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[Shiv]

I know this is a common issue but I can't find a good answer for it.  Maybe there isn't one, but I have to ask.

I put my soldiers through a wrestling regime before they get any other weapon.  It seems to help build their toughness and strength, and it doesn't take very long, so I think it's a good idea (let me know if you know a better way).  So when they're hamfisting everyone, it's no big deal, but I just promoted my third weapon user.  This one gets to play with an axe.

Now, my sword user picked up a silver sword like a good boy, and my hammer user picked up a copper hammer.  Meh, I can live (and I think so can my dwarves) with hammer.  My axe user, despite their being a nice silver axe right by the steel one, decided to go with the latter.  So how can I prevent limb cleavage? 


I have two armories in my fortress.  One right by the base, which has every metal but silver forbidden from it, and the other is near my weapon smith.  Unfortunately when he was promoted, he was standing by the more deadly of the two...

Is there a way I can make him drop his weapon and go pick up another one?  I was thinking I could Civ him, then make him his own squad, and then move him to the other stock pile, then tell him to use a weapon, but then I realized I'd have to do that every time someone attacks and leaves. 

So is there a better way?  Most people say just deck them out in plate but surely there's a better (and cheaper) alternative.

[Smew]

Set him to no unarmed, he'll drop the axe presuming it isn't an artifact, then you can station him by the silver axes and voila.
Also, giving your soldiers plate is ALWAYS a good thing.

[Stargrasper]

First of all, dump his steel axe from his inventory.  Then forbid all weapons you don't want them using from the stocks screen.  They'll go pick up the strongest weapons you're allowing, which is why the axedwarf took the steel axe.  He's not concerned with safety, he's concerned with killing potential.

Also, give your dwarves armor.  They can wear steel over chain over leather all at once.  And remember, they pick up the strongest thing available that isn't forbidden.

[Shiv]

So each time an attack happens I'll have to unforbid everything? Then reforbid it?

I suppose that wouldn't be too terrible.  If I unforbid his steel axe while he's holding a silver one, will he switch or go galavanting with the silver one?



Also I'm working on the armor bit but I cant' find any magma and wood is proving to be an issue. 



Oh and hey, in the military screen what does a green name mean?  Usually when I put them in squads the names turn grey when activated.  Well I have four people who are activated and in a squad but their names are green.  I don't see any common issues between them (one is injured though) so I'm kind of stumped. 

[Jim Groovester]

They'll go pick up the strongest weapons you're allowing, which is why the axedwarf took the steel axe.

I wish that was the case. My goblin swordswoman seems awfully attracted to feather tree long swords instead of the steel scimitar I made for her.

In my experience, what weapon they pick up really doesn't matter too much for their training or in avoiding injuries, so I just give them steel. This is, of course, after I deck them all out in exceptional steel plate, which is always, always, a good idea.

[Stargrasper]

They'll go pick up the strongest weapons you're allowing, which is why the axedwarf took the steel axe.

I wish that was the case. My goblin swordswoman seems awfully attracted to feather tree long swords instead of the steel scimitar I made for her.

In my experience, what weapon they pick up really doesn't matter too much for their training or in avoiding injuries, so I just give them steel. This is, of course, after I deck them all out in exceptional steel plate, which is always, always, a good idea.

Really?  From what I was noticing, they always seemed to pick the strongest weapon.  Is it a personality or racial quality or are they just taking the strongest available weapon whenever I'm actually paying attention?

So each time an attack happens I'll have to unforbid everything? Then reforbid it?

I suppose that wouldn't be too terrible.  If I unforbid his steel axe while he's holding a silver one, will he switch or go galavanting with the silver one?



Also I'm working on the armor bit but I cant' find any magma and wood is proving to be an issue. 



Oh and hey, in the military screen what does a green name mean?  Usually when I put them in squads the names turn grey when activated.  Well I have four people who are activated and in a squad but their names are green.  I don't see any common issues between them (one is injured though) so I'm kind of stumped. 

Unfortunately, yes.  You have to do an interesting dance if you want to use training weapons.  Hopefully the next release relieves this issue.

And like Jim said, if they're decked out in full armor, even if you aren't layering it, high quality plate should do wonders for you.
So each time an attack happens I'll have to unforbid everything? Then reforbid it?

I believe you'll have to dump the equipped weapon then allow the forbidden weapon to force dwarves to switch weapons.  It's an annoying dance.  It might be easier to fully armor your army than dance like that, but it's hard to say for sure.

And your final issue, I'm not immediately aware of it, but are you sure it isn't a squad that just isn't activated at the moment?  That's my best guess without launching DF(which I can't do right now)

EDIT: Before I forget again, you might find something useful in this thread as well.  I haven't read the whole thing, but it's about the same question as you're asking.

[Shiv]

No, they're activated.  Some of the people in the squad are the correct grey color, but four of them are green. 

[Jim Groovester]

Really?  From what I was noticing, they always seemed to pick the strongest weapon.  Is it a personality or racial quality or are they just taking the strongest available weapon whenever I'm actually paying attention?

Ehh, I doubt it's either of those things. I think they just go for the weapon nearest at hand.

No, they're activated.  Some of the people in the squad are the correct grey color, but four of them are green. 

Were they hunters who had some marksdwarf training?

[Stargrasper]

Really?  From what I was noticing, they always seemed to pick the strongest weapon.  Is it a personality or racial quality or are they just taking the strongest available weapon whenever I'm actually paying attention?

Ehh, I doubt it's either of those things. I think they just go for the weapon nearest at hand.

Clearly I need to pay more attention to detail when my dwarves are arming themselves.

And Shiv, also look at the wiki under Military.  It appears to answer all your questions except that color question.

[Shiv]

Were they hunters who had some marksdwarf training?

Yes, one of them was.  Maybe two.  Don't think all four of them were though.  I try to watch my skills pretty carefully with the dwarf manager program so I know for sure one, but I doubt all four (unless they spawned on with Hunter and I changed it).




Edit:  Well just checked on the sparring room and no one is dead yet.  There is blood everywhere though, but running through my troops no one seems seriously injured except a yellow head (broken, right?).  And that with a masterwork helm, so uh, he would probably be dead right now excepting that.

[Hyndis]

The supply of soap and cheese makers is infinite.

Just order them to use shields, plate and axes, and then let Armok sort it all out. 

You can keep the wounded population down by having the hospital beds be outside your fort, by the trade depot.

[Albedo]

Layer your armor.  Add chain armor and metal caps to the mix, and that will happen even less.

[Hyndis]

Layer your armor.  Add chain armor and metal caps to the mix, and that will happen even less.

But is it worth the micromanagement?

I just make a pile of leather, chain, and plate. Then order all dwarves to use plate if it is available. If a soap maker gets his head lopped off during sparring, fine. The other dwarves will go pick up some more armor.

Then the next soap maker will get drafted into the military, assigned to use plate, a shield, and an axe, and he'll pick up whatever he can grab.

[Footkerchief]

It may interest you to know that letting them wrestle first offers mixed benefits.  While it makes them tough and gives them some dodging skills, it also increases their strength, which means that if they screw up during sparring, the blow will be much more deadly.

[Hyndis]

Wrestling alone is enough to turn a dwarf into a one-man army.

A naked legendary wrestler with dabbling skill and a wooden weapon will rip through goblin sieges without any trouble.

A dabbling wrestler with full adamantium plate and with legendary skill and an artifact axe won't last 5 seconds.