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[Coalwalker]

My own favourite is just a simple one, found in the main landing of the central staircase of Bibanfath:

"Engraved on the wall is a finely-designed image of Zas Pucesmiths the dwarf and worms by Zas Pucesmiths. Zas Pucesmiths is surrounded by the worms. Zas Pucesmith looks terrified."

Zas is, of course, the engraver.

I know it's a simple case of Zas detesting worms, but the mental image is still funny. I imagine the mayor admiring the work, but saying "Erm, Mr Pucesmiths...perhaps you need a vacation."

I'm eager to see some great / crazy / worrying engravings from throughout your forts. Is your civilisation's emblem an image of a legwear? Is your engraver sadistic, engraving elephants all over your elephant-hating baron's rooms?

[Xob Ludosmbax]

In an attempt to get some really disturbed inspired engravers, I built a 30 long entrance hall of retractable bridges.  Underneath that, I built another 30 long hall of retractable bridges.  I captured several sieges worth of beastmen inside the underhall.  While waiting for more sieges to arrive, I built 900 menacing glass spikes, made 90 upright spear traps beneath the underhall and attached them all to a lever.  I also built a viewing chamber consisting of fortifications in front of windows next to the spike chamber.  I clustered all of my dwarves in the viewing chamber, then allowed one to run off to be the lever puller.  He promptly went to sleep.  I let another dwarf run off.  He went to sleep too.  Finally, the third dwarf managed to pull the lever, dropping 300-ish invaders on the spikes.  I then put the other lever on repeat, re-impaling the survivors.  Did I forget to mention that I'm in a reanimating biome?  I eventually let the dwarves leave the viewing chamber.  The lever is still on repeat two years later. 

Anyway, I finally let me engravers put some engravings around the trade depot. 

"Engraved on the wall is a image of a window by Obok Emuthgoden."
"Engraved on the wall is a well-designed image of a millstone by Adil Ablelstukos."
"Engraved on the wall is a image of a octagon cut gem by Sarvesh Ikalonol."

Not a damn thing.  Not a single interesting engraving. 

I guess watching someone be impaled by 10 giant green spikes rising from the floor isn't very memorable, but the window you watched it through is.  Next step, gladiator pit, zombie archery range, or perhaps I'll let the dwarves watch Humans v. Zombies, the Movie.  Somehow I've managed to upset those pesky humans into invading. 

Does anyone have any advice on getting good engravings instead of images of socks?


Obligatory engraving that amused me:
"Engraved on the wall is an exceptionally designed image of Ruination: Problems and Solutions the emerald-bound book by Ral Rushrulalath" 
There is also one of some bronze colossus titled "the Thrower of Fathers" around here somewhere.

[Nyxalinth]

I had one recently of Cyclopes murdering Elves, which was pretty cool.

[wierd]

Mine always fixate on chesses, crescents, moons, and the like. I only get crazy engravings after a megabeast visits, or after inviting a clown to a child's birthday party.

[javierpwn]

You have to get the "skilled" engravers

i always get images of werebeasts being slaid by a random human....

[Tevish Szat]

My latest major fort is filled with Dwarves laboring to found the fortress, the Forest Titan Utol wandering or settling somewhere nearby, and later on the appointments of nobles and the painful deaths of goblin snatchers at the hands of my military, with the occassional ascension of the Queen in year 1.

Downside of stopping worldgen in year 2: Lame engravings.


My best, though, were from a DF2010 fort I haven't given a proper sendoff.  Most of the engravings in the entire fortress, named Ironbear, were of named humans being killed by Grizzly Bears.  I never did a full survey, but casually looking for Bear engravings I managed to record over 50 such engravings, detailing the deaths of as many humans to the claws and fangs of grizzly bears in 33 separate battles.  I was lead to conclude that at some time in the history of that world a major human civ, maybe more than one, went to war against ordinary bears and lost.

[Oaktree]

My one fort was constant engravings and statues of mintaur "The Whirling such-and-such of doom" killing this human or that elf.  Apparently the only creature of note in that district.  Though as my fort built up and stomped goblin sieges the engravings by the legendary engravers started including traps and dwarves killing various goblins.  Plus groupings of dwarves around another dwarf as he was elected to, or removed from, an office.

My duke's office in one fort has a statue of the duke admiring a statue of a giant wren.  Not quite fully recursive, but an interesting subject.

[BodyGripper]

One time I had a dog pass out on a trap.  For years, I had engravings with things like "The  dog is screaming."

[Astrid]

"Engraved is an image of (ExpeditionLeader) and Vomit. The vomit is striking down the (Expedition Leader).

So... yeah... flying vomis is deadly...

[Rutilant]

I get a lot of statues of my baron surrounded by amulets.   Presumably because he perpetually demands amulets forbids their export.  You're probably already wondering why I put up with him.  It is because I picked him myself and to get rid of him would be to admit I was wrong with my nomination.  In my forts, I am never wrong! 

[Larix]

"Engraved is an image of (ExpeditionLeader) and Vomit. The vomit is striking down the (Expedition Leader).

So... yeah... flying vomis is deadly...

As long as the vomit isn't striking a menacing pose...
And did you also get images of your expedition leader looking confused about losing his position? I always love those - Urist McExpeditionLeader, who lost his position by getting incinerated in improper magma breaching, depicted as weeping over the loss of his cushy job. I'm quite sure that's artistic licence - he was much too busy burning to cinders to contemplate his 'removal' from his position.

I rarely play with invaders on, so my engravings are pretty much all symbols of civ/group, founding of the fortress, appointments/deposals of administrators and many many celebrations of feats of craft - like the masterful dying of a rope reed thread. When cutting out and engraving a nook for a chained goblin to live in, my engravers still came through and memorialised the slayings of two goblins and a kobold. That should serve as a constant reminder to the prisoner what fate she escaped.

[Findulidas]

The dwarves usually engrave stuff they have seen or heard about but mostly its things they like. Ex: if the dwarf likes cheese hes bound to engrave cheese sooner or later. In addition I recall the likelihood of races engraving evil, good as well as the likelihood of them engraving stuff of thier own race in the entity raw.

I dont know if dwarves can engrave stuff they dont like, but Ive only seen engravings of rats made by a dwarf that happened to like rats. Which was unfortunate considering its a vermin many dwarves hate. I.e. some dwarves got bad thoughts from the engravings.

[Naryar]

I always chuckle when I see engravers trolling the hell out of another dwarf by representing them terrified, surrounded by some random and completely harmless vermin.

Of course, I prefer my engravings to be about war, bloodshed and conflict, but you can't only have that...

[Particleman]

I get a lot of statues of my baron surrounded by amulets.   Presumably because he perpetually demands amulets forbids their export.  You're probably already wondering why I put up with him.  It is because I picked him myself and to get rid of him would be to admit I was wrong with my nomination.  In my forts, I am never wrong!

Hey, at least asking for amulets is reasonable. He could be the kind of guy who constantly demands glass shit on a map with no sand.

[Larix]

Buy sand bags from traders? In the current version, nobles cannot mandate materials anymore; they can only ask for <material> furniture in their rooms, and that's easy to do with bought sand. It can also be safely ignored if you don't care.

Amulets are among the more annoying noble preferences currently - basically, any craft item, musical instrument or toy, because you can't directly order those, you have to tell the crafter to perform a handful of the base job and hope the desired items are made. And it can be a bit of a hassle to separate the mandatable items from the rest on your stockpiles, so you don't run the risk of getting your trades messed up.

The one thing a noble should never, ever like are large gems. Production mandates for those are a sure recipe for desaster.