Role Playing Survival

[American Patriot]

More role playing:

I dug my third out house now. It is not covered, so you still go where God and everybody can see you. I do keep the hole covered though. I don' want flies getting in it and then landing on my food or something. I still have plenty of toilet paper. Every place I go rummage through, I nab all the TP I can. I store the roles in my PVC pipe. The PVC keeps my roles dry. (Hey Rick will PVC work as a storage unit? I think it will keep stuff dry.)

Yes, you can use PVC pipe, sealed as a storage container, and bury it. It's actually a recommended way to do long term storage for items you want to cache away.

I finally took the wagan into town. I was thinking that I would be able to pick up some supplies there. I hadn't been to town in over four years. I don't know how long I should stay where I am before it is safe to go out. So, I have stayed away from town thinking the virus may be active there. But I need more tools and lumber to build my bunker with.

The virus, whatever it was... killed most people. but not you? Perhaps you were immune to it? Perhaps you got it and you lived and are NOW immune to it? Perhaps you're a carrier....

Well, the town is a ghost town and the shelves are emptied. So, I went from house to house for a while. I found some tin foil, plastic bags, trash bags, toilet paper, duct tape, wd40, books, some bandages and other first aid items, rope, chains, tools, axes, shovels, and some lumber to help build my bunker.

All good items to have. And you're at the point where you're now living. There's nothing in the way of civilization left, so you're using the materials from those long-gone to stay alive.....

I found some clothes, sock hats, and blankets but I did not take them. I didn't know if someone had the virus and was using the blanket or clothes, if the virus would still be in the blanket. (Is this the right thing to do, or can you use these kinds of items? On a can of Lysol, it says it can be used on soft surfaces now. So, does that mean a blanket could hold a virus or germ? I don't know, and since I don't know I wouldn't gather items like clothes and blankets. I would mend my own. I think I would still use a bandage if it was wrapped in something and toilet paper and other items if it were wrapped. So, this little exercise is good because it may answer questions I have or correct me when I am wrong).

Again, you might be immune. As most of you are aware some of the first types of biological warfare was to pass smallpox infected blankets to the Indians. Before that, launching plague victims' bodies using catapults over the walls of a city.

So - yes, you can disinfect (at the risk of getting infected of course) but you could also find non-infected items in, say a store, assuming there's anything left there....

Well, on my way back to my camp, I took a different route. I knew of some Amish in the area. I wanted to go by there and see if they made it. I found them surviving just fine. I traded some items with them. I received some preserves and other edibles. I need to make good friends with them; and maybe I can learn some things that will help make life easier. I may go rummage through town with the wagon more often. Then I can go trade with the Amish. Maybe if I become good friends with them they will help me build my bunker. If the Amish help build my bunker, it will be safe. ;-)

Two things... 1) Taking a different route back (good and bad). Good in that people aren't tracking you perhaps, bad in that if you don't know the area you might get into trouble. Then again, this is "survival mode" so you can make it through.

2) Making friends with the locals. ABSOLUTELY. Humans, ultimately are social creatures and being alone for a long time is probably not as healthy as you might think. I know spending weeks in the woods alone is not fun. I've done it before. It's... disconcerting to run across other people when you THINK you're alone and after a time you become suspicious of everything and everyone. Making friends is a GOOD thing.

(What do you think live stock would be worth in a trade at this time? If the Amish had it, I would want some chickens, sheep, pigs, cows and bulls, actually almost anything! What do you think one would have to trade for a rooster and a hen? And would this be legal in our survival role play here and would the Amish be survivors? IMHO, I think the Amish have the best chance at survival and they are around my area. So, I would try to look them up. If they didn't make it, they may have some tools and stuff I could scrounge.)

In survival, all creatures, great and small are fair game.

[American Patriot]

OK, so my truck in DNIF.

Seriously, I'd probably be dead within the first year.

If we get nuked AND invaded, which I believe is the correct scenario BTW, I'm packing my guns and heading for the front lines.

I know that sounds like a cop out for your thread, and sorry.

But that's exactly what I'd do.

No! Not a cop out at ALL. In fact, I'd do the same thing. Assuming of course there was an invasion.

In this scenario though - whatever ground invasion might have come, never materialized for some reason. Perhaps the virus got everyone, perhaps those still alive on ships at sea simply gave up and died? Who knows... but you never heard word that an invasion actually came....

So you might have traveled all the way to a coast in hopes of killing some of the people responsible... but, they never came....

[American Patriot]

Good brainstorming guys.

Also, anyone that has knowledge of a subject someone has put down, it's not a problem to expound up on that information.

This is how we all learn (I like the oil well explanation, I have no idea...)

[Malsua]

As most of you are aware some of the first types of biological warfare was to pass smallpox infected blankets to the Indians.

Have you researched this one? I have. Two blankets and 1 kerchief, in total is the entirety of documented smallpox blankets being given to indians. Around the same time the Injuns attacked the fort coming in direct contact with men who had smallpox. Shortly thereafter it was an epidemic for the Indians. Which do you think would be a better method for transmission?

[American Patriot]

Have you researched this one? I have. Two blankets and 1 kerchief, in total is the entirety of documented smallpox blankets being given to indians. Around the same time the Injuns attacked the fort coming in direct contact with men who had smallpox. Shortly thereafter it was an epidemic for the Indians. Which do you think would be a better method for transmission?

Obviously the handkerchief... assuming someone sneezed into it.

The point IS and remains, this is a true incident. Therefore it was "real biological warfare".

And in fact, it's a lesson from history. You can carry a LOT of germs to infect the population on a paper towel or in a vial. Easily hidden, easily released.

Also note that that there are (though I don't have any links at the moment) of historical references where bedding and clothing was burned after victims had suffered from certain types of epidemic diseases. Yellow Fever comes to mind, but I am not certain that's what it was. I recall reading something in several history books where a disease was referenced - a "fever" of some sort (which would likely equate to a virus) and the bedding, clothing and most items that a child might have were burned later after the victim died or became well again (to prevent the spread of the disease).

[Beetle]

Being Amish isn't all about who birthed you although it goes a long way towards it. The Amish will accept Engishers into the Amish church. The issue is, it takes time and they have to get to know you. It may take many years before they'd accept you into the Amish church. Once they let you pledge however, you'd become a full member of their community and you'd be expected to act like Amish, completely. It is a difficult thing for me to think of a circumstance where I'd do such a thing, but my priorities would change drastically in a TEOTWAWKI scenario.

Cloth will still be around. One thing you do not want to do is to sleep on strange mattresses. Did you see that recent episode of Dirty Jobs? On average a 10 year old mattress weighs 20lbs more than the same mattress new. Yeech.


I used to pump those oil jacks when I lived in Ohio. They are pretty basic. Many use a single cylinder engine with a large flywheel that runs off of natural gas. The natural gas is tapped right from the wellhead casing. The motors I'm familiar with are a 110/220 Model number(unrelated to electricity) and have a single large flywheel. They are probably a modified steam design. They are easy to maintain and will continue to run even after the bearings are shot.

The one thing to keep in mind about pumping an oil well is that you can easily pump it dry, specially old wells. This is normal but it must be watched for. The main parts are the outer casing, a 12 inch or so pipe called "The casing". The inner pipe called "The tubing" and inside the tubing is connecting rods down to the bottom of the well called "sucker rods" and at the bottom is the pump. The pump is attached to the sucker rods and moves up and down inside of the tubing. The pump is just a series of rubber cups that act as 1 way values. They collapse inward when pushed down and flip outward when lifted. This lifts the oil and water from the bottom of the well.

At the well head, there is a polished rod, called "the polish rod" (That's polish as in furnature polish, not the country). The polish rod sits inside a housing with some rubber seals so that when oil and water come up from the well it doesn't squirt out right at the top. This is the silvery looking thing you see when a pump jack is going up and down. The sucker rod runs through the polish rod, down into the well. Here's what happens when you pump the well. The oil is cold as it comes up. As you're pumping the well and oil starts to come out, the polish rod gets cold. When the well has pumped off the oil for the day(or whatever period), it starts pumping water. Every oil well has salt water in it, it's an issue of how much oil to water ratio. This is super saturated salt water. If you ever get a chance, taste it. It's amazingly salty.

Once the well starts to pump water, the lubrication on the polish rod goes away and it gets warm due to friction on the bushings. If you continue to pump it, the bushings can catch fire as you can pump all the water out and the bushing will over heat. You tend to learn over time how much a well can pump. When you first start with a well, you have to check it constantly. Even old old wells can usually run for at least 24 hours but you don't know that until you know it.

I would think that you could use the saltwater from the well for something. It has a strong petro chemical smell, but there must be a way to leech out the salts for preservatives or something. If nothing else, a dusty road covered with saltwater from a well will harden like pavement for a while. Re-apply as needed.

Well, enough about that. heh. I'm not sure who has made it all the way to the bottom here, but if you have any questions about oil wells I can probably answer them.

Great stuff Mal! I am wondering if everybody here is a genius? Lots of good data from you folks. Thank you and keep up the good work.

Now, how do we refine it?

[Beetle]

Yes, you can use PVC pipe, sealed as a storage container, and bury it. It's actually a recommended way to do long term storage for items you want to cache away.



The virus, whatever it was... killed most people. but not you? Perhaps you were immune to it? Perhaps you got it and you lived and are NOW immune to it? Perhaps you're a carrier....




All good items to have. And you're at the point where you're now living. There's nothing in the way of civilization left, so you're using the materials from those long-gone to stay alive.....



Again, you might be immune. As most of you are aware some of the first types of biological warfare was to pass smallpox infected blankets to the Indians. Before that, launching plague victims' bodies using catapults over the walls of a city.

So - yes, you can disinfect (at the risk of getting infected of course) but you could also find non-infected items in, say a store, assuming there's anything left there....



Two things... 1) Taking a different route back (good and bad). Good in that people aren't tracking you perhaps, bad in that if you don't know the area you might get into trouble. Then again, this is "survival mode" so you can make it through.

2) Making friends with the locals. ABSOLUTELY. Humans, ultimately are social creatures and being alone for a long time is probably not as healthy as you might think. I know spending weeks in the woods alone is not fun. I've done it before. It's... disconcerting to run across other people when you THINK you're alone and after a time you become suspicious of everything and everyone. Making friends is a GOOD thing.



In survival, all creatures, great and small are fair game.

Thanks for the input Rick! It is a learning process. I appreciate everybody's feedback.

I thought about the different route thing. In my role play, I decided to take a different route to see if there were survivors in the Amish Community, not to protect my six. After thinking about it a bit, I think you may be right to take a route back that you would know. Expecially having a horse and wagon. To outlaws or other survivors, a horse alone would be worth killing me over. So, I would say a recon mission into town more then once and taking different routes to learn the area would be necessary (without the horse and wagon).

[American Patriot]

Thanks for the input Rick! It is a learning process. I appreciate everybody's feedback.

I thought about the different route thing. In my role play, I decided to take a different route to see if there were survivors in the Amish Community, not to protect my six. After thinking about it a bit, I think you may be right to take a route back that you would know. Expecially having a horse and wagon. To outlaws or other survivors, a horse alone would be worth killing me over. So, I would say a recon mission into town more then once and taking different routes to learn the area would be necessary (without the horse and wagon).

Right. I think my point would be taking a different route without KNOWING the route could be dangerous and put you someplace you don't wish to be.

In normal, everyday life, I have several routes to and from work. And I change them often. I rarely take the same route to or from work every day.

I do that NOW, on a daily basis. It's also a survival mechanism.

[Beetle]

Right. I think my point would be taking a different route without KNOWING the route could be dangerous and put you someplace you don't wish to be.

In normal, everyday life, I have several routes to and from work. And I change them often. I rarely take the same route to or from work every day.

I do that NOW, on a daily basis. It's also a survival mechanism.

I have superstition in me. If things are going well, I dress the same way, drive the same route, pretty much stay in the same routine. Then when things start to change, I change and when things start working well again, I take up the new routine.

Strange, I know, but I am like that. I played on a baseball (I was a catcher) and we went 22-1 for the season. I wouldn't wash the winning dirt off my uniform. I hide my uniform from Mom because I knew she wouldn't understand. It was ripe, but it had all the winning dirt on it. I had a cut off shirt that I wore under my pads in Football. At one point the thing smelt like ammonia and could walk to my locker on it's own, but I still wore it. I would tell the guys on my team that the other team may tackle me once, but they wont want to tackle me twice.

So, I will have to lose some of them superstitions now. Not going to be easy for me. I know it is superstition and has nothing to do with the events of the day, but I still do the things I do. And the worst part is, I can not tell you why I am that way.

[Beetle]

And did I ever tell you guys that I was a tail back when I played football?

When I ran out on the field, the Coach would yell, 'get your tail back here'.

[Malsua]

I was an Assback. All they ever saw of me was my ass and back. I didn't like jocks much. To look at them would elicit this http://www.geocities.com/hollywood/9...s/threatme.wav

[American Patriot]

I have superstition in me. If things are going well, I dress the same way, drive the same route, pretty much stay in the same routine. Then when things start to change, I change and when things start working well again, I take up the new routine.

This is not superstition (though you might consider it superstition). Human beings, in general are resistive and some times violently reactive to change. I freely admit "I hate change" and some things I do, like take different routes to work is not something I took lightly.

Given my job/career and my years and years of experience with things that enforce change upon people (like crime, terrorism, and the military) I reluctantly chose "change" as a normal existence.

Thus - my reasoning for taking new routes is based not on a necessity - not really, but a caring for keeping my ass alive. People who are attacked by terrorists, or grabbed for information, killed in foreign countries invariably had one thing in common. They did NOT vary their lifestyle one bit.

I know of a particular incident where two individuals were targeted and subsequently murdered in a particular country. Both of them actually worked for the CIA, neither had any connection with the "intelligence" side of things, but worked on communications equipment.

Both were stalked for weeks and killed one more. Innocent guys who both left behind young wives and children. All they had to do was avoid going the same route every day and they'd likely be alive - or at least made it more difficult to get killed.

Strange, I know, but I am like that. I played on a baseball (I was a catcher) and we went 22-1 for the season. I wouldn't wash the winning dirt off my uniform. I hide my uniform from Mom because I knew she wouldn't understand. It was ripe, but it had all the winning dirt on it. I had a cut off shirt that I wore under my pads in Football. At one point the thing smelt like ammonia and could walk to my locker on it's own, but I still wore it. I would tell the guys on my team that the other team may tackle me once, but they wont want to tackle me twice.

haha

So, I will have to lose some of them superstitions now. Not going to be easy for me. I know it is superstition and has nothing to do with the events of the day, but I still do the things I do. And the worst part is, I can not tell you why I am that way.

As I said in this game it's a game. Do what you will, but always, without fail EXPECT the UNEXPECTED!

[Beetle]

I was an Assback. All they ever saw of me was my ass and back. I didn't like jocks much. To look at them would elicit this http://www.geocities.com/hollywood/9...s/threatme.wav

I can understand.

I loved to play ball. I wasn't bad at baseball. I liked catching because you were in every play. I could remember what the guy did at his last at bat and I would adjust the pitching and fielders accordingly. I was taught that the catcher is the commander on the field. You direct the players and keep their head in the game. I made All Stars two years of little league and two years of Pony League. I rarely let the ball get past me. My Dad was a catcher and he coached me well when I was little.

I did go to work the last couple of years of HS and stopped playing around. I liked making money better. I did run Cross Country and played on the Golf Team my Senior year. I played golf for fun and ran CC to get in shape for the Army. I suck at golf. I hate the sport. I have a slice I never could correct (they tell me I havea baseball swing). Well, there is a set of clubs at the bottom of a pond in Billerica, MA. They 'fell' in the pond in the late 80's sometime and I have never played since. I call myself a fisherman now.

At least I can use fishing skills in a situation.

Enough of this babble!



Now, one thing in this scenerio that we have been talking about. I am in the woods and I have some distance between me and most of my loved ones. I would want to join the fight, but I would also want to go help my family survive. With everything down, and being out in the woods, how would you know anything at all? I have some radios, but batteries wont last forever. After the batteries go, you are not going to know if it is safe in one area or not, you are not going to know anything. So, I think if I didn't know everybody was affected, I would chance trying to go help my family. That could prove to be a wrong move though.

[Beetle]

This is not superstition (though you might consider it superstition). Human beings, in general are resistive and some times violently reactive to change. I freely admit "I hate change" and some things I do, like take different routes to work is not something I took lightly.

Given my job/career and my years and years of experience with things that enforce change upon people (like crime, terrorism, and the military) I reluctantly chose "change" as a normal existence.

Thus - my reasoning for taking new routes is based not on a necessity - not really, but a caring for keeping my ass alive. People who are attacked by terrorists, or grabbed for information, killed in foreign countries invariably had one thing in common. They did NOT vary their lifestyle one bit.

I know of a particular incident where two individuals were targeted and subsequently murdered in a particular country. Both of them actually worked for the CIA, neither had any connection with the "intelligence" side of things, but worked on communications equipment.

Both were stalked for weeks and killed one more. Innocent guys who both left behind young wives and children. All they had to do was avoid going the same route every day and they'd likely be alive - or at least made it more difficult to get killed.



haha



As I said in this game it's a game. Do what you will, but always, without fail EXPECT the UNEXPECTED!

Yea, I can understand why one would change their route and that is not superstition. Just pure survival. But not changing your route because all seems to be going well is superstition. And I do that and don't know why. And I have done these kind of things all my life. I can't say it is because I don't like change, because let the tide turn sour in my life and I start putting my right sock on first instead of my left. That is superstition and silly, but I do it.

And here is the kicker: I believe that people create their own luck in life. Someone may say you are lucky that you survived. No, I put myself in the situation a few times, taught myself the basics, and preparred my needs ahead of time. I created my own luck. I am not going to survive because I put my left sock on first. But if I am surving while I put my left sock on first, that is the way it will stay until things start to change on me. I think that is weird, but I do it anyway.

[Beetle]

Now, one thing in this scenerio that we have been talking about. I am in the woods and I have some distance between me and most of my loved ones. I would want to join the fight, but I would also want to go help my family survive. With everything down, and being out in the woods, how would you know anything at all? I have some radios, but batteries wont last forever. After the batteries go, you are not going to know if it is safe in one area or not, you are not going to know anything. So, I think if I didn't know everybody was affected, I would chance trying to go help my family. That could prove to be a wrong move though.

I got it! Problem solved for a while. I am in a campground here. Most Motor homes have a radio in them. There are RV batteries all over the campground. Each camper has at least one and there are boats everywhere too. I have four deep cell batteries in my motorhome, but I have a backup system. In anycase, you could swap out batteries for some time around here and then acquire car batteries. I don't think a car battery would last as long as a deep cell, but I think it would work for a while. No?

I have never seen a car battery in a camper. Anybody? I am pretty sure I have only seen the deep cells.

[American Patriot]

I got it! Problem solved for a while. I am in a campground here. Most Motor homes have a radio in them. There are RV batteries all over the campground. Each camper has at least one and there are boats everywhere too. I have four deep cell batteries in my motorhome, but I have a backup system. In anycase, you could swap out batteries for some time around here and then acquire car batteries. I don't think a car battery would last as long as a deep cell, but I think it would work for a while. No?

I have never seen a car battery in a camper. Anybody? I am pretty sure I have only seen the deep cells.

Motor homes... = solar panels on many of them. Viola, charged batteries, assuming they still work.

[American Patriot]

Yea, I can understand why one would change their route and that is not superstition. Just pure survival. But not changing your route because all seems to be going well is superstition. And I do that and don't know why. And I have done these kind of things all my life. I can't say it is because I don't like change, because let the tide turn sour in my life and I start putting my right sock on first instead of my left. That is superstition and silly, but I do it.

And here is the kicker: I believe that people create their own luck in life. Someone may say you are lucky that you survived. No, I put myself in the situation a few times, taught myself the basics, and preparred my needs ahead of time. I created my own luck. I am not going to survive because I put my left sock on first. But if I am surving while I put my left sock on first, that is the way it will stay until things start to change on me. I think that is weird, but I do it anyway.

I believe in making your own luck.

The more you practice something, the better you get at it. Luck, as in finding something to live off is one thing. KNOWING where to look for that deer, or the rifle, bullet, or how to make a bow and arrow... then you MAKE your luck.

You have a better than even chance of running across a deer in the wild. You have a better than even chance of getting that deer if you KNOW how to make a bow, shoot it and kill something.

[Beetle]

Motor homes... = solar panels on many of them. Viola, charged batteries, assuming they still work.

Yes, I would think solar panels would work well with deep cell batteries because they are recharchable. I don't think car batteries are recharchable.

How do you make Field expediate solar panels?

I guess, what I would do in this role play scenerio, I would recon houses for the solar panels. Once I found some, I would take the wagon to the houses and aquire them and the wireing.

[Beetle]

http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/2009/...make-gasoline/

I haven't watched all the videos. It will take me all evening to download the videos because of my connection speed out here in the boondocks.

It is probably a low level explanation, but it is a start.

Hey, what are you lauging at? I plan on being a oil tycoon after the SHTF!

[Beetle]

Well fellas, I gotta go for a while. I have to go to Walmart. I hate going to Walmart too. It is 25 miles from here and it seems like you walk about 25 miles in the store too. I hate it when they move stuff on me and then I end up wondering all over looking for it. Pisses me off when that happpens. I think they do it on purpose. I need a clear shower curtain or two. I am going to hang it on the canapy of my boat to black the wind when I am cruising. It is getting cold. I need insulation for my outside water line too. I said that so I don't forget.

OH, don't make me go!

Alright, I am going now.

But for the fun of it, I am going to ask the greeter at Walmart if he/she knows if they sell boxes of grid squares; and if they fall for that one I am going to ask them if they sell PickleSniffers. I don't know if I could say PickleSniffer with a straight face though.