Basically, want my character to have a unique preferred weapon that is a little out there. He's eccentric, goofy, and I'm looking for a weapon to match that for killing zombies. Originally, it was a slingshot, but don't think that could realistically be effective at killing zombies, and going for realism. Really trying to give each of my characters their own unique weapons and fighting styles, and having some trouble with the weapons, especially for him.
Also wasn't sure if bullwhips could be useful in the zombie apocalypse. One of my characters is a bounty hunter (actually, they all are), and wasn't sure if it could realistically be used to trip fleeing bounties.
I think you mentioned this in an older thread and some people agreed that melee weapons wouldn't be a good idea in a zombie apocalypse. I don't know what would be cooler than a macuahuitl though.
Blowgun? Hand-thrown darts? Now I'm picturing a bandoleer of small feathered projectiles draped over character's shoulder M-60 machine gun style. Or is that Poncho Vila style?
How hard is it to kill zombies? Slingshots are used for hunting and decent ones can take game as large as deer, so if zombies aren't more difficult to kill than deer, that's all your character needs. Carrying a pouch full of round balls is a lot easier than carrying a long blowgun and a bandolier of darts, or a dozen javelins, or ... https://huntingslingshots.net/ https://atlanticsurvivalgear.com/can-a-slingshot-kill-a-deer/
Melee weapons are not ideal but in an improvising context which characters who might not be trained or well-armed they might take whatever is to hand. OP if you want a slightly goofy weapon, what about one of those big mallets, of the style they use for carnival strength contest? Alternatively, a crossbow? Flamethrower? Ooh, ooh, a weed-whacker!
Yeah basically. Like this: The more absurdly colourful the better. A cringe weapon so garish it'll blind the zombies before they can fight back.
Little vials of Covid 19, wrapped in some of those popper fireworks that adolescent boys throw at each other on the 4th of July. It's some bad ass stuff, man and with tiny explosions to disperse the virus. They wouldn't stand a chance. Yeah, that's a joke, but why does it have to be a traditional but obscure weapon of war? And why is it they can only die by penetration of the brain? What if something completely scrambles the neural network the virus builds on the fly? An aerosol device that must be delivered to the zombie nose up close because it's 'half-life' is measured in milliseconds. And yes, they breathe, all animal movement that I know of requires oxygen to be delivered to the muscles. Certain common animal biology can't be short circuited. Otherwise, it's just magic, and nothing COULD kill them.
Blow darts was my initial inclination. Glad to see so many like-minded individuals on this thread! Boomerang would my next oddball weapon of choice.
the thing is that reality is dull.. the truth of the situation is that very little beats a shotgun loaded with buckshot up close, all the better if its mag fed for quick reloads... but that's boring, and after all you're dealing with a zombie adventure reality isn't your number one concern. Its the same with post apocalyptic stuff like Deathlands... in reality it would make sense to standardise your weapons so that everyone can use everyone elses ammo... and that would be easy to do if you're working out of ex military depots... but the readers don't want that so one character has a G12, another has a steyr aug, another has a .357 mag, another has a H&K MP7 and so on
Really thought about giving them weapons with similar ammo for that reason. Like, maybe one character has a 12-gauge pistol, while another has a sawed-off shotgun. But I think it might be pretty boring in that the characters won't have their "own" thing, if that makes sense. While guns are probably better for killing zombies if looked at in a vacuum, I'd imagine that having the loud sound of gunshots would be important to protect from other zombies and especially people (plus, bullets will still be hard-ish to come by if you're not really conservative with them, I'd imagine). Anyways, some good suggestions in this thread. Will go through a few posts. But, to give you guys a summary, here's some of the main characters, and their fighting styles: Jack -- The MAIN, main character. Goofy, dudebro, everyman. Think Starlord from Guardians of the Galaxy. For him, was thinking a slingshot (but, from this thread, obviously looking for alternatives), a pump-action shotgun, and maybe a 12-gauge pistol in his armpit holster. He likes playing with the zombies in that he fights to the beat of music and kills them to that. Not in a sick way, just a carefree way. The apocalypse is his sanctuary. It's perfect for him. No worrying about bills, or folding clothes, or doing dishes, or just having to be a responsible adult. Mick -- Sick, twisted, demented. Really gets a kick out of watching zombies explode, dismembering them, and just really playing with the zombies. Sawed-off double-barrel shotgun, and a large, serrated machete. Think a more gruesome Tallahassee from Zombieland. Staci -- Stoic, the "straight guy" of this trio (with the above two). She's like the Michonne from The Walking Dead of the group, even to the point where she's the love interest of the MC (Jack). Agile, the best technical fighter of the group. Bullwhip (for tripping-up and tying-up bounties), katana, and looking for a gun outside of just a pistol. Zoey -- The greenest of the group, and Jack's ex-wife. She found herself in an area, with a brutish man that could protect her, where she didn't really have to do much fighting. Doesn't really know how to fight, and can barely shoot a pistol, so her only weapon is her pistol that she gets better at using. Wouldn't make sense for her to have a bunch of weapons she doesn't know how to use (maybe Jack gives her his pistol). Think Eva Mendes in just about everything. Andy -- Zoey's new love interest of sorts. Huge, brutish, but dumb. Think Draxx from Guardians of the Galaxy. Ex-con with anger problems he's trying to work on through Buddhism throughout the story. Currently, have him using a t-baton (police baton with a side handle), his fists, and thought about a shotgun, but that might make it so there's too many shotguns. Would love if he could have something heavy, but not automatic, not a shotgun, and not insanely unrealistic. Thought maybe a kartika knife (knife used in rituals by Buddhists, I believe), but not sure if it'd be even semi-realistic for him to find one at a Buddhist temple in America (it's set near northern WV/southern PA, where there is a Hindu temple where a bunch of murders were committed from the 60s to 80s [Palace of Gold in Moundsville, WV, cool place to visit one time]).
Going to reply in bold in the quoted text Diablo muzzleloading pistol (12 gauge pistol): Kukri knife:
Forgot about this: Loading the Diablo. Obviously this guy is doing a bunch of semi-instructional chatter, but do you really want to go through this when facing a horde of slobbering Zeds?
Ah, yeah, that's not very practical. Knew the Diablo was double-barrel, didn't know how terrible it was to load. Anyways, thought about a kukri, but wanted something that was related to a Buddhist or Hindu ritual. Kinda a way in which my big, dumb character completely misunderstands his own religion. And thanks for the correction on the holster. I guess I got it mixed up because I have my character call it an armpit gun, lol. Probably a good call on the shotgun. Perhaps I could kill two birds with one stone, where maybe she initially uses a pistol, but then Jack swaps his shotgun with her pistol for the very reason you mentioned. This way, Zoey still gets a practical, point-and-shoot weapon that even a novice could handle, and Jack gets his own unique style (dual-wielding pistols). Still trying to figure out a good gun for Andy and Staci. I think dual-wielding Jack is unique enough, the sawed-off double-barrel fits Mick's need for destruction and gore, and a pump-action shotgun is good for Zoey, but no idea what the agile, athletic Staci could use, or the big, dumb brute in Andy.
I'm not sure where you are on the "gritty realism" to "Serious Sam" scale (no judgment, both are cool) but if you want to give Jack something badass you could go with a double .45: It's a real if rare item, uses standard .45 ACP. And I'm going fully down the cinematic, comic-bookish rabbit hole now but for Staci maybe a gun that's been Damascened? Make that Broomhandle (a terrible weapon, to be sure. I own one) a "Red 9" and the ammo is simple 9mm parabellum, ditto for the Luger. But I'm probably getting outside of your story by now
