GitP Dwarf Fortress Succession Game 4: Dwarves on Patrol

[Sohala]

I see we didn't pull the lever.

[Zar Peter]

I sign up for next round. I never began a fort and it shouldn't be too hard to undo the mistakes I made.

[Luzahn]

Ah right, please post if you would like to begin the next one. So far we've got Zar Peter.

[Grim Portent]

The part of the fortress being wrecked that saddens me most is that I won't be in my tomb anymore, our engravers labored tirelessly to engrave that for me.

[Wookieetank]

The part of the fortress being wrecked that saddens me most is that I won't be in my tomb anymore, our engravers labored tirelessly to engrave that for me.

We could always supply you with a new one in the new fort. Even provide the necessary "accident" to need a tomb!

[Luzahn]

You know what, putting my name in as well. I haven't had a go in a while, and I'll be on my laptop most of the weekend.

Also I'll be sure to make you a statue grim. It will be used as a diversion for building destroyers and surrounded by traps.

[McDouggal]

In that case, I'm afraid I'll have to nominate you for the "Most worthless defense possible" award. Even if there were no meeting area in front of it, the chances of it doing anything to unwanted guests were %0.

That ballista doesn't look so useless NOW, does it?

[Gnoman]

If the invaders got into the fort, where the ballista actually was, the operator would have run away. It was set in an area where the only possible use would be to kill our own citizens.


What really killed the fort was the trade depot being outside. The caravans usually had little trouble getting to it unless they spawned directly on the ambush squad, but that doesn't help when the depot is extremely vulnerable. The stonefall traps being completely useless didn't help, and I suggest that we use weapon traps (which also seem much worse than they used to be, even with an artifact mechanism only one or two weapons were hitting) instead, with some limitations.

[Sohala]

Okay, what is the 'best' way to set up a trade depot? To get wagons you need a three wide passage, not line by traps; which means we are back to a low defense trade depot and that anyone attacking the depot is already in the base. Do we need to make a building for it outside?

[Shpadoinkle]

Please forgive how crappy this looks, I made it in about two minutes with Photoshop. Invaders will go through the shorter, more direct red section which will naturally be stuffed with traps, caravans will go around the impassable area.

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[Gnoman]

You can also use a system of bridges or floodgates to block off the waggon path when hostiles are nearby, forcing the invaders to use the trapped one. In any case, an indoor depot with an untrapped corridor is still more secure than an outside one, because the guards and your soldiers can move up the corridor and keep attackers away from the animals and merchants.

[Luzahn]

Yeah, my usual tactic is to make a one-wide passage and then seal up the wagonpath with bridges or a portcullis. Leave it open and then seal it up when danger approaches.

It's a bit vulnerable to ambushes, but that's what guards are for. Personally, I put my depot in the center of the main hall.

Edit: I've won the coin toss between myself and Zar. First post will be coming up today; where can I find the mod we're using?

[Gnoman]

You don't need to download anything but the save I posted, unless you want to gen a new world. All versions of DF after 40d store the raws in the save to make things easier.

If you want more information about the mod, the author's thread is here.

I would, however, highly recommend installing DFhack and the plugins found here. The interface improvements are incredible, including integrated Dwarf Therapist, a searchable stocks screen and the ability to mark an entire stockpile for trading at once.

[Luzahn]

Some progress done:

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Overseer’s Log, 1st Granite 1060
At last, we’ve arrived at our latest settlement. Initial scouting reports have noted metals at all levels, as well as a bit of clay.
Tetrahedrite and Gold veins have been found on the surface.

25th Slate 1060
The delve is well underway. We’ve bridged a river into a small valley, and have destroyed the ramps. The only way into the fortress should be with swimmers.

18th Felsite 1060
Still digging. I knew I should have brought a pair of miners. Linking of the bridge is also underway.
In other news, alligators seem to enjoy our pair of rivers. They do make a mess of the local moths as well.

19th Hematite 1060
Slow going, but we’ve finally managed to attract some migrants. Hopefully they’ll be able to solidify our smithing infrastructure in time for trade season.

17th Malachite 1060:
In delving for ores more potent than copper, we’ve discovered those damnable caverns again. Well, might as well go running around harvesting gems seal this place up and never speak of it again.

15th Limestone 1060:
We’ve struck some strange stone called “verdenite.” I dislike this place, but at least it doesn’t appear to want to eat us. I’ve ordered the men to harvest it and bring it back up to the fortress.

20th Limestone 1060:
Our men have found the lava sea, at 41 levels down, as well as a column of adamantine. These shallow magma seas may indicate something suspicious, but they are convenient for forgework. I do wonder where our missing caves are, however.

Fort overview:

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[Gnoman]

Oh, shallow magma. That's going to make things so much easier. My entire turn, I was starved for fuel, even after I switched to the modded charcoal furnace.

[Luzahn]

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A list of current dwarves, in case anybody wants a character.

[McDouggal]

If you'd make me into some military dorf, that'd be nice. Doesn't have to be this turn, though.

[Shpadoinkle]

I'd like to be the glassmaker.

[Luzahn]

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27th Sandstone 1060:

Migrants! Good, we needed bodies. However, I would like to note that Giant Beetle Larva are not adorable. We've gotten a High Master Armorer...as well as a the single most incompetent peasant in history. He has no skills above dabbling. Well, we needed another farmhand.

We've also acquired a Sugar Beetle larva. Interesting, this is sure to have a use.

19th Timber 1060:

It's difficult to tell without seasonal warnings, but it appears to be winter. The caravan has arrived today, and our masses of gold trinkets should come in handy.

I've bought enough food to last us a while, as well as assorted weapons and armor.

Argh, dammit! We've got injured men. Apparently a magma crab got in from...somewhere. It would probably be best to seal off the lava sea.

We have caught the crab. Hopefully we manage to get an animal trainer to put that little bugger to use.


24th Timber 1060:

KOOOOBOOOOLDS!


7th Opal 1060:

Well, there go all of our ropes and quivers. Lousy Keas, shouldn't have forgotten about that stuff.


15th Granite 1061:

Argh! This is mutiny, I say!

...The militia appears to have removed me from power. I'd only overstayed my term for a fortnight, this is absurd. Well, I suppose it's time to begin plotting my revenge, I hope the other overseers never bother reading this log.

Images:

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(Whoops, missed the spring warning, sorry about that.)

Save is here: http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=7655

Sign up for the next year now, the next player will be chosen in 24 hours.

[turbo164]

I volunteer to be dorfed as the Dabbling peasant! ^_^

[Zar Peter]

Sign up for the next turn.

[iyaerP]

I too should like to have a chance for the next turn.

[Luzahn]

Ok, the flip has given the turn to Zar Peter.

In other news, I've started my own game in our world. So far it's been uneventful, except for my militia commander jumping off of a 10-level high cliff to fight a raven. He is dead now, and now my last axe is underwater...

[iyaerP]

If you have no metal, you can make a wooden training axe to chop trees with. If you have metal, just make some more real axes.

[Luzahn]

Ah yes, my mountain is great for that. We have both shallow zinc and deep zinc!

[Zar Peter]

Springs over: Mid spring:

Diary of „Zar Peter“ Monuz Atheliton, Chief Medical Dwarf and Potter:

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16th Granite 1061: Wait, what? The guys informed me that they disposed Luzahn of his job and wanted me to be the new overseer. I know where that will lead to. I don't have anything to say and in the end it was my fault. Ah well, currently there's no one badly injured and there's no pottery waiting to be done so I think I have time. Let's see what Luzahn did so far... the fort seems to be safe, in a valley surrounded by the river... wait! That was an alligator! I wouldn't want to swimm in there. And we have explored the all the way down to the lava. And two cave systems, one of them is waiting to be sealed. And a two man army. My first task will be to draft everyone who's able to lift an Axe or a Hammer into the army. Yes. And then let's go to bed. Delegating is hard work.

1st Slate: Ok, we had a room full of tables and chairs and the booze deposit just beside and it wasn't a meeting hall? Well, I think that was just forgotten. Oh, and I liberated the miners from hauling jobs, digging is what they can do best and digging is what they shalt do. Let's just see where to they shalt dig. I't trying to build a lever... maybe I'll search first if I find a lever already built. And it seems the military is in training all the time. But they have to do other jobs, too. Cancelled the order.

Found the lever. Wait, I found A lever. It's not named. I'll try to pull it and see what happens.

2nd Slate: Yep, the bridge vanished. I will pull it back and label the lever correctly. It's in the south room just after the Trade Depot.

7th Slate: Just heard that a thief has stolen 34 steel bolts and our farmer has a broken arm. Oh, and told McDougal to do something useful and not only swing his axe so now he's designing toys and crafts for us to sell with the next caravan.
The miners are digging a near the magma so we can have a usefull smelter and forge soon.

17th Slate: Another bunch of suicidal maniacs... erm, migrants of course. Let's see if we got something usefull.

18th Slate: And now a miner got that exited about the newcomers that she organized a party. Or maybe she just wanted to celebrate her engagement with the expedition leader?

Oh my god! 20 newcomers. We need more beds I fear.

24th Slate: Ooops. The miner slipped when she dug out the ramp for the magma smelter... she burned away. First fatality during my reign as overseer. At least she didn't drop the pick into the lava. One of the furnance operators will take over. At least she's not completely incompetent as miner. (means 49% fit for the job).

And if people want to get dorfed here are the current inhabitants:

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[iyaerP]

Make me the SIEGE ENGINEER!


And give me a siege workshop to practice part-building if you would be so kind.

[Luzahn]

I'd advise you to not put that armorer in the militia. It's a High Master last I checked, too valuable to risk in a fight. Otherwise, great job with that, never did get used to labeling levers.

[Gnoman]

Could you hit "F12" before taking screenshots? (This turns on Truetype mode, so you won't get your text screwed up by your tileset.)

[Zar Peter]

Could you hit "F12" before taking screenshots? (This turns on Truetype mode, so you won't get your text screwed up by your tileset.)

Thank you very much! But the next three screenshots are made with the old mode.

Events till midsummer:

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2nd Felsite: The miner has been missing for a week. The dwarves are getting suspcious. I think I should create some slabs in the memory of our heroic dwarves whose corpses fizzled to steam instead of dying properly.

4th Felsite: And the furnance operator who took up the work from the former miner? Let's assume he never lived, will we? I gave the job to the peasant we got with the last migration wave. At least we don't lose anyone important.

14th Felsite: It seems nobody wants to work. Highsmith Luzahn organised a party just now.

I'm not invited :(

16th Felsite: The pointy ears! Let's see if we can sell them some useless stone toys.

18th Felsite: The death are walking. We are closing the draw bridge and install burrows inside the tunnels. This is frightening. I hope they will kill the elf traders first.

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22nd Felsite: The undead killed some traders (don't know which) and are lurking around not able to enter the fort. And now another monster turned up outside, a large gila monster twisted in human form, named Kod Bikdakilan. Some of the dorfs are fetching their popcorn and watch if the monster and the undead are fighting each other.

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23rd Felsite: The undead dwarves killed the monster. The pace was a bit anticlimactic but it was a nice fight.

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25th Felsite: And now we have a problem. We ran out of logs. Without logs no barrels. Without barrels no booze. I think we will look a bit closer at the caves.

1st Hematite: We opened the first cave. There are enough trees for wood and plants to gather and webs for our loom. Hmm... I wonder who made all these webs.

12th Hematite: Tosid Ecemral, our Jeweler, got possesd. Wonder what she's up to.

Surprise, she claimed a jeweler workshop.

And she fetched one (yes, ONE) gem and started working. I hope this farce is soon over.

16th Hematite: The elven merchants are going to leave us soon. I'm eager for that but I fear that they will stay as long as the undead are besieging us.


17th Hematite: After 5 days insane work she created Kesham Insel, a milk quartz grate. And that's just when I thought they can't surprise me anymore.

iyaerP, I named your dorf, now I need some space for the workshop.