My old place collapsed due to a lack of barrels, which led to a lack of booze, which led to a refusal to make new barrels. When I gave up, I tried to make them all insane and drown them, but I'm surprisingly awful at driving my little dudes crazy, so I had to just abandon after a while.
Here at Boltedscribes, in a brand new world, where I can actually interact with other civilizations, we're doing pretty well. The elves are incredibly friendly; they brought us droves more wood and cloth and sun berries than I could afford; I had to drop some of the buzzards just to get the bears. Three are chained up in the front so that they'll breed; the rest of the wee beasties I got from the elves are stayin' in their cages for now.
Speaking of cages, my expedition leader/woodcrafter/woodcutter got possessed and made an insanely boring cage out of two ash logs. He went outside to get something (I don't know what he was up to)... and was among the 7-8 dwarves who discovered a Goblin ambush. Three were killed; three more injured... including the leader I set up a hospital for the little bastards, with three beds, two traction benches, and a few coffers. Instead of putting the sick dwarves in beds, they put the three in a single tile next to a lever. I don't even know.
Apparently to punish him for making a boring artifact, the other dwarves refused to bring him water. The other two who were injured got all the water and food they needed, but Mr. "Gets A Tomb" dried out.
No one's upset, fortunately. I've got my smiths makin' armor and all for them, but I can't get my stupid arsenal dwarf to update the records.
I'll figure out how burrows work next time I come under attack.
WHICH HAPPENED THE INSTANT I TRIED TO POST THIS.