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[Eniteris]

Hey all, given the upcoming steam release and assumed influx of new players, and as the moderator of the dead /r/succession subreddit, I thought it prudent to put together a beginner's guide to succession forts (formatting focused on reddit, but otherwise agnostic).

But I can't think of everything, so I'm hoping to get some feedback from the rest of the community. Feedback is requested if I'm missing anything, or should elaborate on something more:

Welcome to the Succession subreddit for Dwarf Fortress.

**What is a Succession game?**
A Succession game, also known as a Bloodline game, is an unofficial asynchronous multiplayer mode of playing Dwarf Fortress. In a Succession game, players take turns playing with the same save file, passing the save file between each other at the end of each of their turns.

The most classical form of the Succession game is the Succession Fortress, in which each player plays in Fortress Mode for one in-game year, before passing the fortress on to the next player, however, Succession mode can be done partially or solely in Adventure mode as well.

Note that everything in this document is a general guideline. Rules are often established at the beginning of each fortress which may override the general rules outlined here.

**How do I join a Succession game?**
To join a Succession game, post something to the effect of “I would like to sign up for a turn as Overseer.” and the person running the game should add you to the end of the queue and reply to you to confirm that you have been added.

When your turn is reached, the previous player should ping you or send you a message, with a link to the save file. You should reply **as soon as possible** whether you will be able to take your turn and finish one in-game year within **one or two weeks**, or whether you are too busy and your turn should be skipped. If you skip your turn, you may request to be added to the end of the queue.

By default, when you complete your turn, you will be added to the end of the queue.

**How do I play a Succession game?**
In a Succession game, you play as the Overseer of the fortress for the current year. As the Overseer, you are also represented by a single in-game dwarf who is nicknamed after you. If a dwarf is not yet named after you, choose one to act as your representative in the fortress. Play to the best of your ability, and try not to kill any named dwarves.

Note that if your named dwarf dies, your turn does not end. Instead, you may choose another dwarf to name after yourself as your successor, usually with a name suffix such as “II”, “III”, etc., as they are often the child of the former overseer, if possible.

It is customary to write an **Overseer’s Log** which records the experience of your in-game dwarf over the course of their year as Overseer. The Overseer’s Log should be written from the perspective of your dwarf and record important or notable events and decisions the Overseer has made, as well as occasional day-to-day experiences. Log entries should usually be accompanied by screenshots of key events or descriptions. Make sure to date your long entries with the in-game date.

To post both images and text on Reddit, it is recommended to use the new Reddit posting system, which allows you to insert inline images into your post.

Examples of notable events:
*Sieges and their resolution
*Forgotten beast arrivals and fights
*Artifacts and their creation
*Accidents and deaths.
*Breaching the caverns
*Major expansion of fortress infrastructure

Log entries should be posted **every few months**, often seasonally. You should not post only at the end of your turn.

In Succession games, players and bystanders often request to be “dwarfed”, whereby an in-game dwarf is nicknamed after that person. Players and bystanders can request specific dwarves, and it is the responsibility of the current Overseer to nickname the dwarves.

If you are looking for things to do, it is common to start or continue a megaproject, which may or may not be completed on your turn. Later Overseers may or may not continue any projects you have started.

At the end of your turn, zip your save, upload it to a file-sharing website, and post your final log entry, along with a link to the file. Make sure you ping or message the next Overseer in the queue to inform them of their turn.

When you are not the Overseer, you can comment on the latest Overseer post, either in-character as your named dwarf, or out of character commentary. You can also request for your dwarf to change professions or carry out actions, and hope that the current Overseer carries out your wishes.

**How do I start a Succession game?**
To start a Succession game, generate a world and find a location to embark. Your initial post should have a screenshot of the world, your embark location, and a backstory about the world, why your dwarves have set out to start their own fortress and what goals they hope to achieve. It is a good idea to look through Legends Mode before you embark to help with writing the backstory.

As the founder of the Succession game, you are responsible for setting any rules, such as how long each turn lasts, acceptable mods and utilities, and the like. You are also responsible for maintaining the Overseer Queue, which should be included in the initial post, and continue to be edited as the game goes on.

The initial post should not contain any gameplay; the first Overseer Log should be a new post.

Thanks!

[Salmeuk]

nice read, you might add a shorted bullet point list of the most basic elements (filesharing, storytelling, etc) for TL;DR people.

I kind of wish there was an alternative site for hosting succession games, with easily accessible timelines and the ability to highlight individual posters within the thread. Reddit does not really retain community IMO like these forums, so I want some kind of in-between. . a dream, anyways

[brewer bob]

Can't really think of anything to add, but then again I don't have much experience with community games.

Reddit does not really retain community IMO like these forums, so I want some kind of in-between. . a dream, anyways

Have to agree with this one. I don't think I've seen any community games take off on Reddit in the past four or so years (or maybe I've just missed them?), and formatting the text of a report is, quite frankly, horrible with Reddit's posting interface.

[Eniteris]

Can't really think of anything to add, but then again I don't have much experience with community games.

Reddit does not really retain community IMO like these forums, so I want some kind of in-between. . a dream, anyways

Have to agree with this one. I don't think I've seen any community games take off on Reddit in the past four or so years (or maybe I've just missed them?), and formatting the text of a report is, quite frankly, horrible with Reddit's posting interface.

Yeah, your right. As moderator, it seems to be hard to get people to continue playing. Usually a player takes too long or doesn't show up, and things derail.

The new reddit posting has inline photos which I hope will help, but it's still astonishing that they're still lacking basic features that forums have had for ever.

There was some talk about making a dedicated Succession repository site, with Github-like qualities. Also because DFFD is down (for now).

A tl;dr section would be good. I'll add one as well.