My first fort, and I'm on a mountainside that slopes down to a valley to the west, with a brook to the NW (it starts in my area, which is pretty cool). Main entrance at 5 levels up from valley, with highest peaks 6 levels above this first gate. I'm just now in the early spring with a whole of one year under my belt.
In excavating for irrigation (3 floodgate, water channel -> reservoir -> farm), I find a bottomless chasm to the north. I just wanted to grow my plump helmets, man... Of course, it's also right under my valley-level entrance hall, so I'm thinking I'm gonna hafta look into some fun with levered bridges.
In mid-autumn of my first year, while excavating a southern stairwell to get Z-level mobility (after having missed my dwarven caravan that way (no access to a trade post due to terrain)), I hit adamantine.
I have my 7 original dwarves, the booze has run dry (but at least I have water inside and accessible, without running around and tempting the Giant Eagle outside), and starting food supplies are very low. Irrigation is almost ready (after rewalling rescue mining from where a genius blocked himself in a channel behind a floodgate), but I don't know how long it'll take the irrigation to work and crop to grow (what crop grows the fastest?).
Thank Armok the Elven caravan just arrived. They better have food, or we might be forced to find out what tree-hugger tastes like... <.<
Now, back to the adamantine... Should I let it go (I'm sure not mining it out right now), or should I make sure the liason and caravan don't make it back after their yearly inspection so word doesn't spread...?
I don't mind losing, but this location is sweet and I'd love to build up before the horrible, horrible downward spiral into oblivion.