We didn't have an actual Dwarf Fortress thread.
Ever since I found the
Complete and Utter Newbie Tutorial for Dwarf Fortress, I've been wanting to take another crack at it. I've built forts before, but the sheer enormity of the options available tended to induce paralysis on my part, and I was usually content to work my starving dwarves to death building a labyrinthine complex that I'd subsequently flood out of boredom.
This time I hunted for landscape that would look bitchin' in
3-D without being too overwhelmingly evil or sacrificing available wood, stone, and running water. I found a calm stretch of forest that butted up against incredibly steep cliffs and which contained a stream; I set out on my expedition.
...and immediately got ripped in half by a cave spider. Dwarf chunks
everywhere.By immediately conscripting my entire immigrant party, we managed to kill the beast, but three people lost legs in the encounter (one of whom would die of thirst pretty rapidly). With the immediate threat taken care of, I surveyed the territory.
The most obvious feature was the enormous fissure I started out next to.
As you can see, the two bisected dwarves are still lying where they fell, possibly because I only have four healthy dwarves to get the fort up and running, and everyone with health care active has more important things to do.
What's really great, though, is where the fissure runs part-way up the side of a mountain.
The fortress itself isn't very big, yet; it's exactly the same as the fortress described in the guide linked above, so far, except rotated 90 degrees. With a third of my starting group invalidated, it's been kind of slow going.
In any case! Play Dwarf Fortress! Tell me of your trials and tribulations!