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[masakhan]

I'm about my 13th fort in the new release(no reclaims.) I thought I could use the same setup as I did in 40d which consisted of:
1 miner
1 woodcutter
1 carpenter
1 stonecrafter/trader
1 mason
1 Armorer/metalsmith
1 Weaponsmith/metalcrafter

with 1 anvil, various pairs of animals for food,no medical equipment,a couple of ropes for chaining wardogs (for thief defense,) food, 1 pick, 1 axe,and etc.

But after several failboats consisting of GCS, goblin ambushes in my first springs, armies of crundles, magma men/fire imps/ magma crabs coming up into my forge areas,and murderous giant toads;Since then  Ive been using the following.

1 Axedwarf with various combat skills (militia commander)
2 Miners (I seem to get my farm irrigation/ exploratory mining done 10x faster)
1 Mason/Carpenter
1 Doctor
1 Stonecrafter/trader (broker)
1 woodcutter/mechanic (manager)

with 1 anvil, 2 axes, 2 picks, 2 of every medical item, food, tons of seeds, ropes for chaining wardogs(only 2 wardogs,) and 2 cats.

I first start out by digging out the entrance to the fortress, and then dig a place to dump food. My second task is to build tables/chairs in said food room, and dig the dwarfs rooms(with beds/doors) since the dwarfs will tantrum without them (they like to work themselves to death now!) After that it is a mix of irrigation and trapping the entrance/mining shafts (Ive been building the exploratory mining shafts separate from the fortress.) After that I play it by ear but usually engage in one of the following: building a barracks, making magma accessible, building a fully functioning hospital, dining rooms/workshop areas.

What have you been doing first?What has been your dwarf/equipment load out when you start?

[Forumsdwarf]

1 Leader / Broker
1 Farmer
1 Woodcutter
1 Miner
3 Crossbowmen / Armor Users

The 3 archers are civilian militia, part of the workforce armed at all times and ready to go in case of trouble.  You don't have to set civilians to "Hunting" to keep them armed anymore, just put them in a deactivated squad and tell them to stay in uniform.  Nice!
I modified the default uniform to take away the leather shield.  I don't have any idea whether it has in-game effects or not, but it seems silly that my workers shouldn't have their hands free to actually do work.

My rough colonization plan:

Gather plants for surface farming.
Build a starter colony near the surface.
Build a Trade Depot.
Build a modest farm product export industry (textiles, etc.)
Secure the surface with channels, tunnels, and traps.
Carefully explore downward, building in traps and other safety features to protect the starter colony.
Train a serious military force.
Secure an underground cavern.
Build the real fortress underground, with magma and underground farming and a huge column of finished goods storage arrayed above and below the new underground Trade Depot.
Dismantle the starter colony, except I would keep the surface farms if I had access to Sun Berries.
Build the military even stronger and go look for Fun.

So far I'm still on my first fort and haven't made the move underground yet.  If, umm, anyone has any advice ...

[evileeyore]

First 2010 Fort:

1 Leader/Broker/Surgeon
6 completely untrained mooks
Decent amount of stocks, 7 Picks, 7 male dogs, 1 female dog, 1 of each cat.

My Plan:

Embark and see what happens.

[JoshBrickstien]

Gather plants for surface farming.
Build a starter colony near the surface.
Build a Trade Depot.
Build a modest farm product export industry (textiles, etc.)
Secure the surface with channels, tunnels, and traps.
Carefully explore downward, building in traps and other safety features to protect the starter colony.
Train a serious military force.
Secure an underground cavern.
Build the real fortress underground, with magma and underground farming and a huge column of finished goods storage arrayed above and below the new underground Trade Depot.
Dismantle the starter colony, except I would keep the surface farms if I had access to Sun Berries.
Build the military even stronger and go look for Fun.

Same thing, minus the fun hunt 

[Rakonas]

2 Miners
Carpenter+Woodcutter
Mason
Brewer+Cook
Farmer+Plant gatherer (extra seeds to be found in caverns)
1 Guy with every other labour activated
I don't give them skills in embark setup, though. I only choose their jobs once I've examined their stats (strong+slow to tire miners, weak/quick to tire at low-danger jobs)

[Forumsdwarf]

I learned to favor military skills for the Starting 7 after some early Fun wreaked havoc on my untrained, unarmed, unprepared team of civilians in my first-ever Fortress Fail.

I bring breeding pairs of animals, as much military skill as I can afford, a good broker, and minimal everything else.  My theory is that for a good fortress builder immediate survival equals eventual prosperity.

[Urist McDepravity]

6 picks, 2 axes, as much food as possible.
1 leader/trader, 6 miners.
I run no industry/farming on first few seasons, spending them on digging.

[Triqon]

No skills, no items, no livestock. 

result

[Safe-Keeper]

A Doctor is a must with the new hospital/wounds system. Think the pre-made skill set should be updated accordingly.

[LemonFrosted]

A Doctor is a must with the new hospital/wounds system. Think the pre-made skill set should be updated accordingly.

The default "embark now" has always given me a Doctor.

[Emily Murkpaddled]

I had success using my old strategy and not breaching the underground until the start of the 2nd year or so, but it was tedious and unfun. I've since started using that same setup but with a single military dwarf with Leadership/Teaching and immediately at least finding the underground. I'll usually then dig down and build in the wall next to it, not making a real breach until I have some migrants. So it's

1 Miner, 1 Woodcutter, 1 Carpenter, 1 Mason, 1 Metalworker, 1 Mechanic, 1 Military

I also distribute Brewing, Gem skills, Furnace Operating, Wood Burning, Appraising, Record Keeping, and Pacifying amongst them at some token level, so I know from the get-go I'll have a few of the chosen nobles without overlap. I bring a 2nd pick and use it with unskilled Miners that I shuffle out every time they reach 'Adequate,' since it helps keep stone down (one of my personal challenges is not to use atom smashers or quantum dumping for stone management).