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[Theifofdreams]

Although, I think that I might be able to run rainwater through channels into a central cistern with floodgates.  I just need to figure out what floodgates are and how to use them.

Floodgates are buildings that specifically stop the flow of liquids (water and magma) from passing them as long as they're active. To use one, simply construct it out of the material you want in the relevant workshop (stone in a mason's, wood in a carpenter's...) then "b"uild it where you want it placed.
Once built, you'll need to hook it up to a lever, much like with a bridge.
Floodgates for magma need to be built out of magma safe materials, however, or they'll melt.

[Loud Whispers]

You should get used to them. I actually enjoy building massive prisons full of the insane and the awesome:D

I have yet to build any prisons.  My dwarves are sufficiently happy so far, so it doesn't seem necessary to put anybody into a prison, however, my animal stockpile is filling up with various animal people and goblin thieves.  I heard that they die in the cages from hunger, but they haven't been doing that.  I've also heard that you can disarm them by stealing their weapons/clothes, but I don't see any clothes when I select them with k.

I've also seen that my farms seem to lose seeds every now and then.  I bought some dimple cup seeds, and now I have none.  I assume that crop failures occur, causing a crop to be lost after they've been planted?

Anyway, right now I've acquired a few weapons and armor, so I can actually begin equipping my military with them.  To equip stuff, I just go to the military screen, select a unit, then go into the equip menu and select items from the list, right?  And the items that they've already equipped are the items with symbols next to them on the right, if I'm not mistaken.  I also want to equip my civilians with armor.  Is there any way to do that?

Dwarves when farming, only produce the product. When the product has been brewed, eaten or processed, it produces seeds:D
[cooking does not produce seeds]
Also, your civilians are going to have to be in a squad to equip that armour. I hope it's at least decent metal armour

[murlocdummy]

I recently got sieged by some goblins.  Since I don't have any metals ores yet, all the armors and things that I've bought include leather armor, wooden shields, and a few metal weapons.

Do siege enemies starve to death?  Also, a caravan is in my base.  Am I going to have to open my gates to let them out, or can I just leave them in my walls to rot?

I looked up siege weapons, and it seems that I need an open wall to use them.  You'd think that a catapult would work like a catapult, not a giant slingshot.  I've inadvertently trapped a few goblins in cage traps, but one of them's on this Jabberer, and I'm afraid that it won't work on him.  I could make a defense maze to have them run through, but I'm afraid that the jabberer will smash my bridge traps.

[Loud Whispers]

I recently got sieged by some goblins.  Since I don't have any metals ores yet, all the armors and things that I've bought include leather armor, wooden shields, and a few metal weapons.

Do siege enemies starve to death?  Also, a caravan is in my base.  Am I going to have to open my gates to let them out, or can I just leave them in my walls to rot?

I looked up siege weapons, and it seems that I need an open wall to use them.  You'd think that a catapult would work like a catapult, not a giant slingshot.  I've inadvertently trapped a few goblins in cage traps, but one of them's on this Jabberer, and I'm afraid that it won't work on him.  I could make a defense maze to have them run through, but I'm afraid that the jabberer will smash my bridge traps.

Siege enemies do not starve to death, and that Jabberer won't bother your traps at all... Rather the other way around
And you'd be best finding a way to try get that caravan off the map, if they can't find their way out, they will go insane, and (try) to kill everything that moves.
Oh and building destroyers apparently cannot destroy bridges on their outward side (side on which it is lowered, opposite from it's raising point), so you SHOULD be safe there too.
And yes, the catapult in DF is in fact, a slingshot catapult.
Ballistae are much better

[YetAnotherStupidDorf]

Some notes:

• Only your dwarves and your grazing animals will die in cages from hunger.
• Do not assign Sheriff/Capitain of the guard. No justice system means easier life for noob as you can safely ignore mandates. At most, some parasinoble will be unhappy. So no, no need to get used to this.
• There are fortifications (b-C-F or d-a on smoothed wall) for your "safely shoot at things" needs. Of course, digging proper defenses, setting up, training and commanding marksdwarves is another exercise in interface obtusity, workarounding bugs and other not-fun things.
• Caravans go insane (fortunately not their guards) if cannot leave map for too long. Going berserk is about 33% per caravan unit, though. After leaving depot they will wander around your fort - better to lock them up somewhere. I always have second emergency exit that have opening close to map corner and with airlock.

[Loud Whispers]

Some notes:

• Only your dwarves and your grazing animals will die in cages from hunger.
• Do not assign Sheriff/Capitain of the guard. No justice system means easier life for noob as you can safely ignore mandates. At most, some parasinoble will be unhappy. So no, no need to get used to this.
• There are fortifications (b-C-F or d-a on smoothed wall) for your "safely shoot at things" needs. Of course, digging proper defenses, setting up, training and commanding marksdwarves is another exercise in interface obtusity, workarounding bugs and other not-fun things.
• Caravans go insane (fortunately not their guards) if cannot leave map for too long. Going berserk is about 33% per caravan unit, though. After leaving depot they will wander around your fort - better to lock them up somewhere. I always have second emergency exit that have opening close to map corner and with airlock.

1. Dwarves will be fed and given booze by dwarves who have nothing better to do and the feed wounded labour enabled, but this is a low LOW priority task, which is why dwarves more often then not starve in prison.
2. Of course have the Guard, more !!FUN!!
3. Caravan guard's do go insane. [Well at least Dwarf and human one's I know of]

[Newbunkle]

I'm just worried that the manager is going to be a useless unit that does next to nothing all day long.

That's why my manager usually triples up as my record keeper and trader. He can go around counting the stuff in my stockpiles while he has no orders and then do the other jobs as I need them done.

[Garath]

there is always item hauling to be done

siegers will eventually leave. You can also try to find some metal, any will do, and make some serrated disc weapon traps. They pick apart almost any goblin and its mount. Long way around, trap them by 3 or 4s and put them in a trapped room. I always have several exits to let merchants out, and hope as hell they dont run into the siegers. If you capture the captain, the rest is likely to sit and stare

[murlocdummy]

The most efficient thing I can think of is a bridge trap maze for the enemy to run through.  The problem is that the leaving caravan might try to use it as their escape and get slaughtered by the incoming enemies.

So apparently a jabberer can't attack the side of a bridge that retracts towards them?
Does anyone have any experience with an atom smasher trap?  I'm going to build a long, winding trap on the other side of the gate, then open it, allowing them into the bridge trap, then open/close gates on them until they all die.  Will it work?

[proxn_punkd]

Atomsmashers work on small enemies like goblins, but not large enemies like trolls, IIRC. I don't know how jabberers measure up, so this may require !!science!! Also worth noting that atomsmashers won't leave you any goblinite, and that atomsmashers/bridge gates have to be RAISING bridges, not retracting bridges.

I would suggest stuffing the area around the gates/bridges with cage traps, then opening the gates so the siegers run in and get trapped, and the merchants can leave.

[murlocdummy]

Atomsmashers work on small enemies like goblins, but not large enemies like trolls, IIRC. I don't know how jabberers measure up, so this may require !!science!! Also worth noting that atomsmashers won't leave you any goblinite, and that atomsmashers/bridge gates have to be RAISING bridges, not retracting bridges.

I would suggest stuffing the area around the gates/bridges with cage traps, then opening the gates so the siegers run in and get trapped, and the merchants can leave.

I opened my gate to let the merchants out and a flood of dwarves decided to commit suicide by jumping into the open arms of the siegers.  Is it bad for me if the Dwarven caravan gets killed off by the goblin army, or are they only helping me by buying time with their corpses?

And how long does it take for the caravan to go crazy, anyhow?  Immediately upon not finding a route out?  A few months?

[Loud Whispers]

I don't time it, most of my dorf caravans either leave, go melancholic or insane, at which I kill them and take their stuff.

Also, it's normal for your dwarves to run beard first into danger, getting killed. They were probably going after a <<!!XxPigtail Fibre SockxX!!>>

[murlocdummy]

So far, I still can't figure out if a jabberer is capable of being crushed by a gate.  I think I lost 20% of my fort to just suicidal dwarves running straight into the enemy for no reason.  Good thing, though, is that now my fort is properly sealed and the caravan has left.  Although the diplomat left angrily or something like that.

[Loud Whispers]

Yup. The pig tail sock has claimed your dwarves's lives. Be content that it has been satisfied... For now.

[murlocdummy]

Too bad there's no way to get all of your dwarves into a single location, preventing them from running around doing useless tasks.  I tried using burrows and placed all of my dwarves in it, but the dwarves just disregarded it in order to do whatever the hell they wanted.

From this experience, I've realized that pulling a lever doesn't mean that the lever is going to get pulled.  Dwarves seem to completely disregard your commands almost all the time, and there doesn't seem to be a way to change the order at which they do things.

Odd...it seems that for whatever reason, most of the siegers left...leaving a single bowman on top of a tree.  Are my melee units going to be able to reach him up there?  It seems that he ran out of ammo and is just pestering my units trying to pick up items.