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[Loud Whispers]

Copper bars.

Anvil.

Seeds.

Dogs.

[ZeroSumHappiness]

Dear Doctor, whenever you are using a menu in DF there are letters that correspond to actions that can be taken.  With my horrible memory I forget if they are green or just highlighted/brighter, but carefully reading each screen will show what is available.

For embark equipment modification what you're looking for is the (n)ew option in the items menu.  That will let you add new items to your list where you can then modify the quantity.

[DrGravitas]

In the latest builds, I haven't figured out how to modify my embark equipment lists. I can increase/decrease quantities of existing things, sure, but once they're gone from the list, they're gone. The list on the side from which I can select things to add, only ever has an assortment of animals to include. Can't figure what I'm doing wrong, either. Sometimes, It's really nice to embark with a fully armed/armored squad to clear out a reclaim before I send a real reclamation group.

Press "n".

Dear Doctor, whenever you are using a menu in DF there are letters that correspond to actions that can be taken.  With my horrible memory I forget if they are green or just highlighted/brighter, but carefully reading each screen will show what is available.

For embark equipment modification what you're looking for is the (n)ew option in the items menu.  That will let you add new items to your list where you can then modify the quantity.

Ah, yes that did it. I even see it now on the screen. The keys I remapped my alt-menu selection to, had run right up against the 'n' it was specifying for new. 

Thank you both!

[Kepplerr]

How many miners do you guys usually bring along with you at embark?

[Ghills]

2, Novice or Adequate.  Unless I'm embarking in a dangerous biome, then I put them about Skilled.

Any random dorf with a pick will dig through soil like nobody's business. Spending embark points on mining isn't actually necessary unless you need to get underground fast.

[Kepplerr]

2, Novice or Adequate.  Unless I'm embarking in a dangerous biome, then I put them about Skilled.

Any random dorf with a pick will dig through soil like nobody's business. Spending embark points on mining isn't actually necessary unless you need to get underground fast.

Yeah, I usually bring two along with me as well, and if I have embark points to spare I bring their mining up to proficient.

[King DZA]

I also bring two miners, who also double as masons/architects.

[Nidokoenig]

My point assignments tend to be messed up by using MLF, so I start with two picks(one for the dedicated miner, one for the militia commander), a silver whip, fourteen units of booze(I start with a herbalist for early brewing) and fourteen of whichever seeds I want to bring along, and the rest goes on animals and "animals", mostly ewes, turkeys, tanks(for meat and shell) and some ents, based on my starting ponies' preferences. If anybody likes whips or warhammers and a heavy metal, I take their favourite metal/the necessary ore, give them some weaponsmithing points and make them do a non-mooding job.

[Dave1004]

4 Stone (Granite, etc)
1 Anvil (Iron)
4 Charcoal
4 Copper Bars
4 Hens
2 Roosters
40 Rum, Beer, Ale
50 Cow Meat/Fish
100 to 250 Plump Helmet Seeds
Other stuff

'Bout it, really.

[melphel]

How many miners do you guys usually bring along with you at embark?

Zero. 

I usually look at the descriptions of my dwarves before giving them any points for skills.  The ones that already have reasonable stats for combat get one level of ambusher, and then the rest of their levels go to armor user, fighter, and dodger.  Having ambusher as the highest non-combat non-social skill lets them embark wearing rudimentary armor and a crossbow with full quiver.  Which is good to save points and have some early protection in less than hospitable areas. 

Since these guys have no real work skills, they become my first miners and train on the job.  Doesn't take long to get miner exp digging through all that soil ice anyway.

[Cyprinus]

Mostly the standard stuff. But I like to give my dwarves (1)skills and (2) five picks, so I make a few changes. I usually switch out the expensive cloth bags with cheaper alternatives, and use wool yarn instead of rope reed fiber. The copper axe is traded for a training axe. I like to start digging as soon as possible, so I can have some space to move around in before the ambushes -- and migrants -- come

[Dwarfus]

==Pre-Embark==
1 Novice Wood Cutter/Novice Brewer/Novice Herbalist/Novice Mechanic
1 Novice Carpenter/Novice Stone Crafter
1 Novice Mason/Novice Stone Crafter
2 Novice Growers
2 Adequate Miners/Novice Appraiser

==Pre-Embark Supplies==
2 picks (for the two miners)
1 battle axe (for the wood cutter)
1 iron anvil
60 drink (go rum/ale since you will focus on wine later)
10 plump helmet spawn
60 pig tail seeds
10 cave wheat seeds
10 sweet pod seeds
10 rock nuts
10 dimple cup spawn
50 'shelled seafood' (turtles or lobster)
20 plump helmets
12 bags
5 buckets

3 ewe
1 ram
6 hens
1 rooster

(sometimes one male wardog and one female dog, with a chain, to act as early snatcher warning system)

[rephikul]

5 female horses
1 male horses
1 anvil
some tin ores
some copper ores
3 gypsum plaster
3 thread
3 soaps

the rest I spend on improving dwarf skills.

Horses for cheese and defense, with the anvil and some ores I'd be able to make 1 axe and some picks and some spears for early defense. The other 3 stuff is because my dwarves get hurt very early in the game and I CBA to make them onside.

[Loud Whispers]

I have since changed my build a bit to get rid of all food and booze, in replace for the materials to get 2 steel bars on embark, 4 copper bars and 80 or so wooden logs. This is to kick start a military from day one, and I seem to have the best luck in stumbling on embarks which have 0 metal ores. Not even tetrahedrite.

[Girlinhat]

Copper axe, Copper pick, Iron anvil, dwarves.  I usually toss the rest of the points into something luxurious, like platinum nuggets.  Sometimes I'll bring along the ore to make bismuth bronze, which even in a default embark point count, you can forgo all food and drink and deck 10 soldiers in bismuth bronze plate and axe+shield before autumn arrives.  One dwarf is a herbalist, I find food before anyone gets hungry, drink water during spring, and by middle of summer I've got enough food to support the whole mountainhomes!