Questions Page

[fortressmods]

So Where Am I?
You are at a small, unnamed, outpost dug out of the side of a cliff way off in the middle of a heavily wooded mountain range at the extreme edges of civilization. It was started by a group of intrepid dwarves who had too much time on their hands and too much beer in their bellies. For some reason, you have found yourself drawn to this place with similar motives as the other dwarves: there is something under the earth you want to get to.

What happens when I arrive?

As is said in the main page, you find yourself slowly remembering your former life as you trudge down a muddy path to the fortress out from the dense thicket of woods that surrounds it. All of your clothes have been replaced with poor quality leather and wool clothes (Boots, pants/skirt, shirt, gloves, and a hat if you are feeling jaunty). You will find one small item in your pocket, a reminder from your past life. Any supernatural powers you once had are gone, though non-supernatural powers, such as martial arts training or obscure knowledge still remain.

So do I get anything when I arrive at the fortress?

Yep! The dwarves assign you a room, give you a pick axe, and wish you the best! As they get settled in, all characters will find that they are able to use this pick axe like they were born with it. Naturally, stronger characters will be better at using the pick axe, and any characters with previous mining experience will find themselves amazingly proficient with it.

But my character lacks hands!

They can still hold the axe in their mouths and be somewhat effective at mining.

So what is the reason our character is here?

Well aren’t you an impatient-pants! The reasoning behind what’s causing people to show up will be revealed as the fortress expands and grows.

Can we interact with the outside world?

Not really. The fortress is in a remote location so no one cares to come out here much, save for the seasonal merchant caravan and the occasional mail delivery. They can’t take your mail though as they are going in a different direction.

What is up with those dwarves?

Nothing. They are dwarves. They love what they do, which is work, drink and complain. Though they have great stories that usually begin or end with someone being drunk.

Do we need a GM every time we want to talk to dwarves?

No. If you have specific things you want answered then you can PM a GM or make a comment in this FAQ. The GMs may use the dwarves to interact with players for plot specific events. If you want to use the dwarves in a post, you are welcome to as long as you don't use them to abuse the game system. You can assume they will be friendly if you want to work or drink with them, and defend themselves or flee if you try to attack them. They are simple minded, and will usually become distracted and go off to do something else after a while.

Can I injure the Dwarves?

Certainly. You can interact with them as you could interact with any inhabitant of the fortress. Be mindful, however, that if you are too indiscreet with your abuse of the dwarven inhabitants, you may find yourself on the wrong end of another proud dwarven tradition: the angry mob.

I’ve played this game, I know what’s going on!

That’s not a question! Still, things are not what they seem. There will still be some familiar elements too, though, so come on in and enjoy the show.

I was terrible at Dwarf Fortress. I never got around to playing it much.

That’s not a question either you know. It’s okay though, you do not need any knowledge or skill at the game to enjoy yourself here.

I have (insert power/ship/special mcguffin here). Can’t I just leave?

You can attempt to! However the fortress is surrounded by hundreds of miles of dense wilderness filled with wild, vicious, and hungry beasts, and as you get further and further from the fort you will find that any powers you do have begin to dramatically fade. After a while, you will find your mind begin to fade, your memories become less vivid, until eventually you lose all connection to reality. The next day you will find yourself walking down the path you originally walked towards the fortress, carrying whatever was with you.

Any attempt to teleport to a point far from the fortress will find you teleported back to the center of the dining hall.

How do we talk to each other?

Like normal people, you walk up to someone and talk to them. However, there is a way of addressing the entire fortress. In the dining hall there is a small podium covered in glowing runes. Whatever your character speaks while standing on the podium is broadcast to all of the inhabitants of the fort. The broadcast is easily audible, but not loud enough to disturb someone if they were sleeping or attempting to concentrate. There is nothing stopping someone from creating a different method of communication, if they manage to find the resources to create one.

What happens when I die?

We kick you out of the game.

Wait a second, the other GMs are saying that’s a terrible idea. Okay, how about this? If you die, you come back a week later. How? No one knows how, just that you will find yourself wandering out of some long forgotten mineshaft, naked, your last memory being of the moments before your death. Any supernatural powers you have as regains are ineffective for a week after you return.

As for your body and the items in your possession at the time of your death, if they aren’t in a place where they can be recovered by another player or an NPC dwarf they are lost forever (including regained items, which you would then need to spend another regain to get back). Dwarves will, if they can, return your possessions and clothing, neatly folded, to your room. So if another player slices you in half, your items will probably be safe and sound; if you fall in to a pit of magma, you’re out of luck.

In the interim week your corpse will slowly vanish, if it hasn’t already been buried by another player, the dwarves or was already destroyed beyond recognition (see: Magma).

There may be a way to come back sooner, but you’ll have to figure that one out your own.

How does time work in this game?

There will be no official conversion of time between the real work and the world of forts. Generally when a post it made, it is assumed that the content within take place at around the same date and time it was posted. Time shifting a ppost is acceptable, as long as it it not too far forward or backwards in time. As for the weather around the fortress, the seasons progress as follows:

• Dec-Feb: Winter. Outside the fortress temperatures are often near freezing, if not below. Snowstorms are not uncommon, and there is often a foot or more of snow on the ground. Very little green plant life can be found on the surface, and any surface water is frozen over.


• Mar-May: Spring. Spring is a pleasant time, with comfortable temperatures, abundant flora and fauna, and occasional light rains.


• Jun-Aug: Summer. While it gets warm in the summer, it is rarely unbearably hot. Again, there is abundant plant and animal life in the surrounding area. Violent thunderstorms capable of hail and tornadoes often happen around sunset.


• Sep-Nov: Autumn. Like in spring the temperatures are pleasant, though there is much less rainfall. The trees begin to change color and wildlife is abundant as it begins to migrate south for the winter.

What do we get for digging along side those dumb bearded guys?

You’ll see. The game will advance based off of what players do. So dig, don’t dig, it’s up to your character. You’ll see how it all plays out. Just note that the deeper the mines go, more and more places will become available for interaction int he world.

If you do want to dig, make a comment in the Mining Thread stating how long you want to dig for. This is a great thing to do to make your character useful on haiatuses!

So do I get stuff if I mine? Isn’t there supposed to be treasure down there?

There is! If you do want to mine make a post in the Mining Thread. During an AC period, there is a chance that you can be rewarded with special and rare materials such as gems, fossils, or long lost buried artifacts. It is possible to end up with nothing, or something horrible, too, like a box full of angry scorpions (though if this is a bad thing is always dependent on your point of view). The treasures will be generated with a Random Algorithm and distributed during the AC check. In game, after every AC the dwarves will bring you a box containing your prize, then run off quickly in an completely non-suspicious manner. You do not need to take yourself out of the game while Mining. Mining while on Haitus will not get you any treasures, though it will contribute more to the progress of the mines. You do not need to mine while on hiatus.

What will the caravan have to buy?

Every 3 months, when the caravan arrives, a post will be made in the main comm detailing what items the caravan is carrying and approximately how valuable the merchant feels that item is.

So how do I buy things from this caravan?

Through barter. Your character can take materials that they find in the mines and area around the fortress, and turn them into goods of some sort. Please make a comment in that thread stating what you are trading and what you want to receive. The merchant will either accept your deal or start to haggle, so feel free to RP this if you think the merchant is going to give you a hard time!

How do I make things to barter?

There are a number of workshops that can be used to produce items. A list items that you can freely use as well as what workshops the fortress is equipped with can be found on the Stocks, Workshops, and Wilderness page. You can also make items with special materials found from mining or using any equipment you regain.

Can I only make things to trade with the merchants?

Nope! Feel free to make whatever you want for any reason within the limits of the available materials and workshops. If your character knows how to build a television from scratch, go nuts!

How do we get more workshops or rooms in the fortress?

Build them! The NPC dwarfs are content to just slowly dig in the mines, so any additions you may want to add to the fortress you have to do yourself, either by digging out a room yourself or gathering the materials and building a workshop yourself. More details on building can be found in the Construction Projects Page

Are there Events?

Yes. Every month or so a mod post will be made detailing some goings on at the fortress. The post can be used to plan, ask questions, or note participation in the event, depending on the nature of the event. Some events will have a set end date while others may not end until the players manage to sufficiently deal with the challenge they are faced with.

Event voting.

During each AC check, we will ask you a question that either relates to how your character acted in the month’s previous event, a question on then direction of the fortress, or a question that may not make immediate sense. The results of these votes can affect certain events, create places that you can interact with outside of the fortress, or one of a million other things depending on what we can think up. The number of votes will either be per player or per character, depending on the type of vote.

Who can I app?

Forts accepts characters from both from popular media (books, comics, television shows, movies, web comics, video games, etc.) and original characters. More detail on the application process and character guidelines can be found on the Application Page.

What if my character isn’t human?

If your character is some sort of alien or animal, you will keep your normal appearance. Claws, horns, fangs and the like will all remain, though any supernatural or extraordinary abilities, such as flight or acid spitting, will be taken away when your character arrives.

But my character is sick/injured in the series! Will they still be sick when they arrive?

Yep! Forts accepts all characters regardless of what physical condition your character may be in. Characters will retain any Illnesses, disabilities, or injuries when they arrive. If your condition is normally life threatening, enough of the edge will be taken off so that your character can function, though life may be extra miserable for them.

Will I ever have a chance to regain my characters powers/items from home?

If you participate in an event, at the end you will be rewarded with a regain. This regain can be an item or power from your character’s original world. However, there are limitations to what you get. Any items that require energy sources or ammunition come with 5 full charges/magazines. You can always use further regains to request more ammunition or batteries or dilithium or whatever, and you will once again receive 5 charges/magazines.

What is the one thing that reminds me of my past life?

When your character arrives, they will find one item in their pockets. This item can be any small item that your character once owned from their past lives. This item can be anything that could reasonably fit in your characters pockets. If the item requires an outside power source or ammunition, it will not work correctly. Any self powered or magical items will still work, but with the same power restrictions explained below.

So will this Dragon Slave that I just regained be able to wipe away that invading army?

No, while powerful abilities will still be dangerous, nothing that requires a tremendous amount of energy will be at full strength anywhere near the surface. For sustained effects, you can decide whether this means the power is weaker or just lasts for a shorter duration. We reserve the right to reduce the strength of any ability that we think it too game-breaking.

Well, I got a Gundam/White Base/Martian Space Craft/SHIELD headquarters coming as a regain. How is that going to fit in the caves?

Well, it won’t. You can still regain it but it’s going to be a bit scaled down. You might get a Gundam the size of a toy model instead of your big bad mecha. It’ll make a good decoration for your room, but it won’t be of much use unless you can shrink down to it’s size. Remember this when apping characters.

I want to play a giant. Do I lose that at the start and get it as a regain?

Again, the size issue. So it’s up to you. You can come in as a large person, but we are still reducing your size to make you fit in the tunnels. If you rather it be a regain, your regain will be limited just like getting over sized toys.

Can I play “x” from “y”?

Well, yes, yes you can. Some characters will be limited. A dog can dig but it’s hard to barter without being able to talk. So far, we are not rejecting certain kinds of characters. If there is something we haven’t thought of, we’ll discuss it then and update this part of the FAQ. Until then, app away!

If you have any further questions, feel free to comment on this post and we will answer as soon as possible. You may also find us on plurk at fortressmods