What is the Lazy Newb pack in Dwarf Fortress? Answered

The Dwarf Fortress community is a tightly-knit one that tends to focus on sharing and celebrating knowledge rather than holding a more competitive streak. Whether they are mod packs or in-game achievements, a unique comradery has formed within the community. This is apparent when discussing the original Lazy Newb pack and it’s successors for the Dwarf Fortress community.

What is The Lazy Newb pack in Dwarf Fortress?

The Lazy Newb pack is a mod pack that contains various game modifications and texture packs to offer new players and veterans alike an easily-digested mod pack. The original Lazy Newb pack was crafted by LucasUP of the Dwarf Fortress community in mid-2010. It was widespread in the community, and now other mod packs tend to come with the name Lazy Newb pack as a nod to the original of the scene.

The original Lazy Newb Pack, referred to as an LNP, contained seven modifications that offered easier aquifier usage, new UI elements, and new Dwarf Fortress textures for better readability. LucasUP eventually released the LNP as open-source, allowing the community to customize the package and further its development for future DF versions.

Related: How to make and use writing materials in Dwarf Fortress

Modern Lazy Newb packs for Dwarf Fortress

While some have elected to move away from the LNP suffix for their packs, due to user confusion regarding naming conventions, there are a few surviving LNPs for the standard edition of Dwarf Fortress, meaning the version is not available on Steam.

PyLNP

PyLNP is a GitHub project of an alternative Dwarf Fortress launcher that contains alterations for much of the game — it’s also one of the longest-lasting Dwarf Fortress packs that is still maintained today. It’s a larger mod, overwriting much of the base game ranging from content to color schemes and graphics, and even holds additional utility programs for the title.

Lazy Newb Pack repo

The Lazy Newb Pack repo is a GitHub repository containing six public-facing LNPs for the title, from Linux-compatible packages to community blueprints. This repository holds redirects to other projects and repositories to make the finding and implementation of new community-managed mod packs.

dfdl Project

The dfdl Project is a pack-builder for Mac systems, allowing community members to build and distribute their own packs. While not a package of itself, the dfdl Project is an ideal starting point for users that are interested in developing their own Lazy Newb packs.