I've never played DCSS, but after a few nethack ascensions I've found its "chores" (getting the wand, etc) interfere with actually enjoying the parts of the genre I like most: resource management in an unknown world. I suspect DCSS will be a similar experience.
For those that feel similarly, I heartily recommend giving brogue[0] a try. It's beautiful, balances many strategies without giving dominance to any (dwarven valkyrie, anyone?) and drops the "schlepping" associated with nethack and related titles.