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[PatrikLundell]

My experience is that there tend to be multiple quester groups seeking the same artifact, so it's not probably not possible to determine if the next group demanding an artifact is a replacement or a competing group.

Also, strangely, in my fortress the questers seem to have stopped looking for the artifacts and seek work as mercs or monster slayers (I know they have been group members, as I've used DFHack to label them, which means I can see they're returning rather than new visitors).

[Saiko Kila]

Yes, they can return, suckers. Or maybe perseverance pays, and the mayor will finally give up, just to get rid of them.

The whole artefact retrieval thing is a part of a prolonged meeting. Even the second meeting, in case the way to artefact is blocked, is technically a part of the initial meeting, and they just conclude the whole meeting. The quester doesn't exit the Conduct Meeting mode till conclusion (or maybe more violent obstruction), while the mayor temporarily changes to Return Artifact sub-mode of meeting, and if prevented from returning it, finishes the meeting in standard Conduct Meeting mode.

This makes me think that the second guy will have to meet the mayor and ask for artefact again.

[Montieth]

It’s been a bit since I played, but it was when we had the beginnings of this. 

My strategies with artifacts for security are:

For useful weapons, they are equipped on the best fighters or leader fighters.

For useless weapons or other useless artifacts, they either go into a display case in a secure vault.
Sometimes they go into a museum room inside display furniture.

Valuable furniture is used where appropriate.


As soon as I start my o have issues with needing to store high value items, a vault is built. Multiple small and large rooms with various steel doors in a more secure part of the fort. If I have a noble demanding coins, they get stored here too. There is usually a stockpile for everything that are very valuable items with subordinate sorted stockpiles for artifacts and key items. Sometimes, bars of candy go here too.

Guards are posted in these locations along by with guard animals. If the fortress gets locked down, the doors get forbidden too by me.

Usually the vault is on the level with the high nobles or mayor, sometimes with an office with windows facing windows it for the captain of the guard.

[PatrikLundell]

Anti theft measures are both needless and useless, currently, assuming you don't have a sprawling fortress on the surface where a thief can sneak in, take valuables and sneak out without being detected.

Measures are not needed because thieves sneak in from the outside and flee or attack (random) when detected.

Measures are useless because militia won't do anything to stop crimes, including vampires draining citizens in front of their eyes. I've had one artifact stolen, and as I have no idea of what it was, I assume it was something a visitor killed on the surface dropped. I've also had two cases of theft where visitors have taken stuff an just walked out with it, without anyone reacting. In one of the cases I save scummed and managed to kill the thief, while in the second I didn't bother (I don't remember what items it was, but it was neither aritifacts nor books). In a third case I expelled a tantruming citizen, and that resulted in the report of a theft of a goblet. Note that these incidents are in addition to the hundreds of books visitors steal and drop, which aren't reported.

[Dozebôm Lolumzalìs]

Guards are useless. Locked doors are not.

[Pvt. Pirate]

Guards are useless. Locked doors are not.

somewhere someone wrote how thieves (kobolds, keas etc.) decide which object to steal, so it is almost like how a trade caravan decides which trade depot to use: the most valuable item that can be reached without using a door.
so if your trade depot is up front and everything else in your fort is behind a front door of the fort, it is safe from stealing.
if your dorfs somehow decide to drop valuable stuff n front of that door however... they'll steal it nonetheless.

[Astrid]

Had a few cases of humans trying to take my dwarfes artefacts, denied it every time and when they made the mistake to steal it while still being inside the fort. Let's say the soldiers made sure they left the fort in more pieces than they initially entered with, straight to the refuse stockpile.

[Deus Machina]

Every time this happens, I offer alternatives.
Namely, magma and steel.
Random idiot adventurer, 1) your quest began exactly when the artifact was created, which means there is no noble manner of claim, which makes it Urist McCrafter's, 2) Urist McCrafter claimed it as an heirloom from his ancestors, which makes it his, despite 3) Urist McCrafter created it. Which makes it his.
Well, ours, but the answer remains magma and steel.

[FantasticDorf]

My artifacts are so well hidden (see not hidden) because i use a private civilian tavern (to force face to face stifled conversations, its quite crowded and small) that rumors about their existance rarely even leak out to my quite pitiful but well established aboveground public tavern. I've almost never had a encounter at all with someone seeking to take them besides a version or so back, flickering in and out of the fortress at the edges.

It almost feels like i need to flaunt my artifacts around and actively put them in danger in order to achieve further gameplay. 

[Deus Machina]

I put mine on pedestals in the tavern.
Still rare that someone comes looking for them, and a couple dozen mecenaries and drunk dorfs make for pretty good security.

[Saiko Kila]

Guards are useless. Locked doors are not.

somewhere someone wrote how thieves (kobolds, keas etc.) decide which object to steal, so it is almost like how a trade caravan decides which trade depot to use: the most valuable item that can be reached without using a door.
so if your trade depot is up front and everything else in your fort is behind a front door of the fort, it is safe from stealing.
if your dorfs somehow decide to drop valuable stuff n front of that door however... they'll steal it nonetheless.

I made many tests with thieves, and kobold and other standard thieves do indeed not steal from behind the doors (even if they can open them, as kobolds do), and additionally from the pedestals (so kobolds won't rob a museum).

However, artefact questers have slightly different AI. They won't steal from behind the doors, but they will target pedestals.

EDIT: behind the doors means LOCKED doors of course

[Pvt. Pirate]

so just having any doors at between the main entrance and the rest of the fort keeps random stealers out, while everything else has to be behind locked doors... hmmm okay.

[Saiko Kila]

so just having any doors at between the main entrance and the rest of the fort keeps random stealers out, while everything else has to be behind locked doors... hmmm okay.

Thieves can open unlocked doors just fine - only two things which are more or less unexpected:
1. thieves with picklocking ability (like kobolds in vanilla) won't open locked doors when in act of stealing (they can open them when fleeing though), they will bump into these door and change target if the player locked them just before their nose (normally cannot be seen, because they are stealthed)
2. standard thieves (i.e. non-questers) don't steal from display furniture

I'm curious if questers can pick lock if they have unlocking ability, but that would have to be modded in to test. Anyway, locking door is a good way to help prevent thieving, but this is feasible only for rarely frequented rooms, like a vault.

[Astrid]

2. standard thieves (i.e. non-questers) don't steal from display furniture

Not sure how high on Toadys agenda that one stands but it prolly wont stay like that forever i'd bet.

[Pvt. Pirate]

1. so a built furniture artifact cannot be stolen
2. an artifact behind a locked door won't be stolen
3. an artifact behind a raised bridge (airlock) cannot be stolen, except when the thief is teleporcheating

but what if i want an artifact to be
4. presented to the public or
5. have it in my library for learning purposes or
6. an artifact instrument to be played in a temple or tavern?
7. also what about artifact items that are worn by my dorfs?