Or did worldgen get updated to reflect equipment and tactics?
And I'd recommend training dwarves up a bit on home turf, with training sessions and wild animals, before sending them out into the world.
Is there a way to train up the tactics skill without actually raiding?
Good question. I am not there yet, but I have a new for set for testing (without using dfhack).
My latest embark profile:
3 dwarfs with Tactician+5, Leather+5. These will be my dwarf captains for raiding.
And 4 teachers:
(monk) 1 dwarf Teacher+5, Fighter+5.
1 dwarf Teacher+5, Axe+5.
1 dwarf Teacher+5, Hammer+5.
1 dwarf Teacher+5, Spear+5.
To help focus in the early days, I embarked with 1 copper axe.
Lots of 120 units of booze and 70 units of food about 4 of each type.
The rest are junk for hospital: plaster, thread, cloth silk+wool;
and moodable junk: fire clay, sand, green glass
Interestingly enough, setting a noble manager lets me set workshop profiles and work orders even when I do not have an manager's office yet. Instead of ordering 1x 7 beds. I order 7x 1 bed = Organizer skill gain! Easy macro too.
From prior test, I think Organize helps doing demonstrations more for recruits.
Phase 1, day 1 embark.
With 1 axe, have the axe teacher do wood cutting.
Simple needs: 7 bed for dorms, 6 tables+chair for dining and 1 set office. 3 chest for tavern, library, and temple. some wooden cups. And an armor stand.
The should get the monk teacher some initial organizer skills.
Phase 2. Training the 3 captains up to Fighter+5.
Had a late start, but they are Fighter+2 in a season's worth of full time training.
Migrants who come are proespective recruits, but start doing back-work for food, and digging for metal ores to make some armor and weapons in Phase 3.
Phase 3. minimal metal armor + metal weapons, i.e. helm, mail shirt + axe / shield / hammer.
Conveniently named the captains: [W]hiskey (axe), [T]horos (hammer) and [F]oxtrot (shield). My WTF squad captains!
Each will have a teacher, and hopefully reach weapon skill+5 fairly fast with some armor user skill.
I am also inclined to do edge + range soldier; so...
Phase 4. The captains go back to civilian hunting duties. It seems like live training with crossbow can get them to gain skills faster.
Just aiming to get Crossbow+5 skill at least.
Phase 5 is a decision to choose a main raiding skill: axe, crossbow, or spear.
Uniforms will dictate:
Axe+crossbow.
Crossbow only. (maybe +hammer)
Spear+crossbow.
This is just an assumption on my part that "gear" helps in raiding.
Phase 5 focus is to train until skill Armor User+5 is reached.
Phase 6 adds Shield in the uniform to reach Shield+5.
Phase 7 should make the captains ready to take on recruits for raids with full uniform: helm, mail shirt, breastplate, gauntlets, greaves, high boot, metal shield, melee weapon + crossbows.
The recruits will settle for no breastplate, wood shield and weapon(s).
This plan may become abandoned as I've embark with War against Elves already, and a tower 3 region tiles away.