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Editing 40d:Military design
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This page is one of several inter-related articles on the broader topic of defending your fortress and your dwarves. This page will focus on the training, organization and deployment of your military, the soldiers that will use your defenses for the greater glory blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda. | This page is one of several inter-related articles on the broader topic of defending your fortress and your dwarves. This page will focus on the training, organization and deployment of your military, the soldiers that will use your defenses for the greater glory blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda. | ||
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=Military= | =Military= | ||
− | The role of a military force in fortress defense can be central or non-existent, depending on the player's overall approach and strategy. Their one advantage is mobility - they can go where no static defenses exist, to rescue or support other | + | The role of a military force in fortress defense can be central or non-existent, depending on the player's overall approach and strategy. Their one advantage is mobility - they can go where no static defenses exist, to rescue or support other dwarfs, or escort a caravan through unknown or deadly threats. |
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− | + | ===Daylight training room=== | |
+ | Put a [[weapon rack]] on the surface near your entrance and make it a training room. Training dwarves will be in position if there's trouble. This also helps prevent [[cave adaption]] in your military. You can use an [[archery target]] this way, too. | ||
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− | == | + | ===Roughing it=== |
− | + | Always have your soldiers carry food. They will each need a [[backpack]] to carry it. This keeps your soldiers from wandering off to eat. You can also have them carry [[water]] in [[waterskin]]s or [[flask]]s, but this isn't recommended for the long term, as it keeps your soldiers from drinking [[alcohol]]. For an around the clock guard, have them sleep on the ground while on duty. Hopefully the sounds of combat will wake them up before they get killed. Sleeping on the floor causes unhappy [[thought]]s. | |
===Small squads/individual soldiers=== | ===Small squads/individual soldiers=== | ||
Manipulating large numbers of soldiers is easiest when grouped in a few squads, no doubt. But if the leader of that squad decides to go for a drink, on break, to eat or sleep, the entire squad follows. What's more, if placed behind a wall, some members of a large squad might decide their best location is on the ''other side'' of that wall. Keeping squads small, in 2's or 3's, or even as individual soldiers, requires more management but returns much higher tactical results. | Manipulating large numbers of soldiers is easiest when grouped in a few squads, no doubt. But if the leader of that squad decides to go for a drink, on break, to eat or sleep, the entire squad follows. What's more, if placed behind a wall, some members of a large squad might decide their best location is on the ''other side'' of that wall. Keeping squads small, in 2's or 3's, or even as individual soldiers, requires more management but returns much higher tactical results. | ||
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===Wait for my signal...=== | ===Wait for my signal...=== | ||
When ganging up on dangerous creatures (such as megabeasts), turning off "Chase wild animals" is preferable until all units are in position. Getting all your units into position, pausing the game, and then turning them loose at once, can achieve the desired advantage of numbers against formidable opponents. | When ganging up on dangerous creatures (such as megabeasts), turning off "Chase wild animals" is preferable until all units are in position. Getting all your units into position, pausing the game, and then turning them loose at once, can achieve the desired advantage of numbers against formidable opponents. | ||
− | Likewise, often champions will rush out on their own to do battle with an overwhelming force of siegers. Keep the entire squad far back from the exit until they are all armed and | + | Likewise, often champions will rush out on their own to do battle with an overwhelming force of siegers. Keep the entire squad far back from the exit until they are all armed and armoured, and ready to roll as a unit. (Having a good lockable front gate will also avoid this.) |
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− | + | =Militia & Armed civilians= | |
+ | Besides professional, full time military, it's quite useful to incorporate part-time soldiers or armed civilians into the mix. | ||
− | + | ====Gobbo Season Open!==== | |
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− | ====Gobbo | ||
It can be a fairly decent idea to keep mass numbers of cheaply-made crossbows (or your lower-quality rejects) and bone/wood bolts on hand, and all expendable dwarves in one mass military squad set to use crossbows (and leather armor, if you have enough). What [[skill|dabbling]] marksdwarves lack in speed and accuracy, they more than make up for with incredible enthusiasm, as a hailstorm of pathetically-aimed bolts will tear over anything stupid enough to move. Not nearly as effective or useful as properly-emplaced marksdwarves with high skill and proper equipment, but a good emergency measure, especially if you keep your [[craftsdwarf|craftsdwarves]] busy churning out cheap ammo from spare bones from the [[kitchen]]s and cheap crossbows from fishbones from the [[dining hall]]. | It can be a fairly decent idea to keep mass numbers of cheaply-made crossbows (or your lower-quality rejects) and bone/wood bolts on hand, and all expendable dwarves in one mass military squad set to use crossbows (and leather armor, if you have enough). What [[skill|dabbling]] marksdwarves lack in speed and accuracy, they more than make up for with incredible enthusiasm, as a hailstorm of pathetically-aimed bolts will tear over anything stupid enough to move. Not nearly as effective or useful as properly-emplaced marksdwarves with high skill and proper equipment, but a good emergency measure, especially if you keep your [[craftsdwarf|craftsdwarves]] busy churning out cheap ammo from spare bones from the [[kitchen]]s and cheap crossbows from fishbones from the [[dining hall]]. | ||
− | ==== | + | ====non-hunting hunters==== |
− | Sometime you will embark in an area devoid of (huntable) wildlife. In that case, you can turn on the [[Hunting]] skill for all civilians and use the {{key|m}}ilitary menu to arm (and more importantly, armor and shield) them. Normally turning on hunting will cause dwarves to wander outside looking for wildlife, and turning it on on all your dwarves would delay your economy greatly - but without wildlife, no hunting jobs are generated, and they go about their business armed and | + | Sometime you will embark in an area devoid of (huntable) wildlife. In that case, you can turn on the [[Hunting]] skill for all civilians and use the {{key|m}}ilitary menu to arm (and more importantly, armor and shield) them. Normally turning on hunting will cause dwarves to wander outside looking for wildlife, and turning it on on all your dwarves would delay your economy greatly - but without wildlife, no hunting jobs are generated, and they go about their business armed and armoured. Note that if X number of hunt-able animals do appear on the map, that many dwarves will then go hunt them. |
====Woodcutters ftw==== | ====Woodcutters ftw==== | ||
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===Miners ftw=== | ===Miners ftw=== | ||
− | The above tactic can also be used with Miners. When you activate a miner with a | + | The above tactic can also be used with Miners. When you activate a miner with a pick into the military with "unarmed" weapon designated, they fight with the pick they are holding and their skill is their [[mining]] - and it's not hard for a miner to gain legendary miner skill quite quickly. Parallel problems arise when designating areas to be mined, but careful use of locked doors or hatches on mineshafts can prevent too many from responding to an area to be excavated. |
A dwarf will hold ''either'' an axe or a pick, depending on which labor is activated - it's not possible to activate both at once, the game does not allow it. | A dwarf will hold ''either'' an axe or a pick, depending on which labor is activated - it's not possible to activate both at once, the game does not allow it. | ||
− | + | =Siege operators= | |
There are 4 important things to remember about siege operators: | There are 4 important things to remember about siege operators: | ||
− | + | :*1) They are civilians. This means that when manning (dwarving?) their stations, they will flee if enemy units approach too close. Doesn't matter if there is no actual path, it's the mere distance that triggers it. On the plus side, they don't get unhappy thoughts from being "Activated" for the military - it's just another civilian job. | |
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− | + | :*2) Training siege operation is slooooow. Start early. | |
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+ | :* 3) Siege engines do not fire quickly, so you want high skill to make the few shots you get ''count''. | ||
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+ | :* 4) Once trained (some years later), they can be trained up in other civilian skills that are useful whenever they're not at their stations. (See [[cross-training]] for suggestions.) | ||
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==A guide for siege engine operations== | ==A guide for siege engine operations== | ||
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* Start off with two [[miner]]s and a [[woodcutter]] trained to proficient siege engineer status | * Start off with two [[miner]]s and a [[woodcutter]] trained to proficient siege engineer status | ||
− | * After your fortress has about 50 | + | * After your fortress has about 50 dwarfs, build a siege workshop, place it at the front of your fort near the battlements and designate a custom [[stockpile]] within the battlements that can take only ballista arrows. Designate another custom stockpile that can take only regular stone. |
− | * Make sure only one of your | + | * Make sure only one of your dwarfs is set to have siege engineering as an active labour. Change that dwarf's orders to have nothing but siege engineering enabled. It may help to give that dwarf a custom profession title (such as SIEGE) to distinguish that dwarf from others. When new [[Mechanic]] or [[Siege engineer]] dwarfs arrive, make sure to disable siege engineering for them. |
* You'll need [[wood]], lots of wood. | * You'll need [[wood]], lots of wood. | ||
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Put them to training on [[pump]]s, mining through soil and/or [[Bookkeeper|bookkeeping]] to improve [[attributes]]. "Tough" recruits chase more attributes and go into military training, where sparring will be dangerous and injuries expected - "Very Strong" recruits, with no other attributes, become siege operators, for lugging heavy ammo (and to avoid hurting each other during sparring). ''(Agility is universally beneficial, dealer's choice.)'' | Put them to training on [[pump]]s, mining through soil and/or [[Bookkeeper|bookkeeping]] to improve [[attributes]]. "Tough" recruits chase more attributes and go into military training, where sparring will be dangerous and injuries expected - "Very Strong" recruits, with no other attributes, become siege operators, for lugging heavy ammo (and to avoid hurting each other during sparring). ''(Agility is universally beneficial, dealer's choice.)'' | ||
− | Set your chosen few to firing the siege weapons into the wall asap, as soon as they have some useful attribute increases - you aren't looking for uber- | + | Set your chosen few to firing the siege weapons into the wall asap, as soon as they have some useful attribute increases - you aren't looking for uber-dwarfs, just something above peasant level. If you want, use [[cross-training]] to allow them to become useful masons when the need arises, tho' this delays their siege training. (This can be done sooner if you have a lot of urgent building projects, or later once they have achieved acceptable levels of siege operator.) |
If you want to manufacture more ammo, you can set a stockpile adjacent to the engines and designate some haulers, and that will speed training some, but the walk down to retrieve ammo is not a long one. | If you want to manufacture more ammo, you can set a stockpile adjacent to the engines and designate some haulers, and that will speed training some, but the walk down to retrieve ammo is not a long one. | ||
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Once they've trained to Legendary (some few years?), they can be fully cross-trained to be productive while not firing the engine. Give them beds near their final stations, and don't forget to train replacements before accidents happen. | Once they've trained to Legendary (some few years?), they can be fully cross-trained to be productive while not firing the engine. Give them beds near their final stations, and don't forget to train replacements before accidents happen. | ||
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:*[[cross-training#Army corps of engineers]] | :*[[cross-training#Army corps of engineers]] | ||
− | + | =Animals= | |
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− | + | [[Dog|War dogs]] can also be assigned to dwarves who go outside frequently, whether military or civilian. Then when the dwarf encounters danger, the war dog runs at the danger while the dwarf runs away from it. Unfortunately, war dogs are slower than dwarves with high [[attribute|Agility], and do not shadow the dwarf perfectly. Also, dogs can't be reassigned once they are assigned, To get around this, have the dwarf you want to be guarded train the dog. (Dogs follow the one who trained them until they are assigned.) | |
− | + | Also, once a dwarf reaches Hero status, they cannot be assigned dogs (due to that menu being unavailable), so assign any before this happens or not at all. | |
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− | + | [[Category:Guides]] | |
− | + | [[Category:Fortress defense| ]] | |
− | + | [[Category:World]] | |
+ | [[Category:Design]] |