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[Sowelu]

I've figured some of it out--I can create a squad and load it with dwarves on the military screen, I can kind of fuss with its settings, and I can put it on active duty through the squad menu.  But that's about it.

It seems like my military dwarves always just kind of randomly train on their own time, whether they are active or not.  How do I force them to train?

My head honcho military noble has good teaching skill and all-around fighting abilities.  He has never tried a group demonstration.  Nobody has ever sparred, only solo practice ever happens.  Why?

When I try to fuss with uniforms, some of them have things set like "Metal Shield/Buckler".  I can only select things like "Shield" or "Bronze Shield", not Shield/Buckler or Metal.  How do I do that?

How do I ACTIVATE my squad to go hunting baddies?!  I can't figure out how to give them orders!  When I set up a new alert status and try to add an order, absolutely nothing happens.  Can someone walk through, in extremely small steps, exactly how to make a totally new squad of dwarves get ready to kill bad guys?

No matter what I do, I can't get my dwarves to go from open-face "Civilian" to closed-face "Military" icon.  This is probably related to the above...

(Mind you, I'm totally screwed because a squad of six bowgoblins ambushed me at the end of the first winter, because there's all kinds of huge hidden architecture value in the caverns I haven't explored, but hey.)

[Valdemar]

To give a direct order, go into the squad menu (s, not m), select the right squad (a, b, c, etc), press m for move or k for kill, then select where you want to move or what you want to kill. This seems to override any orders in the schedule. When I do this, they immediately go to closed-face, drop their business, and do what I said, then go back to open-face and their previous duties when I cancel the order.

I've also had trouble getting them to spar correctly, but it sometimes works. Are you sure that 1) their schedule includes 'Train' 2) They are set to the correct alert level with the 'Train' schedule, and 3) you've created a barracks and assigned the squad to train there?

As for uniforms, I haven't really done much with them yet.

[Phen]

I'd also love more info. I can't figure out how to set alerts to whatever... Meaning, I can create a new alert, but have no clue how to make settings for it. I wonder if I need to make a burrow first...

[Valdemar]

I'd also love more info. I can't figure out how to set alerts to whatever... Meaning, I can create a new alert, but have no clue how to make settings for it. I wonder if I need to make a burrow first...

Depends on what you want to do with the alert level. If you want to use it to restrict civilians, then yes, you'll need to create a new burrow and assign the burrow to the level. Then, when you select the level, civilians will be restricted to within the selected burrow.

The other use for alert levels is for changing squad schedules. You can select which alert you're defining the schedule for in the schedule screen using / and *. Then, when you change the alert level (you can do this individually for each squad), the squads will change to that schedule.

I've started writing up a basic guide on the wiki.

[Talion]

I have no idea how much effect it has, but try messing with the minimum number of dwarves needed to carry out an order in the scheduling screen.

[Ethnar]

To organize training sessions, you will need:
1) A squad - with some dwarves having at least some fighting skills (otherwise, they can't teach anything, at least so was wiki saying in regards to teacher-student sessions)
2) Create a barrack that is assigned to a squad (I have only one squad atm, so don't really know how to pick that - with one squad you get it by default for every barracks you make)
3) Enable training for that barracks ("t")
4) Set your squad for Active/Training in alerts menu ("m"ilitary -> "a"lerts -> select Active/Training (with down arrow) -> go right, press Enter (Letter A should appear next to squad)

If you didn't mess with scheduling for your squad, they will turn military (even without direct order) and they should proceed to start training soon.

Disclaimer:I don't claim to understand it very well nor even guarantee that all steps here are required/sufficient. If it doesn't work, I'll try to help further.

EDIT:

Oh, and some other stuff - if you didn't active your squad via alerts (and they are still civilians) - be careful assigning orders to them. If you assign and cancel order few times in a row, they'll get pissed (because you draft/undraft them constantly).

I also have two issues regarding military dwarves.

First one - they really follow the call of duty... so much they forget to eat and drink. I'm a bit worried they may die of starvation, so I undraft them (deactivate with alerts) sometimes so they can grab foodstuff and drinks. Which leads to second question...

They should be using backpacks and waterskins. I have both of them ready, no dwarf will go and pick it. What's even worse, they refuse to pick those training axes I made for them, I even specifically assigned one training axe for each of them in "m"->"e" menu, to no avail. I also have arsenal dwarf assigned in nobles screen with decent office. He did went for some paperwork in his office right after I appointed him, but it didn't help.

Any hints as to how to get your military dwarves equipped with training weapons/backpacks/waterskins?

[Phen]

I'd also love more info. I can't figure out how to set alerts to whatever... Meaning, I can create a new alert, but have no clue how to make settings for it. I wonder if I need to make a burrow first...

Depends on what you want to do with the alert level. If you want to use it to restrict civilians, then yes, you'll need to create a new burrow and assign the burrow to the level. Then, when you select the level, civilians will be restricted to within the selected burrow.

The other use for alert levels is for changing squad schedules. You can select which alert you're defining the schedule for in the schedule screen using / and *. Then, when you change the alert level (you can do this individually for each squad), the squads will change to that schedule.

I've started writing up a basic guide on the wiki.

I was only talking about squads, really, but I was guessing that you had to change the alerts status thing to get them to train. My fort just crashed and I didn't have a backup, though, so I'm starting over...

[forsaken1111]

You may also want to go into the scheduling and change the minimum to something lower, like 3-5 dwarves. It seems like with the default (minimum 10) it will sit and wait for all 10 dwarves to get there which can take a long time as some get hungry, need a wash, etc.

[forsaken1111]

I will probably do up a tutorial for the military section as I can see how it would be very confusing for some.

After I get some sleep.

[Graebeard]

You may also want to go into the scheduling and change the minimum to something lower, like 3-5 dwarves. It seems like with the default (minimum 10) it will sit and wait for all 10 dwarves to get there which can take a long time as some get hungry, need a wash, etc.

This.

I was also having a problem with my dorfs standing around the barracks doing nothing while they slowly sobered up and starved to death.  The moment I lowered the minimum they all ran off to freshen up.

You can do this by (m)ilitary --> (s)chedule -->(e)dit order --> scroll down.  This will change the minimum for one entry, but you'll probably want to change the other 11 similarly.

[dbfuru]

I changed the minimum to 3, but they still just stand around. I'll have 3 recruits standing in my barracks doing nothing. And my other squad people seem to continue doing their own jobs even though their alert is Active/Train and I have set them to train at the barracks.. Confusing to say the least!

And when one dwarf finally gets there everyone else seems to go inactive to go and eat, drink or sleep.

[bmaczero]

I've got a related question: how do I get military to equip quivers?  I just started a fort.  My hunter wouldn't hunt, so I recruited him and gave him an order to kill a Hoary Marmot.  Now he's chasing it around the map trying to beat it with his crossbow.

[twwolfe]

How do i get mine to fight? I draft someone to fight a troll and all they do is run  away

[Rumrusher]

I can't get a single recruit with a kill order to kill a human.
they just walk over to them and do nothing not even the combat reports are showing.

[Ethnar]

I changed the minimum to 3, but they still just stand around. I'll have 3 recruits standing in my barracks doing nothing. And my other squad people seem to continue doing their own jobs even though their alert is Active/Train and I have set them to train at the barracks.. Confusing to say the least!

And when one dwarf finally gets there everyone else seems to go inactive to go and eat, drink or sleep.

Are your dwarves military or civilians (check titles: recruit, soap maker, etc) when they are hanging around doing nothing? If civilian - the issue is in alarms/schedule panels. If they are military - check their current activity? Perhaps it's something like "Waiting for Dodge Presentation"? If it is - that's as good as it gets. They will get some skill eventually.

I've got a related question: how do I get military to equip quivers?  I just started a fort.  My hunter wouldn't hunt, so I recruited him and gave him an order to kill a Hoary Marmot.  Now he's chasing it around the map trying to beat it with his crossbow.

If you want your hunter to hunt stuff, don't make him military - that's a very tiresome workaround. Check my post in this thread about making hunter pick bolts and go out for hunting - I bet "m" screen->Ammunition is the issue again.