Author Topic: Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?  (Read 7994 times)

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Alastar

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Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?
« on: February 10, 2010, 07:20:49 PM »
Greetings

For a pet project of mine, I'm trying to think about what kind of people would survive in a zombie apocalypse.  And I though I'd ask this fine and brilliant community what they think about that.

Now ideally, this apocalypse happens in the US/CANADA part of the world, and doesn't involve military or police forces.  So out of everyday blokes like you and I, who would survive the onslaught according to you?

Oh, also, if you bring out some men, please bring out at least one woman, I know they're more prompt to ask for help than to fight like men are, but some of them are bound to survive, please explain which kind.

Heck, you can even create personalities at that point.

I think you have a general Idea.

My personal call would be: Geeks, they are already recluse enough that a siege won't affect them much, that is until the electricity runs out, and then they have the presence of mind to not try to go see other people.  (Think about that OCD guy from zombieland)

Agita

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Re: Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?
« Reply #1 on: February 10, 2010, 07:23:44 PM »
See this thread. We actually formulated multiple joint escape/survival plans in there.

Anyway, I'm going to go with researchers stationed in the Antarctic. Or people like me, who have an ocean between the American zombies and ourselves. :P
For a more serious answer, I'll second geeks, because we are obsessive enough to formulate plans in advance, as seen in the linked thread.
« Last Edit: February 10, 2010, 07:26:27 PM by Agita »
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Alastar

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Re: Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?
« Reply #2 on: February 10, 2010, 07:28:00 PM »
Ok, I'm going to be more specific.

If there was a TV series about the motherfuck*** zombie apocalypse, who would you see as characters in it?

And yah, I saw that thread, and i'm still waiting for the final version of the plan, you know, just to be safe.

archangel.arcanis

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Re: Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?
« Reply #3 on: February 10, 2010, 07:31:57 PM »
Gun Nuts. they will have a remote location in mind for where they were planning to hide from the government already and also have a metric shit ton of guns and ammo. Think Burt from the original Tremors movie, though not all are that bad.
I actually have a very good friend who falls into this category. He has a location picked out for when we get nuked or if the zombies show up. He has at least 10 guns and lots of ammo for all of them. The location he has picked out is very remote and has lots of wild game around to eat and also has an ammo press to make your own bullets.

Martial Arts people: they can actually hold their own once the zombies find them. Depending on what style they could probably be very successful at brain punches or escaping a zombie's grip. Either way they are more likely to stay calm in a stressful situation.

Fat people: the enterprising survivors will ensure they keep at least one fat guy around to feed to the zombies when the shit hits the fan. Remember you only have to outrun the fat guy not the lead zombie.

Red Necks/Hill Billies: they fall under gun nuts but also have good trapping and hunting skills.
Coon Asses: Being from the heart of cajun country i can say we will eat damned near anything. That willingness to eat what is there makes it easier to live.

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Johannixx

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Re: Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2010, 12:05:50 AM »
I wouldn't give most stereotypical geeks a high probability of survival.  They are generally not skilled in survival techniques, nor are they in good physical shape.  They may be book-smart, but they're not street-smart, and that's a problem.  That said, any group of survivors would be stupid to abandon a geek, as they will be integral to rebuilding our technological society in the long term.

BTW, I like how having 10 guns makes one a 'gun nut' :)  I call that a bare-bones collection :)

As for me, I think that most city-dwellers will die off, if only because of a lack of survival skills coupled with a high density of infected people in their vicinity.  The most likely survivors are rural people, especially those who are into medieval or civil war reenactment or hardcore survivalists.  I know one reenactor who grows her own flax (for linen) and herbs/food in northern Arizona, and has built her own weaving looms, while her husband has a forge up there and can smelt iron and hammer out plate armor and basic melee weapons such as spearheads.

In any case, the survival rate will depend on how widespread the infection is, and how long it lasts.  People who stockpile food (i.e. the stereotypical Mormon family) will probably do OK in the near-term, but when the food runs out, they'll be reduced to scavenging or starving like nearly everyone else.  For a good fictional examination of this, see Cormac MacCarthy's "The Road".  People with weapons, and the knowledge to use them, will have an advantage, but it won't be absolute.  People who have weapons, the knowledge and training to use them, stocks of food, and the knowledge necessary to survive in the wilderness as well as the physical stamina/strength to do so, will survive the longest, by and large, especially if they have like-minded friends.

For example, I have done survival camping for moderate lengths of time (i.e. 1 week), I have a reasonable stockpile of weapons but fairly low quantities of ammo due to the current ammo shortage in the US, good weapons training, and decent hiking/camping gear, but I also have a low food stockpile and am out of shape physically.  I would do best if I found a good place to hole up, preferably bartering my weapon skills and supplies for food and shelter.

veekie

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Re: Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?
« Reply #5 on: February 11, 2010, 08:50:30 AM »
I know one reenactor who grows her own flax (for linen) and herbs/food in northern Arizona, and has built her own weaving looms, while her husband has a forge up there and can smelt iron and hammer out plate armor and basic melee weapons such as spearheads.
Now, if you could gather a community of people like that, in a defensible position, they're good.


It does depend a lot on what kind of zombies you're talking about though.
Classic slow-bies? Super fast, strong zombies?
Plague zombies? Needs to breath, eat or drink, etc, just hyperaggressive, feral humans
True Undead? No need breath, water or food, but desires brains anyway, tends to be more automatic
Infection method? Automatic on death(necromancy style) or with injury/infection vector.
Intellect? If they retain tool use, it could be bad
Activity cycle? Day, Night, 24/7
The mind transcends the body.
It's also a little cold because of that.
Please get it a blanket.

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I can barely read mine.

"Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. At 2:15, it begins rolling up characters."

[spoiler]
"Just what do you think the moon up in the sky is? Everyone sees that big, round shiny thing and thinks there must be something round up there, right? That's just silly. The truth is much more awesome than that. You can almost never see the real Moon, and its appearance is death to humans. You can only see the Moon when it's reflected in things. And the things it reflects in, like water or glass, can all be broken, right? Since the moon you see in the sky is just being reflected in the heavens, if you tear open the heavens it's easy to break it~"
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To sumbolaion diakoneto moi, basilisk ouranionon.
Epigenentheto, apoleia keraune hos timeis pteirei.
Hekatonkatis kai khiliakis astrapsato.
Khiliarkhou Astrape!
[/spoiler]

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Johannixx

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Re: Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?
« Reply #6 on: February 11, 2010, 10:39:23 AM »
I know one reenactor who grows her own flax (for linen) and herbs/food in northern Arizona, and has built her own weaving looms, while her husband has a forge up there and can smelt iron and hammer out plate armor and basic melee weapons such as spearheads.
Now, if you could gather a community of people like that, in a defensible position, they're good.


It does depend a lot on what kind of zombies you're talking about though.
Classic slow-bies? Super fast, strong zombies?
Plague zombies? Needs to breath, eat or drink, etc, just hyperaggressive, feral humans
True Undead? No need breath, water or food, but desires brains anyway, tends to be more automatic
Infection method? Automatic on death(necromancy style) or with injury/infection vector.
Intellect? If they retain tool use, it could be bad
Activity cycle? Day, Night, 24/7

Very good point.

CountArioch

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Re: Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?
« Reply #7 on: February 11, 2010, 12:27:37 PM »
Pssht.  Anyone who holes themselves up in a defensible community/spider hole/whatever might as well be wearing a shirt that says "Eat Me".

The people who will survive the best will be smallish groups of highly mobile people.  People who take what they need and move on.
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Dictum Mortuum

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Re: Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?
« Reply #8 on: February 11, 2010, 12:41:26 PM »
I don't agree. How long are they going to be fighting? They will eventually get tired/injured. They need to secure themselves someplace safe, probably with a big damn garden to be able to grow their own food.
Water is going to be a problem though.
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archangel.arcanis

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Re: Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?
« Reply #9 on: February 11, 2010, 12:46:34 PM »
Johannixx gun nut has little to do with volume of weaponry, but the mentality. I should also include that he has a couple of blow guns and a few bows as well. Not to mention one or 2 melee weapons, though i do have that basis covered with 6 swords in my house.
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Retire the character before the DM smacks you with the Table as the book will feel totally inadequate now.-Hazren

Agita

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Re: Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?
« Reply #10 on: February 11, 2010, 01:01:56 PM »
Around here you probably count as a gun nut if you have more than one, probably due to relatively strict regulations (some of the strictest in Europe, I think). :D

Adding to veekie's list, another factor is what they can infect and where they can move. If they only infect humans, you're probably good in places where humans can't easily reach without equipment. If they can also infect animals, you'll want to go somewhere like the arctic or antarctic where there are very few multi-cellular life forms.
I agree that nomadism would be a good idea in the first few days/weeks/months, as the zombies will probably still be concentrated in cities. After a while, I like the idea of settling, prefereably in an out-of the way place, and, of course, setting up patrols and stuff. Unless the zombies have a hivemind. In that case, staying in one place the hivemind can engineer a mass attack on is suicide.

The worst-case scenario, I think, is if the infection is actually nanobots that rewire your nervous system and can be transmitted through bodily fluids. Then we're pretty much fucked. Especially if it can also rewire animals.
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veekie

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Re: Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?
« Reply #11 on: February 11, 2010, 01:49:29 PM »
Well, on the bright side you could have a highly infectious virus that communicates through bodily fluids, but does not absolve the zombie of the need to eat, drink or breath, while being slow but extremely tough and strong.

That sort you really just need to move out to the country while the plague burns itself out.
The mind transcends the body.
It's also a little cold because of that.
Please get it a blanket.

I wish I could read your mind,
I can barely read mine.

"Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. At 2:15, it begins rolling up characters."

[spoiler]
"Just what do you think the moon up in the sky is? Everyone sees that big, round shiny thing and thinks there must be something round up there, right? That's just silly. The truth is much more awesome than that. You can almost never see the real Moon, and its appearance is death to humans. You can only see the Moon when it's reflected in things. And the things it reflects in, like water or glass, can all be broken, right? Since the moon you see in the sky is just being reflected in the heavens, if you tear open the heavens it's easy to break it~"
-Ibuki Suika, on overkill

To sumbolaion diakoneto moi, basilisk ouranionon.
Epigenentheto, apoleia keraune hos timeis pteirei.
Hekatonkatis kai khiliakis astrapsato.
Khiliarkhou Astrape!
[/spoiler]

There is no higher price than 'free'.

"I won't die. I've been ordered not to die."

Agita

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Re: Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?
« Reply #12 on: February 11, 2010, 01:57:05 PM »
Well, on the bright side you could have a highly infectious virus that communicates through bodily fluids, but does not absolve the zombie of the need to eat, drink or breath, while being slow but extremely tough and strong.

That sort you really just need to move out to the country while the plague burns itself out.
Or move to Africa. :drums
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Dictum Mortuum

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Re: Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?
« Reply #13 on: February 11, 2010, 02:36:36 PM »
Speaking of gun nuts, have you heared of Crete? :P

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Alastar

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Re: Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?
« Reply #14 on: February 11, 2010, 07:32:33 PM »
Let's assume we have a slow-to medium speed zombie, with all traits from the undead (doesnt feel pain, only head wound can kill, doesnt need to eat, breath, sleep, drink)  and who's bite is lethal to animals, and he WILL try to hunt animals, but can turn humans.

Who in the big city would survive then, white collars, blue collars, school teachers, cheerleaders, high school jocks, who?

Cheerleaders would make a prime candidate for survival.  Being so haughty and full of themselves, as well as being in good shape guarantees that they would:
A- not go and inquire a recently fallen cadaver, as that is, quote, ''EWWWWWWWWWWW GROSS, THAT GUY WORE, LIKE, A WOLF HEAD SWEATER''
B- would have the muscle necessary to outrun a horde of zombies once they catch on what is happening.  Most of them would probably die before realising what IS happening though.  So I guess only the smart ones will live.

Agita

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Re: Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?
« Reply #15 on: February 11, 2010, 07:34:58 PM »
Let's assume we have a slow-to medium speed zombie, with all traits from the undead (doesnt feel pain, only head wound can kill, doesnt need to eat, breath, sleep, drink)  and who's bite is lethal to animals, and he WILL try to hunt animals, but can turn humans.

Who in the big city would survive then, white collars, blue collars, school teachers, cheerleaders, high school jocks, who?

Cheerleaders would make a prime candidate for survival.  Being so haughty and full of themselves, as well as being in good shape guarantees that they would:
A- not go and inquire a recently fallen cadaver, as that is, quote, ''EWWWWWWWWWWW GROSS, THAT GUY WORE, LIKE, A WOLF HEAD SWEATER''
B- would have the muscle necessary to outrun a horde of zombies once they catch on what is happening.  Most of them would probably die before realising what IS happening though.  So I guess only the smart ones will live.
Emphasis mine. [stereotype]Yeah, that's exactly the problem. :P[/stereotype]
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Alastar

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Re: Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?
« Reply #16 on: February 11, 2010, 07:42:48 PM »
Well, take a city like montreal ( I know it best)  There are around 30 schools with cheerleading programs, each cheerleading team has around 20-30 girls, so out of all of them, one of those is supposedto be smart. :P :lmao

Heck, I dated a cheerleader for 6 months, and she was pretty smart, she's studying in management right now ^^

kurashu

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Re: Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?
« Reply #17 on: February 11, 2010, 09:32:03 PM »
B- would have the muscle necessary to outrun a horde of zombies once they catch on what is happening.  Most of them would probably die before realising what IS happening though.  So I guess only the smart ones will live.

Gymnastics and cross country are two drastically different things. They would, however, have the muscles and skills required to backflip out of a zombie's reach though. :P

Hm. My girlfriend says the hood rats -- the real stereotypical ghetto people; we have to second red necks and gun nuts. I have to say the MMA types, boxer types, people who do track and cross country; probably a lot of people who were involved with the military as grunts or whatever -- not necessarily generals lieutenants, et cetera. People that have the skills that a lot of us don't have -- hunters, farmers, smiths, lumberjacks, et cetera.

As for people to go first: old people, fat people, idiots, arrogant people, people with no street smarts. (Also, yes, I am that evil)

Bozwevial

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Re: Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?
« Reply #18 on: February 11, 2010, 10:12:58 PM »
The ideal plan is to set up a community with moderate defences...and then not live there. Use it as zombie bait, because the more zombies are assaulting that town, the fewer there are to mess with you. Works best with nonintelligent undead, since they won't be able to breach a reasonably well-fortified location (a castle, preferably) unless you've killed enough of them to make a ramp of corpses.

Similarly, if the plague just started and we're dealing with slow-to-medium pace zombies, you're actually fairly well off in a crowd of escapees, as long as they don't get bogged down. With so many other targets to focus on, the chances that you'll get picked out are fairly slim, especially since there's almost always one guy you can outpace.

Really, if the zombies are slow enough, you ought to be able to hold off small groups fairly well by taking the time to aim shots carefully. If need be, jog a short distance and then take the time to catch your breath while you pick off the incoming group. Or find a fire escape, large car, dumpster, or something else to stand on top of while you deal with them. (The risk associated with this tactic is getting surrounded without ammo--but again, if they're slow, a running jump and a sprint should get you out of immediate danger, assuming you have a clear spot to jump to.)

Now I'm wondering whether a treetop settlement would work well...you'd be able to set up a network of walkways throughout the forest, and zombies would have no way to reach the top of a tree, really.

Johannixx

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Re: Who would survive the zombie apocalypse?!?!?!?
« Reply #19 on: February 11, 2010, 10:18:10 PM »
Speaking of gun nuts, have you heared of Crete? :P



I wonder if that Mk.II STEN and MP40 were left over from the Operation Merkur in WWII...  Wow.