Always have companions so bogeymen don't show up (or gen a world with advanced worldgen and set bogeyman types to 0) - that's the number 1 rule since bogeymen are insanely difficult - at the start of an adventure possibly impossible to kill due to simply having way too high skill in everything, especially dodging.
Also I recommend starting in hamlets, since aside from having potentially better weapons readily available in mead halls you can also nab the peasants food for free.
Dwarven fortresses are mazes which may or may not be escapable, whereas hillocks aren't that fleshed out yet - no places for weapons, no true taverns either (there's drinking mounds but those are more like drunk containment zones) - most of the time the only companions available are drunks who aren't particularly good at combat.
Towns are good but can be laggy, depending on the size (smallest towns are a + sign on the map - the next biggest is *, the next is #, and the absolute biggest are masterwork quality symbols) - though they do have actual taverns and possibly libraries.
Elven forest retreats have taverns that serve nothing except self-loathing and misery, and aside from that are annoying to get around due to having to climb everywhere. They may have libraries though IIRC.
When fighting enemies, aim for the lower body or legs to debilitate them - blows to the gut can make the target nauseous, which cuts their speed - same for their leg muscles being torn or bones being broken. Afterwards another priority target would be the arms and hands, atleast for armed opponents, so they lose hold of their shields and weapons.
Aside from that just keep in mind the material qualities - if you have skill in hammers, whips or maces, find a silver hammer/mace/whip, or if one isn't available, copper is also a good substitute. Bronze is a decent material overall - same for iron (though iron would be better for edged) - steel would be very good for edged too, but its really rare in vanilla, since only dwarves know how to make it (only sources of steel weapons would be bandit camps if they manage to steal stuff from a nearby dwarven civ).
Then there's candy which is the best material for edged weapons - but unless you manage to make weapons from it in fort mode then you'll never find a single candy weapon.
Lastly, don't fight megabeasts like dragons or especially directly at the start of the adventure - its pretty much suicidal, especially if you went for a peasant/hero start.
Think thats about it, aside from some cheap-out methods and exploits; but there's no fun without some kind of challenge, amirite?
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Topic: Tips for an adventure noob (Read 1603 times)