Knowledge is Power

Libraries. I know, right now a good book is the LAST thing on your mind. You've got runners assaulting the front door, crawlers chewing on the back door, and you're working with extremely limited resources. But honestly, the library is one of the only reasons I would even suggest that you go into any sort of urban environment. If you're going to be in the closed layout of a town then you'd best have a really good reason to be there; cities are naturally chuck full of zombies, it's hard to see a runner at close quarters, and there is very likely to be all sorts of things that could infect you other than the zekes- don't forget that even though a zombie is dead, any contact with fluids nearby can result in infection and ultimately your demise.

So what about a library could be so important that you would dare leaving your bunker undermanned [possibly unguarded], and make a dangerous trek [possibly on foot], into the center of the enemies hunting grounds where the highest concentration of runners are looking for fresh brains? Suggestion: Secure the gun-lugging macho man to a chair before he reads this [Thespis, is Havoc secured?]
The reason, one of the only reasons I'd suggest you make that trek, is because knowledge is power.

"Power? Are you serious? You're worried about status and smarts at a time like this?!" -Not quite.

Think of it this way: we're normal people. Generally speaking we're high school and college students between 15 and 25 years old. We're academics. Face it y'all- we may not particularly like homework, but we can do research. We've been well trained to handle paper and memorize information.

"Write a paper? We may roll our eyes, but we can do it. Read Plato? Ok, Whatever. Survive a zombie Apocalypse? Ok, I think we can do that." -Wrong.

Like I said: We're students. Chances are, none of us know much about first aid, the spread of infections, how to purify large amounts of water, real architecture, making something fire retardant, growing potatoes under the kitchen sink to power the internet, what foods would be best to use, how to prepare them, or what to do if someone gets the flu and we have no medicine. What happens if someone has a mental breakdown? What happens if all the sudden someone gets really sick? Should you quarantine the person? What's the difference between the cold, the flu, and the Zombie virus?

Most of us are unorganized, unprepared, and uninformed. Simply a book on medicinal herbs could save your friends life. I've heard some horror stories from other bunkers where someone got the flu and half the bunker had to be restrained because they thought the poor guy had the zombie virus and were trying to kill him. That is called hysteria [just in case you didn't know].
In other words; a library can be the last ditch effort that saves your life.

Now, with all that said, libraries are, generally speaking, bad places to be in a zombie apocalypse. It's a closed building, it's dark, and the stacks tend to be too close together to see if there's a runner on the next row. Also they tend to be 'goldmines' for capitalists and other survivors who may not want to share resources. I've heard tell of a library in Tuscon where a mercenary group had set up shop and was demanding supplies in trade for books. Bet you didn't know that there were still capitalists in the post civilization era.

My suggestion is this; carry something with you that you can trade for books if there are mercs, if there aren't then you won't have to worry about being away from your bunker for a prolonged amount of time, you'll have supplies if you get hemmed in.
Another suggestion is this; if you haven't already lifted a shopping cart from the grocery store now would be a good time to do that. Books are heavy, and you may not be making another trip to the library in a while.

Here's another issue; What books should you choose? You're not going to have a lot of time once you get into the library, certainly no time to be browsing.
Obviously, not many of us have the Dewey Decimal System memorized off the cuff, so here is the basic run down.

000 = Generalities, 100 = Philosophy & Psychology, 200 = Religion, 300 = Social Sciences, 400 =Language, 500 = Natural sciences & Mathematics, 600 = Technology (applied Science), 700 = The Arts, 800 = Literature and Rhetoric, 900 = Geography & History

"Ok, that was nice; where should we camp out? We can't go row by row!" -You're very right. This is a list of books you're going to want in the long run, and where to find them. My suggestion is that you grab one of each- be sure to leave some for the next survivalist, the world is seriously going to suck if you're the last survivor, do the other bunkers a favor. Also, the Library is a necessary hazard- If you can, leave your radio frequency and the name of the bunker somewhere obvious so that any other bunkers that get there after you will have a way to contact you. There's safety in numbers, if you can make alliances with other bunkers then that's only more power for you!

Encyclopedias = 030-039
These come as top priorities. They're basically the 101 survey course of everything, not only that, but they're fun to read. Also check out the 610.00 area for Medical Encyclopedias.

Anything on Psychology and or mental health is also very important. Generally you'll find Psych books in the 150 section, though the 100 section is a good place to quickly glance through to see if you can find things that may be of help. In specific, Seligman's "Learned Optimism" [generally found at 155.2] can be a great help to your team's mental health.

In the 500s, Math is useful. Yes, we all hate it, but it's useful. Grab a few math books while you're there, that way when you NEED physics you can crunch the numbers.

In the 600s- get the cart ready, here we go.
615 Pharmacology & theraputics, 616 Diseases, 617 Surgery & related medical specialties, 619 Experimental medicine, 621 Applied physics, 627 Hydraulic engineering, 628 Sanitary & municipal engineering, 629 Other branches of engineering, 630 Agriculture, 631 Techniques, equipment, materials, 632 Plant injuries, diseases, pests, 633 Field & plantation crops, 634 Orchards, fruits, forestry, 635 Garden crops (Horticulture), 636 Animal husbandry, 637 Processing dairy & related product, 646 Sewing, clothing, personal living, 649 Child rearing & home care of sick [no, seriously.], 658 General management, 662 Explosives, fuels technology, 669 Metallurgy, 671 Metalworking & metal products, 672 Iron, steel, other iron alloys, 673 Nonferrous metals, 674 Lumber processing, wood products, cork, 675 Leather & fur processing, 676 Pulp & paper technology, 677 Textile, 681 Precision instruments & other devices, 682 Small forge work (Blacksmithing), 684 Furnishings & home workshops, 685 Leather, fur, related product, 690 Buildings, 691 Building material, 694 Wood construction Carpentry, and finally, 695 Roof covering.
I know that was a lot of information- but do you see now why you're going to NEED information? There's no one on your team who knows all of that stuff. This is the stuff you're going to need not only off the bat, but also long term for survival, some of these subjects aren't in reference to day at a time survival anymore, this has vision to it, and is a great way to boost your team's morale. Always have a future goal to meet, it makes life seem less hopeless.

In the 700s and 800s there really isn't much that is for survival only- but it's still important. Art is there to make life easier, to relieve stress and help you just enjoy life a little between the assaults. I would suggest 792 Stage presentations, 793 Indoor games & amusements, 794 Indoor games of skill, 795 Games of chance, 796 Athletic & outdoor sports & games, 799 Fishing, hunting, shooting - some may be more useful than others, but generally speaking they're just good for relaxing. Fishing is a good way to procure food- though with fish you have to be extra careful because water is usually contaminated and you don't want to risk infection for a mouthful of bass. Plays, poetry and things that can be read out loud and enjoyed by everyone are also a good way to relax at the end of the shift, you can find those in the 800 section [810-818]

Speaking of which; we now know that we're going to be spending a lot of time camped in the 600 section, and that you absolutely have to make a quick stop at the 150's for psych books. Here's something I bet you weren't expecting. Go to the fiction section and empty a shelf into the cart too.
"Fiction? Empty a shelf? oh, for kindling!!!" -No. For reading.
Just the fact that you're running your radio off of potatoes rigged into a battery states that you're not pulling enough electricity to run a television, so what do you do to get your mind off of the fact that you're trying to survive an apocalypse? Read something. A good book can be read out loud to the whole group and can be a great amount of fun and very enjoyable.
I once heard of a team in Utah who would read a book over their frequency and as a result they found three other bunkers that otherwise wouldn't have made it. The other bunkers joined with the primary and they have a small organized society set up now.

As you can see, survival is about more than just having enough ammo, and we hope you are able to get out to your local library soon to collect the information that you need.
-Avalon

Other things*

*That might happen in apocalyptic situations.

Face it. When playing Half Life, you only had to deal with Zombies. Call of Duty, it was Nazi Zombies. But still Zombies. Sure, the idea of running around hacking zombies with your awesome sword may sound really cool, but zombies aren't the greatest danger. There are a few other problems every post-apocalyptic survivalist team will have to battle.

And this doesn't just apply to zombie warfare, this is important in many situations, including inclement weather or power grid failures. (Which, incidentally, often walk hand in hand with zombie invasions)

these may include-

1.- Food Procurement. (We've already discussed some preemptive food stockpiling techniques in earlier posts, as well as some wilderness survival food procurement.) Make sure you have lots of canned food.
Lots of protein. Sure, Cinna-grams may taste better than Spam, but a can of Spam will keep you going all day, your cocoa puffs won't. Protein is the most important part of your survival diet. You should also have some high-energy food on hand. But avoid those items which are purely carbohydrates. Stockpile things like granola and protein/energy bars. Salty foods are also important; strenuous physical activity without salt replacement can quickly weaken your muscles, reaction time, and mental acumen.


2.- Even more important than Food. WATER. The first thing you should do when you hear of an impending attack is NOT prepare to repel an assault, it is to insure a safe water supply. Fill every available container with water. Closed containers are best. There are field expedient ways to purify water (which I'll highlight in a later post), but believe me, it's a whole lot easier to fill up a five gallon bucket from your tap before the water supply is polluted than it is to build a sunlight still. Allow at least 1/2 gallon PER PERSON PER DAY MINIMUM. If water conservation becomes a big issue, minimize time spent outside in direst sunlight, and restrict strenuous activity to early morning and late night hours.

3.- Make sure you've got shelter. When that hurricane hits, you want to be dug into a cozy little bunker, munching on a Hooah bar and some fried spam, not huddling in a ditch with the wind blowing around your ears, and zombies everywhere you look. And make sure that shelter is safe- build it to face away from prevailing winds, and keep all loose objects firmly lashed down.

4.- Lastly, keep motivated. If you don't have a will to survive, guess what? YOU WON'T. Know that going through is the only way out. Giving up deprives others of the support you could have given them, enabling THEM to survive. Stay with your team, stay motivated, and push on through.

5.- an additional note. Remember, in survival situations, whether wilderness, or post-disaster in civilization, credit/debit cards have absolutely no worth. If there's a widespread power outage, you will not be able to use a credit card for purchases. Stock up on cash, and easily bartered goods. Gasoline, Kerosene, MREs, Iodine tabs, and coffee are all items which will continue to have value after an economic/infrastructure collapse.

So, stay safe, and be prepared for all outcomes!

Zombie pacification with agent O557-X63

Recently I had the privilege to (accidentally) visit a weapons testing where three runner zombies were treated with Agent O557-X63, an experimental aerosol weapon that reduces zombie life time, and blocks the absorption of the hormone cortisol, and slows the secretion of adrenalin. making runner class zombies less aggressive (to a point.) and less likely to attack large groups.

Mission Accomplished

Mission is accomplished!

Around week 2, I began to understand that very few scouts properly understood the signifigance of a zombie apocalypse situation. Therefore, I wrote out and began instruction of the Zombie Apocalypse Survival merit badge. We met every night at midnight across the lake, near the graveyard. I had few students, which was nice, because I had to keep an eye on them. Can't just send 12-16 year olds out by themselves with no training. I ended up with 2-4 scouts per week. Requirement 1 was tracking, and their tracking assignment was to figure out exactly where I was. Very few passed this requirement, but those who did were allowed to continue their training. The next night I instructed them in methods of zombie warfare. None of them could lift a sword, but they did have bug spray and lighters. Makeshift flamethrowers, anybody? If nothing else, they learned how to improvise their weaponry. Wednesday night we stuck with practical things - what food to get, what would work well, what would store for nearly unlimited amounts of time, etc. Thursday was all practice. We hiked 3 miles in to the nearest zombie farm and took out as many of them as we could. Only 1 zombie, their leader, survived. A few were lost in the deadly battle, but some survived. I would like to recognize those students now, if I could.

Miguel R.

Corbin R.

Daniel G.

Jacob E.

Nick R.

Nick H.

Devin T.

Walter T.

Edward T.

Those who were lost:

Michael J.

the Basics of Communications

These 6 basic rules are necessary for the ability to keep in touch with your fellow Non-zekes. These (if considered and applied) will be lifeSAVERS (awesome Acronym no?) when the Zombies are attacking, and you need to call in reinforcements.

Simplicity- Ever heard of "K.I.S.S" ? Keep it Simple stupid. The simpler your system is, the better off you'll be. If you've got a really complicated set up, 1) things will be harder to fix and 2) only a couple of people will be able to understand how it works- and what happens if those people all die (or become Zombies) ? then you have no one to run your system. so Keep it simple- and don't be stupid and only have one or two working it- everyone needs to know how to keep the communications up and running.

Adaptability- Don't get caught up with only one type of tech. Be familiar with any and every option you have, and know Morse Code! If it comes down to it you can use smoke signals or drums, or lights flashing in the night. Also don't just think about being personally adaptable, but have your tech be adaptable. You'll see in the next point to have Variety, just be sure to make that Variety compatible with itself and with the tech of those you intend on communicating with- much good it'll do you if you can't actually contact anyone.

Variety- The more options you have the better, so hold on to those walkie-talkies, short wave radios, satellite phones, and strings and tin cans. Have redundancies, back up plans. be able to switch very quickly from system to system- indeed, I prefer to have at least 2 completely separate systems- that way if one fails for some reason I have another ready and waiting to go while I work on the first.

Efficiency- Things should work, and work well, and with little effort. If you're having to constantly tweak this, or play with that, then you're setting yourself at a disadvantage when the crisis comes.

Renewability- You need to be able to power everything, and fix everything. For crying out loud, this is the Zombie Apocalypse- you can't just run down to the corner store and pick up some more AAA batteries, or a spare Vacuum Tube (and no, I'm not talking about the thing that cleans the floors) so stock up, switch out, and prepare to improvise.

Self-Sufficiency- Especially power wise- think outside the box. you need to be able to keep your communications up and running no matter what. Consider Solar, Wind or Water power. Be able to fix everything that you have yourself- and remember "the lower the tech, the safer your neck."

Thanks to Eoin for his help in Educating me on the basics of communications so that I could educate you! (the lifeSAVERS Acronym and the "lower the tech, the safer your neck" are both the genius of Mr. Eoin)

Broadsword over Rapier- my reasons

So, I've been hearing a lot of mess about rapiers being appropriate weapons for zombie warfare, or warfare in general (Sorry, Avalon and Thespis), and I'm here to clear things up. So, I'll admit that it's hard to compare the broadsword, (Exhibit A-), with a rapier, (Exhibit B-),















but we really do need to consider some hard facts of life. A broadsword is a battle-hardened weapon, designed primarily for hacking, slicing, cutting, dismemberment, disembowelment, disem-et cetera-ment, you get the picture. A rapier is a primarily decorative sword. When the rapier was developed, there were very few good opportunities for real steel-on-steel combat, and, as such, the broadsword had fallen out of favor as a man's weapon. The rapier wasn't designed for real melee combat, it was designed for wearing with dress attire, and for an occasional single combat against another man armed with an identical spring steel whip.

A broadsword is great for what it's designed for- being a trusty, durable companion in battle, your strongest ally, an extension of your arm, a solid, bad-guy/Zeke hacking forge-hardened bar of steel. It's designed to wear well over time, to always be counted on as a man's weapon in combat. A broadsword does have the cons of A.- while killing quickly, it also kills messily, B.- it's long and heavy, making it harder to accomodate, and C.- it's impossible (or at least inadvisable) to waltz while wearing one.

A rapier is great for what it's designed for- hanging from the waist of a dress uniform, and only seeing mild combat- the likes of single combats and duels, and specialized melee situations. A rapier has the cons of not being nearly as hardy under adverse circumstances, and not being able to stand up to the blunt force a broadsword would be able to. It's more likely to end up shattering in hard combat.
A rapier's effective attacking part of the blade is within a few inches of the tip, and it's target zones (if you're looking to kill the Zeke by destroying it's lower brain, the only effective way), are limited to the mouth and eyes.

My entire broadsword is a weapon. I may use it at arm's length, decapitating Zekes long before they come within range of a rapier. If they are close, I may choke up the blade, and may use almost the entire length of the blade for cutting uses. If they happen to be even closer, that hefty pommel is completely effective at bashing zombie faces. Ever wonder where the term "pummeling" came from? To be pummeled is to have your face beaten in by the pommel of a sword. Take a close look at the hilt of that rapier. It might possibly cause a painful laceration or a black eye, but there's no head-smashing on there.

So, in all, as a man who's definitely on the stronger end of the spectrum, a two-handed sword is the way to go. But, that doesn't mean that smaller guys can't use them too. Balance and workmanship are key. My well-balanced broadsword is faster than many blade-heavy sabers and katanas. As long as it's well balanced, a broadsword is just as easy to use as any other sword. Of course, female team members of short stature may have trouble wielding it, but why not opt for an arming sword- nearly as deadly, and easy to wield single handed. While there are combat situations in which one sword will have the advantage, in general, a rapier is not well-suited for the rough and tumble, hack-and-slash combat against great odds likely in a field of battle.

~Cred

A much-belaboured incredibly-late-coming introduction-to-me

Name: Matt Young
Call Sign: Cred
Rank: Field Lieutenant, Strategist, Combat Specialist
Primary Location: Point A Bunker, Wherever I Happen to Be.

"What? Surrender? Surrender is never an option! Using the last bullet on yourself is never an option! If you're running out of bullets, use your sword. If the zombies somehow destroy every bladed weapon in the world, use large blunt weapons (shillelaghs, cudgels, rocks, fists, disembodied zombie parts, etc.)"

"I feel like a zombie. You know-- the living dead. But without the living part."

Hey there! I'm Matt. (The awesome looking guy in the picture.) I usually end up taking a leadership position on a team, and plan combat strategies. I'm a decent shot, using handguns, rifles, shotguns or bows, but specialize in hand to hand/close quarters combat. Weapon of choice? As big a sword as I can find. I subscribe to the German school of broadsword fighting, but end up using many claymore fighting moves as well.
In my not-terribly-humble opinion, a rapier is no match for a good solid broadsword, in any form of combat, especially zombie warfare- zombies may only be completely killed by complete decapitation or blunt force trauma to the brain (bullets included). Sure, they can be immobilized, but what easier way of dealing with a shambler than to lop off it's 'ead with one of these?

My overall theory?- Grab the swords, Pack the spam, Snatch the guns, chug a caffeinated beverage, and roar off in the jeep, whilst listening to Celtic rock. Life/zombie warfare at it's best!

Deus Volt, Accedo Fieri At, Persevero! (God Wills It, Come What May, I Persevere)

~Matt