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[Civillain]

I was just wondering to what extent everyone roleplays with their fortresses! So, do your roleplay your fortresses and what have you found most fun when you do? To what degree does it affect your gameplay? I'd love to hear about what you've enjoyed before if you do this too!

I know that when I started playing I didn't roleplay at all, but nowadays I much prefer a strong sense of identity for my fortresses. It affects my objectives and sometimes I invent rules for myself, but it doesn't normally change my actual playstyle that much! What about you?

[Orkel]

It's a sandbox game where you have to set your own objectives to have fun, so some roleplaying is pretty much necessary for the full DF experience. Otherwise you'll just dig a hole in the ground with a farm in it, wall the entrance closed and go "so this fort will survive for 10 years like this, how boring".

[Timmi]

"so this fort will survive for 10 years like this, how boring".

your portrait goes incredibly perfect with the sentence.

[Cathar]

A lot. Maybe far too much.
I'm writing anthropological essays and comparing the gods of different civilizations to notice overlaps. I'm following attentively 50% of the populus of my fortress. I write down the complete history of my country alongside its relations with other countries. I follow the fat level of characters I really care about.

[Colonel Sanders Lite]

A fair amount, but perhaps not as much as I could.  As a general rule, I don't get too into considering the thoughts of an individual dwarf unless it is a truly notable dwarf.  I *do* enjoy filling in details on more of a societal level though.

For example, my squads wear weapons and armor that I go to the effort to carefully decorate.  Our Helms currently bear the symbol of our civilisation, nautilous men.  Our weapons, shields, and breastplates bear the symbol of our local government, a many pointed star surrounded by waves.  Our gauntlets bear the image of our king raising the crown.

Each piece of equipment bears the image of one of our gods, with each soldier carrying the whole dwarven pantheon into battle with them.

When my dwarves die, they get statues built in their honor.  Each is placed in a prominent location so that the rest may remember them.

I build a large artifact vault, inside of which is every artifact created for the fort, curated in a very specific way.

Despite the added risks, my forts are defended solely by my dwarves skill at arms, not with traps and/or drawbridges.

There's more, but I guess you probably get the idea.  I would say that I would love to get more into the personal details of my dwarves as well, but TBH, I have a pretty shitty memory so I don't believe that I can make it work.  The best I can do is pick out a few specific dwarves to keep tabs on.

[Shonai_Dweller]

I do a lot which ends up being counterproductive from a min/maxer point of view, like making mercs use their own equipment, having a real hammerer and running booze flowing taverns with tavern keepers (survivors usually pick up basic combat skills, which is nice). Also  I refuse to close the drawbridge once the military are functioning. They deal with whatever makes it through the traps and archery bunkers.

I also lower the siege triggers and enable [ambusher] on goblins (which appears to be working again after a long period of brokenness) because getting attacked before all my traps\military\archer bunkers are ready makes for an interesting story while 10 years of perfecting the defences before being attacked and watching said defences work perfectly just doesn't.

My Captain of the Guard leads a team of spear peasants as the last line of defence. He gets lauded for heroic deeds, steel-armor clad, scimitar in hand, red silk cape visible to all. The peasants flail about trying to survive desperately in their leather armour. They're mostly forgotten by history, quickly replaced, but veterans eventually get to join a real military squad.

Plus variations if interesting dorfs visit or other interesting stuff happens. I don't play long term fortresses. Usually have some goal in mind before moving on. I try to play a few fortresses and adventurers in each world.

[wierd]

Basically none at all.

I dont RP my fortress even a little, other than contemplating what my dwarves would consider the most enjoyable-- but that is actually a real mechanic now, so not RP.

[Shonai_Dweller]

Basically none at all.

I dont RP my fortress even a little, other than contemplating what my dwarves would consider the most enjoyable-- but that is actually a real mechanic now, so not RP.

Do you not even set goals for yourself? Megaprojects? Modding to tweak the world to work the way you imagine it to be?
I find that fascinating. If prolonging FPS death was my only 'goal', I'd have stopped playing years ago. I guess that's a fun challenge in itself for some. Just seems a completely unFun way to lose the game to me.

I set up situations to test bugs sometimes, which I guess isn't rp. But it is kind of based on a vision of what the world could be some day.

[wierd]

More things like "Rooms have windows"--- because I think rooms should feel like something other than a dark cell you lock yourself in at night--- but the game also gives positive thought bonuses for windows in rooms. (admired a nice window, etc.)

This is what I mean.  It used to be a RP like mechanic, but then the game's stress mechanics changed radically, and it stopped being RP in nature, and now it is just proper fortress management.

I dont get all "Oh, Cog likes native copper! I MUST MAKE HIS ROOM FROM THE NATIVE COPPER VEIN SOMEHOW!!" in my decision making.  It is more "Does Cog generally like his room? Is it sufficiently scummy that the nobles dont complain about it? Does he path efficiently to his place of work? PERFECT."

[Cathar]

I dont get all "Oh, Cog likes native copper! I MUST MAKE HIS ROOM FROM THE NATIVE COPPER VEIN SOMEHOW!!" in my decision making.  It is more "Does Cog generally like his room? Is it sufficiently scummy that the nobles dont complain about it? Does he path efficiently to his place of work? PERFECT."

That is actually what I call RP. By researching characters/kingdoms/culture, Im ultimately just making good use of the legends/worldgen mechanic. My forts are functionnal both in production and in defense, and are meant to survive retirement.
I think the gameplay as the ultimate GM of the world. What it describes is the universe, and I'm but an observer and actor.

What you describe about windows is a perfect exemple of that. The game rewards good designs, and good designs make sense and look like real fortresses.

Like you're better off if your military is made of strong dudes that like to fight rather than Urist McPlanter who wanted to be a bard really, so I tend to give military professions to those who want them. I don't think gameplay and roleplay are really in opposition in DF like they can be in...roleplaying games

[Sarmatian123]

My forts are functionnal both in production and in defense, and are meant to survive retirement.

Quantum stockpiles survive retiring? Is having all possible workshops created to keep fort alive after retirement?
I figure having 100 legendary military Dwarves with platinum and adamantine weapons and armor would be enough.
Will Dwarves plant those farm plots on auto, when you retire, or you have to leave some seasonal routines for job manager?
How about animal pastures? How much prepared food barrels and alcohol barrels you need to have?
Do you switch locations off so Dwarves will find friendship and love and keep fortress populated later on? Or you rather keep those on hoping for new migrants?
How about military. Should they be left as training or patrolling?

[Spriggans]

IDK about roleplaying, but I like setting absurd challenges to me.
Because DF is just too easy (yes) once you know how to play it.

So challenges are Fun, and challenges come with roleplaying a little.
For example, I roleplayed a fortress of "screwed up dwarves" : they embark in a terrifying biome with aquifer and nothing to pierce it. So I roleplay desperate mesures and put limitations on myself (no merchants, eg.)

I once played a fort where my 7 dorfs embarked into hell, and had to find a way to make it back to the surface. Clowns were occupying every caverns.
I roleplay stories and background, but I very rarely roleplay dwarves.

[Loud Whispers]

90% RP, 10% messing with game mechanics in a meta way. I always want my Dorf Fort to have some philosophy, and so I consequently try to imagine what kinda of philosophy what kind of Dorfs are going to come up with, based on their experiences in founding the site. A Fortress that is a prison for all, with the Dwarves occupying a central observation tower to all the cells. A Fortress that is a military outpost against the unceasing evil of a forest, raining Dwarven blood, whose walls extend high into the sky and whose people live tough, but luxurious lives against an eternal siege. A Fortress that is carved into the ice, where no farming is possible, where all supplies must be brought in from the mountainhome to wage war against the goblins.
And then you scale down the macro RP of megaprojects and civilizations when your Dwarves do more things and start taking on more personality on their own. It's the way to go about it imo

[DoktaYut]

Most of the time, because it basically happens when I look at the supposedly ideal way of doing anything and think "you know what, that's boring, what else can we do", and then go from there following whatever theme popped up from that.

[Sanctume]

Depends on my mood, and part of the fun is the initial setup research which takes around 30 minutes to 1 hour before I hit embark. 

I tend to make shallow worlds with 1 caverns only, so I can make small regions at around 200 year history. 

So I gen a world until I see evil biomes that borders good biomes, since I like those spots for my above ground fort. 

Then I spend some time exporting legends and view the xmls to get some sense of the civs, past monarchs, deities, and wars. 

So when choosing and embark spot, I have some idea on what my fortress goals. 

Then I spend some time reading up on the initial 7 in the embark prep.  The dreams, likes and preferences helps me define what role that founder will be. 

So something like: Urist, m67 (male), Skill (dreams of mastering skill). Battle axe (likes). CHS (can handle stress), martial prowess, likes brawls--will begin with Axe+5, Weaponsmith+3, and Discipline+2 and serve as my initial wood cutter with copper axe.

Then I try to fit who will be a doctor, or sometimes 2 doctors: Surgeon+Suture, and Diagosis+Bone Setter+Wound Dresser. 

Sometimes, someone with the right combination stands out for Scholar: curious to learn, likes debates. 

Recently, I tweaked my military plans and bring a Wrestler+5, Teacher+2 founder and teach wrestling until recruits becomes Wrestling+5.