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[Mythalinear]

I want to build a tower that overlooks the entrance to my fortress so that all those annoying thieves and snatchers get shot to pieces as they flee my fortress. Unfortunately I have run into a problem. I am not sure how to get my crossbow dwarfs to stay in the tower. So here are a few questions I have.

1. When building towers is it preferable to put the guards on "station" orders or make the tower its own burrow and assign the guards to it?
2. Are dwarfs who are on "station" orders smart enough to go eat / drink / sleep on their own?
3. Are dwarfs smart enough to go right up to a fortification to shoot enemies or do I need to do something special to make sure they will stand in the right spot?

[BlackFlyme]

1) Stations can work, but build up negative thoughts over time. On the other hand, soldiers on duty will not obey burrows if their job demands that they leave it, such as when they train or are issued a kill order. I would either give them a patrol order as part of their schedule and mark the tower burrow for patrolling, or put their barracks in the tower itself, to ensure that they stay near the fortifications.

2) Yes, but they tend to wait for quite a while before leaving to do so. The possibility of them starving is there.

3) If you have fortifications, put them along a one-tile wide hall to force marksdwarves up against them. They aren't smart enough to go up against fortifications to fire.

Though I would like to hear someone with better suggestions, my marksdwarves are never as effective as my "sword & board" militia.

[Niccolo]

2) Yes, but they tend to wait for quite a while before leaving to do so. The possibility of them starving is there.

Just put a small food and booze stockpile in the tower.

Stationing can work best for positioning the marksdwarves, as they'll mostly stay there. But patrols or military burrowing can work too, as then you can set it on their schedule (I forget if you can do that for stations too, though)

[Repseki]

You can schedule station orders the same as patrols. Or just make a patrol with only one point, if you can.

I usually have  mine set to have 3-4 Marksdwarves stationed above the entrance, while the others train, with 1 or 2 off duty so they don't all get cranky. Haven't had any issues besides having to call them away if some elite archer goblins show up and start taking them out. When 1 has to get a drink another will fill their spot on the wall.

After they are skilled enough it really only takes 1 to kill any thieves that get spotted and try to run out.

[Sutremaine]

You can disable all their labours, set them to Inactive, and make a barracks for them to train in inside the tower. They'll spend much of their time in there doing individual drills.

If you want to get them away from the tower, you can use burrows and civilian alerts to make them leave the tower burrow.

[Laserhead]

I usually set up a burrow along the fortifications and tell them to guard that

FFFFFFFFFFFF <- fortifications
|..........| <- designated burrow
==+========= <- wall with a door
|..........| <- barracks with beds and ammo and stuff
|..........|

I'll cram like 30 marksdwarves in there and they'll maim anything that wanders up.

[Mythalinear]

I tried the 'Guard Burrow' order but my dorfs didn't go into the tower. As far as I can tell that order only means 'attack enemies that enter the burrow' which doesn't necessarily mean 'stay in the tower'.

[Laserhead]

Odd, when I have them guard a burrow they position themselves in that burrow. What is their job when they're supposed to be guarding?