v0.31:Quickstart guide/Preparing carefully

2011-09-15T03:32:46Z

Kadaan: Added links to embark/starting build pages.

__NOTOC__
'''This part is completely optional''' and only applies if you selected
{{DFtext|Prepare for the journey carefully}}. More in-depth discussion is available on the [[Embark]] and [[Starting_build]] wiki pages.

==Preparing Carefully==
Since we know certain things about our first site, we can choose our {{L|skill}}s and equipment knowing what to expect. Metal will be our primary industry. We won't be hit too hard by enemies right off the bat, so we can concentrate on civilian skills and supplies.

==Chopping and Digging==
Our starting location will have {{L|Wood}}, so we don't need to bring a bunch with us. We will need something to chop down trees though, and something to dig with: {{L|Pick#Picks|picks}} and an axe.

One copper axe, and two copper picks should suffice to start. Actually a wooden training axe will also chop down a tree, but will be worthless in battle, and you might want at least one real weapon to start with.

==Food and Drink==
Sixty {{L|Alcohol|drinks}} and forty {{L|food}} should be enough to see you through until you can produce your own, even if you get large waves of immigrants right off the bat. Skip dwarven wine, as that's the very first sort of alcohol you will be producing, from {{L|Plump helmet}}s, and you will be making a lot of it.

==Seeds==
Five to ten of each type of {{L|seed}} will be enough to start you off farming, though you may want additional plump helmet spawn.

==Medical Supplies==
As for medical supplies, you can easily make your own {{L|crutch}}es and {{L|splint}}s, but you may want to bring along a small amount of {{L|Thread}}, {{L|Cloth}}, and {{L|Plaster powder}} for stitching up dwarves and making casts as these are more difficult to produce initially.

==Other Supplies==
You want at least one {{L|Rope}}, for making a {{L|Well}}. You could produce your own once you have either metalworking or pig-tail farming and processing set up, but you may want a well before that. They are also useful for chaining animals up near your entrance as a warning system, but this can also be done without ropes in the latest versions (using the {{L|Pasture}} system).

Bring an {{L|Anvil}} to set up your first forge. With anvils, you have the chicken-and-egg problem that you need an anvil to make an anvil. Therefore it is critical to bring an anvil if you plan to make a forge. Otherwise you will have to wait for a caravan to show up with one and trade for it, and this could take a long time.

==Animals==
You also might want to take two or three {{L|dog}}s and a breeding pair of {{L|cat}}s. The dogs can help you hunt and fight if you train them, and the cats catch vermin that infest your food supply. Both make good pets which help keep dwarves happy. And in a pinch, they can both make a tasty snack.

Female {{L|Domestic_animal#Comparison_of_domestic_poultry|birds}} can also be brought to produce {{L|egg}}s, which are another easy means of acquiring food for your dwarves. Birds are extremely cheap to bring at embark. (You will need to set up a {{L|nest box}} for the bird to lay eggs in.)

==Skills==
As for dwarves, choosing certain skills will make your life much, much easier starting off. It is recommended that you start with dwarves with at least some points in the following skills:
*{{L|Carpentry}}
*{{L|Masonry}}
*{{L|Architecture}}
*{{L|Mechanics}}
*{{L|Farming}}
*{{L|Cooking}}
*{{L|Brewing}}.

If you chose a site with flowing water, {{L|fishing}} can help keep your fort fed early on. If not, {{L|Ambusher|hunting}} can do the same, but keep in mind that safe hunting requires a lot of micromanagement. Your hunters will happily stalk and attack elephants, cougars, and other dangerous animals before they have the skills necessary to deal with them. Fisherdwarves, on the other hand, really only need to worry about alligators and crocodiles.

{{L|Leatherworking}} can be another useful skill, especially if you hunt or raise animals. If not, your first caravan will likely show up with tons of cheap leather. Leather makes good armor for your marksdwarves, as it is light weight and won't slow them down too much.

Finally, as your economy will be centered around metals, you should choose a metalworking skill, probably {{L|armorsmith}} but {{L|weaponsmith}} is also a good choice.

You will probably want one dwarf with medical skills, and another with crucial social skills. For your doctor, put one point into each of {{L|diagnosis}}, {{L|surgery}}, {{L|bone doctor|setting bones}}, {{L|suturing}}, and {{L|wound dresser|dressing wounds}}. For your leader-dwarf, put one point into {{L|appraisal}}, {{L|judge of intent}}, {{L|organizer}}, and {{L|record keeper}}.

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v0.31:Quickstart guide/Preparing carefully