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[Man of Paper]

I was thinking of having my barracks separate from my fortress. I'd need an area of flat ground outside the fortress (and on the same z-level, naturally). I'd be digging out the z-level underneath the ground and sprinkle stairways capped with floor hatches throughout it. It would let me shut down my fortress while having a fully mobile military who could appear quickly anywhere on the level of the fortress entrance.

Any thoughts, ideas, or improvements? Has this been done before, and did it work?

[Arbitrax]

I tend to keep my barracks near to my fortress entrance, so that they can respond quickly to invaders.  However, it isn't strictly necessary, because once you have a few squads of at least (or in my opinion at most) 2 or 3 dwarves, you can simply rotate them between stationing at the entrance, training and time off (if you want)

[Man of Paper]

Time off? What are we, elves?

[Skelodwarf]

I haven't done what you say, persay, but what I'm currently working on is similar.

It's a large spiral ramp down to the fortress, spiraling around a channeled out pit. Theres a 2 Z-level tower in the middle of the pit, which I'm gonna have some Marksdwarves in, to shoot at the goblins before they actually make it into the fort, and the only way into the tower is through the Barracks, halfway through the fort.

I'm using strategy!

Skelodwarf has cancelled strategize, getting a drink.

[Man of Paper]

You know, that gave me an idea. I'm going to train most of them as marksdwarves and use the holes like the Japanese did in WW II, pop up out of nowhere and shoot. Then bring out my two or three melee dwarves to cut down anyone who wasn't a pincushion.
Yay, tacticians!

It's a shame that fear and morale don't factor in.

[Gnauga]

If you knock out enough gobbos, they run for their mommies like the green-skinned cowards they are. Still, if there were some gradient of fear, that would be dandy.

[Arbitrax]

And then using wardrums, banners and battle dirges to increase dwarven morale? OH GOD YES.

Slightly more OT:

Expanding the "Pillbox" idea, if you were to capture a giant cave spider, would it web gobbos to slow them down if you sealed it in a room with fortifications?  How about Dragonfire?  I-

Arbitrax cancels post: !!Science!!

[Urist McKing]

Better yet. Hidden magma cannons. Oh god yes.

[Hyndis]

The entrance to my fortress is always through the barracks. Always. No exceptions. This has the side effect of making my fortress immune to thieves and ambushes, as the first dwarf they attack will always be one wearing full masterwork steel plate armor.

[Urist Imiknorris]

Better yet. Hidden magma cannons. Oh god yes.

Hatches over pressurized magma. Lever-linked and magma-safe for control, or just locked for building destroyers.

[Xenos]

how about locked and lever linked and magma safe?

I like the whole, "spiral ramp with shooty spots the entire time then fight through the barracks, back up stairs through shooty spots full of traps out the wazoo then finally hitting the workshops/residential areas" idea.  Also, make the caverns follow the same route into the fort