The Manual: Your First Outpost
When you start, your dwarves will be located in the environment you selected with whatever animals and objects you decided to bring along. If you've brought along somebody that knows how to fish or hunt, that dwarf will get to work, but the others will mill around, awaiting your orders.
Your ultimate goal is to extract every last ounce of wealth from the mountain, but first you need to survive, so you need to get your dwarves to handle the basics. Most orders are issued to your dwarves from buildings you've created, and others are issued by designating work areas.
The list of options can be daunting at first (and will remain daunting for a while). Read the following sections to get a handle on individual aspects of running a simple fortress.
Help With Specific Menus
Mining
Chopping Wood
Obtaining Water
Obtaining Food
Living Quarters
Making Crafts
Storage
Trading
Defending the Fortress