Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

40d:Alcohol

2009-02-12T03:43:14Z

Noble Digger: /* Wounded dwarves */

'''Alcohol''' is one of the staples of the dwarven diet; it quenches their [[thirst]] and gives them positive [[thoughts]]. Healthy dwarves will drink alcohol exclusively when available. When dwarves are forced to drink [[water]], they begin to work slowly from alcohol dependency. Alcohol can be brewed at a [[still]], brought with you from the embark screen or [[trade]]d with visiting caravans.

[[:Image:Sober.jpg|Sobriety has no place in the fortress.]]

===Brewing===
To brew alcohol at a [[still]] requires a brewable [[plant]] and an empty [[barrel]]. Every unit of plant produces 5 units of alcohol. Brewing enough alcohol for even a medium-sized population requires a lot of barrels; be sure to keep plenty near to hand.

A single ''stack'' of plants will be brewed in one go, and the resulting booze will be placed into a single barrel - a stack of ''Plump Helmet [5]'' will produce ''Dwarven Wine [25]'', and will only occupy a single barrel. Skilled [[grower]]s, who tend to harvest larger stacks, can therefore reduce the number of barrels required to store alcohol, which in turn minimizes the required stockpile size. Brewing (unlike cooking) also yields plantable [[seed]]s.

===Consumption===
A healthy adult [[dwarf]] consumes approximately 18 units of drink per year. Each drink consists of the dwarf walking to a free barrel (one not already being drunk from), upending it over his alcohol-intake orifice ([[mug]]s are for simpering [[human]]s), and liquoring up. Because dwarves tipple so frequently, the main liquor stash is often the second-most heavily populated area of the fort (right after the main [[meeting|meeting area]]) and [[dwarves]] spend much time walking to and from it. So: The booze should be both secure and accessible.

===Cooking===
Since a single brewable item will produce five units of alcohol, and each unit of alcohol can be cooked directly into [[food]], it is advisable to brew any plants you intend to cook. In this manner, you may produce five times the food you would from simply growing and then cooking your crops. Be wary though, as you need to ensure enough remains behind for drinking. Note that this is considered an [[exploit]], and [[Toady]] plans to disallow the use of booze as a food substrate in the future.

===Happiness===
Dwarves get happy thoughts from drinking. The intensity of this buzz depends on the [[quality]] of the drink and whether it matches the dwarf's personal [[preferences]]. The quality of a drink is a hidden value (with no effect on price) which improves with the skill of the [[brewer]]. It is unknown whether high-value liquors (like [[#Grown_Outside|sunshine]]) boost feelings more than low-value ones (like [[#Grown_Outside|gutter cruor]]){{verify}}. We do know that dwarves prefer to drink them. Dwarves also prefer a variety of alcohols to choose from, and they will get unhappy thoughts from drinking the same old booze every day.

===Wounded dwarves===
Wounded dwarves will not drink alcohol; they must be given [[water]] by a caretaker with a [[bucket]]. Therefore, a [[fortress]] cannot survive on alcohol in the absence of drinking water, unless dwarves are abandoned when wounded.

A dwarf with a permanent injury to his or her nervous system will be bedridden for life and will never again drink alcohol, and upon inspection will have the thought "He needs alcohol to get through the working day, and he can't remember the last time he had some!" You may wish to put these poor dwarves out of their misery.

===Great balls of fire!===
Keep alcohol away from fire. Igniting the stuff will cause a ball of fire that can easily kill or injure your dwarves. At this time very little research has been done regarding alcohol bombs. For an example see both [http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-42-boozeexplosion this movie] and [http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-934-boozeexplodingbecauseofforestfire this one] at the DFMA.

=== Brewable plants ===

==== Grown inside ====

{|border=1 width="50%"
|-
! width="40%"|Ingredient
! width="50%"|Beverage Produced
! width="10%" align="center"|Beverage Value
|-
| [[Pig tail]]
| Dwarven Ale
| 2
|-
| [[Cave wheat]]
| Dwarven Beer
| 2
|-
| [[Sweet pod]]
| Dwarven Rum
| 2
|-
| [[Plump helmet]]
| Dwarven Wine
| 2
|}

====Grown Outside====
{|border=1 width="50%"
|-
! width="40%"|Ingredient
! width="50%"|Beverage Produced
! width="10%"|Beverage Value
|-
| [[Sun berry]]
| Sunshine
| 5
|-
| [[Whip vine]]
| Whip Wine
| 3
|-
| [[Rope reed]]
| River Spirits
| 2
|-
| [[Fisher berry]]
| Fisher Berry Wine
| 2
|-
| [[Longland grass]]
| Longland Beer
| 2
|-
| [[Wild strawberry]]
| Strawberry Wine
| 2
|-
| [[Bloated tuber]]
| Tuber Beer
| 2
|-
| [[Prickle berry]]
| Prickle Berry Wine
| 1
|-
| [[Rat weed]]
| Sewer Brew
| 1
|-
| [[Sliver barb]]
| Gutter Cruor
| 1
|-
| [[Muck root]]
| Swamp Whiskey
| 1
|}

===Not Brewable===
Plants that cannot be brewed include:
* [[Quarry bush]]
* [[Dimple cup]]
* [[Blade weed]]
* [[Hide root]]
* [[Kobold bulb]]
* [[Valley herb]]

[[Category:Food]]

=== Overview ===
This a complete chart showing possible plant uses[[Image:Df-crops-diagram.png|thumb|240px]].

40d:Ambush

2009-02-12T03:37:54Z

Noble Digger: /* Passive Defense */

An '''ambush''' is a sudden event in [[fortress mode]] when a small force of enemy [[humanoid]]s attempts to attack your [[fortress]]. While smaller in scope than a full [[siege]], ambushes are not related to the number of [[dwarves]] in your fortress, and so can be triggered by relatively small populations. An ambush is not announced immediately, but instead is announced when your fortress becomes aware of the attackers, such as when they set off a [[trap]] or come close to your dwarves or [[pet]]s. Not all traps trigger alert, specifically [[trap|stone fall traps]] and [[weapon trap]]s do not (40d), [[Trap#Cage_Trap|cage traps]] do (40d). You can still detect invaders from checking your traps "visually" - if the trap killed an invader the [[corpse]] and gear will be there. An ambush is announced with the message: "An Ambush! Curse them!". Ambushs tend to arrive with [[caravan]]s but can happen any time. They are not limited to one race - [[Kobold]]s and [[goblin]]s can arrive shortly after each other although they will not join forces as such.

The same alert will also occur if a non-citizen creature has been using the ambush skill and stops, e.g. while hunting. In this case, only the creature being stalked has been ambushed, and the player should not be alarmed.(38c)

== Ambushers ==
=== Goblins ===
[[Goblins]] will send a small force of attackers numbering between 4-8 soldiers. These forces are frequently accompanied by one goblin with somewhat better gear, and he is always of a different troop than the rest.

Usually they send more than one squad at once - up to 4 squads, each with its own "leader". These squad leaders may be from different goblin towers.

Goblin are unable to navigate traps safely and can easily be killed or caught by simple [[weapon trap]]s or [[Trap#Cage_Trap|cage trap]]s. They also can not pass forbidden [[door]]s.

=== Kobolds ===
[[Kobolds]] will test your fortress by sending [[thief|thieves]] dependent on your fort's population and wealth. If they are detected they will attempt to flee from you. Kobold soldiers - usually archers, though [[swordsdwarf|swordsmen]] and [[speardwarf|spearmen]] are possible - will begin to arrive if the Kobold thieves successfully steal any items; the number of successive soldiers and thieves who arrive will depend on how many items were stolen previously. Kobold melee soldiers have [[copper]] [[weapon]]s and little or no [[armor|armour]], making them somewhat easy to dispatch, but ranged attackers can be deadly.

Kobold thieves are very crafty at finding unpatrolled venues into your fortress, and will not set off [[traps]] or stop for locked doors. It is wise to chain animals near possible entrances to detect kobold infiltrators. [[War dogs]] (and probably other animals) will detect a kobold up to 2 tiles away, and will stray up to 1 tile in any direction away from their [[rope]] or [[chain]].

=== Humans ===
Hostile [[human]]s will not ambush.

=== Elves ===
Hostile [[elves]] have been known to ambush, but can be easily destroyed being that they only use wooden weapons and wrestlers.

Note that elves are often (if not always) riding horseback when they arrive at your fortress, and will still be on horseback when springing from ambush. If you are notified of an ambush and see only a gaggle of {{Raw Tile|H|{{COLOR:7:0:1}}|{{COLOR:7:0:0}}}}s, you are dealing with an elven ambush. This behavior seems to have been programmed hastily as there is no apparent way to inspect the horse to see who, if anyone, is riding it.

On the upside, elves on horseback do not seem to attack with equipped ranged weapons. Killing the horse will dethrone its rider. If the horse steps on a trap, both horse and rider will be inside the cage together when it is brought back to a stockpile, but there is no way to know this until the horse is released and killed later.

== Tips ==
''The following was blind-copied from [[Siege]] and still needs plenty of work. Please modify!''

===Active Defense===
*The very nature of an ambush makes it difficult to actively defend against one. If an ambush is detected and heads towards your fortress, [[siege#Active Defense|standard siege tactics]] and defenses apply. However, until an ambush is detected, there is oftentimes simply too much ground to cover without spreading your forces too thinly to do any good. If you want to actively defend friendly workers and [[caravan]]s and whatnot from potential ambush, probably the best way to do so is to deploy your forces strictly to areas that you want to keep secure. Building small towers with only underground access in these areas and stationing [[marksdwarf|Marksdwarves]] in them is proven to be a very effective way of doing so.

*One of the largest advantages an ambushing enemy has is the fact that they go undetected until they encounter something. This means that active detection can be extremely helpful in minimizing the damage dealt by an ambush by actually letting you react to the attack. One such way of doing so is by placing dwarves or [[Captured creatures|chained animals]] in the direction from which an ambush is expected, sacrificing them to bait the ambushers into attacking them and thereby revealing their position. A less-lethal way is to [[cage]] [[animals]] (any animal will do) in such areas, albeit with the disadvantage of needing a lot more cages to cover an area. Finally, cage traps will usually capture ambushers and alert you to their presence, but they cover even less area than an animal cage.

*[[War dog]]s and [[Siege weapon]]s are much less effective against an ambush than they are against a siege. Trying to cover large areas with war dogs is liable to do little more than get them killed and an ambush out in the wild will often be too far away for a siege engine to attack. When ambushers ''do'' get into range, insufficient detection measures may let them get close enough to scare off the civilian siege operators before they can fire a shot.

===Passive Defense===
*[[Traps]] will all attack goblin ambushers, and cage traps work against any ambushers (except kobolds and other creatures with the [[trapavoid]] tag) while alerting you as they do so. Thus traps make good defenses, especially when placed in places that you know the enemy will be forced to go through.

*Creating chokepoints in which to place detectors like animal cages and cage traps can greatly increase their effectiveness by reducing the number of ways the attackers can simply bypass them. If an ambush manages to make it to the outer edge of your defenses, an animal cage placed in such a chokepoint and backed up by several rows of traps is often enough to break the enemy and send them into retreat.

*A [[moat]] - especially combined with [[drawbridge]]s - is just as effective against detected ambushers as against a siege. However, it can also help keep outdoor workers such as [[woodcutter]]s safe by sealing off access to areas that hold valuable resources. For example, isolating a large patch of trees behind a moat so that it can only be accessed from your fortress will allow you to harvest that lumber with literally zero threat from melee-weapon ambushers, and a line of [[fortification]]s behind that moat will reduce the threat posed by enemy archers and crossbowmen. Note that [[water]]-filled moats in cold or temperate climates can freeze during winter, so in those situations, filling that moat with water may not be a good idea.

=== Civilians ===
*One of the best things you can do to increase civilian survivability in ambushes is to assign [[war dog]]s to them. In case of an ambush, the war dog will charge the enemies while the civilian runs the hell away. The war dog will almost certainly die, but it is easier to replace dogs than dwarves. Plus, if you're lucky, the dog will maim or kill an important enemy before going down. Train every dog that reaches maturity and request them from the human and dwarven caravans (costs about 35¤ base and you get to keep the cage they come in). Then, simply go down the {{K|m}}ilitary menu and assign war dogs to every legendary dwarf, woodcutter, or child (guard from snatchers) that you see. Hunters, obviously, work best with hunting dogs instead. Do note, however, that assigned dogs are considered [[pet]]s, so if a dwarf's guard dog dies, he will receive an [[thought|unhappy thought]] and want the pet buried properly. As an alternative, you can have your woodcutters and other important dwarves train the dogs themselves; the dogs will follow their trainer until reassigned and are not counted as pets.

*Like a siege, your normal dwarves will still attempt to do their jobs during an ambush. Even worse is the fact that ambushes are all too often detected when the ambushers reveal themselves by slaughtering civilians working outdoors. [[Siege#Civilians|Standard siege measures]] will reduce further casualties, but that is little comfort to the woodcutters, [[hunter]]s, etc. that are already full of [[arrow]]s and stab wounds. To minimize the casualties taken in the first place, active and passive measures like those described above can be used to detect and combat incoming ambushes, giving you time to get your civilians to safety.

*The best way to keep ambushers from killing your workers, however, is to keep your workers from going outside in the first place. Providing indoor pastimes (like [[sculpture garden]], [[zoo]], [[meeting hall]], or a meeting area [[activity_zone|zone]]) will make dwarves spend their break time in the fortress rather than outside. Just as importantly, finding a way to gain "outdoor" resources without actually going there (such as getting wood from [[Tower-cap]] farms or getting water and [[fish]] from a tunnel connecting a safe area to a river) will further reduce the need to send civilians into harm's way.

===See also===

* [[Fortress defense]]

[[Category:World]]
[[Category:Military]]
[[Category:Fortress defense]]

40d:Ambush

2009-02-12T03:36:53Z

Noble Digger: /* Kobolds */

An '''ambush''' is a sudden event in [[fortress mode]] when a small force of enemy [[humanoid]]s attempts to attack your [[fortress]]. While smaller in scope than a full [[siege]], ambushes are not related to the number of [[dwarves]] in your fortress, and so can be triggered by relatively small populations. An ambush is not announced immediately, but instead is announced when your fortress becomes aware of the attackers, such as when they set off a [[trap]] or come close to your dwarves or [[pet]]s. Not all traps trigger alert, specifically [[trap|stone fall traps]] and [[weapon trap]]s do not (40d), [[Trap#Cage_Trap|cage traps]] do (40d). You can still detect invaders from checking your traps "visually" - if the trap killed an invader the [[corpse]] and gear will be there. An ambush is announced with the message: "An Ambush! Curse them!". Ambushs tend to arrive with [[caravan]]s but can happen any time. They are not limited to one race - [[Kobold]]s and [[goblin]]s can arrive shortly after each other although they will not join forces as such.

The same alert will also occur if a non-citizen creature has been using the ambush skill and stops, e.g. while hunting. In this case, only the creature being stalked has been ambushed, and the player should not be alarmed.(38c)

== Ambushers ==
=== Goblins ===
[[Goblins]] will send a small force of attackers numbering between 4-8 soldiers. These forces are frequently accompanied by one goblin with somewhat better gear, and he is always of a different troop than the rest.

Usually they send more than one squad at once - up to 4 squads, each with its own "leader". These squad leaders may be from different goblin towers.

Goblin are unable to navigate traps safely and can easily be killed or caught by simple [[weapon trap]]s or [[Trap#Cage_Trap|cage trap]]s. They also can not pass forbidden [[door]]s.

=== Kobolds ===
[[Kobolds]] will test your fortress by sending [[thief|thieves]] dependent on your fort's population and wealth. If they are detected they will attempt to flee from you. Kobold soldiers - usually archers, though [[swordsdwarf|swordsmen]] and [[speardwarf|spearmen]] are possible - will begin to arrive if the Kobold thieves successfully steal any items; the number of successive soldiers and thieves who arrive will depend on how many items were stolen previously. Kobold melee soldiers have [[copper]] [[weapon]]s and little or no [[armor|armour]], making them somewhat easy to dispatch, but ranged attackers can be deadly.

Kobold thieves are very crafty at finding unpatrolled venues into your fortress, and will not set off [[traps]] or stop for locked doors. It is wise to chain animals near possible entrances to detect kobold infiltrators. [[War dogs]] (and probably other animals) will detect a kobold up to 2 tiles away, and will stray up to 1 tile in any direction away from their [[rope]] or [[chain]].

=== Humans ===
Hostile [[human]]s will not ambush.

=== Elves ===
Hostile [[elves]] have been known to ambush, but can be easily destroyed being that they only use wooden weapons and wrestlers.

Note that elves are often (if not always) riding horseback when they arrive at your fortress, and will still be on horseback when springing from ambush. If you are notified of an ambush and see only a gaggle of {{Raw Tile|H|{{COLOR:7:0:1}}|{{COLOR:7:0:0}}}}s, you are dealing with an elven ambush. This behavior seems to have been programmed hastily as there is no apparent way to inspect the horse to see who, if anyone, is riding it.

On the upside, elves on horseback do not seem to attack with equipped ranged weapons. Killing the horse will dethrone its rider. If the horse steps on a trap, both horse and rider will be inside the cage together when it is brought back to a stockpile, but there is no way to know this until the horse is released and killed later.

== Tips ==
''The following was blind-copied from [[Siege]] and still needs plenty of work. Please modify!''

===Active Defense===
*The very nature of an ambush makes it difficult to actively defend against one. If an ambush is detected and heads towards your fortress, [[siege#Active Defense|standard siege tactics]] and defenses apply. However, until an ambush is detected, there is oftentimes simply too much ground to cover without spreading your forces too thinly to do any good. If you want to actively defend friendly workers and [[caravan]]s and whatnot from potential ambush, probably the best way to do so is to deploy your forces strictly to areas that you want to keep secure. Building small towers with only underground access in these areas and stationing [[marksdwarf|Marksdwarves]] in them is proven to be a very effective way of doing so.

*One of the largest advantages an ambushing enemy has is the fact that they go undetected until they encounter something. This means that active detection can be extremely helpful in minimizing the damage dealt by an ambush by actually letting you react to the attack. One such way of doing so is by placing dwarves or [[Captured creatures|chained animals]] in the direction from which an ambush is expected, sacrificing them to bait the ambushers into attacking them and thereby revealing their position. A less-lethal way is to [[cage]] [[animals]] (any animal will do) in such areas, albeit with the disadvantage of needing a lot more cages to cover an area. Finally, cage traps will usually capture ambushers and alert you to their presence, but they cover even less area than an animal cage.

*[[War dog]]s and [[Siege weapon]]s are much less effective against an ambush than they are against a siege. Trying to cover large areas with war dogs is liable to do little more than get them killed and an ambush out in the wild will often be too far away for a siege engine to attack. When ambushers ''do'' get into range, insufficient detection measures may let them get close enough to scare off the civilian siege operators before they can fire a shot.

===Passive Defense===
*[[Traps]] will all attack goblin ambushers, and cage traps work against any ambushers while alerting you as they do so. Thus traps make good defenses, especially when placed in places that you know the enemy will be forced to go through.

*Creating chokepoints in which to place detectors like animal cages and cage traps can greatly increase their effectiveness by reducing the number of ways the attackers can simply bypass them. If an ambush manages to make it to the outer edge of your defenses, an animal cage placed in such a chokepoint and backed up by several rows of traps is often enough to break the enemy and send them into retreat.

*A [[moat]] - especially combined with [[drawbridge]]s - is just as effective against detected ambushers as against a siege. However, it can also help keep outdoor workers such as [[woodcutter]]s safe by sealing off access to areas that hold valuable resources. For example, isolating a large patch of trees behind a moat so that it can only be accessed from your fortress will allow you to harvest that lumber with literally zero threat from melee-weapon ambushers, and a line of [[fortification]]s behind that moat will reduce the threat posed by enemy archers and crossbowmen. Note that [[water]]-filled moats in cold or temperate climates can freeze during winter, so in those situations, filling that moat with water may not be a good idea.

=== Civilians ===
*One of the best things you can do to increase civilian survivability in ambushes is to assign [[war dog]]s to them. In case of an ambush, the war dog will charge the enemies while the civilian runs the hell away. The war dog will almost certainly die, but it is easier to replace dogs than dwarves. Plus, if you're lucky, the dog will maim or kill an important enemy before going down. Train every dog that reaches maturity and request them from the human and dwarven caravans (costs about 35¤ base and you get to keep the cage they come in). Then, simply go down the {{K|m}}ilitary menu and assign war dogs to every legendary dwarf, woodcutter, or child (guard from snatchers) that you see. Hunters, obviously, work best with hunting dogs instead. Do note, however, that assigned dogs are considered [[pet]]s, so if a dwarf's guard dog dies, he will receive an [[thought|unhappy thought]] and want the pet buried properly. As an alternative, you can have your woodcutters and other important dwarves train the dogs themselves; the dogs will follow their trainer until reassigned and are not counted as pets.

*Like a siege, your normal dwarves will still attempt to do their jobs during an ambush. Even worse is the fact that ambushes are all too often detected when the ambushers reveal themselves by slaughtering civilians working outdoors. [[Siege#Civilians|Standard siege measures]] will reduce further casualties, but that is little comfort to the woodcutters, [[hunter]]s, etc. that are already full of [[arrow]]s and stab wounds. To minimize the casualties taken in the first place, active and passive measures like those described above can be used to detect and combat incoming ambushes, giving you time to get your civilians to safety.

*The best way to keep ambushers from killing your workers, however, is to keep your workers from going outside in the first place. Providing indoor pastimes (like [[sculpture garden]], [[zoo]], [[meeting hall]], or a meeting area [[activity_zone|zone]]) will make dwarves spend their break time in the fortress rather than outside. Just as importantly, finding a way to gain "outdoor" resources without actually going there (such as getting wood from [[Tower-cap]] farms or getting water and [[fish]] from a tunnel connecting a safe area to a river) will further reduce the need to send civilians into harm's way.

===See also===

* [[Fortress defense]]

[[Category:World]]
[[Category:Military]]
[[Category:Fortress defense]]

40d:Ambush

2009-02-12T03:34:06Z

Noble Digger: /* Elves */

An '''ambush''' is a sudden event in [[fortress mode]] when a small force of enemy [[humanoid]]s attempts to attack your [[fortress]]. While smaller in scope than a full [[siege]], ambushes are not related to the number of [[dwarves]] in your fortress, and so can be triggered by relatively small populations. An ambush is not announced immediately, but instead is announced when your fortress becomes aware of the attackers, such as when they set off a [[trap]] or come close to your dwarves or [[pet]]s. Not all traps trigger alert, specifically [[trap|stone fall traps]] and [[weapon trap]]s do not (40d), [[Trap#Cage_Trap|cage traps]] do (40d). You can still detect invaders from checking your traps "visually" - if the trap killed an invader the [[corpse]] and gear will be there. An ambush is announced with the message: "An Ambush! Curse them!". Ambushs tend to arrive with [[caravan]]s but can happen any time. They are not limited to one race - [[Kobold]]s and [[goblin]]s can arrive shortly after each other although they will not join forces as such.

The same alert will also occur if a non-citizen creature has been using the ambush skill and stops, e.g. while hunting. In this case, only the creature being stalked has been ambushed, and the player should not be alarmed.(38c)

== Ambushers ==
=== Goblins ===
[[Goblins]] will send a small force of attackers numbering between 4-8 soldiers. These forces are frequently accompanied by one goblin with somewhat better gear, and he is always of a different troop than the rest.

Usually they send more than one squad at once - up to 4 squads, each with its own "leader". These squad leaders may be from different goblin towers.

Goblin are unable to navigate traps safely and can easily be killed or caught by simple [[weapon trap]]s or [[Trap#Cage_Trap|cage trap]]s. They also can not pass forbidden [[door]]s.

=== Kobolds ===
[[Kobolds]] will test your fortress by sending [[thief|thieves]] dependent on your fort's population and wealth. If they are detected they will attempt to flee from you. Kobold soldiers - usually archers, though [[swordsdwarf|swordsmen]] and [[speardwarf|spearmen]] are possible - will begin to arrive if the Kobold thieves successfully steal any items; the number of successive soldiers and thieves who arrive will depend on how many items were stolen previously. Kobold melee soldiers have [[copper]] [[weapon]]s and little or no [[armor|armour]], making them somewhat easy to dispatch, but ranged attackers can be deadly.

=== Humans ===
Hostile [[human]]s will not ambush.

=== Elves ===
Hostile [[elves]] have been known to ambush, but can be easily destroyed being that they only use wooden weapons and wrestlers.

Note that elves are often (if not always) riding horseback when they arrive at your fortress, and will still be on horseback when springing from ambush. If you are notified of an ambush and see only a gaggle of {{Raw Tile|H|{{COLOR:7:0:1}}|{{COLOR:7:0:0}}}}s, you are dealing with an elven ambush. This behavior seems to have been programmed hastily as there is no apparent way to inspect the horse to see who, if anyone, is riding it.

On the upside, elves on horseback do not seem to attack with equipped ranged weapons. Killing the horse will dethrone its rider. If the horse steps on a trap, both horse and rider will be inside the cage together when it is brought back to a stockpile, but there is no way to know this until the horse is released and killed later.

== Tips ==
''The following was blind-copied from [[Siege]] and still needs plenty of work. Please modify!''

===Active Defense===
*The very nature of an ambush makes it difficult to actively defend against one. If an ambush is detected and heads towards your fortress, [[siege#Active Defense|standard siege tactics]] and defenses apply. However, until an ambush is detected, there is oftentimes simply too much ground to cover without spreading your forces too thinly to do any good. If you want to actively defend friendly workers and [[caravan]]s and whatnot from potential ambush, probably the best way to do so is to deploy your forces strictly to areas that you want to keep secure. Building small towers with only underground access in these areas and stationing [[marksdwarf|Marksdwarves]] in them is proven to be a very effective way of doing so.

*One of the largest advantages an ambushing enemy has is the fact that they go undetected until they encounter something. This means that active detection can be extremely helpful in minimizing the damage dealt by an ambush by actually letting you react to the attack. One such way of doing so is by placing dwarves or [[Captured creatures|chained animals]] in the direction from which an ambush is expected, sacrificing them to bait the ambushers into attacking them and thereby revealing their position. A less-lethal way is to [[cage]] [[animals]] (any animal will do) in such areas, albeit with the disadvantage of needing a lot more cages to cover an area. Finally, cage traps will usually capture ambushers and alert you to their presence, but they cover even less area than an animal cage.

*[[War dog]]s and [[Siege weapon]]s are much less effective against an ambush than they are against a siege. Trying to cover large areas with war dogs is liable to do little more than get them killed and an ambush out in the wild will often be too far away for a siege engine to attack. When ambushers ''do'' get into range, insufficient detection measures may let them get close enough to scare off the civilian siege operators before they can fire a shot.

===Passive Defense===
*[[Traps]] will all attack goblin ambushers, and cage traps work against any ambushers while alerting you as they do so. Thus traps make good defenses, especially when placed in places that you know the enemy will be forced to go through.

*Creating chokepoints in which to place detectors like animal cages and cage traps can greatly increase their effectiveness by reducing the number of ways the attackers can simply bypass them. If an ambush manages to make it to the outer edge of your defenses, an animal cage placed in such a chokepoint and backed up by several rows of traps is often enough to break the enemy and send them into retreat.

*A [[moat]] - especially combined with [[drawbridge]]s - is just as effective against detected ambushers as against a siege. However, it can also help keep outdoor workers such as [[woodcutter]]s safe by sealing off access to areas that hold valuable resources. For example, isolating a large patch of trees behind a moat so that it can only be accessed from your fortress will allow you to harvest that lumber with literally zero threat from melee-weapon ambushers, and a line of [[fortification]]s behind that moat will reduce the threat posed by enemy archers and crossbowmen. Note that [[water]]-filled moats in cold or temperate climates can freeze during winter, so in those situations, filling that moat with water may not be a good idea.

=== Civilians ===
*One of the best things you can do to increase civilian survivability in ambushes is to assign [[war dog]]s to them. In case of an ambush, the war dog will charge the enemies while the civilian runs the hell away. The war dog will almost certainly die, but it is easier to replace dogs than dwarves. Plus, if you're lucky, the dog will maim or kill an important enemy before going down. Train every dog that reaches maturity and request them from the human and dwarven caravans (costs about 35¤ base and you get to keep the cage they come in). Then, simply go down the {{K|m}}ilitary menu and assign war dogs to every legendary dwarf, woodcutter, or child (guard from snatchers) that you see. Hunters, obviously, work best with hunting dogs instead. Do note, however, that assigned dogs are considered [[pet]]s, so if a dwarf's guard dog dies, he will receive an [[thought|unhappy thought]] and want the pet buried properly. As an alternative, you can have your woodcutters and other important dwarves train the dogs themselves; the dogs will follow their trainer until reassigned and are not counted as pets.

*Like a siege, your normal dwarves will still attempt to do their jobs during an ambush. Even worse is the fact that ambushes are all too often detected when the ambushers reveal themselves by slaughtering civilians working outdoors. [[Siege#Civilians|Standard siege measures]] will reduce further casualties, but that is little comfort to the woodcutters, [[hunter]]s, etc. that are already full of [[arrow]]s and stab wounds. To minimize the casualties taken in the first place, active and passive measures like those described above can be used to detect and combat incoming ambushes, giving you time to get your civilians to safety.

*The best way to keep ambushers from killing your workers, however, is to keep your workers from going outside in the first place. Providing indoor pastimes (like [[sculpture garden]], [[zoo]], [[meeting hall]], or a meeting area [[activity_zone|zone]]) will make dwarves spend their break time in the fortress rather than outside. Just as importantly, finding a way to gain "outdoor" resources without actually going there (such as getting wood from [[Tower-cap]] farms or getting water and [[fish]] from a tunnel connecting a safe area to a river) will further reduce the need to send civilians into harm's way.

===See also===

* [[Fortress defense]]

[[Category:World]]
[[Category:Military]]
[[Category:Fortress defense]]

40d:Ambush

2009-02-12T03:28:20Z

Noble Digger:

An '''ambush''' is a sudden event in [[fortress mode]] when a small force of enemy [[humanoid]]s attempts to attack your [[fortress]]. While smaller in scope than a full [[siege]], ambushes are not related to the number of [[dwarves]] in your fortress, and so can be triggered by relatively small populations. An ambush is not announced immediately, but instead is announced when your fortress becomes aware of the attackers, such as when they set off a [[trap]] or come close to your dwarves or [[pet]]s. Not all traps trigger alert, specifically [[trap|stone fall traps]] and [[weapon trap]]s do not (40d), [[Trap#Cage_Trap|cage traps]] do (40d). You can still detect invaders from checking your traps "visually" - if the trap killed an invader the [[corpse]] and gear will be there. An ambush is announced with the message: "An Ambush! Curse them!". Ambushs tend to arrive with [[caravan]]s but can happen any time. They are not limited to one race - [[Kobold]]s and [[goblin]]s can arrive shortly after each other although they will not join forces as such.

The same alert will also occur if a non-citizen creature has been using the ambush skill and stops, e.g. while hunting. In this case, only the creature being stalked has been ambushed, and the player should not be alarmed.(38c)

== Ambushers ==
=== Goblins ===
[[Goblins]] will send a small force of attackers numbering between 4-8 soldiers. These forces are frequently accompanied by one goblin with somewhat better gear, and he is always of a different troop than the rest.

Usually they send more than one squad at once - up to 4 squads, each with its own "leader". These squad leaders may be from different goblin towers.

Goblin are unable to navigate traps safely and can easily be killed or caught by simple [[weapon trap]]s or [[Trap#Cage_Trap|cage trap]]s. They also can not pass forbidden [[door]]s.

=== Kobolds ===
[[Kobolds]] will test your fortress by sending [[thief|thieves]] dependent on your fort's population and wealth. If they are detected they will attempt to flee from you. Kobold soldiers - usually archers, though [[swordsdwarf|swordsmen]] and [[speardwarf|spearmen]] are possible - will begin to arrive if the Kobold thieves successfully steal any items; the number of successive soldiers and thieves who arrive will depend on how many items were stolen previously. Kobold melee soldiers have [[copper]] [[weapon]]s and little or no [[armor|armour]], making them somewhat easy to dispatch, but ranged attackers can be deadly.

=== Humans ===
Hostile [[human]]s will not ambush.

=== Elves ===
Hostile [[elves]] have been known to ambush, but can be easily destroyed being that they only use wooden weapons and wrestlers.

== Tips ==
''The following was blind-copied from [[Siege]] and still needs plenty of work. Please modify!''

===Active Defense===
*The very nature of an ambush makes it difficult to actively defend against one. If an ambush is detected and heads towards your fortress, [[siege#Active Defense|standard siege tactics]] and defenses apply. However, until an ambush is detected, there is oftentimes simply too much ground to cover without spreading your forces too thinly to do any good. If you want to actively defend friendly workers and [[caravan]]s and whatnot from potential ambush, probably the best way to do so is to deploy your forces strictly to areas that you want to keep secure. Building small towers with only underground access in these areas and stationing [[marksdwarf|Marksdwarves]] in them is proven to be a very effective way of doing so.

*One of the largest advantages an ambushing enemy has is the fact that they go undetected until they encounter something. This means that active detection can be extremely helpful in minimizing the damage dealt by an ambush by actually letting you react to the attack. One such way of doing so is by placing dwarves or [[Captured creatures|chained animals]] in the direction from which an ambush is expected, sacrificing them to bait the ambushers into attacking them and thereby revealing their position. A less-lethal way is to [[cage]] [[animals]] (any animal will do) in such areas, albeit with the disadvantage of needing a lot more cages to cover an area. Finally, cage traps will usually capture ambushers and alert you to their presence, but they cover even less area than an animal cage.

*[[War dog]]s and [[Siege weapon]]s are much less effective against an ambush than they are against a siege. Trying to cover large areas with war dogs is liable to do little more than get them killed and an ambush out in the wild will often be too far away for a siege engine to attack. When ambushers ''do'' get into range, insufficient detection measures may let them get close enough to scare off the civilian siege operators before they can fire a shot.

===Passive Defense===
*[[Traps]] will all attack goblin ambushers, and cage traps work against any ambushers while alerting you as they do so. Thus traps make good defenses, especially when placed in places that you know the enemy will be forced to go through.

*Creating chokepoints in which to place detectors like animal cages and cage traps can greatly increase their effectiveness by reducing the number of ways the attackers can simply bypass them. If an ambush manages to make it to the outer edge of your defenses, an animal cage placed in such a chokepoint and backed up by several rows of traps is often enough to break the enemy and send them into retreat.

*A [[moat]] - especially combined with [[drawbridge]]s - is just as effective against detected ambushers as against a siege. However, it can also help keep outdoor workers such as [[woodcutter]]s safe by sealing off access to areas that hold valuable resources. For example, isolating a large patch of trees behind a moat so that it can only be accessed from your fortress will allow you to harvest that lumber with literally zero threat from melee-weapon ambushers, and a line of [[fortification]]s behind that moat will reduce the threat posed by enemy archers and crossbowmen. Note that [[water]]-filled moats in cold or temperate climates can freeze during winter, so in those situations, filling that moat with water may not be a good idea.

=== Civilians ===
*One of the best things you can do to increase civilian survivability in ambushes is to assign [[war dog]]s to them. In case of an ambush, the war dog will charge the enemies while the civilian runs the hell away. The war dog will almost certainly die, but it is easier to replace dogs than dwarves. Plus, if you're lucky, the dog will maim or kill an important enemy before going down. Train every dog that reaches maturity and request them from the human and dwarven caravans (costs about 35¤ base and you get to keep the cage they come in). Then, simply go down the {{K|m}}ilitary menu and assign war dogs to every legendary dwarf, woodcutter, or child (guard from snatchers) that you see. Hunters, obviously, work best with hunting dogs instead. Do note, however, that assigned dogs are considered [[pet]]s, so if a dwarf's guard dog dies, he will receive an [[thought|unhappy thought]] and want the pet buried properly. As an alternative, you can have your woodcutters and other important dwarves train the dogs themselves; the dogs will follow their trainer until reassigned and are not counted as pets.

*Like a siege, your normal dwarves will still attempt to do their jobs during an ambush. Even worse is the fact that ambushes are all too often detected when the ambushers reveal themselves by slaughtering civilians working outdoors. [[Siege#Civilians|Standard siege measures]] will reduce further casualties, but that is little comfort to the woodcutters, [[hunter]]s, etc. that are already full of [[arrow]]s and stab wounds. To minimize the casualties taken in the first place, active and passive measures like those described above can be used to detect and combat incoming ambushes, giving you time to get your civilians to safety.

*The best way to keep ambushers from killing your workers, however, is to keep your workers from going outside in the first place. Providing indoor pastimes (like [[sculpture garden]], [[zoo]], [[meeting hall]], or a meeting area [[activity_zone|zone]]) will make dwarves spend their break time in the fortress rather than outside. Just as importantly, finding a way to gain "outdoor" resources without actually going there (such as getting wood from [[Tower-cap]] farms or getting water and [[fish]] from a tunnel connecting a safe area to a river) will further reduce the need to send civilians into harm's way.

===See also===

* [[Fortress defense]]

[[Category:World]]
[[Category:Military]]
[[Category:Fortress defense]]

40d:Trading

2009-02-12T03:27:30Z

Noble Digger: /* Seizing items */

{{Building|name=Trade depot|key=D
|job=
1 of:
* [[Broker]] noble
* None (See description)
|construction=
3 of
* [[Block]]
* [[Metal bar]]
* [[Stone]]
* [[Wood]]
|construction_job=
* [[Architecture]]
* and 1 of:
** [[Metalsmithing]]
** [[Masonry]]
** [[Carpentry]]
|purpose=
Trade goods with other races.
}}
'''Trading''' in Dwarf Fortress first occurs in the first [[autumn]] after establishing your fortress, with the arrival of the [[dwarf|Dwarven]] [[Trading#Caravans|caravan]]. Trading is a good way to acquire resources that are not available or are rare in the local area. It also allows for more freedom in selecting starting gear, because items can always be obtained through trade later, e.g. one can drop the expensive [[anvil]] to bring 500 extra units of [[alcohol|booze]] or purchase additional skills for the expedition party. New players can [[Your_first_fortress#Trading|look here]] for advice on trading with the first caravan.

== Trade Depot ==
Building a '''Trade Depot''' ({{K|b}} - {{K|D}}) will allow you the opportunity to trade with caravans that arrive at your fortress. Trade depots can be created from almost any material, and construction requires the [[Architecture]] skill along with the appropriate craft labor ([[Carpentry]], [[Masonry]], or [[Metalsmithing]]).

While it may be convenient to build a Trade Depot outside first, it is usually a good idea to move it inside or build fortifications around it to protect caravans and your goods from [[thief|thieves]] and [[goblin]]s.

Hit {{K|q}} to bring up the building interaction mode, and then move your cursor over the Trade Depot to gain access to the following options.

=== Move Goods to/from Depot ===
{{K|g}}: This command becomes active when a caravan arrives on your map. Choosing items from this menu will mark them as [PENDING] and [[dwarves]] will begin moving them to the depot (all dwarves regardless of labor settings will move goods to the depot when necessary). Items that have been brought to the depot are ready for trade and will be marked as [TRADING]. Items nominated for trading will remain at the depot until the caravan leaves, or the [PENDING] / [TRADING] flag is cleared by choosing the item again. Once no longer required at the depot, items will be available for use or hauling to stockpiles as normal.

=== No trader needed at depot or Trader requested at depot ===
{{K|r}}: This requests a dwarf to come to the depot. To conduct trades with caravans, a trader must be present at the Trade Depot. Once requested, a dwarf will make their way to the depot, and remain there until released with this setting, or the dwarf decides to drink, sleep, or eat.

=== Only broker may trade or Anyone may trade ===
{{K|b}}: This setting determines who will perform the trade. If '''Only broker may trade''' is active, then only the [[Broker]] [[noble]] will respond to the trader request. This can become a problem when the broker is sleeping or otherwise occupied, but dwarves with low [[Broker skills]] will receive poorer deals when trading.

=== Trade ===
{{K|t}}: This option becomes available once the caravan and your trader are both at the depot. It begins trading.

==Trading==
{{:Trading/Flowchart}}
After entering the trade menu, select the items to offer from the right, and the desired items from the left. All caravans have a weight limit which cannot be exceeded, and the allowed additional weight is displayed in the lower right corner. If the acting broker has at least Novice or better [[Appraisal]] skill, the value of all items will be displayed. Once the proposal is ready, press {{K|t}} to make an offer, but merchants will not agree unless they make adequate profit. Be sure to use '''trade''', not '''offer''' {{K|o}}, as this will make a gift of the selected items. The amount of acceptable profit is determined by the broker's [[Broker skills|skills]] and the merchant's mood, described below. Merchants may attempt to propose counteroffers if they do not accept the proposal, which can then be accepted, rejected, or further amended by the broker.

A good rule of thumb for inexperienced brokers is to give merchants a 50% or better profit. For example, if the desired goods are worth 500☼, make sure their profit is at least 250☼ (which would make the total worth of the offered goods 750☼). This should ensure that the merchants are happy with the trading and that they accept the trade immediately without making ridiculous counteroffers. With more experienced brokers or pleased merchants, even marginally profitable trades can be successful, and counteroffers can be rejected safely, offering the same trade again.

=== Trading cue colors ===

* Items in brown have been created (or modified) by your fortress. They can be traded away or offered as a gift.
* Items in white were created by another source. They can be traded, but if one of these items has been selected, the entire selection cannot be offered as a gift.
* Items in purple are under a no-export mandate and should not be traded away unless exceptional circumstances (or masochism) push you to do this.

=== Merchant mood ===
If your broker has Novice or better [[Judge of Intent]] skill, there will be a line added below the merchant's dialogue describing the caravan's attitude. Their attitude rises with successful trades (especially if they get lots of profit) and falls when you propose deals they don't like.

* (trader) seems ecstatic with the trading
* (trader) seems very happy about the trading
* (trader) seems pleased with the trading
* (trader) seems willing to trade (Default, at least for humans)
* (trader) seems to be rapidly losing patience
* (trader) is not going to take much more of this
* (trader) is unwilling to trade

The happier you make a merchant, the less profit margin he will demand in a trade. If merchants reach the lowest level, no further trade will be possible, and they will immediately pack up and leave your depot. Since annoyed traders are more likely to reject deals, you should be generous in initial negotiations. Skilled negotiators seem less likely to offend traders with unsuccessful deals.

=== Seizing items ===

Pressing {{K|s}} from the trade menu will seize the selected items of the merchant's. If you seize goods from a caravan, the merchant will respond "Take what you want. I can't stop you." and then leave immediately without the seized goods. Items cannot be seized from the dwarven caravan, and other races will not buy stolen goods (marked in red) unless they are tricked into asking for them via counteroffer, or the items are "naturalized" by decoration or used to create other goods. Seizing goods will hurt diplomatic relations, but is not grounds for an automatic [[siege]].

As a side note, if you remove your trade depot, all the caravan's items will drop to the ground, to be readily hauled away by your dwarves. This does not mark the item as stolen, and the caravan will leave.

Another way to steal without marking as stolen is to forbid traders' goods. They will leave them in depot.

Note that the civilization attached to a particular caravan will keep track of the value of items the caravan was carrying when they set out to trade, and they will compare this value with the value of items they return home with. Regardless of what method you use to confiscate items from a caravan, even if you came to possess the goods through no fault of your own (an [[ambush]] killed the caravaners, for example) the parent civilization may decide that you stole from them and send a [[siege]] instead of a caravan the following year. It is prudent to take measures to protect caravans visiting your lands!

===Offering items===

{{key|o}} You can also give away items, as gifts to the leaders of the [[civilization]] you are trading with. This presumably helps relations between yourself and the other faction. The exact effects are unknown but it is believed that offering goods increases the quantity and variety of trade goods brought by next year's caravan. Also the [[King]] may require offerings before his arrival.

== Caravans ==
Each friendly race will send a caravan once per year, but only if that race considers the fortress site accessible (as denoted on the embark screen). The exception is dwarves, who always arrive. Caravans appear to enter the map from a random direction which does not coincide with the relative direction of the originating [[civilization]], and they may appear from different directions or z-levels each year. Caravans may leave without trading if it takes too long to reach the trade depot, and they cannot use stairs. Caravans will embark on their journey exactly one month after their arrival, whether they have succeeded in reaching the depot or not.

=== Wagons ===
[[Image:Depot alley.png|thumb|right|A depot in the fortress, with a narrow, trapped accessway.]]
[[Image:Depot accessible.png|thumb|right|Composite image of depot access screen. Strategically arranged walls and natural obstacles (boulders) force wagons to enter and exit the map immediately to the east of the depot.]]
All races except elves will send [[wagon]]s with their caravans, which have a much greater capacity for bringing foreign imports and accepting dwarven exports. Unfortunately, wagons require paths that are three tiles wide to pass. Wagons may enter the map in a location different from merchants with pack [[animals]], if the point the animals entered was inaccessible to the wagons. If wagons are unable to find an open path to your trade depot (or if you have not built a depot at all), they will bypass your site and you will only be able to trade for what is available on the pack animals.

Wagons cannot cross [[stair]]s or [[door]]s (even if the doors span an area ordinarily wide enough for the wagon to pass). Obstructing [[boulder]]s must be smoothed ( {{K|d}} - {{K|s}} ), and [[tree]]s must be cut down ( {{K|d}} - {{K|t}} ). [[Shrub]]s do not obstruct wagons, and neither do [[ramp]]s, [[bridge]]s, [[road]]s, or [[floor]] tiles. (However, ramps covered by a [[hatch]] do obstruct.) The impassable tiles of [[workshop]]s and other buildings will obstruct, but the passable tiles of those buildings will not. Any buildings which are normally passable, including [[restraint]]s and [[trap]]s, will not obstruct wagons either, nor will creatures, whether restrained or free.

To keep trees from growing and blocking a path, you should build roads, bridges, or floor tiles over any [[soil]] tiles that make up part of the path. Ramps must be used to adjust [[z-level]] elevation.

After a trade depot is built, you can use {{K|D}} to check wagon accessibility. The display is somewhat misleading: tiles marked in green mean a wagon can ''fit'' in that space, not that it can necessarily reach it from the edge of the map. Further, the green {{Raw Tile|W|{{COLOR:2:0:1}}|{{COLOR:2:0:0}}}}s only represent where the ''center'' of the wagon can fit -- so a three-tile wide path, which can fit a wagon, will only show up as one-tile wide line of {{Raw Tile|W|{{COLOR:2:0:1}}|{{COLOR:2:0:0}}}}s. When the route they would take goes over hills (ramps), it's hard to eye whether it is continuous all the way to the edge of the map, so be sure you see the words "depot accessible" on the depot access screen.

As long as you have a three-tile wide path to the depot that reaches ''any'' edge of the map, wagons will be able to reach the depot. If there is only one path they can take, they will take that path. You can force them to enter and exit the map in an exact spot -- preferably very near your depot -- by erecting walls or digging channels so that all paths but the one you want them to take are blocked.

=== Liaisons ===
[[Liaison]]s may be sent with caravans to speak to important dwarves. They will allow you to choose the type of items that your fortress is interested in, and will focus on bringing more of that kind of item on the next caravan (however those items will also be more expensive). They will also present you with a list of the items they're willing to pay more for, which will be effective upon their next arrival.

Trade agreements can be viewed at a later time through the Civilization menu ({{k|c}}). These trade agreements are cleared when a liason of the corresponding civilization enters the screen, so they are generally not accessible after the caravan has arrived.

=== Races ===
The following races send caravans.

==== [[Dwarves]] ====
The dwarven caravan:
* arrives in [[Calendar|autumn]].
* employs wagons to bring more goods.
* typically carries [[food]], [[alcohol|booze]], [[leather]], and supplies. Dwarves alone may carry [[steel]] and steel goods.
* tends to be well guarded.
* sends a liaison who will speak with the [[Expedition leader]] (or [[Mayor]]) to negotiate prices.
* is responsible for the number of immigrants received (when the caravan escapes alive).
* will not cause sieges when repeatedly destroyed or lost.
* is the only caravan to arrive during a fortress' first year.
* always arrives regardless of embark location.
* cannot have its goods seized from the trade menu.

==== [[elf|Elves]] ====
[[Image:Evil_elves.png|thumb|400px|A typical elven caravan.]]

The elven caravan:
* arrives in [[Calendar|spring]].
* does not send wagons.
* typically carries [[cloth]], [[rope]], various above ground [[plants]] and their byproducts, [[log]]s, [[wood]]en [[craft]]s & [[weapon]]s, large-sized clothing and [[armor]], and may carry tame [[creatures]].
* carries more wood logs the smaller a fort's wood stockpile.
* tends to be unguarded.
* may send a diplomat who imposes a tree cutting quota.
* does not accept some items in trade.

Elven traders do not like to be offered any tree byproducts. Forbidden items include{{ver|0.28.181.40d}}:

* [[Wood]]en items, and items derived from wood (including [[tower-cap]] logs), such as [[charcoal]] and [[pearlash]]
* Clear and crystal [[glass]] (because [[pearlash]] is used in their creation)
* Items [[decoration|decorated]] with any of the above materials
* [[Obsidian]] shortswords (since they have wooden handles)
* [[Soap]] (made with [[ash]])

Offering or trading forbidden items will cause the caravan to refuse to trade any more that season and will leave immediately. Additionally you will be called uncouth, crude, and barbaric for suggesting it. Tragic incidence can befall name callers which if repeated can lead to [[siege|interesting times]] and even great [[fun]]!

However, [[stone]] and [[metal]] items, even when [[charcoal]] is used in production, are acceptable. Items made from [[silk]] are acceptable, as are all non-wooden plant-derived products such as [[cloth]] and [[thread]]. Different from previous versions, items made of bone and shell are acceptable. You can also transport your goods to the [[trade depot]] in a wooden [[bin]], as long as you do not try to sell the bin. Living animals are acceptable, as long as the [[cage]] or [[trap]] is not made of [[wood]].

Be especially careful with reselling items from other caravans, as decorated items made out of a non-living material may include decorative materials that were made of living materials. All items that elven caravans sell are also unacceptable to sell back to elves, as the dwarves have no means of proving that they were made in an "elf kosher" way — and all dwarves know that elves have terrible memory.

==== [[Human]]s ====
The human caravan:
* arrives in [[Calendar|summer]].
* employs wagons to bring more goods.
* typically carries a very large quantity and variety of goods.
* tends to be moderately guarded.
* sends a liaison who will speak with the broker to negotiate prices.

==== [[Goblin]]s ====
A goblin caravan may arrive if your civilization is at peace with the goblins.

The goblin caravan:
*does not send wagons
*tends to be unguarded
*brings mostly food and cloth
*does not send a liaison or a guild representative
*does not make import/export agreements

=== Destruction ===
If caravans are destroyed (intentionally or unintentionally), the items may remain for use. Traders caught in a [[cave-in]] will flee as if they were attacked but will leave all the items dropped by the caravan behind. Pack animals carrying items are affected just like a normal tamed [[mule]] and must be killed in the cave-in for them to drop items on the ground. It is however much more likely that the pack animal(s) will only be stunned or rendered unconscious and flee shortly after recovering from the hit. Wagons will collapse if caught in a cave-in, leaving all that it was carrying on the ground as a result. Wagons can also be destroyed by [[ocean]] waves coming up onto the shore if you have settled in the appropriate area. The only difference between collapsing under waves or a cave-in is a higher probably of recovering items if the wagon is destroyed by a wave.

Repeated caravan destruction (intentional or unintentional) will strain diplomatic relations and may result in a [[siege]].