Hi everybody ! This is my first story. I have been playing the game for some years now, currently playing the latest version (40.05) and there's something I have often tried and failed at: killing the HFS. I don't know if it has been done before, but this fortress has an ultimate goal, and exists only because of this purpose. This is...
Dyecarnal
So, here's the plan. The place has shallow and deep metals, as well as flux stone. It is also in a freezing biome, on the coast of the Arctic Ocean (I like freezing biomes, don't know why).
- By the time I meet the HFS, I should have 120 (out of 150) completely armored dwarves, ready to kill.
- This means building 120 complete sets of steel armor, which should already be quite a lengthy challenge.
- I will train my dwarves in barracks, without a danger room.
- I shall also build a giant trap: a pit 3 z-level deep dug in ice. Invaders will fall thanks to a retractable drawbridge without killing themselves. My marksdwarves shall first train from the fortifications dug in the adjacent ice (or stone if that proves impossible, since I discovered that you can't carve stairs in ice, it might be very well the case that you can't carve fortifications in the arctic sea) by firing a few rounds. The squads shall then enter battle. I expect losses, but that's perfectly fine.
- My usual setup is simple and efficient: an small outside zone enclosed between walls right at the entrance for grazers, and a 3x3 central staircase with everything within a few steps' reach. For this, I will be a bit creative. Most of the fortress is below the sedimentary layers, to ease prospection. Dwarves will have cave adaptation, which does not matter at all since the ultimate fight will take place far below, and all invaders shall be fought trapped in the pit. There shall be complex tunnels running just below ground and a precise control over all entries: most of the fortress will be sealed most of the time, apart from the Depot and a dormitory, constantly accessible from outside. I do not care if Caravans and fresh immigrants get slaughtered by invaders. I will also try a completely
INSANE AND SUPER ORIGINAL SETUP : a dining room and living quarters at the same z-level !!!! OMG !!!!!
- There will be archer towers set up around the map in case invaders stand there and wait. There will be reachable thanks to the tunnels.
There will not be a lot of updates, just a few here and there to show progress. Here's the start :
Outside. You can see the dormitory and Trade Depot, not yet accessible from below. Next to it are the farm plots, only accessible from deep below. The staircase leading to the fortress is in the middle of nowhere, it will be sealed by a retractable bridge.
Dining hall, and corridors leading to the rooms which I have not yet been designed.
The workshops, their stockpiles are one z-level below, in a basement kind of way.
Current projects:
- Finish the dining hall, create a few living quarters. I will need more beds: create basic crafts to trade for wood with the next caravan.
- Find a cave, dig a huge open space below and use the cave's water to irrigate it, start tree farming in a safe place (I really don't trust caves. Too many forgotten beasts).
- Create a reservoir, from cave water too.
- Start magma prospection.
- I don't think I'll have ambushes or invasions until some time, the trap will wait.
That's it for this time. See you guys soon !