In my biggest fortress most of my dwarfs don't know each other. I assume that's how most big fortresses are meant to be, so as to prevent tantrum spirals. There is one problem with this, however - my population stopped growing once immigrants stopped arriving. I like population.
I understand that nobody knows exactly how dwarfs become lovers. All we do know is that they must spend excessive amounts of time next to each other (and that their descriptions might do something). So here is my proposed dwarfvention - a dating machine. Two spaces surrounded by walls, and maybe a locked door or two. Two compatible dwarfs are locked in with booze and food. They leave lovers. Lovers who will make babies.
I do not fully understand dwarf mating rituals, including what initiates a pregnancy. If busy dwarfs do not get busy in bed, then it may be better to go for breeding rooms. Dwarfs may be selected at birth as breeding dwarfs, who spend their entire lives procreating in small, locked rooms. A possible mechanism for releasing babies could be an exit hole. As we all know, babies are suicidal and love jumping down holes. Probably the best place for a hole, efficiency-wise, would be in place of one of the walls, so as to not cut into the living space.
A simple alternative to the dating room could be something I call the chatter box. It is a dating room with many more than two dwarfs all stuffed into two spaces. This is easy to make and can make tons of romances with little work, but will also make everyone friends. As we all know, dead friends = tantrum spiral.
I am no good at dwarfgineering, and not sure how to get my dwarfs laid efficiently. Maybe some of you guys can give me suggestions to work off of/do all the work for me? It should be an interesting/useful enough idea to catch people's interest, I foolishly think.
Man, I really hope there hasn't been a post about this yet. I did search for it, but probably didn't come up with the right keywords.
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Topic: Dating dwarfchines (Read 3000 times)