Alright, I had this awesome, almost completed walled, moated fortress of doom (actually the moat was juuuuust about to be filled, soon as I got that last sapphire) and lo and behold im attacked by a pretty large gobbo invasion force (about a 16, half marksmen, the other half a hodgepodge of spears, 2 handed swords, and hammers)
Now, I feel good. This is why I trained those 8 immigrants into brutal units of death. Also why I equipped them right off the bat with high quality plate sets. And steel weapons. They had trained for around 4 years straight, they were a force to be reckoned with, alright. A worthy drain on my resources, so I thought.
However, when I ordered my dwarves to drop everything, and to skoot inside, I forgot I had built a ceiling over my exposed courtyard (my mayor/mechanic was just about to link the purty new drawbridge, turning it into an impregnable fortress) so I had to forbid the courtyard.
Even though I cancelled all the tasks, and ordered all but the soldiers inside, they still milled around the entrance, trying to get out (they considered the majority of my exposed courtyards to be "inside"... my bad)
Every one of my common labourers. About 15 in all. (the other 5 had been just about to reach the sole foot bridge leading into my fort when they ran into a *gasp* baby snatcher, so naturally they ran the other way *towards the swords/spear gobbos.* naturally they were punished for their stupidity.
On the bright note my legendary miner/grower/butcher "chops" rithgutid managed to throttle 2 of them and rip the arms off another completely untrained (though jacked all to hell due to constant mining, for that hes getting Zagududos, the jet coffin) all the while having bits of himself chopped off and flying into the nearby brook. Sadly, he did not survive the experince. He shall be missed. Few were as good at pounding rock as he was.
Ah yes. My dwarves at the entrance were still milling around oblivious to the threat that came for them, in elephant leather shoes (I noticed that many of the goblins were wearing these, I question the legitimacy of these shoes as elephants are natures natural killer, and these were *just* goblins)
So, the markgobbos were first to arrive, being met by my sole soldier who was not presently sleeping or drinking himself into a stupor, Catten Tekkudtathtak the elite wrestler, the pride of my army. He didnt make it 5 steps before an bolt took him in the head, piecing it. He fell unconcious in a heap not even coherent. He was swiftly chopped to bits by the arriving swords/spearsmen.
Then the vicious goblins, turned their crossbows towards my entrance where my gawking, milling crowd of plebians had actually *grown* since before, and opened fire. They struck down half my fortress because I didnt know how to order my dwarves into the bowels of my fortress, safe behind trap upon trap.
Eventually the rest of my pitiful army showed up, and after taking nary a casualty drove them off (with the help of 2 dozen war-dogs whose losses were somewhat higher) My question to good folk is, how do I manage my dwarves to flee into the bowels of my fortress when imminent, penetrating death is nigh?
I turned off active orders, ordered all but soldiers inside, turned off body and refuse hauling and resource collection. What did I do wrong? Where did I go wrong? The catapults were so close to being ready, the bridge, she was on the verge of being linked, and now...
Now my fortress will fall apart due to my lack of unskilled labour and my poor management. Please, enlighten me to proper battle tactics in the face of a threat.
EDIT :: I wanted to apologize for unloading, but it was to be my greatest creation... yet. (silly to get attached to a fortress like that, but there you have it) I would truly appreciate any advice anyone is willing to give.
[ April 12, 2008: Message edited by: Slinkyfest ]
)