100 years or 5 year start?

[Your Hero]

I'm new to this game what does everyone recommend for someone new. I kinda like the idea of starting in a newer world with less history, but is there any major gameplay differences that come from a 5 year history start?

[Mindmaker]

More megabeasts, less developed civs, less history/artifacts to be referenced in engravings and such.
Not a major difference.

[ViiK]

100 years is still a “new world”. The world starts with many beasts and all kinds of monster living it in. Then Dwarfs, Humans, Elves and Goblins start to colonize it. As time goes by, there will be less monsters and more civilizations/cities. More necromancies towers, more civilizations to trade with but less and less “wild” stuff. Eventually some civilizations or races can go extinct, you can even play as the last Dwarven fort in the world.
In classic version 125 years was recommended minimal start, earlier than that and your world might be too sparsely populated to have any invading goblins or trade caravans.

[MaGicBush]

I started with the 50 year history world. So there is some history started, but I can have an influence over it as it goes on.

[Sam Snowman]

I recommend 50 years at least. Time for a few artifacts to be created if you wish to raid, and by that time the gods should have dropped in a few necromantic tomes/slabs or cursed some lycanthropes.

More FUN

[OGNocturnal]

I went with 500 and it generated 1.3 million events, a busy world ive jumped into.

[Manu]

It's simply the decision if you want to have
- a more populated World with less rare monsters and more artifacts and civilisations with the caveat that it takes longer to generate,
- or if you want a world with basically every ancient beast still existing and very sparse population living in a few tiny settlements with very few artifacts if any...