I had a gameplay mechanic thought the other day that sounded neat. Dwarves have their own personalities and quirks. A neat addition would be hobbies that could be practiced either in their rooms or in social areas.
This might be any of the crafting professions (where there could be a community workshop setup for usage, or in their personal rooms), writing books/music, or playing games, etc.
Some of these may have an outcome that benefits the community, for example a scholar may write books over time and then present the fortress with a new book.
Most of these would be just fun thematic flair for dwarves to be doing more than eating/drinking/socializing. But some could be extremely practical and require a new gameplay mechanic.
For instance book writing may provide buffs to the fortress.
I had a migrant who was full of knowledge. It was fascinating the topics they knew. But after researching knowledge, I found that there's no real application in Fortress mode.
I followed this rabbit hole and thought a little of this through.
It would be great if over time, this dwarf with a writing desk in his room, could write books. There would be some mechanic of determining authenticity based on the knowledge and accolades of the dwarf. But if the dwarf is a scholar and the fortress has a library, perhaps they could write a book with some benefit to society.
A few examples from knowledges I saw on this dwarf:
Hardness may present a "technique" to enhance the hardness of a material, maybe making it more suitable for maces.
Anatomical Studies and Incision could help doctors.
Perhaps alloy's could be created that have cool color effects (especially now that premium version is out), or better crafting benefits. Or styles of weaponry. Styles of interior design. Or farming techniques. etc.
These would be small buff's and thematic changes. But just enough that after years of writing/reading/learning, every fortress may be dramatically different.
This is just one of many possible hobbies that give the dwarves something extra to do, that could add FUN emergent gameplay.
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Topic: Dwarf hobbies/personal work with example of Practical usefulness of knowledge (Read 220 times)