Let's Play Dwarf Fortress!

I am also looking forward to the next episodes (great opening PJ!) and maybe, at some future point, joining in :)
 
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Sure was. I wouldn't touch something as important as that.

I'll post another update tonight EET. Am slacking off at work now, but bringing up Dwarf Fortress here would be stretching it a bit, even for our liberal corporate culture. (Besides, my work box runs Linux.)
 
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Don't worry. Take your time, you're doing a great job.
I feel also that having the game generate the name is very important
and makes things much more fun.
 
Just to be clear:
- The log is written from the perspective of an immaterial overseer, not a dwarf in the actual game?
- When the turn changes we can RP the situation like we would have just arrived from somewhere else to oversee the fortress?

To me, that's what you're doing now and that would make the most sense.
 
Just to be clear:
- The log is written from the perspective of an immaterial overseer, not a dwarf in the actual game?

I'm pretending to be a dwarf in the game. You'll find out soon enough which one, as well as a bit of back story about how he came to be the overseer.

- When the turn changes we can RP the situation like we would have just arrived from somewhere else to oversee the fortress?

To me, that's what you're doing now and that would make the most sense.

Perhaps we should leave this open -- if you're more comfortable writing as an immaterial overseer, fine; if you feel like taking on the role of one of the dwarves, that's cool too. Personally I think that taking on the role of a dwarf is cooler, and it would be even cooler to build on the back story left by your predecessors just like you build on the fortress.
 
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PJ, Cool as it may be - there are some problems.
We are writing the logbook of the overseer, that would be (if we assuming the role of a dwarf) a certain dwarf - the leading one. We can't all be the leading dwarves, or can we? Also, We can't be writing the logbook of the overseer as cooks or fish cleaners. Writing as an immaterial overseer would not ruleout the possibililty of naming a dwarf after yourself however...

If we are going to take the RPing part with any seriousness that would also make this very difficult if the game is going to go on as long as I am hoping it will.
So, while I feel it's okay if you want to play a certain dwarf, I hope that you're ok with me (and possibly those after me) being an overseer. I'm not very experienced in RP.
 
PJ, Cool as it may be - there are some problems.
We are writing the logbook of the overseer, that would be (if we assuming the role of a dwarf) a certain dwarf - the leading one. We can't all be the leading dwarves, or can we?

As I said, I'm cool with leaving this option open -- if you're more comfortable being a ghost, that's fine; if you want to take on the role of a dwarf, that's fine too.

I have thought of solutions to these problems, though, at least in my case. You'll find out more in due course.
 
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Overseer's log, Day 1, Gatelightning reckoning, continued.

Only the first day at Gatelightning, and already tragedy has struck.

One of our pair of war dogs wandered too close to the river bank, and that crocodile with the vicious look about it bit her in two. Poor creature, at least she didn't have time to suffer much... and how fortunate that it wasn't one of us. Nevertheless, this will not be forgotten, nor forgiven: the dwarves of Gatelightning will wear crocodile boots yet.

(Alligator. Id tells me it was an alligator, not a crocodile. Something about the teeth, it seems.)

dog2.jpg


We took a vote on the precise site of our new home, and settled for the hill towards the east, between the river and the stream by the waterfall. Good stone there, highly defensible, and since the top of the waterfall is there, we'll be able to draw pressurized water lines all through the fortress, for irrigation, defense, and perhaps a nice little fountain in our magnificent meeting hall to be. If only that river didn't give me the willies... I'm certain there's something very nasty lurking there, nastier even than that crocodile.

Oh, and Aban just mentioned that the lower river seems to be running with blood. Wonderful.

blood.jpg


That meant that Kulet and Minkot would have to dig an access tunnel under the river to get there. We were well on our way digging it when that unfortunate accident happened, and realized that the entry and exit points were dangerously close to the river. So there was a change of plan: I ordered the entry and exit moved, so the access tunnel goes to our temporary home directly from high ground.

The temporary shelter is now dug, and we're busy carrying what's left our supplies there, as Minkot and Kulet are starting to delve into rock, for something rather more suitable. I plan to convert the shelter into a trading depot later. We can dig an access ramp along the southern wall, and set up a drawbridge so we can close it off. Even better, due to the different levels of the stream and the river, we can flood the access tunnel, and rig a couple of floodgates and an evacuation tunnel so that we can seal and flood the trade depot itself -- which will also serve as the main entrance to the fortress -- in case of an invasion (or trade dispute -- those elves are tricksy creatures, and you can't trust hoomans either). And then drain it into the lower river afterward, without having to pump. Brawn is good, but smart hydraulic engineering is better, as my mom always used to say.

tempdigs.jpg
 
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Overseer's log, Day 1, Gatelightning reckoning, continued

9 Hematite, 1051.

The comrades suggested that I drop the "Gatelightning reckoning" thing. I wonder how committed they really are to the Cause? Bah.

Work continues.

Kulet and Minkot finished digging out a small meeting hall and some rooms -- small, but they'll do for the time being, and are now busy carving out a gallery for our workshops at the next level up. We decided to put it there, because the next level up from that is soil, which means that it'll be easy to dig warehouses there.

I've also set up a temporary shop for myself in the meeting hall -- we need some tables, chairs, and doors, so I might as well make them where they're needed; it'll get rid of the stones lying around too.

We've started to set up our workshops and did a bit or prospecting. Mined some limonite for iron, and dug our way through to the lignite deposits I had noticed earlier; we also prospected a bit to see if there were any closer by, but no luck. Still, the vein wasn't too far, and it was a fairly rich one. In fact, we're settling into something of a routine -- the dirt farm is running, Oddom is brewing booze out of the 'helmets, and we still have plenty of the fine meals Id cooked for us. We're setting up a temporary smelter in the mine, to cook coke out of the lignite; that done, we're all set to do some smelting in earnest.

Since it's summer, it's time to start thinking about that trade depot, as well as defending it. The dwarven caravan won't need an access ramp, but we'll still need to seal it off in case of thieves. I figure a floodgate at the entrance ought to do it -- it can serve a new purpose when the hydraulic engineering is done. It'll be trickier to set up for the wagons, though.
 
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28 Malachite, 1051.

It is past midsummer. Thank Zimesh we're underground -- it must be scorching out there. None of us have had to leave the fort since early summer.

Kulet and Minkot mined out a pretty big vein of coal a bit further off. It'll be a while until we manage to turn all that into coke -- our fuel problem is definitely solved for the time being. We've started on steel production too. Aban hopes to be on time to make a few trinkets for the traders when they arrive in a month or so. The trade depot is all set up in the sand room; it'll be nicer once we get a floodgate farm going so we can get rid of the kitchens and farm plots there, but it'll have to do.

We also finished a well in our meeting hall. It's rather nice, if I say so myself. Had a bit of tense moment when we broke the river wall, but Kulet runs faster than a hoary marmot in heat these days, especially if that horrible... HORRIBLE river is after him.

Endok added an extra floodgate to the well cistern. The lever next to it in the main stairwell controls it. The idea is that if we want to extend the water pipes, we can mine all the way to the floodgate and then just open it, rather than having to break through a wall and risk drowning. It also lets us close off the pipe system in segments, if we continue the same way. Endok thinks it might be a good idea to eventually extend them to the lower river, so we can drain them if necessary -- at least the parts beyond the well cistern.

I had a nightmare last night. Something huge and cold and clammy was staring at me with dead eyes, and was about to bite me in two. I woke up in a sweat, and listened to the... river... roar. I could hear it, even through six feet of rock.

Oh, and... the other lever in the main stairwell controls the floodgate of the main entrance. We keep it closed.
 
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Great update PJ. Any way to get better resolution on the screens?
 
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yeah, right click on the image and copy the address of the image. then paste it into the address field of your browser and hit enter.
 
15 Sandstone, 1051.

Inod Dorentast, fat cat from the Mountainhomes showed up, with a bunch of merchants in tow. I wanted to send them off with a flea in their ear (or, strictly speaking, keep the front door locked), but SOMEBODY went and opened it. I suspect Endok, always messing with levers. Probably in league with whatever lurks in the river. I had another dream...

trade.jpg


So we ended up trading a few steel and iron trinkets against a couple of bins of cloth and leather, plus a few other odds and ends. Oddom "volunteered" to conduct the meeting, and ended up promising half the earth for some meat, cheese, and other unnecessities. Always thinking with his belly, that one -- make a good noble, he would.

Anyway, the useless tubs of lard at Degël Ötast want, you guessed it, food, cut gems, various useless trinkets, and, of course the perennial favorite of all nobles, armor, shields, and ammunition. I wonder what that's for.

trade-agreement.jpg


They left, thank Zimesh, and may Armok speed them up on their way, preferably with a scourge at their buttocks.

On another subject, we finished coking the lignite, and moved the smelter to the mined-out vein of coal. We'll be keeping busy for the winter, that's for certain.
 
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Re the images: right-click and "View image" works for me (using Firefox).
 
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20 Moonstone, 1051.

It's winter. We burned through all that coke we'd worked so had to make, and are back to coking -- bituminous coal, this time, so although it's further off, we ought to end up with more. We have a small stockpile of iron, steel, and billon; enough to make a few oddments.

One of our guests had a run-in with an alligator too -- a speardwarf decided to play hero and, ended up a pile of bones and some very expensive armor. We decided not to send anyone after the loot, since we'd have to go near the R-word. Somebody just walked off with his chain mail.

spear-allig.jpg


We've gotten a bit bored with plump helmets, so we decided to set up that floodgate farm. There was a small mishap that flooded the overflow chamber -- when I say, pull the lever NOW, it means NOW, not some time next year. Get my drift?

Perhaps some kind of safety system would be in order to prevent accidents like that in the future? If someone is careless with that lever, they could flood the lower levels and cut us off from our coal supply.

farms.jpg


Now there are three levers in the main stairwell: clockwise from north-east: irrigation, outer gate, inner gate.

levers.jpg


Time to start planning a wagon tunnel for the hooman traders. That'll take some doing, and might not be ready by spring -- but there will be others.
 
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25 Moonstone, 1051.

I got the smelter up in the coal mine, and we're busy coking. We do go through a lot of fuel!

coal.jpg
 
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1st Granite, 1052.

Spring has arrived... and... I HAVE BEEN DEPOSED!

Unbelievable.

The lads (and lasses) showed up by my door this morning, and explained that they felt that a "change in leadership is in order." Then Aban hit me over the head with a hammer (a bit). Then they said something about my muttering in my sleep about a secret plan to drain the r-i-v-e-r.

They're in league. They're all in league with each other. The so-called "nobles." The things that live in the r-word and talk to me when I sleep. Even my so-called "comrades."

So this is my last log entry. And there is so much to do!

We must make a road for the hooman traders. Make a safer irrigation system. Put in a grate to keep the... things from coming in from the r-word with the irrigation water. Drain the r*v*r into the mines. Collect sand! And everybody says they're sick and tired of plump helmets with dwarven wine!

The. INGRATES!

After all I did for them!

The meeting hall with my masterpiece, the BEAUTIFUL well...
hall.jpg


The foundry...
workshops.jpg


This is it, then. Back to my trowel and T-square. Better luck to the next son-of-an-elf who takes over trying to manage this group of lazy ingrates. Oltarked, signing off, on this first day of Granite, 1052.

oltarked.jpg
 
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My condolences, Oltarked :( How about leaving us an overview map of your achievements, before you go sulking?)

Great writing PJ, and a promising beginning. Where does the blood come from in the river, will we ever find out??? I am curious!

Oh, and a question: what are the green or grey skull and bones things in the one room, the red one that attaches south to the long hallway, couple posts up?
 
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My condolences, Oltarked :( How about leaving us an overview map of your achievements, before you go sulking?)

OK, I'll roll up the map tonight. It's kinda tricky because it's at multiple levels -- the only significant area not in the screenshots is the warehouse at the top floor.

Great writing PJ, and a promising beginning. Where does the blood come from in the river, will we ever find out??? I am curious!

Thanks. Those river critters are vicious, Perhaps a carp snacked on an elephant?

Oh, and a question: what are the green or grey skull and bones things in the one room, the red one that attaches south to the long hallway, couple posts up?

That's just a refuse pile. The green bones are turtle shells, the white ones are bones -- I had some turtles among my supplies, and they're useful to have around in case some dwarf goes mad and wants some for an artifact project.

By the way, the place is crawling with lungfish, which, I take it, are edible. I've no idea how they get in, since the place is supposed to be locked up. Between those and some creative hydraulic engineering, there are great possibilities for fishing.
 
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