My usual setup includes two Miner/Mechanics, a Mason that doubles as record keeper with a dash of appraiser, a carpenter/bone carver for early beds and trade goods, a weapon/armor smith for when I get forging online, a leatherworker/mechanic and an animal trainer/mechanic. I'm very fond of cage traps, so all the skilled mechanics are for quick cage trap reloading and the trainer is for taming anything interesting I catch. Before that habit formed I used to give my miners dodging instead and make them my starting military (equipped with picks) when they hit legendary.
Starting goods include some stone, wood and sand for areas lacking in them (and so that I can reclaim all the sand bags), thread, leather for cloaks and quivers, a couple picks and training axes, an anvil, seeds, drinks and a large variety of meats; I'll admit I use the barrel exploit too. Animals are 7 dogs trained into war dogs immediately to protect my starting 7 from early threats, a pair of cats and, after one unfortunate incident with a fey mood, a single sheep. The dogs are trained into war dogs immediately to protect my starting 7, while the cats handle vermin in the food and refuse stockpiles.
I tend to start on volcanoes when possible and have a bad habit of starting on aquifers, so much of this is geared with those two situations in mind.
Here's the embark init data for whoever wants it:
[TITLE:EFFICIENT V2]
[SKILL:1:MINING:5]
[SKILL:1:MECHANICS:5]
[SKILL:2:MINING:5]
[SKILL:2:MECHANICS:5]
[SKILL:3:MASONRY:5]
[SKILL:3:APPRAISAL:1]
[SKILL:3:RECORD_KEEPING:4]
[SKILL:4:CARPENTRY:5]
[SKILL:4:BONECARVE:5]
[SKILL:5:FORGE_WEAPON:5]
[SKILL:5:FORGE_ARMOR:5]
[SKILL:6:LEATHERWORK:5]
[SKILL:6:MECHANICS:5]
[SKILL:7:ANIMALTRAIN:5]
[SKILL:7:MECHANICS:5]
[ITEM:2:WEAPON:ITEM_WEAPON_PICK:INORGANIC:COPPER]
[ITEM:2:WEAPON:ITEM_WEAPON_AXE_TRAINING:PLANT_MAT:WILLOW:WOOD]
[ITEM:1:ANVIL:NONE:INORGANIC:IRON]
[ITEM:10:SEEDS:NONE:PLANT_MAT:MUSHROOM_HELMET_PLUMP:SEED]
[ITEM:10:SEEDS:NONE:PLANT_MAT:GRASS_TAIL_PIG:SEED]
[ITEM:10:SEEDS:NONE:PLANT_MAT:BUSH_QUARRY:SEED]
[ITEM:15:THREAD:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:SPIDER_CAVE:SILK]
[ITEM:10:SKIN_TANNED:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:RAT_LARGE:LEATHER]
[ITEM:20:BOULDER:NONE:INORGANIC:GABBRO]
[ITEM:20:WOOD:NONE:PLANT_MAT:WILLOW:WOOD]
[ITEM:31:POWDER_MISC:NONE:INORGANIC:SAND_TAN]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:YAK:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:COW:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:LLAMA:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:DONKEY:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:GOAT:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:PIG:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:SHEEP:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:HORSE:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:CAT:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:DOG:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:MULE:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:BIRD_CHICKEN:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:BIRD_DUCK:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:WATER_BUFFALO:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:REINDEER:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:BIRD_GOOSE:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:ALPACA:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:BIRD_GUINEAFOWL:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:BIRD_PEAFOWL_BLUE:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:BIRD_TURKEY:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:RABBIT:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:RAT_LARGE:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:MOLE_DOG_NAKED:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:CAVY:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:2:MEAT:NONE:CREATURE_MAT:TOAD:MUSCLE]
[ITEM:20:DRINK:NONE:PLANT_MAT:MUSHROOM_HELMET_PLUMP:DRINK]
[ITEM:20:DRINK:NONE:PLANT_MAT:GRASS_TAIL_PIG:DRINK]
[ITEM:20:DRINK:NONE:PLANT_MAT:GRASS_WHEAT_CAVE:DRINK]
[ITEM:20:DRINK:NONE:PLANT_MAT:POD_SWEET:DRINK]
[ITEM:10:POWDER_MISC:NONE:INORGANIC:PLASTER]
[PET:5:DOG:FEMALE:STANDARD]
[PET:2:DOG:MALE:STANDARD]
[PET:1:CAT:FEMALE:STANDARD]
[PET:1:CAT:MALE:STANDARD]
[PET:1:SHEEP:FEMALE:STANDARD]
