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[callisto8413]

I am about to start a new game using the current version of DF.  Now, Normally I use the same team of seven Dwarfs - I mean I use the same skills for each one. 

Pretty much, this:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

2 Miners = Proficient Miner 10

1 Carpenter = Competent Wood Cutter 8, Skilled Carpenter 9, Novice Bowyer 6, Novice Wood Crafter 6

1 Mason = Proficient Mason 10, Novice Engraver 6, Novice Stone Crafter 6

1 Farmer = Competent Grower 8, Adequate Brewer 7, Adequate Cook 7, Novice Butcher 6, Novice Tanner 6, Novice Fish Dissector 6

1 Leader = Novice Leader 6, Novice Organizer 6, Novice Record Keeper 6, Novice Appraiser 6, Novice Diagnostician 6, Adequate Mason 7

1 Hunter (Dump Stat Guy)= Competent Ambusher 8 (Free Crossbow), Novice Crossbowman 6, Novice Building Designer 6, Novice Gem Cutter 6, Novice Gem Setter 6, Novice Mechanic 6

I then do my best to supply them with what they will need depending on where they will be setting up the colony.  I do kind of min/max - get a unit of each type of milk available because each different type with come with a barrel - when it comes to supplies.  Which can be gamey I guess.

I was wondering with the newest version is there any skill I NEED to start off with?  For example, can the Leader's Mason skill of 7 be replaced with something more important in the current version as I will also already have a Mason?  Any examples?

[skyte100]

Thats not a skill of 7. That just costs 7 to start with it. Its a skill of 2. Sorry it was bugging me.

Personally I dont bother with ambusher free crossbow thing. Since the one you start with isnt as good as one you can make anyway. I just make someone a boywer, and let him go to town on some wood. I usually get a masterwork crossbow in a season. Higher quality means better hit chance. Plus something to trade.

Also you dont need combat skills unless you are embarking in a savage, evil, or otherwise dangerous place.

You can also lower the carpenter level. That goes up quickly from bins and barrels. Same with masons if you elect to make blocks.

The leader skill is completely useless for who you have it on. It is used in military lectures and even then its not something that pops up all the time. I wouldnt even get it.

I also wouldnt have the mason be an engraver. It would just rust since he has more important things to do(engraving is low priority).

Gem cutter and gem setter arent requirements at all. They are easy to train up if you are willing since you can cut rock, glass, and clay. 2 of those are renewable sources and 1 is almost limitless.

Smithing is hard to level up, so make someone that likes a good metal type or a weapon or helmet or something a smith. Keep in mind that you might get a migrant great weaponsmith.

Woodcutter on carpenter has bottleneck potential. Leave it up to you if you want to change that or not.

Fish dissector is useless. Lose it.

If you keep the hunter and make him actually hunt, make a leatherworker to do something with the leather.

Really though, my choices are based on likes. Whoever likes beds is a carpenter, iron is a smith, leather armor is a leatherworker, etc. Anyone lacking a suitable like(or has an inferior like to someone elses) is given a job based on their dream if it aligns with my needs. If not, well at least they can dream.

[4maskwolf]

That free crossbow thing doesn't happen, as far as I know.  I've started with someone who's highest skill is ambusher and don't get a free crossbow.  I think that's just a holdout on the wiki from the earlier versions.

But who knows, I could be wrong.

[skyte100]

I think that's just a holdout on the wiki from the earlier versions.

Shocker.

Edit: Yeah doesnt happen. 7 ambushers and not a quiver or crossbow between them.
Edit2: Actually I dont even know where he was looking. That hasn't happened since 0.31

[Max™]

Plant gathering (Herbalist I think) is ridiculously awesome now, make sure you grab a stepladder so they can get stuff from trees, and a point or two in discipline for the first seven isn't necessary but it can help them respond better when you land on a bunch of alligators, bears, wolves, massive megabeast melee, and so on.

[callisto8413]

Plant gathering (Herbalist I think) is ridiculously awesome now, make sure you grab a stepladder so they can get stuff from trees, and a point or two in discipline for the first seven isn't necessary but it can help them respond better when you land on a bunch of alligators, bears, wolves, massive megabeast melee, and so on.

Oh, thank you.  That's what I was looking for.

[Russell.s]

Personally I have great success with making 6 of my starting 7 military dwarves. I usually give them hammer skill, shield skill, and some points in discipline. I bring along enough bars to get hammers and shields made as soon as possible, then set them sparring in squads of 2 as soon as I've dug a room big enough for the supplies.

The last dwarf is my brewer/grower/trader.

Migrants can do the rest, and it doesn't take long for the 3 squads to become legendary .

[Skullsploder]

Wood cutting is a dump stat. You get so much wood from cutting 1 tree in the new version that it's not necessary to have a dwarf who can fell an entire forest in a season. Much better to place those points into wood crafting, to craft tons of pots very quickly (because wooden pots are the best food storage items in the game).

Brewing skill does not affect booze quality, only the time it takes to brew things. Better to put those points into cooking and growing.

It's worthwhile to bring along a proficient building designer, as it's a skill that is nearly impossible to train up to legendary but produces important happiness boosts for your fort at high levels (if you inspect buildings in the R menu, then you'll see that bridges, archery targets, furnaces, etc. have quality levels according to their architect's skill, and dwarves admire them).

Organiser and record keeper are both dump stats. They affect nothing but speed and are trained to legendary in no time anyway. Put a point into judge of intent instead, so that your trader can see how happy or unhappy the traders are with you.

Mechanic is a good skill. Don't treat it as a dump stat. You should have at least one dwarf cranking out mechanisms on repeat from your first migrant wave onwards. If you bring along a good mechanic, that means you'll have more masterwork mechanisms more quickly, which means higher quality traps and levers, which means happier dwarves and deader enemies.

Hope that helps!

[timotheos]

I like to go with the following
1 crafter - 3 points each on rock, bone and glass crafting
1 farmer - 3 points each on planting, gathering
1 smith - 3 points on weapon, armour and blacksmithing
1 mason/carpenter - 2 points on stoneworking & carpentry 3 points each on mechanics and architecture
1 leader - split the points over the various social skills including liar, judge of intent, conversationalist and consoler - this dwarf should have decent preferences
2x soldiers - 2 points teacher, dodger, armour user, shield user, weapon skill - these 2 should be strong/agile/quick to heal

on embark the soldiers get made woodcutters and the smith & carfter get made miners.
the first migrant wave is used to replace the crafter from mining and hopefully will have a mason or carpenter to split that roll as well. 2nd wave should be enough to get the smith working and free up the soldiers from hauling to start training.

all unspent embark points go on food/drink and ore

[Skuggen]

I usually have:
1 miner
1 mason/building designer
1 carpenter/woodcutter/building designer
1 cook/brewer/farmer
1 soldier
1 socialite
1 mechanic or stonecrafter depending on whether I think generating wealth or securing the fort is most important.

[callisto8413]

I see I should also be thinking about mechanics or somebody with mechanic skills.  Thanks.

[skyte100]

I still highly recommend having someone start with a decent level in a smithing skill(s) of your choice. That will save you metal later on since they wont be wasting a bunch making low quality goods. I typically dont even have anyone start with any social skills and let fate decide the expeditionary leader.

[Corona688]

Plant gathering (Herbalist I think) is ridiculously awesome now

It also levels really, really fast.  But if you use an untrained plant gatherer, they get stuck in trees.

[Wheeljack]

Be aware that everyone plays differently and everyone is going to tell you certain things are more important than others. The idea is find something that works for you. Here's my setup for comparison:

Miner: Mining 5, Mason 5
Minrr: Mining 5, Stonecrafting 5
Engineer: Mechanics 5
Medic: 2pts in all medical skills
Carpenter: Carpenting 5, Woodcutting 1
Farmer or Fisher: 5pts in main skill, a few in others (Fish dissector, cooking, brewing, etc)
Leader: Consoler/Pacifier 2 each, Judge of Intent 2, Appraising 2, Negotiating 2

When I get my first migrant wave, I give woodcutting and woodcrafting to one, get another farmer and a full time miner, and depending on the size of the wave, start a squad to get training. It really just depends. I rarely if ever deviate from this setup.

[Corona688]

Indeed, it all depends on what you mean to do with them.

Fruit trees really changed the game for me.  I always felt a little bad about trading stone crafts.  Instead of trading worthless rock-crafts, the first caravan now gets 1000-2000 worth of fruit wine, in rock or clay pots (amphora), which I exchange for meat, barrels, and more dwarvenly brew.  So a full-time hauler, a terrific rock crafter, and two brewers for me.  People say wood pots are better but dangit, I have to do something with all the stone cluttering the halls.

I used to have full-time masons to fill rooms with cheap furniture.  So much wasted time now that wood is plentiful and stone is four times slower to move.  I just build wood everything until the second immigration wave now.

Someone on IRC chided me into trying armor&weaponsmithing instead of bringing axes and picks.  So I left out the picks and axes, to bring bars and charcoal and pitchblende blocks.  (Nice and purple, you can see where they all ended up.)  True to his word I had an axeman with a full set of armor before my first immigration wave, though I'm still trying to convince him to actually wear it.