God save us.

2/16/2006 10:00:59 PM

^^^ Well, I figure between 200 and 500 rounds would be at least enough to get me to something with a significantly higher caliber.

Which brings up another curious question. I wonder where rifled slugs or flechette shotgun shells could be found around here?

[Edited on February 16, 2006 at 10:03 PM. Reason : uno mas ^]

2/16/2006 10:03:10 PM

2/16/2006 10:03:25 PM

You have to be like george washington was in the revolutionary war, always leave yourself a way to retreat so your force isnt killed in one blow.

Thats why staying mobile is a good alternative.....You have many more exits. But there are downsides to.

2/16/2006 10:56:04 PM

staying mobile when a mob of zombies is after you is suicide. you will tire out. zombies will not.

2/16/2006 11:11:25 PM

armor up a few farmers combines and go at them

2/16/2006 11:14:34 PM

i'd much rather be holed up where a passive defense would work, as opposed to a continual active defense... that would not work. someone would fuck up. people would get tired. as long as we are holed up somewhere that is physically inaccessable to the zombies, we will be able to hold out a lot longer.

2/16/2006 11:17:19 PM

grab a raft and hole up in the nearest water tower

plenty of fresh water and the biggest waterbed ever

2/16/2006 11:18:40 PM

i can picture this now
like a scene out of a movie
smath and snewf are in the room together when the news breaks

and its a huge confrontation over whether to stay or run

and in the end, snewf takes his ragtag bunch on the run
while smath keeps the more sensible, but less engaging group behind

in the end, party A will do something to save party B; or vice versa

2/16/2006 11:19:07 PM

and then zombie snewf will get chained up in the tool shed

2/16/2006 11:20:35 PM

more like zombified party A (snewf's group) will end up on the business end up party B's (my group) shotgun

^hahaha yeah he's right.

[Edited on February 16, 2006 at 11:22 PM. Reason : ]

2/16/2006 11:21:30 PM

Quote :

"You have to be like george washington was in the revolutionary war, always leave yourself a way to retreat so your force isnt killed in one blow."

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

If a place has two conventional exits (doors/windows on the first story), you're just going to have one more thing you have to barricade. And you will have to barricade it. So even if it becomes necessary to flee through your second exit, you have to disassemble the barricade and then hope there's no zombies that way.

At least with Mitch's there are other accessible rooftops. Yeah, all those buildings might burn, but at least when you make your initial escape it won't be into certain death. As for UT, our main option, unconventional exit is more difficult, but still not impossible.

2/17/2006 4:30:28 PM

^yeah... a groundfloor backup exit is not going to do you any good. because it will be overrun with zombies as well.

2/17/2006 9:28:45 PM

i'm not sure this has been covered in recent pages.

but assuming we managed to get a group together for a siege, what kind of people would we need for the seige(a.) and assuming we were some of the last people alive in the area after we outlasted the zombies, what kind of people would we need to rebuild/start anew(b.)?

skills, fields of study, personality traits etc?

where could we rebuild a new community?

2/20/2006 6:06:02 PM

I could be the philosopher king of our new society

2/20/2006 6:08:03 PM

I'd vote for you

2/20/2006 6:08:46 PM

having people with arms/fighting skills/experience seems obvious during a supposed siege, but i wonder if we would want a plethora of those people for the aftermath.

would we need a solid defending force in case humanity reverts to a chaotic feudalistic society? or can we count on the species to return to civilization promptly?

2/20/2006 6:10:06 PM

You can't hold the zombies off with guns alone. Other skills are equally important in the beginning, and will be important in the rebuilding stage as well.

2/20/2006 6:11:50 PM

Well its obvious that if we are having zombies then hell is overflowing & while some could take this as a need to be more puritanical... I think it means that theres no spot for you, so go wild. We'd have a basically empty city full of free stuff and dead bodies to poke with sticks.

That should keep the lower classes entertained, while the guardians did the important stuff in our new republic.

2/20/2006 6:12:31 PM

You guys are retarded...thinking up all these elaborate means of defense or eluding the zombies. Fuck that. I would dress up like a zombie and totally blend in with them. I'd eat twinkies and shit when they're not looking and pretend to eat other humans so they don't catch on. Then I'd wait for them to starve to death.

2/20/2006 6:17:53 PM

I think that really all we need to concern ourselves with is surviving the initial attack. assuming a large percentage of people turned into zombies, once they are gone, there will be plenty of resources for us to harvest and use until civilization can once again get up and running.

I'd say our first order of business in the aftermath would be to make it to Boulder Colorado... or for some, perhaps Las Vegas.

2/20/2006 6:23:04 PM

So I'm the only one that would blend in with the zombies?


...or better yet, I'd become their helper, like daywalkers for vampires. Oh fuck yeah. I'd help them get to you guys, cuz you know, they can't think n' shit. I'd do that in exchange for my life and sweet virgin zombie.

2/20/2006 6:26:36 PM

don't you think they could smell your human blood? and besides, are you gonna keep your zombie costume ready at all times in your car trunk or something?

2/20/2006 6:28:22 PM

I've given up on that...as stated above, I'm going to become a "daywalker" equivalent for zombies.

2/20/2006 6:40:35 PM

nah dude, they'll just eat you.

2/20/2006 6:49:31 PM

zombies probably won't think morko is their friend.

2/20/2006 7:00:59 PM

I'll help them get fresh humans to eat...they'll love me


god I can't wait for some sweet ass zombie pussy

2/20/2006 7:01:55 PM

if they cant think then they dont have the mental capacity for the concept of allies

2/20/2006 7:02:27 PM

I don't think you're giving them enough credit

2/20/2006 7:05:31 PM

I'd go to Boulder

because I'm a good guy

2/20/2006 9:38:34 PM

UR A GUY??!?

2/20/2006 10:06:05 PM

you know what I mean

2/20/2006 10:07:09 PM

2/26/2006 4:56:47 AM

There's been entirely too many references to "The Stand" on this page, and I won't stand for it.

Incidentally, Mitch's does have at least one rear exit on the second floor. Just to correct that old myth.

Quote :

"where could we rebuild a new community? "

Practically anywhere. Any formerly populated area is going to have a wealth of abandoned goodies for us -- nonperishable foods, vehicles, entertainment items, guns, shelter, etc. The only problem with those areas will be the prodigious number of dead zombies, which will be more or less unavoidable. Our first order of business after we leave the shelter will have to be disposing of corpses for a variety of health reasons.

Quote :

"skills, fields of study, personality traits etc?"

This is a bit trickier.

Generally its safe to assume that people have overlapping skillsets, although whether or not all of the skills in each set are useful is hardly a given.

A basic knowledge of mechanics and engineering will be important and preferably distributed among several people -- a lot of shit is going to need building, repairs, and outright jerry-rigging. Ideally, we'd have someone with the sort of specialized knowledge to help us get power generation up and running on a very small scale after the zombie dieout, but that's probably hoping for too much.

A survivalist bent would also come in handy -- someone who not only maintains a level head in a tough situation, but would have knowledge, for example, about how to preserve/prepare food when resources are scarce.

Someone with EMT training at the very least would also be necessary. We have enough things to worry about without infections and poorly-set bones and things like that.

Combat skill, or at least base ability, should be distributed almost throughout. Anyone who is physically unable to pierce a human skull with a handheld implement is right out. Obviously, real knowledge in this area is preferable, but ideally we won't be involved in THAT much combat, so we can afford to settle.

Power-hungry, panicky, depressed, volatile, and conniving types should be avoided.

Rational, intelligent, calm people with a sense of humor are far more likely to make it through a disaster of this magnitude.

2/26/2006 3:34:59 PM

sword, pistol(s), semi-automatic, long range rifle, backpack for food raids and shit

2/26/2006 4:57:41 PM

^ he'll be a zombie in no time

2/26/2006 4:58:55 PM

Come to think of it, a science lab building would be a good place to go if I had the ability to stockpile food first. I'd be able to recruit someone to work with to find an antidote or vaccination to a zombie bite, we'd research it with the animals already there, and once we found one would mass-produce it to the best of our abilities. In order to do this we'd vaccinate ourselves and try to get out to get more supplies, likely via some sort of armored vehicle or a helipad on the roof, especially if we were specifically preparing for a zombie invasion, which we'd have assumed could happen at any time in the future.

We'd throw animals off the roof/out the window to any zombies trying to get in to distract them. That is, the animals that have already been tested on and were going to die anyway.

2/26/2006 5:17:57 PM

^everyone is trying to wait until the zombies starve to death, & you are going to be the one feeding them animals to keep them alive... thats just great

2/26/2006 5:36:27 PM

Doh good point

2/26/2006 5:53:19 PM

Im going to a small island and im going to hold up there

2/26/2006 6:04:05 PM

Quote :

"Come to think of it, a science lab building would be a good place to go if I had the ability to stockpile food first. I'd be able to recruit someone to work with to find an antidote or vaccination to a zombie bite, we'd research it with the animals already there, and once we found one would mass-produce it to the best of our abilities. In order to do this we'd vaccinate ourselves and try to get out to get more supplies, likely via some sort of armored vehicle or a helipad on the roof, especially if we were specifically preparing for a zombie invasion, which we'd have assumed could happen at any time in the future. We'd throw animals off the roof/out the window to any zombies trying to get in to distract them. That is, the animals that have already been tested on and were going to die anyway."

get real. you are NOT going to find a cure for a zombie bite. maybe the scientists held up at some CDC bunker might, but not your average jane.

2/26/2006 8:39:57 PM

i have medical training.......if i am at work, i will hijack lifeflight

2/26/2006 8:46:40 PM

no im saying i would have that shit on me at all times, i havent figured out where i would be holding up at yet though im still thinking about it, give me some time damn

2/26/2006 9:54:00 PM

It doesn't matter. You'll be a zombie in no time because you, like so many of the other benighted fools here, are obsessed with guns.

Guns are not ideal for a situation in which you have so many targets with so specific a kill zone. I don't know how many times it needs to be said: all of your guns will have to be reloaded before you've killed the zombies, and a sturdy baseball bat won't.

---

A few more thoughts with regards to the gender situation are in order, as this has been a subject of some contention that I think needs more clarification to remove doubts about purpose, intent, and implementation. This is a rather lengthy post, and I don't want to seem like I'm harping on the matter, but since most other aspects have been covered ad nauseum (guns vs. melee, running vs. fortifying, etc), well, it's worth a shot.

I think that I and others have been guilty of poor choice of words for constructing our arguments regarding the male-female dynamic, and for that I apologize. The tone has generally been that the men are picking the women, and I can, in retrospect, see how that sounds bad. I ran with it essentially out of simplicity rather than self-interest -- if I make it into a zombie bunker, I'll be happy enough to be alive and fucking that I won't much care about who picked who.

You have to take into account that, because of the ratio, a situation wherein females select their mates would present a whole series of complications: would they also choose the woman with whom they were to "share?" Would her selected male be offered that choice? In a crisis, we probably wouldn't have time to make such calls. If someone can present a viable alternative on how to handle selection once the shit hits the fan, I'll take it, but pending such I fear it may be necessary to operate as the circumstances dictate.

Of course, the best course of action is for everybody reading to talk to their friends/significant others in advance of the zombie apocalypse so that an egalitarian and mutually satisfactory arrangement can be reached.

A few notes on female admission to the shelter, as they present special challenges:

Unfortunately, the sample size of women that could acceptably be brought into a shelter is already small. Consider how many women you know who:

1) Are early in their early reproductive years.
2) Are in your area.
3) Are capable of reproducing frequently (ie, "built for child-rearing,")
4) Are competent in some survival-relevant field.
5) Are consistently mentally stable.
6) Are consistently willing to cooperate in a group setting.

Qualifications 1 and 2 don't apply to men much, thereby widening their field substantially. I think we can also agree that, in general, the percentage of men who meet 4 is larger as well.

In other words, anyone establishing a shelter faces a conundrum: when it comes to the female members of their party, they have to draw more people from a smaller pool.

[Edited on February 27, 2006 at 2:57 AM. Reason : ]

2/27/2006 2:56:52 AM

Quote :

"get real. you are NOT going to find a cure for a zombie bite. maybe the scientists held up at some CDC bunker might, but not your average jane. "

It depends on the type of zombie, some zombies aren't biological in nature. In that situation, you'd HAVE to kill them all. Also, some types of zombies die after a time of not feeding.

In general, I would say (contrary to GrumpyGOP's post), some type of armory would make an ideal base, especially one with a tank.

That way, once you have some time to regroup, you could start the arduous process of eliminating the zombie threat.

I suggest reading http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/zombiesurvivalguide/ for more info on zombies.

As far as M/F ratio, I don't think it would matter too much, but generally, you'd think having more females would be better. Also, you'd want the initial birth rates to favor daughters too, to ensure that as much genetic diversity as possible is created, since the X chromosome contains more genetic information.

[Edited on February 27, 2006 at 3:28 AM. Reason : ]

2/27/2006 3:23:57 AM

The second you mention "armory" and "tanks," you start talking about the ideal world. You will not be in the ideal world. You will be in zombieland, where little goes as planned.

Talking about how great it would be if you could cruise around in a B-52 permanently refueling in the air or the space shuttle or whatever is talking about ways in which you could survive if people shat miracles and sunbeams all the time.

The tank idea is even worse. At least if you were on the space shuttle you'd have some modicum of provisions up there with you. How much food do you think you can fit in a tank? What do you think will happen when you try to leave the tank to get food? Such a slow-moving vehicle would probably be covered with zombies no matter where you were, just because they'd latch on and hang around.

Not to mention that all of your talk revolves around the laughable goal of "elminating the zombie threat." You don't do any such thing, except perhaps in the most specific and acute sense. No individual or even reasonably-sized group is ever going to exterminate the zombies. The only thing capable of such a permanent solution is themselves, inherent in their inability to digest food or reproduce.

"The Zombie Survival Guide" isn't worth wiping your ass with now or for starting fires after the apocalypse. I've told you how to survive. If you don't want to listen, I wash my hands of you; neither God nor natural selection wishes you to survive.

2/27/2006 4:03:36 AM

Quote :

"Dormitories are built with some security measures in mind, so the doors have good locks and small and/or shatterproof windows.."

o_O

2/27/2006 7:29:06 AM

^ummm........................

2/27/2006 8:47:09 AM

^as in he must not have heard about the UNC Olympic event.

come on...i tried

2/27/2006 9:41:48 AM

GrumpyGOP, I think your idea of having two women for every man is not exactly realistic. You've already said that it will be harder to pick appropriate women, and I doubt that anybody has planned who to bring. If the zombie invasion happens tomorrow, will there be 9 other men and 20 other women all set to go to the shelter? In the initial chaos, it's highly unlikely for the demographic you desire to come about without a lot of prior planning.

Also, you may be misjudging women based on some of your criteria for choosing. I'll admit that it's less likely for women to have technical, combat, or survival skills. Females who are "early in reproductive years" should not be too hard to come by, since we are at NCSU after all. There are 20-somethings all over the place.

And your rule that survivors must be "consistently mentally stable," seems to be a misperception of women in general. If your girlfriend can't decide whether she loves you or not, it's not a sign that she is "mentally unstable." As a matter of fact, in psychology I remember being told that women handle situations of prolonged stress better than men. For example, in the ill-fated Donner Party, significantly more women survived than men.

This better survival rate may be due to the biological need for females to survive the physical and mental challenges of pregnancy. Females also fare better in times of famine, with their generally lower metabolisms and core body temperatures, and higher amounts of body fat to begin with. Hopefully with good preparation, the survivors will not be starving before the zombies die out. I don't know exactly how much food you would need, but for 30 people to live for 6 months it would be an awful lot.

In fact, it might be a good idea to start out with an equal number of males and females, because the males will most likely have a higher death rate in the time to come. It's no good to bring only 10 males to the survival shelter if 4 of them are going to die along the way.

2/27/2006 10:49:46 AM