Well, my dwarves have been very busy but, as promised, I have now started training a new batch of military recruits to compare the difference with and without an experienced teacher.
The setup:
10 recruits, split into 2 squads of 5. Squad A, The Orbs Of Oiling, is lead by a veteran soldier, acting as a drill instructor. Squad B, The Helmed Bowels, has no instructor. Each squad has it's own training room and sleeps in a shared barracks.
Recruit Selection:
All recruits have a score of 15 in the "values martial prowess" trait to remove that desire as a variable. From there, recruits where primarily selected by strength, to help reduce the variables relating to movement speed. Squad B got the strongest recruit, Squad A got the second strongest, Squad B got the third strongest, and so on. Looking at the strength, agility, and endurance stats, squad A has the a slightly worse batch of recruits than squad B. This was done so that we know that, if Squad A pulls ahead of Squad B, it was not likely due to initially better stats.
It's worth noting that most of the recruits have ranks in marksdwarf and kills. This comes from grabbing a crossbow and getting on the ramparts when goblins attack. Besides just taking pot shots at goblins, they have no prior military training. A few recruits have a few xp from dodging/blocking the occasional stray arrow during goblin attacks. These recruits are evenly distributed across both squads.
Equipment:
All recruits are equipped with:
Battle Axe
Shield
Helm
Mail Shirt
Gauntlets
Greaves
High Boots
Dwarves are set to replace clothing and wear exact matches only. All equipment is masterwork quality steel, to eliminate any variables caused by uneven equipment.
The initial stats:
After the first season:
More to come! I plan to track them over a course of 4 years or so.
Observations at the end of the first season:
Squad A has gained 46 levels scattered across various skills. Squad B has gained 40 levels across various skills. Squad A is doing demonstrations and has yet to even start sparring. Squad B started sparring approximately halfway through the first season.
It's very early in the test yet, but the divergence that already exists in their skills is very interesting to me.