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[eataTREE]

Is it just me, or are invaders and invasions somewhat more hardcore in DF2012 than they were in DF2010? I thought I would have more time than this. Anyway, there's a necromancer and his 40-zombie army here. The defenses aren't nearly ready. I'm lucky I got the nickel floodgates installed in time -- zombies can't smash through those, can they?

My army consists of three dwarves in middling quality bronze armor with a few highly prized steel pieces. This map has neither iron nor tin (but it has flux and a volcano, lolz!) so even the bronze comes from the ore I brought on embark. My total population is about 20, anyway, so the size of the army I could field at this point is entirely inadequate given enemy numbers.

I had begun construction of a couple of big dropper traps, and assuming the floodgates hold, I will probably work on completing those and using them to dispose of the invasion. This is the most hardcore non-evil embark I've ever attempted -- and the elves (with whom we're at war) haven't even shown up yet.

[Naryar]

Yup, v0.34 is definitely harder than v0.31, though not by too much.

Notably necro sieges at year 2. Hopefully, a locked rock door keeps them out. You just need to burrow and turtle your way out of the siege with traps, DAS or something.

[nightwhips]

You embarked too near, too near!

I have yet to have a necromancer, probably because I'm many Urists from a tower.

[ddonohu2]

I think building destroyer creatures can still destroy buildings once zombified (the wiki says this also). If you're facing standard goblin, elf and dwarf corpses then you should be fine.

[Andrakon]

I think building destroyer creatures can still destroy buildings once zombified (the wiki says this also). If you're facing standard goblin, elf and dwarf corpses then you should be fine.

The wiki may say so but I have never had a zombified building destroyer ever break anything. I even had 3 in the same room as some locked rock doors and they left them alone. Strange...

[King DZA]

You embarked too near, too near!

I have yet to have a necromancer, probably because I'm many Urists from a tower.

I embarked right next to a tower(on the world map). The fort is currently halfway through its third year without a single visit from a necromancer or his undead buddies. Not that I'm complaining, considering my defenses consist of a single axedwarf, a few hunters, and one or two war dogs.

[masquerine]

From what I've seen of undead sieges, the zombies themselves go down fairly easily. Sometimes too easy, like a single bolt to the foot and the zombie "dies". The necromancers can be problematic if you have no way of finding where they are if they are currently hidden.

I believe zombies can only break down wooden things, which would support what the others said (using rock doors). The early undead sieges I've had were without necromancers, just a bunch of hobbling dwarf, elf and human corpses.

[arphen]

randomly laid out cage traps work wonders against necromancers since they are the only thing that runs AWAY from your fort.
and I once got a necro shortly after embark. I don't take chances in 34.07, first things i do are a moat and walls. it pays off VERY MUCH to have a refuse pile in a walled off area.

[slink]

I settled next to two towers and expected lots of FUN.  The first undead seige consisted of one undead elf.  The second wave that season consisted of two undead goblins.  My 3x3 fledgling minefield was more than enough to take care of those.

It did get more FUN later, though.  I'm collecting dead necromancers in my graveyard now.   

[eataTREE]

I settled next to two towers and expected lots of FUN.  The first undead seige consisted of one undead elf.  The second wave that season consisted of two undead goblins.  My 3x3 fledgling minefield was more than enough to take care of those.

It did get more FUN later, though.  I'm collecting dead necromancers in my graveyard now.   

Apparently, I hit the early undead jackpot. Lucky me. And it's a site I really want to preserve, too...

So am I to understand that the necromancer isn't going to try to path into my fortress at all, but is going to hide on the map somewhere and make me hunt him down? Will he keep a guard of zombies?

[vjek]

20th Galena, one year after embark, 66 zombie army showed up. (mix of dwarf corpses and goblin corpses)

But I intentionally embarked next to a Necro Tower, so it's all good!  It appears that about a quarter of the towers total population showed up, so looking forward the rest of the sieges.

[Kaos]

I got 3 necros stealth ambush in year 2 or 3, then in year 4 or 5 I got 3 unhidden necros and a horde of 87 corpses (dwarf, goblin, elf), I locked down my fortress, draw them into my corridors, locked the necros in, using wooden doors, and shoot the corpses from the top of my walls...

The 3 necros and a dozen of corpses stayed trapped inside the corridor only restrained by wooden doors controlled by levers, they didn't break the doors...

When I was done shooting the horde outside, I opened the door to the corridor and let some corpses out, killed them and repeated until only the necros were left, now they're chilling on my animal stockpile...

[ddonohu2]

The wiki may say so but I have never had a zombified building destroyer ever break anything. I even had 3 in the same room as some locked rock doors and they left them alone. Strange...

  That's interesting. Unfortunately, whilst I am constantly besieged by zombie hordes, I haven't seen a necromancer since the earliest years of my fort. I would like to test this for myself but I doubt I will see another necromancer (I'm using a very small world and I've already killed nine). If you're worried about the necromancer cage traps seem to work alright.

When it comes to fighting zombies the wrestling skill appears to be a lot more important than it used to be.

  There is one possible zombie grinder idea I've been mulling over (my effective military and lack of interest in transporting magma one hundred and fifty hundred levels have prevented me from applying my thoughts). I noticed when having flaming zombies run over weapon traps that their burning remains seem to burn away very quickly. Someone with easy access to magma could create a magma trough followed by a trap corridor. In theory the traps shouldn't jam since the offending remains will be consumed (assuming remains caught in traps continue to burn and that zombies will path through magma). I should do some tests next time I cage some zombies...

I'm collecting dead necromancers in my graveyard now.   

I've got a few dwarfish necromancers buried in my graveyard too, a couple of whom are related to my current duchess.

[Karakzon]

solution to all things on a volcano that are zombie related:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

MAGMA!!!!

[Kaos]

I settled next to two towers and expected lots of FUN.  The first undead seige consisted of one undead elf.  The second wave that season consisted of two undead goblins.  My 3x3 fledgling minefield was more than enough to take care of those.


It did get more FUN later, though.  I'm collecting dead necromancers in my graveyard now.   

Apparently, I hit the early undead jackpot. Lucky me. And it's a site I really want to preserve, too...

So am I to understand that the necromancer isn't going to try to path into my fortress at all, but is going to hide on the map somewhere and make me hunt him down? Will he keep a guard of zombies?

they do path to your fortress... of my 3 necros (i did tests by save scumming) 1 would make a campfire when he'd have no path and stay on my map even after I defeated most of the corpses, the other 2 would run away after I defeated most of the corpses... the moment I opened a path into my fort he would put off the campfire and run to my entrance.

the necro ambushers before that got caught on my corridor entrance's cage traps... so they were trying to get inside my fortress... the only dead stuff in my map was inside my walls in a refuse stockpile forbidden on a above ground "pit" (simply a ramp where my garbage zone is and they throw things 1 z-level down that is still above ground and freely accessible) so maybe they were trying to path to the corpses there...