Welcome To Shalebrook [Zombie Apoc. Quest]
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA, United States
[X] RAG
I agree with not spending two actions on gathering survivors.
I agree with not spending two actions on gathering survivors.
- Location
- United States
Ugh, didn't mean to be a downer guys, sorry. A little OOC knowledge, but to clarify, both the proposed plans have a fairly good chance of success.
That post was really meant to define that "success" in this case means finding 2-8 people. I didn't want people getting good results and thinking they did awfully.
Right now the vote is tied, 7-7, and I'll be closing it sometime today to hopefully get the next update out faster.
That post was really meant to define that "success" in this case means finding 2-8 people. I didn't want people getting good results and thinking they did awfully.
Right now the vote is tied, 7-7, and I'll be closing it sometime today to hopefully get the next update out faster.
FieryMatter
Fire and Fiery
- Location
- Beyond the Sunset Sea
Perhaps do a 1d2 to decide?
- Pronouns
- Him/He
[X] DarkLight140
I think now is a good time to start looking for people. We've increased by every metric over the last few turns except in the realm of human resources. We got some food, got some gear, got some guns and ammo, now we need more people for the next round of improvement.
More people means faster everything, including increased recruitment. While our chances of finding people may be low, we did all the safer actions already, and we need to put effort into it sooner or later. Right now when we have a surplus of food and ammo is the best time to spend an action on it. If we avoid actions because they're low chance, we'll never get things done that we need to do but take time and effort to do them. Plus there is good odds we may find a lead to follow up on, letting our next action send a smaller team while another team does the food/guns/gear thing. As of right now we have no leads to follow up on, so we can't even do a 'raid a supply camp' like we did before.
I think now is a good time to start looking for people. We've increased by every metric over the last few turns except in the realm of human resources. We got some food, got some gear, got some guns and ammo, now we need more people for the next round of improvement.
More people means faster everything, including increased recruitment. While our chances of finding people may be low, we did all the safer actions already, and we need to put effort into it sooner or later. Right now when we have a surplus of food and ammo is the best time to spend an action on it. If we avoid actions because they're low chance, we'll never get things done that we need to do but take time and effort to do them. Plus there is good odds we may find a lead to follow up on, letting our next action send a smaller team while another team does the food/guns/gear thing. As of right now we have no leads to follow up on, so we can't even do a 'raid a supply camp' like we did before.
Ridiculously Average Guy
I'm you, but stronger
- Location
-
I'm not worried about success, I'm worried about the couple being soft-hearted enough to just bring in everyone they see rather than the best possible people they see.
DarkLight140
Credit to Team
- Location
- Lost in my thoughts
I don't think that their being soft-hearted is a huge problem at this point. That is, you're correct that they're likely to want to assist and bring back literally anyone they encounter without regard to usefulness, but...
Anyone completely useless isn't going to be alive at this point in the zombie apocalypse unless someone else was supporting them. That means that all useless people are going to be found in the company of sufficient useful people to maintain their population by the simple logic that they've managed this long. That means we're already looking at a partial success.
Aside from that, at this point we have multiple projects that even relative noncombatants (people similar to Sylvia, for example) can usefully contribute on. Base improvement is clearly a manpower-intensive endeavor and people who can't fight zombies can still pitch in there. Our bar for people being a net gain is pretty low- low enough, in my opinion, that bothering to filter our recruits based upon contribution potential is unlikely to be worth the bother.
Your concern that they could be deceived into leading someone untruthworthy back to base is reasonable but I don't believe that the difference between the James/Carmen team's ability to detect such duplicity is massively greater than the Thomas/Linda team's, particularly considering that there's a good chance any infiltrator will remain in our base long enough for everyone to meet them, meaning we'd be able to assist them and potentially supersense any direct skullduggery on their part no matter who brought them in.
The big risk of sending out a team without an eminently practical person in a leadership/advisory slot is that they'll run into someone who needs help and get themselves killed giving it, not that we'll be brought back something which is a net resource loss. And, unfortunately, we know that can happen no matter what they're looking for.
I wrote a bunch of stuff regarding the usefulness of radio or lack thereof, who is likely to use it and what they're likely to be willing or unwilling to say, and exactly who could possibly be influenced by reputation in our current circumstance given the types of information transfer available to groups of various size and resources, but it got a bit rambling so I've scrapped it. Suffice to say that my general conclusion was that until we have a group of sufficiently large size already none of it is relevant.
Anyone completely useless isn't going to be alive at this point in the zombie apocalypse unless someone else was supporting them. That means that all useless people are going to be found in the company of sufficient useful people to maintain their population by the simple logic that they've managed this long. That means we're already looking at a partial success.
Aside from that, at this point we have multiple projects that even relative noncombatants (people similar to Sylvia, for example) can usefully contribute on. Base improvement is clearly a manpower-intensive endeavor and people who can't fight zombies can still pitch in there. Our bar for people being a net gain is pretty low- low enough, in my opinion, that bothering to filter our recruits based upon contribution potential is unlikely to be worth the bother.
Your concern that they could be deceived into leading someone untruthworthy back to base is reasonable but I don't believe that the difference between the James/Carmen team's ability to detect such duplicity is massively greater than the Thomas/Linda team's, particularly considering that there's a good chance any infiltrator will remain in our base long enough for everyone to meet them, meaning we'd be able to assist them and potentially supersense any direct skullduggery on their part no matter who brought them in.
The big risk of sending out a team without an eminently practical person in a leadership/advisory slot is that they'll run into someone who needs help and get themselves killed giving it, not that we'll be brought back something which is a net resource loss. And, unfortunately, we know that can happen no matter what they're looking for.
When you say "you haven't scouted around with intention" what does that mean, exactly? We have scouted with several different intentions- finding food, finding armor, keeping away from zombies, and so forth. I would expect us to have a general idea of where the primary sources of all those things are right now, if only in a relatively close radius around our base (and along a vague path toward that raider outpost in the case of zombie density). Or are you ruling "unless you give a deliberate 'go out mapping rather than searching for stuff' order, your group gets no lasting intel benefits from away teams' work"? But they can't map the food/resource locations unless they're checking to see if the places have been looted to the ground or not anyway, at which point they might as well take the stuff and they're not food/resource locations anymore because there's nothing left.
I wrote a bunch of stuff regarding the usefulness of radio or lack thereof, who is likely to use it and what they're likely to be willing or unwilling to say, and exactly who could possibly be influenced by reputation in our current circumstance given the types of information transfer available to groups of various size and resources, but it got a bit rambling so I've scrapped it. Suffice to say that my general conclusion was that until we have a group of sufficiently large size already none of it is relevant.
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- Location
- United States
So you're mostly right in your initial assumptions.
What I mean by "with intention" is that any scouting you've done so far is coincidental, with your main focus on scavenging. You DO gain lasting intel from these trips. For instance, you'll note you gained the ability to scavenge specifically at the Sporting Goods store after it was discovered during a general scavenging run. As you would expect, your group does has some info on the area directly around your base.
Here's how I see it though. If you took a 1-2 mile radius surrounding your base, inside that area would probably be a fair amount of food and ammo and such things (though some would be too risky to obtain). So your scavenging teams haven't ventured too far from your base, because they haven't needed to. Anything you've mapped would be in your immediate vicinity. How many survivors are likely to be in that same radius, considering you're in a less densely populated part of the city, and that it's been a month since the outbreak occurred? Probably few.
So you're not searching totally blind, and you'll probably find some people. But to maximize your chances would require a more accurate "view" of a larger area than you currently have. Which you don't really have the numbers to do right now. Mapping, in this instance, would mean marking down buildings potentially containing resources, like supermarkets or other stores, for later scavenging. That way teams have a route to follow.
Hope that makes sense!
NewAgeOfPower
Engineering Pornagrapher Extraordinaire
- Location
- An Certain Hive of Scum & Villainy, known as NYC
Heh. Watching this thread.
Surprised people aren't taking bigger risks.
Surprised people aren't taking bigger risks.
NewAgeOfPower
Engineering Pornagrapher Extraordinaire
- Location
- An Certain Hive of Scum & Villainy, known as NYC
Ah.
Question: are there other Zombie Apocalypse quests around (SB/SV/QQ) that are also of high quality? This thread has been scratching an itch I didn't know existed.
Question: are there other Zombie Apocalypse quests around (SB/SV/QQ) that are also of high quality? This thread has been scratching an itch I didn't know existed.
5b.
- Location
- United States
[X] Survivor Hunt
[X] Base Team 1: [Sylvia], [Rodney]
-[X] working on sustainability.
[X] Away Team 1: [Thomas], [Linda]
-[X] searching for more survivors to bring into the fold.
[X] Away Team 2: [James], [Carmen]
-[X] searching for more survivors to bring into the fold.
5b.
Your thoughts wander as you traverse the ruined city, loose gravel crunching under your boots.
Your gaze picks over the landscape, cataloguing potential threats, identifying even the smallest details for their implications. A habit now more paranoid than cautious, with your superhuman senses.
Windows, broken and mawed. Shadowed alleyways hiding nothing from your eyes, and the cars strewn about the street like a child's toys.
A sight more familiar with each passing day.
Throughout it all, the only hint of living breath comes from the person walking besides you.
"Makes you think," Carmen says, hands buried in the pockets of her sweatshirt. "Doesn't it?"
A slight ache accompanies every step, the burn from this morning's exercise. A sign of progress.
"Ignoring me?" the girl says. You catch a frown in your peripheral vision. "Real mature."
You say nothing.
"I mean, this adventure will be a little stale if we're playing mute and—"
"It's a bad habit," you say abruptly.
The girl raises an eyebrow.
"Talking?" she asks.
"No," you say. "Not paying attention."
You turn just as the zed lunges, springing up from underneath a totaled minivan.
Your body leans, the monstrosity passing in front of you. You bring your machete up in one smooth arc, severing the slavering head from its body and sending it bouncing across car roofs like a skipping stone.
"Three," you say, wiping your blade on the shirt of its latest victim. "That's the number of potential ambush points we passed on our way here."
You stare at her, bemused to note that for once she seems properly chagrined. Good. You sometimes can't tell with the girl.
"In the future, spend less time looking at me," you say firmly. "And more time looking at what's around you."
"Is it my fault that you're the most interesting thing here?" Carmen replies flirtingly. But underneath the forced humor is a wariness that wasn't there before.
Lesson learned.
You push on along your route. Your next target is a set of apartment buildings. A good place for some survivors to hole up, if they managed to lock the doors in time.
"So, we're just not going to talk?" Carmen asks, breaking the few minutes of silence you've managed to earn. There's a sheepish smile on her face. "Cause that's going to make these trips pretty rough."
"Apparently that's impossible," you say, exasperated. "So if you must speak, keep your eyes moving, your ears open."
You gesture at the environment with a hand, sweeping it from right to left.
"Start from one side and scan quickly for any immediate threats," you say. "Then go over it again more slowly, identifying potential dangers, checking for anything out of place. Then— something funny?"
She shakes her head, grinning.
"Just happy I'm learning," she says. "I'm a student at heart, and haven't been able to indulge. You know, with you busy building walls and raiding armed camps alone like a crazy person and all that."
"It's been a hectic few weeks," you agree. "But necessary. You understand."
"Hopefully I don't have to understand too often," she says, rolling her eyes. "The gun thing, that helped."
"And your side of the deal?" you ask.
"No mutinies, nobody doing anything stupid," Carmen says, dancing over a pile of loose bricks and bones. "I had to put out two small fires with Linda and Sylvia but overall? Morale is high, commander!"
Here she gives you a mock salute, and you shoot her a warning glance that she shrugs off.
"The job you've been doing doesn't hurt," she admits. "Even if I sat on my hands, we'd have been fine."
"As long as it stays that way," you say.
"Will it?" the teenager asks, placing a finger on her chin. "People were scared before. Will we have enough to eat tomorrow? Will zeds break in and devour my brains? Now though…"
She spreads her arms.
"Now they're starting to feel safe. Now they're going to start thinking of things beyond where their next meal will come from. And—"
"It's not an issue," you say, cutting off that speculation.
"Not with this bunch," Carmen agrees. "They like you. When we find our next teammates though...."
It's a chance you'll have to take.
More manpower is the only way to really accomplish some of the things you need to accomplish. Food is the biggest concern, but the benefits outweigh the risks.
"So confident," you say after a moment.
"Hm?"
"When, you said," you answer. "Not if."
"Because you always impress, killer," Carmen says, a grin splitting her face. "So I just know that you'll find us some new friends."
Like a child who can't wait to play with her toys.
But the rest of the trip bears little fruit, your mission just as difficult as you feared. The apartments are filled with the dead, and if there's someone alive you don't hear or see them. The areas you check next produce similar results.
The sun sets and, with reluctance, you head back to base.
This becomes routine for the next few days, and even Carmen seems annoyed at your lack of success. At some point you exhaust your targets, and end up trying areas you've previously avoided. Hoping to find someone. Anyone.
It's on the last day, when you're about to give it up as a lost cause, that you stumble on the shouting.
You hear them from a way off, but you decide you need to be closer in case you need to intervene. Carmen follows you with surprising stealth, noticing the change in your approach.
It's a pharmacy, and the two of you stop behind a corner, far enough away that they can't see you, can't hear you unless you shout.
But you can hear them.
"Are you senile?" someone says. Young, male, heated. "We need to go east old man. That's where all the food is!"
"That's where all the damn zeds and gangsters are too," rasps another voice. Middle aged, you'd guess. The sound of someone who spent a fair bit of his health on cigarettes and alcohol. "You hear what they're doing over there?"
"It'd be better than this!" the first replies. "We'll starve to death in days if we stay put!"
"As opposed to getting eaten alive?" the older man says. "Or tortured and killed by a damn lunatic? I'll take my chances."
"If you want to leave so badly," a woman says. Calm. Stern. "Then go."
"Don't think we won't," the younger man snarls. "You need us more than we need you."
A messier situation than you bargained for. But a stroke of luck to find anyone at all. There are four of them total, one who hasn't spoken. Best to step in now, before tensions rise too high.
You turn to Carmen, who is listening intently. She looks thoughtful.
"We'll be inheriting a bit of a mess if we take them in," she says. "But they're desperate, and desperate is good when we're the ones taking advantage."
You grimace, but motion for her to continue.
"If we really wanted to cut down on the problems," she says, considering. "We could wait until they part ways, and take in half."
Less problems. Less manpower.
"And your recommendation?" you ask.
"All in," she says, grinning.
You shake your head, considering your options.
"How do you want to handle this boss?"
You decide to:
[] take them all in.
[] wait for a split, take in the young man and his companion.
[] wait for a split, take in the older man and his companion.
[] leave.
As for your approach…
"I'm thinking shock and awe, you know?" Carmen says. "Throw them off balance, show them how easily we could end them. Bare our teeth and let them go belly up."
Not a bad option to establish authority. But it might make enemies once it wears off. A more measured approach could accomplish something similar. Could.
You can also approach them up-front, diplomatically.
You decide to:
[] approach them from the front, stating your intentions clearly.
[] put them off balance using stealth, then negotiate from there.
[] put them off balance using stealth, then intimidate them during negotiations.
[] write-in
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's Note:
Here's the latest! This is a batch vote. These votes are heavily dependent on your intentions, how you want to carry them out. If you have a particular method in mind, be sure to explain it. Write-ins must be similarly explained. I reserve the right to veto any write-in if I don't find it feasible or in character. As always, constructive criticism and questions are welcome.
[X] Base Team 1: [Sylvia], [Rodney]
-[X] working on sustainability.
[X] Away Team 1: [Thomas], [Linda]
-[X] searching for more survivors to bring into the fold.
[X] Away Team 2: [James], [Carmen]
-[X] searching for more survivors to bring into the fold.
5b.
Your thoughts wander as you traverse the ruined city, loose gravel crunching under your boots.
Your gaze picks over the landscape, cataloguing potential threats, identifying even the smallest details for their implications. A habit now more paranoid than cautious, with your superhuman senses.
Windows, broken and mawed. Shadowed alleyways hiding nothing from your eyes, and the cars strewn about the street like a child's toys.
A sight more familiar with each passing day.
Throughout it all, the only hint of living breath comes from the person walking besides you.
"Makes you think," Carmen says, hands buried in the pockets of her sweatshirt. "Doesn't it?"
A slight ache accompanies every step, the burn from this morning's exercise. A sign of progress.
"Ignoring me?" the girl says. You catch a frown in your peripheral vision. "Real mature."
You say nothing.
"I mean, this adventure will be a little stale if we're playing mute and—"
"It's a bad habit," you say abruptly.
The girl raises an eyebrow.
"Talking?" she asks.
"No," you say. "Not paying attention."
You turn just as the zed lunges, springing up from underneath a totaled minivan.
Your body leans, the monstrosity passing in front of you. You bring your machete up in one smooth arc, severing the slavering head from its body and sending it bouncing across car roofs like a skipping stone.
"Three," you say, wiping your blade on the shirt of its latest victim. "That's the number of potential ambush points we passed on our way here."
You stare at her, bemused to note that for once she seems properly chagrined. Good. You sometimes can't tell with the girl.
"In the future, spend less time looking at me," you say firmly. "And more time looking at what's around you."
"Is it my fault that you're the most interesting thing here?" Carmen replies flirtingly. But underneath the forced humor is a wariness that wasn't there before.
Lesson learned.
You push on along your route. Your next target is a set of apartment buildings. A good place for some survivors to hole up, if they managed to lock the doors in time.
"So, we're just not going to talk?" Carmen asks, breaking the few minutes of silence you've managed to earn. There's a sheepish smile on her face. "Cause that's going to make these trips pretty rough."
"Apparently that's impossible," you say, exasperated. "So if you must speak, keep your eyes moving, your ears open."
You gesture at the environment with a hand, sweeping it from right to left.
"Start from one side and scan quickly for any immediate threats," you say. "Then go over it again more slowly, identifying potential dangers, checking for anything out of place. Then— something funny?"
She shakes her head, grinning.
"Just happy I'm learning," she says. "I'm a student at heart, and haven't been able to indulge. You know, with you busy building walls and raiding armed camps alone like a crazy person and all that."
"It's been a hectic few weeks," you agree. "But necessary. You understand."
"Hopefully I don't have to understand too often," she says, rolling her eyes. "The gun thing, that helped."
"And your side of the deal?" you ask.
"No mutinies, nobody doing anything stupid," Carmen says, dancing over a pile of loose bricks and bones. "I had to put out two small fires with Linda and Sylvia but overall? Morale is high, commander!"
Here she gives you a mock salute, and you shoot her a warning glance that she shrugs off.
"The job you've been doing doesn't hurt," she admits. "Even if I sat on my hands, we'd have been fine."
"As long as it stays that way," you say.
"Will it?" the teenager asks, placing a finger on her chin. "People were scared before. Will we have enough to eat tomorrow? Will zeds break in and devour my brains? Now though…"
She spreads her arms.
"Now they're starting to feel safe. Now they're going to start thinking of things beyond where their next meal will come from. And—"
"It's not an issue," you say, cutting off that speculation.
"Not with this bunch," Carmen agrees. "They like you. When we find our next teammates though...."
It's a chance you'll have to take.
More manpower is the only way to really accomplish some of the things you need to accomplish. Food is the biggest concern, but the benefits outweigh the risks.
"So confident," you say after a moment.
"Hm?"
"When, you said," you answer. "Not if."
"Because you always impress, killer," Carmen says, a grin splitting her face. "So I just know that you'll find us some new friends."
Like a child who can't wait to play with her toys.
But the rest of the trip bears little fruit, your mission just as difficult as you feared. The apartments are filled with the dead, and if there's someone alive you don't hear or see them. The areas you check next produce similar results.
The sun sets and, with reluctance, you head back to base.
This becomes routine for the next few days, and even Carmen seems annoyed at your lack of success. At some point you exhaust your targets, and end up trying areas you've previously avoided. Hoping to find someone. Anyone.
It's on the last day, when you're about to give it up as a lost cause, that you stumble on the shouting.
You hear them from a way off, but you decide you need to be closer in case you need to intervene. Carmen follows you with surprising stealth, noticing the change in your approach.
It's a pharmacy, and the two of you stop behind a corner, far enough away that they can't see you, can't hear you unless you shout.
But you can hear them.
"Are you senile?" someone says. Young, male, heated. "We need to go east old man. That's where all the food is!"
"That's where all the damn zeds and gangsters are too," rasps another voice. Middle aged, you'd guess. The sound of someone who spent a fair bit of his health on cigarettes and alcohol. "You hear what they're doing over there?"
"It'd be better than this!" the first replies. "We'll starve to death in days if we stay put!"
"As opposed to getting eaten alive?" the older man says. "Or tortured and killed by a damn lunatic? I'll take my chances."
"If you want to leave so badly," a woman says. Calm. Stern. "Then go."
"Don't think we won't," the younger man snarls. "You need us more than we need you."
A messier situation than you bargained for. But a stroke of luck to find anyone at all. There are four of them total, one who hasn't spoken. Best to step in now, before tensions rise too high.
You turn to Carmen, who is listening intently. She looks thoughtful.
"We'll be inheriting a bit of a mess if we take them in," she says. "But they're desperate, and desperate is good when we're the ones taking advantage."
You grimace, but motion for her to continue.
"If we really wanted to cut down on the problems," she says, considering. "We could wait until they part ways, and take in half."
Less problems. Less manpower.
"And your recommendation?" you ask.
"All in," she says, grinning.
You shake your head, considering your options.
"How do you want to handle this boss?"
You decide to:
[] take them all in.
[] wait for a split, take in the young man and his companion.
[] wait for a split, take in the older man and his companion.
[] leave.
As for your approach…
"I'm thinking shock and awe, you know?" Carmen says. "Throw them off balance, show them how easily we could end them. Bare our teeth and let them go belly up."
Not a bad option to establish authority. But it might make enemies once it wears off. A more measured approach could accomplish something similar. Could.
You can also approach them up-front, diplomatically.
You decide to:
[] approach them from the front, stating your intentions clearly.
[] put them off balance using stealth, then negotiate from there.
[] put them off balance using stealth, then intimidate them during negotiations.
[] write-in
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's Note:
Here's the latest! This is a batch vote. These votes are heavily dependent on your intentions, how you want to carry them out. If you have a particular method in mind, be sure to explain it. Write-ins must be similarly explained. I reserve the right to veto any write-in if I don't find it feasible or in character. As always, constructive criticism and questions are welcome.
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LinkOnScepter
The One who Strangles Concepts to death
- Location
- Interwebs
[X] wait for a split, take in the older man and his companion.
[X] Have Carmen walk up to them and clearly state our intentions. While she does that, we sneak up behind them, just in case they try anything.
[X] Have Carmen walk up to them and clearly state our intentions. While she does that, we sneak up behind them, just in case they try anything.
- Location
- Ontario, Canada
[X] take them all in.
[X] put them off balance using stealth, then negotiate from there.
[X] put them off balance using stealth, then negotiate from there.
SirLagginton
Shadow Cabal Caerbannog Bun-Bun
- Location
- Arrrghhh
[X] wait for a split, take in the older man and his companion.
Not interested in inheriting a mess, if we're gonna build a group then it needs to be a stable one. And the old man seems a lot more clear-headed than the younger one.
[X] approach them from the front, stating your intentions clearly.
Not interested in inheriting a mess, if we're gonna build a group then it needs to be a stable one. And the old man seems a lot more clear-headed than the younger one.
[X] approach them from the front, stating your intentions clearly.
[X] wait for a split, take in the older man and his companion.
Definitely don't need any hotheads fouling up the place if we're out on a long mission
[X] approach them from the front, stating your intentions clearly.
If we wanted them all, definitely stealth the. Negotiate to put the risk takers there on the back foot. We're after the cautious lot though so it's more likely to just scare them off if we pop up outta nowhere.
Definitely don't need any hotheads fouling up the place if we're out on a long mission
[X] approach them from the front, stating your intentions clearly.
If we wanted them all, definitely stealth the. Negotiate to put the risk takers there on the back foot. We're after the cautious lot though so it's more likely to just scare them off if we pop up outta nowhere.
- Location
- Brazil
The old man is clearly denoted to not be very fit, tho.
I guess it depends on how the young one turns out. Determinarion is hella useful, as is a fit young man and woman. We came here for man power, we have yet to find anyone else.
They survived for a good long time, I wouldn't say the young one is suicidal or malicious, starving is a real risk here. But where there is food, there is people, be they zeds or not. Both sides have good arguments, I say we don't write the boy off just yet, most people don't make it two months into the Apocalypse by luck alone.
They are having a disagreement, they don't sound like mortal enemies, and with all of them, our group would total ten people, plenty to keep them apart.
[X] take them all in.
[X] put them off balance using stealth, then negotiate from there.
I guess it depends on how the young one turns out. Determinarion is hella useful, as is a fit young man and woman. We came here for man power, we have yet to find anyone else.
They survived for a good long time, I wouldn't say the young one is suicidal or malicious, starving is a real risk here. But where there is food, there is people, be they zeds or not. Both sides have good arguments, I say we don't write the boy off just yet, most people don't make it two months into the Apocalypse by luck alone.
They are having a disagreement, they don't sound like mortal enemies, and with all of them, our group would total ten people, plenty to keep them apart.
[X] take them all in.
[X] put them off balance using stealth, then negotiate from there.
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DarkLight140
Credit to Team
- Location
- Lost in my thoughts
I am very much hoping that we've been gathering at least some resources as we go. If we've been checking apartments, there are probably almost as many supplies in there as there were in houses- which was highly dangerous but also quite lucrative work. Even playing things cautious we might well have picked up some useful items in the process. Perhaps that will be assessed after we return to base.
Carmen's assessment of high morale and faith in our leadership is reassuring- of course, success breeds support, but having people who believe strongly that we know what we're doing and should be followed should be a great help when we're trying to integrate others who haven't yet seen our record of success, and will give us credibility to fall back on when something inevitably goes wrong.
The older man and the woman sound easier to work with and control... but since the young one says "You need us more than we need you", it's pretty clear that they're not ideal for scavenging and combat. We need people suited for scavenging and combat- which means we don't need the older man and woman as much as we need the young man and whoever is being quiet.
But of course, both is better still. We have six people; absorbing four who have one disagreement will make it easy enough to split them up two and two, accompanied by three and three of ours on base/away teams, during the next action set. Our people (Thomas/Carmen specifically, others) will be able to diplomacy them into some level of integration during that period and we can either continue to keep them separate from one another or convince them to simmer down afterward.
As for the approach... intimidation is out. We're the best at that approach personally, but we've got Carmen with substantial diplomacy bonuses here for the softer (and more morale-friendly) touch. We don't have the forces to push them into line even if we wanted to, but we do need to display our prowess in a way better than "we have two guns and a lot of promises", which sneaking into close range before beginning our discussions should accomplish nicely. "We could have easily attacked and done serious damage but didn't" is a powerful statement of non-hostility; a better one in some ways than approaching openly. What's more, I suspect that the young man will respond well to a show of strength, while the old man will respond better to a show of civility- proving ourselves strong and then talking peacefully should have at least some appeal to both.
So. Sneak in close, we offer offer a third option while our presence nearby with guns makes it clear that we could have just killed them and taken their supplies in short order, had we been unfriendly, without our ever being so crass as to say that. We make the initial offer- we're the leader, after all- but Carmen counters any objections on their part that we can't easily deflect, both making use of her better interpersonal skills and demonstrating that we've got a light hand on our subordinates, which will likely have some appeal. If any of them don't want to come, it's their loss- but of course we're not going to be telling them where we live, so this will be their only chance at a better-fortified and more comfortable base, along with easy access to some well-armed and well-intentioned people. I think our position should be fairly compelling.
There is the chance for this to go horribly wrong if they hear us on the approach and respond as though we were attacking them; sneaking up and botching it will make us look hostile and guilty. In that case, we're again depending upon Carmen to smooth things over but will have a rougher time of it. Still, both us and Carmen are quite sneaky and we don't exactly have to get into melee range to be at effective gun range, which is all we need to put them off balance and initiate this dialogue from a clearly superior position.
[X] take them all in.
[X] put them off balance using stealth, then negotiate from there.
Carmen's assessment of high morale and faith in our leadership is reassuring- of course, success breeds support, but having people who believe strongly that we know what we're doing and should be followed should be a great help when we're trying to integrate others who haven't yet seen our record of success, and will give us credibility to fall back on when something inevitably goes wrong.
The older man and the woman sound easier to work with and control... but since the young one says "You need us more than we need you", it's pretty clear that they're not ideal for scavenging and combat. We need people suited for scavenging and combat- which means we don't need the older man and woman as much as we need the young man and whoever is being quiet.
But of course, both is better still. We have six people; absorbing four who have one disagreement will make it easy enough to split them up two and two, accompanied by three and three of ours on base/away teams, during the next action set. Our people (Thomas/Carmen specifically, others) will be able to diplomacy them into some level of integration during that period and we can either continue to keep them separate from one another or convince them to simmer down afterward.
As for the approach... intimidation is out. We're the best at that approach personally, but we've got Carmen with substantial diplomacy bonuses here for the softer (and more morale-friendly) touch. We don't have the forces to push them into line even if we wanted to, but we do need to display our prowess in a way better than "we have two guns and a lot of promises", which sneaking into close range before beginning our discussions should accomplish nicely. "We could have easily attacked and done serious damage but didn't" is a powerful statement of non-hostility; a better one in some ways than approaching openly. What's more, I suspect that the young man will respond well to a show of strength, while the old man will respond better to a show of civility- proving ourselves strong and then talking peacefully should have at least some appeal to both.
So. Sneak in close, we offer offer a third option while our presence nearby with guns makes it clear that we could have just killed them and taken their supplies in short order, had we been unfriendly, without our ever being so crass as to say that. We make the initial offer- we're the leader, after all- but Carmen counters any objections on their part that we can't easily deflect, both making use of her better interpersonal skills and demonstrating that we've got a light hand on our subordinates, which will likely have some appeal. If any of them don't want to come, it's their loss- but of course we're not going to be telling them where we live, so this will be their only chance at a better-fortified and more comfortable base, along with easy access to some well-armed and well-intentioned people. I think our position should be fairly compelling.
There is the chance for this to go horribly wrong if they hear us on the approach and respond as though we were attacking them; sneaking up and botching it will make us look hostile and guilty. In that case, we're again depending upon Carmen to smooth things over but will have a rougher time of it. Still, both us and Carmen are quite sneaky and we don't exactly have to get into melee range to be at effective gun range, which is all we need to put them off balance and initiate this dialogue from a clearly superior position.
[X] take them all in.
[X] put them off balance using stealth, then negotiate from there.
- Location
- Your heart
[X] wait for a split, take in the older man and his companion
[X] approach them from the front, stating your intentions clearly.
[X] approach them from the front, stating your intentions clearly.
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA, United States
[X] take them all in.
[X] Have Carmen walk up to them and clearly state our intentions. While she does that, we sneak up behind them, just in case they try anything.
I like this. Carmen is the more diplomatic - having her come out and just offer lets us take their measure when it seems that it's four to one, if they try to take advantage of the lone girl then we can come out of stealth and intimidate them.
The only problem is whether Carmen would trust us enough to have her back.
[X] Have Carmen walk up to them and clearly state our intentions. While she does that, we sneak up behind them, just in case they try anything.
I like this. Carmen is the more diplomatic - having her come out and just offer lets us take their measure when it seems that it's four to one, if they try to take advantage of the lone girl then we can come out of stealth and intimidate them.
The only problem is whether Carmen would trust us enough to have her back.
RhapsodyOfLife
Marshmallow Fluff
- Location
- Easter Basket
[X] take them all in.
[X] put them off balance using stealth, then negotiate from there.
Putting Carmen first might send the wrong message, making us look a bit more shady than we have to. Even if she's a diplomatic genius, putting a child potentially in harm's way doesn't exactly make others see us in a good light.
[X] put them off balance using stealth, then negotiate from there.
Putting Carmen first might send the wrong message, making us look a bit more shady than we have to. Even if she's a diplomatic genius, putting a child potentially in harm's way doesn't exactly make others see us in a good light.
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA, United States
I thought using stealth would be a bit shady - at least try to be up front with diplomacy - then again she doesn't have the advantages we do. May be putting too much risk on her.