Editing Wagon (embark)

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{{For/see|further information on wagon "creatures" used by caravans|[[Wagon]]}}

In [[fortress mode]], you usually start with a single ''immobile'' '''wagon''' that represents the transportation vehicle for all your supplies. An embark wagon is not a [[wagon|real vehicle]], and never moves - it simply sits there at the start of the game, representing where your dwarves decided to stop.  It contains any and all supplies that you selected at [[embark]] and bought with points; supplies cannot be bought later, but your dwarves can (try to) [[trade]] for whatever the seasonal [[caravan]]s bring.  Embarking with a large enough quantity of supplies can potentially result in receiving multiple wagons.

In rare cases, you might start on a level or spot that doesn't have a 3x3 square (e.g. mountain peak). In this case, your wagon (and its constituent logs) will be missing, but your supplies will still be present, lying in a pile on the ground. In an even rarer case, your dwarves can decide to stop in the middle of a frozen [[river]]. This can be [[fun]] if it is surrounded by [[cliff]]s.  It is also possible for your dwarves to embark ''into'' a volcano,{{verify}} though this is rare.

To empty a wagon, your dwarves need the appropriate [[hauling]] [[labor]] enabled (all are enabled by default at embark), no other jobs to distract them, an appropriate [[stockpile]] designated, a valid [[path]] between the stockpile and the items, and, depending on how many items you brought, patience.

You can break down your wagon into three [[log]]s by pressing {{K|q}} or {{K|t}}, highlighting the wagon, and pressing {{K|x}} ("Remove Building").  A dwarf with the [[Carpentry]] labor enabled will then deconstruct the wagon into its component logs.  Any unhauled supplies will then be scattered in a slightly-wider pattern in that same location, turning your 3x3 wagon into a 5x5 pile of your starting inventory. 

Note: If that dis-assembly is finished while a dwarf is returning to the wagon to [[haul]] an item to a stockpile, the dwarf will cancel that [[job]].  An [[announcement]] will be generated, to the effect of "Job Item lost or misplaced". Don't panic - nothing has been lost, except that dwarf's train of thought, as the item they were retrieving is no longer in the wagon, but instead on the ground.  They may adopt another hauling job, that same one or a different one, and sooner or later that item will get hauled, but that particular job is cancelled for that moment.  A workshop construction order that is waiting for an item may similarly be suspended or cancelled - just re-order it, all will be good.

Dismantling the wagon when it's very near (1-2 tiles) the edge of the map or a [[river]] can cause you to lose part of your embark equipment if it lands where your dwarves can't go.  If it's within a couple tiles of such a location, it's recommended you wait until the wagon is 100% empty before dismantling it.

Unless/until you formally designate a new one, your wagon is a default [[Activity zone#Meeting Area|Meeting Area]] or [[Meeting hall|Meeting Hall]].  A meeting zone is where any [[domestic animal]]s or [[On break|idle]] dwarves will congregate in their spare time; their presence provides some measure of defense for your possessions from any [[rhesus macaque]]s or [[kobold]] [[thief|thieves]] before you finish securing your valuables. If you deconstruct your wagon but do not define a new meeting area, your dwarves and animals will wander aimlessly across ''the entire map''. Depending on where you embarked, this will be either a nuisance or dangerously [[fun]].

If you embark in a [[Glacier|glacial]] biome and are slow in moving your embark items underground, you will lose them and the wagon to [[wear]].

Of note is the fact that channeling out and collapsing of the ground under a wagon does not allow the wagon to survive. The wagon will drop its three logs and be destroyed, though any items in the wagon will endure.

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In the hands of particularly creative [[Modding|modders]], the starting wagon has been known to become a fireball-throwing ultimate defense weapon against sieges.
It should also be noted that wagons are dropped by a trained Roc, which is how they can embark on such strange and improbable locations such as a mountain-top, a [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=76193.msg1929368#msg1929368 Roof], or a volcano.

The wagon can at times also serve as an altar to Armok by spawning atop Fun, like a pair of named alligators.

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{{Category|Buildings}}
{{Category|Fortress mode}}