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[Vagabond.]

Firstly: Playing with the Lazy newb pack, since I'm new, and I'm just \wondering:...
You Have any idea or recommendations for how to play well? Any other mods I should install to improve my performance/experience? Any tips and tricks to use? I only /played for a \week or so.
Also, sorry if I /put this into the \wrong forum...

[ZNAG1066]

I would definitely turn aquifers off using the lazy newb pack. This should make it much easier to choose an embark location. Other that that I wouldn't change the game in any way. If you want to learn more about the game, there are a number of great tutorials on youtube such as: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL06686270DA5FF439

Also if I were you I would get used to searching the wiki for anything you don't understand

[Urist McSpardbane]

Don't do what I did and play with your pop cap turned up, thinking it'd be fine. I forgot all about the heaping swarm of kids those alcoholics dwarves would make and bring with them, and just how fast their pets would breed.

Weather/Temp turned off could be a good thing too, and for trading, Prepared Meal Pots make excellent and easy trading option. (pots made from a Craftdwarf workshop function the same as barrels afaik, but use rock instead of wood).

[Extreme Boyheat]

Embark with turkey hens, I usually go with 4-5.
They lay a tonne of eggs and if you take a male as well you can get large amounts of chicks that can grow up for a decent amount of meat/bones.

[Tiruin]

Also, sorry if I /put this into the \wrong forum...

Not true

What I've found that newbies really need (I remember playing a long time before any of you all, and your new fashioned patches..):
> No Aquifer layers, unless you either wish to play it with soil, or have a waterfall which stretches several z-levels.
> Dig into the earth or not, the choice is yours. Remember that Winter brings enemies, and to combat enemies you need a trained squad of militia. OR, wall yourself in with a drawbridge.
> Focus on farming plots early, stick to permanent farmers in the summer. 4x4/3x3 underground soil-type plots are good for the starter.
> Designate stockpiles. Helps organization and placement of your items.
> Get a dwarf with appraising talent. You'll need him/her to act as your broker to sense the values of items for trade. Trade is also your lifeblood, but this delves deeper into the game.
> Hold off mods for later. I find it better for you to learn the vanilla game until you know the basics.
> Build basic workshops: Mason and Carpenter. Designate two dwarves to specialize in masonry and carpentry, respectively. These two jobs will form the backbone of your fortress as they focus on works made from stone and wood.
> Newbies: focus on forested terrain. WARM, forested terrain, preferably near a brook or river. Your starting biome should not be in any purple-ish area for that designates the theoretical evil of the land. Warm biomes do not have snow in the winter, thus making it easier for your dwarves--temperate or colder have snow.
> Abundance orders: Forests = wood. Mountains = stone. I'd prioritize wood as you need that to make barrels, bins and beds. 3 b's of survival. Though, you can make stone pots which replace wood barrels (or..bins, unsure here.).
> Designate and create personal bedrooms in stone layers. Designate a Community Dining room in the best stone layer you can find (check the wiki--stone has a value, and it's value affects those whose room is in that type of stone.)
> Personally, I find bringing an abundance of seeds of at least 2 different types for farming. That, and a pair of female/male cats--set these to your food stockpiles to ward off vermin.
> Floor off an area with wood/stone=food stockpile. This creates an artificial background which vermin cannot spawn on.

[vanatteveldt]

> Floor off an area with wood/stone=food stockpile. This creates an artificial background which vermin cannot spawn on.

Does that work? I've never heard of it but it might be useful.

Some basic idea of timing:
summer - make sure your farming, still, and basic workshops are running.
autumn - make sure you have a trade depot and basic creature comforts (dining hall, bedrooms)
winter - make sure that you can close off your fortress, preferably with a drawbridge. Start thinking about military.

The easiest way into military is to make some bone or metal crossbows and bolts and to put every migrant with marksdwarf skills into an archery squad, your should get a couple in the first two waves. If you play safe and use fortifications you should be able to kill most enemies with your archers without any danger. Also, adding some cage traps (machanisms and a cage from any material) is a great way to soften up the enemy.

Happy DFing!

[slothen]

Also, sorry if I /put this into the \wrong forum...

Not true
> Dig into the earth or not, the choice is yours. Remember that Winter brings enemies, and to combat enemies you need a trained squad of militia. OR, wall yourself in with a drawbridge.

half a dozen cage traps followed by half a dozen weapon traps  (along a 2-wide corridor) works just fine too.

[TeleDwarf]

You must have at least 10 (ten) fully armored(metal, preferably steel) dwarves by the begining of the first spring.
You must have fortifications in place, enclosing all you need for prolonged survival by the middle of of the first spring.
You must have regular training rotation organized by the end of second autumn.

[sjm9876]

> Abundance orders: Forests = wood. Mountains = stone. I'd prioritize wood as you need that to make barrels, bins and beds. 3 b's of survival. Though, you can make stone pots which replace wood barrels (or..bins, unsure here.).

Just barrels from my experience.

[laularukyrumo]

You can't make bins or bin equivalents from stone. However, you don't NEED bins. Ever. Not only does Quantum Storage eliminate need for bins, but bins tend to introduce seriously unfun glitch/quirks into the scheme of things.

[avdpos]

You must have at least 10 (ten) fully armored(metal, preferably steel) dwarves by the begining of the first spring.
You must have fortifications in place, enclosing all you need for prolonged survival by the middle of of the first spring.

How do you get that much armor that fast?

[Larix]

You must have at least 10 (ten) fully armored(metal, preferably steel) dwarves by the begining of the first spring.

Erm, your embark starts in spring; i don't think you propose to _embark_ with enough armour to equip ten beards. By the beginning of the second year (i.e. second spring) you'll have anywhere from twelve to twenty adult dwarfs (and probably little or no metal industry yet). In my experience, the _third_ spring is the time by which you can expect your first ambush and need something - sizable and capable military, generous numbers of traps or solid walls - to survive a visit by 10-20 goblins.

[Garath]

alternatively, have some weapon traps at the (an) entrance and some bait animals some way away from your fort. If it maks you feel better you can call them guard animals. Ambushes will kill tose first, usually, allowing you to raise your bridges and seal the entrances. 10 marksdwarfs can kill or hurt anything enough so they'll go away. Even unskilled marksdwarfs can do so, given enough bolts. You'll just have to fortify your entrance so they'll have a safe place to shoot from, which isn't that hard to do