One of the more confusing aspects of Dwarf Fortress can sometimes be the naming conventions. In our guide for Work orders, we went over assigning a Manager for your Fortress. For a Manager to do their job and give out work orders, you’ll need to construct a study. This begs the question, how exactly do you build a study in Dwarf Fortress? Well–you might be surprised to learn there is no “Study” Zone. A Study in Dwarf Fortress is called an Office, and you can build one with the Zone menu and by placing the right Furniture.
Dwarf Fortress: How to Make a Study
The first step towards making a study is making the right Furniture. Construct a wooden chair and wooden bookcase at the Carpenter’s Workshop. Then, access the Zone(z) menu and set a new Zone for an Office. Place the chair and bookcase in the new Zone, then assign that Zone as an Office. Finally, assign the Villager you want to occupy the Office.
There are two main pieces of Furniture you need to create a Study. They include:
- Wooden Chair
- Wooden Bookcase
To build a wooden chair and bookcase:
- Click your Carpenter’s Workshop.
- Under the Tasks tab, click Add new task.
- Search for “Make wooden chair” and click it.
- Click Add new task again, then search for “Make wooden bookcase” and click it.
- Wait a while for your Carpenter to construct the required Furniture.
Finishing up your Study is similar to creating a Bedroom. Click Zones(z), then click Office. Click and drag over the room or area you want to act as your Study, and click the green Accept button. Then, to place Furniture, click Structures(b), Furniture (f), then Chair(r) & Table(t) and left-click to place them.
Keep in mind that a villager needs to take the Furniture from the Carpenter’s Workshop to a Stockpile for you to place in your new Zone. So, if you’ve made the required Furniture but still don’t have the item to select, wait a while until your villagers move it, and make sure that all your stockpiles aren’t full.
Assigning Villager to the New Office
The method of assigning a villager to a room remains the same. Click the Zone(z) from the Zone menu, then click the Assign button and select the Villager that you want to occupy the space. Keep in mind that a Study serves a specific purpose, and some Nobles and Administrators need one to do their jobs: the Manager, Sherriff, and Bookkeeper.
In other words, you shouldn’t just be creating Studies because you think a villager looks smart and you want to RP. They serve a real purpose and should probably be limited to those Nobles and Admins that really need them.
Did this Dwarf Fortress guide help you? See our other Dwarf Fortress guide in our Dwarf Fortress Section.
