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» Report for March 2024

Posted on Sun Apr 7th, 2024 @ 3:05am by Hale Stratton [Major, United States Army] in Monthly Report to the Survivors

Congratulations, Survivors!

We started our first episode, Bangor or Bust, Saturday, 15 April 2023. Tomorrow, nearly a year later, we will finally finish it. For those who like stats, we have, as a group, written 332 posts for this episode, 34 of them in the past month. And now, nearly a year later, its time to move on. There will be a short post tomorrow explaining what happens to the safe zone and after that, Bangor or Bust will be closed for posting and we'll be moving into the new episode (I'm thinking about "Winter is Coming" as a title).

As you've seen, I'm starting to use a narrator (descriptions in italics) to describe things that are happening in the world around you. As we go forward, I'll be making more use of that as well as writing for a host of people you might run into -- both good and bad.

This next episode will describe the ramp-up to winter and how all of these individuals start to come together and work as a group. Things to look forward to:

> More visits from Whistler who has taken an interest in the group
> A visit to a lesser-known weapons' store
> A visit to Vienna's family cabin (though that could be problematic but we'll see when we get there, eh?)
> Possible hike along the river to find Reuben's friend (Reuben, we should talk about that)
> The reality of a world without police or an effective military

These will be difficult months in a world that is just starting to accept the notion that things are never going to go back to the way they were. Expect problems, both with the sorta-dead and with the living, and hardships but the end goal is to gather resources, figure out what to do for the winter, and prepare for what comes next.

See you in the world,

Hale Stratton

» Report for February 2024

Posted on Mon Mar 4th, 2024 @ 8:44pm by Hale Stratton [Major, United States Army] in Monthly Report to the Survivors

Hello, Survivors,

Been having a couple days of good weather here, sort of like the first promise of Spring, and its been lovely. Also, Watson, my cat, discovered Cat TV (its a YouTube channel) and he loves it. For a cat who absolutely refuses to go anywhere near the outside world, he's been mighty brave swatting at those birds.

Sim Statistics

No changes in the number of writers this month so we're still holding at eight. We are losing a couple of NPCs though -- Courtney, Jordan, Father Dominic I believe. Not sure about Bao (been quiet since the delivery) so I'll check on that. We did pick up two new NPCs and both are mine -- Emma Lynn Starsky and Whistler. Emma has a bio. Whistler's is coming. Just got to dig into the mind of a psycho a bit.

Oh right. I've added a second manifest to the site (on the Population tab, click "Departed")

For the month of February:

Number of Posts this Month: 45
Highest Poster This Month: Hale Stratton

Then in Order:
> Tied for Second Place: Alonzo Blazevic and Reuben Baptiste
> Tied for Third Place: Rene Rouen, Vienna Quinn, and Victoire Olaffson
> Calista Sutton and Killian Sutton

Awards:

Survivor of the Month: Calista and Killian Sutton. Since joining the sim, the two of them have been writing a married couple (as they are in real life) who are struggling to survive. While most of the writers, myself included, opted to have skills that made them able more than capable of surviving what's to come myself included, these two are just normal people. They are approaching the point, nearly a year into the sim, where they will join the group and I enjoy reading the snippets of their life. Hiding out. Being afraid. Hungry. Lost. In fact, they've actually inspired me to write an ordinary character myself! Good job both of you.

Current Episode:

Once Hale, Vic, and Reuben return from looking for Mrs. Quinn (the prognosis does not look good) and have dinner, we'll move onto our departure from Bangor. By the night of the 5th, we'll need to be outside of Bangor. I've added a tiny map to #references-and-resources -- the "X" marks the location. Its a suburban home that I transplanted from a Zillow ad. That's also in #references-and-resources. We'll (finally) meet up with Callista and Killian and watch Bangor burn somewhere around dawn.

And that brings us to the point where everyone finally has to say what they intend to do, as individual characters, going forward. The idea is to establish ourselves as a group with Hale assuming the role of official leader. We'll get organized, move away from Bangor and start figuring out what we're going to do next.

The Future

I've had one suggestion for a place where we can winter and I'll open a channel, #where-can-we-winter, for everyone to post suggestions. Things to think about:

> Where do you want to go? It doesn't have to be in Maine.
> And do you even want to settle in for the winter? Would you rather keep moving. Sleeping where we can?

I would suggest that we keep away from ready-made, easily defensible structures like prisons, survivalist compounds, and full-on military bases. To me, its a bit of a silver bullet but I'm also operating under the theory that we're not the only ones looking and the bigger places would be first up for grabs.

Now, if you want, I'll work all of this out and let you know -- but this is your sim as much as it is mine. Bring me your ideas and I'll put something together.

See you in the world,
Tory (aka Hale Stratton)

» Report for January 2024

Posted on Thu Feb 1st, 2024 @ 8:08pm by Hale Stratton [Major, United States Army] in Monthly Report to the Survivors

Hello, Survivors,

Okay, its been an embarrassingly long time since I've done this so, let me start by offering my profound apologies. Had a bit of a Star Trek sim burnout going on and a lot of things fell by the wayside. Things are better now and I'm totally back.

Sim Statistics

We added two survivors, Stephen Wolff and Reuben Baptiste. That brought us up to nine writers. Course, Stephen dropped out again so we have added one new writer -- which means two service dogs and three military personnel. The world has never seemed safer, eh?

You know, we started this sim on the 15th of April, 2023 and since then we've written a total of 75 posts or 106,365 words. Feel free to cheer and get yourself a celebratory beverage -- in my case, a fresh cup of coffee. Niche sims like this one often fail -- and its entirely because of all of you that we haven't. I don't know about you but I'm looking forward to our upcoming first-year anniversary.

We should celebrate. Maybe we'll invite zombies to the party?

For the month of January:

Number of Posts this Month: 15
Highest poster this Month: Hale Stratton

Then, in order:
> Alonzo Blazevic
> Reuben Baptiste
> Callista and Killian Sutton, Victoire Olaffson
> Vienna Quinn and Rene Rouen

Awards

Survivor of the Month: Reuben Baptiste. I love his concept for a character who is disabled, in his case, through military service, both in how it reflects the reality some veterans face and in how it will affect his character's ability to survive and thrive in the aftermath of the Wildfire Virus.

Honorable mention: Steffan Wolfe for a character who wasn't afraid to hang onto the privileges he enjoyed in the pre-virus world. It would have been fun to see how it all played out.

Current Episode

Our time in Bangor is coming to an end. At the moment, Hale is conferring with Victoire Olaffson and Reuben Baptiste regarding the current situation. There's been a significant uptick in incidents with the not-so-departed and resources are becoming harder to find and more dangerous to procure. By the night of the 5th, the safe zone will be on the point of failing and, of course, on the 6th, the government, on the verge of collapse, bombs major cities. Not all of them, of course, since Atlanta and the CDC were still standing months afterward. But, for our purposes, Bangor will be on the list.

Between now and then, some things that might be happening:
> More sounds of gunfire
> Maybe a not-so-dead wanders by your quarters
> You see more wounded coming back
> The supply depot doesn't have nearly as much as it did
> The mood among survivors is getting desperate

For roleplay purposes, and so that we can (finally -- and yes, Callista and Killian I'm looking at you) meet up with the Suttons, Hale and those that come with him, will be heading back the way they came (we left our vehicles behind. Maybe they're still there? We'll watch Bangor burn and know that we have to leave that area behind. Fire attracts after all.

The Future

After we leave Bangor, we'll have to decide what comes next. OOCly speaking, since we're not doing missions, I'm going to be planning events that will happen. Some good. Some pretty terrible. It's not just to give you something interesting to write about, it's more that we can explore some of what happens when society breaks down and everything changes. So, on that note, I direct your attention to #future-apocaplytic-events in the Survivor Resources category on Discord.

Think of it as your chance to influence what comes next. Something you really need to happen to or for your character? Something you think would be fun to do? Something you're not seeing enough of? It's a place for brainstorming and discussing all of that.

See you in the world,
Tory (aka Hale Stratton et al)

» Report for May 2023

Posted on Fri Jun 2nd, 2023 @ 12:08am by Hale Stratton [Major, United States Army] in Monthly Report to the Survivors

Hello, Survivors!

We've made it out of the church and the group is starting to come together. This month should see us start the push to get everyone back to their families in Bangor and what everyone is hoping will be an end to the insanity. Bangor will be very action-filled since the city is well on its way to being overrun. We'll see safe zones set up, lawlessness outside of those zones, and a whole lot of undead. Not to mention the last ditch attempt by the government to contain the Wildfire Virus by dropping napalm on major city centers.

On a personal note, this will also be the time when individuals will be able to explore their personal storylines a bit. Return to your homes, look for your families, and come to the realization that the world has really changed. That things aren't going back to the way they were and that there really is, no way home.

Player Statistics
=================
New Players: 2
Victoire Olaffson and Father Alexander Pryde

Departing Players: 1
Cooper Gaines

Total Currently: 10

Total Posts for the Month: 70
Posts by Player (Average): 6.36

Awards
==================

There was only one nomination for the Player's Choice Award but a nomination is a nomination -- and I agree that this player has done some great characterization in their role as a French foreign-exchange student. The winner is: Rene Rouen.

Post of the Month Award
==================

The Fall of Saint Andrews (Part 1)
https://no-way-home.sim-station.net/index.php/sim/viewpost/39

Player of the Month Award
================

Victoire Olaffson - This writer hit the ground running, did a lot of research, and through our discussions has shaped a character that makes sense in terms of training and education -- not only their own but mine as well!

Survivor of the Month Award
==================

Kara Sloane - For the courage to face what's coming even without the skill

High Speed Survivor Award
=================

Alonzo Blazevic
Rene Rouen

Best Use of a Non-Weapon Weapon
======================

Victoire Olaffson for using her Armada to run over walkers and thereby help the survivors escape!

Website
=======

Things are basically set up on the site. The Wiki is useless and has been replaced by information provided through Discord.

The Current Episode
===================

In the small town of Millinocket, the undead are starting to appear with more frequency and survivors are grouping together in cobbled-together shelters but its clear, the city isn't prepared. One of those shelters, Saint Andrew's Episcopal falls when the priest holds a service for the dead and the church bells draw unwelcome attention. Forced to flee, a group of survivors takes shelter at Twin Pines, a camping resort outside of town, and makes plans to get everyone back to their families in Bangor.

Final Thoughts
==============

We've had a great second month with the start of some wonderful characterization, both PCs and NPCs. Now, we're heading into our next big adventure, traveling down to Bangor. This is where everything changes, where we all begin to understand the new reality, and the group really forms.

Really looking forward to what you come up with!

And just who is it who knocked on the cabin door? Hmmm?

SG
Writing for Hale Stratton

» Report for April 2023

Posted on Mon May 1st, 2023 @ 10:44pm by Hale Stratton [Major, United States Army] in Monthly Report to the Survivors

Hello, Survivors!

On 8 April 2023, a group of us started talking about a post-apocalyptic sim set in the Walking Dead universe. In what seemed like no time at all, that conversation turned into a Discord Server where the idea was shaped and from there, a site was established in Theta Fleet. So, in this our first month as a writing group, I want to say welcome to an amazing group of writers.

While not required, I do present Theta Fleet with information about our sim once a month; more importantly, and because I think communication is a good thing, I want to present you with that information as well. The reports will generally follow the same format with changes based on what I have to say at that time.

Player Statistics
=================
New Players: 10
Departing Players: 1
Total Currently: 10

NOTE: All players are represented on Discord except for Killian Sutton; however, his real-life spouse, Calista Sutton is on Discord so he'll be able to get information through her.

Total Posts for the Month: 40
Posts by Player (Average): 3.64

I also present awards (images are in the works). Congratulations to the winners and note that the Writer and Player of the Month will also be submitted to the fleet as well.

Dreamcatcher Award
==================
Awarded to those individuals who participated in the early discussions for this sim and helped to shape us at our start.

Hale Stratton
Rene Rouen
Cooper Gaines
Calista Sutton

Survivor of the Month Award
===========================

Awarded to by AGM, Starduster, for his brilliant subplot following a murder in Bangor and his search for their teenage son who fled the scene.

Alonzo Blazevic

Player of the Month Award
=========================

Awarded to these individuals for their contributions to the sim over the past month that went well beyond just submitting a couple of posts.

Rene Rouen
Alonzo Blazevic
Calista Sutton

High Speed Survivor Award
=========================

Awarded to the individual who contributed the most number of posts for the month of April 2023 excluding the GM (Hale Stratton) and the AGM (Alonzo Blazevic).

Rene Rouen

Website
=======

I'm not going to use the WIKI on the site (we all know how notoriously bad it is) but instead will use a combination of Discord articles and a GDOC (link is available through Discord). I may add all of the material on Discord to the GDOC as well so that we have a backup if we need it.

Still working on adding material to the site. Nova was originally designed for a starship so I'm having to adapt sections to fit our format. This coming month I'll be looking at the Sim Page and at the Tour section. If anyone has any great ideas, please, let me know in DM.

The Current Episode
===================

We are moving into the 26th of August now. Watch for a news broadcast where the first pictures of the reanimates are shown to the nation (post is coming). There are hotspots in the city now (see #today-in-the-apocaplyse) and you might run into an isolated reanimate if you're moving about. There will be a visible police presence on the street and Hale will be helping the police out (post is coming on that as well). Because of what he's doing, he'll be starting to figure things out.

As you know, the end game for this Episode is to get to Bangor in time for the napalm explosion early on the 9th of September. Between now and then, things will become increasingly difficult in-town. By the 27th, sightings will be more frequent and store owners will be boarding up and shutting down their stores. Groceries, sporting goods, and hiking supplies will remain open as long as they can ... to help people get ready. No one's given up on society as yet, so you still need to pay for what you want.

Final Thoughts
==============

It's been an amazing first month and I'm thrilled to be writing the end of civilization with such a talented group. Really looking forward to what the next month will bring. Great work, everyone.

SG
Writing for Hale Stratton

Latest Mission Posts

» A Kind Gesture in the Barn

Mission: Winter is Coming
Posted on Wed May 1st, 2024 @ 10:50pm by Civilian Thea Matthews & Reuben Baptiste

As Reuben was getting ready to bed down for the evening he noticed the young woman brought back from the run did not appear to have a sleeping bag. He walked over to her, "Excuse, Thea correct? I noticed you do not seem to have a sleeping bag. I want…

» After the Bombs Fell

Mission: Winter is Coming
Posted on Sun Apr 28th, 2024 @ 8:05pm by Hale Stratton [Major, United States Army] & Emma Lynn Starsky & Ethan Thompson & Alonzo Blazevic & Reuben Baptiste & Killian Sutton & Calista Sutton & Victoire Olaffson [Lieutenant, United States Navy]

[Inside the House]

Ethan had been sleeping on the floor which was not the most comfortable way to sleep for the adults but for a boy of fifteen, it was fine. The noise level in the house had risen as everyone came awake and started moving around but he had…

» Underneath the Milky Way

Mission: Winter is Coming
Posted on Fri Apr 26th, 2024 @ 8:41pm by Hale Stratton [Major, United States Army] & Alonzo Blazevic

Alonzo Blazevic had approached the Jeep Cherokee with Hale Stratton, winds picking up a bit but just small gusts. What was nice about the lack of electricity and being out near a farm was that one could actually see the stars quite clearly in the night's sky especially on a…

» The Moment It All Changed

Mission: Winter is Coming
Posted on Wed Apr 24th, 2024 @ 6:18pm by Hale Stratton [Major, United States Army] & René Rouen & Reuben Baptiste & Vienna Quinn & Killian Sutton & Calista Sutton & Victoire Olaffson [Lieutenant, United States Navy] & Civilian Thea Matthews

Morning came quickly. The group, gathered again in the kitchen, were working through a meager breakfast when a massive explosion shook the house. And while it seemed as though they'd been hit, really it was the edge of a shockwave born of desperation and the certain knowledge of those sworn…

» Bringing Home the Goodies

Mission: Winter is Coming
Posted on Tue Apr 16th, 2024 @ 9:46pm by Hale Stratton [Major, United States Army] & Alonzo Blazevic & René Rouen & Reuben Baptiste & Vienna Quinn & Killian Sutton & Calista Sutton & Victoire Olaffson [Lieutenant, United States Navy] & Civilian Thea Matthews

[At the Convenience Store}

While Vic checked on Thea, Hale got to work on hauling stuff out to the Cherokee. Not a lot of storage room but enough if he packed it to the ceiling. With that in mind, he cleaned out the plastic wrapped water bottles and then came…

Latest Personal Logs

» Snack Pack - 01

Posted on Tue May 16th, 2023 @ 12:01am by Alonzo Blazevic

Snack Pack Blog
August, 26th, 2010

It was just a joke, you know? At first at least. Movie theaters were showing classic horror flicks, especially those like Night of The Living Dead or Evil Dead. Last Year’s Zombieland was a blast to watch on the big screen, but now? Now,…

» The Beginning of an End

Posted on Fri May 5th, 2023 @ 8:28am by Victoire Olaffson [Lieutenant, United States Navy]

Mom and Dad were killed... the lensmann called it a wild animal attack... but somehow with the way that they wouldn't let me see their bodies (not that it stopped me from breaking in) and the condition that I found them in there is not any animal I know of…

» My first week in America

Posted on Thu Apr 20th, 2023 @ 7:27am by René Rouen

Dearest Mother and Father,

Well, I have made it through my first week in America. I am staying with the Quinn family in a nice home just in the city limits of Bangor, Maine. Monsignor and Madame Quinn have a teenage aged daughter in the same grade and she will…