Zapp

[Oge'Xam]

For a contest on a radio show I put together our Zombie Apocalypse Preparedness Plan

It is the short version of the plan we actually have in place.

Do you have a plan?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEoL_PGsOhU&feature=youtube_gdata

[Brother Oni]

Apparently, a surprising number of military units have zombie apocalypse survival plans simply because they like planning and are completely bored out of their skulls have plenty of down time when not training or drilling.

[Traab]

I dont know anyone who honestly doesnt have a zombie preparedness plan. They may refuse to admit it, but they do. I used to work in a boring job doing something brainless, so I spent alot of time thinking about things like this. I wont be sharing my plan as that would expose it to attempts to counter it, and I dont want the competition. I will admit the first two steps are, win the powerball lotto, and build a castle with a nice wall surrounding plenty of farmland in the middle of nowhere.

[Maxios]

My plan is simple: meet up with other playgrounders in the event of a zombie uprising (I say uprising instead of apocalypse because they're already out there, they're just calling themselves fast food workers instead of zombies) and set up a dictatorship Guildocracy with me in command. I'm joking. Or am I? No wait, I am. But what if that's a joke as well and I'm actually being serious?

[Heliomance]

Yep, I know a biochemist who's working on the T-virus, and have been liaising with other gaming societies around the country for support when it happens. Priority targets have been identified, those that need to die first if our apocalypse is to be successful.

[Hiro Protagonest]

My plan is basically "keep a cool head, board up the windows, and jury-rig stuff". I know a family that has like, three shotguns and a bunch of shotgun slugs, they could probably spare one.

Seriously though, zombie apocalypse is like a war where our side has massive advantages in technology and tactics. I'd much rather plan for something that actually does change the face of the Earth - a power/blackout apocalypse. There are two main versions of this apocalypse.

1 - Explosives, engines, and electricity stop working. Just like that. This is the premise of Emberverse (although the cause of it in Emberverse is... weird, and for some reason burning propane for gas lamps and hot air balloons works). In this setting, the SCA can become the basis for a major power (which is exactly what Stirling wrote. The SCA is broadly divided into two parts in Emberverse. Those working for Norman Arminger, and those who aren't, who generally live alone or with a small amount of people), and knowing how to harvest flax and make bowstring out of it makes you vital to building a sustainable society.

2 - Electricity stops working. All of it. Guns still work. Steam and gas power probably work. Cars don't work, because despite taking gas, they also run off electricity. Having a giant store of modern-day bullets makes you the best. Just because you can make bullets, doesn't mean its easy. That's why most guns in Revolution are muskets, because musketballs are a whole lot easier to make. In general, in this setting, having a bow makes you a hunter, having a musket makes you a warrior, having a modern gun and modern bullets makes you a feared warrior, and having a sniper rifle with the right bullets makes you a one-man army.

[Elemental]

My Zombie Apocalypse Preparedness Plan?

It mainly involves relying on the inability of such a contagion to spread rapidly as it usually seems to require your blood being exposed to it.
Also, spending the week in the middle of nowhere until the whole thing blows over.

[An Enemy Spy]

Pure blind panic, followed soon after by death. Seriously, the people who die in movies like this are the lucky ones. Living in a post apocolypse world be horrible, what with the constant terror and brushes with death, and the knowledge that everything is hopeless anyway. Eventually the zombies will get you, and even if they don't you have the next sixty years to live in a nightmare whose only ending is the extinction of humanity.

[Traab]

Pure blind panic, followed soon after by death. Seriously, the people who die in movies like this are the lucky ones. Living in a post apocolypse world be horrible, what with the constant terror and brushes with death, and the knowledge that everything is hopeless anyway. Eventually the zombies will get you, and even if they don't you have the next sixty years to live in a nightmare whose only ending is the extinction of humanity.

Not if you can find enough females of breeding age to hold captive rescue. Then it might last an extra generation or three before the inbreeding takes too much of a toll.

[Brother Oni]

Not if you can find enough females of breeding age to hold captive rescue. Then it might last an extra generation or three before the inbreeding takes too much of a toll.

I vaguely remember a number of 47 individuals being required to maintain sufficient genetic diversity in a population, so 23 'breeding' pairs and one to... watch, I guess?

[Traab]

I vaguely remember a number of 47 individuals being required to maintain sufficient genetic diversity in a population, so 23 'breeding' pairs and one to... watch, I guess?

Yeah, if I wanted to repopulate the earth, sure. If I wanted some kids to take care of me in my old age and didnt care that my grand kids would have webbed feet and be albinos, a couple would do. /nod :smallbiggrin:

[Eurus]

I don't have much of a plan, so it depends on how much if any warning there is. Hopefully the internet stays up long enough to figure out who's got their act together and join their camp. :smallwink:

EDIT: Also, to be fair, there are a number of far more likely apocalypse scenarios that probably deserve more serious consideration. Zombie apocalypse does do a decent job of simulating a more generic disease epidemic or bioweapon, though, which is one of them.

[dehro]

my team. spoilerized for size:
http://zombieapocalypseacademy.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/575113_10151044705138125_1016346382_n.jpg
on a slightly more serious note (can you be serious about this?) my plan involves reaching the coast, stealing a small sailboat, looting my way down the coast of italy to reach a small island where I happen to know that my chances of survival would be pretty good, provided I can still use the boat to make looting trips to the mainland.

the main problem with all of the above would be if any other of my immediate family survived alongside me.
2 of them really need medicine on a daily basis to survive..which means I'd have to first raid a hospital fairly nearby for some of the medicines needed by one of them, and then head to Switzerland where the other bunch of pills are produced or at least more readily available.. nowhere else would I find supplies enough of them to survive long enough for zombies to die out and civilisation to reboot.
provided of course I didn't decide to leave both of my relatives behind...on account of not having a foolproof survival plan for that eventuality... which isn't in my nature..but you never know what one might actually do, if push comes to shove and zombie comes to your porch.

[Haruki-kun]

I am under strict instructions to head down to Tennessee in the event of a Zombie Apocalypse and rendezvous with a few others there. *sagenod*

[SDF]

Using my knowledge of epidemiology I've opted to sit around and wait for whatever area it begins in to be contained by law enforcement and the CDC. Shouldn't be more than a few hours.

[Eldan]

Yeah, if I wanted to repopulate the earth, sure. If I wanted some kids to take care of me in my old age and didnt care that my grand kids would have webbed feet and be albinos, a couple would do. /nod :smallbiggrin:

The number is a bit difficult to estimate, but between 50 and 150 should be a stable society in which drift and random mutation counter any inbreeding. It's also the number at which tribal society tend to form.

[scurv]

http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/zombies.htm
enough said

[THAC0]

My plan is basically "keep a cool head, board up the windows, and jury-rig stuff". I know a family that has like, three shotguns and a bunch of shotgun slugs, they could probably spare one.


Hah. Hahah. Ahahahah.

...We may have established a few loaner firearms for companions during the Zombie Apocalypse, but we started with rather more than three, too. :smallbiggrin:

[SiuiS]

I vaguely remember a number of 47 individuals being required to maintain sufficient genetic diversity in a population, so 23 'breeding' pairs and one to... watch, I guess?

Genetic diversity as a logical equation fails to account for monogamy. You want to repopulate? You don't have that luxury. Each lass has to make 23 kids to keep the formula going. Else you get into icky stuff like the second generation needin to copulate with the unrelated members of the first for viability.

[HairyGuy4]

Genetic diversity as a logical equation fails to account for monogamy. You want to repopulate? You don't have that luxury. Each lass has to make 23 kids to keep the formula going. Else you get into icky stuff like the second generation needin to copulate with the unrelated members of the first for viability.

Ewww....

Brings a whole new meaning to "who's your daddy?":smallbiggrin:

[Kelb_Panthera]

My plan is simple: meet up with other playgrounders in the event of a zombie uprising (I say uprising instead of apocalypse because they're already out there, they're just calling themselves fast food workers instead of zombies) and set up a dictatorship Guildocracy with me in command. I'm joking. Or am I? No wait, I am. But what if that's a joke as well and I'm actually being serious?

As a former zombie, let me tell you. There's no uprising in the works. They're mostly slackers or non-zombies in disguise, waiting for an opening in their actual field of expertise.

Seriously though. I'm no pathologist, but I honestly don't see the traditional zombiepocolypes even being a viable scenario. Any pathogen with such obvious symptoms will be very quickly isolated and quashed by the CDC-equivalent of virtually all industrialized nations. In other parts of the world people are too isolated or too busy killing each other for a zombie plague to really get rolling.

In anycase I've got a pretty wide skill-set that includes virtually everything needed to rebuild society on a technological level of around the 1920's or so.

Off the top of my head, my ZAPP plan is to find an isolated spot and live out the rest of my life mountain-man style. I've already got the beard. I'll do my best to care for my wife but, honestly, she'd probably be doomed. Aquiring enough of her daily pscyh meds to last a life-time is more than I can confidently assure, and once the crazy sets in it's only a matter of time before she wanders off and gets zombied.

...... Great, now I'm sad. *Hugs the wife*

[Ravens_cry]

Bicycles are the unsung heroes of zombie apocalypse survival. Quiet, so as not to attract the hordes, and faster than any lurcher. I'd grab two pots, my oven grate, a lighter, some rope, a knife and honing stone, a long crowbar, and as much dry food as I could could carry in my backpack.

[dehro]

my distaste for bicycles and the riding thereoff outweights my fear of zombies. also, mine squeaks on account of not using it and it rusting away. also, flat tyres are stupid.
but it's mostly my distaste that would make me go for looted vehicles, horse or feet.
the day that I can't outrun, outsmart or outfight a shambling corpse with a rotting brain I probably don't deserve to survive the encounter anyway.

[zlefin]

my plan is to board up the house and wait for help to arrive.
Existing military protocols for dealing with contagious biohazards will suffice; just hope you're not in a hotzone that needs to be sterilized.
Zombieism really shoudln't spread THAT fast. And there are protocols in place for dealing with things like weaponized smallpox; i don't think zombieism would realistically do more damage than weaponized smallpox; also, i live in america, so there's more than enough guns and ammo around to take out any zombies that do occur.

[Heliomance]

Yep, I know a biochemist who's working on the T-virus, and have been liaising with other gaming societies around the country for support when it happens. Priority targets have been identified, those that need to die first if our apocalypse is to be successful.

No-one commented on this? Well, I guess I should be happy that you won't see it coming.

People with viable plans have been marked for special consideration. And naturally we're going to start with the CDC, anything else would be daft.

[Kelb_Panthera]

As I understand it, the people of Sweden, I think, have more guns per capita than any other nation in the world. If the zombiepocolypse starts there, it'll only be a minor news story that night. :smalltongue:

[Ravens_cry]

my distaste for bicycles and the riding thereoff outweights my fear of zombies. also, mine squeaks on account of not using it and it rusting away. also, flat tyres are stupid.
but it's mostly my distaste that would make me go for looted vehicles, horse or feet.
the day that I can't outrun, outsmart or outfight a shambling corpse with a rotting brain I probably don't deserve to survive the encounter anyway.


Well, I like riding a bike, and flat tires can also happen cars, not to mention injuries to horses. Also, *everyone* will be going for the cars, and the gas to run them will also be limited. If it's a true apocalypse, I would rather depend on something less infrastructure intensive. On a bike, you can ride between cars in a traffic jam, while a car would have to go off road, potentially risking damage.

[dehro]

true..then again, you can always loot another one :smallbiggrin:
it always stumped me, all those movies with "sudden death" kind of apocalyptic scenarios.. yet every single car, petrol station, refinery seem to be out of juice despite the claims of sudden/instantaneous death should have left plenty of petrol lying around.

[Ravens_cry]

true..then again, you can always loot another one :smallbiggrin:
it always stumped me, all those movies with "sudden death" kind of apocalyptic scenarios.. yet every single car, petrol station, refinery seem to be out of juice despite the claims of sudden/instantaneous death should have left plenty of petrol lying around.
An abandoned car was probably abandoned because it ran out of fuel. Gas (or Petrol) pumps I believe use electric pumps. If the power is out, they aren't going to be working, and even if they are, other people, some who may be willing to kill for it, literally, will be wanting fuel too.
The biggest danger in a zombie apocalypse (like many disasters) is often not so much the zombies generally, but other people panicking, and looters taking advantage of the breakdown in the social order.

[Eldan]

As I understand it, the people of Sweden, I think, have more guns per capita than any other nation in the world. If the zombiepocolypse starts there, it'll only be a minor news story that night. :smalltongue:

Switzerland and our mandatory gun ownership would like a word with you :smalltongue:

But I think we are pretty safe here. Sure, our population density is one of the highest in the world, down here, but I'm pretty sure we also have the highest number of bukners per capita, which people are required to keep stocked with food, blankets, etc.

[dehro]

Switzerland and our mandatory gun ownership would like a word with you :smalltongue:

But I think we are pretty safe here. Sure, our population density is one of the highest in the world, down here, but I'm pretty sure we also have the highest number of bukners per capita, which people are required to keep stocked with food, blankets, etc.

isn't bunker with other people in it the standard definition for death trap in any decent zombie movie? :smallbiggrin:

[Ravens_cry]

isn't bunker with other people in it the standard definition for death trap in any decent zombie movie? :smallbiggrin:
People in zombie movies (and shows) have to act like total idiots or otherwise there would be no drama.
A zombie movie where everyone holes up and there is plenty of food and no one is infected would be a boring movie.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Switzerland and our mandatory gun ownership would like a word with you :smalltongue:

But I think we are pretty safe here. Sure, our population density is one of the highest in the world, down here, but I'm pretty sure we also have the highest number of bukners per capita, which people are required to keep stocked with food, blankets, etc.
Sorry, the names of the two are similar enough that I get them confused in my memory sometimes. It probably doesn't help that the previous is just about the only thing I know about either country. Mandatory gun ownership you say? That might help it stick out a bit more.

People in zombie movies (and shows) have to act like total idiots or otherwise there would be no drama.
A zombie movie where everyone holes up and there is plenty of food and no one is infected would be a boring movie.

They also show a remarkable lack of anything resembling genre saavy, except of course for that one guy that dies first in some instances. It's like these people have never seen a horror movie at all, much less a good zombie flick.

[Killer Angel]

on a slightly more serious note (can you be serious about this?) my plan involves reaching the coast, stealing a small sailboat, looting my way down the coast of italy to reach a small island where I happen to know that my chances of survival would be pretty good, provided I can still use the boat to make looting trips to the mainland.

I'm in Italy too, but near Switzerland's border.
But if I'm quick, I can count on a nice castle in good conditions, with endless water supply.


my team. spoilerized for size:
http://zombieapocalypseacademy.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/575113_10151044705138125_1016346382_n.jpg


You need more Tallahassee. Maybe some Shaun.
Personally, I would also appreciate a good amount of Alice. :smalltongue:

[dehro]

I'm in Italy too, but near Switzerland's border.
But if I'm quick, I can count on a nice castle in good conditions, with endless water supply.



You need more Tallahassee. Maybe some Shaun.
Personally, I would also appreciate a good amount of Alice. :smalltongue:

oh, I'm rather close to that border myself.. an hour or so out.. in fact the other option I'm considering is islands in the middle of lakes..there should be a couple of those in our neck of the woods.. then again, I don't know their specifics and have no idea whether they have generators, independent power and water supply and such...something I know about the island in my masterplan.

as for the team.. yeah.. I've noticed there are actually plenty of similar images..most of them seem to share the same views on who should be the first guy to die :smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin:
can't fault them

[Ravens_cry]

They also show a remarkable lack of anything resembling genre saavy, except of course for that one guy that dies first in some instances. It's like these people have never seen a horror movie at all, much less a good zombie flick.
There also seems to be a desperate urge to not call them zombies.

[Kelb_Panthera]

There also seems to be a desperate urge to not call them zombies.

That one I could at least wrap my head around if any of them showed any signs of the afformentioned genre saavy.

Calling them zombies, means admitting that they're zombies. It means acknowledging that you've actually found yourself face to face with this particular horror meme. It's admitting that the world's gone mad.

I can very much understand the resistance to that chain of thought.

[dehro]

That one I could at least wrap my head around if any of them showed any signs of the afformentioned genre saavy.

Calling them zombies, means admitting that they're zombies. It means acknowledging that you've actually found yourself face to face with this particular horror meme. It's admitting that the world's gone mad.

I can very much understand the resistance to that chain of thought.

I on the other hand would go "whahahah zombies! for real!! yay! also..run!!"
even if I weren't 100% sure that they were zombies.
btw, being genre savvy would make me instantaneously less worried than I'd be if faced with..say, earthquakes or vulcanic eruption or somesuch...because genre savvyness tells me how to face a zombie threat.
of course I would get killed on the spot if it turned out that these particular zombies were nothing like the ones in the movies and had other tricks up their sleeves. overconfidence would kill me with more ease than the actual zombie threat.

[Kelb_Panthera]

I on the other hand would go "whahahah zombies! for real!! yay! also..run!!"
even if I weren't 100% sure that they were zombies.
btw, being genre savvy would make me instantaneously less worried than I'd be if faced with..say, earthquakes or vulcanic eruption or somesuch...because genre savvyness tells me how to face a zombie threat.
of course I would get killed on the spot if it turned out that these particular zombies were nothing like the ones in the movies and had other tricks up their sleeves. overconfidence would kill me with more ease than the actual zombie threat.

That depends on your abilities, available resources, and exactly which breed of zombie we're talking. There's the mutagenic viral plague and there's the actual living dead for one distinction. Then within either of those you have fast zombies, slow zombies, smart zombies, dumb zombies, things that aren't really zombies but seem to come packaged with the mutagenic viral plague as a bonus deal, etc.

Ultimately the whole scenario is fiction anyway though. Like I said before, such obvious symptoms would have a zombie plague shut down so fast that it'd be less plague and more momentary medical WTF!?

[Elemental]

I'm going to have to agree. The nature of a zombie plague makes it really hard for it to spread.

I mean, rabies has plagues humanity for millennia, and that can result in violent behaviour and is usually spread by a bite. Admittedly, rabies isn't exactly like a zombie plague, but it bears similarities.

[Eldan]

There have been so many variants of zombie virus, zombie parasite, zombie mutation and zombie magic by now, who can tell what is or isn't a zombie anymore with total certainty? If we get a new, super-infectious kind of rabies that also turns skin necrotic, makes people half-blind and makes them move slowly, it doesn't matter much to me if that thing is a zombie or not.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Btw, the wife got a bit irate when she found out she got eaten by zombies. I'm sleeping in the living room tonight. :smallfrown:

[dehro]

Btw, the wife got a bit irate when she found out she got eaten by zombies. I'm sleeping in the living room tonight. :smallfrown:

I was going to comment with something to that effect.
you totally deserve sleeping in the living room, lol.

That depends on your abilities, available resources, and exactly which breed of zombie we're talking. There's the mutagenic viral plague and there's the actual living dead for one distinction. Then within either of those you have fast zombies, slow zombies, smart zombies, dumb zombies, things that aren't really zombies but seem to come packaged with the mutagenic viral plague as a bonus deal, etc.

Ultimately the whole scenario is fiction anyway though. Like I said before, such obvious symptoms would have a zombie plague shut down so fast that it'd be less plague and more momentary medical WTF!?
I was thinking more along the lines of the zombie pulling a gun and shooting me on the spot.

that would surprise me enough for me to be caught unprepared. just because I've never seen it happen in a movie, I shouldn't rule out the chance of zombies keeping some level of sentience and tool operating ability...but I can say that now that I've thought about it..would I, should I ever find myself in the situation? probably not.

[Kelb_Panthera]

I was going to comment with something to that effect.
you totally deserve sleeping in the living room, lol.

I was thinking more along the lines of the zombie pulling a gun and shooting me on the spot.

that would surprise me enough for me to be caught unprepared. just because I've never seen it happen in a movie, I shouldn't rule out the chance of zombies keeping some level of sentience and tool operating ability...but I can say that now that I've thought about it..would I, should I ever find myself in the situation? probably not.

Honesty is the best policy my foot.

As for zombies shooting at you, I haven't seen it in a movie yet, but I've seen it in several video games. That goes all the way back to Doom for pete's sake.

[Killer Angel]

That depends on your abilities, available resources, and exactly which breed of zombie we're talking. There's the mutagenic viral plague and there's the actual living dead for one distinction. Then within either of those you have fast zombies, slow zombies, smart zombies, dumb zombies, things that aren't really zombies but seem to come packaged with the mutagenic viral plague as a bonus deal, etc.

Obligatory link (http://visual.ly/how-dangerous-zombie).

[dehro]

Honesty is the best policy my foot.

As for zombies shooting at you, I haven't seen it in a movie yet, but I've seen it in several video games. That goes all the way back to Doom for pete's sake.

I did say stuff that I have seen .. I never played Doom or any other videogame where zombies actually used tools..let alone guns

[Kelb_Panthera]

I did say stuff that I have seen .. I never played Doom or any other videogame where zombies actually used tools..let alone guns

Fair enough. I'm just saying that zombies with guns have been a thing in video games for a while now. Doom was released when? The early 90's I think. Let's see, there was also, zombies with chainsaws in left 4 dead, IIRC. Um... I think one or another of the resident evil games had a few zombie variants with guns, though I may be misremembering that.

Anyway, yeah. Don't assume that the zombies can't use tools until you've observed them failing to do so for a while.

[Ravens_cry]

If they are using tools, I would be a good deal less likely to shoot them on sight. People, or things close to them, use tools, and I don't senselessly slaughter people.

[Kelb_Panthera]

If they are using tools, I would be a good deal less likely to shoot them on sight. People, or things close to them, use tools, and I don't senselessly slaughter people.

Shoot on sight is a bad plan anyway. They have you outnumbered and gun-shots draw attention. Stealth is the key to survival in this ficticious scenario.

[Ravens_cry]

Shoot on sight is a bad plan anyway. They have you outnumbered and gun-shots draw attention. Stealth is the key to survival in this ficticious scenario.
I agree, but I would be less likely to kill, period, unless they directly threatened me or loved ones. Doom zombies are more like revenants. Likely sentient, but with no memory of their past life.

[Traab]

Shoot on sight is a bad plan anyway. They have you outnumbered and gun-shots draw attention. Stealth is the key to survival in this ficticious scenario.

I disagree. Stealth should only be your primary action in cases of you traveling. If you want to remain stationary, you will have to clear the area of zombies anyways. It requires lots of ammo sure, but once you have that initial surge of loitering zombies cleared away, you can then be reduced to only worrying about the random roamers that happen to wander nearby. Getting rid of the swarm is the most important method of surviving long term imo.

Watch virtually any zombie flick and you will see. One or two zombies spot you and start moaning. By the end of the week there are a thousand loudly groaning zombies outside. Then ten thousand. Now its too late, you would need a full sized army bases armory to clear them out. Clear them away quickly, while they are still not in full swarm size groups. Pick off the stragglers that hear your gunfire, then pick off any other stragglers that come in. Eventually, you will run out of stragglers for the most part. Any zombie spotted must die. Whats worse? A single loud noise? Or a sustained moaning and groaning that never ends?

[Kelb_Panthera]

I disagree. Stealth should only be your primary action in cases of you traveling. If you want to remain stationary, you will have to clear the area of zombies anyways. It requires lots of ammo sure, but once you have that initial surge of loitering zombies cleared away, you can then be reduced to only worrying about the random roamers that happen to wander nearby. Getting rid of the swarm is the most important method of surviving long term imo.

Watch virtually any zombie flick and you will see. One or two zombies spot you and start moaning. By the end of the week there are a thousand loudly groaning zombies outside. Then ten thousand. Now its too late, you would need a full sized army bases armory to clear them out. Clear them away quickly, while they are still not in full swarm size groups. Pick off the stragglers that hear your gunfire, then pick off any other stragglers that come in. Eventually, you will run out of stragglers for the most part. Any zombie spotted must die. Whats worse? A single loud noise? Or a sustained moaning and groaning that never ends?

That's why you don't stay stationary unless you can find someplace that's isolated enough that the zombies aren't there to begin with. There's some pretty big stretches of land out there with no people for dozens or even hundreds of miles in any direction. That's where you want to set up camp. Staying on the move until the whole thing blows over can work too, depending on which type of zombie you've got.

[dehro]

There's some pretty big stretches of land out there with no people for dozens or even hundreds of miles in any direction. .

much of that depends on where you live.. if you live in Holland, for example, you'll find that that's not the case

[Traab]

That's why you don't stay stationary unless you can find someplace that's isolated enough that the zombies aren't there to begin with. There's some pretty big stretches of land out there with no people for dozens or even hundreds of miles in any direction. That's where you want to set up camp. Staying on the move until the whole thing blows over can work too, depending on which type of zombie you've got.

The problem with desolate areas is, they may have less zombies per square mile, but they also tend to have less defensible structures to work with. I say find a happy medium. Locate an area that you can not only defend properly, but survive long term in, such as wide open spaces for farming, or a nearby river for fishing, things like that, and arent currently swarming. But either way, ignoring zombies is never going to be the right choice when it comes to long term survival. While on the move, if you can avoid being spotted good, but eventually you will attract notice when you setup camp, and leaving them outside your perimeter to moan and groan instead of putting a bullet in them will just attract more.

[celtois]

I plan on holing up in the rooftop greenhouse of the science building at my University.

Bloody place has generators and solar panels, places to collect water, places to grow food, and its an easily fortifiable, concrete building.

Downside, its in the middle of a city.

Edit: If I was really smart I'd drop by the animal study parts of the building first, and grab a pair of guard dogs, and some animals for meat.

[dehro]

I plan on holing up in the rooftop greenhouse of the science building at my University.

Bloody place has generators and solar panels, places to collect water, places to grow food, and its an easily fortifiable, concrete building.

Downside, its in the middle of a city.

Edit: If I was really smart I'd drop by the animal study parts of the building first, and grab a pair of guard dogs, and some animals for meat.

dogs need feeding

[Ravens_cry]

dogs need feeding
True, but they can eat many of the things you can, and stuff you might not want to eat.
It's probably, along with very similar body language, why we hit it off so well.

[dehro]

I may have tried to hump the leg of a pretty female in my younger years..but I have never tried to sniff another male's bottom.
:smallbiggrin:

silliness aside..
what if the zombie plague doesn't consume the zombies..what if it doesn't make them die out within weeks?
would a remnant of intelligence slowly resurface? would zombie leaders or alpha zombies start to emerge?
I'd love that to be the case.. it could possibly make the zombie menace a bit more challenging

[Ravens_cry]

It's been done (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_of_the_Dead) before.
If zombies start exhibiting intelligence, the trouble is they become less alien and more "differently normal".
An idea I had for a book about Vampires verses Zombies* was that zombies begin developing intelligence, but it is a group intelligence, rather than simply redeveloping their human intellect.
And no damn Queen.
*Zombies want to infect humans to add to their numbers, Vampires want to protect humans, but only because they need humans to survive.

[leafman]

I disagree. Stealth should only be your primary action in cases of you traveling. If you want to remain stationary, you will have to clear the area of zombies anyways. It requires lots of ammo sure, but once you have that initial surge of loitering zombies cleared away, you can then be reduced to only worrying about the random roamers that happen to wander nearby. Getting rid of the swarm is the most important method of surviving long term imo.

Watch virtually any zombie flick and you will see. One or two zombies spot you and start moaning. By the end of the week there are a thousand loudly groaning zombies outside. Then ten thousand. Now its too late, you would need a full sized army bases armory to clear them out. Clear them away quickly, while they are still not in full swarm size groups. Pick off the stragglers that hear your gunfire, then pick off any other stragglers that come in. Eventually, you will run out of stragglers for the most part. Any zombie spotted must die. Whats worse? A single loud noise? Or a sustained moaning and groaning that never ends?

The problem with shooting them is that you won't attract just a few more zedheads, you'll have alerted all the zombies in a couple mile radius to where dinner is, which could be well more zombies than you can handle. Being quiet doesn't mean you have to ignore them and let them build up, it means you take your trusty aluminum baseball bat (or other bludgeoning implement) and bow/crossbow and let off some steam. Taking them out quietly all but ensures you won't have to face down a hoard.

[Ravens_cry]

It also means not attracting the real threat of the zombie apocalypse: fellow survivors.

[Traab]

The problem with shooting them is that you won't attract just a few more zedheads, you'll have alerted all the zombies in a couple mile radius to where dinner is, which could be well more zombies than you can handle. Being quiet doesn't mean you have to ignore them and let them build up, it means you take your trusty aluminum baseball bat (or other bludgeoning implement) and bow/crossbow and let off some steam. Taking them out quietly all but ensures you won't have to face down a hoard.

Going out and fighting in hand to hand is just begging for bad luck to strike. I would agree with the bow/crossbow thing, but have you ever tried to shoot a human brain sized moving target with an arrow before? It aint easy. Remember, its not the entire skull thats the target, just the upper half, give or take. And without a direct hit you would just glance off its skull and waste an arrow. I would estimate the target area as being 3 inches wide, and 3-4 inches tall for your most likely to hit brain matter with an arrow spot. Good luck.

[golentan]

My zombie plan involves making it to the marina and escaping on a sailboat. Then I can rig razor wire around the edges to keep swimming zombies at bay, and travel up the coast to safer climes while supplementing whatever supplies I managed to get to the harbor with edible seaweeds/creatures.

[ShadowFireLance]

I still dont know what Zombies we be dealing with, we talking Voodoo zombies?
Or we talking Standerd shambling Weak biting Zombies?
In the case of the #2, I have my trusty Dragon for help, Dragons being immune to the Zombie plague, Breathing fire and utterly...Oh, You mean Right now not based on me finding the Egg?
got my trusty Baseball bat, Bike, And Custom Nerf gun/Crossbow.
Shoots 3 Bolts at once.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Going out and fighting in hand to hand is just begging for bad luck to strike. I would agree with the bow/crossbow thing, but have you ever tried to shoot a human brain sized moving target with an arrow before? It aint easy. Remember, its not the entire skull thats the target, just the upper half, give or take. And without a direct hit you would just glance off its skull and waste an arrow. I would estimate the target area as being 3 inches wide, and 3-4 inches tall for your most likely to hit brain matter with an arrow spot. Good luck.

Pole-arms, stealth kills. That is all.

Btw, the presumption that removing some specific portion of the brain will kill the blackguards isn't the wisest course. Better to take the whole head off if you can. You'll at least blind them if you don't kill them that way.

[THAC0]

Going out and fighting in hand to hand is just begging for bad luck to strike. I would agree with the bow/crossbow thing, but have you ever tried to shoot a human brain sized moving target with an arrow before? It aint easy. Remember, its not the entire skull thats the target, just the upper half, give or take. And without a direct hit you would just glance off its skull and waste an arrow. I would estimate the target area as being 3 inches wide, and 3-4 inches tall for your most likely to hit brain matter with an arrow spot. Good luck.

I use a 3x5 index card when I practice headshots.

[Hiro Protagonest]

The problem with shooting them is that you won't attract just a few more zedheads, you'll have alerted all the zombies in a couple mile radius to where dinner is, which could be well more zombies than you can handle. Being quiet doesn't mean you have to ignore them and let them build up, it means you take your trusty aluminum baseball bat (or other bludgeoning implement) and bow/crossbow and let off some steam. Taking them out quietly all but ensures you won't have to face down a hoard.

I love bows, but unless you're like the African archers who could hit their targets right in the pupil of the eye (and therefore pierce to the brain, assuming that will kill the zombie), that's suicide. Although if it's a zombie disease and they're still alive, you might be able to kill them normally. Aluminum bat, though, is even worse. You're getting within arm's reach and it isn't going to be a one-hit kill. The only melee weapon I'd even consider using is a sturdily constructed polearm with a slashing blade, so I could lop off heads a few feet out of reach.

Gun silencers might not silence the gun, but the soft pop isn't going to attract zombies for miles around. And shot is the best weapon against zombies (except for maybe flamethrowers), with scoped rifles (snipers, really good hunters) being good when you want to take out a single zed.

[THAC0]

Gun silencers might not silence the gun, but the soft pop isn't going to attract zombies for miles around. And shot is the best weapon against zombies (except for maybe flamethrowers), with scoped rifles (snipers, really good hunters) being good when you want to take out a single zed.

You're going to take out multiple zeds with a shotgun assuming headshots are necessary? I doubt it.

[Hiro Protagonest]

You're going to take out multiple zeds with a shotgun assuming headshots are necessary? I doubt it.

Staring down a mob of them twenty feet away? Shot is the best weapon.

Scratch that, actually. It's the best readily-available weapon. Miniguns and assault rifles are better, and grenades are also really good.

[THAC0]

Staring down a mob of them twenty feet away? Shot is the best weapon.

Scratch that, actually. It's the best readily-available weapon. Miniguns and assault rifles are better, and grenades are also really good.

Shot doesn't really spread as much as most people think it does.

That said, I've never tested it on zombies.

Better idea is to not let a mob of zombies get within 20 feet, because you're probably in deep you-know-what no matter what platform you're using.

[Traab]

Staring down a mob of them twenty feet away? Shot is the best weapon.

Scratch that, actually. It's the best readily-available weapon. Miniguns and assault rifles are better, and grenades are also really good.

Grenades are terrible anti zombie weapons. At BEST you might manage to lame or cripple a couple if you get lucky and shrapnel blasts away at their leg bones sufficiently, but grenades are deadly due to pressure waves, which its doubtful they would effect zombies greatly, and due to horrible shrapnel piercing their bodies and causing them to bleed out lickety split. Also not really a danger for most zombies. Miniguns might cut down a lot of zombies, but the waste of ammo would be insane. You would be wasting 50 bullets on each zombie skull and another 50 moving the gun towards the next head.

Shotguns? Meh, not as awesome as resident evil would have you believe. Its scatter shot, and the odds of hitting the brain and doing enough damage are kinda crappy. If you use deer slugs you might as well stick with a damn rifle instead. Assault rifles have a similar issue to miniguns. Full auto is a 2 second burst of fire then empty. Single shots though, a nice solid clip of ammo can help you take down a lot of zombies before the reload.

[leafman]

I love bows, but unless you're like the African archers who could hit their targets right in the pupil of the eye (and therefore pierce to the brain, assuming that will kill the zombie), that's suicide. Although if it's a zombie disease and they're still alive, you might be able to kill them normally.
Are you saying an arrow can't pierce the skull and one would need to go through the eye socket for any hope of hitting brain? As for hitting the slow moving target, I point to hunters that have killed small game with bows for centuries. If you can get a rabbit, you can get close enough to get a zombie.

Aluminum bat, though, is even worse. You're getting within arm's reach and it isn't going to be a one-hit kill. The only melee weapon I'd even consider using is a sturdily constructed polearm with a slashing blade, so I could lop off heads a few feet out of reach.

Hit them in the back of the head, if it doesn't kill it the sudden and temporary loss of sight will stun it long enough to get a few more blows in. You could use a sledge or maul (fairly common bludeoning tools) instead to get one hit kills. I am not recommending anyone take their chosen weapon and waltz out into a hoard of zombies, rather I recommend more guerrilla type fighting. Pop out from behind, kill a few and retreat. It depends on what kind of zombies we're dealing with, but most are fairly stupid and should easily be taken by surprise.
The reasons I lean towards bludgeoners over blades are that decapitations aren't as easy as the movies make them look and blades get dull with use and dull faster when you hit bones.


Gun silencers might not silence the gun, but the soft pop isn't going to attract zombies for miles around. And shot is the best weapon against zombies (except for maybe flamethrowers), with scoped rifles (snipers, really good hunters) being good when you want to take out a single zed.
Silencers aren't very common, it's not like you can just buy one from your local sporting goods store in the States. They are pretty well regulated and outright banned in 11 States, so good luck getting your hands on one, let alone one that will work with your gun, after stuff starts going down.

[Traab]

Are you saying an arrow can't pierce the skull and one would need to go through the eye socket for any hope of hitting brain? As for hitting the slow moving target, I point to hunters that have killed small game with bows for centuries. If you can get a rabbit, you can get close enough to get a zombie.


Hit them in the back of the head, if it doesn't kill it the sudden and temporary loss of sight will stun it long enough to get a few more blows in. You could use a sledge or maul (fairly common bludeoning tools) instead to get one hit kills. I am not recommending anyone take their chosen weapon and waltz out into a hoard of zombies, rather I recommend more guerrilla type fighting. Pop out from behind, kill a few and retreat. It depends on what kind of zombies we're dealing with, but most are fairly stupid and should easily be taken by surprise.
The reasons I lean towards bludgeoners over blades are that decapitations aren't as easy as the movies make them look and blades get dull with use and dull faster when you hit bones.


Silencers aren't very common, it's not like you can just buy one from your local sporting goods store in the States. They are pretty well regulated and outright banned in 11 States, so good luck getting your hands on one, let alone one that will work with your gun, after stuff starts going down.

An arrow can pierce the skull. However, it can also deflect off of it if it isnt a great shot, or perhaps one from the side. Also, yes, professional hunters are capable of making head shots on small game. However, I have never once seen a hunting video where a bow hunter has gone for a head shot over aiming at the targets heart. Its a small target, that tends to move more than the torso at any given time. Head shots with a bow are tricky business.

I dont know if you even CAN "stun" a zombie. I mean, tasers are considered to be a useless device against them, so I dont see how a smack to the back of the head would do any better. Hammers and such would be better than bats are they are actually designed to break things. The problem there is fatigue. A sledge is HEAVY. You arent going to be john henry irons and smashing hundreds of skulls every day. A flanged mace, if you can get one or even make one, would be an excellent choice. The force of the blow is focused even further by hitting with the ridges first, concentrating the impact on an even smaller surface, meaning CRUNCH.

Agreed. And besides, the silencers dont work like they do in movies. A gun with a silencer is still pretty damn loud. It basically drops from causing hearing damage with each shot to being fricking noisy instead. At best it will shorten the range the zombies can hear a bit.

[leafman]

I didn't mean shooting small game in the head :smallbiggrin: I meant "It's not impossible. I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home, they're not much bigger than two meters." :smallwink:

I was thinking a blow to the occipital lobe of the brain could stun a zombie since the brain is so critical of a part to a zombie. Though a tazer should have some effect on a zombie because I seem to remember that passing an electical current through "dead" muscle tissue can make it contract. I say "dead" because a zombie's muscle tissue can't truely be dead if the zombie is still ambulatory. Anyway, maybe science doesn't really have a place here, we are talking about a reanimated corpse.

[dehro]

also..smacking a zombie on the back of the head..
that requires
1)sneaking up on the zombie
2)hoping he doesn't sense, hear, smell or otherwise notice us
3)hoping that one blow is enough..or he WILL notice us
4)hoping he's alone.

point 4 is a matter of recon.. point 3..well..whack him hard enough that you've at least got time for a second hit..points 2 and 1 however are difficult and totally out of our hands.
a bat may be a good solution in a pinch, in a random/solo encounter..but if there's anythinb above 2-3 zombies out there or if you're on unfamiliar/uncertain terrain.. I can't think of a worse option than going melee with them and somehow trying to get behind each one..hoping that the other ones are slow enough or indecisive enough to patiently wait for their turn.

[Traab]

I didn't mean shooting small game in the head :smallbiggrin: I meant "It's not impossible. I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home, they're not much bigger than two meters." :smallwink:

I was thinking a blow to the occipital lobe of the brain could stun a zombie since the brain is so critical of a part to a zombie. Though a tazer should have some effect on a zombie because I seem to remember that passing an electical current through "dead" muscle tissue can make it contract. I say "dead" because a zombie's muscle tissue can't truely be dead if the zombie is still ambulatory. Anyway, maybe science doesn't really have a place here, we are talking about a reanimated corpse.

The problem is, its like riding on the back of a tiger. You had better stay the hell on its back, or else it will kill and eat you. You manage to taze the zombie, lets even say they work and force the zombies muscles to contract. Now what? The second you stop zapping, it will turn around and eat you! Why would you even bother bringing a nonlethal weapon on a zombie hunt in the first place? Not too mention that a tazer long term is a terrible idea since they need batteries to work.

[Ravens_cry]

The problem is, its like riding on the back of a tiger. You had better stay the hell on its back, or else it will kill and eat you. You manage to taze the zombie, lets even say they work and force the zombies muscles to contract. Now what? The second you stop zapping, it will turn around and eat you! Why would you even bother bringing a nonlethal weapon on a zombie hunt in the first place? Not too mention that a tazer long term is a terrible idea since they need batteries to work.
If it's only a localized apoclypse (so replacement batteries are a long term possibility) and you can mod it so it fries the brain, that might be an option. But on the whole, I like the idea less than I like bullets.

[Traab]

Hmm, I changed my mind. My method for surviving shall be as follows

1) Go to youtube
2) Download and burn to cd a copy of Michael Jackson's Thriller
3) Any time a zombie appears I shall play the song
4) Decapitate zombie while it is dancing

[Xondoure]

Be prepared at all times.
Remember to keep an escape route.
Align yourself with others.
Never risk contamination.
Integrate your plan with what you have available.
Get out of urban centers.
Always keep moving.
Never give up.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Fire is always a solution. It's not necessarily always the best solution, but it will always end at least one problem.

[Ravens_cry]

Fire is always a solution. It's not necessarily always the best solution, but it will always end at least one problem.
Fire only works if you have a pain response, can be demoralized, and can go into shock. None of those apply to zombies. It works so well on mummies because they are dry and wrapped in pitch soaked bandages.
Zombies are often squishier. Have you tried burning meat? It can take a while.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Fire only works if you have a pain response, can be demoralized, and can go into shock. None of those apply to zombies. It works so well on mummies because they are dry and wrapped in pitch soaked bandages.
Zombies are often squishier. Have you tried burning meat? It can take a while.

Meh, you're just not applying enough fire.

[Ravens_cry]

Meh, you're just not applying enough fire.
The amount of fire conceivably creatable by a single mortal in an infrastructure disrupted situation is severally limited., especially if they intend on surviivng themselves.

[Story Time]

I'll contribute to the discussion a little...



Shot is the best weapon.

...this really is not the case. I have some technical experience in the field of fire-arms. It's true that chokes can be applied to shot-guns to focus their spread. How-ever the munition of buck-shot is primarily effective because of the heavy pain and shock caused by their use. Most forms of fictional zombies that I have ever heard of are immune to these two things.

Full slugs in a shot-gun would be a much more sensible choice. Though their weight would be quite high they could penetrate through several skulls in a row.

Shot-guns would be very good against non-armored survivors.


Bows...are an in-efficient weapon choice against zombies. Why? Inferior range, vastly increased re-load time, bulky munition, and less area of destruction on the target. That last point comes with a concession, how-ever, that some arrow heads are quite good at causing blood loss. I believe bullets are sill superior, though, due to quantity volume, size, and atmospheric tumble.


Pole-arms, or spears, would be a very good weapon choice provided that there were many of them employed by a large group of survivors at one time against a fewer number of zombies. Alone, they are a very poor choice of a defensive weapon considering their bulk, weight, and cleaning requirements.


How To Stun A Zombie:
Tazer. The exact same function on all creatures with a nervous system, living or dead.


How To Burn A Zombie:
Marinade in alcohol for six hours like all other meat.
( Hint: Most zombies will not sit still. )
( Hint: Try thermate or thermite instead. )

[Kelb_Panthera]

I'll contribute to the discussion a little...




...this really is not the case. I have some technical experience in the field of fire-arms. It's true that chokes can be applied to shot-guns to focus their spread. How-ever the munition of buck-shot is primarily effective because of the heavy pain and shock caused by their use. Most forms of fictional zombies that I have ever heard of are immune to these two things.

Full slugs in a shot-gun would be a much more sensible choice. Though their weight would be quite high they could penetrate through several skulls in a row.

Shot-guns would be very good against non-armored survivors.


Bows...are an in-efficient weapon choice against zombies. Why? Inferior range, vastly increased re-load time, bulky munition, and less area of destruction on the target. That last point comes with a concession, how-ever, that some arrow heads are quite good at causing blood loss. I believe bullets are sill superior, though, due to quantity volume, size, and atmospheric tumble.


Pole-arms, or spears, would be a very good weapon choice provided that there were many of them employed by a large group of survivors at one time against a fewer number of zombies. Alone, they are a very poor choice of a defensive weapon considering their bulk, weight, and cleaning requirements.


How To Stun A Zombie:
Tazer. The exact same function on all creatures with a nervous system, living or dead.


How To Burn A Zombie:
Marinade in alcohol for six hours like all other meat.
( Hint: Most zombies will not sit still. )
( Hint: Try thermate or thermite instead. )

Thermate/mite is a good source of fire. It's also not too terribly hard to make if you know what you're doing.

On the pole-arm thing, their application as a defensive weapon depends on your personal skill with the weapon and how many attackers you're defending against. Cleaning and maintainence is part-and-parcel with any weapon, period.

[Ravens_cry]

Thermate/mite is a good source of fire. It's also not too terribly hard to make if you know what you're doing.

Indeed. Aluminium and rust aren't hard to find, though it may burn too fast to be of much use as an offensive weapon. Water has an amazing capacity to store heat without changing temperature. Gods know thermite burns hot though.

[Traab]

The problem with fire as a weapon is zombies dont generally feel pain. So until the fire melts the muscles and tendons, you now have a FIREY zombie shambling towards you, setting everything it bumps into on fire.

[Story Time]

On the pole-arm thing[...]

Cleaning a rifle does not require the user to heat the muzzle inside an open flame due to zombie blood. Using a rifle does not require the operator to step within melee range of a zombie. Using a rifle effectively does not require the operator to be Jet Li ( Hint: Years of practice and physical conditioning. ).



Thermate/mite is a good source of fire. It's also not too terribly hard to make if you know what you're doing.

I had been thinking of a pit trap at the time. :smallsmile: Keeping the zombies and the explosive compound inside a contained area would probably be wisest. It would also be reset-able. It is not the quietest thing, of course, but if the zombies could not escape it would be very similar to pit barbeque. They would melt. Very little risk of infection.

[leafman]

True, rifles don't require expert skills, but pole-arms don't jam or need to be reloaded. Eventually you will run out of ammo or a part will break from wear and tear and you'll be left with a short metal stick to brandish menacingly at the zombies, which leaves you behind the guy with the pole-arm. :smallbiggrin:

[Story Time]

A very good point. They do have those good qualities. I mentioned one of their more stringent necessities for cleaning above.

In fact I've done some math on the subject of zombies. It turns out that in order to survive a zombie pandemic with fire-arms a person has to have access to enough ammunition to wipe out all human life within that area. ...roughly a ten mile radius given how zombies can wander.

The spear is a very good option among other melee weapons for the range it has. The spear must have a cross guard to be of any tactical value. It's bulky...keeping in mind that a bicycle would be the preferred transportation. The spear would be effective at holding away exactly one zombie. And that's its weak point. Eliminating a zombie is primarily thought to require decapitation. That's not easy with a spear. Stabbing the heart is more easy, but staying in one place for two minutes isn't very wise either.

The best choice is to use several types of melee weapons together. One or two to pin, one to dis-arm, and one to decapitate. This would require a team of survivors...some-thing I mentioned in an earlier post.

Still, it is a good point. Eventually, the ammunition would run out if none of the survivors knew how to make / seat primers.

[Ravens_cry]

Is there a reason you use the size 1 font at all times?
Frankly, it's rather annoying to be perfectly honest.