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[Scintillescent]

Hey folks!


I'm just kinda curious how to survive the second winter in Dwarf Fortress because I think about five of my dwarfs died

So anyone, can anyone give me tips?

[agatharchides]

Probably, bu a few more details would help. What's killing you? Are you running out of food, booze or are goblins or animals getting you? It's hard to give much advice without knowing a little more about what is going on.

[Scintillescent]

Oh well the problem is I ran out of booze very quickly because there are lots of dwarfs, and so I built a well in the lake but it froze in winter

And they died quickly, about five of them.

[j0nas]

Crazy food, farm just insane amounts of food during the summer and autumn.  Chop wood, make barrels to be able to brew booze, and be sure 'reserve empty barrels' under the stockpile menu(p) to have a few barrels empty when you need to brew.

If you want water, remember that water won't freeze 'inside', so dig a pit inside , below a surface lake, and drain the water from the surface lake into your pit to keep it from freezing.

Half of the fun of the game is figuring out these things I guess, learning from your mistakes and how to avoid your previous mistakes.

[Thief^]

Make far far more booze.

[Scintillescent]

Wow, thanks guys! XD

[nenjin]

Food and booze production are the #1 priority of any fort planning to last longer than 2 years.

If you're having a hard time figuring out how to grow and produce your own, just trade cut gems and easily made stone crafts to the traders. They can supply you with all the food and drink you need for a small group of dwarves, until you figure things out.

[Thief^]

Get lots of plump helmet seeds, and plant plump helmets all winter (on a fair amount of underground farmland). Plump helmets can be eaten raw (giving a seed) as well as brewed (still giving a seed), so are the perfect staple crop until your food / drink stocks are high.

[Granite26]

Underground lakes don't freeze.  Drain a lake into an underground lake and build a well on it.

Makes a useful backup to booze.

[Qinetix]

Lots of Boooooze , LOTS OF THEM , if you don't have them they will die of thirst

[Khift]

An herbalist can really help out on early booze production. A single good herbalist backed up by a good brewer can make enough booze to satisfy a solid 80 dwarves. That isn't to say you shouldn't get a farm going, though. The herbalist will die. It's just a fact of life. Enjoy him while you have him.

[Peaceful Slugman]

The problem is that you are letting the winter kill your dwarves. that should be YOUR job. Preempt the winter and cull your skilless dwarves and your high master fish dissector dwarves before winter comes.


But if you don't want to do that then make sure on your next embark to set up farmland asap, and have your grower be a dedicated grower. in an emergency, butcher an animal for food and reserve plants for brewing.

[Urist McDepravity]

Food and booze production are the #1 priority of any fort planning to last longer than 2 years.

If you plan your embark carefully, you can easily bring stuff for 2 years w/out any food production.
Usually I dont bother with industries until I've finished sketching out fort and implementing first line of defences (typically walls and bridge).