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[shlorf]

Only skimmed over the thread, but in case it hasn't been mentioned: If you train your soldiers the normal way (training schedule), they will improve their weapons skills faster if all squad members use the same weapon.

[ral]

You guys think too hard. I create squads of all archers, and squads of all axedwarvres, stick them in a danger room for a while, and they kick everything's ass after that.

Actually I don't even bother to force the axe guys to use axes. I just leave them set to "individual choice, ranged" and most of them end up using axes because I make lots of axes and most recruits have no weapon skill to make them want to pick anything else. Sometimes 1 or 2 per squad end up with some other weapon but as long as they have better skill with that weapon then who cares.

I do make everyone wear a breastplate, at least one mail shirt under that, mail leggings, a cloak, and greaves. That's about the limit of my customization.

[Vandersleld]

I work with squads of 5-ish, for greater flexibility when responding to threats. Squad weapon assignments are based on who's good at what. Everyone has a full set of armor, even marksmen, and maybe a crimson hood and cape if I'm in the mood.

I recently did an experiment in arming my marksmen with both crossbows and axes, reasoning that a battleaxe is more useful than a crossbow when you're out of ammo and the enemy's in your face. No idea if they actually use them, since a series of particularly deadly traps have taken care of the past two sieges, but I like the idea. I shall need to test them on the elves, next time they roll around.

I also take more of a blunt-force approach in military training and scheduling. My military trains for the entire year, with no breaks, leaving me with a cadre of slightly depressed antisocial homicidal maniacs. They don't actually know anyone in the fortress, since I recruit right after each migrant wave, so they don't care if Urist McFriendlySlacker gets his face ripped off by a three-eyed pterodon. In short, any advantage lost through non-homogenous squads is regained in accelerated training time and sheer dwarven valor.

[Lagslayer]

I've read on another thread that if they have multiple weapons that they can use then each gets a to-hit roll. The one with the highest hit roll makes the attack and the other does nothing. So a masterwork training axe combined with a no quality cotton candy axe is a bad idea.

However, when the dwarf is at a range, I don't think melee weapons even get a roll, so their AI would still probably default to normal marksdwarf AI (run back and get ammo most of the time). Someone needs to do science! on this.

[Vandersleld]

I did a very preliminary test. I released an unarmed goblin into my gladiatorial arena and stationed an ax/crossbow-armed marksdwarf on a ledge above. The marksdwarf fired upon the goblin as ordered. When I stationed the marksdwarf near the arena door and allowed the goblin to escape, the marksdwarf engaged and quickly killed the goblin with his axe. The axe was superiorly-crafted and the crossbow was well-crafted; thus the results are consistent with the principle of high-quality weapons getting priority in combat. I have yet to test what will happen if the qualities are reversed or identical, and if the marksdwarf runs out of ammunition.

This armament style could work quite well if the weapon qualities are properly managed. I've had marksdwarves spend months beating cave crocs with their (wooden) crossbows, whereas the dwarf in the test decapitated the goblin after a few turns of combat. Next step: uberdorfs trained in both ranged and melee combat! Whee!

[lanceleoghauni]

an interesting inversion, I think, is a dwarf that is legendary in all combat skills. decked in the best armor you can make, weilding the best weapons, and dispatched alone into combat situations, backed up by a hail of -bone bolt- fire. equip the best weapon for the situation and go to town.

[Poindexterity]

and in any case I use a lot of imported or salvaged enemy weapons;

me too!
ive got one squad now using a pike, 2 kobold daggers, a scourge and 3 whips

[Flying Dice]

As some people have already said, the best approach is to use small squads and use whichever combination you need. I prefer squads of 4, as that is large enough to deal with small threats (or large ones, for champions) alone, and is small enough that deployment isn't a major hassle. I stopped using combined-arms squads because it introduces even more confusion into the military system. With single weapons type squads, you can assign a squad uniform rather than having to assign weapons individually, which is a pain and a half for large militaries.

Plus, with mixed-arms, you run the risk of having marksdwarves ending up in the melee, and if you're the type who segregates the military by gender (females only as marksdwarves) to prevent baby-death tantrums, mixed-arms squads completely remove the point.