[mattifikation]

I'm not sure how many people are watching this season of The Colony, but basically it boils down to this:

There is a group of 7 - 10 survivors in an abandoned, urban setting. Buildings are dilapidated, with weak doors, broken or missing windows, and leaking roofs. There are no firearms available, though no explanation is given as to why. The people you have ended up with by your twists of fate are all complete strangers.

There is generally a sparse supply of gasoline, but not enough to get out of town with. Food needs to be scavenged for, although in the beginning of the scenario there's usually a few days worth easily at hand. Water availability is almost entirely limited to whatever your group can obtain on your own, but materials to filter and boil water are available. Other supplies, such as sanitation supplies and extra clothing, are left to you to speculate on what may or may not be there.

Raider groups tend to be up to two or three times the size of your own, they might be equipped with melee weapons, smoke bombs, pepper spray, and molotov cocktails. They may also have motorcycles, giving them an advantage over you in mobility. Your own weapons are limited to whatever you can make with the general crap you'd find in an abandoned city, minus firearms (I KNOW, in real life there would be firearms, but this is all hypothetical! No groaning!)

There are a few questions the show always gets me asking. I think a lot of members here might have advice or opinions on how they might answer those questions, if they were in the group.

1. What weapons could you fashion from the various junk at hand? There seems to be plenty of metal, wood, plastic, and glass. In the show, they tend not to make anything highly lethal and they never fight back with lethal force (obviously... it's a show.) But in the real world, you might have to fight to the death to defend your location and supplies. Also, since this is ATZ you might have to fight zombies. Zombies probably won't have a producer telling them when to retreat.

2. How would you fortify your base, using nothing but debris and junk? It seems to me like you would need a large, protected outdoor perimeter as a work yard (and possibly for growing crops or raising livestock) as well as a strongly barricaded building to fall back to while under major attack and to sleep in. You'll need ways to reinforce your doors, block up your windows, patch up your roof, and put some kind of fence or wall around your yard.

3. How would you limit contact with outsiders to decrease the risks they pose? In the show, the idea is that a Super Flu wiped out most of humanity. For our purposes, we'll assume it was a Zombie Causing Super Flu. :lol: But in the show, they are face with a dilemma: Contact with outsiders requires quarantine afterward. So how will you limit contact with outsiders, and how will you deal with people who need quarantined?

4. How would you handle non-violent encounters with outsiders? Trade caravans may stop by occasionally, but will probably be looking out for their own best interests rather than providing any sort of fair deals. People may come by from time to time asking for help... do they get turned away, or do they get help? Sometimes these people truly need help, other times they are spies or diversions for larger groups!

If you've seen the show, what I'm really asking here is "How would you handle these situations if you were a participant on the show, it was about zombies and not a super flu, and the life-and-death matters were real instead of simulated?"

[Cmpunk]

id fashion some rough caltrops to place on the main road to keep vehicles out. basic spears to fight, the fire extinguisher didnt do a lot though lol. those maggots in the pigs were awful lol. i really hate the artist guy thats lazy.

[mattifikation]

You know, maybe they should built a catapult to launch those pigs at the raiders...

I was thinking that for defense in that scenario, a whip would be incredibly intimidating. You'd have a lot of reach, giving you the ability to take on a larger number of people. The cracking of a whip is loud and would likely scare the crap out of a group of raiders armed with just melee weapons.

[Lian]

That's a lot to ponder on really, and a lot of it is really situational depending on that the "Producers" for our "Show" will allow, and what rules people are playing by. Unfortunately I haven't seen the show so I can only speculate as to that.

Still with that in mind as for weapons I'm going to make crossbows. Not that hard to make and so easy to use that anyone can learn to aim and hit, and it's going to give me a significant reach advantage over raiders with melee weapons. Catapults take too long to reload I think for them to be effective against raiders on motorcycles, however with a little bit of foresight you might be able to block up the streets forcing them to stop or go around. And if they choose to go around you then could herd them where you want them to go and ambush them.

As for fortifying that's really the biggest variable there. There are various degrees of Junk, but assuming I can find usable sizes of scrap and a shovel you can always go with the tried and true approach of sandbags to entrench yourself in, and sheet metal for your stronghold defenses. If I had to choose one particular building though I think I might go for a small warehouse, large auto repair shop, Fire or Police station would be good choices as well.

Limiting contact is tricky. I suppose if were only talking about something that's spread by touch, a chain link/barbwire fence between you and anyone you come into contact with could prove to be sufficient. If it's airborne though that's where things get tricky, I suppose as long as you cover your mouth and nose and be sure to wash your hands you'll be okay. Soap is a simple thing to make so....

As for traders and the like, ideally I would almost like to have a trading outpost so these traders don't actually know where I'm located at all. And as to the people that need help or might be spies...well, same concept. If you don't trust them than you shouldn't invite them home for dinner, and instead maybe we should go to a secondary point. Or if you have to bring them home, you should send a group ahead to make sure everything is hidden that you don't want made public to the world and maybe you should cuff them to the radiator at night or something?

This post has been edited by Lian: 29 July 2010 - 11:41 PM

[Cmpunk]

mattifikation said:

You know, maybe they should built a catapult to launch those pigs at the raiders...

I was thinking that for defense in that scenario, a whip would be incredibly intimidating. You'd have a lot of reach, giving you the ability to take on a larger number of people. The cracking of a whip is loud and would likely scare the crap out of a group of raiders armed with just melee weapons.

hypothetically speaking, If im starving and willing to kill someone for food a whip wouldnt stop me let alone the crack besides all you have to do is close the distance on a whip and its useless. Also the whip is mostly offense with little to none defense i mean if you had a whip and i had some kind of throwing projectile i am the victor.

[rowdyrugby]

Season 1 was better. The compound theyre in isnt defensible . period.

Plus i wouldnt get anything done because id be banging the model to repopulate the earth

[Dark Gale]

I saw this the other night, and really enjoyed it. As far as the part about them not using lethal force, it seems like they didn't use any force at all. I mean really, were they even trying?

[mattifikation]

They probably are told not to attempt to seriously harm the "raiders." In a real scenario, it would probably be in your best interest to seriously harm any raiders.

Crossbows are well and good for a small number of people, but if you're outnumbered 3 to 1 then crossbows reload too slow for my taste. A regular bow might do better. I still think that a whip would be great. It's not like it would have to be your only weapon.

Fun fact: The tip of a whip breaks the sound barrier when it cracks. Put some small weights on the end of it, and consider that some bullets are only subsonic. Maybe the crack of a whip wouldn't stop you from trying to get by, but it would stop you from succeeding.

[Bob]

The Colony is back on?
I am not sure if I can stand another season.
It's not a good thing when Bob cusses at the tv telling people they are
STUPID
OR
THEY NEED TO GROW A SET OF BALLS AND MAN UP!!!!

[False God]

I have never heard of this before, what channel is it on?

[CAVU45]

I could only stand to watch few episodes of it last year. I forced myself to watch the first new eiposde. I wasn't impressed. Though the characters ahve changed they all still have the same things in common. Huge egos, arrogance, and stupidity. For a reality show it's very unreal. I won't be watching any more shows.

[Lian]

mattifikation said:

Crossbows are well and good for a small number of people, but if you're outnumbered 3 to 1 then crossbows reload too slow for my taste. A regular bow might do better. I still think that a whip would be great. It's not like it would have to be your only weapon.

Could always work in two man groups. One reloading, and the other firing, or three men even with two reloading if that proves necessary. Failing that I can make a "LOT" of crossbows. With just basic tools I could make a crossbow out of basically just a 2x4 in an hour, won't be pretty, but it will fire an arrow. Arrows take me longer but I put more care into them because I want them to fly straight. The one problem I have with bows is they take a fair amount of practice to get good with them. I suppose the average person could reliably hit a stationary man sized target up to say 20 yards or so, while a crossbow is a nice point and kill interface.

I can agree that a whip might be a good mid range weapon, though I don't think I'd equip everyone with one.

[mattifikation]

Everyone can't have one. Just me. :lol:

Anyways. Chances are, if you end up in a group with a bunch of random people, there's going to be a lot of dumb ones and you're not going to like them all. I guess that's another thing... how to deal with that.

[zbuddy]

I watched part of it, and then changed the channel. As for the topic at hand, a lot of people provided great ideas. Any sort of weapon that gives you range would be a huge force multiplier. The numbers advantage that the opposing force has could be diminished, perhaps, a bit by impromptu bootleg ass booby-traps.

For your base, or whatever they call it, you would probably be best set using staggered walls/layers to prevent any scouts or enemies to see past a certain point when on level ground. As mentioned earlier, caltrops and other devices could be used to funnel the aggressors, or unknown individuals, into areas where you want them. Similarly, always have a multiple ways of escape. I unfortunately have no idea how to fix the problem of fire :-[

[CAVU45]

Take away the numbers advantage by funneling the aggressors through a series of traps and pitfalls, false walls and such. Make them appraoch in ones and twos. Pile rubble in a maze. Anything to slow the group down and spread them out.

[Survivor243]

I saw the season premiere and wasn't impressed one damn bit.

1. How great are the odds you'd get stuck with a rocket scientist, a engineer, martial arts instructor, etc in the middle of a ZPAW?

2. No real weapons, enough said.

3. Friendly outsiders, BS....

4. Raiders riding motorcycles and armed with practically nothing, BS again...

5. Cannot get out of the city, Hello, start walking.

I thought it was stupid, ranks right up there with Survivor Island and Big Brother.

Very retarded.

[bandits1]

Survivor243 said:

I saw the season premiere and wasn't impressed one damn bit.

1. How great are the odds you'd get stuck with a rocket scientist, a engineer, martial arts instructor, etc in the middle of a ZPAW?

2. No real weapons, enough said.

3. Friendly outsiders, BS....

4. Raiders riding motorcycles and armed with practically nothing, BS again...

5. Cannot get out of the city, Hello, start walking.

I thought it was stupid, ranks right up there with Survivor Island and Big Brother.

Very retarded.

If you were around to read some of the old threads and posts here from maybe a couple of years ago, it seemed a lot of folks thought the chances were great that they'd have every possible useful profession, trade, or skill covered in "their" survival groups. It was funny. Need a trauma surgeon? Got it. Need a trained military sniper? Got it. Need a structural engineer? Got it. Need a classically trained chef? Got it.

[Nameless1]

Getting back to your original question, here's a quick and dirty PAW colony defense.

I think the first weapons I would focus on making were spears. Probably the easiest to make with the resources around.

As to defense, abandoned cars are pretty good as fences. Just role them into place and let the air out of their tires. Then surround the cars with pits full of broken glass. A watch tower would be a great idea, not to mention an all night watch. Which the folks in the second seasons neglected to instate. (Honestly, they failed the stupid test on that one.)

As to outside people I would keep it to a minimum, especially if the Apocalypse was due to a super-flu. I think quarantining a stranger or visitor for a couple of days would be required. Also I think that if the person was asking questions about supplies and what we have would cause an immediate exile.

[mattifikation]

The very FIRST thing I would do is get everything out of that big, white medical tent, hide it, and then take the tent apart and set it back up indoors (if there was room.) If not, I'd tear it apart and make a smaller tent. Those buildings they have in season 2 just don't provide any rain shelter at all.

For those who haven't seen the show, the Season 2 colonists were directed to this thing, and just left it up for all the world to see:



Can you scream "target me" any louder?

[daewoo]

I've seen parts of the show, didn't like it at all. But I've imagined if I was in their situation, more or less I'll somehow end up being the weapons expert and construction advisor. I'm knowledgeable over most people regarding improved weapons, munitions, and explosives.

1- I would quickly gather materials and objects to be used as weapons for basic defense for the people as well as the compound (fort). In a realistic situations I would have crude bladed weapons for everyone, ranging from tools that are in such poor condition they cannot be used for their original purpose but now great for beating people up to crudely fashioned weapons using pieces of metal tied to wood (to create a handle). Tools too damaged to cut things properly anymore would be ground on pavement- best on concrete sidewalks- to give them a new edge. pieces of metal, favoring aluminum, can be hammered into a blade shape and then ground on pavement (best on concrete) to also give them an edge. Concrete is like sandpaper and in urban environments there's plenty of it to go around.
To defend the fort/compound I'd fashion up some spud guns, the easiest to make ranged weapons. you need some metal pipe, flammable liquid or gas, a lighter, and a projectile. this kind of weapon is powerful and simple. in any urban environment you can easily find all the needed materials. Instead of a solid projectile I'd go with shot, that would be more effective against raider groups also increasing the chance of hits. as for shot I'd use anything that has little use and value and should be dangerous if flying at 300 mph. like gravel, nails, pieces of metal, broken items, and a historical favorite- broken glass. the goal is not to kill hostiles, it is to injure as many as possible to take then out of the fight and make them a liability for their group. dead people can be left on a battlefield. injured people can't be left behind like that. they also cannot fight, cook, work, and basically makes burden for whatever group they're part of.
salvaging the enemies' weapons or just stealing them allows me to deconstruct the weapons and reuse them for my groups' gain. You don't have to be part of the bomb squad to work with explosives and be safe. I'd make little presents like fragmentation grenades, flash-bangs, and directional landmines for the raiders to enjoy. remote wired bombs can disable or destroy their motorcycles, left over explosives can make simple muskets, and all that shrapnel would cripple raider groups with overwhelming amounts of people injured and lower their morale.

2- fortifying the place is not hard. tools are easy to find- bricks=hammers, you don't need a hacksaw to use the blade, you can score something and then break it, it will break where the score was. pick out the best condition buildings and demolish everything else for materials to repair the buildings. use spare rebar or other stakes to create a fence, then run a net or something similar over it, pile dirt behind the fence to create a stronger wall.
us existing materials, buildings,walls to create the outer wall with as little construction as possible. back fill everything with dirt.
I'd have people hollow out underneath nearby roads to create vehicle traps, the pavement can support itself but not the weight of a vehicle on it. It is camouflaged perfectly and would prevent any enemy force from driving vehicles into the area.

3- a gate area, similar to many medieval castles will create a "grey area" between the inside of the compound and the outside world. anyone entering the compound would be inspected from fortified positions before entry. Setting up nearby trading areas or meet up spots would allow business to occur without actually coming into direct contact with other people. as for diseases the group would be educated on safety and caution, anyone too dumb and endangers the group's health would be kicked out- idiocy is not tolerated. that deals with quarantine, only dumb people gets themselves quarantined after doing something idiotic. radio or telephone connections (using the POTS analog system) would allow people to be in contact without being in physical contact.

4- radio, telephone, and possibly telegraph allows distance communication. my group would be able to talk to people without actually meeting them so if they're hostile we'd at least get a day's worth of warning. trading can happen within or outside of the compound, but well within range of the big and small guns. People needing help and looking for a handout is turned away. people needing help and able to give back to the group is allowed in. And to keep everyone safe, I think keeping some things secret is a good idea. for example I probably wouldn't share where I put all the security and defensive stuff so in case someone is a spy they don't know everything and the rest of the group won't be left defenseless. If everyone has their secrets then the group stays together and no one is getting replaced, if someoen deflects its not total loss, and if someone got kidnapped and spilled their guts the damage isn't as bad.