Before the Break:
In the face of our ARG’s fictional apocalyptic event, the main “threats” to our current state of weapons and self-defense would more or less be the ones that would happen over the span of a week or two. For instance, in the case of most firearms, not only would the cost of upkeep and ammo shortages become highly apparent, but in the face of the more horrifying beasts in the fog, the risk of using such loud defensive measures might not be worth it. To remedy this, I can see the logical solution being a mixture of makeshift weapons of scraps and found materials combined with influence from weapon-making techniques of some of the local tribes in our area.
Within my research, one practice that stood out to me the most was the Makah tribe’s whaling techniques and canoes. Especially as many of the waters might be considered a safer means of long-term navigation in comparison to the woodland. In addition, I think this could be promising for collections of large amounts of food as the technique wouldn’t need to rely on immediately overcoming larger creatures of the deep, but wearing them out.
“As the back broke the surface, the harpooner struck and the crew instantly paddled backward, putting all possible distance between the canoe and the wounded prey so as to avoid the thrashing tail flukes. A hit in the shoulder blade interfered with use of the flippers and slowed the whale. Floats of sealskin blown up like huge balloons were attached to the harpoon line to slow down the whale. Harpoons weren’t intended to kill the whale, but to secure the sealskin floats to them until they tired themselves and could be fatally lanced.“
In addition, I think the possibility of learning a mixture of various defensive, protective, and basic tool-crafting skills would be a strong benefit to a long-run solution to this scenario for day-to-day (non-water-focused) survival. One practice that comes to mind is a technique of rock shaping called knapping. This technique involves the shaping of stone with stone to create tools, but can mainly be seen in various stone knives and blades. I think using this skill to make various shapes could open opportunities for a multitude of tools at the survivor’s fingertips (that can even be defined by the character traits they decide to take on!)
Source List:
::: ::: American Indians of the Pacific Northwest Collection :::, content.lib.washington.edu/aipnw/renker.html. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025. “Makah Tribe Whale Hunt Info. ” Makah Tribe, 13 June 2024, makah.com/makah-tribal-info/whaling/.
“Mastering the Art of Knapping: A Guide to Stone Tools and Wilderness Survival.” Texas Bushcraft, www.texasbushcraft.com/blogs/news/mastering-the-art-of-knapping-a-guide-to-stone-tools-and-wilderness-survival?srsltid=Af
Since Then:
After the aftermath of the disaster, it is only a matter of time before many of the common weapons used run out of ammo, charge, etc. Leading the world to pivot to not only a sustainable solution to craft but one that would thrive in protecting the population from the new threats that lurk in the various new zones that have been created. I think in the early stages of creating these new tools, many of them would be “Improvised” weapons built out of various scraps around wherever someone might be. For instance, a student might create a weapon for defense out of materials like chair legs, rulers, etc. While an Olympia resident might have a bit less of a visible pattern in comparison. This would also create a bit of personalization in tools that could be identifiable/handy when exploring further into zones that might not be familiar to a student.
Along with this, as time goes on, I can see the community forming together to highlight its various strengths to help train/guide each other on the creation, handling, and storage of this gear. This could be the point where many of the weapons and self-defense items get more structured and elaborate as there would have been more time to construct, train, and otherwise communally approve of such items being used. This could range from something as elaborate as Molotov cocktails constructed by chemistry students to protect campus to growing crops to get materials for bows/arrows.
Within the game space, I have a few ideas on how items like this can be used as well. I think in conjunction to the trees being alive, that it could perhaps be a quest to befriend/do a task for a tree in exchange for a nonlethal amount of sticks from it. This not only could create an interesting NPC, but I feel like it could create a great sense of reward/assurance that the possibility of more tools for puzzles could be possible. In addition, I think it could also be interesting as it could open up the possibility of (if techniques/designs are used/inspired from local tribes) for a bit of a bonus learning experience for players.