So, hello everyone.
I've just decided to test my skill to see how well I'm doing, embarking for the first time in an evil biome without prior knowledge of what was in there. Shortly put, it was hilarious.
I've embarked in a terrifying biome with multiple shallow and deep metals and a river with an aquifer.
It was pleasant to discover that there was at least some green in it in addition to the dead shrubbery. It wasn't really terrifying at first.
Three axedwarves, one broker, two miners and a mason. Each was a proficient swimmer, just in case the aquifer decided to play foul. I brought bronze axes, two picks, an anvil, some drinks, meat and seeds, two war dogs and a few buckets. I specially made it so that I picked as diverse food and drinks as I could to maximise on the free barrels I got.
First fifteen minutes were pretty pleasant. I made a squad consisting of the three axedwarves and stationed them in front of the future entrance to my future fort. The dwarves already started beside a cliff, so I dug in and made an up/down staircase. The ground was solid stone. I began with a mason's and a carpenter's workshop, and two complementary stockpiles; I noticed that there was no woodcutter, so the broker became one with a snap of the fingers.
I sent him out to cut some wood.
A few thrones and tables later, I noticed that my broker-turned-woodcutter didn't bring back wood, even though he had like ten trees to chop down. Pressing "z" revealed that I was magically down to six dwarves.
A few minutes later, I was notified that he had been missing for a week. Gee whillikers, I wonder why.
I would have to do without beds.
A farm plot was set up by manual pumping from the aquifer which was three z-levels below. One miner, one farmer/cook, one mason and the military.
And, then, a bog troll thief. I was also very pleasantly notified that a bog troll was there. The axedwarves took care of him, but one lost his left lower arm.
And then the fun started to happen.
We found the lost dwarf, and put him in the same... uh... same resting place as the bog troll. It all happened in 30 minutes.
The danger's over, right?
Nah.
First, it started raining human blood, and the grey-green landscape became bloody red, and the already murky pools were now with a "pool of human blood". Wonderful.
Then, as I dug below the aquifer, I struck an amazingly expansive cave which prevented further digging. Then the miner rose from the dead, shortly followed by the bog troll.
I ordered everybody outside as soon as I could, when a "cloud of dust" swept over us.
Three zombies (woodcutter/broker, axedwarf 1, bog troll), and five thralls (axedwarf 2, farmer, mason, the dogs). To add insult to injury, a migrant wave arrived... on the other side of the river, and they were promptly thralled and began making their way to the remaining two dwarves.
I've now walled off a (very, very) small part of the fort, namely the unearthed aquifer zone. Two (somehow) frostbitten dwarves, 2x3 space surrounded by solid walls and a moat channel, no booze.
I'm considering abandoning fort.
So, shortly, hilarious.
I really think I should do this again some time, but I need to bring more seeds and more more weapons.
Any tips?