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[Goblins]

After seeing no active thread on the subject, I have become obligated to create a thread where people can share their !!Dwarf!! embark profiles.  When you are about to start off a new fortress, what seven dwarfs do you pick for the creation of the new Mountain Home?  Is it a group of military dwarfs ready to combat the undead?  Or do you cast off cheese makers to the settlement for a challenge?

To start this off, I will share my own embark profile.  It is pretty basic due to the fact that I only use this profile to go into relatively easy embarks with no enemies nearby.  This profile is great for quickly building a fortress before the goblinite harvest sieges begin as well.  It goes as follows;

Miner One
Proficient Miner

Miner Two
Proficient Miner

Carpenter
Proficient Carpenter
Adequate Wood Cutter

Mason/Architect
Proficient Mason
Adequate Building Designer

Engineer
Adequate Mechanic
Adequate Siege Engineer

Farmer
Adequate Grower
Novice Herbalist
Proficient Brewer
Adequate Cook

Leader/Noble-to-be
Adequate Leader
Adequate Speaker
Adequate Appraiser
Adequate Record Keeper
Novice Organizer
Novice Persuader

I like to have two miners because I like to get the fortress built fast with as much stone gathered as possible.  Once the fortress becomes large enough, the beginner miners are usually legendary, which then I start the iron mining.  You will notice that there is no crafting dwarfs because I just convert all of the migrants into furnace operators, craftdwarfs, etc. once they come in.  The engineer is great for making a rudimentary defense system while waiting for iron to make iron traps. An all-round leader is needed so that I can assign him to be the broker, manager, and the bookkeeper.  Later in the fortress three dwarfs will be assigned to the task to ease the stress.  It should be noted that some items need to be gotten rid of so that there is enough points for everything.

If I ever have points that are not reassigned yet, I put magma proof stones in like orthoclase so that making the first magma forges is easy.  Items like wheelbarrows that can easily be produced at the start of the fortress I get rid of and spend the points on something else.

[Pseudo]

My standard embark profile is a single copper pick. It's fun!

[MobRules]

For a forest embark:

• Miner: Adequate miner. Add second miner from first immigration wave.
  
• Woodcutter/Woodburner: Adequate woodcutter (I used to make the woodcutter and the carpenter the same person, until I realized that for the first few in-game days I wanted someone on both jobs full-time.)
  
• Carpenter: Adequate carpenter
  
• Mechanic: Adequate mechanic, adequate building designer. Always appoint a second mechanic from the first migration wave. Acts as a miner the first few in-game days, until there's stone to start making mechanisms.
  
• Leader: Adequate appraiser, adequate judge of intent (they can learn management and bookeeping skills on the job. First few in-game days, acts as a miner)
  
• Planter: Adequate planter, adequate herbalist (gathers herbs the first couple of days until an area has been dug out for the underground fields.)
  
• Brewchef: Can learn cooking, brewing, butchery, tanning, and fish-cleaning on the job. (I never assign fishing early on, but sometimes some immegrants sneak in with it when I'm not looking, so I always have a fishery set up, and enable fish-cleaning on anyone who has butchery and tanning.) First immigrant wave, "slaughterdwarf" (butchery, tanning, and fish cleaning) gets split off into a separate job.

Desert embark doesn't have an herbalist or a woodcutter, and might not have a carpenter. I do make sure to have a glassmaker and a hunter, however. And I I combine "brewchef" with "planter" rather than with "slaughterdwarf", and include a mason.

[khearn]

I I don't feel the need for a soldier in the initial 7, I'll go with these primary roles
Miner
Miner
Carpenter
Mason
Mechanic
Farmer
Stone Crafter

I usually rely on stone mugs for trade during the first year, which is why I have a dedicated stonecrafter. If I think I'll need a soldier straight off, I'll switch stonecrafting to a secondary and add a soldier.

Then, depending on preferences and abilities, I add on these secondaries:
Cook
Brewer
Woodcutter
Doctor
Butcher
Tanner
Glassmaker
Architect
Bookkeeper/Manager

I also have a few other rules. Miners don't get any secondary skills besides possibly doctor. I want them mining full time. Carpenter never gets woodcutter, since I want to be able to have wood coming in while he works. I try to avoid a farmer/cook/brewer combination, since that leads to one dwarf being a bottleneck for the entire food/drink production line. I'll usually assign architect to a couple of dwarves, so it doesn't end up being as much of a bottleneck.

Primary skills get 5 skill points, secondaries get 1-3, depending on how many secondary skills the dwarf has, and how important the skill is. Brewing only gets 1 point, since booze has no quality, for instance. But cooking will get as many as possible, since quality roasts make happy dwarves and are good to trade.

As far as stuff goes, I sell back all the ropes, threads, cloth, wheelbarrows, ladders, bags, etc, since they are easy enough to make. I switch drinks around so I have 15 of each, instead of 40, 20, 0, 0. Might as well start with as much variety as possible. I admit to doing the meat exploit, selling back the starting meat and fish and then buying 1 unit of each of 30 different 2gp meats to get the free barrels.

For animals, I usually start with some dogs, pigs and turkeys. Dogs for early warnings, pigs because they product meat well and can be milked, and turkeys for the abundant eggs. Usually 2 males and 2-5 females each. Two males to reduce the chance of getting none who will breed. Also one male cat to reduce the chance of a catsplosion, while still protecting the supplies. I'll usually buy sheep or llamas from caravans to get wool production going later on.

[Goblins]

I admit to doing the meat exploit, selling back the starting meat and fish and then buying 1 unit of each of 30 different 2gp meats to get the free barrels.

I have never heard of this... I like it very much!  Doesn't seem too exploity - just smart.

[khearn]

You can also buy one unit of each of the 5 sand types to get 1gp bags if you really want to.

[Niddhoger]

But cooking will get as many as possible, since quality roasts make happy dwarves and are good to trade.

Correction: Cooking skill does NOT add to warm fuzzies from eating the food.  There are only two warm fuzzies related to chow time: quality of the dining room; and presence of favorite food.  Everything else is negative (didn't have a table, not enough chairs).  Masterwork roasts are the same happiness as raw pig intestines eaten on the same table (unless someone loves pig intestines, then its higher).  Cooks are only for 1) abusing wealth (far too many quality moddifiers being combined) and 2) making inedible foods edible.  For the second, its mostly high-value plants you have to go out of your way to create, and even the most of those can be simply brewed into hooch.  Seed cooking is also a bad idea, but mostly because of how slow it is.  Seeds are never stacked outside of merchant purchases, so you'll just get scores of "Durian seed roasts [4]!" where the cook wastes so much time grabbing 4 single ingredients.  Even brewing jobs of large plant stacks return seeds in singles. 

Btw, why does everyone want a mechanic on embark? Mechanisms never check for quality outside of wealth and weapon traps.  Levers, cages, bridges, etc never care about quality to operate.  I usually just make a few unskilled to get bridges linked to levers, then not worry about it until I get a mechanic in a migrant wave.  If I really want to drop a row of cage traps I can also queue up 20 more form someone.  Weapon traps are by no means required, they create mess/spare body parts, may fail to kill the creature, and require tons of extra weapons made to utilize properly.... then can just jam anyway if they actually kill something.  For early defenses, just get a bridge ready to seal yourself off or place some cage traps.

I generally start with 2 miner/armor users.  I assign them to a squad with "individual choice" weapon.  When needed, I can turn off mining and activate them as soldiers  The mining skill counts as a weapon skill when wielding a pick, and thus they should grab one when picking up their squad equipment.  Mining also trains strength, ofc (herbalism/growing/stone detailing train agility).  I also prefer an herbalist over a grower (unless there is little/no vegetation).  You can quickly pick a surplus, then have him start processing them into booze or what not.  I like to bring a "noble" I give trading and other skills too.  Supposedly consoler and pacifier are used when someone complains to the mayor, so I add those.  During the beginning rush I give him grunt labor, but then turn those off when I officially appoint him manager/bookkeeper.  I also bring along a weapon/armor smith.  These take a lot of resources to train up, so I would rather take one now for when I need later.  He'll do things like butcher/tanning/bag making/wood burning/etc after making the initial set of picks and axes.  If I expect a dangerous embark, he'll forge weapons and armor asap.  I don't mind adding woodcutter/carpenter together at first, as you get so much wood from trees now.  Chopping down 10 trees gives you all the wood you can use and then some for the starting 7.  Then I can appoint someone from the first/second wave to take over as a full-time clear cutter.  Last I take a mason/furnace operator.  I want to be able to get semi-quality furniture out for the initial dining room.  Then I want some more rock furniture (coffer/cabinet) in every room to help with stress.  Starting as proficient means I can get more "interested in a fine door" as a minimum for furniture.  Or "Slept in a decent/great room!" thoughts as well.  Eventually he'll churn out some quick statues I may or may not glaze. 

For points, I usually dump just about everything except ~15 booze and the seeds.  The booze holds me until my herbalist picks a batch and brews it up with what hte miner/woodcutter brings in.  I also bring loads of coal/lignite and some metal ores to eventually jump start a military.  I typically bring tetra and cass, but I smelt them separately for the extra silver ore.  Thus, I can get a squad of bronze clad silver hammers going after a few migrant waves.  If I wind up with iron/flux on embark... then I can use the bronze for statues or bolts.  I'll find a use for it one way or another.  Its there as insurance/because why the hell would I pay a premium for ropes and other junk they want you to take!? Friggin company stores...

I also like to bring a small amount of lye/gypsum plaster since they are cheap and useful for medicine.  Slaughter your pack animals for some tallow, but you'll need to pull the lye out of the barrel to get the soap made. 

I also like to bring leather.  Its 5 DB per slice, so its much cheaper to make bags with than cave spider thread (which also must be spun into cloth).  I've heard that turkeys are cheap enough to bring instead and just butcher them, though.  I don't like turkeys/pigs as livestock though, as they just create food from dust.  This... bothers me. 

[Feathermind]

My usual setup includes two Miner/Mechanics, a Mason that doubles as record keeper with a dash of appraiser, a carpenter/bone carver for early beds and trade goods, a weapon/armor smith for when I get forging online, a leatherworker/mechanic and an animal trainer/mechanic.  I'm very fond of cage traps, so all the skilled mechanics are for quick cage trap reloading and the trainer is for taming anything interesting I catch.  Before that habit formed I used to give my miners dodging instead and make them my starting military (equipped with picks) when they hit legendary.

Starting goods include some stone, wood and sand for areas lacking in them (and so that I can reclaim all the sand bags), thread, leather for cloaks and quivers, a couple picks and training axes, an anvil, seeds, drinks and a large variety of meats; I'll admit I use the barrel exploit too.  Animals are 7 dogs trained into war dogs immediately to protect my starting 7 from early threats, a pair of cats and, after one unfortunate incident with a fey mood, a single sheep.  The dogs are trained into war dogs immediately to protect my starting 7, while the cats handle vermin in the food and refuse stockpiles.

I tend to start on volcanoes when possible and have a bad habit of starting on aquifers, so much of this is geared with those two situations in mind.

Here's the embark init data for whoever wants it:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

   [TITLE:EFFICIENT V2]
   [SKILL:1:MINING:5]
   [SKILL:1:MECHANICS:5]
   [SKILL:2:MINING:5]
   [SKILL:2:MECHANICS:5]
   [SKILL:3:MASONRY:5]
   [SKILL:3:APPRAISAL:1]
   [SKILL:3:RECORD_KEEPING:4]
   [SKILL:4:CARPENTRY:5]
   [SKILL:4:BONECARVE:5]
   [SKILL:5:FORGE_WEAPON:5]
   [SKILL:5:FORGE_ARMOR:5]
   [SKILL:6:LEATHERWORK:5]
   [SKILL:6:MECHANICS:5]
   [SKILL:7:ANIMALTRAIN:5]
   [SKILL:7:MECHANICS:5]
   [ITEM:2:WEAPON:ITEM_WEAPON_PICK:INORGANIC:COPPER]
   [ITEM:2:WEAPON:ITEM_WEAPON_AXE_TRAINING:PLANT_MAT:WILLOW:WOOD]
   [ITEM:1:ANVIL:NONE:INORGANIC:IRON]
   [ITEM:10:SEEDS:NONE:PLANT_MAT:MUSHROOM_HELMET_PLUMP:SEED]
   [ITEM:10:SEEDS:NONE:PLANT_MAT:GRASS_TAIL_PIG:SEED]
   [ITEM:10:SEEDS:NONE:PLANT_MAT:BUSH_QUARRY:SEED]
   [ITEM:15:THREAD:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:SPIDER_CAVE:SILK]
   [ITEM:10:SKIN_TANNED:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:RAT_LARGE:LEATHER]
   [ITEM:20:BOULDER:NONE:INORGANIC:GABBRO]
   [ITEM:20:WOOD:NONE:PLANT_MAT:WILLOW:WOOD]
   [ITEM:31:POWDER_MISC:NONE:INORGANIC:SAND_TAN]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:YAK:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:COW:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:LLAMA:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:DONKEY:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:GOAT:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:PIG:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:SHEEP:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:HORSE:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:CAT:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:DOG:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:MULE:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:BIRD_CHICKEN:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:BIRD_DUCK:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:WATER_BUFFALO:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:REINDEER:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:BIRD_GOOSE:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:ALPACA:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:BIRD_GUINEAFOWL:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:BIRD_PEAFOWL_BLUE:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:BIRD_TURKEY:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:RABBIT:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:RAT_LARGE:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:MOLE_DOG_NAKED:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:CAVY:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:TOAD:MUSCLE]
   [ITEM:20:DRINK:NONE:PLANT_MAT:MUSHROOM_HELMET_PLUMP:DRINK]
   [ITEM:20:DRINK:NONE:PLANT_MAT:GRASS_TAIL_PIG:DRINK]
   [ITEM:20:DRINK:NONE:PLANT_MAT:GRASS_WHEAT_CAVE:DRINK]
   [ITEM:20:DRINK:NONE:PLANT_MAT:POD_SWEET:DRINK]
   [ITEM:10:POWDER_MISC:NONE:INORGANIC:PLASTER]
   [PET:5:DOG:FEMALE:STANDARD]
   [PET:2:DOG:MALE:STANDARD]
   [PET:1:CAT:FEMALE:STANDARD]
   [PET:1:CAT:MALE:STANDARD]
   [PET:1:SHEEP:FEMALE:STANDARD]

[Niddhoger]

My usual setup includes two Miner/Mechanics, a Mason that doubles as record keeper with a dash of appraiser, a carpenter/bone carver for early beds and trade goods, a weapon/armor smith for when I get forging online, a leatherworker/mechanic and an animal trainer/mechanic.  I'm very fond of cage traps, so all the skilled mechanics are for quick cage trap reloading.

I'm pretty sure mechanics skill only speeds up linking jobs and improves quality of mechanisms.  If you are just spamming cage traps to breed exotic creatures, an unskilled mechanic would work just as well (and level up from loading said traps).  However, mechanics is used by scholars now when pondering engineering stuff :p

[taptap]

My most recent embark:

1) Optics engineer / dancer / mathematician
2) Fluid engineer / poet / mathematician
3) Conversationalist / wordsmith
4) Geographer / speaker
5) Critical thinker / logician
6) Mathematician / astronomer
7) Chemist / percussionist

So many new skills.

[Feathermind]

I'm pretty sure mechanics skill only speeds up linking jobs and improves quality of mechanisms.  If you are just spamming cage traps to breed exotic creatures, an unskilled mechanic would work just as well (and level up from loading said traps).  However, mechanics is used by scholars now when pondering engineering stuff :p

In my experience unskilled mechanics take a significantly longer time to load a cage trap, while the one or two legendary mechanics pass them by again and again, loading traps nigh-instantaneously.  It's possible that's due to other stats built up in the time the better mechanics spent making mechanisms, but there's definitely a difference.

[coolphoton]

my usual embark is
doctor
broker
weaponsmith
4x no skills

dog x2
cat x2
sheep x2

anvil
caserite x5
tetrahedtite x5
bismuth x5
firesafe stone x5
wood x10
 and the rest of the points as food/drink/seeds

I just make an ax and 3 pickaxes and go to town. It works well on every non evil embark I have tried.

[Niddhoger]

I'm pretty sure mechanics skill only speeds up linking jobs and improves quality of mechanisms.  If you are just spamming cage traps to breed exotic creatures, an unskilled mechanic would work just as well (and level up from loading said traps).  However, mechanics is used by scholars now when pondering engineering stuff :p

In my experience unskilled mechanics take a significantly longer time to load a cage trap, while the one or two legendary mechanics pass them by again and again, loading traps nigh-instantaneously.  It's possible that's due to other stats built up in the time the better mechanics spent making mechanisms, but there's definitely a difference.

Do they take longer walking TO the trap, or take longer AT the trap? Because mechanics trains both strength and agility.  Both of those attributes can influence movement speed, especially if the unskilled mechanic has the strength stat of a an elven great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandma missing a lung from cancer and has osteoporosis.  You don't have a full military uniform replacing clothing on the new guy either, right? Untrained that will definitely slow him down.   He could also be crippled or have received a permanent syndrome (like GCS bite). 

[Feathermind]

Do they take longer walking TO the trap, or take longer AT the trap? Because mechanics trains both strength and agility.  Both of those attributes can influence movement speed, especially if the unskilled mechanic has the strength stat of a an elven great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandma missing a lung from cancer and has osteoporosis.  You don't have a full military uniform replacing clothing on the new guy either, right? Untrained that will definitely slow him down.   He could also be crippled or have received a permanent syndrome (like GCS bite).

It was longer at the trap, not walking back and forth.  And it wasn't one mechanic the legendary ones were faster than, it was half a fort full.  The fort I really started to noticed the difference in with had over 80 cage traps and a relatively small map that lead to a constant stream of creatures wandering into them (mostly crundles), so most of my unskilled laborers would to get assigned mechanic duty.

As for uniforms..I can't remember if I was doing a civilian uniform for that fort.  My standard civilian uniform is bone leggings with leather high boots and armor though, so it wouldn't have weighed them down much.  It's a shame crundles don't provide leather... but no matter, those masterwork crundle roasts can always be traded for Sasquatch Leather when the Dwarven Caravan arrives.

[Niddhoger]

Hmmm, I'll have to pay more attention then.

As for armor.... I just wish bone had its own designation or was lumped with leather.  Can be such a horrendous pain trying to set up bone uniforms unless I'm missing something.