TWD-The farm debacle...

[Oberoth]

Spoiler alert! The following has spoilers about The Walking Dead graphic novel.

So I have seen recently (since episode two of TWD) that people are asking why Hershel's farm is so clear of a zombie presence. I suspect that this is from people who have not read the comic because in the comic that farm doesn't stay zombie safe for long. In fact they get another visit from a zed herd. In the TV show we have to keep in mind that they have just arrived at the farm and have been there only about a day. The farm is isolated by a forest of trees and oddly enough fields for farming. They are fenced in as well by a cattle fence (witch can be seen as Rick runs up with Carl in his arms). Also I suspect that Otis was the one who took out any stragglers that got too close. But now that Evil Shane has killed him off, Hershel & family don't have him around to help with that. Not to mention that Otis ran that farm for them. Now Hershel will have to take up the slack and he is not a young man anymore. Also he may have certain knowledge that no one else has about running said farm, or what direction the zed stragglers come from usually. But I digress.

So why is the farm free from zombies at the moment? And how have they lived this long?

A. Isolation
B. Otis

[ZINO]

wow N1

[azazel1024]

My only "issue" is just the total lack of any lookouts. Doesn't seem like anyone is really keeping an eye out for Zeds even simply from the house. I haven't see last night's episode yet (I will tonight), but it bothers me also that Herschel and company seem to want their visitors to leave. Don't you want safety in numbers? A spread that large and vulnerable I'd want at least a dozen people. That's enough to do some farming, scavenging and maintain at least limited security. It'd still be run over with a big group of zeds though.

Minimum at night I'd want 2 people awake and prowling around the outside of the house, or else build a watch tower/observatory on the roof of the house accessible from inside that has a 360 degree view around (still two people awake and in it, one to wake up the other one if they fall asleep worst case scenario). 4hr shifts 24/7 for everyone. With 12 people, or more, you have 1 4hr shift per day (or less with more people) and each day you change the time, that way about every 3-4 days you'd have a late night/early morning shift and have a few days to recover from only getting a few hours of sleep.

Better scenario would be to have twice that many people and be able to have 2 people in the observatory/prowling around the outside of the house and 2 people prowling the property, but near by. Maybe 200-500yds out near the edge or the woods or just inside the edge of the woods. A flashlight to use to signal back to the house. Work on fencing the property, concentrating on lines of defence building up around the house first, then outside that house and any farm buildings and then around the property as a whole at least 30yds inside of any of the woods. With, I assume, a bunch of farms around they could probably salvage barbed wire, fence posts, etc from a number of farms, either in situ or in supply buildings/barns. Even if it is only a cattle height fence that might be enough to stop zeds if it is nice and sturdy (fence posts every 6ft, a couple of dozen strands of good barbed wire between posts). The walking dead zeds don't seem to be much in to climbing.

[dargo83]

well heres a problem with ur logic ur thinking like the rest of us who play this game and have been playing zombie games for years. remember in the walking dead uinverse there were no romero movies so no one knows about zombies and thuse they dont think in that mentality. to them if they dont see one they dont think about it ignorance is bliss to them. they are so far off the beaten path that in 2 episodes they have come across 1 dead head so far. i keep on telling my girl friend (who both watches it with me and plays DR as well) that there is somthing hidden on the farm. i think theres a death prest in the bastment or something else sinister they r hiding.

[Oberoth]

That's right Dargo. There are no zombies in TWD pop culture. They are just average people thrust into the situation. Also remember that they are GUESTS on Hershel's farm and are abiding by his rules and again have only been there a couple days now. Also Hershel an co were doing fine before Rick and the others showed up. He says it himself that they don't normally take in strangers. Rick and co are the bad guys here actually. Setting up fences and such like Azazel suggested would take allot of story telling to convey to the audience. Then it wouldn't be TWD. It would be a story about people setting up fences. What I think people don't understand is that farm really is in the boonies. They didn't convey how far from the highway they really are in the episodes due to cut scenes (to keep the story moving).

[Oberoth]

My only "issue" is just the total lack of any lookouts. Doesn't seem like anyone is really keeping an eye out for Zeds even simply from the house.

Rick covered this in the most recent episode. Though the rest not carrying weapons is a bad idea for everyone.

Edit: If I was in that situation they wouldn't EVER get me to part with my weapon. I'd give them the finger and tell them to %^&* off. I would even go as far as going it alone if it became such a big issue.

[dargo83]

thank you oberoth for seeing my point we in this world the real world are blessed my the vastness of the zombie stuff we have at our finger tips on the web and in the media. like i could go on the web right now and pull up google and find litterly dozens of sites deticated to zeds. and like i said in my other post ignorance is bliss they dont see them there for they dont exist. also i am with u on the fact if they try and tell me that i cant carry my gun i would tell them they r sol i and trained in the use and matnence of my weapons. i was trained in the use of firearms from both the military and now that i am out i am licenced in the civilion world as well. but i get where they r coming from an untrained person would be more dangeres then a zed any day.

[azazel1024]

Yeah after watching it last night, my issue is still the look outs. Seems like they just don't have enough. They might be way out in the boonies, but that doesn't stop a couple of hundred from wandering by all of the sudden even if a "herd" is few and far between. It only takes one.

I also would be unwilling to part with at least a handgun if I was wandering more than about 200yds from the house/camp. I'd be willing to keep in a vehicle, on the horse or (if possible) out of sight, but wandering more than 200yds away, and ain't no fuzzy way I'd go unarmed.

I certainly agree with following Herschel's requests, so long as it is at least possible to discuss them, but at the same time, unresonable requests are still unresonable.

I certainly also understand story telling would be pretty bland if it was a couple of episodes of "fortify" and then standing behind the bulwarks blasting zombies occasionally and going to scavenge. However, even with no "zombie fiction" in the world of TWD, it still seems to me that better observation and some limited "fortification" at some point should occur to a charater. Even if it is just things like setting up trip wires around the perimeter with flares and/or tin cans on the wire to alert them to zeds coming in.

[Severus Snape]

I would never - under any circumstances except to give it to my wife - part with a gun during the zombie apocalypse. Herschel is just swinging his man-pole, trying to establish dominance over Rick. Here's how the conversation would go if that were me instead of Rick:

Herschel: "You can't be on my property if you have weapons. You'll have to turn them over."
Me: "Hmmm...Is my son ok? You did the surgery, right?"
Herschel: "I don't see what that has to do with my request, but yes, and your son will be fine."
Me: "If he's going to be fine then..." Bang.
Herschel: "You shot me! I'm going to die now!"
Me: "You can have my gun if/when you pry it out of my cold, dead hands, Colonel Sanders." Bang.
Herschel: "gggamaoamfoaia......." Drip, drip, drip of blood from the 2 head wounds to the ground.
Me (turning to everyone else on the farm): "If anybody else thinks they can take my gun, give it a try. Otherwise, here's what we're gonna do to fortify this place..."

That's what would happen. It's the zombie apocalypse, and there are zed in the woods and on the highway (which isn't that far: go back a couple of episodes and you'll see where the chick on the horse tells them it's back up the highway a bit, then left and go for 2 miles). No way would I give up my only protection unless it was to give it to my wife so she could survive.

[Grell]

But then you 'd lose XP for avoiding unnecessary violence!

[Severus Snape]

But then you 'd lose XP for avoiding unnecessary violence!

I'd have to argue that the violence was necessary in this situation. He wants me to hand over the only thing I've got that I can defend myself with? And for what - so he can prove he's still in charge of his little house in the back woods? I think not.

And if I don't get the XP because the GM rules the violence is unnecessary, then I'll live with that. I won't live without my gun for any length of time.

[Grell]

At least you have your priorities!

[Oberoth]

I would never - under any circumstances except to give it to my wife - part with a gun during the zombie apocalypse. Herschel is just swinging his man-pole, trying to establish dominance over Rick. Here's how the conversation would go if that were me instead of Rick:

Herschel: "You can't be on my property if you have weapons. You'll have to turn them over."
Me: "Hmmm...Is my son ok? You did the surgery, right?"
Herschel: "I don't see what that has to do with my request, but yes, and your son will be fine."
Me: "If he's going to be fine then..." Bang.
Herschel: "You shot me! I'm going to die now!"
Me: "You can have my gun if/when you pry it out of my cold, dead hands, Colonel Sanders." Bang.
Herschel: "gggamaoamfoaia......." Drip, drip, drip of blood from the 2 head wounds to the ground.
Me (turning to everyone else on the farm): "If anybody else thinks they can take my gun, give it a try. Otherwise, here's what we're gonna do to fortify this place..."

That's what would happen. It's the zombie apocalypse, and there are zed in the woods and on the highway (which isn't that far: go back a couple of episodes and you'll see where the chick on the horse tells them it's back up the highway a bit, then left and go for 2 miles). No way would I give up my only protection unless it was to give it to my wife so she could survive.

I don't recall Hershel saying "hand over your guns" If I recall correctly it was more of a suggestion from Rick, to gain Hershel's trust.

[Severus Snape]

The whole farm thing is really starting to turn stupid. I love the show, but there's an entire barn filled with walkers, and NOBODY from Rick's band of survivors has even so much as heard any moaning coming from them? Really?