Zombie Cliché Lookout: Zombie Bait
Every now and then, the protagonists are going to need to distract the zombies somehow, and sometimes that means using zombie bait. Thankfully, there are a lot of alternatives that don’t involve sending one of your group to their likely demise. In Land of the Dead, an otherwise unremarkable film, they used fireworks to draw the zeds’ attention while they pillage nearby towns. In the original Dawn of the Dead, they simply made a bunch of noise to draw the zombies upstairs, and then quietly exited downstairs. A little quick thinking can really help to cut down on the risk.
Of course, sometimes all the fireworks and loud noises in the world won’t cut it. During those times you’ll need to resort to some sort of bait, be it human or otherwise. While some poor sucker (or a dog, or whatever) is dangling away, drawing in the horde, the rest of the group can quietly sneak out the back. It works out great for the survivor, but the guy stuck being the bait usually doesn’t pull through.
Discussion Question: What’s your Zombie Bait?
You need to get out of here, and quick. The only problem is that the zombies have you surrounded. What do you do to draw their attention away while you make your very courageous retreat? Sacrifice a member of your group? Dazzle them with pretty lights and noises? What is your zombie bait?
Other News:
In case you missed it, Yatkuu’s incredible recreation of Shaun of the Dead‘s Winchester Tavern is picking up a lot of steam online. It’s been veiwed over 11,000 times, tweeted by Simon Pegg, and even blogged about by Edgar Wright (director of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz).
The model is also on LEGO®’s Cuusoo site, which allows users to vote for sets that they would like to see LEGO® produce. If it gets 10,000 votes, LEGO® will review it and consider producing the set. Registration is required to vote, but it’s quick and easy, so what’s stopping you? Support the model here!
Zombie bait? Distractions are all good and what have you.. But I believe in stealth over all things to be honest. I also believe there is more of a chance to get in deep shit if you use a member of your party to escape as well… Then you have to go back for them.. And that poses the double threat. Then you have the point of setting up the distraction. Which at some point it has to be in the path of attraction of some sort of zombie horde. So really the only and most knowledgeable way to go? Stealth.. All the way.
Here’s a problem I can see with your stealth: If zombies can hear, see, and smell people they probably won’t care how stealthy someone is, they’ll simply wait until the stealther makes a mistake that puts the stealther where they can attack and jump him. All the stealth they’ve learned is useless if just one mistake is made.
Stealth might help to get out of a tight situation, but unless whoever is stealthing is immune to zombie bites, they’re zombie prey if they make a mistake. Of course, if they can keep out of range they don’t even need stealth, however, most zombie encounters would happen where the zombies have a clear path to their target.
You’re assuming that anyone that uses the art of sneaking is going to be ultimately clutsy?
You’re talking about someone with skills trying to avoid an undead enemy who probably doesn’t even care how stealthy they are. Unless zombies have a specific inability to see stealthers, even they are ultimately zombie prey.
The good thing about stealth is that it doesn’t matter how much the person/ thing your sneaking by cares about it.. Because you aren’t even suppose to exist in their existence if you do it right.
Hypothetically speaking, let’s say you have a room which is just high enough for a zombie and a stealther to wander around in, and it is also totally dark with no lighting. How long would you expect the stealther to stay alive in that room? Sooner or later the zombie will bump into the stealther, then the stealther is zombie prey and therefore quite likely to either get bitten or die.
The stealther can’t survive forever, sooner or later they’ll slip up and that slip up will cost them, this is because no person is perfect no matter how well trained they are. This is also why a zombie that’s roaming around needs to be taken out sooner rather than later. The stealther should also be well-trained in weapons and what is fatal to a zombie, whether it be a head trauma or blow to whatever part of the body, as that’s the only way they’ll come out of that room alive and not bitten.
I’m not saying avoid any confrontation what so ever… It’s all about how well you do it, and at the speed in which you do it. Going into a dark room with no source of seeing in any situation is just silly anyways. Clearly me and you are thinking of totally different people, because the people I envisioning surviving aren’t going to be clumsy foals.
well if they are survivors, than they will probably be stealthy enough to escape a or a group of zombies. But escaping a horde is mission impossible with civilians instead of super cool spies.
If i see this is the situation, i pull out: fireworks,poppers,etc. with a lighter,box of matches flint&steel,etc. or I throw things and run. if i can fight or sneak away, I will. but a horde (30+ in case you were wondering)
Perhaps “Avoidance” would be a better term than stealth in this case? You’d still need to be sneaky-sneaky, but the goal is to completely avoid the zeds by whatever means.
I’m not sure what BrickVoid is on about here, but stealth is used constantly in everyday life and in zombie media. Most zombies do not have magic sensors that allow them to know where you are at all times. They have to rely on their eyes, ears, and sometimes nose, and stealth works fine for that.
Given the choice between charging into town trying to blast three hundred zombies with only forty rounds of ammo and a baseball bat isn’t something I’d want to do. Now, sneak in there and make off with whatever I need with only a few zombies quietly clubbed over the head? Yeah, I may go for something like that.
So yes, I’m an advocate of stealth. Having to ability to really rock some faces off if things hit the fan is also important, but no sense in taking unnecessary risks and fighting uncertain battles.
Basically, what I’m saying is that it is not all or nothing here. One can know how to fight and kill zombies as well as try to sneak around them. You don’t have to choose force or stealth, you can do both, as seen in any real-life situation or in zombie movies.
Yes, I’m aware the beginning of my second paragraph makes not sense well. Started writing it one way and then changed my mind.
“Don’t call me bro, buddy!”
Sorry, force of habit.
I suppose the toughest part of an argument with this kind of group would be that they’d prepared for some sort of survival and their planning has paid off. The tendency to overestimate the likelihood of your foresight continuing must be potent, and that tendency to underestimate those whose plans experience a hitch or two would likely be a close companion of the previous one. My favorite military maxim is Napoleon’s; essentially, too many of his enemies tended to show up with a battle “painted” in their mind’s eye instead of showing up and reacting. Just saying, a lot of these Hazmat guys have already planned the parade route, methinks.
Hell of an insightful comment, Lich!
I think you’re absolutely right. Being wrong a time or two is the mortgage we have to pay to grow.
Napoleon… Napoleon…
…He was the guy who won at Waterloo, right?
Kidding aside, I respect Napoleon as a great general, but being flexible vs. inflexible in your planning is a long way away from deliberately not planning at all, which seems to be what you’re advocating.
It’s okay if I throw my X at them?
Who’s going to stop you?
Probably no one. Assuming he hadn’t already been bitten or turned by the horde already.
Thanks Dave for the post on my “Win”. None of this would have been possible if it wasn’t for your support as well as the support and enthusiasm from the BotD community. Thank you guys, you are awesome!
Glad I could support such an awesome build. Of course, most of your stuff is pretty awesome. I think your take on The Road is my all time favorite.
Just logged into LEGO CUUSOO and added my support.
To have it made into a set would lose it’s originality but what higher accolade for your building prowess.
one slice of fried gold I’d be happy to purchase! Good luck to you.
Reminds me of Red Dead Redemption (the Undead Nightmare version) where you get this Zombie bait item. It’s a sort of flask that holds a substance meant to attract Zombies.. at some point you get to combine the thing with Dynamite so the Zombies get attracted and then blown up.
I think it’s a sweet concept – although we know that explosives are not the best weapon to face the undeads – the bait part is clever.
The bait was really clever, and I loved how it was introduced in the story.
God I loves me some RDR.
oh yeah.. wasn’t the thing supposed to repel the zeds.. and it ended up doing the exact opposite?
Yessir!
Yeah. The guy just walked out wearing it. D:
I see a blow to the head coming very soon.
Perhaps even Monday…
Yatkuu: that build is awesome!!!
Thank you Angelina… seriously, my mind is racing with this thing. Imagine for one second that this project becomes real and Lego produces the Winchester. Dave could then include it in the comic…
I’d love to include something like that in the strip. Why don’t you box that thing up and send it my way 🙂
Well… don’t tell anyone but I already took it down… (just before this whole thing blew up) What can I say, it was in the way and I needed the pieces!!
Another great reason to support the project because I’m not sure I could build that again!
Hah!
I’m always amazed when people can build such awesome, detailed stuff like this, and then break it right down.
It’s not really like I wanted to… mostly a space problem. I wish… one day I’ll have a Lego room..
I am working on that….and yeah space is a premium. Its why I am mainly going with stackable containers for my stuff.
Next Time: RDR Undead Nightmare Lego 😀
explosives are awesome zed killers if you don’t blow yourself up.
oh. i see why they suck.
Well, to answer the question posed requires specific knowledge on what the situation is, what resources one has at hand, how many zeds, where they are, where you are, etc, etc. Obviously spending time making a distraction out of limited materials and in confined conditions probably isn’t worth it or will get you killed. If we can just make stuff up, then I should very much like to “dazzle them with pretty lights and noises”, say, from hand grenades.
Imagine it to be wherever you plan to lay lot when the zombies arrive, and assume your supplies are extremely limited.
My bait is the screams of betrayal from a member of my group who has become a liability.
You psychopath!
you misspelled “survivor”
At least ZM pays good for target elimination.
I always thought loud noises like fireworks would distract zombies. I have a few in my emergency bag along with smoke bombs to signal people, an extra pistol and ammo.
he looks a little more sweaty in this strip than the last one.
PRESSURE!
where did dave get the police baton? ive been dying to get one
The batons are from BrickForge.
If I was surrounded and needed to sacrifice someone to get away? Probably the guy whose fault it is that we’re surrounded.
Seriously though, I can’t see sacrificing people being a good choice in the long run. I’d also move cautiously to avoid getting surrounded in the first place. I’m very much a “fortify” kind of guy, followed by a “clear out the area around your base” guy.