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[steven688]

Every time I make a new fortress my dwarves all die of thirst when it is winter.  How do I fix this?

[shlorf]

Use the still unfrozen water to muddy some ground for an underground farm, start planting everything you have and make sure it is turned into booze (you will need barrels which can be made most easily from wood) before any dwarf eats the plants. Any water that is underground will also not freeze so you can make a cistern and fill it by connecting it to a river or a murky pool with a floodgate or pressure equalizer. Put a well above your reservoir and the dwarfs will even get a happy thought from getting water there. But really the first priority should be to get your farms running as sober dwarfs work much slower than drunk ones.

[ZetaX]

For a start, gather plants (d-p) and turn them into booze. You can (assuming your biome isn't too cold) also start with surface crops, some of them may not grow in colder seasons, but you can easily create enough booze for the winter during summer. Just make sure you store some (one per dwarf should suffice, but more is always better) barrels.

[Hans Lemurson]

Every time I make a new fortress my dwarves all die of thirst when it is winter.  How do I fix this?

Get water underground.  Water with a natural roof above it never freezes.

[malimbar04]

Step 1: set up farm
1.1 - underground - drain a lake into an area, build wall to seal lake back off. Plant things like plump helmets.
1.2 - above ground - gather a bunch of crops, plant them on above-ground soil.
Step 2: brew plants, replant seeds, brew more.

In case of lacking crops or emergency, build well before water freezes. Here is a side view
\_lake  /
        | |_ o  - Well
        \_ |__/

On the bottom level, push water through a corner - this keep it from flowing over and flooding a fort. Requires a rope, a mechanism, and a rock block.

[Girlinhat]

Also a bucket, for the well, but that's easy.

I enjoy ice though, not many chances to build a fort made entirely of ice, that survives even in summer!

[krenshala]

Normally I can gather enough plants, even in winter, to keep the still running.  If your fortress starts in an area with ice at the start of spring you might be able to dig out your cistern/well before it melts (though I highly recommend the floodgates be installed as soon as possible to keep you from losing miners to unexpected melting -- watery FUN a month into the fort isn't).  This is usually only possible in cold (or freezing, if it thaws at all) climates.  It wasn't an option for my current fort since the water doesn't freeze at all in winter, despite being only a temperate climate.

[Pukako]

I enjoy ice though, not many chances to build a fort made entirely of ice, that survives even in summer!

My ice fortifications melted when the river thawed.  Normal or a new feature?

[Girlinhat]

If you carved them, normal.  If you dug it out to produce a stone, and then built the b - C - F then it won't melt.