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[Enki]

Hi there,
first post on this forum. Been playing DF for around 6 months now. Though I seldom come to my third year. Not because I have fun as in losing but I always kinda mess up my fortress. I either run out of food and/or booze because my population just explodes because I produce way to much wealth or some damn Urist McBateman starts some crazy killing spree because his kitten died of hunger or whatever.
So I thought of trying a slow start but I have seriously no idea how this should go. Any ideas how I can play seriously slow, maybe by lack of wood or whatever, kinda challenging way so I don't have to rely on my discipline to play slow.

[dragoncurse]

Make tons of rock pots. It's more easy to make than barrels.

[EddyP]

Your population will explode whatever you do, sorry. The best advice I can give you is embark with three miners, one carp/building designer, one mason/engraver, one mechanic/engraver and one grower/brewer and try and prepare the fort as fast as you can.

[Laurin]

It is quite normal to get 20-30 migrants with the third wave. So it's better to be prepared.
I usually build a farm plot (~10 tiles is sufficient for a start). Plant plump helmets all seasons, build a still and start brewing, let your carpenter make barrels. In year two or three I start with a second farm plot with rock nuts/quarry bushes. I never run out of food or booze early in the game. You have to keep an eye on the stats screen and check supplies. Make sure you have enough wood, stockpile room, barrels or rock pots.

[Enki]

Thanks so far. But what about killing off migrants in any given way? That should keep my population low at least for some time. Oh and on a sidenote: Do hidden traps still work?

[Jimbo]

You can set the population limit so you never get over a unmanageable amount of dwarves in the init files, or get the Lazy newb pack to do it for you. Far easier to take your time then, killing off migrants will give you ghost troubles!

[Benedict Hardy]

A

[Mushroo]

You can set your population limit in /data/init/d_init.txt (keeping in mind certain fun events have population-based triggers)

There is no excuse to EVER run out of food or alcohol. You know you need these things; it is not a surprise plot twist or spoiler that your guys will need to eat and drink. This should be your first priority. Try to fill an entire z-level with stockpiled alcohol and prepared meals. Create a "farmer caste" of dwarves whose children and children's children will spend their entire lives growing plump helmets, processing pig tails, milling cave wheat, etc. See how quickly you can train up a legendary cook/brewer/grower/etc.

Or do it the smart/easy way and diversify your food sources: cave farming, surface farming, plant gathering, beekeeping, hunting, dairy, eggs, fishing, etc. A full-time fisherdwarf will produce a staggering amount of food, a single elephant will feed your fort for a year, egg industry is incredibly low-management, etc.

[franti]

Cave Challenge

[Puresowns]

I actually don't farm at all, I just embark with a bunch of turkeys and extra booze. Slaughter the wagon pulling animal(s) as soon as you get embarked, and make them into low level cooked meals. As soon as you can, get the food stockpile underground, and set up nest boxes for the birds. Then just use d-p to select all the outside shrubs for gathering(pick a few immigrants you don't have any use for, they tend to die a lot.) Make sure the brewable plants are forbidden from being cooked, set up a still and a couple of brewers, make containers, and you are set.

This setup has kept my fortresses fed for populations up to 120 and for as long as 11 years, and it can last longer if you have a lot of soil you can let turn into artificial caverns.