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[ildamos]

7%? 10%?

If memory serves, one of the guides made 4 soldiers when he had 60 or so dwarves but I'm not too sure.

[Rexfelum]

That seems like an odd guide to me.  Waiting until you have 60 dwarves to get a few soldiers?  That means this person had to wait for multiple immigration waves before bothering to defend the fort.  Even then, what sort of strategizing would be possible with four dwarves?  "Yes, I went overboard on making crossbow bolts, so I decided my new military should have two ranged units"?

If and when you need soldiers, you probably want more than four.  People vary widely in what number they consider "ideal," though.  I like to deal in absolutes, not percentages: a full squad of melee (ten dwarves), a full squad of ranged, and then more squads as equipment and dwarves become available.

--Rexfelum

[Gearheart]

1:3, for me.

[snelg]

Personally, it depends on how fast useless migrants trickle in. Though the actual amount is probably around 1:3 here as well. but it takes at least a year for most of them to get any equipment whatsoever.

If you don't have any military when the first large wave of migrants (arriving some time after the first caravan left usually) it's probably time to recruit a couple of them. If they're to get any training before the first ambushes start to show up. 

[celem]

I have a mixed ratio depending on the month. 

Generally only migrants with nothing good plus my starting axedwarf (i always embark with a warrior) make up the fulltime soldiers, this may be as low as 10-15%.

 Anyone not vital however (legendary in a useful field) makes up the home guard, they are always in squads on rotating schedules with 1 month on and two off, with orders to stay in uniform when not on duty.  This means that if you need a small response you call up the pros, if the Fun hits the fan you can mobilize 50% of your fortress....the home guard may not be carrying their weapons, but even if they dont have time to hit a weapons dump at least theyre armored, hauler/mason meatshields mainly, but get em in some reasonable armor and scatter weapons piles....pretty effective since they train occasionally and wont suck so hard

[Chocolatemilkgod]

I usually get underground right away and dig a basic moat, with a 3 tile entryway (Which i replace with a bridge later) and at these times I usaully have about 10%ish military just for protection. After I'm all set up though I usually have a military of between 20-35%, though it depends on what area you're on, and how much you hate love traps.

[Prepaid Lenin]

In the real world, the number is about 15%.

I usually end up with about 15% just because I rarely bother with more than one full melee squad with some marksdwarves to support.

[Zaik]

I do between 10% and 25%.

[darkflagrance]

I think it's not a ratio so much as a minimum necessary for adequate defense. I'd put this number at at least 10-15 dwarves, or two or three squads. In older versions, much less were necessary, and if you use the danger room you might be able to get away with 5 dwarves, though a bad run-in with archers will screw you over.

[Halnoth]

Depends on the area. For instance the last fort I had was in a serene biome surrounded by elves and the gobos were the entire continent away. I rarely got harrassed so my military sat at what I consider the minimum of 40 dwarves (rotating 4 month schedules 2 marks, 2 melee) Which for me during end game is around 12%.

The fort I am currently playing is a savage biome and I am surrounded by goblins and I embarked in the same region as a kobold cave. So I have 4 squads of 10 melee and 8 marks squads because I have constant sieges, ambushes, thieves, and dangerous wild life. That makes 120 dwarves which is 30% of my populace.

[Another]

In a terrifying biome about 50% of my 60 population is military by their primary occupation (they do civilian tasks in their time off). All civilians (except for the miners and woodcutters due to a possible bug) are ordered to always carry a melee weapon and a shield around.

[rephikul]

My haulers, mechanics, siege operators are all part time militias. About 20% - 75% of the fortress depending on how many dorfs I have total.