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[Swivelguy2]

So, to add some challenge to my forts, I've been trying to find a nice terrifying forest to embark on, with plenty of wood so that I can embark without a pick and live above ground for at least a few fun years.

However, it seems that more than half the time, I'm not really getting much in the way of evil bad guys to [get] kill[ed by]. Once or twice I've gotten several dozen skeletal fish, making the start VERY interesting, but if I don't include a stream, I just get a few foxes and deer and maybe 1 werewolf on the units screen after embarking.

So what do I have to do to find the exciting skeletal hordes?

What I'm looking for a site of roughly 4x6 or 5x5 size that's all terrifying, with a magma pipe, lots of wood, sand, flux, and sedimentary rock (if the flux is marble). I'm using world gen parameters with bumped up evilness and savageness to increase the possibilities.

[Kanil]

1x1 nanoforts in zombie infested lands are superfun.

Although that's not 5x5 or filled with any of the stuff you want, but perhaps you can try it on the side for some giggles?

[Raphite1]

     If you've survived a map with legions of skeletal fish, then you've probably just reached a skill level where the normal game doesn't hold any more environmental threats for you.

     You might enjoy trying a mod to raise the difficulty. The Orc Mod is very basic but adds a great new challenge in the form of an enemy civilization that sieges early and is much stronger than goblins. Dig Deeper is also very popular and adds new civilizations (including the Orcs) as well as a ton of new animals, megabeasts, metals, craft items, etc. Mesozoic Dwarves makes the wildlife much more difficult to deal with, and also includes new sieging threats (shameless plug for my own mod, link in sig!). You can find any of these (and more) with a search at the Modding forum.

     Also, the new version of Dwarf Fortress that is due to be released soon looks like it'll have more "environmental" challenges than the current version, with hostile creatures living underground.

[Deon]

Also I've found that any locations bigger than 2x2 or 2x3 are too easy. Try to play on 2x2 or 1x1 on an evil area. It's a real challenge in comparison to your 5x5. The area is smaller, the creature number is the same, and they don't roam around but attack your fortress instead.

P.S. And it's still enough to embark with 1-2 warriors and make them armor ASAP to stay out of trouble... Meh.

[kendo]

Also OP you can try relentless assault mod, its really breathed a lot of life into the game for me, with new races sieging you, pretty regular

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Sieges with 15 ogres or treants and you will feel the pain( Fun)

also don't use the default game traps too much - they are really overpowered and make it too easy

[Swivelguy2]

Oh, I totally didn't survive my skeletal fish-full embark (the wagon was immediately adjacent to the stream, and 4 dwarves dodged into it and drowned as soon as the curtain raised  . I was just wondering if there's a way to get good numbers of something skeletal/zombie besides fish. I'll try a smaller embark site and see how that works.

[Deon]

and 4 dwarves dodged into it and drowned as soon as the curtain raised

That's why you give them 1 point in swimming [/protip]

[kendo]

Oh, I totally didn't survive my skeletal fish-full embark (the wagon was immediately adjacent to the stream, and 4 dwarves dodged into it and drowned as soon as the curtain raised  . I was just wondering if there's a way to get good numbers of something skeletal/zombie besides fish. I'll try a smaller embark site and see how that works.

I'm insanely jealous, I've yet to find any evil carp on any of my embark sites

[Jacob/Lee]

Wow, the first time I started on terrifying it took minutes then my entire party was slaughtered by skeletal sturgeon and skeletal bighorn sheep.

Starting with the fisher.

[Grendus]

Oh, I totally didn't survive my skeletal fish-full embark (the wagon was immediately adjacent to the stream, and 4 dwarves dodged into it and drowned as soon as the curtain raised  . I was just wondering if there's a way to get good numbers of something skeletal/zombie besides fish. I'll try a smaller embark site and see how that works.

I'm insanely jealous, I've yet to find any evil carp on any of my embark sites

Embark towards the end of a river. Rivers follow RL patterns, they're more likely to be brooks near their source and rivers near their end. Rivers have carp. Evil rivers have skarp.

[Swivelguy2]

I found a nice site! (Using Dig Deeper, although I may rethink that when the first orcs get here!)

It's 2x2, flat terrifying forest, with a stream down the left side (I like streams, they have carp but aren't gigantic like major rivers), a buried magma pipe, and sand. No flux or sediment, unfortunately.

The map starts out with a couple unitlist screens of undead fish, and is getting constant waves of undead pheasants, groundhogs, rabbits, and a few other things. Plenty of killing to be had, and plenty of bones to be carved - the only annoyance is the endless cancellation of jobs of peasants who really aren't close enough to be in danger.

At the end of the very first spring, I've got 1 dead dwarf and 8 unitlist screens of hammered undead.

[MathijsBuster]

I'm insanely jealous, I've yet to find any evil carp on any of my embark sites

Try a terrifying ocean. Minutes after embarking a skeletal Sea monster (yes, worst case scenario) climbed ashore and ate everyone.
And the re-embark party after that. Though the charging group of skeletal Long-Nose Gar didn't help much either.

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

There's different kinds of "Terrifying." Some kinds give skeletal/zombie [native wildlife], some give [random evil creature]. So a "terrifying" mountain can end up giving either skeletal giant eagles OR . . . dark gnomes, depending.