Having played this game for over a decade now, I have a little advice to offer to newcomers, beyond the typical "Losing is Fun!" (which, while it IS fun, and you should look forward to it and enjoy every second of the process of Losing, this advice isn't helpful in actually getting started.)

Dwarf Fortress is a collaborative storytelling simulation. The game doesn't hold your hand and show you the story - it guides the story based on your actions as the fortress overseer, and expects you to dig deep into the personalities of your dorfs to really understand their motivations. If you turtle up, close your fort off from the outside, have internal farms and make all your own goods, you could conceivably last until Judgement Day without too much problem. But is this Fun?

Dwarf Fortress isn't wanting you to "win", per se - it wants you to help it tell a story, and tragedy and hardship usually make the best plotlines. If you stick around long enough, you'll have all sorts of dastardly devices for wrecking hordes of goblins and undead - lava traps, spike pits, and the mythical minecart shotguns - until something inevitably goes awry, and arguably, that's the best part.

Dorf Fort is a slow burn. Don't try to rush things. Relax and enjoy it. Pause regularly. Don't neglect z-levels and have a mind for defense. Read the wiki, and remember: goblins climb walls.

Having played this game for over a decade now, I have a little advice to offer to newcomers, beyond the typical "Losing is Fun!" (which, while it IS fun, and you should look forward to it and enjoy every second of the process of Losing, this advice isn't helpful in actually getting started.) Dwarf Fortress is a collaborative storytelling simulation. The game doesn't hold your hand and show you the story - it guides the story based on your actions as the fortress overseer, and expects you to dig deep into the personalities of your dorfs to really understand their motivations. If you turtle up, close your fort off from the outside, have internal farms and make all your own goods, you could conceivably last until Judgement Day without too much problem. But is this Fun? Dwarf Fortress isn't wanting you to "win", per se - it wants you to help it tell a story, and tragedy and hardship usually make the best plotlines. If you stick around long enough, you'll have all sorts of dastardly devices for wrecking hordes of goblins and undead - lava traps, spike pits, and the mythical minecart shotguns - until something inevitably goes awry, and arguably, that's the best part. Dorf Fort is a slow burn. Don't try to rush things. Relax and enjoy it. Pause regularly. Don't neglect z-levels and have a mind for defense. Read the wiki, and remember: goblins climb walls.