40d:Challenges

This article was originally taken from the DF forums thread "Goal-Based Dwarf Fortress".

The general goal of Fortress Mode is to survive, acquire wealth, defend your wealth, and become the capital of your civilization. However, many players eventually experiment with challenge builds or other goals. These are some goals to attempt or use as inspiration.

Howdy neighbors

Build your fortress on a site with a goblin fort or other race. Dig in and take over their town.

Human "alliance"

Start a game centered on a human town. Build a wall around the town in stone, using a mine under the town. Do not take anything from the town, though the human guards will probably help with any sieges. For an extra challenge after finishing the wall, dig down to the aquifer and flood the town.

Stealth

Create a hidden outpost close to a goblin lair. Impact the outside as minimally as possible - dig down right away, and deconstruct the wagon ASAP. No building outside or even going outside. Once your army is ready, launch a surprise attack.

Temple

Designing a temple to Armok. Aesthetics count - the god will be very angry if there are no stained-glass windows and domed ceilings carved with frescoes. To gain more favor, make regular sacrifices and keep the fountains and rivers red with blood.

The great brewery

Disaster has struck the kingdom. A strangely glowing ‼ peasant ‼ visited the greatest brewery of the empire, and as a result the whole thing exploded. No time for weeping - create its successor, a fort dedicated to alcohol production, and get the alcohol supplies flowing! Try to make the widest variety possible and give trade it to the dwarven caravan each year.

Wealth

The kingdom's coffers need lining, so hop to! Found a fort and start accumulating wealth as fast as possible. Attain as high a fortress value as possible, and make most of your wealth into coins for the vault. Try to beat your record for one year, two years, or five years.

Artifact

There are rumors that a haunted locale was once home to a legendary artifact crafter. No one has returned with any of his artifacts, but they were not as dedicated as your dwarves - you're staying until you can claim an artifact! Found a fort in a haunted or terrifying location and survive until a dwarf successfully crafts an artifact via possession.

Assassination

Your group of seven has been chosen to assault a goblin fortress - and you're not getting any backup. Turn off immigration, and try to slay the goblin leader and escape without casualties. For extra challenge, bring no picks.

Biodome

All material, seeds, food, tools, and dwarves must be in the fortress within one year. Then, seal up the entrance. Any new immigrants, well, they might be in trouble. Survive for as long as possible!

Retirement resort

Build a dwarven paradise, free from labor. All peasant immigrants should be removed from every job, including hauling, and given a great place to live. Make sure to include fun activities and plenty of parties.

Sparta

Maintain a military of at least 50% of your dwarves; only use bronze melee weapons (no crossbows). Use no traps, and kill any maimed dwarf. Seek out military conflict with all non-Greek...er, non-dwarves.

Commune

All your dwarves have all labors enabled. Dwarves sleep only in barracks, and no dwarf, including administrators, can be assigned any personal rooms. If the nobles find this upsetting, don't hesitate to make the corridors run red with the blood of the bourgeoisie. Obviously, don't mint any coins either. (Dwarves can take turns with wood cutting and mining, since they can't have both at once.)

Glass fortress

Anything that can be made out of glass, will be made only from glass. Doors, tables, chairs, floodgates, bridges, stairs, workshops (except the first workshops needed to make glass), you name it. Extra points for clear and crystal glass. For even more challenge, build it entirely above ground with glass walls and windows.

A similar challenge could be done with metal or wood.

Underwater fortress

Encase your entire fortress in water! Your fortress should be watersealed, and surrounded by water against all walls. Water should be covering the top of your fortress as well. You can achieve this by diverting a lots of water, or digging into a frozen lake.
Bonus: Build all water-touching walls/roof in clear glass!
Alternative: Use magma instead of water!

Mountain audit/core sample

Start in a mountainous area and strip mine everything down, down, down to ground level. Stockpile everything, and calculate the mountain's composition. For kicks, try not excavating one tile on each z-level. You'll be left with one enormous core sample.

Single dwarf challenge

One dwarf. Bring only a set of armor, a weapon, and a few meat. Spend time working on fighting skills. Fight off enemies by yourself. No workshops, pets, farming, fishing, gathering, or digging.

Also known as "Adventure Mode".

Hippy challenge

Peace, man. Don't harm any plants except those you plant yourself. Don't cut down any trees, and don't trade for logs with the filthy humans or dwarves who do. You can trade for plants with the elves, they understand your environmental code. Don't burn any coal, do you know what that does to the environment, man? Never cause any creature's death, so no military, and no lethal traps. You can use cage traps, and either tame the creatures you catch, or release them back into the wild, far from your fort.

For an extra challenge try this in an area with a goblin fort or cave.

Segregation

Make two seperate,working, independant fortresses. All the men go in one, all the women in the other.

No singles

As soon as you get a married couple with an immigration wave, kill all single dwarves. Continue to do so with all immigration waves. Try to lose no children. OR: kill all children and try to deal with the tantruming parents. In that case: no legendary dining rooms/statue gardens/zoo's allowed.

Santa Claus

Get ten thousand toys built and offered to caravans yearly. Optionally, build ten thousand toys, fetch them in adventure mode and deliver them to every single city of the world.