Today, I wanted to try a fortress with only the passive animals as possible threats, so I generated a world with the template Island (the templates are really great, by the way, they just lack diversity in term of size).
After some deaths by giant bees (2 of the 7 I had), and minimal two waves, I got to a mighty 16 dwarves.
Wanting to train some soldiers and not having wood nor firepower to reach Lava, I decided to close my fort for a while and breed cows and horses, along with hawks I added to the farmers template as future hunting beasts.
After three years, I had more than 4 adult of both gender for the two animals, and decided to butcher every male but one as there is no use having them except for the animals fighting because of a lack of space.
Sadly, it didn't give me any skin to make leather from, so no armour, and no books for now (bug or my butcher being really bad at his task?).
I then decided that I would test the Gem armours, said to be at least slightly lower than iron, to equivalent to steel.
First deception, no boot or gauntlets, so my army will have to do without for now.
Setting up a 2x2 room of upright spears (training spear, 1 per trap, no high rarity either), a fast hospital just in case, I enrol two dwarves, none having any skill in battle (no dwarf came with a fighting caste, sadly).
After only a few hit, they both have to be sutured at the high part or the arms or the face, then go back and get hit again.
Sadly, after three times, one of the two got a serious injury (throat pierced, no less), and he dies while trying to get to the hospital bed that is merely 10 blocks away.
Needless to say I immediately stopped the training, but it brings some questions.
1. are those armours really useful, or am I just unlucky?
2. has Danger rooms been changed since DF2010, where even clothes sufficed in most cases?
I overly used it in the last versions, and never had more that bruises, except with some high rarity spears.
From my previous tests, it was the safest way to get the recruits get a little experience before pitting them with training weapons against weapon-less enemies, so how am I supposed to train my starting "army" before they are good enough to handle real fights, be it against animals or enemies?
Sparring won't get anywhere if nobody has any skill levelled, so am I doomed when I see no fighting caste in my two first waves?
As a side note, it is confirmed that the gems equipments have the same problem as the leather that you fixed, it won't get to the piles.