Dwarf Fortress 0.40.01
DF has a reputation for being impenetrable.  Like it requires weeks or months of work or study to get anything out of it.  Not true!  You can start from scratch and have a crazy little adventure in minutes.  Really.<p>Dwarf Fortress: The Detailed Roguelike That’s Easy To Play<p><a href="http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/04/16/dwarf-fortress-the-detailed-roguelike-thats-easy-to-play/" rel="nofollow">http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/04/16/dwarf-fortress-th...</a><p>>Dwarf Fortress is famous for producing anecdotes by the minute. The two-man, twelve-year, donation-funded indie project weaves together procedurally generated geography, civilizations and histories to create a rich fantasy world. It simulates its characters – standard fare like dwarves, elves, goblins, etc. – down to the most minute detail, and when all its systems combine, the results are often hilarious, occasionally tragic, and always surprising.<p>>It’s also blissfully easy to play. The game is free to download and easy to install, the UI comes with a detailed and handy help system, and there’s a community wiki full of guides – not that you’ll need them. I started from scratch last night and was having fun immediately.<p>>This whole experience has taken around twenty minutes, and while it’s a shame Akan Seasonveiled didn’t get to see more of her homeland, the experience encapsulated much of what I love about Dwarf Fortress. I discovered a town, talked to people and formed a posse. I went on a dynamically generated fantasy adventure and slayed a grim beast. I discovered a camp of travellers out in the wilds, had a tense and hard-fought combat encounter, and finally met my own grisly end. It was exciting! It was just a tiny taste of this world, but I’m itching to go explore more.<p>I actually enjoy simply generating worlds and looking through the history afterwords... even easier.