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[mission0]

I would like to start patrols around my fortress so that I can catch some of the goblin ambushes before they catch my legendary axe/carpenter. However I would like to minimize potential losses, I was thinking of setting up small checkpoint areas with food and drink inside. As well with traps in the entrance.

[Albedo]

Good plan.

Is there a question here?

[mission0]

It was an implied one, basically any input from others that may save some lives.

[Albedo]

Check.

Rather than patrol, I use small archer towers with a network of underground tunnels.  When my haulers/miners/woodcutters are busy in an area, I man (dwarf) those towers.  These aren't high traffic, so usually are just 1-tile wide, fast enough to dig anywhere.

(I also have larger tunnels for caravan safety - into the tunnel asap, slam the atom smasher drawbridge behind them, traps and other fun for any gobbos who dodged in, all good.)

It's hard to have enough military to cover the entire board, even with a patrol, and one ambush can be several squads - 15 gobbos with bows just isn't safe no matter how a patrol is prepared.

I let dwarven land mines (see wiki, "trap design") do my "patrolling" for me.

[mission0]

Check.

Rather than patrol, I use small archer towers with a network of underground tunnels.  When my haulers/miners/woodcutters are busy in an area, I man (dwarf) those towers.  These aren't high traffic, so usually are just 1-tile wide, fast enough to dig anywhere.

(I also have larger tunnels for caravan safety - into the tunnel asap, slam the atom smasher drawbridge behind them, traps and other fun for any gobbos who dodged in, all good.)

It's hard to have enough military to cover the entire board, even with a patrol, and one ambush can be several squads - 15 gobbos with bows just isn't safe no matter how a patrol is prepared.

I let dwarven land mines (see wiki, "trap design") do my "patrolling" for me.

So sniper powers instead of patrols.

[Sweedumz]

To build a tower quickly and without the hassle of having to connect it up to your main base, you can just dig down at the location for some stone and use that to construct the tower. Stationing your snipers on top and locking the access door at the bottom will make it a formidable structure unless they have building destroyers. As you say, you may want to place ammo or other supplies inside. The basement you excavate will serve well in this. At a later stage, you can then simply connect the tower to your existing underground network.

The only remaining problem is Kobold thieves.

[Chromie]

I let dwarven land mines (see wiki, "trap design") do my "patrolling" for me.

If you don't want to completely wall off your 'courtyard' area, you could put up a 'broken' curtain wall a ways off with dogs/some-other-animals tied up at the openings, the animals will detect invaders and are easily replaceable if/when killed.

[Albedo]

So sniper powers instead of patrols.

If you want to be "safe", yes.  At least to start out (see bottom.)

You want to be "bigger" than the group you attack, right?  How big will that group be?... right - you have no fricken idea.  Might be a group of 5 wrestlers, might be a group of 8 archers, might be 5 groups together - no idea. Might even be a siege party, and then you're really up the vent without a bauxite canoe.

Worse, you, as a player, won't get any announcement until one of your dwarfs dies.  Fun fun fun.

For an airtight tower, dig a small channel outside the door and put a drawbridge over it - [BUILDING DESTROYER]]s can't get to the bridge, all good.  A few traps for when it is open, better and better.

The obvious drawback is deployment, and range - a marksdwarf shoots about 20 tiles less height diff (more or less, both reduce range), so a grid of towers about every 35-45 tiles are necessary (gobbos aren't smart, they won't sneak precisely between towers.)  But that's not actually that hard, not even on a 6x6 map - maybe 3 dozen towers should do it. 

Besides, ya gotta do something with all that dwarfpower.   

However, it's also true that a really burly dwarf, with a decent weapon*, fully layered *steel armor* (or better) and Legendary weapons and shield skill (Legendary Armor User just helps him move faster if his Strength is low, but he'll have ~some~ by then) can take out a squad of gobbos by themselves without breaking a sweat.  An entire siege if he's really worth his salt.

(* By the time he hits Legendary weapons skill, a successful hit with any weapon is either going to be an instant kill (to the torso or head) or take a limb off  on 99.9% of the creatures you meet. (Some megabeasts are the exception.)  Wood, steel, artifact adamantine - the actual weapon itself stops mattering when it's just overkill.)

[SquirrelWizard]

Another form of ambush deterant would be to create a roach motel

which is basically an animal (typically a dog) chained up in a small room built above ground, that is connected to the outside by a winding 1 square wide tunnel full of cage traps/weapon traps.

My understanding of ambushes is they start out stealthed, and then try to approach a target. If you spread out a couple of these roach motels near the edges of your map, there stands a high chance that they'll go for the dog.

The end result is the most of the gobbos get captured, which you can loot and prosti... er use for your own ends. Those that dont run away, and if by some freak of nature the dog gets killed, well the dog can easily be replaced.

this also acts as a speed bump for sieges. Should they decide to go after the dog, they lose a small force to cage traps, and again, the dog is expendible.

[Albedo]

which is basically an animal (typically a dog kitten)

fixed that.

My understanding of ambushes is they start out stealthed, and then try to approach a target...

Confirmed.  And become visible if they bump into (or w/in 2 tiles of?) any critter, including wild ones.

Those that dont run away...

There are ways to ensure that few can.  Use a pressure plate linked to the front door, and be inspired by any number of "Now you're all trapped!" caliber horror movies.

Dwarf Fortress meets Saw. Luverly.

(edit, fixed quotes)

[SquirrelWizard]

which is basically an animal (typically a dog kitten)

fixed that.

no you have the kittens set up in your final part of your base defense. 1 pressure plate linked to a cage full of kittens.

[Quietust]

which is basically an animal (typically a dog kitten)

fixed that.

What if said kitten decides to adopt an owner?

[Albedo]

You let cat lovers live?   

[Shadowex3]

which is basically an animal (typically a dog kitten)

fixed that.

What if said kitten decides to adopt an owner?

Draft and station him with his pet.

[Skorpion]

Only designate a few trees at once, and station the military next to him while he cuts them down.
Turn off wood hauling until you've got a decent stock, and set a few squads to guard the haulers while you blitz the felled trees. Maybe set up stockpiles out there, or dump zones to concentrate the wood hauling operations.

If you have magma available, you can pretty much swear off non-imported wood entirely. If you have an underground river or pool, you can swear off exterior wood totally.