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Masterwork:Orcish Quickstart guide
Always remember that losing is fun! If you're a Dwarf. Orcs are out to win. Remember folks, winning is fun.
So, you want to play Orc Fortress, but you have no idea what to do. That's understandable; in Orc Fortress you can really do anything you like. It is a huge, complex, and there's nothing on this page to help you yet.
Choosing Masterwork Settings
WARLOCKS don't make good allies, due to their unstable and dangerous relationship with magic. Be warned, when visiting they are likely to attack other traders or even raise corpses from your refuse pile!
The first thing you will need to do is choose some Orc friendly settings in the Masterwork launcher.
Masterwork Settings which affect only the Dwarven entity or creature won't have an effect on Orc Fortress; this includes most of the Workshop settings, and Castes. Masterwork settings which affect the World or non-Dwarf animals *will* impact Orc Fortress: this includes Harder Farming, Mining, Aquifers, Grazing, Weather, all Materials, all Creatures, all Cavern settings, etc. Therapist also works fine with Orcs. The Orc Fortress custom workshops and reactions are generally balanced assumed Harder Farming and Harder Smithing being both ON. Other than that most any combinations should work fine.
When it comes to other civilizations, Humans, Dwarves, Elves and Drow, and Automatons will be powerful enemies. Fortress Defense races will attack you too; note that the "medium" tier are about a match in raw size and strength.
Deep-drow, Chaos-dwarves, Human Bandits, and Ashland Elf rebels are potentially friends and have unique crates and blueprints to sell you. Goblins, Wild Orcs, and Frost Giants can be trade partners too.
Embark
Link to the boreal plants and animals; talk about not needing an anvil so badly.
Skills and Equipment
Check your castes! You probably don't want to make an Olog the weaponsmith, and an Artisan the maceorc.
This might be a nice place to link to some embark profiles, both the bundled ones and maybe ask people to share some others too.
A New Camp
Food and Shelter
Basically same as Dwarf mode. Hunt and ranch more.
Security
Serious attacks early in year two! Talk about options to gear up. Tribal warcrafter and fletcher.
A Growing Stronghold
Orcish Industry
Molten Pit and Factory