Misc who, and what, would you look for

Charmer153

Charmer153

Contributing Member
Hopefully, this will get some good responses and help me with a idea I have for a short story that has been bouncing around in my head for a few days.

Imagine that civilization has fallen. No police, no governments, lawless masses doing whatever they want to do. You get the idea.
Now, the dust has settled, and you are tring to build a group to work together and support each other, and help each other stay alive.
What would you be looking for?
Looking for people good with guns and people that know how to garden, those are obvious. A group without those is probably already doomed to fail.
But what other skills would you hope to find and how would they help.
I am sure many here already have skills, but I would like to ask......
In this scenario, you do not have any survival skills(you have the knowledge, but not the skills), and can not do any work, except finding and trying to recruit people to help each other. (Professor Xavier?)
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
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Hunting, tracking, butchering. Machinists (preferably old timers who don't need a CNC computerized machine for basics.

Animal generalists... those who know how to breed, raise, house, and harvest basic livestock. Specialists for each species, where possible. (I do a lot of volunteer work for my Amish neighbors...I can't tell you how many times I've repeated "horses are not cows! Mares are much more fragile than cows, and a prolonged labor that a cow will shrug off within minutes of getting the calf out (often enough alive!) will result in the death of both mare and foal". These men have had cows and horses all their lives, but for most, it's on a superficial level like Englisch own cars... just enough to get the use they need out of them)

Veterinarians, human medics, herbalists, midwives.

Seamstresses, spinners, weavers...

Brewers, winemakers, distillers...

Quartermasters (someone with top organizational skills who can also project the authority necessary to manage community supplies and stores)

Tanners (leather would become the defacto replacement for many petroleum based materials.)

Eventually, potters and basket weavers and coopers... but for at least a decade or two, there should be enough 5 gallon pails, and scavenged jars, bottles and Rubbermaid containers that making your own storage containers shouldn't be necessary for a long time.

The last one... very, very tough. "Knowledge, but no practical experience... and apparently disabled?" You'd better have your own tribe who loves you, or start getting SOME skills pronto. Many things can be done (mostly) sitting down... in the old days, grandpa graduated from the heavy farm work to lighter stuff like feeding calves and gathering kindling, often with the help of a grandchild or two (who he was also supervising and teaching). If that got to be too much, he'd shell beans and or peas, whittle wooden spoons, supervise toddlers or help with minor chores like peeling potatoes.

Women did the same, often concentrating on spinning, knitting, mending, darning socks...

I'd say you MUST try to develop some sort of useful skills. "Head knowledge" is only a good start... but look at Dennis' saga of breadmaking "failures". Sure, in a SHTF situation, they'd be eaten regardless, but that's sure not the time to be experimenting with scarce resources. Pick something... anything... and start to actually do it. If physical handicaps are an issue, now is the time to develop workarounds and adaptations that let you do *something*.

The truth is, someone in your scenario will likely have a very short life expectancy. For the past 60 years or so, we've managed to essentially suspend the basic law of "survival of the fittest"... that will no longer be the case.

I'm not looking forward to it.

Summerthyme
 
Last edited:
Charmer153

Charmer153

Contributing Member
summerthyme said:
Hunting, tracking, butchering. Machinists (preferably old timers who don't need a CNC computerized machine for basics.

Animal generalists... those who know how to breed, raise, house, and harvest basic livestock. Specialists for each species, where possible. (I do a lot of volunteer work for my Amish neighbors...I can't tell you how many times I've repeated "horses are not cows! Mares are much more fragile than cows, and a prolonged labor that a cow will shrug off within minutes of getting the calf out (often enough alive!) will result in the death of both mare and foal". These men have had cows and horses all their lives, but for most, it's on a superficial level like Englisch own cars... just enough to get the use they need out of them)

Veterinarians, human medics, herbalists, midwives.

Seamstresses, spinners, weavers...

Brewers, winemakers, distillers...

Quartermasters (someone with top organizational skills who can also project the authority necessary to manage community supplies and stores)

Tanners (leather would become the defacto replacement for many petroleum based materials.)

Eventually, potters and basket weavers and coopers... but for at least a decade or two, there should be enough 5 gallon pails, and scavenged jars, bottles and Rubbermaid containers that making your own storage containers shouldn't be necessary for a long time.

The last one... very, very tough. "Knowledge, but no practical experience... and apparently disabled?" You'd better have your own tribe who loves you, or start getting SOME skills pronto. Many things can be done (mostly) sitting down... in the old days, grandpa graduated from the heavy farm work to lighter stuff like feeding calves and gathering kindling, often with the help of a grandchild or two (who he was also supervising and teaching). If that got to be too much, he'd shell beans and or peas, whittle wooden spoons, supervise toddlers or help with minor chores like peeling potatoes.

Women did the same, often concentrating on spinning, knitting, mending, darning socks...

I'd say you MUST try to develop some sort of useful skills. "Head knowledge" is only a good start... but look at Dennis' saga of breadmaking "failures". Sure, in a SHTF situation, they'd be eaten regardless, but that's sure not the time to be experimenting with scarce resources. Pick something... anything... and start to actually do it. If physical handicaps are an issue, now is the time to develop workarounds and adaptations that let you do *something*.

The truth is, someone in your scenario will likely have a very short life expectancy. For the past 60 years or so, we've managed to essentially suspend the basic law of "survival of the fittest"... that will no longer be the case.

I'm not looking forward to it.

Summerthyme
Click to expand...

spinners, weavers

I have never tried spinning, but I have watched my mom do it back when she and my brother were into 'accurate civil war re-enactments'(she would not let anyone else touch her spinning wheels), but I have used her carding paddles, once , and I have done weaving on a small weaving board, so I think I could do both if I had to. I know how, just not skilled in those since I only tried once. I have to agree, those are good jobs for a disabled person and could free another person to do other work.
And, it probably would not take long to get some skill at them since nether is very hard, just monotonous after a while.
 
M

mecoastie

Veteran Member
Summerthyme nailed it. I would add that you would eventually want a leatherworker and a cobbler. Look at was in a early 1800s village for skills and work from there. I would also add some military skills as you would need some sort of defense force. Eventually an engineer someone who can design and build things like water mills.

Without skills and the ability to work you are an eater, a drain on a groups resources. Get skills.
 
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