of him for disliking a man who steps in and lays his weapon across another's kill and claims that the kill is his because he got the last blow in when he severed its finger. Archibold knew who had struck the last blow, and it certainly wasn't this title-grabbing clumsy excuse for a professional.

Oh, my lovely, I know you struck the mortal blow. Be not jealous of this pandering fool who takes the credit, and know that I will love you for your true courage and strength of arms until the day I am borne down under the weight of my numerous enemies, too cowardly to let me retrieve my weapon or fight me one at a time. I knew I loved you from the day we first tousled in the barracks, and you skillfully parried my blows with your strong arms and chided me from beneath your flowing golden beard! Your well-groomed beauty is an inspiration to me at all times, and I dream of you as I wade through the gore of my enemies in a trance-like state. I am never alone on the battlefield when your sweet memory comes to me!

Know that I love you, and that your strength of mind and body is an inspiration amongst the weaklings of this world. Armok grant that their strength permits them not to crawl too far in terror, that I may hunt them faster and return the more quickly to your chiseled warmth. Your body is like the rocks hewn near the blood of Armok, your face as the mossy stones near the plump helmets that feed us, they the same in texture as your ample breasts. You are a boon to me and a sure hand at my side when our foul-faced enemy crests the hill and the peasants flee in terror. My only confusion arises from the question of which is better: that our enemies perish from the world, leaving us more time together but robbing us of the pleasure of slaughter in battle, or that they continue to come as the tides of the sea, an unending tapestry on which I scribe my love to you with many tools of death.

[KenboCalrissian]

More specifically: the way you played off the crawling elf (probably an amputee) was hilarious. And the wildlife trap was highly entertaining. I really love the way you weave your characters into the story.

I'm honestly very puzzled about why he crawled all the way across the map!  I checked his wounds, from what I could tell he had all his parts and nothing was even injured.  By my count, there's no good explanation other than a sapient-free diet.

And a newstablet?  Everything is coming from Zon's personal diary (which is probably made of granite, I've tried not to think about it too much) so other than Asob's unwelcome snooping her entries are totally private.  And I'm totally at a loss as to who he's in love with; well-groomed doesn't describe a single damned soul here, what with the entire population covered in varying amounts of blood and vomit and mud.

Also, happy holidays to everyone!

[The Architect]

Haha, well I took some liberties, obviously. I felt the need to at least throw some kind of excuse in there for my insane liberties. Just imagine that Asob is publishing journal excerpts in the dailies she issues as a Mayor to keep people happy. It seems like it would be very in-character for her.

The well-groomed line bothered me too, just call it bad writing. I was a little too lazy at 2AM to iron out the wrinkles. But didn't you enjoy the dwarven prose-poetry? A little disgusting and unsettling, but very dwarven if I do say so myself. I was hoping it would inspire a personality screen posting, and an investigation into whom his poetry was addressed to. Just a little story material if you feel so inclined.

Anyway, Merry Christmas again and thanks for the story! Very enjoyable. The whole noble-killing thing is just a bonus for me at this point; the real treat is your story.

(yes, it's Christmas, we can be way too nice. I'll try to be more of a pain in the arse tomorrow)

[KenboCalrissian]

The whole noble-killing thing is just a bonus for me at this point; the real treat is your story.

I'm glad, since there's been a dismal lack of it.   Don't worry, I've hinted at a couple of projects that should keep things interesting (one of them should prove to be particularly dangerous dwarfy), and I'm looking for a good spot for a megaproject I have in mind.  Unfortunately the area is too hilly for what I have in mind, so I'll probably have to do some leveling first.

[Quietust]

If another siege arrives in Autumn before the caravan shows up, I think you're entitled to savescum until the caravan arrives safely, if only to advance the plot.

[Skorpion]

I'm very amused by the way that the project is almost a faliure, on account of no barons showing up.

[LegoLord]

Uh, no?  The caravan never made it because of sieges, that's why there are no nobles yet.

[The Architect]

Uh, no?  The caravan never made it because of sieges, that's why there are no nobles yet.

This is such a strange response. It embodies the lunacy of the forum lately. In no way does it constitute a legitimate contribution to any discussion on the comments it seems to be made in response to.

Anyway, I'm just as amused by comments like these as Skorpion is by the comic failure of the project thus far to achieve its goal: the accumulation of many consorts via noble extermination. Failure to such a degree that its own author has proposed the need for other goals, even other long-term goals, to allow the story to continue purposefully.

The reason for the lack of nobles is completely irrelevant to both comments made directly before this one, and the reason listed doesn't seem to invalidate either one. Why "Uh, no?" and why the repetition of previously posted information? It is almost as if someone were intentionally challenging no one in particular in order to have some fun. At least a quote designating what this is an answer to would be helpful. I felt the need to make this post because this comment and others like it, often made lately, are unnecessary, pointless, and very negative/antagonistic in a forum setting.

[darkflagrance]

Incidentally, in my current fort, I accidentally ended up with two consorts and one duke. Keeping up with their mandates is already a nightmare and a half, what with having to check back every few minutes and all to see whether or not they want something new or decided to hammer someone to death. I've taken to following one of the strategies you posted earlier where you half fill the order and wait until it's urgent to finish it (there don't appear to be penalties for doing so). And then there's the mayor and the tax collector on top of that...in other words, good luck to you...

I did notice that when ecstatic, the amount of mandates a noble issues seems to be slightly lower.

[KenboCalrissian]

Good to have you back, Architect

Sadly, I have to agree with Skorpion's statement to a degree.  I've considered abandoning and starting over several times already because as I play through this, I see no less than a dozen ways I could have performed better by this time.

There are two things stopping me.  One is the characters - I'd hate to start over and not be able to write with these characters anymore.  Zon and Asob are a great duo (they're very much like the Odd Couple, I've noticed) and I don't really want to start over with new characters.

Secondly, all things considered, starting over wouldn't really help.  I have all of the pieces in place to sustain a fort suffering multiple demands for quite some time - have you seen the number of magma forges and smelters I have downstairs?  Do you have any idea how many syrup/quarry bush/cheese roasts I have stashed away?  Even the fort entrance, though not very dangerous, should be impregnable except against flying enemies, and I have several well-trained champions including two which I suspect are completely invincible thanks to a pair of artifact bucklers.

The reasons for failure so far were a combination of ignorance on my part, and sieges in autumn preventing the caravan from coming and reporting the loss of the first baron to the civ.  The former has been covered already by all of your incredibly helpful tips, and the latter wasn't realized until last year - and now we have a solution, simply by shutting off sieges for a season.

All in all, I think the most rewarding thing for me is that even though the challenge isn't panning out, you're all still reading.  This thread has carried about the same number of views per posts as other more successful challenges in the story board, even through this current slow patch (good news on that point: I shouldn't have any more 60 hour/6 day weeks for a while, I'm very nearly finished with that huge project at work I was stuck with). 

Now that I know what needs to be done for the next season, I can try that and see how long it takes for the next baron to arrive, and hopefully I don't find that I'm also too far from my civilization.  Apologies for the dismally slow start, but I'm far from giving up yet.

Thank you all immensely for your support.  I'd have stopped caring long ago if not for the feedback I get from everyone.

@darkflagrance: I've noticed penalties for waiting.  You start getting more mandates, and maybe it's just me but my consort seems to get more annoyed at other things when I make her wait.  When I meet her demands right away, she doesn't seem to notice a lesser's pretentious living conditions, but this does appear on her thoughts when I make her wait.  Maybe it was a fluke, I'd have to try it again to see if it's repeatable.

On the other hand, meeting a demand right away almost always seems to mean getting the same demand immediately after completing it the first time.

[The Architect]

If my input is of any use: I always make 'em wait til last minute and I never suffer from unhappy dwarves.

Then again, I have the unfortunate distinction of being among those who find this game (while complex and entertaining) to be in no way difficult, and thus miss out on most Fun. You can't have Fun when the plans are never bad enough to cause failure.

[LegoLord]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Uh, no?  The caravan never made it because of sieges, that's why there are no nobles yet.

This is such a strange response. It embodies the lunacy of the forum lately. In no way does it constitute a legitimate contribution to any discussion on the comments it seems to be made in response to.

Anyway, I'm just as amused by comments like these as Skorpion is by the comic failure of the project thus far to achieve its goal: the accumulation of many consorts via noble extermination. Failure to such a degree that its own author has proposed the need for other goals, even other long-term goals, to allow the story to continue purposefully.

The reason for the lack of nobles is completely irrelevant to both comments made directly before this one, and the reason listed doesn't seem to invalidate either one. Why "Uh, no?" and why the repetition of previously posted information? It is almost as if someone were intentionally challenging no one in particular in order to have some fun. At least a quote designating what this is an answer to would be helpful. I felt the need to make this post because this comment and others like it, often made lately, are unnecessary, pointless, and very negative/antagonistic in a forum setting.

The quote I was responding to was right above my post.  Using a quote would just be plain silly, Architect.

How is it a failure if it can still keep going?  That's why I said "uh, no?".  Because it's been established that it is likely the lack of caravan causing the lack of baron, merely having the caravan should allow for things to continue, right?

[The Architect]

Yes. It would. However, he stated that it is nearly a failure, clearly taking the fact into account that we were continuing. It still doesn't make any sense to "uh, no?" him, which is why I pondered who you were responding to. Anyway, continuing a potential argument in Kenbo's thread would be very discourteous of me. If anything I wrote was offensive to you, I'm sorry that I ever wrote it.