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[ISGC]

for something else?
like... 30 hunting dogs, or something

[Grimlocke]

Anvils are realy only required to build a forge, they dont influence item quality or the time it takes to make them.

If you want a better anvil for the fancyness of it (understandable ) you would be better of trading for some steel bars (or making them if you have flux and iron) and making one with some quality on it.

[ISGC]

what should I pick instead?
is there any really helpful animals?
I usually end up slaughtering them to survive the first winter...

[Grakelin]

First time I left the anvil at home, one of my dwarves went into a fey mood and really needed to forge a mace.

I have never so edge of my seat at the trader depot before.

[SkyRender]

 Really, there's two sane ways to do it: you can either bring an anvil and plan on forging an axe out of raw materials, or you can forget the anvil and buy one from the first caravan.  Odds are good that you won't get a fey mood for a metalsmith the first year (though to be safe, don't make any of your starting Dwarves skilled in any metalworking professions), and you can make 1,500 (or 4,500 if they only bring steel) dorfbux worth of goods for trade easily in 6 game months' time.

 Here's what I tend to do: I drop the anvil and boost my other resources.  Once I've arrived and set up base, I have one Dwarf focus on making mechanisms (they sell for a disproportionately huge amount, especially when made from obsidian or flux material).  The rest do other preliminary setup of the fort, and by the time the first caravan has arrived, I've at least two dozen high-quality mechanisms for trade and the anvil is easily gotten (as well as anything else I need, but that's the beauty of a no-anvil embark: you can take along more of other supplies and avoid needing to buy too much from the first caravan as a result).

 If you don't have flux stone or obsidian handy, that makes this a bit trickier, but you can manage even then.  A stone carver can churn out hundreds of stone mugs, which don't sell for much individually, but do net a big profit overall.  Just be sure you have a lot of free wood to build the massive number of bins that tactic requires, too.

[ISGC]

what if (and I know this is a bit silly) I make my fort in a mirthful woodland and I don't have any immediate need for weapons and armor.

[Quatch]

SkyRender's approach is still valid. You could go forever without an anvil if you didn't mind loosing the occasional moody dwarf. You could also live above ground. Its a choice you get to make.

[bombcar]

The general consensus at one time was that embarking with an anvil was playing a bit "harder" since 1000 points of food and drink can let you survive for a long time.

[Draco18s]

If you want a better anvil for the fancyness of it (understandable ) you would be better of trading for some steel bars (or making them if you have flux and iron) and making one with some quality on it.

Making an anvil requires an anvil.

[Scarpa]

Lately I ditch the picks and ax and start with an anvil, a couple copper bars and some trees.

I make my first picks with the copper bars then go look for some visible iron ore for an axe (if I need one quickly).

Then I try to find some aluminum, native silver/gold or tetrahedrite (since it can make billon) and start forging up some trade goods.

I'm also kind of obsessed with metal industry and always always embark where magma is available.

[LegoLord]

If you're new, I'd recommend keeping the anvil.  Better to have and not need than to need and not have.  Extra food and animals can help, but it's not too hard to get around not having a gigantic amount at the start.

[nil]

See: http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=48257.0

Personally, I'm with LegoLord.

[o_O[WTFace]]

I bring an anvil, some copper and some coal and forge stuff on site.  Thats mostly because I play modded though, I can't guarantee the first caravan won't get stomped by a herd of SKELETAL DINOSAURS on the way in.

In vanilla I would just bring more wood or coal or flux, or if those are all present on the map then a couple hundred turtles and some whatever.  How many people actually forge weapons and armor before the first caravan? 

[Fooj]

I always ditch the anvil. 1000 points is better spent on wood for barrels, beds, bins, and later fuel. A couple cows is good too. A small herd of cows provides plenty of veal, leather, and bones all of which can be used to supply the militia with food, water pouches and quivers, and ammo. I get an anvil from the traders in the fall, as they almost always bring one. By the fall, my stonecrafter is almost legendary and has bins upon bins of high-quality goods to trade with.

[Skorpion]

I keep the anvil, but ditch one of the steel axes for food, wood, and fuel.