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[Splint]

I hereby mandate each goblin invader recieve a savage beating either to death or within an inch of thier lives, and they then be handed over to Girlinahat.

[HmH]

2. One of the rules in this fortress is that aside from new forum players coming in, and the forum players initially, I'm not allowed to change skillsets (unless someone adds something else they can do in RL). I don't know about dwarves, though... it feels like cheating - it'd make everything a lot easier. I would've taken migrants out if I'd thought of it, but it's too late now. Oh, and we don't have any bowyers as it stands. Not one.

Specialization is for insects. Do we play Insect Fortress? No? Then let's have the migrants carve crossbows for us. That's a matter of life and death!

'Militia commander' is acceptable... for now.

Oh, wait, you're writing from the simulation you're making, not from the thread, right? Then there are no ichor trousers in the fort and so we can strike that point out. I was still thinking you're only using simulation as an inspiration about random events.

Anyway, whatever, we'll make wooden bolts and rely on the off chance that they hit the goblins in unarmored parts of their bodies.
Three other migrant dwarves! Yes, you three, Urist, Katten, Morul! Go build a craftsdwarf's workshop each and make sixty stacks of wooden bolts.

Also, change of plans, since my plan about 'retreating' will not work in-game due to AI limitations: all thirty volunteers will stand guard in the dining room, with the rest of the fort's populace hiding behind them, ready to replace the fallen if need be.

[Splint]

given enough time we could make something... appraoching a crossbow.... Maybe have one of the dwarves, with thier disturbing instinctive knowlege, show us how to do this shit.

[KodKod]

I fear for my life. Also, thank you.

Good, then all is going swimmingly.

"Since love & fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved."

[Talvieno]

2. One of the rules in this fortress is that aside from new forum players coming in, and the forum players initially, I'm not allowed to change skillsets (unless someone adds something else they can do in RL). I don't know about dwarves, though... it feels like cheating - it'd make everything a lot easier. I would've taken migrants out if I'd thought of it, but it's too late now. Oh, and we don't have any bowyers as it stands. Not one.

Specialization is for insects. Do we play Insect Fortress? No? Then let's have the migrants carve crossbows for us. That's a matter of life and death!

'Militia commander' is acceptable... for now.

Oh, wait, you're writing from the simulation you're making, not from the thread, right? Then there are no ichor trousers in the fort and so we can strike that point out. I was still thinking you're only using simulation as an inspiration about random events.

Anyway, whatever, we'll make wooden bolts and rely on the off chance that we hit the goblins in the eye.
Three other migrant dwarves! Yes, you three, Urist, Katten, Morul! Go build a craftsdwarf's workshop each and make sixty stacks of wooden bolts.

I'm using both the thread, the simulation, the rest of the forum and everybody's general personalities for inspiration - where would we get electricity in vanilla DF? But ichor-filled trousers would require a FB. Until we breach the caverns and slay a forgotten beast (honestly, even if it didn't have ichor, I might say it did, just to work the trousers in), no deathpants. lol

We do have a few woodworkers. Wooden bolts aren't that great, but they're better than nothing, I guess... However, in the part after this last was written, we did hit iron, and we do have a nice surplus of iron bolts. So they're not really needed. We'll have steel, too, before too long. Oh, and we can make crossbows from iron. Problem solved.

We also have about 12 mechanics. And over half a thousand mechanisms. If only we could turn those into weapons.

[Splint]

And thus our next project for the Spearbreaker mod.: Weaponization of mechanisms themselves, not just as components!

[HmH]

Half a thousand mechanisms?! Wow.
Carpenters, carve ten wooden spikes! Mechanics, use these spikes to install ten, one spike each, lever-controlled retractable spear traps in the dining hall access walkway and link them all to one lever in the back of the dining room! Go, go, go!

[WillowLuman]

I hereby mandate each goblin invader recieve a savage beating either to death or within an inch of thier lives, and they then be handed over to Girlinahat.

Girlinhat and Kodkod will have to find a way to settle on who gets what prisoners.
Or you can give them to me. I'll change their ways* through the power of crafts. They can sit in a cage in front of me while I make crafts upon crafts upon crafts at them for hours on end. I may even make some crafts out of them, to speed up the process.

*brainwash

Also, as resident JackOfAllCrafts, I'll make some bolts

[KodKod]

Girlinhat and Kodkod will have to find a way to settle on who gets what prisoners.

Hmpf. Well as sophisticated, adult women we could easily come to such a decision without resorting to any sort of brutish, uncivilized behaviour.

I could totally take her in a fight, so I get the prisoners.

[WillowLuman]

Girlinhat and Kodkod will have to find a way to settle on who gets what prisoners.

Hmpf. Well as sophisticated, adult women we could easily come to such a decision without resorting to any sort of brutish, uncivilized behaviour.

I could totally take her in a fight, so I get the prisoners.

And if you are a bit overbooked, I'll gladly take some off your hands. For crafting lessons. Whatever state they're in, it doesn't matter, I could use both more pupils and more materials.

[wierd]

I fear for my life. Also, thank you.

Good, then all is going swimmingly.

"Since love & fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved."

Ahh... Machiavelli!

Personally though, I find that his logic is fundamentally flawed.  A ruler CAN be both loved, AND feared at the same time.  Take for instance, the late Kim Jong Il. "Fearless Leader" had a genuine cult of personality, in addition to his vicious secret police.

If placed in that rather uncomfortable hotseat, I would be forced to crack down on corruption, including my own. Viciously. For this, I would be all at once, Loved, Hated, and Feared.

(Loved, by the common populace, since I would greatly reform taxation, Greatly reform government spending, Greatly reform military budgets and contracts, copyrights, patents, etc.  Hated, because I would be cutting pet projects, Would be enforcing punctuality on contracts, Eliminating pork and earmarks, and stringently investigating members of government with a rectally inserted microscope. Feared, because I would be ruthless, and not-buy-able. No amount of money or comfort is worth compromising my principles. In this respect, I would be an honest tyrant, as amusing as that sounds.)

As duke of the mountain home?  I would promise never to make mandates for unsatisfiable constructions. (No crystal glass beds!) Further, I would impose a local law against any noble creating an unsatisfiable mandate, citing that such an act is unconscionable, and innately vindictive in nature. The punishment for issuing a provably unsatisfiable mandate would be for the NOBLE to receive the punishment assigned to the person blamed for the failure to satisfy the mandate. Although repeatedly getting hammered in the face probably wouldn't break dwarven nobles of their bad habits. Further, for goods that are clearly the primary export tradestuff, absolutely under no condition is the export of such a product to be forbidden, for any reason. I dont care how much Urist McMayor likes his scepters.

(and unlike other politicians, I would actually make good on those promises. I would DELIGHT in seeing Urist McMayor get hammered for abusing his authority. In all other matters, I would be predominantly hands-Off.)

[WillowLuman]

To be feared is worse, as being feared means you are a threat to those who fear you, and if given the opportunity they will dispose of you quickly. Given the laws of probability, it is likely that some day they will get that chance.

[KodKod]

Ahh... Machiavelli!

Personally though, I find that his logic is fundamentally flawed.

'The Prince' was written specifically to pander to the ruling Medici family and actually conflicted somewhat with his own political viewpoints. Whilst it's still a hotly debated subject, there's a good chance that he wasn't being completely serious with everything he said.

Still makes for some great quoting material though.

[wierd]

Oh yes, Assassination would be a clear, and ever-present threat.  But, this is also true of much beloved monarchs.  There is ALWAYS somebody ELSE scheming to get the throne.  Rulers in feudal societies are vicious, not because they want to be, but because they have to be.  Power is very attractive to those who would seek to misuse it. As such, those that would protect others from that power, must themselves be vicious in that protection.

[WillowLuman]

Being feared increases the number of people who want to kill you. Power is very attractive, so there is always someone out there. Tip: don't be a dictator (in the sense of having all power). Having all power makes you the sole target, and with all that responsibility mistakes will piss many people off. Be trustworthy, as an unstable, unpredictable ruler makes people uneasy. Make yourself adored. Make it so that if you are murdered, there are many people who feel strongly that you should be avenged.