Playing it right now.
Have to say, it has been a long time since I encountered this difficult Strategy/Simulation game. But that doesn't mean the game is bad, in contrary it's very good and hooking game.
The biggest problem is that the game itself lacks a manual, and the interface and controlling system is very difficult to comprehend without such. Luckily, there are couple of good guides on web:
Your first fortress - Dwarf Fortress Wiki
http://afteractionreporter.files.wordpr ... orials.pdf (PDF File)
The second one is using some saved game which you possibly can download somewhere, though it's not necessary. All the points get through there even without the save.
Also, for that matter, all those who want to try the game, I suggest downloading
thisversion, which contains a tad clearer graphics (yes, the game isn't about the graphics, but the clearer ones helps you to see what's really going on there) and supports bigger resolution.
Very good game, but I really suggest reading at least on of the "manuals" before AND during playing. It might get pretty confusing otherwise.
Oh, and not to Mods, all the links (even link to download the game) was found while searching either the official site or official forums. I just can't remember where I found them there, so I put direct links to the files. If that's problem, I will remove them and find the sources better.
