I just started a new .18 fort (haven't upgraded to .19 yet). It was a rough start. Much of the meat I embarked with rotted because I didn't get it out of the quantum dump fast enough. Farming got a late start because the river was frozen for most of the spring. Food ran out soon because I forgot to process the quarry bush leaves, and some of the dwarves were eating vermin to fill their bellies. The dwarven caravan had come and gone and I was about to start up my metal industry, only to realize I somehow didn't have an anvil. I had already had a few snatchers which succeeded in stealing a star ruby and 2 children, so I hastily drafted my 2 miners into the militia and set up a danger room. Lacking an anvil, I resorted to crafting leather armor, only to find out I somehow didn't have any of that either. So I had to quickly make some bolts and a crossbow to give to some dwarf so he could hunt. I got 2 groundhog leather armor made up for my miners before the first ambush, coming in behind the elves. Some mostly useless dwarf died revealing the ambush, so I sent out the miners. Though highly skilled in fighting and mining, I was worried about their safety. Lucky for me, picks made from something as cheap as copper are still mighty weapons, and they slaughtered half of the ambush, causing the remaining goblins to run like scared little elves. And now, I find myself buying wooden armor from the tree hugging hippies. And now my bonecrafter is asking for shells.
Fun indeed.