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[timtek]

I love the open endedness of DF. It allows everyone to define their own challenges and playing style. I like playing with a take what ya get style. When I start a fort, I let the game pick my dwarves and what they're gonna bring. It gives me a chance to try lots of different labor combos and can sometimes give unique challenges. I also like to assign only labors dwarves have an initial proficiency in. How bout everyone else? Does anyone else use self imposed rules or guidelines?

[Urist Imiknorris]

I refuse to do underground farming above the first cavern.

[Marconius]

This is unusual for me, but in my current fortress, I assign all dwarves a set of labors when they arrive and do not change them. I have fixed sets of labors I can assign and name my dwarves' professions accordingly. So I have Lumberjacks, Cooks, Brewers, Smiths, etc. Also, nobles don't do work apart from their noble stuff and military is all career, no random drafting or expelling (unless in case of injury).

Oh, and I don't use surface trees. Bit of a lack of beds because of this right now... also, no barrels for booze.

[existent]

Hmm. Well, I don't know if this counts, but my fortress must look realistic.

That is to say, I don't build for efficiency. I build something that dwarves would build. Grand, impressive entrances and stuff.

[timtek]

@Urist I don't do underground farming at all. It's too much of a hassle. I just stick to strawberries and prickle berries.

@Marco I do the same thing with my nobles. I like them to focus simply on governing.

@Existent I'd say that definitely counts if it's something you do consistently with each fort. Personally I'm still learning so I don't follow any aesthetic building principles, but once I have a solid grasp of everything that will be the direction I plan on taking.

[HatfieldCW]

I refuse to use single-tile traps.  A pressure plate and a drawbridge for a trap door, or a cave-in trap, or flood triggers or magma dunks are all legit, but stone-fall, cage and weapon traps are off-limits for me.  If my military can't beat back an attack and I can't trick them into falling into a hole, I button up and wait it out.  I'll make an exception for caging GCS, as long as the trap is built for that purpose and dismantled after.

I also try to subscribe to some fanciness, making dining halls and such that have a lot of unnecessary quality and features that the room evaluation algorithm can't recognize.  Selective engraving and flooring to "paint" a room, or making a hall more than one z-level high, or superfluous symmetry, that sort of thing.  It's more an affectation than a rule, though.

Finally, I do my best to exalt my original seven founders, giving them quarters, burial arrangements and leisure above and beyond their station in the fort.

[timtek]

I also try to subscribe to some fanciness, making dining halls and such that have a lot of unnecessary quality and features that the room evaluation algorithm can't recognize.  Selective engraving and flooring to "paint" a room, or making a hall more than one z-level high, or superfluous symmetry, that sort of thing.  It's more an affectation than a rule, though.

I don't engrave floors. I use the default font and they blend in to much with the walls. I do smooth them out though.

[Atredies]

I have a few wierd rules that I like to follow.

Unless it's an emergency or the fort is just starting, I build stuff out of blocks. Constructions are almost always block, especially any megaprojects. It just seems fancier that way.
I also only make beds out of tower cap wood. Other stuff, bins, barrels, machinery, any type of wood works, but beds are tower cap.

I don't engrave floors. I use the default font and they blend in to much with the walls. I do smooth them out though.

I do this too. it's hard to tell apart, and it seems weird to detail the floor the dwarves walk on.

[Urist Imiknorris]

You could auto-hide engravings.

[timtek]

You could auto-hide engravings.

I just found out that you could pick and choose the place to hide them, I'm gonna try it out tonight. should help increase my room values!

[ungulateman]

No items.

Fox meat only.

FINAL DESTINATION

[timtek]

No items.

Fox meat only.

FINAL DESTINATION

lol Damn son thas hardcore!

[BaronBalloon]

I tend to seal myself underground as soon as possible D:

Mostly because the locations ive been embarking into lately have fun ready to occur everywhere topside

[TomiTapio]

Never rely on traps only, always train some soldiers after the second migrant wave comes.
Build quickly, not symmetrically.
Give nicknames to important citizens like armorer and soldier (Urist axer) and miltia-trainee-candidates (Urist mtr). Broken-spine ones get "Urist cripple".

[Threlicus]

I refuse to allow my dwarves to cook any booze or seeds. Farming is easy enough as it is. I won't screw with this even if I'm starving -- I view these as exploits.

I will not use perpetual motion machines (dwarven reactors) for power. Again I think this is an exploit.

A legendary dwarf never has to do any labor except the thing he is legendary at. I'd probably make an exception for a legendary doctor being allowed to use other doctoring skills, but it hasn't come up yet (I'm scared of clowns!). I might let this one slide if the fort gets in deep trouble, though.