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[ToastGoats]

I was working on my fort and trying to get to a cavern, and out of nowhere, the second goblin siege arrived.

The siege was way too large for my army to handle and I savescummed.

The good news is, the spot the goblins arrive in is pretty small, so they're mostly in one place.

I have some time to prepare for the siege again, but I need some good traps to take out tons of enemies in a small space.

Does anyone have some good trap ideas?

[PatrikLundell]

- I usually turtle and have a lot of cage traps in my airlocks. I then send the invaders from one entrance to the other while I clean out the cages from the first one.
- Menacing spike traps on repeat can take out anything (although critters made out of too hard substances may require even harder spikes...), and I've never seen them jammed.
- Atom smashing or flinging bridges can be used, as can retracting bridges that drop a load of them into a sea of traps.
- You can also use an "empty" airlock into which you let a reasonable number file in, close them off, send the militia to eliminate them, pull the militia back (and keep the civvies off those corpses!), let the next batch in, eliminate,...
- Magma is a long standing DF favorite, and you can also drown them. Bonus points if you push the corpses into a neat little pile when draining (and before letting the next batch in).

[ToastGoats]

- I usually turtle and have a lot of cage traps in my airlocks. I then send the invaders from one entrance to the other while I clean out the cages from the first one.
- Menacing spike traps on repeat can take out anything (although critters made out of too hard substances may require even harder spikes...), and I've never seen them jammed.
- Atom smashing or flinging bridges can be used, as can retracting bridges that drop a load of them into a sea of traps.
- You can also use an "empty" airlock into which you let a reasonable number file in, close them off, send the militia to eliminate them, pull the militia back (and keep the civvies off those corpses!), let the next batch in, eliminate,...
- Magma is a long standing DF favorite, and you can also drown them. Bonus points if you push the corpses into a neat little pile when draining (and before letting the next batch in).

I don't have much time to prepare lots of traps, so I'll go with two.

1: Inescapable "empty" airlock on the top of the hill my fortress is in.

2: A bunch of useless animals tied near a ton of traps.

What is the best way to get invaders to go into a fake airlock and trap them there?

[Insanegame27]

Probably to chain a couple of dogs in the airlock, (other expendables will also work, so long as they count as belonging to -you- or one of their enemies)

[King Kitteh]

The spike traps never ever jam, but weapon traps can if they land a killing blow on an enemy.
Thus if you want to fight a whole bunch of enemies using a few weapon traps, use weapons that indirectly kill.

Smashing weapons that will break bones but not kill, leaving the enemy to bleed out or suffocate. Slashing weapons are usually a no as they can cut of a goblin's head and then jamming.
You could theoretically use crossbows but they would need to be refilled. Stabbing weapons won't usually kill unless it's a headshot, but even then it'll usually just tear muscle.


Another idea is to set up a row of fortifications in your entrance and then dig a small pit in front of it. Set up some crossbow dwarves to fire into the siege. The pit should stop goblin archers from getting next to the fortification and firing at your dwarves. Note that this will not work if they have elite archers as they can shoot through fortifications from afar.

[gchristopher]

Minecart grinders can make quick work of a siege. They are immune to jamming and have unlimited capacity. They are immune to building destroyers, work on trapavoid creatures, and can be made magma safe for easy cleanup. The downside is that they are indiscriminate and kill dwarves just as easily. (Many overseers might not see this as a downside.)

Here's an example. This one that can be placed beside with an entrance hallway, opened selectively, and turned on/off to allow collection of goblinite. The main downside is that sieges tend to break off and flee before all being mangled. It is simple to build, but does require operation of levers to control access and turn the grinders on and off.

Running empty gold minecarts, this layout has hilariously destroyed several sieges. I haven't seen anyone make it through, but a couple Trolls have come close. This one won't stop a clown rush, but beefier ones might.

In this example, enemies enter from the right.

Z: +0

Code: [Select]

Ramps                      Track Directions
░░░░░░░░░░░░░              ░░░░░░░░░░░░░
      1                          1
░░░░░2░3░░░░░              ░░░░░2░3░░░░░
░▲░▲▲░░░▲▲4▲░              ░╔░═║░░░═║4║░
░▲░▲▲░░░▲▲░▲░              ░╝░╝╔░░░╝╔░╔░
░▲4▲▲░░░▲▲░▲░              ░║4║═░░░║═░╝░
░░░░░ ░ ░░░░░              ░░░░░ ░ ░░░░░
░▲░▲▲░░░▲▲4▲░              ░╔░═║░░░═║4║░
░▲░▲▲░░░▲▲░▲░              ░╝░╝╔░░░╝╔░╔░
░▲4▲▲░░░▲▲░▲░              ░║4║═░░░║═░╝░
░░░░░ ░ ░░░░░              ░░░░░ ░ ░░░░░
░▲░▲▲░░░▲▲4▲░              ░╔░═║░░░═║4║░
░▲░▲▲░░░▲▲░▲░              ░╝░╝╔░░░╝╔░╔░
░▲4▲▲░░░▲▲░▲░              ░║4║═░░░║═░╝░
░░░░░   ░░░░░              ░░░░░   ░░░░░
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Z: +1

Code: [Select]

Ramps                      Track Directions
░░░░░░░░░░░░░              ░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░              ░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░              ░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░▼▲▲¢░░░░░░░░              ░ ╔╔ ░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░              ░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░¢▲▲▼░              ░░░░░░░░ ╝╝ ░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░              ░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░▼▲▲¢░░░░░░░░              ░ ╔╔ ░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░              ░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░¢▲▲▼░              ░░░░░░░░ ╝╝ ░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░              ░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░▼▲▲¢░░░░░░░░              ░ ╔╔ ░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░              ░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░¢▲▲▼░              ░░░░░░░░ ╝╝ ░
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Key:
Each numeral is a 1x1 raising bridge:
1: Bridge that blocks incoming enemies and forces them to go into the grinders.
2: Internal access to the grinders. After turning the grinder off, lower this bridge, but raise 1 and 3, to permit safe collection of goblinite.
3: External access to the grinders. Open this and 2, and close bridge 1, to force enemies into the grinders.
4: Normally raised. Lowering this bridge permits the minecarts to leave the grinding area. Raise immediately after.
¢: Hatch. Normally closed. Drop the carts here to safely prime the cart grinders. Open briefly to drop the carts into the grinders.
░: Solid wall
▲: Up ramp
▼: Down ramp
═║╔╝: Track ramp directions.

[Tacomagic]

One of my favorite quick traps is an advanced coinstar trench.  It's like a regular coinstar, only longer and filled with heavy objects.  It's relatively quick to set up and quite, quite lethal.

It also has the benefit of leaving behind the goblinite whereas an atomsmasher does not.  In fact, the trap gets more effective as more things die in it.

[Insanegame27]

I have personally never touched minecarts, they seem like too much of a hassle to set up. After all, losing is fun. My defence mechanism is usually just an open room with fortifications all along one side. The trade depot is in the room, as are some chained war animals. When the siege arrives they path straight into the room and with the flick of a lever the bridge raises and there's no way out. Then while they focus on the war animals my archers file into the room behind the fortifications and railgun through the enemy archers first (enemy elite archers are the bane of my existence, bleh). Then when all enemies are unconscious or my archers are out of ammo, I open a long cage-trap filled corridor to the heart of my fortress to capture them for later training. When all those which are able are caged, my melee dwarves rush in to put the unconscious dudes out of their misery.
I have not lost a single melee dwarf in quite a while using this tactic. One got mauled by a cave croc which was only temporarily stunned, but he was saved through superiority of numbers. However, ranged losses vary (damned elveses).

One downside is that if you war with someone who sends a diplomat you need to reset the cage traps (as in deconstruct and reconstruct)

[Dunamisdeos]

What? No, you should definitely use minecarts. Fill them with anvils and fire them at the goblins 50 at a time. It's like if bugs bunny lost his mind and built a doomsday device.

[gchristopher]

I have personally never touched minecarts, they seem like too much of a hassle to set up. After all, losing is fun.

Minecarts aren't that much work to set up once you have a decent design in mind, compared to the ongoing work of resetting cage/weapon traps, managing war animals, or getting crossbowdwarves to work reliably.

They can definitely be considered overpowered! Consider a few other examples:

Firing serrated disks coated in syndrome-inducing substances. (I'm not aware of a successful report weaponized contaminated water globs, though.)

Squirt Guns!

Here's the original work by QuantumMenace, the Wave Cannon.

Larix posted the smallest/most sophisticated/fastest reload mechanism so far. This is really the best information anyone has posted so far. It also demonstrates a 5 tick/shot theoretical fastest speed for a single barrel. (Which is absurd.)

I think the winner for pure destructiveness might still be my Squirt Gun, which abused the Masterwork magma tanker capacity for super-sized liquid projectiles. It turns a clown rush into a brief comedy show.

Especially compared to the really crazy things you can do with minecarts, a little cart grinder isn't much of an undertaking.

[Findulidas]

Two rows of traps filled with trap weapons such as serrated blades will destroy huge quantities of goblins that path over them. I suppose you could build two rows easily if you focus on it. The rest should be enough for you militias I guess.

[King Kitteh]

Note that if weapons are your limiting factor, in can be better to spread them out over more traps rather than completely filling a few.

That way if a trap jams it isn't so bad.

[hanni79]

Depending on how much overkill you'd like,

behold the Cycling magmatic siege killer

This is a truly dorfy invention.

[Montieth]

Build a long 2 story entrance hall shooting gallery.

G1 and G2 Outer Gates
\\ a dug out area with Fortifications and a Ballista shooting down the hall
D Depot
G3 Gate to protect Depot

3 wide corridors.
|| and
_
_


The fort is accessed above the Depot with a ledge and ramp and another gate on the level above. Some or all of the T shaped corridor is dug out above so that there is a gallery which looks down on the entrance corridor and has fortifications to view it.


G1
||
||
||
||
||_________________D___
|_____________G3_______\\B
||
||
||
||
||
G3

Your archers can work over any invaders AND if you build it right, you can trap MOST of a goblin invasion/siege inside the corridor AND close off the interior fort to the invaders by closing G3. This has made leveling up archers AND killing goblins rather trivial. Any titans that come around are also easily trapped.

You can take it several steps further with a third and fourth layer of the gallery all looking down with ballistas shooting at each ramp down. Put a fortification with a pit behind where the ballista bolts strike and you can recover those with relative safety after the siege and re-use all your ballista bolts.

Added things are doors embedded in the sides of the Entry corridor to mesmerize trolls and other destroyers. If you capture a dragon, you can build a gallery off the side protected by a gate that you can lower to let your dragon breathe fire at the invaders.

Or your can build a maze to allow forgotten beasts to be trapped in an annex room off the entry hall. Just make the entry hall the path up from the caverns and a room where you can lock a dwarf to pull levers to get the right gates closed quickly.

[Reelya]

I was working on my fort and trying to get to a cavern, and out of nowhere, the second goblin siege arrived.

The siege was way too large for my army to handle and I savescummed.

The good news is, the spot the goblins arrive in is pretty small, so they're mostly in one place.

I have some time to prepare for the siege again, but I need some good traps to take out tons of enemies in a small space.

Does anyone have some good trap ideas?

Yeah I have one I devised that works great. But you need a good water supply, e.g. river water. The goal was to devise a system more effective than a cage-trap corridor, because my dumb dorfs would keep trying to clear cages during a siege. To keep them safe would involve a lot of opening and closing gates and careful micro so that dwarves don't go collecting where uncaged hostiles happen to be. Plus, sieges too large for the number of cages were a problem. A set-sized trap that captures as many as needed is required.

So I devised a simple modular water-based trap that automatically works without needing someone to pull levers, and doesn't trigger dwarves to run out collecting during a siege.

The basic unit is a 1-wide tunnel. You can make them in a bank (you need a perpendicular water supply pipe 1 level up). In the tunnel is a pressure plate set to trigger on hostiles. Friendlies will therefore travel right through without a problem. The plate is attached to three hatches. Two are fore and aft over holes in the floor. Right above the plate is another hatch, holding back the water supply. Gobbo clicks on plate, opening all three hatches, and is then flushed through a hatch. If there's no drainage, then the gobbo's drown. I made a 1x3 space under the plate, with a 1x3 bridge on the bottom for occasional collection of the trap contents.

This basic trap unit works really well, and requires little human or dwarf involvement. I need to get back into it one day, but I was thinking of devising a capturing system under this basic water trap. The reason was that gobbos start to run away after taking losses from the drowning, whereas I want them to keep pathing into the fort and capture 100% of the siege. My basic idea there is to capture them on a bridge area over cage traps. Then drop them 1-z level onto the traps repeatedly, but make it so uncaged ones path back to the bridge area. With the right type/amount of airlocks etc this would make it so I could cage up unlimited sized sieges at leisure, while the water-trap was still working full time.