wait a minute. whats going to be the main currency. value of gold and silver is going to plummet and commodities like ammunition, weapons, gas, food, water. medicine, and equipment are going to skyrocket.
Ammunition beats any other items. Why? Because if you've got the ammunition, you probably have the firearm... meaning you take what you want.
Then again, even if you didn't have any firearms, if you could make ammunition, you'd certainly have one of the most valuable skillsets in the new world, able to keep you alive and protected.
Can't really use it as a currency, there's too many variations. You might have a lot of 7.62x54R, but it's worthless unless you find someone using Mosin-style rifle. Just like I wouldn't accept .223 as trade goods -- I only use 7.62x39 and 8mm. It's a good barter item, but you have to find the right person. Ammunition is super valuable if you have the appropriate firearm. But for general value, the best things to have are jars of honey, sterile gauze, boxes of matches, and non-perishable food items. If I could only take one of those items, it'd actually be honey -- if you're not familiar with all the useful applications of honey, I suggest you look into them -- it's essentially non-perishable, can be used for non-food purposes e.g. first aid, but also a quality food source for survival.
Also, (double post be damned!) I'd just like to point out that, in the event of the zombie apocalypse, I'm going to put as much distance between myself and all of you as physically possible. We've moved on from "protecting ourselves from zombies" to "possessing the firearms and ruling with an iron fist" in less than three pages.
The best defense is a good "you fuckers can't find me."
Economics 101 Supply and Demand If you flood the market with a commodity their value will decrease with their rarity If the commodity is rare their price will rise.
Not how I'm going to deal with things, but how I'd expect a large number of people to. I have a feeling that my community would band together and form a "new society" pretty quickly. We'd probably have the roads blockaded almost immediately, but would take refugees, provided they weren't psychopaths.
Yes. Barter. 7.62x39s would be worth a certain amount of .233s. 100 .233s would be worth, say, 20 loaves of bread (no way in hell). 1 water bottle is worth...I'm not even trying anymore. Each caliber is, therefore, its own denomination, so to speak.
Making ammo would be intensely hard, since the metal needs to be cast right, and that kind of skill/equipment won't be readily available in Z-land. Not saying it won't be there, like the Internet. It still exists, but there'll be just about no access to it. Making them would be feasible, but maybe not practical.
my zombie plan is as simple as it is elegant. I am going to create a suit made entirely out of mirrors or a mirror-like substance so when a zombie comes to eat me it shall see another zombie. As cannibalism is taboo in most societies the zombies will refrain from eating me in fear of being ostracised from the greater zombie community.
