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[Granzon]

Hello everyone.

I just recently discovered dwarf fortress and already had some "fun" with it (flooding my entire fortress while trying to get a fresh water supply) and I've been wondering if there are any skills that are an absolute must for the start.

So far df has been a blast and the main selling point for me was all the crazy stuff that's supposed to be possible (the merman bone harvesting for example)

[The_Fool76]

You don't need any skills.  Heck if you pick the right embark location (And are up for a challenge) you don't even need any supplies.

[Urist Imiknorris]

Seven peasants and an empty wagon is actually a pretty common challenge. It's easier in 31.xx because of the "training axes cut trees" thing.

[Granzon]

Yes but the main problem is that some of my workshops don't get build because appearently a dwarf with the right skills is neccesary.

[barconis]

They just need to have the skill turned on, they don't have to be any good at it.

[PermanentInk]

I usually take a couple miners, a farmer/herbalist, a mason/carpenter, a woodcutter, a brewer/cook, and a trader (a couple points in appraisal, persuasion, judge of intent).  Or something along those lines; I play around quite a bit with how I juggle the multi-skill stuff, as well as who's gonna be the manager and organizer until I get immigrants.

[Lezowski]

If you view (v) a dwarf and press preferences (p) you can order him to do different jobs. They don't need to have a skill level to do the job.

[Reese]

I usually max out two miners, an armorer, a weaponsmith, and a planter, then I might max out cooking or brewing on someone, or maybe carpentry or masonry (though if you make lots of blocks with your mined stone, that's not necessary... he'll be legendary soon enough anyway!)

With the exception of the anvil, picks, axes, seeds, and food, I don't find the stuff that I start with convenient to have, just an annoyance that needs to be stowed so it doesn't get stolen

Really, only the planter is important, and that's because I tend to take a while getting my first farm set up- to the point I need competent growing or my starting seven will start to starve.

[Granzon]

Thanks I just figured it out.

It's really nice to see a game with some complexity, it feels more rewarding that way

[EddyP]

I usually take 2 miners (one of them with engraving and one with trading skills), one carpenter/architect, one mason/engraver, one mechanic/woodcutter, one farmer/brewer/chef, and a military dwarf.

[Reese]

I stopped bringing a trained trader- the first trade usually brings your trader to a level where you can see prices, and it's favorable to have the traders leave with a good profit (or so I hear, could be outdated) in order to get more stuff next time.  I always either have more stuff to trade than stuff I want to trade for or not nearly enough because I forgot to make trade goods anyway.

(yeah, I always get caught up designing and building the fort, and forget to set up the industry that keeps everything running until I need it and realize I don't have it...)

[ZhangC1459]

I stopped bringing a trained trader- the first trade usually brings your trader to a level where you can see prices, and it's favorable to have the traders leave with a good profit (or so I hear, could be outdated) in order to get more stuff next time.  I always either have more stuff to trade than stuff I want to trade for or not nearly enough because I forgot to make trade goods anyway.

(yeah, I always get caught up designing and building the fort, and forget to set up the industry that keeps everything running until I need it and realize I don't have it...)

Yeah, every time the traders come I'm like "FUCK I FORGOT TO MAKE ROCK CRAFTS" and end up trading them a masterwork Tower-cap bed or something.

And then the elves come and I do have crafts, but they're elves so I just seize what I need.

[gtmattz]

I like to take points in skills that are really annoying to level normally or are really nice to have at 5 to start like armor and weapon smithing and farming to name a few.  It really depends on how you like you run your fort however, so what I prefer may not fit your playstyle.

[mrbobbyg]

The metal using skills are nice to have.  Weaponsmith, armorsmith, metalsmith are a good way to add value.

If you don't bring picks, you are in for more challenge than i like.  =)

As for other skills, I always take 5 points in mechanic.  Mechanisms have a high trade value, and if you use traps, a danger room, or complex machines, they're really nice to have.

[Jake]

Haven't got to grips with the new version yet, but in .40d I tended to bring some variation on the following:

* Hunter (Adequate tracker/marksdwarf/speardwarf¹/armour user/shield user)
* Fisherdwarf (Adequate fisherdwarf)²
* Stoneworker (Adequate mason/stonecrafter/miner, Novice mechanic/architect)
* Woodworker (Adequate carpenter/woodcutter, Novice axedwarf)
* Metalworker (Adequate weaponsmith/armoursmith/metalsmith/miner, novice furnace operator/wood burner/metalcrafter)
* Farmer (Adequate grower/brewer/cook, Novice herbalist)
* Caterer (Adequate grower/butcher/fish cleaner, novice plant processor/miller)

The remaining embark points mostly go on food, booze and wood. I also get two hunting dogs and two war dogs so that any dwarves who have to venture far beyond the main entrance have a bit of protection from the local wildlife, which in practice means they have a few seconds to get away while their faithful pet is horribly slaughtered.

¹ I mod my crossbows to have bayonets.
² Probably going to give this dorf the medical skills.