This happens to me as well (although I'm nowhere near a DF veterinarian, much less a veteran). The new release will bring back the thrill (EDIT: ninja'd x5).
In my case everything is ruined when I try to go too fast and don't think things through. I think I play too much DF too often.
Here are some ideas, making them up now for my next world due in 10 minutes. Don't know if they're all possible, I'm no good at modding:
Alternate universes
- Play in a world where dwarves are water soluble.
- Play in a world where civilized creatures have no legs.
- Play in a world where civilized creatures have no mouth and don't need to eat. May need to nerf fertiliy.
- Waterworld.
- Waterlessworld.
- Doctor Who edition. All dwarves have two hearts and explode violently on death. Bonus points if you can mod in resurrection or regeneration.
- Skyrim edition, make a dwarven caste dragonborn that can spit fire or have some other FB-esque hability. Put in tons of dragons.
(bonus points if you treat all these special dwarves as the superior beings they are)
- Get a book such as Dune and try to replicate a way of life or social structure within your city.
- Try to survive in impossibly extreme places (use embark anywhere if necessary).
- Try to mod breedable kobolds your dwarves use as their sole means of nourishment.
(bonus points if you can "milk" their blood as a luxury beverage)
- Embark near a volcano, build a temple on top of it and make yearly sacrifices to Armok. If you miss one sacrifice you lose. Bonus points if you only sacrifice dwarves.
- Keep adding things to this list and posting them until someone comes up with something you fancy.