World War Z: The Struggle for Survival

alrighties :] I'm in

I am shurely interested good sir! I await your update!

I'm ready and waiting.

I think we should move up and try to funnel them in the stair well

Thank you again for your patience everybody. I updated the story so that we can get the ball rolling again. Decide where you want to go from here, either check the apartments on the ground floor or venture to one of the four other floors above. I have already decided what awaits on each, so now it is up to you to decide which door to pick.

I'm finally back! I hope this RP is still up and running. I'm still at AIT until November, but I picked up a copy of WWZ at a local bookstore and started reading it. It definitely brought some inspiration to write!

I am still interested in this RP. I'm not sure who should post next however.

Welcome back DeadEye.

It is up to the players to push forward the story, I can only have the surroundings react to your actions.

Alright, well if you don't mind, I'm going to re-post my character. I noticed that while I was gone, the RP has changed over to Casual. Will the full character sheet still be necessary? Scrawling down bits here and there about this RP was a pastime of mine during Basic Training, so if the full character sheet is still needed, I wouldn't mind re-making it. Anyway, I won't have much more time tonight to be online (army business to attend to) but hopefully tomorrow I'll have all night to myself. Again, it's good to be back, I hope that we can pick this back up!

You can just copy your old one an revise it where necessary.

I'll try and get something of substance up tomorrow.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, but I'm not allowed to photograph certain things here, and I'm not even allowed to carry a camera while I'm wearing the uniform because of the security requirements of my job! I will do my best to skirt around this and provide some sort of pictures as soon as I can!
My new sheet:

General Info & Appearance
Name: Gabriel "Gabe" Hammet
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Frame Type: Average
Approximate Weight: 168
Appearance: Working on it, I'm not allowed to have a camera while I'm on duty!
Background
Hometown: Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States
Type of Childhood: Above average student through High School. Spent 3 years in Army JROTC, and was a member of the marksmanship team for all 3 years. Graduated with a 3.8 GPA and went to USCU for one semester. Took part in Army College ROTC while there, but dropped out after deciding it wasn't for him.
Education: High School Diploma, one semester of college. Recently finished Army BCT and AIT for 14J (radar for air defense artillery).
Hobbies: Playing airsoft (please just wikipedia it), the internet, video gaming.
Brief Bio: (I'm putting my own timeline a few weeks ahead since I'm still in training)
Gabe is fresh out of his advanced job training. He never expected to get deployed, especially to respond to an emergency on US soil. The 263rd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, also known as "America's shield" was one of the many units deployed to Yonkers for the 'big stand' that was a huge failure. As a 14J, Gabe was a radar operator/maintainer for the Sentinel radar systems that provided radar tracking for the various air defense units present during the massacre. He was assigned to an avenger unit (short range surface to air missiles, usually mounted on Humvees) that saw little action but was ambushed towards the end of the assault by several waves of undead that came from the rear of the group. (My post will start here but I'll get my character to the action before the end of the post.)
Attitude & Personality
Pessimist or Optimist: Pessimist
Introvert or Extrovert: Introvert
Personality: Gabe is excellent at procrastinating. If it doesn't need to get done right then and there, it will be a while before it gets done. When it's 'in the fan' however, this is not the case. If he is uncomfortable, he will do what needs to get done. He is not quick to start fights, and often lies or falsely gives up arguments for the sake of keeping things peaceful. He tries to be helpful when he can, and generally very agreeable and easy to get along with.
Most at ease when: If he's got time to settle down and think through a situation, there's little that can get in his way.
Ill at ease when: When he feels forced by someone else. He's very particular about being able to make his own choices, he just needs time. This was particularly damning during his military training, but it's a trait he's held onto despite everything.
Character's soft spot: During his training, Gabe was instilled with a strange sense of responsibility for protecting others. He constantly looked out for his fellow trainees and feels even stronger about protecting those who he thinks can't protect themselves. He catches himself in this naive sense of responsibility sometimes, but he often can't help but submit to the sense of duty that was taught to him.
Is this soft spot obvious to others? Most likely, considering the situation we're in.
If not, how does character hide it? He wouldn't hide it.
Biggest vulnerability: It's easy for him to get attached to people. He jokingly calls himself a 'stray dog' because of the number of friends he's moved in with over his last years of high school until now.
How character reacts in a crisis: A moment of disbelief followed by mild anger. A moment of self-collection brings concentration and a mostly normal attitude.
How character faces problems: Small problems are overlooked unless they become big problems, in which case they are addressed and fixed quickly. He can become obsessive over smaller issues that gain his attention, which can be a problem when his attention is needed elsewhere.
How character reacts to new problems: If it can wait, it waits. If it's life changing, the quickest way to escape the problem is normally taken, followed by a moment of thought and then a plan to defuse the problem.
How character reacts to change: It's not a big deal to him. Since he was in 10th grade he's been moving from house to house, living with different friends. Moving sucks, but if it's gotta happen, he deals with it quietly.
One word used to describe self: Nomad
One paragraph description of how character would describe self:
(Found written in his waterproof notepad in his breast pocket)-
I am going to get home if it's the last damn thing I do. For the past several months I've been looking forward to lying my head on MY pillow in MY house, not some damn government issue crap that I've been dealing with since I signed up. I never expected to get deployed, but I'm going to see it through. If not for the Army, at least for the thought that someday things will be back to normal. Humans always adapt and overcome, I know I can survive this!

Interrelation with others:
How does character relate to others? He is willing to talk about anything with pretty much anyone, as long as he can get comfortable with them. The Army taught him to not judge so quickly, considering the fact that people from every walk of life join the military, he's expanded his horizons and raised his standards for calling someone 'different'.
Strangers?: He's quick to befriend others, and doesn't have a problem relying on strangers if he 'feels' like he can trust them.
Friends?: His friends are like family. In fact he probably even treats them better than family. He's got little problem doing something stupid or risky (physically or socially) if a friend needs it.
First impression: He might seem a little awkward, but it's easy to see he means well and is pretty knowledgable.

Traits
Talents: Good with his hands. Can dismantle various objects, and usually reassemble them. Also doesn't have trouble remembering sequences like phone numbers or other similar things like that.
Extremely unskilled at: Gabe has never been a physically tough person. Even after Army training, he doesn't consider himself to be very strong. He's tougher than he's ever been, but considering his physical prowess before military service, it still isn't much. Extended periods of exertion aren't going to be easy for him, but melee combat with a bayonet and his bare hands are sharp thanks to the training he received. What he lacks in strength and endurance are slightly made up by finesse and skill.
Good characteristics: Simply put, he's easy to get along with.
Character flaws: He can't easily pick up on non-verbal communication. Odd looks and gestures don't convey emotion to him. He says that he's just a 'straightforward person' to cover this flaw. He has a hard time asking for help, unless it's from another soldier. If he learns to trust someone, this fault can be overcome.
S.P.E.C.I.A.L.: S-4, P-9, E-4, C-6, I-9, A-6, L-4

Gear
Outfit/Armor:
(14J's don't wear all of the combat gear of your typical infantry soldier, so this list may seem skimpy for a soldier, but it's as close as I can get it to the real thing)
Head: ACH helmet with ACU pattern fabric cover. Night vision mounting hardware is installed, but there is no night vision unit attached. When not worn, Gabe loops the chinstrap through his armor vest. The helmet isn't of much use since the enemy doesn't shoot, but a heavy dish-shaped object has more uses than protecting the head from gunfire.
Face: Clear shooting glasses, ANSI z87 protection rated.
Neck: Brown cloth gaiter worn for insulation.
Body: ACU jacket. IBA body armor vest with 9mm protective plates installed. (Gabe doesn't wear the enhanced 7.62 plates because they are heavy and he never expected to be in combat)
Tan undershirt worn underneath the ACU jacket.
Attached to vest:
M10 bayonet attached on right hip. 3 liter CamelBak hydration backpack attached on the back. Backpack has a small amount of storage space.
Shrapnel guard protects both sides of the neck as well as the front of the throat. Gabe usually keeps the throat protector unhooked as it is uncomfortable, but would hook it in place in combat.
1 magazine pouch for his P226 magazines attached to lapel.
6 magazine pouches for M16 magazines attached to abdomen.
Hands: Oakley tactical shooting gloves. Gabe bought a new set just before being deployed.
Legs: Black boxers worn underneath ACU trousers. Secured with standard issue nylon belt. His P226 holster is attached to the belt.
Inside pants pockets:
-Leather wallet with $27, debit card, photo ID, and miscellaneous receipts.
-Bic brand lighter. Green in color, brand new.
-1 pack of cigarettes, 16 remaining in pack
->Camel brand, blend #9 with menthol
Feet: Standard issue army green socks underneath Altama Desert boots.
Weight of worn clothes/armor: 26.8 lbs.

Starting Gear:


The black backpack is replaced by the CamelBak backpack.
--Small first aid kit (carried in backpack) Total weight: 0.8 lbs (including the case itself)
-Neosporin gel
-10 small bandaids
-Small roll of medical tape (approx 3 feet remaining)
-5 4"x4" gauze pads
-Orange colored earplugs

--Kobalt modular attachment tool kit (carried in backpack) Total weight: 2.1 lbs (including the case itself)
-Phillips head screwdriver
-Flat head screwdriver
-Awl punch
-an array of various angled hooks
-extendable magnet


Closeup of tool kit.

--Attached to belt
-P226 Kydex Paddle holster 0.3 lbs
-P226 (chambered in .40 S&W) 2 lbs unloaded, 3.1 lbs loaded
-One extra P226 magazine (each holds 12 .40 S&W rounds) 1.1 lbs loaded, less than .1 lbs unloaded.


Pistol is concealed most of the time, but shirt is tucked behind holster (like this picture) in combat.
Weapons:
US rifle-M4A1 MWS. The standard issue weapon for US soldiers. Gabe trained with an M16A2 rifle, but the controls of the M4 are almost identical. Gabe qualified with a 35 out of 40 possible targets in training. He carries 6 total magazines on his armor vest but by the time my post starts he's only going to have about 2 loaded magazines left. He hangs onto the empty ones in hopes of finding more 5.56 ammunition.


Pistol and gloves.

I hope that will suffice, let me know if it needs work!

Yeah I wasn't allowed to take any photos in the army, either.

I'm still following this, but at the moment I lack some drive, so if you guys continue I'll post here and there, that I'm still around.

Almost halfway done with my first post, ha!
So that we're on the same page, this is the 'shelter' or 'computer room' I keep referring to in my post...

It's not classified stuff, found it on Google!
The Humvee is normally parked around 200 meters from the radar, which is parked about 40 meters from the generator, but for story purposes I put all 3 of them within about 30~40 meters of each other. In a real situation the shelter would have it's own generator as well as the radar having it's own, but this isn't a 'normal' situation so I filled in the gaps myself.

Sorry for the dekayed post, I stopped recieving alerts for the main thread.

Deadeye, Which city are you currently in? Do you mean to say you are currently in the apartment that is being overrun, or somewhere else?

Post is coming soon. I'm thinking we should send a RPR to DJ Agenda to spread the word about the RP, and cycle some of the inactive members out.

I was striving to get myself into the action with the rest of the characters in my intro since I started so late. I am going to edit it some since I sort of got lazy at the end. It was 5 AM and I had to be up at 6:45 for our first formation/roll call etc here at the barracks.
I've got another formation in about an hour, but I should be able to make appropriate changes if you don't mind waiting.

No problem sir. I am a patient man.

Everything is changed to how I wanted it. Hopefully everyone will jump back into this RP soon!

Snapped a picture of myself before going out on the 'field exercise'. Turns out we just spend all the daylight hours in the field but come back to the barracks to sleep at night. (LAME!!!) Anyway, got 2 more days of this and I'll be back in full swing again, it's pretty tiring out there and I'm off to bed soon after I make this post.

That's me in full 'battle rattle' as my character appears in WWZ. Sorry for the image quality, there was no sunlight to utilize and the overhead lights in the barracks are somewhat dim, meaning a blurry image.

Since this RP has been dragging along for several months now, I want to make a few proposals to you and see what you prefer in order to get this thing moving.

First off, I think the main reason that this story hasn't been moving is because there is no guiding character to progress the story. The best thing I can think to remedy this is to become a player myself. If you all would prefer this rather than playing against me, let me know and I'll start on my character sheet.

Secondly, I am aware that we haven't started using the combat system yet, but I want your thoughts on it. Just from looking at it, I want you all to chose one of the three following options or tell me if you have a fourth in mind:

Option 1 - We forget the combat system as a whole since it has the possibility to encumber the RP and slow things down during combat. I personally am not a fan of this option since it takes the entire challenge out of this, but if you all prefer it then we can go without.

Option 2 - We keep the current system until we use it a few times to get a better feeling for it and decide from there.

Option 3 - Over the past several months, I have been further refining the system to be a lot more like D20 D&D with a hint of Fallout as far as stats are concerned. This system includes character skills and traits, as well as a more defined armor system that is easier to read and understand. Weapons have been broken into attack and damage as separate rolls similar to D&D to make room for the possibility of having player vs non-zombie npc fights. I have finished the character sheet for this system, but have yet to balance out the weapons and armor system, but that can be something that we can work with as we go along. If you would like to know more about this system, please let me know.

I agree that this RP lacks a driving force, but it is not about one guiding player. There needs to be at least two people. Normally I'd gladly assume the role but I'm new at Uni and have my ears full of stuff so I don't have that drive, right now. I don't know why anyone else doesn't do it, though.

For the Combat System, I'd Suggest the Option 2 with a hint of Option 3 into a completely new idea: keep Option 2 as it is right now, but to test your new RP System live, and to have some more dynamics, I'd suggest we could try to start a MSN/IRC held RPG. We would approve of some date(s) when most to everyone can come online for some hours to play. The game would be parallel to this RP, not the same one, but you can of course use the same characters, if you like. (only you need to realise that it's two different games, so even if they're the same person to start with, as the RP goes on, they become different persona.)

What would you think of this idea?

I would agree that there needs to be a driving force. However at present, I'm trying to choke down as many essays rapid fire right now. Actually, the only reason I'm even on FoG is because I needed a small rest so I didn't suffer from a mental break down from the essay that's due in like, an hour.

I vote option 2 for combat.

I will try to get back into the fray as soon as life allows it.

I'm completely in favor of option 2, as well as getting this show back on the road!