Editing v0.31:Bentgirder

'''Bentgirder''' is a ''Dwarf Fortress'' package for beginners. With it, you skip [[World_generation|generating a world]], finding an [[Embark|embark point]], and [[Embark#Creating_Your_Settlers|preparing an expedition]]. Unzip the Bentgirder package to the same directory as ''Dwarf Fortress'', and play along with this tutorial.  

[[File:MainMenuv0.31.png|The command window.|frame]]

In the most recent versions of ''Dwarf Fortress'', you can re-size the window with the mouse, and zoom in and out with the mouse wheel. Also, you can toggle the full-screen mode with {{k|F11}}, but that will make it harder to read this as you play.

{{k|Esc}} brings up the game '''options menu''', which includes things like '''volume control''', and the '''quit & save''' option. Note there is no save & continue option. ''Dwarf Fortress'' is hardcore. If your fortress goes south, you don't go back to your last save, you have to struggle through, or [[abandon]] and start over. Remember, losing is [[Fun]]!

The screen will be centered on a 3x3 brown square. That's the [[wagon]] full of supplies to get you through the [[year]]. Nearby, you will see your seven dwarves, a few animals, and lots of [[tree]]s and [[shrub]]s. To the right, there's a [[brook]]. The dark blue patches that show up as "empty space" are [[Murky pool|ponds]].  

Opposite the brook is a '''hillside'''. The green up-arrows are upward slopes, so your dwarves can walk up this hill easily. Beyond that is a silt [[loam]] wall. That's just a kind of dirt. It's called a wall because the whole tile is full of dirt.  

''Dwarf Fortress'' is a '''three dimensional''' game. Anywhere you can use the arrow keys to move a cursor or the map, you can use {{k|<}} and {{k|>}} to move vertically. Each step is called a '''z-level'''. You can only see one z-level at a time.  Undiscovered earth is blacked out, while empty space above ground show as light blue. In the bottom right of the screen, there's a display of the current z-level.  On the right is also a scroll bar that shows where you are relative to sky (light blue) and earth (dark). The wagon is parked on level 146.  

{{k|k}} is good for looking at the map itself, but to get '''more information on [[creatures]]''' (including your dwarves) use {{k|v}}. This works a lot like "k-mode", but the right side menu now shows detailed info on the creature closest to the cursor. If you're between creatures, or if there's more than one in a tile, press {{k|v}} again to cycle between creatures.

There are four sub-sections here: general, inventory, preferences, and wounds. For your dwarves, '''general''' shows what [[skill]]s that dwarf has. '''Inventory''' shows what items the dwarf is carrying and wearing. '''Preferences''' shows what [[labor]] the dwarf will do. (This will be important later.) '''Wounds''' shows the creature's [[wound|injuries]] as color codes. Healthy body parts are shown as bright white.  

Use c to go back to the map, centered on the highlighted creature. For example, we could find out where those wild [[deer]] are hiding. This puts you into the view creature mode, just like the v command, above.

Instead of scanning around the map, you can press {{k|z}} to get an overview of the whole fortress from the [[status]] screen. This screen has a lot of information:   

* '''Dwarven population''' Sorted by [[profession]], civilians in the center,  [[soldier]]s on the right.  

She may not look tough, but Vabôk is your only [[miner]] and that makes her very important.  

Note that in designation mode, any tile that's next to water will blink blue. They also blink red for hot stones (near lava). This is to warn you against mining into water and flooding your fortress. If you dig north of the wagon, you might get a [[damp stone]] warning for no obvious reason. There are a few tiny ponds on this hill above, which triggers the damp stone warning, but isn't really a risk if you dig into it. Just don't try to dig upwards from there!

If you make a designation by accident, you can remove it from the designation mode. Choose remove designation, ({{k|x}}) and mark the tiles you want to un-designate.  If Vabok has already mined it out, You'll need to [[construct]] a wall to fill it back in. More on that once we get to Meng the mason.

Press {{k|a}} to see previous [[announcement]]s. As you fortress grows, these come up more and more often, so it's easy to miss them. Also note that you can zoom {{k|z}} to the location of an announcement from here.  

This is true of all skills in ''Dwarf Fortress''. Dwarves improve their skills through practice. More skill means higher quality work, done faster. Keeping your dwarves working and learning is the key to a thriving fortress.  

To get any carpentry done, we need the appropriate [[workshop]]. Press {{k|b}} for the build menu. There are three pages of things that can be built here, and some of these entries lead to sub-menus. You can use the secondary select keys here, and each entry has a shortcut key as well.  We are looking for workshops. Press {{k|w}} for the shortcut. The carpenter's workshop is on the first page here, with the shortcut {{k|c}}.

The last step is choosing the materials to build it out of. Like most workshops, it can be built out of wood, metal, or stone, and it only takes one unit of materials. Our woodcutter has been hard at work, so there is some [[wood]] lying around, and there are a few tower-cap logs on the wagon, just in case. If Vabok has hit usable stone, that will appear here as well. Materials are sorted by distance from the building site, and they are all equally good, so just take the first one.  

Press {{k|q}} for the view room mode. This works a lot like view creature mode. Move the cursor near a room, and you'll get some options listed in the right panel. The only rooms so far are the new [[carpenter's workshop]] and the wagon. The wagon's only option is to tear it down, but the workshop has the all important "add new task" option.  

This brings up a list of things that can be built at this workshop. For now, lets build some [[bed]]s. Our dwarves are going to get tired eventually, and beds can only be made from [[wood]]. Note that you can't specify what material to build the beds out of. Stâkud just grabs some nearby wood and starts working.  

Kubuk has been leaving cut-down [[tree]]s all over the place. Why don't we move them all closer to the carpenter's workshop so Stakud doesn't have to drag them so far?  

Press {{k|p}} for the stockpiles mode. Making a [[stockpile]] works just like a designation, but with no mouse control. We want a wood stockpile, so press {{k|w}} to highlight wood. Then mark the opposite corners of a small rectangular area near Stakud's workshop. The area is filled in with = signs. As soon as the game resumes, all your dwarves will run to fill the stockpile with logs.

Why stop there? The beds that Stakud is building are just [[clutter]]ing up the workshop. Lets make a [[furniture]] stockpile on the opposite side. Note that there is some furniture on the wagon: an [[anvil]], a [[bucket]], and a few empty [[bag]]s. (In the future, you can use the {{k|q}} command and then {{k|s}} (for settings) on the stockpile to specify exactly what you want stored in each stockpile.  Part of the learning curve in DF is figuring out what stockpiles store which things!)

You can use {{k|k}} to look at the contents of your stockpiles. Take a look at your new beds, the enormous quantity of [[booze]], and the barrels of revolting [[organ]] [[meat]]s.  

Notice that your new creations have symbols around their names, like -pine bed- or +cedar bed+. These are [[quality]] indicators. Items with no symbols are minimum quality crap. As a general rule, more lines mean more quality, which means the item is worth more money.  

* {{DB}}twelve times base value{{DB}} -- This is called a [[masterpiece]], and you get an announcement every time one is made.

Dwarves can't use a bed while it's in the stockpile. To set up a bed properly, use the build mode again. Bed is the second option, shortcut {{k|b}}. This is just like how we built the workshop, but instead of a log, the only component is a bed. If there isn't an unused bed in a stockpile (or the workshop itself) you get the cryptic message, "Need bed". Beds and other [[furniture]] needs to be ''constructed'' at a workshop before it can be ''built'' on the map.  

Ïteb has already been working on the surface, gathering useful plants, but his main function is to plant a farm.  

All the seeds you have are for dwarven [[crop]]s that grow underground. Farms can only be built on soil or muddy stone. Dig an area for your farm, one z-level below the surface and near the brook or a pond. A three by three area will easily feed all your dwarves. Make it four-by-four if you want a big one.  

Now it's time to build a [[farm plot]]. It's in the build menu, and the shortcut is p. Changing the size of your plot with u,m,k, and h. {{k|u}} and {{k|k}} make it larger, {{k|h}}and {{k|m}} make it smaller. (This awkward method is used in a very few places in ''Dwarf Fortress''.) As soon as you exit build mode, Ïteb will build the new plot.  

Now watch as Ïteb comes and builds the fields.  Once your plot is constructed, use {{k|q}} to view its settings. Here, you can use the secondary select to choose a crop to grow for the current season. You can also use a-d to plan other seasons of the year. What to grow first?

[[Plump helmet]]s are the best thing to grow in a new fortress. They can be eaten raw, with no preparation required. You can grow them year-round.  They can also be [[brew]]ed into dwarven wine, but more about that later. You have a bag of seeds for nearly every dwarven crop in your starting supplies, but none are as immediately useful as plump helmets. You can experiment with the other [[crop]]s later on.  

Once you make your selection, Ïteb will start bringing seeds (called "spawn") to plant. If you made a big farm, you might get an alert that Ïteb is out of plump helmet spawn. Don't panic. That is just temporary. Every time a dwarf eats (or brews) a plump helmet, a spawn seed gets spat onto the floor. Eventually, these seeds get gathered back into your food stockpile, with the rest of the seeds.

A [[mason's workshop]] is very much like the carpenter's workshop, only it makes things out of [[stone]]. Since you will soon be neck deep in stone, it's a very attractive choice for building material. A mason can build a lot of the things that a carpenter can, plus a few that can only be made from stone.  

One of the options under the [[status]] screen is [[Stone]]s. (Remember, bring up the status screen by pressing {{k|z}}).  This is where you direct your dwarves which stones are reserved for special uses and which can be used to make any old thing ([[crafts]], [[mechanism]]s, [[furniture]], etc.). This prevents a future engineer from taking a very valuable (say [[platinum]]) stone and making a [[quality|no name]] mechanism out of it.  Gypsum is reserved as a component of [[Plaster_powder|plaster]], but we have an abundance.  Go ahead and hit enter when gypsum is selected to change it from red (unavailable for general use) to green (available).

Your fortress is not isolated. [[Merchant]]s will come to [[trade]] several times a year. This is a great failsafe. If you need more food or drink, if you need another [[pick]] or [[axe]], if you need [[thread]] or [[cloth]] or even a bag of [[sand]], you can trade for it. But the merchants will not visit you if you don't have a [[trade depot]].  

Start one from the build menu, shortcut {{k|D}}. Since merchants need to access it, I suggest building it on the surface. It's a big 5x5 room, and it takes three units of building materials. It's also one of the few buildings that need to be ''designed'' before being built. This means a [[building designer]] has to work on the area before the actual building process begins. Fortunately, Meng has this skill as well as masonry.  

Actual trading is handled by the fortress [[broker]], a position to which you can appoint any dwarf.

Press {{k|n}} to bring up the  '''nobles and administrators''' screen. We need to assign a [[broker]], so use the arrow keys to move the highlight to '''broker''', and press enter. This brings up a list of dwarves. Once you highlight a dwarf, any relevant skills will be shown on the right.  We have one dwarf with the [[Appraiser]] skill: Mörul Kibdakon. He is already our [[expedition leader]], but that's OK. Mörul also has medical skills, so you could set him up as [[chief medical dwarf]]. (More on medicine when we get to him.)

While we're at it, let's appoint a [[bookkeeper]], to fix all those annoying question marks in the status screen. Sadly, none of our starting seven have the proper skills for this job. You can assign an unskilled dwarf to this position, but it will take much more work for your records to be made accurate.  If you've gotten any [[migrant]]s by now, you could appoint a useless [[peasant]] to this role. If not, then one of the seven founders can take the job for now.  

All an office really needs is a [[chair]]. Adding a table is customary as the office holder will often eat in the office, and will complain if there isn't a table. If you want to make a nice, permanent office, dig out a 3x3 room with stone walls. If you're impatient, you can set up a temporary office anywhere. By now you should know how to construct and place a table and chair.  

This is a common method in ''Dwarf Fortress'' of placing a piece of furniture and expanding a [[room]] around it. Chairs turn into offices, tables turn into [[dining room]]s, beds turn into [[bedroom]]s, coffins turn into [[tomb]]s, [[chain]]s and [[cage]]s into [[jail]]s, [[statue]]s turn into statue gardens, and nearly anything can be turned into a [[barracks]].  

More often than not, some of your dwarves will meet [[fun|untimely deaths]].  Dwarves like to bury their comrades properly.  Have Meng build a few [[coffin]]s at the mason workshop. (The queue size for most workshops is 10.  If you want more, you can use the job manager queue, but don't forget to appoint a [[manager]].)  At the same time, have Vabôk mine out a small 3x3 area.  Once the coffins are done, have them built ({{K|b}} and then {{K|n}}) in the area that you mined out. After the coffin is installed, designate the coffin for use by your dwarves by ({{K|q}} and then {{K|b}}).  Nobles demand (and rightfully belong in) [[tomb]]s, which are coffins made into rooms and assigned to them specifically.

* '''Refuse''' Things in this stockpile will [[rot]], by definition. To avoid clouds of [[miasma]], build it outdoors.

[[Brewing]] is essential to dwarven society as all dwarves need alcohol to get through the working day, as displayed in their profiles.  Mörul, in addition to his other skills, is a brewer. The brewer's workshop is called a [[still]]. To make drinks, all he needs are some brewable plants and a [[barrel]] to store it in.  

Your most common drink starting out, will be [[dwarven wine]], which is made from brewing [[plump helmet]]s.  Always be sure to have a decent stock of plants to brew, as dwarves drink about three times as much as they eat. As a plus, brewing leaves the seeds behind, so your food can be brewed into drink while the seeds go right back into the ground. What plant gets brewed vs cooked? In the {{k|z}} status screen you can tell your cook exactly that using the ''kitchen'' menu.   

[[Trading]] is also under Mörul's authority.  He will be meeting [[merchant]]s at your trade depot up to three times a year, in Spring for the [[elf|elves]], Summer for the [[human]]s, and Autumn for the [[dwarf|dwarves]].   

Before a dwarf will treat an injury, there must be a hospital zone set up. A [[hospital]] is created in the opposite way from rooms like offices. First you create the [[zone]], then you build furniture in it. A hospital needs [[bed]]s for patients to rest in, and [[chest]]s (or [[bag]]s) to store medical supplies. Once those are placed, dwarves will automatically stock the containers with [[cloth]], [[thread]], [[splint]]s, [[crutches]], and [[bucket]]s. If you have any [[soap]] or [[plaster powder]], that gets stored here as well.  

We've seen Kûbuk at the very beginning, chopping down trees, but she is also your fortress's first line of defense. As a trained [[axedwarf]], she can chop down [[goblin]]s and [[kobold]]s as easily as trees.  

Open the [[military]] screen with {{k|m}}. First '''create''' a new squad. When you create a squad, the game will prompt you to choose a [[uniform]] for the new squad. Choose anything other than archer. You can specify equipment later on, once you have some armor for her to wear.  

The squad will be given a random name, and you can now add Kûbuk to it. This will make her the [[v0.31:militia commander|militia commander]], as the first military dwarf of the fortress.  

Exit the military screen. By default, squads are set as inactive, so Kûbuk will continue with her civilian woodcutting duties. If you have a [[barracks]] set up, she'll do some basic training in her free time.

You can give specific commands to your military through the [[squad]]s command. Press {{k|s}} to enter squad control mode. Be aware that the game does not pause in this mode! You can pause and unpause with space, as normal.  

To get the details of what's happening in combat, press {{k|r}} for [[combat report]]s. This starts out blank, but once the first [[thief]] stumbles into your fortress, things can get pretty gory.

The first wave of [[migrant]]s can double your population! The amount of migrants you will get depends on the overall quality of your fortress and the size of your civilization. If your fortress is just an unpolished hole-in-the-ground, you'll get very few migrants. If it's a massive, wondrously carved maze, you may get more migrants than you know what to do with. Providing food, drink, and beds for them all can be a challenge, but the extra hands make the fortress run more smoothly, and let you branch out into new fields.  

As the new dwarves come in, check their [[skill]]s and what labors are enabled. Some jobs are part of an [[industry]] of interlinked tasks. For example, a [[blacksmith]] needs a [[furnace operator]] to provide raw materials. Sometimes you luck out and get the migrant you need, sometimes you have to train an unskilled dwarf from scratch.

* Build an impressive [[dining hall]], Make individual bedrooms for your favorite dwarves, Cook meals, Smooth and [[engraving|engrave]] your walls, Grow a diversity of crops, Farm above ground, Build a [[statue]] garden or [[zoo]], Enforce justice with a [[prison]], Make [[clothing]].  

One axedwarf isn't going to be enough for a big fortress. You need to arm and train some new recruits, and you need to make the layout of the fort defensible. See the [[defense guide]].  

* Deal with [[demand]]s, Meet [[mandate]]s, Ramp up your exports, Attract a [[Baron]], Manage the [[Dwarven Economy]], Offer 10,000{{DB}} worth of goods to the dwarven caravan.

If ever the game seems too dull, start digging downward. The subterranean world is a complex and dangerous place. The [[caverns]] are a potential source of wealth, and deadly monsters.  

''Dwarf Fortress'' just isn't the same without the giant monuments, [[stupid dwarf trick]]s and [[Megaprojects]].

;What's with all the [[vomit]]?

If your dwarves spend too much time underground without sunlight, they develop [[cave adaptation]]. This essentially means that sunlight makes them sick, and they'll get negative thoughts from this. The vomiting is caused by prolonged cave adaptation.

Cats are vermin hunters -- they kill [[vermin]] (rats and other small animals/insects) and leave the corpses wherever they want. If you have a [[refuse]] stockpile, they'll go there instead.

That's [[miasma]]. It appears when something rots indoors. It gives your dwarves bad [[thought]]s, but isn't otherwise harmful. Anything that can rot is [[refuse]]. Building an outdoors refuse stockpile prevents miasma.  

[[Quality]] markers are explained above. Normal (parentheses) mean the item was not created at Bentgirder, and does not count towards your created [[wealth]]. Curvy {brackets} mean the item is [[forbidden]] to your dwarves. You can toggle this with the {{k|f}}.  

The «double angle brackets» mean the item is [[decorate]]d. Decorated items often have two sets of [[quality]] markers. The outer marks are for the quality of the decorations, and the inner marks are for the item itself.  

This is GOOD. Your dwarf has taken a [[strange mood]], and will eventually make an [[artifact]] - a very valuable item that cannot be traded. See the pages on strange moods and artifacts for more details. Also, there are two other moods that only happen when your dwarves are unhappy - fell and macabre moods. Just make sure you have all the materials they need for the artifact, or...

...that'll happen. If a dwarf fails a mood or suffers too much, they'll go [[insane]]. An insane dwarf is useless, as they will not do jobs or anything productive. Berserk dwarves, though, will attack anything and everything they can reach. Mad dwarves are harmless, and will simply run around naked. Melancholy dwarves will seek any possible passive means to end their miserable existence, usually by jumping off high platforms.  

'''A dwarf just threw a [[tantrum]]'''

This is a sign of extreme unhappiness. Invest some time in giving your dwarves good [[thought]]s. If a dwarf stays unhappy long enough, he or she might do bad things.  

One of your dwarves is [[hunting]] or [[fishing]], but there is no butchering or fish processing set up. Build a [[butcher's shop]] or a [[fishery]]. If you lack a dwarf with that skill, turn on the appropriate [[labor]] on another dwarf. Or just find the hunter/fisherdwarf and turn off that labor.  

Yes, that happens. There are thieving [[raccoon]]s in this area. Try to keep your stuff underground, and out of their reach. Try posting a soldier or a [[v0.31:Restraint|guard dog]] near your stockpiles to scare them off. (See Kubuk the Axedwarf for more information.)

Read the section on Kubuk the Axedwarf, if you haven't already. If a thief gets away with something valuable, your fort will attract more and more thieves in the future. [[v0.31:Restraint|guard dogs]] near entrances or entrance doors tied to levers also cut down on thieves.

That's an [[ambush]]. Hopefully, by the time your fort is wealthy enough to attract ambushes, you will have some [[Defense|defenses]] set up. Ambushes often appear with a [[Trading|caravan]], so hopefully you will have caravan guards helping you against the ambushers.  

Uh oh. That's a goblin [[siege]]. A siege only appears when you have a certain population or wealth. Now the fun has begun!

You are about to have a lot of [[fun]]. A [[megabeast]] is a threat to even the most well-established fortresses. Good luck.  You did remember a moat to protect against fire, right? And you have a back door exit for the merchants that want to go home, right?

There are still more commands in ''Dwarf Fortress'', even some very useful ones, that are not covered in this tutorial. There is detailed information at [[menu]].

* [[Burrows]]: {{k|w}}

* Job [[Manager]]: {{k|j}}