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[beremat]

Generally, what happens is that I get distracted with setting up my fortress. By the time the first ambush comes, I only am just getting to metalworking and equipping my military. So basically, I gotta start doing that stuff earlier on.

I'm about to start a new fortress. How do you train your hammerdwarves? Do you just let them spar in the barracks? Is that enough?

[PDF urist master]

danger rooms (which i have no shame using)

alternatively, you can train in squads of two.

[mirrizin]

Marksdwarves are key, to me. I've also wiped out an entire siege using a mid-sized dodge-em trap. Just close everything down except for the trap corridor, and watch the goblins kill themselves walking across a booby trapped catwalk over a 10z drop. All you need after that is one halfway-competent squad for clean up the crippled stragglers.

Megabeasts are, of course, another problem...

[flameaway]

danger rooms work super fast; but getting them set up is probably a bit more complicated than the train in twos scenario.

I've used both methods and at least for me the training in twos is easier. But I'm doing easy embarks and don't need a big military.
 
I generally try to get those two dwarves training ASAP and just figure I have 5 dwarves until migrants come.

It pays off; try it you'll see. And from the beginning those two dwarves will take care of your fort.   A fully specced out military beerbot is an awesome thing.

You won't need to put them in metal armor immediately you can start with leather.  Following the advice of someone or other (sorry can't remember where I read it) here I embark with two hammer or sword dwarves trained as much as possible in those weapons and then one in striking an the other in dodging (so they each train the other more quickly).  I get a couple of copper weapons on embark; set them up in the military screens and let them train.  As long as you see them going to training, and see the sparring report, they will be progressing.  Should happen pretty quickly once you set it up. You'll get the Urist goes to boot camp message.

"Urist becomes a recruit"
You do it in twos because of some bug or other that prevents training when more dwarves participate.

If you need lots of military quickly, prolly want to go the danger room route, like PDF advised above.

[mirrizin]

And if you manage to catch goblin thieves in your cage traps, loose them in the middle of the barracks. Great teachable moments...

[PDF urist master]

it's more effective to let marksdwarves to kill them.

marksdwarves do not benefit from danger rooms or squad training. to train marksdwarf skill, leave the squad inactive and assign the squad archery targets.

[flameaway]

PDF,

Does letting them hunt do exactly the same thing? So for example can I set a couple of marksdwarves to hunting but in an inactive squad and simply use hunting in the place of training?

When trouble comes activate the squad and let them perforate at will.

[beremat]

Alright! I just fought off a siege successfully with three hammerdwarves. I lost one, but otherwise, my fort is okay.

[flameaway]

You lost a hammerdwarf? Or just a citizen?

[Pakkanen]

I think it was when I was on my 5th to 10th fort that I got farming and water down and actually survived for a couple of years. Since then my fromula has been to build farm->stockpiles->kitchen->beds->workshops->defenses&traps.
After that I just start to expirement within the fort. For example I still haven't tried minecarts and my pump stack got only halfway before I got frustrated with it and stopped. And of course my goal has been to drown goblins in magma for a while so instead of a pumpstack I started making a piston.
I get the hotkeys and menus after a few times of using that specific action. It did feel like I was forcing the game though.