What preparations and skills do you pick, and how would you suggest i improve my build for efficiency and such?
I won't answer what you should do, how you plan you build depends on what your play style is like and what you plan to do in the Fortress. I will tell you my build however and perhaps you can get some ideas on what to do with yours.
For Preparations in a new Neutral Embark, I'm thinking of building on my current build as follows for next time. I assume the some wood is available, though if there isn't I only adjust my build slightly to compensate for it - like reducing threads, cloth, leather, and gypsum plaster to 2 (4 for one that doubles as medical supplies):
- Dwarf 1 : Proficient Grower
Dwarf 2 : Proficient Carpenter & Proficient Bowyer
Dwarf 3 : Proficient Mason
Dwarf 4 : Proficient Stonecrafter
Dwarf 5 : Proficient Speardwarf & Proficient Shield User (or Proficient Armor User)
Dwarf 6 : Proficient Marksdwarf & Proficient Dodger
Dwarf 7 : Adequate Doctor Skills (5) - Copper Picks x4
Training Axe x1
Copper Spear x1
Quiver x1 - Gypsum Plaster x3
Wool Cloth x6
Wool Thread x6
Cave Spider Silk Cloth x3
Cave Spider Silk x3
Pig Tail Cloth x3
Pig Tail Thread x3
Leather x3
Rope x4
Bag x5 - Plump Helmet Spawn x20
Pig Tail Seed x5 - Dwarven Ale x30
Dwarven Beer x30
Dwarven Rum x30
Meat x20
Fish x20 - 1 Male Dog
2 Female Dog
1 Male Cat
1 Sow
1 Boar
Alternatively I might switch the Military Dwarf to us Swords instead of Spears and take a Copper Sword instead of a Copper Spear, drop the Training Axe (it isn't that hard to use wood from the Wagon to make one to cut wood with), drop the Boywer from the Carpenter and take a Copper Crossbow, drop one of the Female Dogs and add second Sow, and throw the remaining 5 leftover points into the Mason to give him Building Designer or give the Stonecrafter Appraiser or take 5 more seeds (lot you can do with 5 points).
Alternatively again, I could use War Hammers instead of Swords or Spears, giving me 15 excess points to play with.
So why do I think this Embark set up?
I like to have the Melee Military Dwarf and Ranged Military Dwarf for Early Defense. It's happened before that trying to go without a couple military Dwarves has resulted in 'instant fun'. Even in my recent let's play, going without weapons because I planned to make them and the picks resulted in 'fun' with Polar Bears. As such I'm not doing that sort of thing again.
It should be noted that for the Shield/Armor user swap, this is dependent on the wood available. My thinking is that if there is wood available or little metal, the Dwarf can be best served by the Carpenter quickly making him a Wooden Shield to defend the others.
I bring no Miners and 4 picks because in this version, Mining is regulated when you need to dig FAST in the beginning - like for an Evil Biome embark. However, the picks are useful in the long run since if I need to mine a lot of stuff at any point, I can just designate more miners from the Idler pool.
I use to bring Administrative skills but have since found them less then useful. I only bring skills for one noble, the Chief Medical Dwarf; the rest of the Nobles will come from Migrant waves.
I bring 1 Grower and give him no other skills since in the long run, he won't be Cooking or Brewing - Brewing in Particular has no quality so an unskilled Dwarf is as good as a skilled one in that regard - and multiple unskilled Dwarves are as good as one skilled one with regards to output and which also reduces the amount of idlers I usually eventually get.
I bring the Stonecrafter since I usually like Rock Pots in the beginning and he can go on to make Crafts, Toys, Mugs, or whatever else for trade afterwards.
The Mason and Carpenter come for the quality work - even if there are no trees I want a competent Carpenter to make nice beds for my Dwarves. The Mason of course is also important for designing much more.
For supplies I bring ample food and drink to last till Autumn when the Dwarf Caravan arrives, seeds to grow at Plump Helmets and one additional crop for Brewing initially. Personally I like Pig Tails since those eventually double for the clothing industry.
I bring a weapon for the Melee Dwarf and a quiver for the Marksdwarf, along with a few ropes and bags for wells, or other needed things. Rest of the supplies is dedicated to Strange Moods or the Hospital.