As I have been familiarizing myself with the different workshops and mechanics in this game, I came to the realization of how little is needed to start a fort thanks to the Masterwork Workshops.
Essentially, if one wishes to have a functional fortress, they at least need a pick to mine, an axe to cut down trees, and a source of food, drink and water.
Thinking about it though, with the Masterwork workshops, these are all easily obtainable. Food is guaranteed since no matter your embark, you start with two animals that can be butchered. Booze can be made out of gathered plants and drained blood (bloodwine), and water can be made from booze at a Brewery or pressed from quarry bushes at the screw press.
The addition of the stonecrafter's workshop and the rockforge (now not needing a discovery), makes a pick and an axe unnecessary at the start.
If I have done the calculations correctly: 1 boulder = 1 mason workshop; 1 boulder = 4 blocks through the mason; 2 blocks = 1 Stonecrafter's workshop; 3 blocks = 1 rock anvil through the stonecrafter; 2 blocks + 1 anvil = 1 Rockforge; 2 boulders = 1 pick/axe.
This means a minimum of four (Magma Safe) boulders are required in place of 1 pick axe by: building a mason (1 boulder); making 4 blocks (1 boulder); building a Stonecrafter's Workshop (2 blocks); deconstructing the mason workshop for a boulder back; making 4 blocks at the Stonecrafter's workshop (1 boulder); make a rock anvil (3 blocks); make a Rockforge (2 blocks+1 anvil); make a rock pick (2 boulders); dig up more stone and make an axe (2 boulders).
The boulders you bring must be magma safe (or at least one has to be magma safe) as the stonecrafter cannot make blocks out of non-magma safe boulders, but that is still a minimum of 12 embark points needed to start a self-sustainable fortress.
However, I am not too sure with how well that holds up when it comes to food and drink, since obviously not all embark sites will have food, water, trees/plants, and soil. With that in mind, I am curious about what is the bare minimum amount of starting equipment needed to establish and sustain a fully self sufficient (as in, not needing or relying upon outside items to come in) fortress.
So, does anyone have an idea of what would be the minimum amount of starting gear for any embark that either beats my four boulders or addresses its lack starting food/drink gaining capability.
And I did think about the use of shrines of Armok, but I am not sure how reliable they are for sustaining the starting 7 dwarves+any incoming migrants.