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[Psieye]

Thanks for the replies guys also great tip about the dogs Astrid, i was wondering the whole time how to deal with them thieves since they bypass nearly any trap, one question though about the dogs, since i usually take 2 wardogs with me when i embark, do they still reproduce when chained at the entrance, and are wardogs considered guard dogs, or will i  have to train guard dogs later in the game?

I actually tie up (or use pastures, now that they exist) any animal I have at hand for the job of scouting stealth units. This is why kittens are usually seen tied to chains at my front gates - easily replenished expendables.

[Jimmy]

There's two styles of using guard animals for prevention of thieves.

The first uses low value, easily replaced animals that will often get killed by the thief if attacked. However, they serve their purpose by revealing the thief, which runs away.

The second uses larger, more ferocious animals that have a fighting chance of winning against a thief. Unfortunately, they're seldom able to survive against a goblin ambush or worse, and since they'll be close to the entrance of your fort, they'll often die quickly when attacked in force.

Personally, my strategy is this:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[Xob Ludosmbax]

Just to be difficult, I use a third strategy.  An hunting animal behind glass window and a fortification.  The glass protects the animal against archers, and the fortification protects the glass against building destroyers.  It isn't 100% effective, but it does work quite often.  It tends to catch ambushes more than thieves.  Anything you can do to encourage pathing along the wall increases the effectiveness, as does putting two or three in a row and on both sides of the hallway. 

A bit further down I put the typical war animal on a chain on either side of the 3 wide hall to catch anything that slips through.  If I'm feeling ambitious, I'll put them in a 3x3 room on the level below the actual hallway with a retracting bridge over it.  That way I can pull a lever and protect them.

[Rutilant]

If I wasn't losing to tantrum spiral, I'd probably abandon too just to try and keep my survivors as historical figures.  I hear they tend to immigrate miserable right off the bat and continue being jerks unless they were happy when you abandoned though.

[Loud Whispers]

At this point I would suggest that a new player just start over.  You were only two years into the fort, start a new one.  There are many other things to learn that are more important and less tedious.  Loyalty cascades are relatively rare.

The only way to get good at Dwarf Fortress is to lose Dwarf Fortress. Abandoning because you're losing goes against the spirit.

I get the "Losing is Fun!" as a sort of joke/motivator, but if I know I'm going to lose, I'm going to abandon. There's no point in sitting there watching as my dwarfs die. I like my dwarfs. I don't maniacally laugh, I just get irritated. Still love this game though.

Abandoning during most Fortress destroying events automatically causes your Dwarves to die of starvation, no survivors. Playing on gives them a chance.

[omg_scout]

Wererhinos, eh... Why do I always get weregeckos, werebutterfrlies, weretortoises at best, and other players get all the badass animals?

[SharkForce]

Wererhinos, eh... Why do I always get weregeckos, werebutterfrlies, weretortoises at best, and other players get all the badass animals?

i would have thought were-animals of the lame kind would be a lot easier to transmit to the rest of your fortress though...

[Loud Whispers]

Wererhinos, eh... Why do I always get weregeckos, werebutterfrlies, weretortoises at best, and other players get all the badass animals?

Were-butterflies actually sound amazing, what with hostile creatures actually flying and all. You wouldn't want any Dwarves flying too high until the moon waxes though...

[sholden]

Just to be difficult, I use a third strategy.  An hunting animal behind glass window and a fortification.

That's what I do though s/hunting animal/vampire/.

[javierpwn]

Personally, my strategy is this:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I just edit my Raw's to make every domestic animal war trainable, so a swarm of war oxen charge at the enemy with war fowl, and cats in their ranks