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[Dark_Author]

Whenever goblin snatchers or kabold thieves turn up around my fortress, I send my military to attack them.  As soon as I do, they run away and leave the map before my dwarves can reach them.  Is there anything I can do about this?  It seems weird that they psychically know my military is on its way.

[ScegfOd]

they automatically start running when someone spots them...
oh i almost forgot, to kill them you might want to have crossbow dwarves on duty at your fort entrance(s)

[Witty]

Well, they don't. Once a snatcher or a thief gets spotted, they'll always beeline to the nearest map edge to escape.

In lieu of traps, I just pasture a few dozen hunting and war dogs at my fort entrance. No real maintenance, self-replacing and can really make a difference in large numbers. Hunting dogs aren't as strong as war dogs, but they are faster. I've found that a pack of hunting dogs can slow down a snatcher long enough for the war dogs to catch up and finish the job.

[greycat]

Hunting dogs aren't as strong as war dogs, but they are faster.

As far as I know, neither hunting nor war training increases an animal's strength or speed.  Hunting dogs are able to "move stealthily" with their hunter-dwarf companions, and war dogs are aggressive (they will pursue and attack enemies instead of running away).

[Dark_Author]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!

[Panando]

Inactive marksdwarves will cheerfully mow down thieves. Since I normally have at least 5 squads of inactive marksdwarves, snatchers and thieves fare VERY poorly in my fortresses.

[ELF-rhymer]

Been there, done that.

I have had a bunch of marksdwarves in a building with fortified walls right near the entrance to deal with anyone intruding the fortress.
The building was connected underground with fortress itself and had a raising bridges in front of each fortified wall to protect from enemy fire resulting in a very efficient bunker.
Additional plus of such bunker is when you raise your bridges, you can try and lower them right at time to atomsmash anyone who will happen to beside the bunker. However, watch out in a peaceful times of caravans arriving not to atomsmash a couple of guards or elven liaison... Happens...

[Victor6]

I'm not 100% sure that this works (having never tried it personally), but I can remember someone applying the 'loony tunes' principle to combat thieves.

Basically it boils down to dumping anvils onto the top of forbidden doors that lead to a bait artifact. Kobold thieves make a beeline for expensive treasure, open the door, and get an anvil to the head.

[Kaos]

create wooden/bone crossbows for every dwarf
create enough wooden/bone bolts
create quivers for every dwarf
create a "militia" uniform consisting of a crossbow and bolts
create "militia" squads so every single dwarf in your fort is in a squad, and set it up to keep their "uniforms" when in "civilian" clothes
assign the "militia uniform" to all the "militia squads"


basically you'll have every adult dwarf in your fort carry an armed crossbow, even when they are in civilian clothes doing civilian tasks, if a thief is spotted they'll end up like a pin-cushion getting bolts from every direction...

[Olix]

basically you'll have every adult dwarf in your fort carry an armed crossbow, even when they are in civilian clothes doing civilian tasks, if a thief is spotted they'll end up like a pin-cushion getting bolts from every direction...

It sure it lucky that there is no friendly fire in the current version. When Toady finally changes this, such a strategy would get very messy very fast.

[Kaos]

basically you'll have every adult dwarf in your fort carry an armed crossbow, even when they are in civilian clothes doing civilian tasks, if a thief is spotted they'll end up like a pin-cushion getting bolts from every direction...

It sure it luckysad that there is no friendly fire in the current version. When Toady finally changes this, such a strategy would get very messyfun very fast.

FTFY