About to breach hell for the first time! Well, technically my second - the first doesn't count due to an odd glitch that resulted in hell being completely empty. In any case, I thought it would be fun to post on the forums as it happens.
Now, I originally thought there was no way I'd ever play DF, so I spoilered myself like mad by reading the wiki, the forums, and the various "Let's Play" games out there. So I'm not going into this completely blind, even through it's my first attempt.
To keep this fun, I've decided to limit myself. No cave-ins, obsidian traps, checkerboards, webbed cage traps, etc. I've also limited myself to 'normal' training only - sparring and executing prisoners. No danger rooms. Between this and various casualties, my squads are a mix of skilled warriors and fresh recruits, with a handful of legendaries. The exception is my marksdwarves, which are almost all legendary.
I've got the following preparations:
1. 40 soldiers, out of a fortress population of 103. All are carrying masterwork steel weapons and armor, except for the six with silver hammers. The number would be higher, but I've had an odd problem with my soldiers going insane due to nakedness, despite the fact that I'm drowning in fresh-made masterwork clothing and their fellow soldiers (in the same squad!) don't have any problems.
2. An absurdly long corridor leading into the side of an adamantite spire.
3. A set of three masterwork ballistae behind fortifications at the end of the corridor, manned by three legendary siege operators.
4. A stack of 100 steel-tipped ballistae bolts.
5. Halfway through the ballista corridor, there is a small alcove. The alcove contains a cage stuffed full of my entire population of War Dogs.
6. At the end of the corridor, the path takes a small jog to the side. There, a series of small corridors provide entry into a room that will be stuffed full of my melee dwarves.
7. Inside the melee room, there is a cage stuffed full of war lions.
8. Behind and above the melee room, there are a pair of fortified firing positions stockpiled with high-quality silver bolts.
9. Everything is sealed in - walls and floors have been used to ensure the only way into the fortress from below is through the defenses.
10. A water trough is placed between the defensive line and the fortress itself.
The plan:
1. Soldiers are ordered into the melee room and the archery posts. The doors are locked behind them. Siege operators are locked in with their ballistae.
2. Urist McExpendable is given a copper pick and told to dig through the spire. If I'm feeling nice, I'll make him a mason and have him try to wall himself into a little alcove once hell is breached.
3. The demons pour into the only path out of the spire - the ballista corridor. Siege operators open fire, hopefully thinning the horde.
4. Once the demons hit the halfway point, the dogpocalyse cage is unleashed. The dogs aren't expected to accomplish much, but they might take out some of the weaker demons. More importantly, they will delay the horde in the ballista corridor while the siege operators continue to fire.
5. The remaining demons enter the melee room. The entrance to the room is split into a series of narrow corridors, hopefully keeping the press of numbers to a reasonable level. The dwarven militia engages.
6. The lion cage is opened. Lions pack a bit more punch than dogs, but their main purpose here is to get in the demons' way. Every attack directed at a lion is an attack that isn't directed at a dwarf, and their bite attack is strong enough that they can still do some serious harm if the demons ignore them.
7. The whole time this is happening, archers will be raining bolts into the fray.
8. Toxins and such will be taken care of when the survivors walk through the water trough on the way out.
I just had a goblin siege, so I should be free from any distractions for a while. I'm preparing the breach now - preparations should take about 15 minutes.
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Topic: (SPOILERS) Into The Breach! (Read 8422 times)