Dwarf Fortress Stories: Bravemule

Bravemule is a extensive and currently running Dwarf Fortress story based on real in-game events. There are screenshots, artwork, comic book style story boards, and even movies and is told mostly through the use of journal style entries from a different dwarf every season.

And it is a fabulous story, with dwarven humour abound.

A must read if you enjoy comedy and Dwarf Fortress

Dwarf Fortress: How To Play

Luckily for all involved (brand new people who have never played DF, people like me wanting to get back into it, and even the ever playing hard core DF fans) Dwarf Fortress has gotten significantly easier to get into and play even with little of this help coming from the developers.

Most of this help comes from the Lazy Newb Pack (current thread) which is a all in one stop for easy to use graphical mods, utilities, and game settings. It is a simple GUI program that lets you easily, with the click of a well labelled and explained button, change a few of the more important features of the game; As well as, just as easily, applying some of the most popular graphical packs, launch some of the more popular utilities to run along-side Dwarf Fortress, and of course launch the game it-self.

And in addition to the pack the current thread also has a list of recent video tutorials and lets plays that I found quite useful in reacquainting myself with the world of Dwarf Fortress.

Dwarf Fortress Video Tutorials and Lets Plays:
Feature Length tutorial by captnduck (2.5hr!) [0.31.21+]
Video Tutorial of the Lazy Newb Pack by Djrodw [0.31.21+]
Djrodw's Dwarf Fortress Lets Play [0.31.19]
51ppycup's Video Tutorial [0.31.12]
Cptnduck's Video Tutorials [0.31.03]
quill18's Let's Play DF [0.31.0?]


And  now for a personal update on my current DF endeavours:
I never got a working military when I used to play DF, so this time I am planning out exactly how my defence and military will work.

This is my defence plan for my currently non existent fortress.
1 in-game tile per square.
1. Notes and other indicators that do not represent real in game tiles
2. Stairways
3. Ammo stockpile
4. Walls
5. Fortifications
6. Bridge (all raise)
8. Doors
D. Trade Depot

M. is where the melee warriors train, a large number of war dogs are pastured, and where they ideally mass for expelling invaders. The basic idea is that since they are reachable from the outside that the invaders will rush towards them and just before they finally reach them (after getting peppered by bolts) a dwarf can pull a lever and open all the doors and no matter how big the invading army is initially the dwarfs will outnumber the currently engaged enemies as much as possible.

T. is the archery tower, with both the main level and the level above that (top right) being shown. The basic idea here is that the ground level will eventually be used for 3 staggered billitsas with the upper level(s) housing the archers with a 1 tile thick passage to keep them pressed up against the fortifications and the ammo behind a door and some walls to protect them when reloading.

Sorry about the picture, at least Firefox does not seem to re-size it well but if you DL it and open it in anything (even Windows Photo Viewer) it should be very crisp when you resize(zoom) it to a readable size.

Dwarf Fortress Stories: Flarechannel and The Fable of Catten and Eagle

There are some pretty impressive buildings/fortresses that have been created in Dwarf Fortress but there is one that stands head and shoulders above all that I have heard about, and that is FlareChannel.

With over 200 years of in-game history, hundreds of thousands of placed blocks, quite a few mega projects completed, many wars and sieges fought and won, and even a few endearing tales to tell; FlareChannel certainty has has had is share of history, so join me in a stroll down its halls.

FlareChannel, external 3D view

From left to right you have the multi-coloured Colosseum, the almost castle like prison with four towers, the magma and water tower with the grey dome and spikes up top to pump water and magma up to holding tanks, the spa directly in front of it, the trade access tower just below the prison, then there is the interesting looking fortress access tower which spirals upwards and is used to connect all the major z levels, the temple to Armok topped with a sun diagram, and finally the blue-ish military tower.

Not shown in the above fortress overview picture is the menacing front entrance
, it is behind the water and magma tower.

The most impressive part of this fortress is not only is it functional, and not only does it look great (particularly in 3D views) from the outside as we have seen, but it also looks great and realistic on the inside with high ceilings, statues, and stone patterns.

Throne room with marble walls, stone columns, and green glass dome (not seen).

Spiral tower (top left); Interior north entrance with floor mosaic (bottom left); Workshops (middle); Dinning room, kitchen, and food storage (right).

To read the last status update of the fort go here or head over to this page to browse his fort yourself with the fully interact-able map viewer.

The Fable of Catten and Eagle (original thread)


As a prequel to my favorite story of FlareChannel, I'll fill you in on the history of Giant Eagles in this fortress. Ever since I noticed the elves brought, occasionally, Giant Eagles with them, it had been a goal to purchase a breeding pair to populate FlareChannel with. After decades of trying to do so, I eventually got a male and female pair within their respective lifetimes, and the first natural-born clutch of baby eaglets was hatched.

Ever since, they have gracefully adorned the halls of my fortress. They tend to hang around the meeting area, but occasionally one can still see them flying elsewhere.Occasionally they back up military dwarves in taking down and nearby enemy

Or even venturing out into the sky to spread their wings a bit, and perhaps scan the landscape for any suspicious enemies approaching.

One eagle even decided to stand guard over the glass dome above the throne room. Why, we will never know. He could have easily flown away, and yet he did not. He stayed steadfast until his dying day, years later. Some say he was standing guard over the weak, watching constantly for those who would prey on lone dwarves. Some say he chose to perch up there, knowing that upon mid-day, when the diplomat would meet to discuss trade agreements, his giant shadow would projected onto the throne room floor. Nothing helps convince a lone human to heed your subtle warnings than what appears to be a 100-foot eagle waiting above.

***NOTE***
I played no part in the events that play out below, except for toggling Catten as a recruit once. This story is recorded as the best interpretation of events that will, likely, remain a mystery forever. Most of what happens I can't even begin to guess as to how it could have. It seems impossible unless there is secret coding going on for Dwarf Fortress, or features I don't know about. Regardless, I was as surprised as anyone else at the series of events that follow
***********

The Fable of Catten and the Eagle

Our story begins 100 years after the first hatchlings wandered the halls of Flarechannel. In the past, giant eagles have been creatures of their own, almost never befriended by dwarves and only then when a
rare dwarf who can sympathize with the beasts is born. They are a species of creature who, in the wild, feast upon the sweet alchohol-infused flesh of Dwarves for fun. This is their legacy, and every dwarf is well aware of it.

However, Catten and the Eagle are unique. Catten is a dwarf who prides himself in his skills, and due to this has developed three legendary skills in Masonry, Weaving, and Clothing, not to mention a good number of additional skills across the board.

Perhaps he had even earned his smugness, having created an artifact in his youth.

He was a prime woodsman in the forest clearing which led to war with the Elves. Truly he is a dwarf
of pride. When it came to the local Giant Eagles, Catten had absolutely no opinion on the beasts. It is well known that dwarves must enjoy a creature to be motivated enough to tame it as their own, but Catten couldn't care less about the masses of feathers, claws, and beaks which flew among the halls and towers.

But sometimes fate doesn't ask us for our preferences or wishes, and it was such in the case of Catten. Recently born in Flarechannel was one unspectacular Giant Eagle. She was a little larger and hardier than most hatchlings as one always is, but nothing any dwarves were suprised by. Yet already destiny had woven a fate which bound this eagle with threads stronger than steel. As soon as she grew past childhood, this eagle should have waited for a suitable master to come along (which happened so very rarely). She did not. She went out and found one. Catten. This had never happened before in the FlareChannel's history. Catten may not have cared one bit about her, but that didn't stop her from picking him as the dwarf she would stand guard over against all dangers. And thus began the story of unrequited love between dwarf and eagle.

At first, it was merely one of the many mysteries of the fortress. Other dwarves would stop and stare and Catten hurriedly passed between jobs. Collect spider silk, weave thread, make clothes, gather rock, construct blocks, make mechanisms, gather plants, plant seeds, finish a few oddjobs. Catten was no stranger to the busy day, and had no time to entertain a foolish eagle that mistook him for her master. What did he care? Dwarves work, and drink, and kill things if possible. Dwarves don't sit around entertaining delusional creatures, especially not those who have been known to slaughter dwarves by the dozen. A less determined eagle would have long since left Catten to his duties, but not this one. The eagle knew that one day, Catten would find himself in trouble. She would have to be there to protect him. His disinterest was not such a crime that it justified leaving him to the horror which lay in his future.

And like this, a decade passes.

The year is 505. Catten, now an old man, still rushes from task to task with the persistence of a dwarf half his age. He now finds himself clad in the finest silk of his own making. Even after all these years, he occasionally turns to pick up a piece of silk or rock and catches the outline of an eagle faithfully waiting nearby. Catten is by no means an unpleasant dwarf to be around, but nonetheless even he scoffs at the foolhardy behaviour of his eagle follower. Assuredly there are more important things to be doing than following an old man who can take care of himself! A dark rain-cloud loomed on the horizon and Catten retreated back into his workshops, to once again shut out the world in the endless stream of garments he produced now.

The next day, disaster strikes.

For the first time in countless years, death incarnate approaches FlareChannel. Alarms sound, and the military scrambles into action. From the south, smoke rises and a scout gives the report nervously. A dragon has once again taken its eyes to Flarechannel. This time, it is Tusnung Heatedgilds the Spark of Warmth. Luckily, all dwarves are safely inside the walls not even a dragon can pass, and the military assembles on the main bridge, some who have not seen such a beast stand fearful. In the eyes of others one can see the gleaming of latent bloodlust in their veins. You can smell it in the air.

As the final few warriors catch up to the group, a single order sends them down the spiral tower to intercept the dragon, which is finishing up slaughtering a lone human pikeman who straggled to long after the caravan left. But the dragon doesn't head to the fortress proper. He heads East. The military still pursues, perplexed at the change of focus of the beast. When they realize the dragon's target, shivers run up their spines. It has been decades since a dwarf has been lost to an enemy. Catten Shoraster is the lone dwarf who ignored common sense and remained outside. Stubbornness does come with old age, but this was insane! Only Catten would be so lost in his work that he would miss the alarm bells. The military would have no way to catch up with the dragon in time.

By now Catten had realized what followed him to the silken-laden hills. The screams of the human as he was ripped limb from limb made sure to that. As unemotional as he is when he works, Catten pulls out his axe and prepares to die as any dwarf would choose - fighting rather than running, even if it means death.

But Catten is not alone in his choice. The eagle has also accepted her fate.

Its likely she had accepted it 12 years before when she chose Catten to protect. Destiny had ensured she would be in the right place and the right time. Diving between the dragon and Catten, the eagle attacks with a ferocity that echos through the legends of all dwarven lore. Spending years around the dwarves and seeing many battles had taught the eagle a thing or two. Like the champions of FlareChannel, the eagle dived fearlessly, directly into the dragon, knocking them both to the ground in a stunned daze. Now that the dragon had lost its footing and fallen down a ramp, the eagle knew it had to act quick. Driven by determination that any dwarf would respect, it rose before the dragon could and attacked it on the one place they were in equal footing - the eyes. In a second the eagle had ripped both eyes from the dragon's face. Rare is the sound of a dragon screaming in agony heard and all dwarves shuddered at the piercing wail. Still the eagle attacked, destroying piece after piece of the dragon's head until eventually it was able to reach the brain through the now mutilated face, which was promptly mangled.

A wounded, blind, insane dragon is still a beast to be feared, and Catten finally realized - that eagle was the closest thing to a family he ever had. If he left it to die, then what would he have left? Pride? Masterful silk clothes? He had never met a wife, and he was too old now. His bloodline would die with him. Perhaps this was why Catten drove himself out of the real world and into has work. The rare happiness Catten felt was when he got a rare chance to help another. He had always valued the dwarven spirit in them. But now, he was seeing the dwarven spirit in a mere eagle. No, not mere eagle. His friend.

Catten rushed in, wielding his trusty axe that had felt the sturdy skin of countless trees. No stranger to the swing, Catten and the Eagle slowly took down the dragon, working together to keep each other safe from any injury. By the time the military had finally caught up, it was already over.

Catten and the eagle both died a few years later, peacefully in Dwarven terms. They were buried together, and immortalized in the very spirit of FlareChannel. From that day fourth, eagles were no convenient guests, or bothersome birds that were looked down upon as inferior. No, from that day fourth they were guardians and embodiment of the spirit of FlareChannel.

And what of Catten and the Eagle in their final years? They still went everywhere together, and Catten looked back at her with a smile of comfort instead of disgust. But much of these details are lost in history. What is known, however, is that during the finishing of the Temple to Armok, Catten's clothes were mysteriously found on the roof, where no path could have possibly led. Additional constructions had to be built just to retrieve them. Some say it was magic, or the joke of some dwarven child. Still, others say that every now and then, on a rare night when others were asleep, Catten would climb aboard his old friend, strip naked, and fly around the towers, admiring the view that no other dwarf was ever privileged to see - laughing as he had only as a child, without a care in the world.

Dwarf Fortress News: Talk To Me

Here is a link to a recently released New York Times article on Dwarf Fortress as a lead up to the Talk to Me exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art that includes Dwarf Fortress.

Dwarf Fortress Stories: Tholtig Crypthrain the Waning Diamonds, Last Queen of the Bronze Orbs and Ruler of Circletower

The inspiring and stoic story taken out of Legends Mode of Tholtig Momuzidek Lelumdoren and the dwarven civilization of the Bronzes Orbs.

Original thread (by darkflagrance).

She was the fifth and last ruler of the dwarven cilization known as the Bronze Orbs, and ruled the mountainhome of Circletower.

Her grandfather Meng Emetmistem Tirdugzodost Urrith, "Meng Freshportal the Brutal Rot of Scarring," had been the first of their line to rule Circletower, after the previous queen, only daughter of the first ruler since time immemorial, had died childless, slain by a titan after ruling for only less than a year. Meng had earned the throne after he himself stepped up to duel with the titan, driving it off but receiving a heavy wound to his lower body in the process.
It was Meng who had started the war with the elves, incensed over their devouring of sentient beings. In the year 81 he led ten of his best dwarves against fifteen of the elves of the Steamy Winds, slaying five of them in exchange for two of his comrades. Several dwarves who would go on to earn fame and honor earned their first kills in that first conflict, among them Goden Leafybridges the Talon of Shooting (294 kills, the elder, dispossessed son of the first ruler of Circletower), his wife Tosid Stockadefortunes the Lined Friend (146 kills), and Goden Routedgates the Jade Planes of Braving (23 kills).

However, Meng had picked as his foe a powerful elf civ on the rise. During the same years as they fought with the dwarves, the Steamy Winds declared war on the humans and a goblin tyranny ruled by a demon - it was a world war of unimaginable scale. Cities and forest retreats were stained with the blood of literally tens of thousands of the dead, settlements were razed repeatedly by both sides as they fought over them, and the fortunes of empires often turned on a single battle. By the end of it all, over 250 years later, the great elven forest that once stretched across the map was reduced to scattered outposts, but this was long after the passing of Meng and his daughters.

Meng died forty years after claiming the throne in 113, and the skulls of 91 elves decorate the mausoleum where he was laid to rest. He had outlived all but one of his children, the rest having been slain (but thankfully not devoured) by elves.
The only survivor, Metthos Rodercatten Notlith Am, "Metthos Baldedchanneled the Ruin of Speaking," (101 kills) ruled for only seven years before her death leading the Bronze Orbs to victory against a force of elves that outnumbered the dwarves more than 6 to 1, leaving the throne to her only daughter, the aforementioned Tholtig, who had just turned 30. There had been no other children because Metthos's husband had been slain by elves two years after Tholtig's birth.

The odds would only get worse after her death.

As soon as she could raise a hammer at the age of twelve, Tholtig had joined her parents and grandparents on the battlefield. The dwarves had no choice, for their losses were so great that they needed every pair of hammer-wielding arms they could find. By the time she ascended the throne in 121, she had slain 48 elves and a cyclops, but the amount of dwarves left capable of wielding a weapon numbered less than ten. Nonetheless, she led them to victory in her first assault against the elves, but it was a Pyrrhic victory that saw the deaths of two of her children, including her eldest son.

The war saw the rise of numerous heroes and their offspring: among them Alath Pageplaited the Circular Tongs (60 kills, slain by a hydra in 103), Olon Orblabors the Fenced Sandal of Shadow (Alath's brother, 118 kills, became a diplomat halfway through the war and stopped going to battle), Unib Lancemet the Way of Boiling (the sister of Alath and Olon, 8 kills, slain by an elven arrow), and Mafol Drilledhammer the Violence of Forests (Son of Tholtig, with a mere 5 kills before death by an arrow) Many elf heroes of the wars with the humans and goblins, flouting long titles earned by the lives they had ended, themselves met their end at the hands of Tholtig or her brothers and sisters in arms. A typical battle might see 281 elves arrayed against a mere 4 dwarves, only for 96 elves to perish with all 4 dwarves surviving, yet this continued year after year. There was an elf leader who met each of the dwarf heroes in battle multiple times for eight years and escaped, before Tholtig finally killed him in their third duel. However, as time passed, the elves only grew more numerous, while the dwarves, their numbers decimated by constant warfare and their children dying without offspring, only grew closer to ultimate defeat.

Tholtig married Logem Uthmikmelbil Gosterudosiddor, "Logem Shaketomes the Hoary Men-larks," son of the heroes Leafybridges and Stockadefortunes from the first battle between the dwarves and elves and brother of Alath, Olon, and Unib. Unlike previous rulers of the Bronze Orbs, Tholtig and her husband had many children, numbering ten in all. However, fate was against the Bronze Orbs: eight of her children died at tender ages shortly after taking up arms against the elves, and even the two who survived the wars met misfortune elsewhere. Her youngest daughter, Urist Joinedrings the Permanent Scars, who had slain 176 elves and survived countless battles, was slain by a hydra, but most tragically of all, Tholtig's eldest daughter and heir, Erush Racktoned the Rough Miseries of Quiescence, was slain at the age of 90, having slain 1007 elves, by the same titan that her great-grandfather King Meng had driven off to claim his throne, which had suddenly returned 100 years later to plague the Bronze Orbs.

However, time was a foe that even legendary force of arms could not overcome. In 200, five years after Tholtig mourned the passing of her heir, an adventurer slew that same hydra that took the life of Tholtig's youngest daughter and brought an end to the Age of Legends. By then, only three dwarves remained to defend Circletower: Tholtig, her husband Logem, and Obok Willbolt the Drinks of Ruining (a venerable dwarf, great-grandson of the heroes Goden and Tosid, who had witnessed the rise of Tholtig's grandfather and the beginning of the war a century ago and amassed 1654 trophies), along with of course the diplomat Olon, who by then must have been regretting the pacifism had cost him equal glory.

Lacking children to carry on and therefore hope, the remaining dwarves slowly slipped away, Obok in 227, Logem in 237, and finally Olon the diplomat in 242. For nearly ten years, from 237 onwards, Tholtig defended her ancestral home of Circletower alone. Each of these years year saw one hundred or more elves lay siege to the empty halls where Tholtig's entire clan lay sleeping, only to be driven back in bloody defeat. Alone she stood, hammer in hand, the only force between her home and fiery conquest. Despite the injustice of fate that had taken away her children and the inevitability of defeat, she held her ground until at last in 246 when old age struck her down, something no mortal weapon could have aspired to. And so fell the last dwarf of the Bronze Orbs - and with Tholtig's death ended their entire civilization and history.
Tholtig had lived for one hundred and fifty-six years, all of which had seen no peace for her, and outlived all of her children, her friends, and her husband. Logem, the second-to last of the dwarves to pass on, had died with 1955 kills. To give an idea of how many Tholtig had killed, it took one minute and thirteen seconds to scroll from the top of her entry to the bottom.

Tholig Crypthrain at her death with 2,341 kills

Dwarf Fortress Stories: Oilfurnace

Another illustrated tale from the author of Bronzemurder, Oilfurnace.

Oilfurnace is a tale of dogged survival, surprising success, and greed the fall.

And if my humble opinion means anything then I would say that Oilfurnace is significantly better done then even Bronzemurder.

Stay tuned, will be releasing more articles on Dwarf Fortress in the coming days.

Dwarf Fortress

Dwarf Fortress is a unique and engrossing indie game by Bay 12 Games. In fact it is the only game, bar World of Warcraft, that I have heard of people avoiding because they do not want to get addicted to it.

The mechanics are so diverse and involved that pretty much anything can be done in the game; Game maps can be made into computers, stories are created from gameplay sessions, and all the characters have individual personalities and relationships.

An example of possible future graphics

At its core it is a fantasy city simulation. You control a band of dwarfs embarking on a grand adventure, the creation of a dwarven fortress. Basically you designate tasks and control what dwarfs are able to do what tasks. All dwarfs can do anything, but at varying degree; Over time they acquire more skills and can do faster and better work. These tasks range from planting seeds and engraving walls all the way to patrolling caravan routes and attacking enemies, all of these tasks containing an insane amount of details.

The Ascii graphics of Dwarf Fortress

You start with seven dwarfs and over time more are born and migrate into your fortress. Your job is to manage and direct them, which is made easier with nobles. You can elect certain dwarfs to fill noble positions, these will will do a myriad of management jobs from cataloguing your inventory to issuing production orders for you.

One of the more interesting parts of Dwarf Fortress are the mechanisms. The dwarfs can set up complicated machines including floodgates, retracting bridges, and traps. In addition to the normal traps, players can set up groups of mechanisms to trap and kill the invaders using water, magma, or other more exotic means.

By default the game comes with ASCII art graphics, that I found very hard to read, but luckily their are many great graphics packs and other useful utilities and mods. As well as a many useful tutorials [1, 2] to help you get into the complex world of Dwarf Fortress.

A currently available graphics set (Phoebus)

And now for some interesting Dwarf Fortress stories:

The tragic but inspiring tale of BronzeMurder (illustrated).

An harrowing tale from the Dubious Quality blog.

Find more stories of Dwarf Fortress by looking under the category Dwarf Fortress.