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[Taren]

All these follow the same theme, pick the one or ones you like best perhaps.

A Standard Bearer for our proud forts.

Bonus when he's alive in combat, negative thought if he dies. He follows the leader of a squad and holds a battle standard. To make it easy have the weapon as a spear, unless you wanted a unique one like a polearm. Easier to have one per fort like a noble or maybe one per squad if you wanted.

An idea to make standards more useful at lower levels, not to use them in combat, but as a passive morale booster. Each militia squad, or the militia as a whole, has it's own banner, which is displayed somewhere in the fortress (preferably somewhere where the militia members see it frequently), which is updated as the troops win fights in the fort, such as repelling goblin sieges or megabeasts. Seeing it will give them a happy thought and give them slightly more performance in battle.
Once toady gets to actual mobile armies, then they can take the banner with them when they go to war, and we'll get other effects, but this might be a good use for it for things as they are now.

Inspiring Ale! A Feast? A day dedicated to a Dwarf?

At the Tavern? A dwarf is rewarded with a barrel of the best ale if he kills the target you set. You can set one target at once only every year and it will become a focus for all nearby dwarfs. Can be swapped with feasts in the dwarves honor, providing large happiness boosts. A day dedicated to a particular dwarf, making him famous for a season, or a year, and more likely to marry etc .

It might even be that you have a season dedicated to a particular dwarf? Or every ten years a celebration is held perhaps, depends on the level you want to set this to.

A Dwarven Battle Herald.

Blows a horn or beats a drum to rally the troops, inspires them or sends them into even more of a frenzy, giving them increased attack but decreased defense, or just giving them a boost when the odds are against them. VS Megabeasts, Titans etc.

[XXSockXX]

While I would like to have more appointable positions, I find the idea of morale boosts from standards or horns really unappealing. A lot of games have something like that and it's really unrealistic; it makes me think of the Total War games where many mods made a point to take this stuff out.
The DF combat system tries to be rather realistic and dwarfs have martial trances already. Drums and horns may get you pumped before a battle, but when your comrades get slaughtered by a titan you probably could not care less about the background music. Same goes for losing a standard or flag, they were useful for orientation in huge battles (not DF-like skirmishes), but in real combat symbols of honour are more of an afterthought.

[Taren]

While I would like to have more appointable positions, I find the idea of morale boosts from standards or horns really unappealing. A lot of games have something like that and it's really unrealistic; it makes me think of the Total War games where many mods made a point to take this stuff out.
The DF combat system tries to be rather realistic and dwarfs have martial trances already. Drums and horns may get you pumped before a battle, but when your comrades get slaughtered by a titan you probably could not care less about the background music. Same goes for losing a standard or flag, they were useful for orientation in huge battles (not DF-like skirmishes), but in real combat symbols of honour are more of an afterthought.

Its good to know which you prefer or don't like but actually you are very wrong on the realism side.

War drums and music in battle were in constant use and effect during many battles in the early eras. Early on they were used by tribes or chiefs would use them for the fear or shock effect and in later battles used to organise troops. Rome and Greece both used horns, drums and various other instruments in war. I was suggesting more for the fear factor rather than precision, war cries and such (vocals) , but both could be applied.

Earlier eras
http://www.historynet.com/the-music-of-war.htm

A specific battle account as an example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Carrhae

53 BC:
'The Parthians went to great lengths to intimidate the Romans. First they beat a great number of hollow drums and the Roman troops were unsettled by the loud and cacophonous noise. Surena then ordered his cataphracts to cover their armor in cloths and advance.'

Post 14th Century:
http://www.mediahistory.umn.edu/archive/wardrums.html

Only in the medieval period did this practice lag really, they even use psychological sound warfare now but on a lower key scale. If you are aiming for pure realism, I think sound realistically works best as an initial bonus that when you enter the thick of it can wear off. I'd love to see goblin drummers or a horn blast just before they came in the front door, but now I am somewhat off topic

[XXSockXX]

I'm aware of the historical use. I would just argue that this is not that relevant to DF as long as we don't have epic battles, but rather 50 vs 80 skirmishes.
As I said, it made me think of some of the more goofy elements in some strategy games, where you could get invincible armies out of a few morale boosting units. (If you're familiar with that, I could not play vanilla Rome:Total War anymore after discovering the Europa Barbarorum mod.)
But good to know you put some thought into this, in the end it's all a matter of balance.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Once we get battles of hundreds on hundreds, this would make sense. Until then, it's like using nukes in a skirmish: Out of place.

[Taren]

While I don't agree with what is posted above, a horn or a drum is a horn or a drum, whether you're with 50, 10 or a thousand people. I'd argue its much less useful in huge numbers as you have to generate much more sound.

Is that a no to the celebration in the dwarves honor too? Quite keen on new ways to interact with the dwarves, and things to make them stand out or unique. Never found the parties helpful or useful, that addition might change it.

[XXSockXX]

Is that a no to the celebration in the dwarves honor too? Quite keen on new ways to interact with the dwarves, and things to make them stand out or unique. Never found the parties helpful or useful, that addition might change it.

No no, that seems like a good idea. I only complain about stuff I don't like. 

[aka010101]

An idea to make standards more useful at lower levels, not to use them in combat, but as a passive morale booster. Each militia squad, or the militia as a whole, has it's own banner, which is displayed somewhere in the fortress (preferably somewhere where the militia members see it frequently), which is updated as the troops win fights in the fort, such as repelling goblin sieges or megabeasts. Seeing it will give them a happy thought and give them slightly more performance in battle.
Once toady gets to actual mobile armies, then they can take the banner with them when they go to war, and we'll get other effects, but this might be a good use for it for things as they are now.

[GreatWyrmGold]

While I don't agree with what is posted above, a horn or a drum is a horn or a drum, whether you're with 50, 10 or a thousand people. I'd argue its much less useful in huge numbers as you have to generate much more sound.

You don't really need that much coordination in such small numbers. Maybe it could be useful at the upper end of dwarven battles as they are now, but not before then; therefore, waiting until epic battles are properly in makes sense.

Is that a no to the celebration in the dwarves honor too? Quite keen on new ways to interact with the dwarves, and things to make them stand out or unique. Never found the parties helpful or useful, that addition might change it.

No, not against that. I just don't see the point in addding battle coordination when battles have the total soldiers often not breaking into triple digits. Besides, how would this impact civilian life?

An idea to make standards more useful at lower levels, not to use them in combat, but as a passive morale booster. Each militia squad, or the militia as a whole, has it's own banner, which is displayed somewhere in the fortress (preferably somewhere where the militia members see it frequently), which is updated as the troops win fights in the fort, such as repelling goblin sieges or megabeasts. Seeing it will give them a happy thought and give them slightly more performance in battle.
Once toady gets to actual mobile armies, then they can take the banner with them when they go to war, and we'll get other effects, but this might be a good use for it for things as they are now.

Could work. Fits in with other methods used to improve morale at the moment.

[Taren]

An idea to make standards more useful at lower levels, not to use them in combat, but as a passive morale booster. Each militia squad, or the militia as a whole, has it's own banner, which is displayed somewhere in the fortress (preferably somewhere where the militia members see it frequently), which is updated as the troops win fights in the fort, such as repelling goblin sieges or megabeasts. Seeing it will give them a happy thought and give them slightly more performance in battle.
Once toady gets to actual mobile armies, then they can take the banner with them when they go to war, and we'll get other effects, but this might be a good use for it for things as they are now.

I like this a lot more. As we can decorate the banner with their kills, make trophies for them etc. Nice idea. Gives them prestige, which increases moral?

While I don't agree with what is posted above, a horn or a drum is a horn or a drum, whether you're with 50, 10 or a thousand people. I'd argue its much less useful in huge numbers as you have to generate much more sound.

You don't really need that much coordination in such small numbers. Maybe it could be useful at the upper end of dwarven battles as they are now, but not before then; therefore, waiting until epic battles are properly in makes sense.

While most of that idea was to cause fear or inspire moral at the onset of combat, giving the musician skill some worth  - True you don't need organisation. But put 10 organised people together and 10 disorganised people together and see which will win most of the time in a skirmish. Though I don't really see dwarves and organised going together well, but dwarves and a good blast on the horn as they charge into conflict... hmm that I can see.

I don't really see dwarves doing things like this and lining up for example, that's them crazy humans again, land madness I tell you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmNzKcd71No

But again straying off topic , still a suggestion I suppose, would be to save the lines and such for the humans.

[GreatWyrmGold]

In small-scale conflicts, organization is at best a minor advantage. It's probably not worth using a dwarf for standard-bearing or drumming, especially given the morale drop from said dwarf dying.

[XXSockXX]

Also having one or two dwarfs in a squad of 10 not fighting 100% seems like a waste. Few players have a military bigger than 60 and many new players seem to have trouble getting started with the military as it is.
We will get huge off-fort battles at some point, with possibly hundreds of participants, and though I have no idea how this is going to be handled, I can definitely see standards and war drums playing a role in that. Also Officers, which are already in the game, but don't do anything at the moment, even if you get them. (AFAIK there is no way to get a Captain or Lieutenant in world gen and Generals can only migrate to your fort if married to the monarch.)

[Taren]

Also having one or two dwarfs in a squad of 10 not fighting 100% seems like a waste. Few players have a military bigger than 60 and many new players seem to have trouble getting started with the military as it is.
We will get huge off-fort battles at some point, with possibly hundreds of participants, and though I have no idea how this is going to be handled, I can definitely see standards and war drums playing a role in that. Also Officers, which are already in the game, but don't do anything at the moment, even if you get them. (AFAIK there is no way to get a Captain or Lieutenant in world gen and Generals can only migrate to your fort if married to the monarch.)

Very true, so why have them not fighting? In any size battle, 10 or 100. Horns can be used then put down or clipped to the belt, backpack etc. Some instruments or battle standards can even be used -as- weapons, polearms, hammers etc, I quite like the idea of horns that act as small dagger weapons or blunt weapons on their underside, seems economical. If not most instruments can be held in one hand for example, allowing a sword or axe to be used and the instrument to be used as a weak shield.

I don't think it likely even in the civil war times that if someone playing the drums was engaged, they would sit there playing the drums while being hacked to bits.

In small-scale conflicts, organization is at best a minor advantage.

I don't think any military trained personnel alive would agree with this statement I cannot either.

-edit

Though i've repeated many times above, less about organisation, more about moral or shock value. Even if its just something goblin raiders employ as they attack.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Also having one or two dwarfs in a squad of 10 not fighting 100% seems like a waste. Few players have a military bigger than 60 and many new players seem to have trouble getting started with the military as it is.
We will get huge off-fort battles at some point, with possibly hundreds of participants, and though I have no idea how this is going to be handled, I can definitely see standards and war drums playing a role in that. Also Officers, which are already in the game, but don't do anything at the moment, even if you get them. (AFAIK there is no way to get a Captain or Lieutenant in world gen and Generals can only migrate to your fort if married to the monarch.)

Very true, so why have them not fighting? In any size battle, 10 or 100. Horns can be used then put down or clipped to the belt, backpack etc. Some instruments or battle standards can even be used -as- weapons, polearms, hammers etc, I quite like the idea of horns that act as small dagger weapons or blunt weapons on their underside, seems economical. If not most instruments can be held in one hand for example, allowing a sword or axe to be used and the instrument to be used as a weak shield.

I don't think it likely even in the civil war times that if someone playing the drums was engaged, they would sit there playing the drums while being hacked to bits.

First off, how do you fight while drumming? Second off, when a group gets large enough, organization is worth a fraction of a percent of your forces.

In small-scale conflicts, organization is at best a minor advantage.

I don't think any military trained personnel alive would agree with this statement I cannot either.

Okay, poorly-phrased.
In conflicts of a few dozen people, almost no advantage can be derived from having a drummer or standard-bearer or something.

Though i've repeated many times above, less about organisation, more about moral or shock value. Even if its just something goblin raiders employ as they attack.

Yes, flags are so scary...
I can easily imagine scarier things goblins could have than standards and drums. Like dead babies, or fire, or goblins.

[weenog]

If realism is a defense of this idea, why is it being ignored that realistically, morale and other attitude conditions don't translates to bonuses and penalties; that even simple musical instruments are precision tools that have no business nor value being employed as a shield; and that many skills are useless, or at least have no application relevant to the operation and defense of a fortress, and to insist they be useful just because they're there is the height of unrealistic gameyness?