Simplify the game as much as possible.
1: Eliminate world-gen and embark selection, having a single, pre-generated 100 tiles by 100 tiles 1 z-level square where all embarks automatically start.
2: Eliminate emotions in dwarves. They are no longer made happy, focused, unhappy, or unfocused by anything.
3: Eliminate physical traits in dwarves. They all look exactly the same, described only as "A short creature fond of drink and industry". Also, eliminate names, dwarves cannot be distinguished from each other by the player.
4: Eliminate skills and labor selection. All dwarves will do all tasks, at exactly the same skill level.
5: Eliminate creatures other than dwarves entirely, both civ-forming creatures and animals.
6: Eliminate plants other than plump helmets, now renamed to "mushroom"
7: Eliminate almost all items, leaving only the following items existing in the game: a generic "ore", a generic "metal bar", beds (crafted from this generic metal), generic "Armor" (again, crafted from "metal"), generic "Weapon" (ditto), "Mushroom", and "Mushroom Wine".
8: As a result of this generalization: mining rock no longer drops stones. Instead, it has a 1 in 20 chance of producing a "ore".
9: All crafting tasks (Ore to metal, metal to beds, armor, and weapon, and mushroom to mushroom wine), are performed at the same generic "workshop", that requires nothing to build.
10: Rework farming. A dwarf that randomly decides to do farming will go to the nearest dug out tile, and declare it a "farm". "farms" can be placed on raw stone, and allow any dwarf to work there for a short period of time to produce a "Mushroom" instantly.
11: Rework combat: When two dwarves fight, the winner is determined by a random roll: 50/50 if they have the same gear, 60/40 if one dwarf has a piece of gear (Weapon or Armor) that the other doesn't, and 80/20 if one side has both types of gear and the other has neither. The losing dwarf is now "unconscious", and will be automatically brought to a bed and given 1 mushroom and 1 mushroom wine, which will instantly revive them.
12: Rework raids/immigrant waves. Rather than immigrant waves, some number of dwarves will attack your fort. If all of your dwarves are knocked unconscious, you lose. If all of the enemy dwarves are knocked unconscious, they will be tended to by your dwarves automatically, and when revived will join your fort.
13: Rework starving/dehydration. If a dwarf doesn't eat or drink for long enough, they are knocked unconscious, and will be revived. Unconscious dwarves will never die, for any reason.
What do you think? Terrible enough?