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Author Topic: Learning about guard captain, the hard way..  (Read 4662 times)

dwarf_reform

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Learning about guard captain, the hard way..
« on: October 09, 2014, 11:23:24 pm »

I was under the impression that the guard captain just headed up a second squad of soldiers and was supposed to be a couple notches mo' fancy than the others.. When reading "captain of the guard" I didn't envision a heretic-hunting hyper-fanatic Guardsman with a capital G.. I never appoint a sheriff, and have also ignored guard captain til now..

Attempting to shape up a real fully lethal military this round, though, and I appointed an expert level macedwarf migrant (fully equipped with masterwork mace) from my first squad into the role of guard captain.. He'd obliterated three dwarves, two of which were legendary craftsmen, before I knew what was happening..

THEN I went to read the wiki.. ;) At this point the only "criminal" left alive was Sarvesh, my first master engraver, and a dwarf I'd been keeping an eye on over time.. He offended the mayor (now baroness) ages ago over a goblet or scepter mandate and the baroness has kept a complaint posted on it in her mood description (upset by some undelivered punishment)..

Now that the guard captain has arrived justice will be delivered! Sarvesh, our final felon, is laid up in the hospital with a fractured left ankle and foot, except the 'Wounds' menu shows that its more than that.. Looks like multiple breaks and definitely multiple infections, despite the emu soap.. Looking through his treatment log he's has an average of 5 procedures a day (including cleanings) for a month and a half now..

And now, because I noobed up and appointed a guard captain I didn't need, three dwarves are dead. Once I noticed that dwarven justice was being served up by our dear captain I booted him (and his shiny steel mace) in favor of a skill-less peasant whom I eventually equipped with just a steel helm and a tower-cap blowgun (going to see if he'll beat people with it, naturally..) The next problem was appointing a hammerer and axedwarf into the guard captain's squad, again not realizing that his whole crew dishes out "justice" right along with him..

Now, with Sarvesh laid up in the hospital with a volcanic/weeping/stinking foot, unconscious, our blowgun equipped captain is spamming me with "Kulet Uddarrisen, captain of the guard cancels Beat Criminal: Invalid officer." while standing by Sarvesh's hospital bed.. Occasionally he'll leave and store an item or two in a stockpile, but he always comes back.. He also follows him to the traction bench when the doctors move him..

If he gets out of bed at all I want him back to engraving crap, not getting caned with a blowgun until his punisher passes out.. Dwarven justice, why!?

As a side note, I've got a prison being set up, gold used anywhere it can be, but I'm not so sure I want the law man around at all.. If I kill him will his position be auto-filled? I don't care much about bad feelings, either, since the original captain and his goons mowed down those 3 dwarves right in the middle of the dining hall in front of the entire fort :> I could send him into the caverns to spend time with that scorpion FB..
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Trollhammaren

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Re: Learning about guard captain, the hard way..
« Reply #1 on: October 09, 2014, 11:41:21 pm »

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Suffer not the mandate-breaker to live.
« Last Edit: October 09, 2014, 11:46:22 pm by Trollhammaren »
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Max™

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Re: Learning about guard captain, the hard way..
« Reply #2 on: October 10, 2014, 12:08:13 am »

I had that in a community fort, couple of the military showed up starved/dehydrated to death locked in rooms.

Realied what I had read as "Militia Captain" was actually "Captain of the Guard" and having people locked up/beaten... that's enough of that.
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SlyStalker

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Re: Learning about guard captain, the hard way..
« Reply #3 on: October 10, 2014, 12:39:50 am »

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Suffer not the mandate-breaker to live.
Grim Hammers  :'(
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LordUbik

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Re: Learning about guard captain, the hard way..
« Reply #4 on: October 10, 2014, 04:54:19 am »

Yeah, dwarven justice can be pretty !funny! sometimes!
i usually give my guards light crossbows, so they can "hammer" and deliver justice without killing too many dwarves bashing them, and this makes them useful against enemies too.
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wuphonsreach

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Re: Learning about guard captain, the hard way..
« Reply #5 on: October 10, 2014, 09:00:59 am »

Rule #1 - Before appointing a captain of the guard, make sure you have enough jail cells.

Count up the outstanding crimes that have not been punished yet, multiply by two, place at least that number of restraints (chains) and mark them for use by justice.

The CotG will not resort to beatings if there are enough jail cells to use.
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NullForceOmega

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Re: Learning about guard captain, the hard way..
« Reply #6 on: October 10, 2014, 09:28:56 am »

I'm not sure about 40 and beyond, but in 34 and 31 if you allowed the crimes to go unpunished for too long they are upgraded to hammerings anyway.
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Wumpi

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Re: Learning about guard captain, the hard way..
« Reply #7 on: October 10, 2014, 01:24:38 pm »

I find the image of a scrawny peasent dwarf with a cane standing over an unconcious dwarf in the hospital very amusing. "Doc, is he better yet?!" as he slaps his palm with the cane.

I find dwarven justice to be very handy. If your officers are too mighty, they tend to cause a LOT of injuries, and sometimes deaths. as your fort gets bigger, having 4-5 officers and twice as many cells can put a stop to tantrum spirals fairly quickly. When a dwarf causes a lot of disruption, they tend to get a vicious beating, a trip to the hospital, followed by a lengthy prison sentence. My last dwarf to tantrum due to being pantless got almost 3 years in prison, by which point everyone including him was over the bad thoughts that caused and resulted from the tantrum.
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dwarf_reform

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Re: Learning about guard captain, the hard way..
« Reply #8 on: October 10, 2014, 03:27:24 pm »

Hmm hmm hmm.. Thanks for all the responses! Haven't played since last night but last I saw the blowgun-punisher finally left the hospital and went about normal life, no punishment issued yet (and no potential hilarity from a blowgun beating).. I'll have the jail enabled before he leaves (if he leaves..) the hospital..

You can set cages for justice as well? Curious which is more dwarf-friendly between cages and chains.. I've got a feeling that caged dwarves probably can't benefit from being surrounded by statues and engravings while chained dwarves can? Also, at first I was a bit skeptical about dwarves getting locked up for 3 (or more) years at a time, but I do have close 150 dwarves and about 110 of those are almost always idle. Whats the difference if they idle in a cage, bahahaha.. ;)
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Linkxsc

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Re: Learning about guard captain, the hard way..
« Reply #9 on: October 10, 2014, 04:13:55 pm »

In cages they need to be given food and drink. If they are on chains they can move around a bit and access wells/stockpiles within 1 tile of the chain, and are thus easier to keep fed.

While chained they can also use beds if im not mistaken, so they get fewer unhappy thoughts related to sleeping on the floor. And tables/chairs for eating happy thoughts.

Last but not least, if their chain is really high quality, theyll get happy thoughts from examining the chain.
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fourpotatoes

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Re: Learning about guard captain, the hard way..
« Reply #10 on: October 11, 2014, 05:49:48 pm »

Can we trade captains of the guard? My fortress guard won't use deadly force even when their lives depend on it, which is why the captain is recovering in the hospital again. I've had tantruming dwarves punch victims in the head so hard that it explodes into gore and get away with a beating, which the the guard seems to think means "slap them across the face a few times with a x*pig tail glove*x and call it good". This situation calls for martial law.

In recent 0.40 releases, caged dwarves actually get fed & watered. They don't seem to benefit from their surroundings but they can't knock things over, kill dwarves who come to feed them or escape.
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tonnot98

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Re: Learning about guard captain, the hard way..
« Reply #11 on: October 11, 2014, 06:57:04 pm »

My captain of the guard just punched a siege operator's face in...
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Tacomagic

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Re: Learning about guard captain, the hard way..
« Reply #12 on: October 11, 2014, 07:00:59 pm »

My captain of the guard just punched a siege operator's face in...

Serves the dwarf right for having such a flimsy face.
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Linkxsc

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Re: Learning about guard captain, the hard way..
« Reply #13 on: October 11, 2014, 08:41:39 pm »


In recent 0.40 releases, caged dwarves actually get fed & watered. They don't seem to benefit from their surroundings but they can't knock things over, kill dwarves who come to feed them or escape.

Well you used to get them fed in cages before, but it took labor from 1 of your dwarves to do it. On chains you can just have a stockpile, which a full barrel of booze and food can handle a dwarf for a hella-long time, compared with monthly feedings
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