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[Jackboot]

It seems to be that some of the hardest to meet needs are socialization needs, because the right Dwarves need to be physically near one another. This can be impossible for Dwarves who have no/few family and friends.

Meeting these needs could be made far easier, even for isolated dwarves, by having a mail system similar to Prison Architect's.

https://prison-architect.fandom.com/wiki/Mail_Room

For friends and family outside the fort, the mail could arrive with the caravans to be delivered or picked up by Dwarves which satisfies their socialization need. Dwarves within the fort could write letters to one another, to be delivered to the rooms. Potentially it could even allow plotting with one another? Sparking romance? Pen pals could be communicating from across the continent, which as well as being beneficial for needs, would also be very endearing.

I searched "mail" and "letters" and found no results, so I don't think this has been suggested before.

[darkhog]

Perhaps "messenger" position could do a double duty as a postman, while in the fort and for communication with outside world when sent to different places? I agree that socialization needs to be improved.

[uioped1]

I love this idea!

[ryno]

i am quite fond of the idea of mail getting exchanged throughout the world of dwarf fortress

[darkhog]

[delete, brain fart]

[Jackboot]

I had the thought that if all letters were persistent that they would become crazy clutter, so I think that they should be consumed upon use.

[darkhog]

I had the thought that if all letters were persistent that they would become crazy clutter, so I think that they should be consumed upon use.

I don't think so. At least, not all letters should. Some people collect letters from the loved ones, why dwarves should be any different? Of course, there could be types of letters that are consumable, like e.g. letters that update world info or ask for backup at certain place, but not all letters should be consumable. Should be part of certain dwarf's personal possession though and maybe the letters should be thrown away (destroyed) when the dwarf in question dies and there is no next of kin to take care of them.

[Starver]

Perhaps "messenger" position could do a double duty as a postman, while in the fort and for communication with outside world when sent to different places? I agree that socialization needs to be improved.

You've set me to consider a "Messenger" role who is basically an "Information haulier".  No physical items involved, their job (when fulfilling the generated tasks) is to travel between those wishing to communicate and those that they wish to communicate with (which might be a mutual thing, or not, but probably involves many such client-pairs). Either they have "spooky knowledge about who wants to chat" or they just try to visit everyone and modify their potential follow-up visit priorities according to who they now know has asked to be reminded to who.

Personality (pyschological qualities) might be useful for both being accepted as messenger and not minding carrying a bit of the 'mood' of a message (relaying a complaint to an administrator, echoing messages of affection to lovers). In addition to the various problems that messengers might have in reaching (or crossing the gap between) their disparate 'clientelle', they also need to potentially deal with reporting unfavourable opinions (as intermediary), evoking the times when the old classic phrase of "don't [shoot/crossbow/hammer/grapple/bite] the messenger" might be considered aposite.

And, under the "Villainy" aspect of hidden ulterior motives, it is quite conceivable that a secretly provocative messenger can deliberately misconvey messages, I'm thinking, stirring up trouble/fomenting bad feelings. So there's a risk to a fort, as well as(/instead of) the one who is keeping everyone informed.


But it can keep even tightly-controlled workers (held in place either physically/stuck-in-a-hole/wrong-side-of-fortifications or by burrowing/logistics) from getting upset thanks to zero social interactions, so long as they can be approached within conversational distance (if it needs to be shouted, the message counts for less).


(...and then that got me onto thinking also about Dabbawallas. Personal 'food hauliers' (Dwarferoo/UberRoasts?!?), to deal with those who are hungry (and reachable!) whose job-poriority (or other need to be somewhere) is still slightly higher than their famishedness and tendecy to find the nearest actual food stockpike(+dining room). But that's probably a little less medieval than... you know... actual Messenger Dorfs.)

[Jackboot]

I had the thought that if all letters were persistent that they would become crazy clutter, so I think that they should be consumed upon use.

I don't think so. At least, not all letters should. Some people collect letters from the loved ones, why dwarves should be any different? [...]

You make good points! I change my mind then. I suppose it's no different than all the books we have laying around! Other than tattered clothes, dwarves don't keep a lot of things stored away in their rooms! Like I said in the beginning too, it would be fun to rifle through their chests and read their history of letters. Especially in old worlds, or after many generations - or even in adventure mode, going into old ruins to find historical correspondences?

[callisto8413]

Maybe letters can be recycled after a bit?  Turned into books?

[darkhog]

Maybe letters can be recycled after a bit?  Turned into books?

That gives me an idea - if a dwarf has over certain number of letters addressed to them, they will put them all in a single book, replacing several items with one item. All of the letters will be still readable even in the book form, as part of the book's description.

[Azerty]

Post offices were pretty much important until very recently.

Other uses:
* Scholars might communicate together
* Clerics would communicate with believers
* Traders might communicate together
* Diplomats would negociate with rulers

[JasonMel]

This suggestion isn't bad in and of itself, but a lot of suggestions run afoul of anachronicity, and I think this is one of them. Organized postal systems just don't date back far enough. Minecarts are an entertaining exception, but they tap into the core dwarven character. I'm not sure a post office would do the same.

(Besides which, dwarven mail should be a type of armor.)

Democratizing communication in some way might be something magic could do, though.