One of the first things to go in the zombie a apocalypse is ammo, specifically- shotgun ammo.
most people, how ever- tend to only take the 00 buckshot and slugs, leaving behind the bird-shot and lighter buckshot, while yes, No. 3 buck will kill zombies dead, its effective range is significantly shorter then a slug, So- the following is a list of improvisations to help you live throught the zombie apocolypse...
1- Cut shells, ringed shells or cut slugs.
Manufacture:
Pros: only a knife is needed for manufacture, massive impact.
Cons: cannot feed in magazines. cannot reload used ammo.
2: Tape shells
Pros: massive impact, can feed in magazines, can reload shells.
Cons: requires fore thought, uses expendable, non-replacable resources.
3: Wax slugs
Pros: massive impact, can feed in magazines, can reload shells, if made with bees wax- uses all renewable resources
Cons: requires fore thought.
4: home cast slugs,
Pros: can feed in magazines, can reload shells, flesh rending impact, highly accurate.
Cons: requires fore thought, requires special tooling, requires time.
5: other, (captain Ahrab, .69 cal musket ball, Ahrab brennike. also some others and some previously discussed slugs)
Pros: various,
Cons: various,
Point B range, aftermath shots:
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Trivial Tidbits To Transilluminate The Terribly Dark Thinking Techniques of Zombie Trashing Tenderfoots
Thespis here to talk about trivial tidbits of trivia that in a tactical situation could save yourself from termination. Follow the tally marks toward the end of the topic to transilluminate the terribly dark thoughts that increase your total chances of termination.
- Zombies are not the best readers. They have trouble when the same letter is used repeatedly, it confuses them totally. IF you had any problems reading the title or the tiny tidbit under the title you totally should head towards your medic. You might have picked up a bit of the zombie virus somewhere, or you could have dyslexia or another reading impediment.
- Shamblers ( see The Virus, Runners and Shamblers ) are not very agile or fast runners.
- Runners ( see link above ) are very quick and more durable than shamblers.
- Zombies HATE CARROTS ! as well as several other things ( see What should I put in my survival garden ?)
- You should gather some food and ration ! Ration ! RATION IT ! (see What you should stock for the Zombie Apocalypse)
- Never ever ever leave base without a weapon.
- Never EVER ever LEAVE BASE without a WEAPON ! (See both Weaponry: When you have options AND Weaponry: When you don't have options
Transmission Terminated....... Transmission Terminated........ Transmission Terminated....... Transmission Terminated....... Transmission Terminated......... Transmission Terminated.......
That should prevent any terribly nosy Runners from taking any trivial trivia from this topic.
~Thespis
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Hammer's in the house!
Name: Caleb YoungCallsign: Hammer
Rank: Ingenuetor, Long Range Zed Remover, Head of R&D.
Primary Location: Point A till August when I transfer to head the Point G bunker.
Hello People, Zeds, Honored Guests, and etc. etc. ad infinitum. I, Caleb 'The Hammer' Young, do solemnly swear to randomly post on this blog in no obvious pattern, governed by the lack of time and the exegencies of the service.
I am the resident mad scientist of the Point A Asylum for homeschoolers and (to quote a movie) Eeenveentors. Yes, I am random. OOoh LOOK! Squirrel!
But all fun and games aside, I feel that we are misunderstanding the poor Zeds. They are merely looking for food and companionship, much like the homeless in our areas. We need to be understanding and reach out to these poor beings.
If you have a problem with Zombies, contact the point A or B staff and ask for Havoc and Hammer. Your Zed removal specialists.
Quick, Havoc. To the BatCoffee.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Melee weapons for Z-day
The Classics:
1: The Crowbar.
No, not the flat, short stubby piece of bendy barstock- that's a prybar. a crowbar is between 2 and 5 feet long, made of round or hexagonal tempered steel, and weighs about 8-12 pounds.
Wielded like a sledge-hammer, using quick over head blows.
devastatingly effective against smaller groups of shamblers.
not all that effective against runners, as they understand that their head is their weak point.
2: The Axe.
the axe displayed here, while not the ideal axe. will do in a pinch, If you can- hunt down an axe with a solid, heavy glass reenforced polymer haft, usually the haft will be florescent yellow. the full poly haft allows you to use the haft as a quicker bludgeon then if you were using the blade. if your saying "What is he talking about"
well, if you have an axe, go get it, and hold it just above the head, blade out in-front of your knuckles- and swing it like a sword. see how fluid it moves and how the head counterweights the haft? now get a few water melons and bust them with the haft as fast as you can. now try that with the blade. see? Yes, busting the skull is easier with the blade, so use that against small groups of shamblers. but, if in a pinch- say fighting a runner- switch to the haft and beat the ever living snot out of 'em!
3: the shovel.
One of the most used anti-zeke weapon.
and also- the most impractical.
Blasphemy says you? well- chew on this since you're gonna be a zeke soon.
almost all shovels are is a thin piece of sheet steel wrapped around a wooden handle, why did I specify almost all shovels? well, I know A guy, who knows a guy, who is related to a guy who hand crafts the most wicked awesome combat spades on the face of this Zeke infested planet. 'course those are technically shaolin combat spades.
Bludgeons:
1: The Shillelagh.
basically any hardwood stick as thick as a grown mans wrist, and as one one-half arms length.
best used against small groups of shamblers while listening to celtic rock like flatfoot56.
Bring out your inner Celt and bust some 'heads!
2: Hammers.
the usefulness of a hammer against Zekes are usually governed by weight, handle length, and handle material.
while most folks don't own a 3 pound 30 inch handle war hammer, or a comically over sized mallet. but most will own a claw hammer or a sledge. for lunatic blacksmiths such as me, we have massive collections of sledge hammers, ball peen, cross peen, and lumps of steel put on blocks of wood that we call hammers.
your average 12-16 oz. claw hammer won't cut the mustard.
where as the 4 pound 20 inch handle cross peen I forge with is a bit much for most. I find a good, long handled Stanly, estwing, cobalt or other big name tooling co. (hickory or steel haft) 24-32 oz. framing hammer with waffle patten face and a modified pulling claw (welded together and ground to a point.) excels at head bustin.
3: Demo bars
the lovechild of a war-club, crowbar, and framing hammer.
some think that it was given to mankind by saint Eloi, the patron saint of metalworkers, Others that it was a gift from sammael, the arch-angel of destruction.
but what ever first thought of it, or what gave it to us- this thing freaking LOVES Zeke slaying and door busting. standard issue to all acquisition teams and recon squads, and Havoc approved weaponry.
Avalon's Swords:
Guess what? GUEST WRITER! Here's Avalon to tell us about swords VS Zekes.
Only one shot of these, because the light was fading, and Havoc was trying to steal my weaponry.
Generally speaking, we at point B prefer to use ranged techniques to keep Zombies far away from our bunker, but sometimes there's not much you can do and you must engage in hand to hand or melee combat. when this happens I'm generally one to carry steal [though a shillelagh is always nice].
I prefer two swords when standing against 'Zekes' or 'Zeds' or Zombies, mainly because I like the concept of attacking with one and defending with the other. I generally use the shorter to block with, and the longer to reach with, unless a zombie gets inside my guard.
The two swords shown in the picture are my fighting blades- The smaller is Kilgorn, 'The Sword of Darkness' by Kit Rae, the larger is 'Aletheia', which was designed after the sword of King Alphonso the X of Spain. Both are one handed weapons. I know a lot of guys who love the big bulky two handed claymore style swords- These are pretty, they look macho, and honestly- Who doesn't love Cloud's Buster Sword?? -However, I may need to point out that I was once eaten by zombies because my sword was 1. Too big for me, 2. Too heavy and 3. Not fast enough.
I don't care how fast you can bring it down: if it takes more that 0.25 seconds to get it into another swing- it's too slow. If you want to stake your life on being able to do that with a sword that is simply too big for you it's your business and I'll be seeing you soon, -probably in my rifle's scope.
If you have the option of swords- Go for a Rapier. They're springy and enable very quick motion, mainly stabbing, but they also have significant slashing power behind them. They're one handed, so they can be dual wielded.
Also- even if you can dual wield, know your limitations. I don't carry both swords all the time, and this is why; I have a bad habit of being on sentry duty and being ambushed by zombies [A-Neg blood type = delicious for zombies- they like O-Neg too] -Because of this I've realized that I have limitations. I'm not as crazy as Havoc or Hammer, but the whole 'if you need to switch from Range to Melee in a pinch- Drop the gun' methodology just won't fly. I like my S&W too much- and havoc would probably feed me to my zombie self if I didn't bring the gun back. I won't just drop the firearm to pull the cold steal. I generally end up holstering the gun with my left hand and pulling the sword with the right. Over all, this is a good plan. There's very little tim that you're vulnerable between putting away and drawing. However- Because of this, I've been in several fights that I never even got around to pulling Aletheia out- it was only dead weight, that ended up slowing me down.
Therefore; If I'm not on sentry in an orange or red zone I'll generally just pack some heat and the smaller cold steal. Aletheia is prettier perhaps, and bigger, but I know my limitations. Kilgorn is smaller, lighter, faster- perfect for me.
Now, Back to Havoc.
Havoc's custom weapons
1: The Pig, Blade and bludgeon.(sounds like a pub...)
The Pig is a brick of sharpened steel, at 1/4th inch thick 11 inches long and 3 pounds of indestructible death. the pig is nearly perfect for dismembering Zekes and stoveing in skulls,
hand crafted in the forges of khazad-dum by the dwarven steel masters. [read: crudely carved out of a leaf spring with an angle grinder by yours truly.] it can punch through steel doors and pry off pad locks nearly as well as the Demo bar.
2: 'the Punisher'
simple, crude, handy, effective.
the Punisher is just 18-24 inches of 5/8th inch re-bar with parachute cord wrapped around the base to make a grip.
quick enough in the hand to take on a runner, hefty enough to put down a shambler. like a nightstick on steroids, it busts skulls like teeth bust grapes, easily turning the turned into the dead.
1: The Crowbar.
No, not the flat, short stubby piece of bendy barstock- that's a prybar. a crowbar is between 2 and 5 feet long, made of round or hexagonal tempered steel, and weighs about 8-12 pounds.Wielded like a sledge-hammer, using quick over head blows.
devastatingly effective against smaller groups of shamblers.
not all that effective against runners, as they understand that their head is their weak point.
2: The Axe.
the axe displayed here, while not the ideal axe. will do in a pinch, If you can- hunt down an axe with a solid, heavy glass reenforced polymer haft, usually the haft will be florescent yellow. the full poly haft allows you to use the haft as a quicker bludgeon then if you were using the blade. if your saying "What is he talking about"well, if you have an axe, go get it, and hold it just above the head, blade out in-front of your knuckles- and swing it like a sword. see how fluid it moves and how the head counterweights the haft? now get a few water melons and bust them with the haft as fast as you can. now try that with the blade. see? Yes, busting the skull is easier with the blade, so use that against small groups of shamblers. but, if in a pinch- say fighting a runner- switch to the haft and beat the ever living snot out of 'em!
3: the shovel.
One of the most used anti-zeke weapon.and also- the most impractical.
Blasphemy says you? well- chew on this since you're gonna be a zeke soon.
almost all shovels are is a thin piece of sheet steel wrapped around a wooden handle, why did I specify almost all shovels? well, I know A guy, who knows a guy, who is related to a guy who hand crafts the most wicked awesome combat spades on the face of this Zeke infested planet. 'course those are technically shaolin combat spades.
Bludgeons:
1: The Shillelagh.
basically any hardwood stick as thick as a grown mans wrist, and as one one-half arms length.best used against small groups of shamblers while listening to celtic rock like flatfoot56.
Bring out your inner Celt and bust some 'heads!
2: Hammers.
the usefulness of a hammer against Zekes are usually governed by weight, handle length, and handle material.while most folks don't own a 3 pound 30 inch handle war hammer, or a comically over sized mallet. but most will own a claw hammer or a sledge. for lunatic blacksmiths such as me, we have massive collections of sledge hammers, ball peen, cross peen, and lumps of steel put on blocks of wood that we call hammers.
your average 12-16 oz. claw hammer won't cut the mustard.
where as the 4 pound 20 inch handle cross peen I forge with is a bit much for most. I find a good, long handled Stanly, estwing, cobalt or other big name tooling co. (hickory or steel haft) 24-32 oz. framing hammer with waffle patten face and a modified pulling claw (welded together and ground to a point.) excels at head bustin.
3: Demo bars
the lovechild of a war-club, crowbar, and framing hammer.some think that it was given to mankind by saint Eloi, the patron saint of metalworkers, Others that it was a gift from sammael, the arch-angel of destruction.
but what ever first thought of it, or what gave it to us- this thing freaking LOVES Zeke slaying and door busting. standard issue to all acquisition teams and recon squads, and Havoc approved weaponry.
Avalon's Swords:
Guess what? GUEST WRITER! Here's Avalon to tell us about swords VS Zekes.
Only one shot of these, because the light was fading, and Havoc was trying to steal my weaponry.
Generally speaking, we at point B prefer to use ranged techniques to keep Zombies far away from our bunker, but sometimes there's not much you can do and you must engage in hand to hand or melee combat. when this happens I'm generally one to carry steal [though a shillelagh is always nice].
I prefer two swords when standing against 'Zekes' or 'Zeds' or Zombies, mainly because I like the concept of attacking with one and defending with the other. I generally use the shorter to block with, and the longer to reach with, unless a zombie gets inside my guard.
The two swords shown in the picture are my fighting blades- The smaller is Kilgorn, 'The Sword of Darkness' by Kit Rae, the larger is 'Aletheia', which was designed after the sword of King Alphonso the X of Spain. Both are one handed weapons. I know a lot of guys who love the big bulky two handed claymore style swords- These are pretty, they look macho, and honestly- Who doesn't love Cloud's Buster Sword?? -However, I may need to point out that I was once eaten by zombies because my sword was 1. Too big for me, 2. Too heavy and 3. Not fast enough.
I don't care how fast you can bring it down: if it takes more that 0.25 seconds to get it into another swing- it's too slow. If you want to stake your life on being able to do that with a sword that is simply too big for you it's your business and I'll be seeing you soon, -probably in my rifle's scope.
If you have the option of swords- Go for a Rapier. They're springy and enable very quick motion, mainly stabbing, but they also have significant slashing power behind them. They're one handed, so they can be dual wielded.
 |
| Havoc Dual wielding Kilgorn and Aletheia |
Therefore; If I'm not on sentry in an orange or red zone I'll generally just pack some heat and the smaller cold steal. Aletheia is prettier perhaps, and bigger, but I know my limitations. Kilgorn is smaller, lighter, faster- perfect for me.
Now, Back to Havoc.
Havoc's custom weapons
1: The Pig, Blade and bludgeon.(sounds like a pub...)
The Pig is a brick of sharpened steel, at 1/4th inch thick 11 inches long and 3 pounds of indestructible death. the pig is nearly perfect for dismembering Zekes and stoveing in skulls,hand crafted in the forges of khazad-dum by the dwarven steel masters. [read: crudely carved out of a leaf spring with an angle grinder by yours truly.] it can punch through steel doors and pry off pad locks nearly as well as the Demo bar.
2: 'the Punisher'
simple, crude, handy, effective.the Punisher is just 18-24 inches of 5/8th inch re-bar with parachute cord wrapped around the base to make a grip.
quick enough in the hand to take on a runner, hefty enough to put down a shambler. like a nightstick on steroids, it busts skulls like teeth bust grapes, easily turning the turned into the dead.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
the virus, runners, and shamblers.
Evening everyone, Havoc here - just writing this due to boredom (they're making me pull sentry duty in a green zone). Anyways, in the tense of 'know thine enemy,' I have become an expert on Zeke biology, so - to spread my knowledge - I'm writing a brief guide to zombies.
First- the Virus:
No, its not solanum. Solanum is a genus of plant life that includes tomatoes and eggplants.
in fact, Zombism is not even a real virus - at least not at first... and 'zombies' aren't really dead. You say, "Wait WHAT? not the living dead?" No, not the living dead. Not human anymore either.
Our biologists have examined the parasite that causes Zombism, and found that it includes DNA and long strand RNA from Leucochloridium paradoxum, a parasite that causes snails and slugs to leave the safety of home and get their eyes eaten by birds.
Spinochordodes Tellinii, a parasite that causes grasshoppers and crickets to go commit suicide into lakes.
Toxoplasma Gondii a protozoic parasite found in cats, mice and, occasionally, humans.
Piggybacked on this parisitic cocktail are the viruses necrotizing fasciitis, the flesh-eating disease; Hydrophobia, or rabies; and parts of the Ebola virus.
From what we can tell, the Ebola is a dormant strain used simply for its resistance to modern medicine.
And all this is grafted on to a cleaned set of human RNA.
now then, on to the different types of zombies-
first, note that there is only one strain of the zombie virus, which is Toxoplasim sanguis paradoxum. Runners are simply people who are immune to parts of the virus, usually an immunity to necrotizing fasciitis along with a thickened brain-blood barrier do the trick, this means that runners keep most of their facultys, EG: fine motor skills, hearing, sight, smell, tactical thought, Ect. it also means that they can be cured, as the parts of the virus that damage the brain can't get to it. like say for instance, Avalon was a runner, and she's human now, (exams of her blood show traces of antigens, hammerhead ribozyme, and ambidextrous amino acids.)
where as shamblers are completely infected, they can move fast, but they stumble, they have spotty vision, and no sense of smell. along with poor motor skills and no coordination, most people could easily out strip even the most athletic zeke. unlike runners, theres no point in trying to cure complete infection. as all that would come out of it would be a coma bound Vegetable.
First- the Virus:
No, its not solanum. Solanum is a genus of plant life that includes tomatoes and eggplants.
in fact, Zombism is not even a real virus - at least not at first... and 'zombies' aren't really dead. You say, "Wait WHAT? not the living dead?" No, not the living dead. Not human anymore either.
Our biologists have examined the parasite that causes Zombism, and found that it includes DNA and long strand RNA from Leucochloridium paradoxum, a parasite that causes snails and slugs to leave the safety of home and get their eyes eaten by birds.
Spinochordodes Tellinii, a parasite that causes grasshoppers and crickets to go commit suicide into lakes.
Toxoplasma Gondii a protozoic parasite found in cats, mice and, occasionally, humans.
Piggybacked on this parisitic cocktail are the viruses necrotizing fasciitis, the flesh-eating disease; Hydrophobia, or rabies; and parts of the Ebola virus.
From what we can tell, the Ebola is a dormant strain used simply for its resistance to modern medicine.
And all this is grafted on to a cleaned set of human RNA.
now then, on to the different types of zombies-
first, note that there is only one strain of the zombie virus, which is Toxoplasim sanguis paradoxum. Runners are simply people who are immune to parts of the virus, usually an immunity to necrotizing fasciitis along with a thickened brain-blood barrier do the trick, this means that runners keep most of their facultys, EG: fine motor skills, hearing, sight, smell, tactical thought, Ect. it also means that they can be cured, as the parts of the virus that damage the brain can't get to it. like say for instance, Avalon was a runner, and she's human now, (exams of her blood show traces of antigens, hammerhead ribozyme, and ambidextrous amino acids.)
where as shamblers are completely infected, they can move fast, but they stumble, they have spotty vision, and no sense of smell. along with poor motor skills and no coordination, most people could easily out strip even the most athletic zeke. unlike runners, theres no point in trying to cure complete infection. as all that would come out of it would be a coma bound Vegetable.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Weaponry: when you don't have options
Hey Thespis here to give you a crash course at weapons improv. In order to master the art of improv you need to be fast on your feet and be able to keep your wits about you. If you're being chased by a hoard of Zombies the last thing you want to do is panic and “choke” your brain. If you do you will lose your brain.... permanently. Some basic rules of weaponry improv are:
Use your environment to your advantage, turn your surroundings against your opponents.
When in doubt, turn about, and run !
Anything has the potential to be a weapon if you can chuck it, swing it, shoot it or if you think you can do any of these things.
Always leave the base with some weapons to reduce the amount of improv needed in an attack situation
Using your environment to your advantage
Zombies are not very agile or good on their feet, so try to knock stuff behind you and make a big mess for them to trip behind you ! Note throwing stuff in front of you is not recommended because you might trip. If you have trees or a wooded area run in there and try to lose them in the trees, tree branches also make great zombie whackers.Note roots may also cause zombies or yourself to trip so mind your feet. Have you heard the saying head for the hills ? Zombies are not fast runners when it comes to inclines also their knees don't work so well and they tend to have accidents while running down hill.
RUN !
Never ever stop if you have multiple zombies after you or if you have no weapons or a low supply of them. Keep moving until you lose them, they are all dead, or you find some back up.
Anything has the potential to be a weapon !
I was running from a hoard of zombies once and found myself at a junk yard at the top of a hill. The zombies were having a hard time making the incline so it gave me a second to think. I grabbed a big tire (I guess it was tractor tire. ) and a long metal pole. I rolled the tire near the edge of the hill,aimed right for the zombies, sat inside the tire, held the metal pole across my lap so about 4 to 5 foot of pole was sticking out either side of the tire, and I rolled down hill making a nice clean cut slicing the zombies legs right off. After a moment or two of disorientation I was able to see what I had done and run away before they could recover.
Never leave base without a weapon of some kind.
I know for a fact that during some reconnaissance missions and the like you can't go around with a rapier (My preferred sword.) sheathed at your hip, but at least have a hand gun or something concealable on your persons. Having a weapon on you keeps you so much safer and prepared than not having one at all. A nice long balanced stick makes a great quarterstaff that can at least offer you some protection while helping keep your distance. Lets face it not everyone is able to improv real well (its a sad fact of life and I pity them) so please people carry a weapon so your friends and team members won't have to write a nice tasteful eulogy about your unfortunate and untimely death.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Reporting from Bunker 257
Down here at Bunker 257 (Sanford area - not giving specifics) we have been preparing for a summer of espionage and observation. I will be functioning as an undercover operative and confirm passive cases of the zombie virus by careful monitoring of fine motor skills. These skills will be tested with instruction in art and woodcarving, both of which require minute movements used to make a larger project. Those who carry the zombie virus will be unable to use smaller movements and will instead use larger, sweeping ones to compensate. Upon identification of a carrier, I will notify the main base, which will respond to the threat according to its severity. The first group will be arriving Sunday afternoon.
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