In Case of Survival

Tavia will be at PAX PRIME 2012!

Posted on August 2, 2012March 7, 2024 by tavia.

I’m packing up my bug out back and traveling to Seattle, because In Case of Survival well be covering all things video game related and apocalyptic, dystopian and fringe for your pleasure.

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Is there anything you definitely want us to cover for you at PAX Prime?

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You’re our friends, we give a shit if you get what you want.

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Check out the site and hit us up with comments: http://prime.paxsite.com/

Finally, if you hear about something awesome (for example, I got a free copy of Rift at PAX East) that I should make sure to snag for a giveaway or review, let me know in the comments or on twitter @ApocalypticLife.

YAY!

(While you’re here, check out our gaming archive)

So, I don't know what day it is.

Posted on July 26, 2012March 7, 2024 by tavia.

Apparently today is Thursday. Has been all day. Unfortunately it took me until about 5:00pm to fully come to terms with this. I don’t know how or why, but I seem to have skipped a day and lost track of time.

I was there, at work actually, for all of these days.

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I think.

I even looked at my calendar last night and thought I’d placed things in the wrong days because I was convinced yesterday was Tuesday. I was convinced that my calendar was wrong and I didn’t have any appointments today so I could use this spare time to prep for my Thursday meetings.

Oh, today is Thursday?! Well… Now, I have a 10am meeting, a post or two to write, and a looming deadline tomorrow.

While I can’t give any insight as to how or why this happens I think either I had a stroke and didn’t realize it or Char isn’t the only one suffering from being disorganized. And Ann isn’t the only one suffering from sleep deprivation.

Taking care of self and making the time to make sure you’re in a healthy, sane space will make present and post-apocalyptic life safe and bearable.

Normally everything is a joke to me. But today I was concerned. How had I be going so hard that I didn’t know what day it was?

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Why couldn’t I remember where I disconnected from the functional basics of daily life?

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We’ve talked about mental health and morale here before. And while I’m not a medical professional or a patient, as a person, I can — sometimes not soon enough– recognize my own signs of damage.

For instance: I should know what day it is. I shouldn’t feel sad about waking up. I shouldn’t feel overwhelmed at the thought of adding buying toilet paper to my to-do list.

Mental health and emotional well-being are about more than being depressed or not being depressed, being sick or not being sick.

Sometimes it’s just about being in balance and taking care of yourself– more than physically.

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Check out this checklist from Lisa Kift Therapy of some questions you should ask yourself every once in a while.

There is no right or wrong with this checklist but can hopefully guide you either celebrate the great place you’re in or to consider further work around sensitive areas.

So now I know today is Thursday and tomorrow is Friday and I have to take the time to sit down and honestly ask myself how I’m doing sometimes.

Then, if I don’t like those answers I owe it to myself and my family to course correct.

Post-Apocalyptic Would You Rather

Posted on July 12, 2012March 7, 2024 by tavia.

Would You Rather is a game where you’re tasked with choosing between two terrible things you don’t want. It’s usually nasty things like, “seeing you parents have sex or your parents seeing you having sex.” Ew. Not a game I like playing.

So I changed it up a bit. I’m curious about what everyone thinks is a better or worse apocalyptic scenario. Keep in mind, my day job is in market research so I’m kind of curious and inquisitive by nature AND training.

Would You Rather: Aliens or Robots?

Aliens could swoop in and just burn this place to the ground, or they could infiltrate and slowly destroy us from the inside out.

Robots, usually through some failing or hubris or man, would likely become a vital part of our societies then snap like JLo in Enough.

[poll id=”6″]

Would You Rather: City or Country?

Surviving in the City would not only mean scavenging and crumbling structures, but also pre-made everything to use or live in.

Surviving in the country would mean starting from scratch, catching or growing food, and braving the wildlife.

[poll id=”7″]

Would You Rather: Slavery or Rebellion?

Both seem like so much work! At least with slavery you have food and shelter and consistency. On the other hand, rebels can take naps and drink and fornicate at will.

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[poll id=”8″]

Would You Rather: A Dictator or Anarchy?

While I never paid much mind to government, I hear dictators make it their business to be touch the lives of all their subjects in some way. Fall in line and it could be a good way.

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Anarchy could be chaotic and upsetting, or you could just slip out the back and go check out the country living. And when the bandits come to raid your homestead you’re free to shoot them and string them up as a warning to any who come after.

[poll id=”9″]

Would You Rather: Lose everyone at once or Lose everyone over time?

It’s like pulling of a band-aid, do it fast and then get over it.

Alternatively, you could utilize the skills and build relationships with people overtime.

Both would probably drive you mad.

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*shrugs*

[poll id=”10″]

Would You Rather: Eat People or be a Vegan?

They both have their downsides. Murder on the one hand and being Vegan on the other…

[poll id=”11″]

Would You Rather: Lose an Arm or Lose a Leg?

Things are going to fall, lasers might be fired… Which do you value the least, your arm or your leg?

[poll id=”12″]

Would You Rather: Survive with your Mom or you Dad?

Yup. When you think of people the least likely to survive an apocalypse, you’re parents are probably on there. Mine are. Bare in mind that you’ll probably have to watch them die when they lose their glasses or stop and ask a bandit for directions.

[poll id=”13″]

Would You Rather: Your Co-Workers or Your Neighbors?

Honestly, I wouldn’t know my neighbors if the walked up and punched me in the face.

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They don’t look especially durable…

Co-workers, well, I spend eight hours a day with them and certainly don’t go home and miss them…

[poll id=”14″]

Would You Rather: Candy Forever or Dehydrated Fruits and Vegetables Forever?

Imagine you and your band of survivors come across a factory that you can defend and live in. Inside is a nearly unlimited supply of food… Kind of.

[poll id=”15″]

Would You Rather: Be Hunted and Loyal or Be Safe and a Traitor?

So say there’s an antagonist, be it the government, or aliens, or an oligarchy, or Amazons. This antagonist finds out that you and yours are not playing like they’d like you to be.

They offer you a choice, give up the goods and help them find the others or take a head start and try to protect your neck.

[poll id=”16″]

If you have any suggestions for other tough choices or would like to elaborate on your decisions above, talk to us via the comments below.

Review: Episode Two: Starved For Help (The Walking Dead Game)

Posted on July 6, 2012 by tavia.

Episode Two: Starved for Help [1. This title was provided for review by Telltale Games.] of The Walking Dead is more than aptly named and twice as terrifying as episode one.

I’ll try not to spoil anything from Starved for Help but will spoil Episode One: A New Day. You should have played it by now.

In Episode Two: Starved for Help we find ourselves holed up at a motel dangerously low on supplies and patience with the challenge of not only rationing what we have but also taking charge as an effective leader.

I let Carly die in Episode One: A New Day so I could have humble tech expert Doug around incase we need to rig up a generator or something. Also I liked his meekness rather than over-confident bravado. He, to me, was practical and level headed. Unfortunately, in Episode Two: Starved for Help he just kind of sits around feeling guilty for being alive and being more or less useless.

Curse my soft heart.

This time I wanted to be more calculating. I had a new party member, Mark, who was good at everything, including being the ideal party member! I sort of rescued some high school kids and their teacher and quickly learned that Katjaa is not a doctor.

I felt Episode One: A New Day centered around what kind of person you want to be or, at the very least, the kind of person you want people to think you are. Episode Two: Starved for Help centered around how well you trust and act on your own instincts. It’s more about moral choices than social ones. I can’t say I made all the most moral choices but damn did I have to think deeply about them.

This episode of The Walking Dead is seriously gut-wrenching. Every decision feels both right and wrong; satisfying and regrettable.

My Party for Episode Two: Starved for Help (in order of who I like the most):

Lee	Clementine	Doug
Kenny	Lilly	Katjaa
Duck	Larry

Keep in mind this game is not as playful as many games. It’s deep an heavy and people die and it’s still fun in a sick and empowering way.

[Rating:4]

(It’s on my shortlist of rations receivers.)

Now I’d like to visit Spoiler City to discuss and validate my decisions in Episode Two: Starved for Help:

1. I chopped David’s leg off. I didn’t really feel like I had a choice. I guess I did but I’d have rather have given in the option of being shot or one-legged. Instead it was leave him to die or hang out and hack his leg off. Fuck that was an unpleasant experience.

2. I fed Mark (what a waste!), Kenny, Clementine, Duck, and… I think Katjaa or Myself. I didn’t want to be light-headed and feeling the effects of choosing not to eat. Feed the kids because, duh. Kenny is my homeboy and I wanted Mark to stay forever… should have known random awesome new guy was too good to be true.

3. If I remember correctly, there were some bandits that I avoided rather than engage.

4. I waited to hear Jolene out. She was way crazy but she was making sense and those dairy farmer’s were definitely hiding something. Unfortunately Danny did not want to hear Jolene out and their wonderful little operation.

5. I tried really hard to keep Clementine from eating the food and somehow through my clumsy slow-motion gameplay I managed to stop her in the nick of time.

6. I’m apparently an asshole but I helped (did it myself) kill Larry. That fucker was a loose cannon waiting to go off and he was going to turn into a zombie! An angry racist (?), judgmental, zombie!

7. I killed Danny. He sucked so very much and was quite dangerous. I know Clem was watching but he wanted to eat people slowly over days and was an overall evil monster.

8. I “spared” Andy knowing he’d be fucked on his own so, really I saw it as a choice between quick death and slow death.

9. I’m the greed dick who took your supplies. Who leaves their car full of awesome valuable just laid out like a trap except with no trap?! I assume you’re already dead; and if not, you deserve to be looted and I hope you learned a valuable lesson.

[/wpspoiler]

Your Post-Apocalyptic Tribe: Dress for Success

Posted on July 5, 2012March 7, 2024 by tavia.

Does anyone remember that show The Tribe about all the kids left over after a disease kills all the adults? They kids banded together in tribes based on their needs, interests, and location (e.g.: The Mall Rats). You could tell a lot about a person in that world based on how they looked and what they wore.

In the post-apocalypse you might want people to know who you’re allied with or where you’re from. It could mean the difference between being shot on sight or welcomed with open arms.

Now, I wouldn’t recommend tattooing your affiliation post-apocalypse. While it’s the permanent method that many gang members and sub-cultures seem to be fond of nowadays, it’s also potentially fatal if not done by a fully sanitized and licensed professional. You want to go through all the trouble of finding a group to belong to and then dying of tetanus right after your initiation?

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Not a good look.

Colors, also a gang favorite, are another great way to show your affiliation. But colors are going to be hard to find and be selective about come the end times. Also, if you’re team chooses red and their team chooses blue, the robots will still find all of you way more easily than if you all wore army green and hid in the forest.

Where you choose to hide, or set up for the long haul, will heavily impact not only who you’re associated with but also how you’ll need to dress to survive that environment. We here at In Case of Survival are all about practical[1. Psyche, we’re the least practical bitches on the earth.] survival.

If you’re residing in the sewers, you should have some goggles and a wrench and some sturdy boots for wading through muck and tightening drippy pipes. If you’re in the forests, you’ll need flexible shoes for climbing and stealthy movement, also a lot of form-fitting clothes so they don’t get caught on things.

More to the point of post-apocalyptic tribes, you’ll need to consider how to merge both recognizably and practicality. If everyone looks like a hobo then no one likes someone you’d trust. Would you invite a hobo into your house, campsite, or country club?

Well maybe you’re a better person than I am, but I sure as shit wouldn’t.

Dos and Don’ts When Dressing Your Post-apocalyptic Tribe:

DO dress for your environment– both weather and terrain.

DO make room for weapons relevant to your environment and any enemies you might encounter.

DON’T go for garish colors or accessories– this is how the robots will spot you. Everyone in bright colors will die first.

DON’T let the tribe members get too flexible with the dress code.

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DO have something that’s difficult to replicate in a pinch like being black, or bald or tall or …

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Well those aren’t really feasible. Hair dye! Nail Polish! Piercings (though, like tattoos, there is a health risk involved).

Any other suggestions for dressing your post-apocalyptic tribe for success?

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Why is no one talking about Revolution?

Posted on June 29, 2012March 6, 2024 by tavia.

Once and only once I saw a commercial for the upcoming NBC pop-apocalypse show Revolution. Normally when this happens I think nothing of it because pilots come and go like sunsets.

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But this actually looks like something worth watching — if you know to look for it.

Revolution is a J.J. Abrams and Jon Favreau baby. The show depicts life 15 years after a global blackout. From the preview it feels a lot like what Jericho would have grown up to be if people had a bit more cowboy in them rather than ranch hand (as a personified noun, not what the show would have evolved into). There’s gun-slinging, sword fighting, and apparently crossbows grow on trees.

You might recognize the main actress as one of the wierdo werewolf twins from Being Human (US) and the warlord as the kingpin from Breaking Bad.

Check out the official trailer and summary from NBC:

Our entire way of life depends on electricity. So what would happen if it just stopped working? Well, one day, like a switch turned off, the world is suddenly thrust back into the dark ages. Planes fall from the sky, hospitals shut down, and communication is impossible.

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And without any modern technology, who can tell us why?

Now, 15 years later, life is back to what it once was long before the industrial revolution: families living in quiet cul-de-sacs, and when the sun goes down, the lanterns and candles are lit. Life is slower and sweeter. Or is it?

On the fringes of small farming communities, danger lurks. And a young woman’s life is dramatically changed when a local militia arrives and kills her father, who mysteriously – and unbeknownst to her – had something to do with the blackout.

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This brutal encounter sets her and two unlikely companions off on a daring coming-of-age journey to find answers about the past in the hopes of reclaiming the future.

From director Jon Favreau (“Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2”) and the fertile imaginations of J.J. Abrams and Eric Kripke (“Supernatural”), comes a surprising “what if” action-adventure series, where an unlikely hero will lead the world out of the dark. Literally.

Tune in to the series premiere on September 17th (MONDAYS) 10/9C and check out NBC’s official site for more information.

Finally! | The Walking Dead – Episode Two: Starved for Help

Posted on June 27, 2012 by tavia.

With such an amazing Episode One of The Walking Dead I was growing more and more devastated every day that Episode 2 didn’t show itself. Well, The Walking Dead – Episode Two: Starved for Help has finally come out of hiding.

As promised, this episode will feature all new scenarios and decisions. New characters will be introduced and old characters– if you didn’t see them to their death– will return.

Rather than dealing with the immediate aftermath of the zombie outbreak, Episode Two: Starved for Help deals with the group trying to settle in to life in the post-apocalypse. Food is running low and desperation is running high.

[wpspoiler name=”Check out the summary video for Episode One: A New Day (it’s Filled with SPOILERS):” ][/wpspoiler]

[wpspoiler name=”If you’ve already played episode 1 and you don’t mind seeing SPOILERS for Episode Two, check out the launch trailer.”]

[/wpspoiler]

Details from the Telltale Games Press Release

[wpspoiler name=”Details from the Telltale Games Press Release” ]

The Walking Dead is set in the world of Robert Kirkman’s award-winning comic book series. Lee Everett, a man convicted of a crime of passion, has been given the chance for redemption in a world devastated by the undead. Players experience life changing events, meet new characters and familiar ones from the original comic, and also visit locations that foreshadow the story of Deputy Sherriff Rick Grimes. The Walking Dead offers a tailored game experience – player actions, choices, and decisions affect how the story plays out across the entire series.

The Walking Dead: Episode Two – Starved for Help is the second in a series of five episodes. Each episode is available for 400 Microsoft®Points on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360® and for $4.99 per episode or as a $19.99 season pass on PlayStation®Network. The Walking Dead is also available as a $24.99 five-episode season pass on PC and Mac from the Telltale Online Store and other digital outlets.

The Walking Dead: Episode Two – Starved for Help is rated ‘M’ (Mature) for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, and Strong Language by the ESRB.

[/wpspoiler]

Watching Falling Skies? There's an App for That.

Posted on June 24, 2012March 7, 2024 by tavia.

Falling Skies, the TNT show about fighting back after a devastating alien invasion. The aliens are serious dicks. they don’t just invade and kill us, or harvest us, or even experiment on us. No, they kill the adults and enslave the children with mind-controlling, DNA-altering harnesses.

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Falling Skies chronicles the resistance movement, based it the best state in the union– Massachusetts, as they try everything from Molotov Cocktails to diplomacy to take back their planet.

Gritty and dark without making you feel too gritty or dark the show is well worth watching and talking about.

Well, if you’re looking for company or a bit of interactivity while you watch check out the official Falling Skies app available for both iOS and Android.

Open this free app while watching season two of FALLING SKIES and get trivia, polls, behind-the-scenes info and more, all matched up with what you’re seeing on your TV.

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The app will detect where you are in the program and serve up content to enhance your viewing experience.

And you won’t be alone—there’s a live, in-app chat for each episode, where you can share your own theories and thoughts with your fellow fans.

Be sure to keep the app open after the episode for the official FALLING SKIES post-show, 2ND WATCH, hosted by Wil Wheaton!

If you want a bit of extra information about the show and the characters, you can check out the other official Falling Skies app. though I’m not sure why they had to split all this into two apps or how long the utility of an app that’s based on what you can get from other sources like IMDB or Wikipedia or the official website or in other apps will last. But it exists.

The aliens have decimated our planet, but the fight isn’t over yet. Get the inside scoop on the battle for humanity by downloading the Falling Skies App from TNT.

Download the official Falling Skies app to access sneak peek video content, behind-the-scenes videos, cast bios, episode guides, Falling Skies comic book from Dark Horse Comics, full episodes, Falling Skies Facebbok and Twitter, and the 2nd Mass Defense Game App.

Download the app for free and join the fight for our planet’s survival!

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So if you don’t feel like doing the leg work to find out more about Falling Skies and have to space to spare on your device, grab one or both of the apps for before, during, and after Falling Skies.

He is Judge, Jury, and Executioner | Dredd (2012)

Posted on June 24, 2012 by tavia.

Here at In Case of Survival we’re just just about the apocalypse, not we’re about dystopian futures too. One of the classic dystopian touchstones is Judge Dredd, both the comic and the movie, where a super fortified Judge (jury and executioner) gets to make his way through the city enforcing the law with deadly force.

Well, if you’re not into old things or Sylvester Stallone’s version of acting, you’re in luck! A new movie, Dredd, based on the old concept will be out on September 21, 2012. Check out the blurb and the video below:

The future America is an irradiated waste land. On its East Coast, running from Boston to Washington DC, lies Mega City One- a vast, violent metropolis where criminals rule the chaotic streets. The only force of order lies with the urban cops called “Judges” who possess the combined powers of judge, jury and instant executioner. Known and feared throughout the city, Dredd (Karl Urban) is the ultimate Judge, challenged with ridding the city of its latest scourge — a dangerous drug epidemic that has users of “Slo-Mo” experiencing reality at a fraction of its normal speed.

During a routine day on the job, Dredd is assigned to train and evaluate Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), a rookie with powerful psychic abilities thanks to a genetic mutation. A heinous crime calls them to a neighborhood where fellow Judges rarely dare to venture- a 200 story vertical slum controlled by prostitute turned drug lord Ma-Ma (Lena Headey) and her ruthless clan. When they capture one of the clan’s inner circle, Ma-Ma overtakes the compound’s control center and wages a dirty, vicious war against the Judges that proves she will stop at nothing to protect her empire. With the body count climbing and no way out, Dredd and Anderson must confront the odds and engage in the relentless battle for their survival.

Web Series: The Resistance

Posted on June 23, 2012 by tavia.

The Resistance is a short web series set in a future where everyone has a disease that only one company has the cure for and that company isn’t about to give their best selling product away for the greater good.

The show is short but well-produced and action-packed introducing the cast or rebels in episode one with a violent Robin Hood-style robbery of a vaccine shipment.

Built on interlocking mysteries and growly bad-ass secretive protagonists, The Resistance is a great way to pass 15 to 20 minutes for a week or watch in one fell swoop as a movie as the SyFy channel aired it.

I think it’s worth checking out even though it’s not a long series or even an on-going series.

Currently, episodes one and two re available for free on Hulu.

Summary from the official The Resistance site:

Set in the dying world of Aurordeca, The Resistance is an action-packed thriller revolving around an epic tale of destiny and revenge. Syrus Primoris, a brilliant chemist, has taken control of the ten regions of Aurordeca in the wake of a devastating plague. Half the population is already dead. It is only Syrus and his miracle suppressant, Noxe, that can keep the other half from succumbing to the virus. In exchange, the people grant Syrus absolute power. Only one group stands in open opposition to the regime. The Aurordecan Resistance Movement (ARM), led by the fierce and driven Lana. ARM sees Syrus for the despot he truly is and fight tirelessly to find a cure for the disease and to free the people from their enslavement to the suppressant. But everything changes through a chance encounter with a mysterious and deadly drifter, Arclite..

I’d say this series is good enough to fill the gap between books you’re reading or shows you’re watching on Netflix if you want to give yourself a bit of a break without committing to anything too big.