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[Slappy Moose]

What important lesson have you learned about organizing a fortress?
Say what the lesson is, and how you learned it.
It can be anything from little mistakes, to fortress disasters.

I have two, both involving water. The first isn't bad, I accidentally flooded my archery range when I channeled a rover into a diagonal space in the wall. Oops.

Lesson: Always check to confirm your designations aren't going to affect anything besides what you intend them to.

Now this one destroyed my latest fort, three times. I was trying to build a very, very big underground fishing zone. About 25x25 tiles of water and walkways for the fishermen. Anyway, the first time I forgot to close the floodgate leading to the indoor lake, and flooded almost all of my living quarters. The second time, while draining the lake into a bigass storage zone underneath it, so I could haul out the stone and make adjustments, I accidentally opened the floodgate leading to the lake, flooding my fortesss again.
Lesson: Always remember the current projects, and check up on things often.

The last time, the one that made me just give up, was a combination of old floodwater filling the lower living quarters, and a few silly mistakes which made draining the water a very big problem.
Lesson learned; think things through, or die.

Add your own!

[Helmaroc]

I learned elephants are bad.
I learned carp are bad.
I learned dwarves die of dehydration in the winter if there's no booze.

[Flok Speargrabber]

I learned that no one gives cripples water unless they're delegated to do so.

[sphr]

1. nobles should be culled according to what they like -- If you don't like what they like, cull them.

2. a row of 1x2 tombs can last quite a while.  nobles can't complain where they will be buried when they are dead.

[Lazy_Perfectionist]

Can't use fertilizer underground in soil layer.

Started with no 'growers' and five sweet pod seeds, nothing else green. Planted one 5x1 crop, got back 1 plant, 1 seed. That close to losing my entire booze supply.

Fortunately, I've managed to gather some seeds from aboveground, and can use fertilizer on those crops, gaining experience and food.

[MyBeardIsOnFire]

I learned that dwarven bonds of friendship are strong... sometimes too strong.
I had a big goblin siege that I wasn't prepared for, so I was rushing everyone inside while my elite squad held them off. Eventually the goblins retreated in fear. There were some animal casualties and one dead dwarf - my only champion. However, that was enough to make every single dwarf in my fortress lose their fricking mind. In less than a month, my 120 dwarf fort that has never had a single dwarf die for four years (!), has dropped to a population of 90... then 50... then 10... which were easily wiped out by another goblin siege soon after.

I also learned that fire is bad, but that's a different story...

[Bricktop]

I remember once there was a goblin seige hanging around at the edge of the map. It had managed to wipe out a human caravan so I decided I couldn't leave it there any longer. I drafted my entire fortress population and charged the goblins. My aim was to overwelm them and mob them to death, relying on woodcutters and miners to do the real damage.

My army was cut down by the archers so quickly that within moments most of my dwarves were dead and all that actually reached the goblins was my legendary miner and a few of the surviving war dogs.

Lesson: Don't charge across open ground at a goblin army. Especially not when its lead by 2 elite bowmen (king and leuitenent).

[Untelligent]

NEVER put the lever that irrigate your farms and the lever that opens the magma floodgate right next to each other. It's easy to get them mixed up.

[puffs]

*Always triple-check whether that square you're digging a channel into REALLY isn't connected to the magma first.

*Do not anger giant cave spiders. EVER.

*Noble quarters are dug open air next to the chasm, with a floodgate system to push them over the ledge.

[Greiger]

* If you dig a downward stair, then flooded the room, even if you never build a matching upward stair, it will still flood your entire mining operation when you dig under it.  It's even worse with legendary miners.  All the stone on the ground will prevent you from seeing the water. It is confusing when yer miners are putting out dangerous terrain messages...and drowning with no water in sight.

Be careful when digging.  Try not to make too many 'endless' stairways either. As they toy with the waterproofing of your fortress.

[Torak]

1. Remember to check announcements all the time.
2. Dont send a lone soldier after that big tan "C" you think is a giant cougar.

[Tyrving]

quote:Originally posted by Torak:
<STRONG>2. Dont send a lone soldier after that big tan "C" you think is a giant cougar.</STRONG>

AHAHAHAHAHA. How long'd he last?

To contribute: Never assign all your available war dogs to an assumed lost fey mood dwarf.

[valcon]

Here is the best advice ever given:

Lord loves a workin' man,

Don't trust whitey,

See a doctor and get rid of it.

[Torak]

quote:Originally posted by Tyrving:
<STRONG>

AHAHAHAHAHA. How long'd he last?</STRONG>

Long enough for me to realize he was screwed.