We'll be sending mining and logging parties off map eventually anyway, and hopefully we'll be able to send out our own caravans to bring back what we need.
That'd be nice. SAND. Playing in a map with no sand? Have a glassmaker immigrant suddenly go fey? TOO BAD. I'm not sure what to say to a caravan to get them to bring back an entire caravan of sand, though.
... there'll be a 20 stage pillow manufacture process involving duckling farms before your dwarves can sleep.... and an unplayable game for anyone without severe OCD.
Hey, duckling farms... what a great idea!
Seriously, though. If you want faster beds, just take along some wood with your expedition. Really helps on maps with scarce trees.
PS Even with more ore seams, I didn't find any useful weapon/armour metals on my last map before some underground creatures made it all too much fun. I did have rather a lot of lead...
Sounds like you embarked on a spot with 1. No sedimentary layers and 2. No cliffs. The first makes the iron be there - the second makes it easy as pie to get to. Oh, and 3. You then dug down into the underground without a military.
You need a military before you hit those caverns. Don't have the iron, do what we'd do in the old days, you know, last month - trade for it.
I really like trading. My only wish is that you could set up a dwarven outpost, ready to produce a bunch of stuff, and then export it... to another dwarven outpost, on the SAME WORLD.
Sav