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[Lummox JR]

My fortress has been harried by goblin attacks quite often, the latest coming in the middle of an elf trading session (and the elves, unlike humans or dwarves, don't kick the invaders' butts). A few raids back I drafted my peasants into the military and ended up with seven marksdarves, but in the latest raid two of them were killed in close-range combat. I have drafted a couple of woodcutters as axedwarves now to replace the two I lost, but I'm pretty sure I won't be seeing any more migrants for a while since they've been mostly too afraid to come to my "dangerous" fortress. (Aside from the goblins and carp, there isn't any real danger though; what's probably scaring them is that a few years back, the reclaim mission fell apart due to a tantrum chain and left me with only two survivors. I now have over 70 dwarves though.)

The sieges have been getting a little bit worse. I have a wall around my fortress's entryway and trading post, and I have a couple of towers with catapults on them, but what really has been causing problems is when dwarves get ambushed outdoors--sometimes even relatively close to the fortress. I've been trying to think up cleverer means to catch these invaders, including recently putting some cage traps by the bridge I built across the river, but really I don't think any of my methods have been adequate to date and I need advice. Siege-killing constructions like drowning chambers are impractical here because the problem is when my dwarves are attacked outdoors, sometimes without the ability to easily get inside. And if I do order them inside, my siege operators stop firing the catapults on the towers.

Also I've noticed a very strange phenomenon in a couple of cases. Twice now, I've had a group of a dozen invaders show up on the edge of the map including a swordsdwarf who by all appearances is missing an arm. The swordsdwarf is pretty much unconscious the whole time and his group never strays far from him. On both occasions they ended up eventually leaving the map. But they seem to be a hazard regardless--if I don't repel them and just leave them alone, more goblins show up (is it coincidence?). My siege operators though won't fire at them--I don't know if it's because they're out of range or what, since I've found no info on effective catapult range. This is obviously a bad scenario as the invaders that hang out at the map edge represent a persistent threat that I can't deal with effectively.

Anyway, I could use the help of some grizzled combat veterans. What works for you in repelling outdoor hordes, and what doesn't? Is it at all possible to prevent them from being a problem? Aside from the edge-loiterer problem, is it best just to bring everyone indoors and let my traps and such deal with the enemy? Any advice is appreciated.

[Smew]

If it's ambushers you're worried about, chain a couple of kittens or any animal really somewhere outside the fortress, preferably far outside the range of where your dwarves travel, this will act as an early alarm system for ambushes.

If it's sieges, and to your siege question, when it's a siege, multiple groups show up, that particular group with the swordsdwarf just happened to be led by him, but he had a past injury, so they won't go anywhere because their captain can't.
But more groups showing up isn't because you don't kill them, they just show up as part of the siege, depending on your fortress wealth, past sieges, etc, you could get anywhere from 20-80 goblins if I remember correctly, that lower number may be off though.

As for outdoor defense, there really isn't too many tips I can give you, siege operators not firing could be because you gave a "no civilians go outside" order, which means, unless your siege engines are below ground, your dwarves won't touch them.
Also, siege engines can't fire between z-levels, so the level you put them on is hopefully the level that has invaders.
As for effective range, I do believe they will continue going until they hit the edge of the map.
If you want a cheap, basically cheating defense, build a bunch of bridges right outside your entrance, make them all raise to the side, and then just slam them down on any ambushes/sieges.
If you want a better defense, more military will help you there, if you have over 70 dwarves you should at least have 15 or so military, IMO, some people would shoot for even more.
And, last but not least, build a hallway as your entrance, line it with traps, this is a cheap but effective way to repel sieges and ambushes.
Also, try only letting your dwarves outside to gather stuff directly after a siege, you only get one siege/ambush group per season, I think, but if it's taking your dwarves more than a season to gather stuff, well, that might be a problem in and of itself.

[Lummox JR]

Well shoot, I had no idea catapults wouldn't work over multiple Z levels. Building them on my towers was useless then. Can an indoor catapult even function though? If I have a catapult inside a room with fortifications and a roof, I would assume it's not going to be very useful.

I'm glad to know I need more military--though I'm not sure what to do about that because dwarf labor is kind of at a premium just to keep up with tasks. Part of my difficulty is that I had a lot of dwarves outside building my aqueduct, although except for fully finishing the roof that's all sorted now.

It is taking dwarves a long time to gather stuff, though, because they're gathering wood from my cutters but they're also gathering stuff left behind by the sieges--it's a vicious cycle. I might try to see if I can build a walled-off area for refuse so at least they'll have that, which should also protect my bone carvers (bone is easy to come by in my fortress) when they go for supplies.

[addendum]
Looks like I just got some migrants. I drafted some of the useless ones, and peasants, plus I had a hammerdwarf and some wrestlers show up. Yes!

[FunkyWaltDogg]

Well shoot, I had no idea catapults wouldn't work over multiple Z levels. Building them on my towers was useless then. Can an indoor catapult even function though? If I have a catapult inside a room with fortifications and a roof, I would assume it's not going to be very useful.

Actually, it will work just fine.  Catapults can fire through fortifications, and the projectiles travel in a straight line, not an arc, so the roof is no problem either.

[Vilien]

I suggest magma.

[Martin]

Ambushers show up at the start of the season. At the close of a season, pull everyone in, rely on warning systems like cats to warn you of attackers. When you feel confident things are all clear, send your dwarves out to do their thing and then pull them in again.

I've found that ambushers will almost always path to a tame animal that's within their embark tile, so you really only need one for each region and you should find the ambushers pretty quickly.

But bottlenecks will reduce any attacking force to a mere nuisance. Check the outdoor fortress in my sig to see a two-walled town. Traders spawn just outside the entrances and almost always enter safely, and dwarves almost never need to venture beyond the outer wall. I allow attackers to enter the outer areas and cut them down at the keep. Minimizing hauling.

[Scarpa]

On one fortress I had pretty good luck using patrols to seek out and destroy the ambushes. Two axe or hammerdwarves trained up with high wrestling and shield user skill + plate mail will pretty much destroy any ambush.

Well placed kittens is a great idea though, too, I'm gonna have to try that.

[Lummox JR]

I'm glad to know that catapults can fire indoors and through fortified walls--that's awesome news.

Magma is not currently an option. I may have it somewhere on the map--the locator said I should--but I haven't found it yet with exploratory mining, and I've given up trying to find it for now while I focus on more important things.

I like the idea of walling off a larger area, but I've found constructions on that scale can take quite a while. Still, it sounds like that's going to be the best way to go. Now that I have a bigger military, I'm a little more confident, and knowing now that ambushes tend to show up early in the season (thanks for that tip) should help me get construction workers out there. Maybe at the very least I can build out my existing aboveground fortress section by section, focusing on creating bottlenecks.

[Kinnis]

I like the idea of walling off a larger area, but I've found constructions on that scale can take quite a while.

For a quicker solution if you want to block off areas, try channeling (though it doesn't block line of sight like a wall does.)

[Albedo]

I suggest magma.

Someone had to. Thanks for getting it out of the way.

I'm glad to know that catapults can fire indoors and through fortified walls--that's awesome news.

"Fortifications", not "walls".  2 diff animals. (Don't confuse the newbies.)

I like the idea of walling off a larger area, but I've found constructions on that scale can take quite a while.

Depends how many you have working on it, and where the stone source is (and how picky you are about color, blocks, etc.) 

Take a look at the wiki article on "cross training", spec the section on Army Corp of Engineers - combat masons, by any other name.  I use a modified version, but I'm starting to swear by it - when it's time to build, I have a half dozen trained wahoos storm out, armed with axes (they're all woodcutters in the off-season), and get the job done NOW.   

If you do some mining in the area(s) to be walled, the material is right there.  Can be incorporated with some terraforming, using natural terraces to help claim private safe zones.

Also, remember that all walls are LIFO - Last In, First Out. That is, whatever is the last stretch of wall you designate, that is the very next one everyone will work on, and work backwards from there.  (Not the way most people think or plan such projects - takes some getting used to.)

[Albedo]

Another option (and a nice mini-project) is to dot your landscape with mushroom defense towers, tied together with underground tunnels.

Just a tower +2 z-levels high, one up/down stair, and then a wider top with fortifications.

Anywhere you need firepower, a half-dozen crossbows can be there after a safe march.  Or more than that, if you build them close enough for interlocking fields of fire.

Put a small stockpile of food and alcohol beneath each one, in storage facilities.  Add a barracks and practice range you can re-assign that squad to (by locking doors behind them?) for even longer-term duty.  Put a well beneath each one for bonus points.

Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

[Byakugan01]

Actually, ordering your dwarves inside could still be a viable option if you try a "dwarven drop pod" setup". First, build an extension over your entrance, 1 z-level up. Make sure to leave a series of hatches here. Next, dig out individual sets of up/down stair cases directly below the corresponding holes in the floor of your extension. the holes should be constructed like this

x=wall, D=Door, F=floor H=hole
FFFFF
FXXXF
FXHXF
FXDXF
FFFFF

Cover both the stair cases and the holes with hatches (pretty sure you can just cover an empty hole with a hatch). Then, make squads of 1 and order them stationed on the hatches. Next, trap a kitten or something like that in the holes/stairs in the ground. Connect them all to a lever. Order your dwarves inside when a siege comes and just drop right into the middle of the army when they follow. This is just an untested Idea I have of how to do it though.

[Akhier the Dragon hearted]

normally you can't build walls or anything else right next to the map edge but bridges can be built i a way so that raised they block the outside world off. if you block all but 3 tiles and build a road from there to you fortress everything will come though there. wild life, sieges, traders, thieves, ambushers.  if it spawns from the edge it will spawn in those three tiles. it will make any traders really slow because they will over lap but any thieves that come out will be instantly found.

also on your wall have fortification in spots and a one tile room on it. drop lots of bolts there and station a markdwarf there then lock door and the dwarf wont be able to get into combat.
0 0 0
#+ D
0 0 0 <-- # = fortification, 0 = wall, + = floor, D = door
just have alot of bolts on the floor and lock door with dwarf in there. for a better setup also have a bridge that raises in front of the fortification to allow you to block the dwarf from ranged attacks if need be.

[Lummox JR]

I had my first siege, after building two of the aforementioned mushroom towers (I'm working on the third now). The siege consisted of goblin wrestlers and macemen, 14 in total. Once I realized they'd only come to my main entrance if the gate was still open, I let them get close to my outer wall and then I shut the gate, then I stationed marksdwarves near them to shoot through fortifications. The siege was broken, and now I'm halfway into the next season with no new attacks yet--just some stray kobold thieves.

The mushroom towers haven't been of any use yet but I'm hoping they'll help more in the future. In the meantime I've bolstered my defenses by improving the main gate and building a trapped corridor within. I've also started construction on a drowning chamber for any enemies I've already caught in cage traps (and disarmed of course), just for fun.

[Martin]

And just so people know, you can largely eliminate any threats bothering your traders by putting your depot in an airlock. When the season starts, provide access to the depot from the edge of the map, but seal off your fortress from the depot and outside. Traders will path to the depot, but hostiles will remain on the edge of the map because they can't path to the interior of your fortress. Once the traders get in the depot, close off access to the depot from the outside, and open up access to it from the fortress so you can trade. Hostiles will remain at the edge of the map. When the traders have left and collected all of their stuff from the depot (usually some time after the notice), then seal off your fortress again, and let the traders out.

Unless the traders pass close to the hostiles, they won't be bothered. Certainly saves having to haul in 8 wagons full of junk from all the way across the map when they get cut down by a bunch of gobbos.