40d:Meeting hall

The meeting hall, also known as the Great Hall, is among the most vital parts of any fortress. It is where idle dwarves gather, parties are held (until a statue garden is built), and stray livestock congregate. It is a good idea to site this heavily-trafficked area someplace both safe and convenient to get to.

There are two ways to designate a meeting hall. The preferred method is to use an Activity zone; type i, set up a zone, and mark it both "active" and "meeting". You may also have a dining area double as a meeting hall; type q -> h on a dining room table.

Because every dwarf will gather at the meeting hall every so often, it is an ideal place to site objects that give them happy thoughts. Interesting animals in cages perhaps designated as a zoo, a waterfall with mist, and high-quality statues and other objects can each improve the quality of life in your fortress. A meeting hall placed in a place with sunshine will ensure that dwarves do not become cave adapted.

If you do not have a designated meeting hall, dwarves will congregate around the site where your wagon arrived at the fortress. This occurs even if the wagon has long since been disassembled.

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