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[xana55]

Thread to ask veterans for there opinion on whatever an idea is a good idea or incredibly stupid.

All ideas are welcome even the obviously bad ones.

Give at least a good amount of details if you want answers.

First question:

Is it a good idea to arm the majority of the population if you have an excess of weapons?

[xana55]

Ignore this

[Swonnrr]

Thread to ask veterans for there opinion on whatever an idea is a good idea or incredibly stupid.

All ideas are welcome even the obviously bad ones.

Give at least a good amount of details if you want answers.

First question:

Is it a good idea to arm the majority of the population if you have an excess of weapons?

That is a incredibly stupid AND good idea.

On one side, your civilian will be able to defend themselves in case of an attack.
On the other side goblins and thieves (and maybe wild beasts) focus nearby military and run from civilians.

So you're turning your civilian into spiked shit-magnets. Who don't know how to use their spikes.
I would go for armoring them over arming them. At least you give them survivality bonus.

[CaptainArchmage]

Civilians will use crossbows to shoot enemies, so it may be a better idea to arm all your civilians with crossbows and wood or bone bolts. However, they will not flee in this scenario. You can armor them with the excess armor, if you have any.

[FrankMcFuzz]

Thread to ask veterans for their opinion on whatever an idea is a good idea or incredibly stupid.

You spelled dwarfly wrong.

[Urist McRas]

Civilians will use crossbows to shoot enemies, so it may be a better idea to arm all your civilians with crossbows and wood or bone bolts. However, they will not flee in this scenario. You can armor them with the excess armor, if you have any.

How do I arm civilians? Will they still work?

[BlackFlyme]

Civilians will use crossbows to shoot enemies, so it may be a better idea to arm all your civilians with crossbows and wood or bone bolts. However, they will not flee in this scenario. You can armor them with the excess armor, if you have any.

How do I arm civilians? Will they still work?

Two ways. One is to assign them all as hunters and the other is to assign them all to inactive marksdwarf squads. They will still work, though the hunters may wander off to hunt some random animal on the map, and the marksdwarves may train periodically.

They will take potshots at animals and invaders they see while running away, but cannot fire or reload and move at the same time, which can slow them down quite a bit. Reloading and firing speeds are tied to skill level, so dwarves with low skill will have a low rate of fire and a slow reload speed, and the enemy will have an easier time closing in. But if every dwarf has a decent skill and a decent crossbow they can potentially save the fort from attacks.

It would take an insane amount of bolts to arm everyone though. But if you take the time to have them train, and have an abundance of wood or bones, go for it.

[ShadowHammer]

Making the bolts can also double as mood manipulation fodder, to get all those fishery workers up to novice in weaponsmithng, if your ok with semi cheaty stuff like that.

[MasterShizzle]

Could you also make them woodcutters instead of hunters? Make a small mountain of copper axes to train your weaponsmith and then they'll arm themselves automatically. Or do woodcutters not use their axes in a fight?

[BlackFlyme]

Could you also make them woodcutters instead of hunters? Make a small mountain of copper axes to train your weaponsmith and then they'll arm themselves automatically. Or do woodcutters not use their axes in a fight?

They won't unless they are cornered in a way that gives them no other choice, such as being backed up against a wall or being completely surrounded. Same for miners, but miners get a bonus for using their picks since pick-axes use the mining skill to determine their combat proficiency, while woodcutting does nothing to increase the lethality of an axe.

[Merendel]

Personaly I dont tend to arm my civies unless I plan to make them train up to a decent skill so they can be drafted in a pinch.   I generaly want them to get away from danger not engage it.   Slaping armor on their hairy arses however, you really cant go wrong with that as long as you have enough for the military and you dont over burden them too much.

[☼!!Troll Fur Sock!!☼]

and you dont over burden them too much.

Dabbling armor users in full steel set can be pretty slow. And if they are hauling a rock... There is even risk of them dehydrating before they reach the workshop/stockpile.

[Duuvian]

I give them all crossbows. It's useful if they are harried by flying enemies while dwarfing around outside.

[Aslandus]

Would it be a good idea to chain animal people outside the fortress walls to distract invaders?

[madmario]

Civvies who are off duty but have a crossbow usually shoot and run when faced with a menace.  I've found it surprisingly helpful, actually, and occasionally hilarious.  A few times, but not many, one has gotten in a deathseeker snit even though he's off duty and just won't flee to the burrow no matter what. So I'm more careful about who I let wander outside, but everyone who does go outside tends to be safer on the whole.  Early game those 30 extra marksdwarfs have saved my skin.