(This for my friend Lucy who has a shiny and deliciously twisty blog).
For this Question of the Week, I ask you this –
What is the better weapon in the case of the zombie apocalypse, sword (most likely katana style) or shot gun?
Answers, as always, in the comments, and I’d like to know your reasoning as well.
It’s a distance vs needing ammo thing… for me it would totally depend on a) how infectious the zombies were and b) how fast…..
I’d have to go with the sword, given that the shotgun would run out of ammo at some point. I’d like quite a long sword, though. :-}
I’d have to agree with the above. Sword will beat the shotgun for long-term survivability unless:
– Zombies are faster than the traditional shambling husks making close proximity combat quite risky
– Ammo was not a concern, perhaps some prototype energy shotgun of some kind.
There is an argument that if just smashing the heads of the zombies is enough (rather than full decapitation) then I would potentially take the shotgun for emergencies and use other objects in the meantime (classic cricket/baseball bat, piping, etc) – plus if only infected via bite then the shotgun could make an ample melee weapon. Depending on ammo accessibility I’m actually leaning towards that school of thought now. It would definitely depend on the answers to Neko’s questions about speed and infectiousness though.
See, I like the thought of the sword, but you have to wait for the zombie to get CLOSE for it to work. Really increases the chance of getting bitten. Plus, they need a lot of strength to keep wielding consistently.
Guns give you the advantage of distance and more (potential) kills at once. But, as you have all pointed out, there is the ammo consideration. A shotgun could serve a second purpose as a cudgel-type weapon.
Neko – re infectiousness: one bite = uh-oh, zombie time. A scratch gives you a 50/50 chance of becoming a zombie, depending on how quickly you get the wound disinfected.
re speed: I am leaning towards more modern zombies, with a decent turn of speed. Not Usain Bolt fast, but definitely more troublesome than an old fashioned Shambler.
I’m not just thinking about a recent Zombie Apocalypse show here, i’m actually basing this answer on personal experience… from a zombie game called Project Zomboid :P, but considering the noise, attention grabbing power and ammo requirements of the shotgun I go with the sword (or the baseball bat with nails in, in-game).
I am starting to see that I need to work on my upper body strength and sword fighting skills if I am going to survive the Zombie Apocalypse.
Not that I will survive. I am destined to be one of the first to die, I just know it.