I like this set of tutorials .
It's based on the old version but it goes through the steps of building a fortress pretty well.
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/625/Bonnici
Captain Duck has a great series of video tutorials ( http://www.youtube.com/user/captnduck ).
Most of them are for pre-2010 versions, but they still give a great intro to the game, and he has started to make a couple of videos for the 2010 version.
He starts the tutorials at the absolute beginning, and walks you through everything.
If you have any specific questions, the dwarf fortress wiki is a great place to look ( http://df.magmawiki.com/ ).
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/344/Quantumgeek
Different styles work better for different people, but I learned the fun way: Begin Lose Figure out what happened Repeat
If you're stuck on something specific, there's nothing wrong with looking at a tutorial or checking the wiki , but try not to over-research before you really get your feet wet.
One of the coolest things about learning to play DF is discovering all of the neat/interesting/
strange/complex things that the world does and researching too much before hand will diminish the sense of discovery.
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/15546/edsobo
Learn how to feed and hydrate your dwarfs.
Specifically, learn how to farm : mill plants into flour with a quern and cook that flour into meals at a kitchen , and brew alcohol at a still .
There's a Quickstart guide at
The Dwarf Fortress Wiki , which is an invaluble reference site.
I didn't have any issues applying the previous version's tutorial(v0.28.181.40d) to the current version(v0.31.10).
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/39/antony.trupe
Getting Started with Dwarf Fortress is a book that's been recently released and is a great way to learn to play.
It's by Peter Tyson, the same guy who wrote the The Complete and Utter Newbie Tutorial for Dwarf Fortress .
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/19595/skeletalmonkey
I would also recommend the #DwarfFortress channel on quakenet.
If you do not know how to use IRC you can plug that channel into http://webchat.quakenet.org and get on.
There is usually tons of people around, just be patient as they might not instantly answer
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/421/PsycHosis
I am interested in learning how to play Dwarf Fortress. Where should I start, as an absolute beginner?
How should I learn to play Dwarf Fortress?
gaming.stackexchange.com
<dwarf-fortress>
gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/1727
gaming.stackexchange.com/users/469/mlern
Try Getting Started with Dwarf's Fortress or the channel or quakenet. There is a book that was recently released, which helps with learning the basics. Getting help from people on quakenet is also a good idea.
Some sources are recommended, from which the interested person can begin their search.