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[Thanshin]

[Disclaimer]Of course this is only funny if you embark in a location with terrible monsters waiting to eat all your dwarves alive before they've had a chance to sleep for the first time.

Lately my initial build order is rapidly changing.

I usually started with:
- The two miners and the trader dig the main entrance
- The two farmers gather plants.
- The mason is bored.
- The butcher/carpenter/crafter is bored.
- The wardogs defend the entrance

Then, they all start quickly getting the entire cargo inside (using the main entrance and the first rooms as warehouse) and building underground farm plots.


Now I've changed completely to:
- The two miners and the trader dig a large moat (protecting the goods almost as well as putting them underground, but significantly faster)
- The two farmers gather plants and build surface farm plots, as the moat protects them.
- The mason/mechanic builds a mechanic workshop to quickly prepare a raising bridge over the moat.
- The butcher/carpenter/crafter builds a carpenter workshop in the surface and starts building cages, beds, barrels and buckets  much sooner than before.
- The wardogs protect the three tile wide entrance which is quickly covered in cages.

Then, once everything's already working nicely and I have beds, a nice cage and bridge defense, they finally start digging.


Now I'm starting to think that even at that point I don't need to dig. I could make a wooden palisade and then go for a larger moat (to enclose more tree and plant producing grounds).

Which are your very first steps in starting a fortress? (the first orders to the seven dwarfs).

[hitto]

Ever since I've realized the power of vertical building, I look for the top of the mountain or highest plateau, and dig downwards into the heart of the mountain. Then I use some of the leftover rock to wall it off except for a 3x1 spot for floodgates, and toy around the wall/eventually water tower (Hey, I don't build floodgates because they're pretty) to dispose of garbage outside, patrol with soldiers and shoot at lower enemies...
Oddly enough, I never have to test these defenses out because I generally get enough time to wall off a larger area before the sieges start getting any fun.

[Talanic]

If I brought an anvil, the first orders are for my farmer / weaponsmith (dabbling only, to allow him to get a weaponsmith mood later) to forge two picks and an axe.  Then I designate stockpiles near the area that I'm digging downward into, and deconstruct the forge and wagon. 

[Nagassh]

My last few forts have been castles, they make the 'all dorfs stay inside' order iffy, but they're fun.

If I'm building on flat ground as my origional castle was, I'll build 1 corner tower out of whatever stone is available, dig down and the fort will spread from that one tower. My current fort was built on a map with a rediculous amount of obsidian and blackmetal. I removed the ramps from part of a mountain close to the brook and dug my moat.