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Dwarf Fortress creator says we can learn something from simply walling up dwarf nobles to maintain an equal society—but notes you have to abolish the dwarf cops, too: ‘Another lesson to be had there’
Dwarf Fortress co-creator Tarn Adams has weighed in on a fan-made "communist" mod for the notoriously complex colony simulator, in which nobles who accumulate excess wealth are walled up alive to preserve equality among the dwarves. Adams found the idea amusing and thematically apt, noting that the game already lets players tackle inequality this way, but pointed out a catch: the mod only truly works if the dwarves' law-enforcement mechanics are also disabled, since the game's built-in "cops" would otherwise intervene to stop the imprisonments.
Adams framed the exercise as an interesting emergent lesson from the simulation rather than a serious political statement, reflecting Dwarf Fortress's reputation for producing unpredictable, systemic outcomes from its detailed social and economic mechanics. The remarks highlight how the game's deep simulation of nobility, wealth and justice systems can be repurposed by players and modders to explore social and economic ideas, with Adams treating the walled-up-nobles scenario as a lighthearted but genuine insight into how the game's interlocking systems behave.
In short
- Dwarf Fortress creator discusses a mod that "walls up" wealthy nobles
- The trick only works if in-game law enforcement is also disabled
- Adams sees it as an amusing lesson from the game's simulation systems
Explained simply
Dwarf Fortress is a colony simulator created by brothers Tarn and Zach Adams. Players manage a settlement of dwarves, whose lives are shaped by systems for work, wealth, social rank and law.
The game includes nobles, who can hold wealth and privileges, and law-enforcement dwarves who respond to crimes. Players and modders can change how these systems work, sometimes creating unusual scenarios that show how one rule can affect another.
The story reflects Dwarf Fortress’s open-ended design: its detailed rules can be used to explore ideas about inequality and authority, even when the results are played for humour.