40d:Starting builds

Starting builds vary heavily depending on the area where you start building your fortress, as well as its surroundings. Notice that many of the quantities suggested end in a "1" or a "6"; this is to maximize the number of barrels you start with, since most foodstuffs fit five to a barrel. More barrels will let you build a larger stockpile for your first winter and conserves the wood you harvest in the early game for beds and other necessities.

Mountains

Overview

Most dwarven fortresses are founded along the edges of mountain ranges on sites that combine abundant ore and access to the outside world. Magma and rare metals lure settlers here, but goblins, chasm dwellers, and even giant eagles are potent threats.

Trees and plants do not grow at high elevations, so you'll want to include non-mountainous areas to obtain lumber and food - or, failing this, to pack a lot of extra food and logs.

Other consideration is elevation range. The game allows access up to 15 levels above the highest peak and 15 levels below the deepest valley, so steeper slopes means much more diggable area. The downside is lag; more levels also means more CPU burden (this can cripple a fortress - be careful).

Be sure to include a stream on the map; running water is (almost) essential for any fortress. In Cold and Freezing climates streams and lakes will often be frozen year-round and your dwarves may quickly die of exposure. Choose Temperate or tropical zones for an easier game.

Dwarves & skills

• A leader with points in negotiator, comedian and liar skills
• 2 proficient miners
• 1 competent Woodcutter/carpenter
• 1 competent stone crafter with mechanics
• 1 competent Mason/engraver with novice build designing
  • 2 Competent herbalists if there are outside plants (option 1)
  • 2 Competent growers (option 2)

Items

• 2 copper picks
• 1 steel battle axe
• 1 Anvil
• 30 dwarven ale
• 20 dwarven wine
• 40 plump helmet spawn
• 10 pig tail seeds
• 10 cave wheat seeds
• 5 sweet pod seeds
• 5 dimple cup spawn
• 50 turtles (Turtles leave a shell and bones after they are eaten, giving your craftsdwarf valuable crafting resources to trade in when the first caravan arrives. You could also take less turtles and try to take one of each of the other cost 2 food items for a free barrel.)
• 10 rock nuts
• 10 bags (Why?) (To be able to process the Quarry Bush Leaves to bag. Rock Nuts grow Quarry Bushes.)
• 45 logs

Wooded Plains (anything with trees and plants)

Overview

Flatlands with at least some trees and gatherable plants can also make for highly successful fortresses.

Advantages over mountain zones include abundant trees and plants, guaranteed agriculture both on the surface and underground, fewer hostile fortresses and caves, and (unless frozen) more abundant water. There are even (rare) magma vents.

The greatest disadvantage is lack of rock to mine. Fewer elevations means fewer exploitable z-levels. The first few levels below the surface are almost always soil, peat, loam, clay, or sand, none of which offers much (or any) gems, ore, or building material. An aquifer, if present, may bar all access to stone whatsoever until you freeze or dam it up.

The initial starting build for grassland areas:

Dwarves & skills

• One of your dwarves for leader with points in negotiator, comedian and liar skills.
• 2 Proficient miners.
• 1 woodcutter / competent carpenter.
• 1 stone crafter with novice skill in mechanics.
• 1 competent mason with novice skill in architecture.
• 1 competent grower.
• 1 competent fisherdwarf with novice skill in fish cleaner.

Items

• 2 copper picks.
• 1 steel battle axe.
• 1 anvil.
• 2 dogs.
• 20 logs, or if there are already a lot of trees on your map, or an extra 30 dwarven beer/ale.
• 40 plump helmet spawn.
• 36 plump helmet.
• 5 pig tail seeds.
• 40 dwarven wine
• 20 dwarven rum
• 11 dwarven beer
• 11 dwarven ale
• 6 of every 2-point meat.

Desert, Glaciers, and Barren

Overview

Treeless (or near-treeless) biomes are challenging sites for a fortress: you get most of the disadvantages of a flatland site without having access to nearly as many trees and plants. However, near-lifeless zones such as glaciers are wonderful for those with slower machines, as there's little to burden the CPU but your dwarves and livestock. Deserts and barren areas often have sand; with a sufficient source of energy (preferably magma), you can build almost anything out of unlimited glass.

Dwarves & skills

• A leader dwarf with points in negotiator, comedian and liar skills
• 1 proficient miner
• 2 competent Woodcutter/carpenters
• 1 competent wood crafter with novice mechanics and masonry and architecture
• 2 dwarves capable of working with plants:
  • Competent herbalists if there are outside plants (option 1)
  • Competent growers (option 2)

Items

• 2 copper picks
• 2 steel battle axes
• 1 Anvil
• 30 dwarven ale
• 50 plump helmet spawn
• 5 cave wheat seeds
• 5 sweet pod seeds
• 5 dimple cup spawn
• 8 rock nuts
• 40 turtles (Turtles leave a shell and bones after they are eaten, giving your craftsdwarf valuable crafting resources to trade in when the first caravan arrives)
• 20 wooden logs

Metalbashing/Glassworking

Overview

Heavy metalbashing and glassworking requires a site with 1) abundant fuel and 2) raw materials. Magma is ideal but large coal seams or a forest will also suffice. A site with either limestone or chalk means nearly unlimited steel. Any site with "sand" (not "loamy sand" or the like) will permit glassworking. Failing these, any place with lots of rock, trees, and preferably sand will work fine. Your biggest choice when setting up is whether to optimize for a fast start or long-term success.

Dwarves & skills

Unless you're trying a low-skills challenge, each dwarf should get the maximum possible number (currently 10) of skill boosts; remove a battle axe to free up needed points. Individual preferences can be mighty handy; if you have a dwarf who likes steel, clear glass, crossbows, siege engine parts, or something else equally interesting, he's an ideal candidate for matching skills.

• A carpenter/leader: Points into Carpenter, Wood Cutter, and a bunch of nobles' skills, including at least novice Negotiator and Appraiser. This dwarf should have good inter-personal thoughts/preferences.
• A Mason/Mechanic: Points into Mason, Building Designer, and Mechanic. Adding more points to Mason gets construction materials and furniture faster. More points to Mechanic allows faster trap-setting. Adding Appraiser and/or Negotiator skills gives you a back-up leader or broker. A boost to Wrestling gets you better on-call defense.
• A Farmer/Herbalist (assumes the site has at least some plants): This dwarf will gather the plant material you need to brew drinks. Points into Grower and Herbalist. Leftover skill raises should be invested in a valuable, hard to raise trade skill such as Metalsmith, Metal Crafter, or perhaps Glassworking.
• A Farmer/Brewer/Cook: This dwarf is responsible for keeping your community fed and liquored up. Points into Grower, Brewer, and (optionally) Cook. Leftover skill raises should be invested as for the Farmer/Herbalist.
• A Metalbasher: Points into whatever hard-to-raise skills you most want. Armorsmith, Weaponsmith, Bowyer, Glassworker, and even Siege Engineer can all be good choices depending on your setup. Remember to spend a few points on Furnace Operator and perhaps also Wood Burning.
• 2 Miners/Soldiers: Points into both mining and military skills. The miners first get legendary and then become extremely powerful fighters. Remember that it's much easier to increase Mining skill than most of the military skills (especially Armor User), but also that you'll want capable miners immediately.

With this setup, you have several ways to make the trade goods you'll need to buy what you lack. Metal goblets, stone mugs, handwear, footwear, mechanisms, bone or wood crossbows, prepared meals, or bone and shell crafts are all solid choices.

Equipment (all starts)

You want picks, food, and a way to get drink. Everything else is optional.

• 2 copper picks
• 6 or 11 of each of Dwarven wine, dwarven ale, dwarven beer, and dwarven rum. With abundant brewable plants and lots of wood you don't actually need any starting booze, but it's nice to have a backup.
• at least 11 plump helmets. Bring a lot more if you anticipate problems with gathering brewable plants.
• at least 6 turtles. Not only are they good eating, they ensure you have the shells and bones needed to satisfy strange moods.
• 1 of every kind of meat that costs 2 or 4, as each type of meat will be packed in its own free barrel and cooking the meat will release that barrel for use. If you don't like this feature, bring more turtles or plump helmets instead.
• Unless the map is glacial, or you intend only outdoor agriculture, bring plenty of seeds as well. A minimum of 15 plump helmet seeds are essential for a quick start to underground agriculture; rock nuts, sweet pod seeds, pig tail seeds, and cave wheat seeds will diversify your meals and drinks and let you set up for clothes-making. Seeds are packed in bags.
• optionally, some cheap (5 point) leather to make quivers and bags and such
• optionally, some cheap leather bags (if you're too impatient to make them yourself)

Equipment (fast start)

• 1 Anvil
• no battle axe ... as long as you're confident the site has either iron or copper.
• only a few logs (just enough to get started with), unless the map has no trees

Equipment (moderate start)

• no Anvil
• 1 battle axe (at present, steel is the only option)
• few or no logs, unless the map has no trees
• with the points you save by not bringing an anvil, buy logs and metal cages. Each cage can be melted into one metal bar, which is an easy way to ensure stocks of metals you expect your site to lack. That missing anvil will slow you down until you get one in trade (which normally takes about 6 or 7 seasons) and might even cost you a failed strange mood, but it means 50 extra metal bars or enough logs to make beds and barrels for all.

Equipment (slow start)

• no Anvil
• no battle axes
• lots of logs - at least 25 on a heavily forested map. You can survive without them, but it's a lot cheaper to buy logs to make barrels than to bring more drink.