Zombie Cliche Lookout: But Always, Zombies
Interpersonal conflicts never stop, even in the zombie apocalypse. There are always going to be people you struggle to get along with, no matter what sort of outside pressures everyone is facing. So too will there always be other things to worry about. Even outside a crisis there are a thousand different things you need to keep track of to ensure that things go well and you make ends meet every day. It’s very easy to get wrapped up in those things. While some of them are important, many are low priority items that just happen to worm their way into the front of your consciousness.
And in a zombie outbreak, or any other major disaster, they can be deadly. Sure, the fight you just got in with the jerk you got stuck with matters a lot to both of you, but while you were busy thinking about what an ass they were, you weren’t paying attention to what was going on around you. Zombies or hostile survivors don’t take a break just because you’re having a rough day and can’t focus, and that seems to be when they like to strike the most.
About this Episode:
Looks like I had some white balancing problems on this episode. I tried to fix it up in post, but that’s something I’m just really bad at. I usually keep things very consistent from episode to episode, but this time around that wasn’t the case. I had to break down my shooting area because my wife needed the table for a garage sale. Then I took my camera up north for the weekend to shoot some video. It looks like now I need to spend some time getting my lighting and camera settings optimized again.
Discussion Question: Keeping Watch
When you’re in a small group – let’s say six or fewer individuals – how would you prioritize keeping watch. Let’s assume here that you don’t have the luxury of a fully-stocked survival bunker, and that there are lots of things that need to be done, so you can’t easily spare anyone to just stand around, looking for trouble. How do you allocate your limited resources to get the things done that need to get done without a surprise zombie attack?
Typo alert: “what an as they were”. Hrm. 😀
Also: “So too will that always be other things to worry about.” that–>there.
Fixed both; thanks.
Don’t forget to go back to Episode 513’s and fix both of those too! 😀
Oh yeah; I’ll do that tonight.
With six individuals, I suggest having three people keeping a lookout for any zombies or bandits while the other three people take stock of inventory on supplies, fortify the house with barricades, etc. After an hour or so, the two groups exchange roles, thus allowing for them to be reasonably well rested. The main issue would be trying to keep watch at nighttime; by then people would be trying to catch some shut eye regardless if they took any naps prior during the daytime. In this situation, using six people again, I’d resort to having three groups of two keeping watch, rotating every hour and a half. In case the night watch falls asleep, we’ll probably set up a rudimentary alarm system by stringing up the perimeter with chains, bells, empty cans, and any item that makes noise. While the noise might attract more attention than you want, it’d probably be better to notice your intruder sooner than doing so when he’s inside your shelter.
Wow, very well thought out, Sang!
yea…that is really impressive.
Break the group down to sets of two. Two for inventory and salvage. Two for Protection and two more for assessing and gather information. Of course that would vary on the situation but I’d try to keep the thinking group down because the mob factor.
The mob factor is a big, big concern.
Everyone has far more complicated schemes than I…. I would have just suggested pairs for daytime work and pairs for night (so you would get 1/2 night of sleep every 3 days).
Complicated doesn’t necessarily mean better. People deal with simpler plans a lot better than really involved ones.
While we have some good answers they really only apply if you are dealing with a group of equally skilled people. If you don’t have half of a Special Forces A Team but a group of your relatives and friends you can’t just have everyone doing watches.
Take the crew of the Serenity from Firefly for example. A good group of very skilled people. But do you really want Zoey and Walsh on watch? Sometimes you have to play to the group’s strengths and weaknesses and make allowances accordingly.
Zoey? Absolutely. Wash, not so much. You make a good point here; playing to people’s strengths and avoiding their weaknesses is a good thing to keep in mind.
its really awesome dave
how you do
that
how you do that