As for starting items, the default embark has pretty much everything we need: Enough food, enough alcohol and enough seeds so we can stay alive until the next caravan comes. At least one pick and one axe is necessary if we wish to actually do something. Anvil may or may not be useful, depending on how quickly we're gonna discover metals, but I think we should take it (getting a working blacksmiths workshop at start isnt as hard as Eagle says). Default embark also has bunch of stuff for hospital rooms (excluding soap) which again, is situational (we can probably make needed items later, but what if someone gets injured and we have no crutches and such...).
For jobs, I usually make dwarfs novices to required jobs and try to keep them similar to default embark (one is a miner, one is a woodcutter and a carpenter, one is a mason and engraver, one is cook, farmer and brewer and so on). If dwarf doesnt know the job, he can learn it in while working (yeah, takes time, but were not in hurry or anything).
And dont forget to have a craftsdwarf, because trading useless diamond decorated junk to food really helps to get past the winter.
|