Hostile encounters are not uncommon inDwarf Fortress, though not all of them need to end in bloodshed. Indeed, players will occasionally be given the opportunity to avoid combat by approving a parley, and fans with a weak military force may want to consider taking that opportunity. That said, players may want to know more about how parleys work inDwarf Fortressbefore they approve one, and this guide is here to provide more details on the mechanic.
Dwarf Fortress: What Are Parleys?
To put things simply, parleys act as an opportunity to purchase peace with a hostile force. The cost of this peace is alegendary artifact, unique items that a dwarf may create once during their lifetime, and it is only temporary. Indeed, while approving a parley will prevent a force’s immediate attack, it will not put an end to their hostilities, andDwarf Fortressplayersshould expect them to return in the future.
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With respect to exactly what will occur when a parley is approved, the leader of the fort should take the aforementioned artifact to the hostile force and cause them to dissipate. However, some players report that their expedition leaders and mayors are not carrying out this action, and they are instead becoming distracted by activities inside the fort. If asimulation video gamefan finds themselves in this situation, it is recommended that they open the citizen information menu, locate the leader amidst their citizens, and click the hammer with the lock in their row to specialize them.
As previously noted, parleys are only temporary reprieves, and players should really put some amount of effort toward dealing with hostile forces more permanently. More specifically,indie video gamefans should establish a military squad and start training them. For the uninitiated, these actions are performed through the squad sidebar, which is accessed by clicking on the flag in the lower-right corner of the screen, and fans that are starting a squad should make sure that they have a militia commander assigned and a barracks zone established.

Alternatively, players can attempt to defend their forts with traps alone. Fans ofcity building video gamescan get a look at the different types of traps that are available by opening the place structures menu, and they typically require a mechanism from a Mechanic’s Workshop. Notably, traps do require less maintenance than military squads, making them a great option for beginner forts, though their efficacy is hurt by their lack of mobility.