I've been having horrible luck all day trying to generate a decent world in the latest version. My aforementioned encounter with the brigade of weapon-lords was in a horrible world consisting of over 70% ocean and mountains.
My second attempt was in a world that seemed infested by Goblins, if the gen map was anything to go by. My hometown was inhabited by nothing but Criminals, who were so ignorant of the outside world that I couldn't get a single quest location out of them. I went and explored all five of the surrounding towns, only to find them completely empty. I finally find a town hall with some activity inside, only for a crowd of screaming/naked Poets and Dancers with bundles of books in their arms to come running out the doors. An insurrection! Finally something to do! I unfortunately get a little too focused on the fighting, and before I realize it, wave after wave of hostile Goblins are pouring out of the lower staircases of the Hall, and I'm blocked in. I am swiftly overwhelmed and beaten to death by 30+ naked book-wielding Goblins...
Third generation attempt, and I finally see a world that seems somewhat decent, outside of there again being more Goblin civilizations than I'd like there to be. I end up starting in a Dwarven Fortress so deep down that I was unable to (T)ravel out of it, and had to spend over 40 minutes trying to find my way out of that lag-fest. It should also be noted that there wasn't a single Dwarf in this damn Fort, and none of the residents knew anything about anything, so again, no quests to be found. I still have yet to find any Towns or Hillocks that are inhabited.
I'm really starting to hate Gobbos and Criminal Organizations...