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Difference between revisions of "40d:Military"

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Your '''military''' comprises the [[soldiers]] of your fortress. Pressing {{k|m}} will bring you to the Military screen, which lists your active soldiers at the top of the screen, and potential draftees below them.
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{{av}}
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{{Quality|Masterwork}}
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Your '''military''' comprises the [[soldier|soldiers]] of your fortress. Pressing {{k|m}} will bring you to the '''military screen''', which lists your active soldiers ''by squad'' at the top of the screen, and potential draftees below them.
  
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== About Drafting ==
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If a dwarf is "complaining about the draft", it has nothing to do with lack of doors on bedrooms - see "drafting", below.
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You can draft any non-[[noble]] [[dwarf]] in your fortress through the {{k|m}}ilitary screen by pressing {{k|a}} on the dwarf in question. Alternatively you can select a dwarf using {{k|v}} -> {{k|p}}, and then press {{k|A}} (Shift + 'a') to draft him or her. A dwarf that has not yet reached [[Soldier#Heroes_and_Champions|Hero]] or [[Soldier#Heroes_and_Champions|Champion]] status may be un-drafted by the same method.
 
  
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If you draft dwarves without any (non-dabbling) combat skills, it will generally give them an unhappy thought. Dwarves with little or no (non-dabbling) civilian skills will not like being undrafted.
+
== About drafting ==
 +
To get your dwarves to fight instead of fleeing when confronted with anything remotely dangerous you need to '''{{k|A}}ctivate''' or '''draft''' them.
  
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Immigrant [[nobles]] will not show up in the military screen, and cannot be drafted. Appointed administrators do appear on the list, and can be drafted. However their military duties will interfere with their civilian ones, making it unwise to draft your administrators (the [[Sheriff]] being a notable exception).
+
You can draft any non-[[noble]] [[dwarf]] in your fortress one of two ways: either 1) through the {{k|m}}ilitary screen by then pressing {{k|a}} on the dwarf in question, or 2) you can select a dwarf using {{k|v}} -> {{k|p}}, and then press {{k|A}} ( that's capitalized, {{k|Shift}} + {{k|a}} ) to draft him or her. A dwarf that has not yet reached [[Soldier#Heroes_and_Champions|hero]] or [[Soldier#Heroes_and_Champions|champion]] status may be un-drafted by the same method.
  
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== Promotion / Squads ==
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Note that Activating any member of a '''squad''' will activate all members in that squad, and adding a non-Active member will automatically Activate them. Likewise de-Activating one member will de-Activate all members of a squad.
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Pressing {{k|m}} will lead you to the military screen. Here you can promote dwarves and create squads. This is done by pressing {{k|Enter}} on recruits.
 
  
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# Select the dwarf you want to be squad leader.
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If you draft dwarves without any (non-dabbling) combat skills, it will generally give them an unhappy [[thought]] and they will complain "about the draft".  Likewise, dwarves with no (non-dabbling) civilian skills will not like being de-Activated.
 +
 
 +
Immigrant [[noble|nobles]] will not show up in the military screen, and cannot be drafted. Appointed administrators do appear on the list, and can be drafted. However their military duties will interfere with their civilian ones, making it unwise to draft your administrators (the [[sheriff]] being a notable exception). It is worth noting that drafting the dwarf whom the [[liaison]] has targeted will cause said dwarf to cease all other non-priority activities (i.e. everything but eating, drinking, resting, sleeping, etc.) and will proceed to Conduct Meeting.
 +
 
 +
Dwarves who are in a [[strange mood]] can not be drafted and neither can dwarves who are affected by an [[insanity]] following a failed [[strange mood]].  Drafting a dwarf who is throwing a [[tantrum]] for another reason may work and may also cancel the [[tantrum]]. {{verify}}
 +
 
 +
==Military Screen==
 +
Pressing {{k|m}} will lead you to the military screen. Here you can assign individual dwarves different weapons and armor to seek out when they are Activated.  You can also create squads and give those squads standing orders to follow when on duty, and determine which squads are, in fact, "on duty" and which are "standing down" and training their skills.
 +
 
 +
=== Promotion / squads ===
 +
Creating a squad consists of selecting a leader for a squad and then selecting the members of that squad.  This is done by highlighting a dwarf and pressing {{k|Enter}} on recruits.  Note that Activating (or de-Activating) any member of a squad will do the same for all members in that squad, and adding a non-Active member will automatically Activate them. Removing an active member will simply put them in their own active squad of 1.  De-activated squads otherwise have no effect on civilian dwarves.
 +
 
 +
# Select the dwarf you want to be squad leader, using either the up/down arrow keys, or {{k|8}}/{{k|2}} (or {{k|9}}/{{k|3}} to jump a screen) on the keypad.
 
# Press {{k|Enter}} (-> promote).
 
# Press {{k|Enter}} (-> promote).
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# Use arrow keys to select the dwarf you want to be his subordinate.
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# Use arrow or number keys to select the dwarf you want to be his subordinate.
 
# Press {{k|Enter}}.
 
# Press {{k|Enter}}.
 
# Repeat for each dwarf you want in the squad.
 
# Repeat for each dwarf you want in the squad.
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# Press {{k|Space}} space to exit promotion mode.
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# Press {{k|Space}} to exit promotion mode.
  
 
To remove a dwarf from a squad select them and then press {{k|Enter}} again.
 
To remove a dwarf from a squad select them and then press {{k|Enter}} again.
  
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You can do complex chains of command this way if the first dwarf you selected was already in a squad (he'll become leader of a sub-squad) though I don't know if that has any use right now. If you want to take a dwarf out of his squad, promote him and select himself as a subordinate.
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Complex chains of command can be created this way if the first dwarf you selected was already in a squad (he'll become leader of a sub-squad), though it is unknown if this has any current use.
  
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Note that there are restrictions to who can lead whom: you can't make a hero subordinate to a normal military dwarf, nor a champion subordinate to anyone other than another champion, nor any non-recruit soldier subordinate to a recruit. Dwarves who become heroes will automatically become leaders of their squads if the current leader is less experienced.
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Note that there are restrictions to who can lead whom, based on weapons-skill: you can't make a hero subordinate to a normal military dwarf, nor a champion subordinate to anyone other than another champion, nor any non-recruit soldier subordinate to a recruit. Dwarves who become heroes will automatically become leaders of their squads if the current leader is less experienced.
  
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== Choosing Weapons and Armour ==
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===Squad Orders===
 +
If you then highlight a dwarf in the military screen and press {{k|v}}iew squad, you are viewing the entire squad that dwarf belongs to, whether that's 1 dwarf or dozens.  Changes to the orders for that squad include:
 +
 
 +
:* {{k|f}}ood carried - active dwarves will seek out a [[backpack]] and then either 1 or 2 food rations. This prevents active dwarves from leaving their posts or patrols and returning to the main fortress to seek [[food]] to eat. However, it does significantly increase the time it takes for a newly activated dwarf to report to their designated station.
 +
:* {{k|w}}ater carried - active dwarves will seek out a [[waterskin|water skin]] and then fill it from a nearby source of drinking [[water]].  This prevents active dwarves from leaving their posts or patrols and returning to the main fortress to seek something to [[drink]]. However, it does significantly increase the time it takes for a newly activated dwarf to report to their designated station, and may cause them to leave the fortress in search of water. Dwarves need [[alcohol]] to get them through the day - military dwarves forced to stay on duty with nothing but water will soon have very unhappy [[thought]]s.
 +
:* {{k|s}}leep - "in barracks", "in room", or "on ground". This designates where active military will sleep. If "on ground", then they will fall unconscious and sleep at their station, possibly even if a fight is raging around them. (Pro tip: Sleeping dwarves do not defend themselves well against attack.)
 +
:* {{k|c}}hase opponent (vs.) stay close to station. A squad that "chases opponents" will pursue a target dozens of tiles from their assigned station before determining they are "too far" away - a squad that stays close to their station will give up a chase much sooner and return to where they have been assigned.  If micro-managing a combat, it is not difficult to move stations (see below) so that squads with either order will not give up a chase.
 +
:* {{k|a}}nimal handling - This order is either "ignore wild animals if possible" or "harasses dangerous wild animals".  Just what it says, but includes any [[creature]] that is listed as an "enemy", including [[invader]]s. Useful if one member of a squad is waiting for backup before an attack is launched.  Dwarves ordered to ignore wild animals will fight to defend themselves. Note that some clearly "dangerous" animals are not seen as "enemies" until they attack.<sup>(examples?)</sup>
 +
:* {{k|t}}raining - squad is either on duty and will report to their designated station or patrol, or is standing down and so will [[Sparring|spar]] or train with crossbows.
 +
:* {{k|z}}oom to commander - Any squad member will tend to follow their commander, despite any ongoing combat or designated station. If that commander is [[sleep]]ing, [[Food|eat]]ing, [[drink]]ing, [[on break]] or picking up equipment, the squad will tend to be gathered around them, waiting for their fearless leader.  If you find the commander, you will usually find the majority of the squad, or where they are headed at the moment.
 +
 
 +
=== Choosing weapons and armor ===
 
Pressing {{k|m}} and then {{k|w}} will show you a screen containing:  
 
Pressing {{k|m}} and then {{k|w}} will show you a screen containing:  
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*Shortened names for [[weapon]] types.
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*Shortened names for [[dwarven weapon|weapon]] types:
 +
**Unm = [[wrestling]] (or [[pick]] if the dwarf currently has one and the [[mining]] [[labor]] designated.)
 +
**Axe = [[Weapon|axe]]
 +
**Cbw = [[crossbow]]
 +
**Ham = [[Weapon|hammer]]
 +
**Mac = [[Weapon|mace]]
 +
**Spr = [[spear]]
 +
**Swd = [[sword]]
 
*A number indicating the number of weapons you want them to carry (note: this is not dual wielding, this is the dwarf carrying a backup weapon slung across their back in case the first weapon becomes stuck in a combatant)
 
*A number indicating the number of weapons you want them to carry (note: this is not dual wielding, this is the dwarf carrying a backup weapon slung across their back in case the first weapon becomes stuck in a combatant)
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*A Shortened name for the level of [[armour]] they should aim to wear and the [[shield]] they should carry.
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*A shortened name for the level of [[armor]] they should aim to wear ('''L'''ea'''th'''er, '''Ch'''ai'''n''', '''Pl'''a'''t'''e) and the [[shield]] they should carry ('''B'''uc'''kl'''er, '''Sh'''iel'''d''').
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Note: Giving a dwarf a weapon will affect their non-military professions, if the weapon in question conflicts with their labour tasks.  E.g. Issuing a [[mace]] to a dwarf, will cause them to discard any axe they may be carrying for Woodcutting, or a [[pick]] they might use for mining.
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Note: Giving a dwarf a weapon will affect their non-military professions, if the weapon in question conflicts with their [[labor]] tasks.  For instance, issuing a [[mace]] to a dwarf will cause them to discard an axe they were carrying for woodcutting, or a [[pick]] they were using for mining.
  
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When a dwarf is drafted into the army he or she will go pick up his or her equipment, if it is available (a dwarf set to fight with a [[sword]] will fight unarmed until a sword is forged), and when released back to civilian life, will drop this equipment. Exceptions being dwarves with the '[[Woodcutter]]' labour enabled who carry an axe while in civilian mode, and dwarves with the 'Hunting' labour enabled who carry a [[crossbow]] and leather armour while in civilian mode.
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When a dwarf is drafted into the army he or she will go pick up his or her equipment, if it is available (a dwarf set to fight with a [[sword]] will fight unarmed until a sword is forged), and when released back to civilian life, will drop this equipment. Exceptions being dwarves with the '[[woodcutter]]' labor enabled who carry an axe while in civilian mode, and dwarves with the 'hunting' labor enabled who carry a [[crossbow]] and leather armor while in civilian mode.
  
 
[[Miner]]s set to fight unarmed will use their [[pick]] as a weapon, and get damage bonuses from their Mining skill level.
 
[[Miner]]s set to fight unarmed will use their [[pick]] as a weapon, and get damage bonuses from their Mining skill level.
  
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=== Swapping Weapons and Armour ===
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==== Swapping weapons and armor ====
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Frustratingly, a soldier will not necessarily choose the best-[[quality]] weapon available. Thus a Speardwarf might choose a -[[Bronze]] [[Spear]]- rather than a ≡[[Steel]] Spear≡ if given the chance. A Marksdwarf might pick up a single [[Iron]] [[Bolt]] rather than your stack of *Steel Bolts [25]*. When equipping your dwarves for active duty, you will generally want them to use the best weapons available; when dwarves are set to spar, you generally want them to use the worst weapons available. Unless you are saving your good armour for a certain dwarf, you will always want your soldiers to be equipped with the best possible armour.
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Frustratingly, a soldier will not necessarily choose the best-[[quality]] weapon available. Thus a speardwarf might choose a -[[bronze]] [[spear]]- rather than a ≡[[steel]] spear≡ if given the chance. A marksdwarf might pick up a single [[iron]] [[bolt]] rather than your stack of *steel bolts [25]*. When equipping your dwarves for active duty, you will generally want them to use the best weapons available; when dwarves are set to spar, you generally want them to use the worst weapons available. Unless you are saving your good armor for a certain dwarf, you will always want your soldiers to be equipped with the best possible armor.
  
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Swapping weapons and armour is a frustrating and somewhat time-consuming process. It is easiest if you make different [[stockpile|stockpiles]] for your best and your worst-quality weapons. Creating a stockpile only for high-quality steel and iron weapons or armour will make it easier to find the weapon or armour you want to give your dwarf. Likewise, a special stockpile for low-quality [[silver]] or [[wood]]en weapons will make it easier to assign the right sparring weapon.  
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Swapping weapons and armor is a frustrating and somewhat time-consuming process. It is easiest if you make different [[stockpile]]s for your best and your worst-quality weapons. Creating a stockpile only for high-quality steel and iron weapons or armor will make it easier to find the weapon or armor you want to give your dwarf. Likewise, a special stockpile for low-quality [[silver]] or [[wood]]en weapons will make it easier to assign the right sparring weapon.  
  
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There are two ways to swap weapons and armour. The simpler way is to use the {{k|m}}ilitary menu. This process will let you swap out your soldier's weapon or ''entire'' suit of armour:
+
There are two ways to swap weapons and armor. The simpler way is to use the {{k|m}}ilitary menu. This process will let you swap out your soldier's weapon or ''entire'' suit of armor:
 
#Press {{k|m}} to access the military menu.
 
#Press {{k|m}} to access the military menu.
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#Find the soldier whose weapon or armour you want to remove, and set them to Unarmed or armour- and shield-less.  
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#Find the soldier whose weapon or armor you want to remove, and set them to Unarmed or armor- and shield-less.  
 
#Watch the soldier until he or she removes his or her equipment.
 
#Watch the soldier until he or she removes his or her equipment.
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#Next, {{k|d}}esignate all of your current weapons or armour (hopefully all of which are in your stockpiles)) as {{k|f}}orbidden. Then manually find the weapon or armour piece(s) that you want your dwarf to pick up, and {{k|d}}esignate it, or them, to be re{{k|c}}laimed.  
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#Next, {{k|d}}esignate all of your current weapons or armor (hopefully all of which are in your stockpiles)) as {{k|f}}orbidden. Then manually find the weapon or [[Armor piece|armor piece]](s) that you want your dwarf to pick up, and {{k|d}}esignate it, or them, to be re{{k|c}}laimed.  
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#Return to the military menu and re-designate the soldier to have the weapon and/or armour you want.
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#Return to the military menu and re-designate the soldier to have the weapon and/or armor you want.
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#Wait until your newly-naked dwarf realizes his or her situation and decides to Pickup Equipment. If you have properly forbidden all other weapons or armour, the dwarf should make a beeline for your weapons or armour stockpile, and don the right item(s).
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#Wait until your newly naked dwarf realizes his or her situation and decides to Pickup Equipment. If you have properly forbidden all other weapons or armor, the dwarf should make a beeline for your weapons or armor stockpile, and don the right item(s).
−
#Reclaim your stockpiles of weapons or armour for regular use.
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#Reclaim your stockpiles of weapons or armor for regular use.
  
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The other way to swap out weapons or armour, which is particularly useful to replace an individual piece of armour but not the entire suit, is as follows:
+
The other way to swap out weapons or armor, which is particularly useful to replace an individual piece of armor but not the entire suit, is as follows:
  
 
#Make sure you have an area (any area) assigned as a garbage [[dump]].
 
#Make sure you have an area (any area) assigned as a garbage [[dump]].
−
#Find the soldier whose weapon or armour you want to replace, by using the {{k|v}}iew command and going to the dwarf's {{k|i}}nventory. Select each item you want the soldier to get rid of, then hit Enter to view it. Press {{k|d}} to mark it for dumping. When you select an item to be dumped, it will create a hauling job for a civilian dwarf, who should presently arrive to cart the weapon off to your junk pile. If you want to save the weapon, catch the hauler before he or she reaches your dump and un-designate the weapon; alternatively, find it in the dump and reclaim it.
+
#Find the soldier whose weapon or armor you want to replace by using the {{k|v}}iew command and going to the dwarf's {{k|i}}nventory. Select each item you want the soldier to get rid of, then hit Enter to view it. Press {{k|d}} to mark it for dumping. When you select an item to be dumped, it will create a hauling job for a civilian dwarf, who should presently arrive to cart the weapon off to your junk pile. If you want to save the weapon, catch the hauler before he or she reaches your dump and un-designate the weapon; alternatively, find it in the dump and reclaim it.
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#As with step 4 above, {{k|d}}esignate all of your current weapons or armour as {{k|f}}orbidden. Manually find the weapon or armour piece(s) that you want your dwarf to pick up, and {{k|d}}esignate it, or them, to be re{{k|c}}laimed.
+
#As with step 4 above, {{k|d}}esignate all of your current weapons or armor as {{k|f}}orbidden. Manually find the weapon or [[Armor piece|armor piece]](s) that you want your dwarf to pick up, and {{k|d}}esignate it, or them, to be re{{k|c}}laimed.
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#As with step 5 above, wait until your newly-naked dwarf realizes his or her situation and picks up the proper equipment.
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#As with step 5 above, wait until your newly naked dwarf realizes his or her situation and picks up the proper equipment.
−
#Reclaim your stockpiles of weapons or armour for regular use.
+
#Reclaim your stockpiles of weapons or armor for regular use.
  
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== Controlling Your Squads ==
 
−
By pressing {{k|x}} you will select squads near your marker. You can {{k|s}}tation the squads at the current cursor position if the squad in question is on-duty. Squads will fight and pursue hostile [[creatures]] until they or the enemies are dead or the squad moves too far from its station. Squads can be set to pursue regardless of how far they move from their station and to attack wild animals (along with various other options) via the {{k|m}}ilitary screen, in the {{k|v}}iew squad submenu. For more information on fighting, see [[Combat]].
 
  
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== Food and water==
+
== Controlling your squads ==
 +
By pressing {{k|x}} you will select squads near your marker. You can {{k|s}}tation the squads at the current cursor position if the squad in question is on-duty. You can also place {{k|p}}atrol points, which creates a path for the soldier to follow. The last patrol point placed will always be connected back to the first in a loop. Pressing {{k|x}} again after placing patrol points will remove the entire path. Setting a patrol for a squad leader will set all dwarves in that squad to that patrol. Dwarves will keep their old patrols when assigned to a new squad, so a number of dwarves can be given individual patrols, and then put into a single squad so as to activate them all at once. Squads will fight and pursue hostile [[creatures]] until they or the enemies are dead or the squad moves too far from its station. Squads can be set to pursue regardless of how far they move from their station and to attack wild animals (along with various other options) via the {{k|m}}ilitary screen, in the {{k|v}}iew squad submenu. For more information on fighting, see [[combat]].
  
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Under the {{k|v}}iew squad menu, you can order squads to carry [[water]] and/or [[food]] along with them. To carry water the dwarves need access to [[waterskin]]s, and to carry food they need [[backpack]]s. This can be useful when sending your military out on long patrols.
+
== Equipment and encumbrance ==
 +
{{main|Equipment and encumbrance}}
 +
Depending on what equipment you outfit your soldiers with, they can easily become [[encumbrance|encumbered]].  A new recruit with no strength [[attribute]], for instance, can only carry 2000Γ before being encumbered, which is less than the weight of a full suit of chain mail. A crossbow plus a full stack of metal bolts can weigh as much as 1000Γ by itself.
  
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== Training / Sparring ==
+
== Food and water==
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Wrestling or melee weapon-equipped squads that you marked as "Off Duty" by the squad-management screen in the {{k|m}}ilitary screen will head to the [[barracks]] and begin [[sparring]] to train their skills. Soldiers with crossbows will go to a [[archery target|shooting range]] to practice.
+
Under the {{k|v}}iew squad menu, you can order squads to carry [[water]] and/or [[food]] along with them. To carry water the dwarves need access to [[waterskin]]s, and to carry food they need [[backpack]]s. This can be useful when sending your military out on long patrols, but has drawbacks. See [[Military#Squad Orders|Squad Orders]], above.
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−
 
 
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==Cross-training (starting a Reserves program)==
 
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Cross-training your military dwarf candidates in civilian disciplines has multiple benefits.  First, and most importantly, it gives you several extra stat increases.  Toughness, especially, is extremely important for military dwarves; it allows them to take more wounds before passing out from pain, and to recover from wounds faster.  Second, it provides a ready pool of recruits in case your military takes a beating at one point or another.  Third, it ensures that your dwarves have some domestic skills so they will not receive [[Thoughts|unhappy thoughts]] from being dismissed from the military in the event you need to downsize.  Finally, most reserves programs provide chronic idlers with some work to do, which can be essential for unskilled workers like peasants to break out of their poverty (and therefore, unhappiness) cycle once the [[Dwarven Economy]] kicks in.  There is nothing saying you have to use only one of these ideas; they are all various approaches to solving this problem.<br>
 
−
 
 
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The biggest thing to remember with a reserves program is that if you're going to go, you go all the way.  Don't institute something 'just for a little while' and come up with a handful of novice reservists; they will not get significant stat increases and you'll only waste time.  Time is not something you have a heck of a lot of in a reserves program, typically.  Remember that after you draft them, most dwarves are going to need about a year of sparring or training before they're ready for heavy combat.  You might not have that much time if you are getting sieges regularly.
 
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===Gym ([[Pump operator]])===
 
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The Gym is the most basic sort of reserves program; it merely consists of building a bunch of [[screw pump]]s connected to nothing in a room that's close to [[food]], [[beds]], and [[drink]].  After the pumps are built, order them to be pumped manually, then turn on [[Pump operator|pump operating]] for your reservists.<br>
 
−
'''Pros:'''
 
−
*Easy to set up; 4 pumps in the gym will keep at least 8-10 reservists busy around the clock.
 
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*Extra pumps can be added to expand operations very easily.
 
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*Requires no continuous oversight on your part.
 
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*Somewhat fast training; legendary in under a year (if other responsibilities like hauling are minimized).
 
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*Very safe; gyms can be placed anywhere in the comfort of your fortress with no issues.<br>
 
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'''Cons:'''
 
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*Tons of cancel job spam.  Every time a reservist exhausts himself and goes to satisfy his basic needs, you'll see "<dwarf> cancels Operate Pump: Exhausted."
 
−
*If you have any pumps around that actually DO need to be operated every so often (refilling your [[well]], for example), it could be a serious pain to juggle the useless gym pumps and the ones that are actually useful.
 
−
 
 
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===Artillery Proving Ground ([[Siege operator]])===
 
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Mass-produce some catapults, line them up near a quarry, and fire away.  Works well to dispose of stone from a gulag (see below).<br>
 
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'''Pros:'''
 
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*Trains a skill that's reasonably useful, and provides a place to put all the sub-par siege engine components your [[Siege engineer]] will doubtlessly create if you're going for superior-quality engines.
 
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*Harasses the wildlife, which is always fun.<br>
 
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'''Cons:'''
 
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*Very slow to train (2+ years for legendary).
 
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*Fairly space-consuming to set up a well-designed and usable proving ground.
 
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*Can be dangerous depending on the biome (especially when [[elephant]]s are present.  If they get winged by a stray boulder, you can bet they're going to be coming straight at you).
 
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*[[Siege operator]]s are civilians, and will run in fear when an enemy approaches them.
 
−
 
 
−
===Internship ([[Bookkeeper]])===
 
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Turn on Highest precision bookkeeping and rotate the appointed noble in and out the second he becomes a Legendary Bookkeeper.<br>
 
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'''Pros:'''
 
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*Requires no extra infrastructure at all.
 
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*You need a bookkeeper anyway!
 
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*Totally safe; a bookkeeper spends basically all his discretionary time snug in his office.
 
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*Trains outrageously fast; if the office is very close to [[food]], [[beds]], and [[drink]], a bookkeeper can be legendary or close to it in a mere season.<br>
 
−
'''Cons:'''
 
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*Only employs one dwarf at a time; not useful when you have 15-25 candidates for the Reserves.
 
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*No announcement when the current intern reaches Legendary status means you can lose time on rotation easily.
 
−
 
 
−
===Gulag ([[Miner]])===
 
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The gulag is basically a strip mine that is located far away from your main fortress (so you don't have to worry about accidentally screwing up your own building plans; if you are careful in planning, it may be placed closer to your fortress).  Take a big square and start leveling it; it's really no more complicated than that.  Since [[pick]]s can actually be used as weapons, it's worthwhile to give the reservists who will be working in the gulag picks made out of [[iron]], or, if you are really living large, [[steel]].  Note that you will have to turn your usual mining corp (the civilian miners who are already experienced with mining) off for this setup to work properly.<br>
 
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'''Pros:'''
 
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*Soldiers enter the military with an emergency weapon in their hand already; this can be critical in the case of [[Speardwarf|Speardwarves]], who have a habit of losing their weapons in an enemy, or [[Marksdwarf|Marksdwarves]], who are forced to use the [[Hammerdwarf]] skill in melee, which they may not even have.
 
−
*Toting a pick for close-quarters support might make a legendary [[Bowyer]] more useful, since the pathetic bludgeon damage of his [[wood]] and [[bone]] [[crossbows]] are less important.
 
−
*Can be quite useful for producing stones you might not have access to normally, or uncovering veins of precious metals.
 
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*Levels quite fast in sand.
 
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*Relatively little oversight from you.
 
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*An overland hike to the gulag will fight [[cave adaptation]] in your military candidates.<br>
 
−
'''Cons:'''
 
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*Juggling your real miners and your reservists when there's real work to be done on the fort can be a chore.
 
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*Hard to keep dwarves in the gulag for too long; they'll inevitably get hungry, thirsty, and tired and start hiking back to the fortress proper.
 
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*Can be dangerous, depending on the biome.
 
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*Does require some amount of oversight from you, especially when your reservists start getting better at mining and run out of work more quickly.
 
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===Renovation ([[Stone detailing]])===
 
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Another convenient way to buff up your dwarves, assigning your reservists to mass [[stone detailing]] duty increases your fortress' architectural wealth and makes the place look nicer. While they may clutter the halls somewhat, it doesn't require any special allocation of  [[food]], [[beds]] or [[drink]]. Just turn on [[stone detailing]] for your reservists and mark up as much of the fortress as you like for renovation.<br>
 
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'''Pros:'''
 
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*Even easier to set up; just assign your dwarves and an area and you're good to go.
 
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*Increases your fortress' value and general happiness.
 
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*Requires no continuous oversight on your part.
 
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*Very safe, if you only assign areas inside the fortress.<br>
 
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'''Cons:'''
 
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*Wealth overflow may bring too many [[immigrants]].
 
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*Serious conflict with [[engraving]] assignments; trying to engrave with poorly trained engravers wastes a lot of wealth that essentially comes from nothing.
 
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*Careless designation of smoothing areas may have your dwarves trying to smooth walls too close to [[magma]] or a [[river]].
 
  
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===Sweatshop ([[Mason]])===
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== Training / sparring ==
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Make one or more [[Mason's Workshop]]s in an area with a bunch of junk stone you don't care about, or that you're actively looking to clear.  Change the workshop settings to allow only your reservists to use it, then tell the workshop to churn out crafts and trade goods that you can trade en-masse.  Alternatively, forbid your reservists from working in your real mason's workshops, order lots of stone constructions built, and pray that your real masons stay too occupied with the workshops to intrude.  Works well in conjunction with a gulag.  Alternate ideas for Sweatshops include a [[Mechanic's Workshop]] or a [[Magma glass furnace]] to train [[Mechanic]] and [[Glassmaker]] respectively. ''Note:  Do NOT try this with the [[Carpenter]] skill, or any other resource you don't have in near-limitless abundance.  Sweatshops will consume huge amounts of their associated resources, and if you run out mid-way you have probably wasted your time.  This includes [[coke]] or [[charcoal]] used in the normal (non-Magma) [[Glass furnace]].''<br>
+
Wrestling or melee weapon-equipped squads that you marked as "standing down" by the squad-management screen in the {{k|m}}ilitary screen will head to the [[barracks]] and begin [[sparring]] to train their skills. Soldiers with crossbows will go to a [[archery target|shooting range]] to practice.
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'''Pros:'''
 
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*Quantitatively turns a profit.  The inferior trade goods can be dumped on the next caravan for more useful commodities like bags, seeds, and logs.  Logs are especially useful, since you'll inevitably stamp out lots of bins to support the trade good output.
 
−
*Unlike many other training programs, Sweatshops train a skill that is very useful.<br>
 
−
'''Cons:'''
 
−
*Slow to level.
 
−
*Hard to keep the reservists on task, since they'll need to do plenty of hauling to keep their workshop from becoming chokingly cluttered.
 
−
*Can be a logisitical nightmare; making bins and organizing hauling for the finished goods can be insane if you're working from a gulag.
 
−
*Can be dangerous depending on the biome and location of your sweatshops.
 
  
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===Overview===
+
How to increase soldier skills is covered in-depth in the [[sparring]] article. You may also want to peruse the [[cross-training]] article, which covers how to beef up your recruits most efficiently, and how to support army's logistic needs best.
−
*The gym is the best way to train large amounts of dwarves, though it is relatively slow compared to other methods.
 
−
*Artillery training can give you some siege operators, which will be useful if you have ballistae.
 
−
*The internship is very fast, but only trains up one dwarf at a time. Your stocks could also lag behind if you are unlucky.
 
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*The gulag requires planning, and your dwarves in the fortress proper may run all the way to the gulag to grab a stone for some crafts, a chair, etc. It does, however, train your dwarves in mining quickly, which is always a useful skill.
 
−
*Renovation is hands-free, but may bloat your fortress wealth too quickly.
 
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*The sweatshop creates a large amount of goods, which can be traded away to keep traders happy. It also increases your wealth by quite a lot, which can be good or bad depending upon your situation. The goods are also difficult to manage.
 
  
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==See Also==
+
==See also==
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*[[Army Arc]]
+
*[[Army arc]]
 
*[[Assign animal]]
 
*[[Assign animal]]
  
 
{{Military FAQ}}
 
{{Military FAQ}}
  
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[[Category:Military| ]]
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{{Category|Military| }}
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[[Category:Fortress defense]]
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{{Category|Fortress defense}}

Latest revision as of 03:20, 21 November 2021

v50.14 · v0.47 · v0.34 · v0.31 · v0.28.181.40d · v0.23
This article is about an older version of DF.
xTATTEREDx  · +FINE+  · *SUPERIOR*  · ≡EXCEPTIONAL≡  · ☼MASTERWORK☼

Your military comprises the soldiers of your fortress. Pressing m will bring you to the military screen, which lists your active soldiers by squad at the top of the screen, and potential draftees below them.

If a dwarf is "complaining about the draft", it has nothing to do with lack of doors on bedrooms - see "drafting", below.

About drafting[edit]

To get your dwarves to fight instead of fleeing when confronted with anything remotely dangerous you need to Activate or draft them.

You can draft any non-noble dwarf in your fortress one of two ways: either 1) through the military screen by then pressing a on the dwarf in question, or 2) you can select a dwarf using v -> p, and then press A ( that's capitalized, Shift + a ) to draft him or her. A dwarf that has not yet reached hero or champion status may be un-drafted by the same method.

Note that Activating any member of a squad will activate all members in that squad, and adding a non-Active member will automatically Activate them. Likewise de-Activating one member will de-Activate all members of a squad.

If you draft dwarves without any (non-dabbling) combat skills, it will generally give them an unhappy thought and they will complain "about the draft". Likewise, dwarves with no (non-dabbling) civilian skills will not like being de-Activated.

Immigrant nobles will not show up in the military screen, and cannot be drafted. Appointed administrators do appear on the list, and can be drafted. However their military duties will interfere with their civilian ones, making it unwise to draft your administrators (the sheriff being a notable exception). It is worth noting that drafting the dwarf whom the liaison has targeted will cause said dwarf to cease all other non-priority activities (i.e. everything but eating, drinking, resting, sleeping, etc.) and will proceed to Conduct Meeting.

Dwarves who are in a strange mood can not be drafted and neither can dwarves who are affected by an insanity following a failed strange mood. Drafting a dwarf who is throwing a tantrum for another reason may work and may also cancel the tantrum. [Verify]

Military Screen[edit]

Pressing m will lead you to the military screen. Here you can assign individual dwarves different weapons and armor to seek out when they are Activated. You can also create squads and give those squads standing orders to follow when on duty, and determine which squads are, in fact, "on duty" and which are "standing down" and training their skills.

Promotion / squads[edit]

Creating a squad consists of selecting a leader for a squad and then selecting the members of that squad. This is done by highlighting a dwarf and pressing Enter on recruits. Note that Activating (or de-Activating) any member of a squad will do the same for all members in that squad, and adding a non-Active member will automatically Activate them. Removing an active member will simply put them in their own active squad of 1. De-activated squads otherwise have no effect on civilian dwarves.

  1. Select the dwarf you want to be squad leader, using either the up/down arrow keys, or 8/2 (or 9/3 to jump a screen) on the keypad.
  2. Press Enter (-> promote).
  3. Use arrow or number keys to select the dwarf you want to be his subordinate.
  4. Press Enter.
  5. Repeat for each dwarf you want in the squad.
  6. Press Space to exit promotion mode.

To remove a dwarf from a squad select them and then press Enter again.

Complex chains of command can be created this way if the first dwarf you selected was already in a squad (he'll become leader of a sub-squad), though it is unknown if this has any current use.

Note that there are restrictions to who can lead whom, based on weapons-skill: you can't make a hero subordinate to a normal military dwarf, nor a champion subordinate to anyone other than another champion, nor any non-recruit soldier subordinate to a recruit. Dwarves who become heroes will automatically become leaders of their squads if the current leader is less experienced.

Squad Orders[edit]

If you then highlight a dwarf in the military screen and press view squad, you are viewing the entire squad that dwarf belongs to, whether that's 1 dwarf or dozens. Changes to the orders for that squad include:

  • food carried - active dwarves will seek out a backpack and then either 1 or 2 food rations. This prevents active dwarves from leaving their posts or patrols and returning to the main fortress to seek food to eat. However, it does significantly increase the time it takes for a newly activated dwarf to report to their designated station.
  • water carried - active dwarves will seek out a water skin and then fill it from a nearby source of drinking water. This prevents active dwarves from leaving their posts or patrols and returning to the main fortress to seek something to drink. However, it does significantly increase the time it takes for a newly activated dwarf to report to their designated station, and may cause them to leave the fortress in search of water. Dwarves need alcohol to get them through the day - military dwarves forced to stay on duty with nothing but water will soon have very unhappy thoughts.
  • sleep - "in barracks", "in room", or "on ground". This designates where active military will sleep. If "on ground", then they will fall unconscious and sleep at their station, possibly even if a fight is raging around them. (Pro tip: Sleeping dwarves do not defend themselves well against attack.)
  • chase opponent (vs.) stay close to station. A squad that "chases opponents" will pursue a target dozens of tiles from their assigned station before determining they are "too far" away - a squad that stays close to their station will give up a chase much sooner and return to where they have been assigned. If micro-managing a combat, it is not difficult to move stations (see below) so that squads with either order will not give up a chase.
  • animal handling - This order is either "ignore wild animals if possible" or "harasses dangerous wild animals". Just what it says, but includes any creature that is listed as an "enemy", including invaders. Useful if one member of a squad is waiting for backup before an attack is launched. Dwarves ordered to ignore wild animals will fight to defend themselves. Note that some clearly "dangerous" animals are not seen as "enemies" until they attack.(examples?)
  • training - squad is either on duty and will report to their designated station or patrol, or is standing down and so will spar or train with crossbows.
  • zoom to commander - Any squad member will tend to follow their commander, despite any ongoing combat or designated station. If that commander is sleeping, eating, drinking, on break or picking up equipment, the squad will tend to be gathered around them, waiting for their fearless leader. If you find the commander, you will usually find the majority of the squad, or where they are headed at the moment.

Choosing weapons and armor[edit]

Pressing m and then w will show you a screen containing:

  • Shortened names for weapon types:
  • A number indicating the number of weapons you want them to carry (note: this is not dual wielding, this is the dwarf carrying a backup weapon slung across their back in case the first weapon becomes stuck in a combatant)
  • A shortened name for the level of armor they should aim to wear (Leather, Chain, Plate) and the shield they should carry (Buckler, Shield).

Note: Giving a dwarf a weapon will affect their non-military professions, if the weapon in question conflicts with their labor tasks. For instance, issuing a mace to a dwarf will cause them to discard an axe they were carrying for woodcutting, or a pick they were using for mining.

When a dwarf is drafted into the army he or she will go pick up his or her equipment, if it is available (a dwarf set to fight with a sword will fight unarmed until a sword is forged), and when released back to civilian life, will drop this equipment. Exceptions being dwarves with the 'woodcutter' labor enabled who carry an axe while in civilian mode, and dwarves with the 'hunting' labor enabled who carry a crossbow and leather armor while in civilian mode.

Miners set to fight unarmed will use their pick as a weapon, and get damage bonuses from their Mining skill level.

Swapping weapons and armor[edit]

Frustratingly, a soldier will not necessarily choose the best-quality weapon available. Thus a speardwarf might choose a -bronze spear- rather than a ≡steel spear≡ if given the chance. A marksdwarf might pick up a single iron bolt rather than your stack of *steel bolts [25]*. When equipping your dwarves for active duty, you will generally want them to use the best weapons available; when dwarves are set to spar, you generally want them to use the worst weapons available. Unless you are saving your good armor for a certain dwarf, you will always want your soldiers to be equipped with the best possible armor.

Swapping weapons and armor is a frustrating and somewhat time-consuming process. It is easiest if you make different stockpiles for your best and your worst-quality weapons. Creating a stockpile only for high-quality steel and iron weapons or armor will make it easier to find the weapon or armor you want to give your dwarf. Likewise, a special stockpile for low-quality silver or wooden weapons will make it easier to assign the right sparring weapon.

There are two ways to swap weapons and armor. The simpler way is to use the military menu. This process will let you swap out your soldier's weapon or entire suit of armor:

  1. Press m to access the military menu.
  2. Find the soldier whose weapon or armor you want to remove, and set them to Unarmed or armor- and shield-less.
  3. Watch the soldier until he or she removes his or her equipment.
  4. Next, designate all of your current weapons or armor (hopefully all of which are in your stockpiles)) as forbidden. Then manually find the weapon or armor piece(s) that you want your dwarf to pick up, and designate it, or them, to be reclaimed.
  5. Return to the military menu and re-designate the soldier to have the weapon and/or armor you want.
  6. Wait until your newly naked dwarf realizes his or her situation and decides to Pickup Equipment. If you have properly forbidden all other weapons or armor, the dwarf should make a beeline for your weapons or armor stockpile, and don the right item(s).
  7. Reclaim your stockpiles of weapons or armor for regular use.

The other way to swap out weapons or armor, which is particularly useful to replace an individual piece of armor but not the entire suit, is as follows:

  1. Make sure you have an area (any area) assigned as a garbage dump.
  2. Find the soldier whose weapon or armor you want to replace by using the view command and going to the dwarf's inventory. Select each item you want the soldier to get rid of, then hit Enter to view it. Press d to mark it for dumping. When you select an item to be dumped, it will create a hauling job for a civilian dwarf, who should presently arrive to cart the weapon off to your junk pile. If you want to save the weapon, catch the hauler before he or she reaches your dump and un-designate the weapon; alternatively, find it in the dump and reclaim it.
  3. As with step 4 above, designate all of your current weapons or armor as forbidden. Manually find the weapon or armor piece(s) that you want your dwarf to pick up, and designate it, or them, to be reclaimed.
  4. As with step 5 above, wait until your newly naked dwarf realizes his or her situation and picks up the proper equipment.
  5. Reclaim your stockpiles of weapons or armor for regular use.


Controlling your squads[edit]

By pressing x you will select squads near your marker. You can station the squads at the current cursor position if the squad in question is on-duty. You can also place patrol points, which creates a path for the soldier to follow. The last patrol point placed will always be connected back to the first in a loop. Pressing x again after placing patrol points will remove the entire path. Setting a patrol for a squad leader will set all dwarves in that squad to that patrol. Dwarves will keep their old patrols when assigned to a new squad, so a number of dwarves can be given individual patrols, and then put into a single squad so as to activate them all at once. Squads will fight and pursue hostile creatures until they or the enemies are dead or the squad moves too far from its station. Squads can be set to pursue regardless of how far they move from their station and to attack wild animals (along with various other options) via the military screen, in the view squad submenu. For more information on fighting, see combat.

Equipment and encumbrance[edit]

Main article: Equipment and encumbrance

Depending on what equipment you outfit your soldiers with, they can easily become encumbered. A new recruit with no strength attribute, for instance, can only carry 2000Γ before being encumbered, which is less than the weight of a full suit of chain mail. A crossbow plus a full stack of metal bolts can weigh as much as 1000Γ by itself.

Food and water[edit]

Under the view squad menu, you can order squads to carry water and/or food along with them. To carry water the dwarves need access to waterskins, and to carry food they need backpacks. This can be useful when sending your military out on long patrols, but has drawbacks. See Squad Orders, above.

Training / sparring[edit]

Wrestling or melee weapon-equipped squads that you marked as "standing down" by the squad-management screen in the military screen will head to the barracks and begin sparring to train their skills. Soldiers with crossbows will go to a shooting range to practice.

How to increase soldier skills is covered in-depth in the sparring article. You may also want to peruse the cross-training article, which covers how to beef up your recruits most efficiently, and how to support army's logistic needs best.

See also[edit]


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