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[GregGCL]

I'm aware that training the hammerdwarf skill is essential for crossbow men, as they can dish out decent damage with a metal crossbow when they are forced into melee. I have two questions though.

When training the dwarfs for the skill, can you actually use a crossbow? Or does it have to be a normal maul or hammer? How well can they hold out with the metal crossbow, if they are forced into melee?

[Zaibusa]

To train u need to give thema blunt weapon. Doesn't work with a crossbow.
Of course it's not a good weapon for melee, but if you dwarf is superdwarvenly tough e.g. he can still do some damage.

[LegacyCWAL]

Marksdwarves will only spar with a crossbow if they're bugged.  If you see a Marksdwarf doing so, make sure he isn't holding anything he isn't supposed to.

You can make hammers for them to use, and switch them to hammers for sparring in between attacks.

Personally, I prefer wooden crossbows.  A Marksdwarf using his crossbow in melee is in serious trouble no matter what it's made out of, so I don't feel that it makes much of a difference as far as usefulness goes.  However, wooden crossbows are a LOT lighter than metal ones, which will offset the fact that a stack of metal ammo is very heavy.

[Hyndis]

I prefer generalists myself.

First, they wrestle to legendary. Then they train hammers while off duty. Should a siege happen, they drop the hammers and pick up crossbows instead. Live fire training is the best form of practice, after all. They make up for their lack of accuracy with sheer massed fire, closing in to melee to mop up after firing off their stacks of bolts after the crossbows have softened up the goblins.

Then from there, I continue training them with hammers, only equipping crossbows during sieges, or if I'm feeling lazy I'll just keep them with hammers. After all, soap makers are easily replaceable.

[GregGCL]

I have a question - Will they use wrestling if they are forced in melee?

[Zaranthan]

They'll try to hammer things with the crossbow until they're either disarmed or engaged in wrestling by their enemy. Then they'll get on with the neck-snapping.

[ZeroGravitas]

I have a question - Will they use wrestling if they are forced in melee?

also, some core skills, like dodging, are currently based on wrestling. so EVERYONE will use wrestling to some extent, if they're attacked, which is why wrestling should always be trained first.

it also greatly reduces the sparring-related injuries and death from subsequent weapon training.

[Jim Groovester]

Shield User, and to a lesser extent, Armor User, are also vital survival skills for your military dwarves, so it's worth cross-training for them alone. Because, honestly, an ultra-mighty military dwarf will still send foes flying with his crossbow even with dabbling hammer skills.

[Hyndis]

Armor user only effects how much armor slows the dwarf down. A novice will move very slowly in full steel plate, whereas a legendary will not be encumbered at all.