Dwarf Fortress

• There are a few good guides out there for surviving your first winter. Find one for the version you're playing, and follow it. Then you can build on that knowledge, instead of floundering through a half-dozen forts trying to figure out how to make booze.

• Keep the wiki open.

• Your first few fortresses ARE going to fail. This is a game of trial by error.

• If you're still struggling to grasp the game, go back to version 0.23a. This is the last version before the move from two dimensions to three, and can provide a good place to learn some fundamentals.

• Trees regrow slowly, so if you have the choice between building something out of stone or wood, use stone.

• Don't trade the elves anything made of/with wood products.