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[Findulidas]

In my standard complete forts I usually have 2-3 squads of axedwarves (because a dwarf should have an axe not a sword) or blunt weapon if I feel like it. I have one straight way into my fort filled with traps (usually loads of cage traps and atleast 5-6 rows of serrated traps after), often one or more bridges with a pitfall 20z+ levels under (to kill or seriously injure most things). Also if I can get a hold of a cave crocodile or some other large animal I usually have one of those near the end of the pitfall, to kill off the few survivors when I get to good stuff in it. At the end of the traps I have dogs around the entrances to my fort to stop those weak kobolds walking over everything and getting in.

Then I have one maze long snaky road which always has 3x3 dirt road directly leading to the trade depot after all the traps, this road is just to enable the caravans to get to my depot on thier own road without having to move over all the traps. Its snaky and mazy because only trade caravans unable to walk over traps take that path. (one bridge at the end to ensure that no one takes that road which isnt supposed to) I usually first put up the dirt roads to keep growth off the road then go to stone roads to make it permanently so.

In addition I usually have two marksdwarf squads. Lately Ive been skipping them because they require so much stuff to set up and I have never had anything get over my series of traps that dogs couldnt handle. More time to mass forge gold crafts.

[Naryar]

I do believe the best soldier overall is a marksdwarf/miner/hammerdwarf armed with a masterwork copper crossbow, and a masterwork steel pick. Steel mail shirt, copper shield, and any rigid armor should be steel or adamantine.

I mean, sure there's the problem of the masterwork copper crossbow being somewhat poor overall in melee, but the masterwork steel pick should fix that.

It's a lot of work and training to do, as well as a lot of skills to bring to legendary, but hey, training Magikarp up to level 20 isn't easy either.

I shall test that theory.

[Tevish Szat]

Early Game: Single raising bridge across the entrance, allowing me to turtle
Middle Game: A squad with at least partial armor, maybe a cluster of cage traps near the entrance.  (and some 10x serrated green glass disc weapon traps lately)
Late game: Switchback trail goblins can be forced onto, creating a "Gatehouse" where they walk over 60+ 10x Serrated Green Glass Disc Weapon Traps.  Military ready in the courtyard for anything that makes it through in one piece.  OR no traps, but 40+ Iron-or-Steel-armored lord-level military dwarves.

I've been toying with advanced trap design like the "Goblin Grinder", but I'll either have to alter my Depot strategy (and maybe mod elves to bring some guards.  They may be wood armed pansies, but they can fend for themselves) or rely on flicking a lever to close off wagon access when the gobbos come.  I already do that for the switchback gatehouse, but that's a real late end build.

[Lich180]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Thats the current defense setup I've got going. Floodable depot, control over how many pumps fill it, drain, and the pathway east and west leads to an access ramp that is covered by retracting bridges, and the whole pathway is sealed. Its made of green glass now, instead of obsidian, and I figure that any enemy that is fast enough to get into the fort proper is worthy of fighting with military might.

Everything else will burn.

I've used mine cart grinders and trap corridors before, but nothing quite matches the power of pumping magma onto your enemies guests heads and watching them melt through the glass walls.

[edgefigaro]

Mobilize the militia. Rabble charge the enemy. Take heavy losses. Wait for migrants. Build more coffins. That about sums it up.

[Thermi]

1. Marksdwarves killzone in front of the fort with pitfalls around the way to my fort, ballista equiped towers with marksdwarves on top, protected by fortification.
2. Marksdwarves killzone in front of the drawbridge with pitfalls and weapon/cage traps.
3. Drawbridge
4. War Dogs against thieves
5. 1 Hammerdwarves squad, 1 sworddwarves squad, 1 speardwarves squad and 2 marksdwarves squad.

[VATAV]

Currently in the process of beating a undead siege that got up to 687 undead and 5 necromancers.
Down too 399 undead and no necromancers in sight.

Entrance:

Some raising bridges on a lever with repeat on Pull. Had puppies tied at the other end to serve as a distraction so my miner can make it to safety before I started the lever pulling. Miner also had 9 War dogs to serve as meat shields.

Second floor:

Have a 3x3 grid of weapon traps with 10 Spiked balls each, serve as a road block to stop any undead to give me time to close the Trade Depot. Also more Bridges connected to the repeating lever. The chamber design was for a water drowning camber that didn't get finished because of the 687 undead siege that came in. Breaching the river would of risked the fort.

[Remuthra]

Don't have any completed screenshots on me, but needless to say, long entrance hallway entirely overlooked by protected balcony for marksdwarves.
I can fit hundreds up there.

[Aviator CJ]

A winding dodge-em pathway over a 30 z-level drop, with cage traps, 10x steel disc traps and repeating retracting 10x steel menacing spike traps. The whole thing alongside a fortification wall, behind which I occasionally put my marksdwarves. The furthest any invading army has gotten is a little past the halfway point. When not being attacked, the gaps through which the bad guys fall are covered over by retracting bridges, and the spikes are locked in the retracted position, leaving a 3-wide path for wagons.

[Jalen]

No gate, no barricade, no traps, just 2-3 legendary hammerdwarves with masterwork steel hammers\armor.

[jellsprout]

I have several alternatives, depending on how exploity I feel or what resources the map has:

-Glass Serrated Discs. Requires only a glassmaker and mechanic to produce, though it is advisable to use your peasants to gather the sand instead of the glassmaker. Not as powerful as metal traps, but the sheer volume more than makes up for it.
-Masterwork Steel Giant Axe Blades. Making an Giant Axe Blade only requires one bar of metal, but smelting it down provides 1.5 bars. Mass produce Steel Giant Axe Blades, smelt down the lower quality ones and build the high quality ones into traps.
-Dodge Traps. Nice and simple.
-Atom Smasher if I don't care about saving their equipment.
-Military. Might be danger room'd, might not be. The metal used to produce the equipment can come from caravans, invaders, mining or coin/chain leggings/Giant Axe Blade smelting.
-Crossbows for everyone. Have a few dwarves hunt to build up their skills and produce bone, have everyone else going about their daily activities, but with crossbows. If a hunter becomes legendary, replace him with a new dwarf to build up skills.

[kyle902]

I have bunkers all around my walled in fort made of fortifications. Then I have ballistae inside the fortress. The bunkers have 1 ballista each and 1 squad of marksdwarves.

Then I have a last line of defense. A simple line of traps with a few shock trooper miners to clear the remnants.




Managed to kill this.

[Mushroo]

An easy exploit is that the goblin AI is stupid; they will take the shortest path, almost always. So have a long, untrapped, 3-wide path for the caravan, and then a 1 tile wide "shortcut" over a big drop with lots of weapon traps. The goblins will inevitably go through the shortcut and get mangled by the traps, while the caravans go the long way around.

[Maxmurder]

All able body adult migrants are issued a hardhat (metal cap) and a crossbow upon arrival; Any who have military skills go into professional squads. Having all civilians armed with a crossbow gives them a way to defend themselves in case of an ambush or unexpected attack. Off duty marksdwarves will fire at enemies while fleeing. This is my favorite defense strategy once i have the resources for it.

[Mushroo]

Hunters are a great way to train legendary marksdwarves with zero micromanagement (and the side benefit of providing your fort with ample meat, bone, and leather). Once they reach legendary, I permanently retire them as hunters and make them into archer squad captains.