40d:Region features

Picking a starting region to build your dwarf fortress is a delicate work. Take a look at the list below and consider what you might need in your fort.

Visible features

Forest

Pros: Forests have plenty wood and plants for outdoor farming.

Cons: Trade wagons can have a hard time navigating thick forest. Evil and untamed forests can have dangerous creatures.

Desert/Beach

Pros: Sand for glassware, easily navigated by trade wagons

Cons: Little wood or stone.

Aquifer

Pros: Infinite source of water anywhere on the map

Cons: Difficult to get under to access stone and minerals

River/Brook

Pros: Fishing, water for farming and drinking

Cons: Some dangerous river creatures

Lake

Small lakes are present in pretty much every other tile of the world.

Ocean

Pros: Mist makes dwarves happier, source of driftwood, sieges can't attack from that side (yet)

Cons: Saltwater is not normally drinkable

Open volcano vent

Pros: Magma forges, obsidian, magma defense

Cons: Magma monsters, strange mood crafters -demand- magma forges

Cliff

Pros: Don't want something? Drop it off the side of the cliff!

Cons: May tax the system slightly

Hidden features

Chasm/bottomless pit

Pros: Provides an easy way to delete items and drain liquid. May also contain cave spiders.

Cons: Often contains monsters, and sometimes the dreaded giant cave spider.

Underground river

Pros: An infinite source of water. Discovering this lets you grow tower-caps on subterranean mud, and also provides a decent fishing location. May contain cave spiders.

Cons: Discovered early enough, it will usually contain monsters. As with all infinite water sources, one mistake could end up permanently flooding half your fortress.

Underground pool

Pros: Discovering this lets you grow tower-caps on subterranean mud, and also provides a decent fishing location. May contain cave spiders.

Cons: Will always have monsters. As with all large bodies of water, one mistake could end up temporarily flooding half your fort.

Magma pipe/pool

Pros: A magma pipe is an infinite source of magma, which can be used to perform most metalsmithing operations without the use of coal. Magma pools are not an infinite source, but still contain magma.

Cons: Magma pipes and pools are home to deadly fire imps, magma men, fire men, and lava is an extremely dangerous substance. Flooding your fort with magma is the last thing you want to do.

Glowing pit and Adamantine

Pros: Adamantine is the best material in the game.

Cons Pros: Breach the glowing pits and all hell will break loose. For more details, check the Demon article.