Bay 12 Games Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

Author Topic: Best Militia Size?  (Read 1492 times)

callisto8413

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Best Militia Size?
« on: October 18, 2015, 09:35:54 am »

I was wondering what is the best militia size for the Dwarfs?  I don't mean for you to control I mean for training and tactics.  For example, if I made Two-Dwarf squads of 24 hour, 7 days a week, soldiers who did nothing but train together is that better than a squad of ten who train every other month and barely see each other?  I understand dozens of tiny squads might be annoying but would it be easier to form lines in battle, easier for them to train, easier for the Dwarfs to advance their skills?  Thank you.
Logged
The most EVIL creature in Dwarf Fortress!

Shonai_Dweller

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Best Militia Size?
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2015, 04:18:18 pm »

I imagine members of a two dwarf squad would spend half their time waiting for their partner to stop drinking/sleeping/being on break so that anything other than individual drill can take place. Probably would take a long time to train skills compared to a 5-man squad.
Logged

Vilkku92

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Best Militia Size?
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2015, 04:43:40 pm »

On the other hand a two dwarf squad would be doing a lot more sparring as well, which at least used to level skills up way faster than demonstrations which happen in larger squads. A three dwarf squad with a minimum of two set to train might be better though, since one of them can rest while the other two spar. Giving everyone in squad the same weapon might speed the process up as well, since no speardwarf has to waste time on axe demonstrations, for example.

Training soldiers quickly is not that big of a deal nowadays though, since training is much faster, invasions take longer to come, there are no ambushes (by goblins at least) and sieges aren't that powerful either (in my experience at least) so there's a lot of time to get legendary soldiers clad in full steel and iron before anything too big comes your way.

Unless it's zombies. Never seen one, but I've heard they're nasty.
Logged

callisto8413

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Best Militia Size?
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2015, 09:38:04 pm »

Thanks folks.

Sound like 3 Dwarf squads are best.

My problem is that every fort I have made seems to be in a metal poor region.  So I can't count on great equipment so I have to produce hardened, well trained, military Dwarfs.  Plus my own paranoid passive defenses - walls, traps, bridges.
Logged
The most EVIL creature in Dwarf Fortress!

Sutremaine

  • Bay Watcher
  • [ETHIC:ATROCITY: PERSONAL_MATTER]
    • View Profile
Re: Best Militia Size?
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2015, 10:00:07 pm »

If you can keep the dwarven caravan and liaison safe, then you can order steel items to melt down. The humans' best guaranteed metal is bronze. It's much cheaper than steel, and is a decent armour material. Copper is cheaper again, commonly available due to having three ores, and can be used for training metalworkers. Bismuth bronze has the same stats and availability as bronze, but costs more.
Logged
I am trying to make chickens lay bees as eggs. So far it only produces a single "Tame Small Creature" when a hen lays bees.
Honestly at the time, I didn't see what could go wrong with crowding 80 military Dwarves into a small room with a necromancer for the purpose of making bacon.

callisto8413

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Best Militia Size?
« Reply #5 on: October 19, 2015, 12:19:09 am »

If you can keep the dwarven caravan and liaison safe, then you can order steel items to melt down. The humans' best guaranteed metal is bronze. It's much cheaper than steel, and is a decent armour material. Copper is cheaper again, commonly available due to having three ores, and can be used for training metalworkers. Bismuth bronze has the same stats and availability as bronze, but costs more.

Thanks!   :D
Logged
The most EVIL creature in Dwarf Fortress!

Bumber

  • Bay Watcher
  • REMOVE KOBOLD
    • View Profile
Re: Best Militia Size?
« Reply #6 on: October 20, 2015, 05:55:51 am »

10 dwarf squad with 5 sets of 2 minimum train orders. You can manually choose which positions are together in order to group soldiers with the same kind of weapon for sparring.
Logged
Reading his name would trigger it. Thinking of him would trigger it. No other circumstances would trigger it- it was strictly related to the concept of Bill Clinton entering the conscious mind.

THE xTROLL FUR SOCKx RUSE WAS A........... DISTACTION        the carp HAVE the wagon

A wizard has turned you into a wagon. This was inevitable (Y/y)?