Zombie Cliche Lookout: Choosing Teams
When it comes to getting things done, even during the zombie apocalypse, it often makes more sense to divide and conquer. Not only can you put people on jobs that that are more qualified for, but you can theoretically get more done in a shorter period of time. There are two downsides. First and most obviously, you lose numerical advantage against the zombies, should they show up. Second, some people aren’t really qualified for much of anything, but you still need to find things for them to do. No matter how you do it, odds are this is going to cause some dissension in the group. If you keep giving them boring or crappy work, they’ll resent you. And if you team them up with more capable people, those people might come to dislike you, never mind the increased chance for infighting.
When the zombies come, hopefully they eat all the useless people first.
About this Episode:
I really like doing over-the-shoulder shots when two characters are talking or arguing with each other. I find it effective because it allows the characters to maintain eye contact, as well as keeping both of them in the shot.
Discussion Question: Picking Your Away Team
Imagine that you have managed to build up a decent sized group of survivors (although you don’t feel like you can count on all of them), and have even found a halfway decent place to hole up. Unfortunately, one of your group has come down with some nasty bug, and you need to run into town to find some antibiotics (let’s pretend as group of heavily armed bikers took you unawares and absconded with your medical supplies). There isn’t room for everyone, and you want to keep a few people behind anyway to make sure camp is safe. So what do you do with the couple of people you don’t really trust? Take them with you so you can keep an eye on them, or leave them in camp where they’re less likely to cause problems?
You would know what would be fun, just for the coolness factor, probably if Dave brings back the bonus comics? A zombie biker with attitude who actually seems to know enough about motorbikes to ride one!
I did really enjoy the bonus comics. It was a fun little side-line.
I would bring Data, Geordi and Crusher for supply runs and leave Worf, Picard and Riker behind…
What? Not that kind of away team? Oh, sorry, I got confused.
If I were in charge of the group, I’d figure out which of the less trustworthy people work best together – and keep them separate as much as possible. No need to tempt fate by allowing them to conspire behind my back.
That said, I’d take some with me and leave the rest behind with several people I know I could trust to keep an eye on them, because let’s face it, they can still screw me over if I leave them at camp.
Sounds like you’re going to have a hell of a group of untrustworthy folk.
As long as that away team doesn’t wear any red shirts
Stew’s jacket is red, so he should be happy to be left behind.
In my limited experience, any group is going to have noncombatants. We have one grandma in our group that we have been training to run the operations center, especially radios, logs, and to coordinate teams out and about. In a situation with little Stewie, above, I would leave him with her and the other noncombatants, and have them put him on a very short leash. Better yet, give him some chores to do while the teams are out, like scrubbing the floor with a toothbrush, or peeling potatoes, something that would take a long time.
After that, you have to decide who to put on the team. You never want to put all of your eggs in one basket. Find a competent team leader and educate him about what you want. Don’t send your best medical people into harm’s way unnecessarily. Inform the team about what you need. Give them pictures of labels or old bottles, if possible. Many medications have similar names, similar enough that they can confuse even medical professionals without the stress of the end of the world.
Send your gopher out with a good security team, at least two shooters, a radio man, and two good cars, maybe your best cars.
Took the words right out of my fingers. This was what I was going to put but with a lot less detail. I do of course need to learn team leadership first myself.
Yes indeed. Well said, Bo.
I’d be saying, “way to try to impress a girl punk.” T-thats not how you impress a girl.
How do you impress a girl?
I suppose that would depend on how “unreliable” someone was. If they couldn’t be trusted with the stuff left behind, I’d take them with me. If they weren’t a good… fighter or spotter, they’d stay behind.
And yes, little stewie there, being the punk, smart ass teen of the group, I’d leave behind. If he isn’t learning to control and not run off his mouth to not hurt the group, he’s staying behind. Give him chores to do.
With it being the benefit of the doubt, the zombie apocalypse, Stewie there -should- shape up and learn fast. He’s not going to have what ever soft, entitled lifestyle he had before where everyone else seems to be adult enough to know the hardknocks of life.
“With it being the benefit of the doubt, the zombie apocalypse, Stewie there -should- shape up and learn fast. He’s not going to have what ever soft, entitled lifestyle he had before where everyone else seems to be adult enough to know the hardknocks of life.”
Well said, Fox.
“You’re going to stay here.”
hahahahahahaha!! The best way to deal with a pain in the butt kid is to just shut the operation down. lol
Hah, I try.
The group I don’t trust are moving out to get the antibiotics, they’ll be joined by some I do trust. That’ll be a test of trustworthinesses too. Meanwhile I stay in camp and try to fabricate a backup-plan to get the AB
I know that isn’t very easy to get them to do… but That’s what I’ll try.
Nothing ventured nothing gained.
Interesting how the police officer seems to retain some authority in this situation. Theoretically, once society has broken down and he no longer represents civil authority he becomes just another survivor. He might have a little more experience with firearms or be better at keeping his head in a bad situation, but overall hes nobody special. Do Cheryl and the other members of the group assume that society is still functional at some level and therefore they feel that they have to “respect his authoritay”, are they just conditioned to listen to the man in uniform, or is it his natural leadership? Will he retain this respect once it becomes clear that society is gone and that he no longer represents the law? Also I cant help but notice both the similarity and the contrasts from Rick Grimes. Both are law enforcement, but grimes has never worn a uniform post-apocalypse. Are these subtly crafted nuances of your writing, Doug, or is a cigar just a cigar?
Are you talking about Grimes in the TV series or the comic book? Because in the TV series he wears his uniform for all of season one, plus some.
I think what you see here in this comic is Murphy probably has experience in FUBAR situations, and being a cop has a good head for logistics, co-ordination etc, so the others naturally default to him. Also… the general public are pretty used to having cops on call to help out when things go wrong in day to day life… so I don’t think it is a unusual thing that general public would defer to cops in apoc scenarios. COuld throw fire, ambulance, and other services into this mix.
In saying that…. better make sure he/she is a decent cop and not some doughnut eating desk jockey that is only there for dodgy reasons
opps, my mistake on season one.
“… are they just conditioned to listen to the man in uniform, or is it his natural leadership? Will he retain this respect once it becomes clear that society is gone and that he no longer represents the law?”
Very interesting that you bring up these questions, Damage. I am indeed planning to address them very soon. Very soon indeed.
Hope it doesn’t end up as a clone of TWD. I hadn’t made the comparison until just now (both characters ex-law, both characters thrust into leadership, both characters crack up?).
I hope you take Murph down a completely different path. Maybe if he cracks up like Grimes these folks will have the good sense not to keep following him.
Don’t worry, BotD isn’t going along the same paths as TWD. While Murphy and Rick both have similar backgrounds, and are thrust into leadership roles because of it, they are quite different characters.
Yeah, Murph still has two hands, and doesn’t talk to people that aren’t there…
Two important differences!
I don’t really see Murph being much like Grimes; and I hadn’t noticed it until Damage made the comparison. I think Murph is less in denial than Grimes was. He’s facing the facts of the situation much earlier. I don’t know if that’s the pace of the story, or the nature of the character; but I am glad of it. Let someone else border on histrionics with their denial. It seems like everyone in this crew has their heads and butts wired together in that respect: “OK, we’re surrounded by the walking dead. Now what are we going to do about it?”
We know that in a WCS everyone is on their own. It doesn’t matter if it’s hurricane Katrina, an earthquake, or the collapse of the dollar. You’re on your own. That was a major source of tension at the beginning of TWD. Should the survivors wait for Uncle Sugar to rescue them, or take control of their own destiny? Such as it is here in the real world. Tens of thousands of people in New Orleans hesitated, vacillated, and waffled until it was too late to do anything but wait for an MRE and a FEMA trailer.
Remember that American Idol guy, Taylor Hicks? When he learned that Katrina was coming, he took the cash he’d made singing the night before, hired a taxi cab, and had the driver take him north, out of the storm path. That is the kind of thinking that gets folks through trying situations; and that’s what I think I’d expect with Murphy over Grimes. Not that they’re not both everymen. I think they are. I just think that Murph has a better sense that the cavalry is not coming. Now whether he would jettison this lot of doughy losers to save his own skin, well, that’s why I keep reading.
The one I didnt mention was Kenneth Hall (Ving Rhames) in the 2004 “Dawn of the Dead” Yet another cop in the survivor group, although he doesnt really become the sole leader he is definitely on of the three that seem to end up in charge.
In response to the discussion point.
Depends on a lot of factors. Bo has covered a bunch off very very well.
Would also depend on why I don’t trust them?
If it is because they are brand new into the group, then a conversation with them to find out their skills, motivation, headspace etc might help work out if they stay or go.
However, if you dont trust them because they have done something untrustworthy or are showing cracks under pressure. Then it is balancing the pros and cons, and hoping your luck holds and everyone gets through it.
For example…. got that expert marksman in your group who is cracking under the pressure of the undead? Well, you could send them with the group, they might crack and and go down in a blaze of glory, endangering the rest of the away team, or they might be able to blow off steam by taking out some zeds and fix the cracks
Leave them behind looking over the camp ready to take out threats as needed you say? What if they go postal and you come back to find everyone dead at their hand? (including them) In saying that they might be fine and the time “off” killing zeds fixes that crack.
So yeah, getting as much information as you can, weighing up the risks and benefits, and in extreme scenarios (as above) hope that the better situation arises
Interesting scenario. I have to admit, psychology is not my strength.
Really well thought out here, Mad.. It’s not a question with a real answer to it.
I think the answer is “Trust everyone; but brand your cattle.”
At my first job, the owner had that on a plaque above the cash register. I’ve always thought that was cool.
Dave I signed up for LEGO.com and I cant find the checkout button can you help me?
Dave doesn’t run the LEGO website, he runs the bricksofthedead website. If you are experiencing checkout errors your best bet would be to check the LEGO website for FAQ’s they might have which might have an answer to your problem. Good luck, but please, try checking the site you’re using for problems like these!
Yeah, I can’t offer much help with LEGO.com’s site, sorry.
Yeah, Dave doesn’t run TLG’s website. He just gets kickbacks for empowering our addiction. I’ve bought at least two sets after reading about them here, plus extras from Brick Forge, Brick Warriors, and G.I. Brick.
Yay for kickbacks!
Thx for helping me though Dave
Are you being sarcastic here?
“Let’s pretend as group of heavily armed bikers took you unawares and absconded with your medical supplies” Well that doesn’t sound like The Colony…
Hopefully the people in BotD are a bit smarter than the folks on The Colony.
I would leave them, I’d probably trust them.
Hah, fair enough.