Welcome man! Yeah it is one of those things that you might have to chalk up...its a show. I totally understand about the vehicles as they were surrounded by tons of them they could have taken. Then the point about the loud ass bike, seems a little crazy or that it would def draw attention!

 

I'm with ya on the vehicles and the bike thing. I wouldn't be caught dead on a bike in an urban setting, but would be OK with in in a rural area.

As for swords... While they seem like they would be a great weapon, and actually they are, in the hands of a novice it would get you killed more than it would help you. They are not nearly as easy to use as say a hand gun. With years of training though, it would be a great weapon to use for the reason you mentioned. If they bring in Michonne and do her right she mentions that she had years of training in fencing I believe and took some martial arts if I remember right.

 

Swords are very cool, but I believe they have drawbacks if used against walkers.

First, A sword is a melee weapon. You have to be within reach of your opponent to kill him.

A sword is best used outdoors. Unless you have a short sword of European or Japanese design, you won't have space to maneuver.

Most people don't know how to use a sword effectively; they swing it like a baseball bat. All that does is waste energy.

If you used a sword against walkers, you'll need to penetrate the brain to kill it. I believe a swordsman would need to stand his ground, as running in a melee situation effects balance and striking power.

And most importantly: a sword needs maitenance like any other weapon. Keep it sharp and don't let it rust.

 

1. Also are swords easy to come by? I wouldn't know where to find one (or use one for that matter).
2. I agree about the vehicles - in fact I'm sure this has been mentioned on other threads, though I can see the attraction of having an RV - probably would swap it with a more modern version which is hopefully more reliable. I think with Dale though it has a sentimental value regarding his wife.
3. Daryl didn't pick the motorbike - it is his brother's. Apparently they cut a lot out of this episode (I watched it on tv in the UK the other night as the series is being repeated and they have cut even more out to squeeze it into an hour- not impressed) so don't know if they originally showed the discussion of going down to three vehicles - why Daryl is now on the motorbike rather than driving his truck from the first season.

4. Welcome!

 

First of all welcome to the forum and make yourself at home.

This is why I think they still take that thing around with them. A newer one would be much nicer but it wouldn't be the same for Dale.

I agree with everyone on the sword thing. You'd have to be trained, and you'd also have to be able to find the swords.

Oh, and they have Daryl riding the motorcycle because Norman Reedus somehow had to show off his bike riding skills! lol

These are all very good points, though.

 

You can order swords through the Internet. Use caution, because not every manufacturer or online shop sells quality swords. This seems especially the case with samurai swords.

You could call a pawn shop and ask if they have any swords, especially samurai swords from WWII.

I've recently seen adds in my local paper for an auction of WWII memorabila, including samurai swords.

 

It'd be quite difficult to buy one off the internet and get it delivered to you in time during a zombie apocalypse.

I know you were just helping ldncalling, but on topic none of those are possible unless you somehow know there's going to be an apocalypse and you stock up beforehand. But afterwards you'd have to find some kind of store that has swords and steal them from there, and I can't think of any stores that would have enough swords for a whole group.

 

That's why you need to be prepared!

 

That's all right Dragonsmack. I don't understand why we don't all carry swords in our normal every day life.

 

I'm with you on the other vehicles, but the bike does have some merits. First, motorcycles tend to be more fuel efficient than larger vehicles, certainly moreso than the RV. I'd like to think Daryl would have had the know-how to modify it and possibly make it quieter, but I don't know the first thing about how to do that or if it's even possible.

Second, in traffic snarls like the one they come across, the bike is smaller and easier to maneuver, so he can get ahead where the other vehicles can't to assess what they're facing.

Third, with a little willing suspension of disbelief, the same theory about the Charger could be applied to the bike. The sound echoing through the hills and valleys would be tough to pinpoint. In rural, unpopulated areas, attracting walkers wouldn't be too much of a concern, but I damn sure wouldn't take it into the cities.

And now I'll turn right around and argue against myself: The herd of walkers that comes through and screws up everyone's day? Suppose that was a random occurrence, or might they have been drawn to the road by the sound of the bike?

 

Hard telling what it was that was drawing them that direction. Maybe they heard that Daryl was passing out Slurppies?

 

I got a couple Civil war swords...does that count? I also have some short misc zombie swords...just in case I exhaust my nearly endless supply of AK and AR ammo

 

You cant pick off walkers from a distance with a sword, i would recommend finding some suppressors from a gun shop.

 

Ray, you have like a thousand weapons, do you own a gun store or something?

 

Yah now we know who's house to converge on with this stuff goes down.

 

definitelly, i told him in another post, if a ZA breaks loose, ill make sure of having him around, he must have more guns than Rambo

 

I have thought a lot about this...

One thing drives me crazy about the series (and also why I love it so much!!) these people (the characters) are so DUMB!

I will get to the sword thing in a minute, right idea wrong mideval weapon.

Remember WAAAAYYY back when they had that little camp at the quarry? What I thought of right off the bat was why the hell didnt they have a wooden palisade? There were plenty of small trees around. The romans built a fort everytime they broke camp for the day and took it with them the next. Now I realize man power was in some what short supply for "our heros" but its not like they had a lot to do each day either. I bet they could have built a small one (not enough for the vehicles) but enough so people could have slept in it without fear of night munchings. Also talk about easy to defend.

Now about the perfect low tech solution for zombie combat and killing. A polearm, spear or preferably a halberd. The big mistake these choades make, is closing with the enemy for hand to hand combat, each time risking a bite. With a spear or polearm you can rapidly take them out without getting too close, and since you only need to penetrate the brain the spear/polearm could be relatively small. Now I'm not just talking a 4-6 footer which would work, but you could have a 10-14 foot spear that really would not weigh that much. As far as training goes you really dont need any. The big thing back in the middle ages was that it took 100's of gold pieces to train a knight, when the Halberd (its a spear with an axe head on one side and a spike on the reverse) came along, a simple peasent could take them(knights on horse back) out with little or no training, weilding one of these. They actually outlawed them back in the day because they were so bad ass.

Finally what the freak is it with having no dogs around??? I mean even a little ankle biter would raise holy hell if he smelled a walker, AND long before they were "right on top" of you.

What do you all think?

 

None of the characters strike me as the craftsman carpenter type that can build a fortification like you mentioned. Rick & Shane are police officers, Glenn a pizza delivery guy, Dale...well he has a nifty hat, Daryl seems more into Nascar than Home Depot, and T-Dogg, like Dale we don't know what he is into only know...what he is NOT into and that is the women (so far the dude has not gotten even a 2nd glance from any of the playah hatin' beyatches!)... Whut up wit dat?!?... :Grin:
The spear thing is a great idea, but having dogs around might draw more zombies to you with their barking plus you have to make sure to feed and water them which would be a challenge, if you are constantly on the run and food is scarce as is...:shining: