Fallout 3 . . . Duh
The usual rules that you can either reply in the comments or answer in a post that connects back to this. The topic stems from the book I’m writing now. I’m not going as dire and widespread desolation as Fallout or Mad Max, but I’ve learned that saying post-apocalyptic brings those to mind first. This means I have no idea what to label my book as since it’s a bit more ‘positive’ in terms of how far society fell.
Enough about me. What about you?
- If you survived the apocalypse, what would be your first priority?
- Would you be a loner or gather a group and why?
- If one object survived the initial chaos, what would you want it to be?
Legends of Windemere 
Let’s see. Clean water has to be #1. I’d either be a loner or with family. A shotgun and ammo is probably the most practical for me. I already know how to forage, make fire, and can cook on a rock or stick. Any rubble can be a shelter. I can sharpen almost any metal for a simple tool. The shotgun wins.
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You definitely would have a better chance of surviving than me. I’m too suburban and never joined the Boy Scouts to learn wilderness skills. Interesting choice of an object. I wasn’t thinking of practical stuff when I wrote the last question, so a shotgun didn’t cross my mind. One thing I always wondered about guns in these scenarios is what happens when they run out of ammo? That never seems to be a problem in fiction.
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That’s your second priority. Rummage through houses and stores for ammo. Then sharp weapons because ammo will eventually run out. I was never a Boy Scout either, just grew up this way.
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The fun of post-apocalyptic looting. A staple of video games every where. 🙂
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I’m with Cold Hand in this – as a retired Engineer (and an old fart who was taught practical skills because it was cheaper to do/fix stuff yourself than hire an ‘Expert’) I can turn my hand to almost anything, including hunting – identifying edible wild plants would be my biggest (and probably fatal) weakness 😀
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Get a group of people and always be the last one the try the berries?
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GOOD THINKING Charles – Great survival tactic 😀 😀 😀
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Here are my answers:
1. If you survived the apocalypse, what would be your first priority?
To make sure loved ones are safe and unhurt. Then I’d need to find a place of shelter with food and water a strong door that can’t be penetrated easily.
2. Would you be a loner or gather a group and why?
Safety in numbers, especially if the zombie apocalypse happened.
3. If one object survived the initial chaos, what would you want it to be?
My eye glasses. I need ‘em. That way, if I needed to find an ax or a machete for the zombies, I would be able to see it.
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Thank you. I was really wondering if somebody would go to the zombie apocalypse side of things. I was thinking more Mad Max or Fallout, but it seems zombie and post-apocalypse have become intertwined.
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I usually think of zombies roaming around. My niece and nephew and I used to have long conversations about what we would do in a zombie apocalypse. Yeah. We need to get out more.
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My friends and I had that chat in college after playing Resident Evil 2 for a while. I still think the zombie apocalypse would be short-lived since everyone seems to be ready for it.
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If you survived the apocalypse, what would be your first priority?
Most surely find a source of clean drinking water. I’d get myself out of the city, head for the mountains, and make my way close to a lake or river as soon as possible. Most likely somewhere in the North GA mountains or Carolina’s.
Would you be a loner or gather a group and why?
I’d be a loner or have close family, but most likely gravitate toward a group I felt I could trust. Not always, but at times. Easier to feed one or a few than many…too many opinions = chaos.
If one object survived the initial chaos, what would you want it to be?
Just one?
That’s a tough one. Certainly a gun with ammo would be useful, at least for a while. Beyond that, my cast iron skillet is indispensable in the kitchen and works great over an open fire. I can bake, boil, saute, and fry and gather things in that object. Then again, I think I could learn to live raw and survive.
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Doesn’t hurt to have the cast iron skillet for cooking and defense. Those things are heavy and tough. I like how you would be both a loner and occasionally join a group when the situation was right. Makes me wonder what happens to the previous groups.
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I think about how the settlers did it out west. Many were loners, but got together with others to barter and trade.
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Wonder if it would go back to that. Some days I think people will go more savage and act like there are no consequences for their actions.
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Charles, good luck on you new book. Think it’s time for a not so bloody, dire account of an apocalypse. Let’s all survive! Chryssa
1. If you survived the apocalypse, what would be your first priority?
Gather family and evacuation bags.
2. Would you be a loner or gather a group and why?
Group! Teamwork! Already have members picked out! All survival skills accounted for.
3. If one object survived the initial chaos, what would you want it to be?
Gun with bayonet. (machete or hunting knife close second).
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To be fair, it is kind of bloody. Just not ‘society is entirely gone and everyone is trying eat each other’. Enough time has passed so that various systems of government and survival have appeared, but people are still rather violent outside of the cities.
I’m seeing a lot of people choose a gun as their one item.
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1.If you survived the apocalypse, what would be your first priority? Finding a water supply
2. Would you be a loner or gather a group and why? I would rather be alone with my wife. Groups tend to eat up energy with indecision and usually people go along with consensus even if it kills them.
3.If one object survived the initial chaos, what would you want it to be? A nine-millimeter automatic rifle with fixed bayonet. I think it would come in handy maintaining my loner status.
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Good point on the groups. You also find that those who want the power will grab it and that tends to end poorly in these situations. The power and title become more important than the group’s survival.
You’re the second person to mention a bayonet. I still find it funny how everyone is going for a gun. No bikes, photo albums, sneakers, etc.
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I just would find it hard to defend my self with a bike. I figured the bayonet would make a good can opener.
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Put swords on the handlebars or a shotgun on the front? I think I’d just prefer not to walk everywhere. 🙂
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These are some of my favorite types of questions. Okay, I’ll play along! Here we go:
1. First priority after surviving the apocalypse will be to save and protect my family at all costs. This is a no-brainer for me.
2. I’d choose definitely to be a loner, simply because I can’t trust anyone else other than my family and me.
3. Lastly, my prized treasure is my bible. I still wouldn’t need the book since most of it is memorized, but It would be good to have as a point of comfort (hey, you asked!)
That’s my take.
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1. Makes complete sense.
2. I think being a ‘loner’ when you also have family is a smart move. One selfish person in the group and you put more than yourself at risk.
3. That is a very interesting choice. Is it the specific bible or any? I’m Jewish and not that religious, so not sure how that would go. I’d actually go for a photo album made after my son’s first year.
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Yeah, I would have gone with the photo album as well, but with 15,000 photos in my collection I would have a heck of a time carrying all that around.
And yep it would be the holy bible–the same book featured in The Book of Eli.
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I’d just grab the one album and try to remember the most. All of the pictures are on a hard drive, but that probably won’t be useful.
Book of Eli was a fun movie. Always surprised it didn’t get a lot of attention. At least around me.
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I’m going to incorporate my answers into my coffee post tomorrow because it’s a lot of fun and the thread here is terrific. Great questions 😀
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Very cool. Looking forward to it. Although I’m getting hints that my family plans to drag me out of the house all weekend. Apparently, ‘I need to promote a new book that is going LIVE Saturday morning’ isn’t a good excuse.
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Ah oh, sounds like you’re going to get ambushed! Have fun 😀
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Going to doubt that fun is in the cards. I want to get at least one of these two books out for Labor Day weekend. I can’t do that if I’m being dragged around the place.
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Maybe you can compromise with it being a long weekend. I find bribery works with my family 😉
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Hope so. Not having any luck so far.
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Interesting set of questions! 1) If you survived the apocalypse, what would be your first priority?
Same as always — keep my family together and have adequate food, water, shelter. Depending on what sort of apocalypse it was, security/defense might also be a high priority.
2) Would you be a loner or gather a group and why? See above — I would stick with family and friends, while being open to strangers proving themselves trustworthy. A group does better than an individual, as long as they can get along.
3) If one object survived the initial chaos, what would you want it to be? Some sort of large handyman book or encyclopedia of repairs. After the apocalypse, we can’t just call a plumber if the pipes clog up!
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Good point on the type of apocalypse being a factor. I could see a plague type forcing more isolation than one caused by invaders.
I had this weird image of someone surviving the apocalypse and going insane because their smartphone won’t work. The handyman book is a great idea.
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Smark phone? I grew up in the olden days when phones had rotary dials. (You young whipper-snapper.) The other thing I’d try to preserve? I’d take a large box to the nearest store that had vegetable seeds and pack all I could get.
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This house still has a rotary and it causes all levels of trouble. Mostly because I pick it up when doing laundry (closest phone) and find that it’s a telemarketer. Caller ID is very appreciated after that.
Random gardens in the wasteland. Makes a lot of sense.
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1) first priority is my child/family…then looting before people begin to get that desperate so that I can get ice chests/ice/food, cooking supplies, nails, etc. Probably a few toys for the kid…and seeds. Lots of seeds and soil.
2) Group if they survived, if they didn’t survive I’m guessing there’s not much of a point in me pretending like I cared enough to have a priority.
3) My books, notebooks, pens, etc. Though if the stores are surviving for me to loot them, then I can grab paper and pens on the way. Reading material is a must though! Then, of course, at least my daughter’s favorite dolls and hopefully many toys. My flute, pianos, music…generators so I can sometimes turn on the lights and music and television for our entertainment. Comfort things…I’m pretty sure that I can take care of our basic needs, but mental needs include basic things like that (what we see as basic now) and I would want to make sure I could continue to provide that.
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1. I wonder how quickly looting would happen. Seems like it would be an immediate thing to me.
2. Would the group be all family and friends?
3. You never see bookstores get looted during these stories. Libraries tend to survive too. Guess every bookstore would turn into a library by then. 🙂
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1. From watching the news after Katrina, it seemed like looting took a few hours. I just have to be ready to move it I guess.
2. To start with. I’m guessing it would grow with friends of friends and random nice people..until I have to kill someone. Then ranks are closed.
3. Good point! Maybe we would eventually move into one. A lot of old building have apartments upstairs…if i could loot a furniture and mattress store before the gas runs out, I could set up a pretty nice bookhouse for the people I care to keep.
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These days it seems like people are almost looking for a reason to loot. It probably would take a few hours in a small situation, but I could see it erupting within minutes if you had something massive going on. One of those ‘end of the world, so I want that huge TV’ things.
The real method is to get someone else to do the killing or convince the bad apple to do something dangerous. Though I wonder how many friends of friends would still be around.
Why a store? Loot abandoned homes that are near the library or store. If anyone is living in the houses then ask them to join. Remember to take couches and futons too.
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I don’t want to risk looting a nice bed set and getting bed bugs going on, even in the apocalypse.
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What about sleeping bags?
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Just because it’s the end of the world does not mean that I have to be uncomfortable. 😉
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