YA Young Adult COGs Prepper A Branching-Path Survival Education Game for Young Adults

 A COGNITIVE CRITICAL THINKING ADVENTURE

CRISIS POINT

SIX MONTHS TO SURVIVE

BREAKING: U.S. STRIKES IRAN — HORMUZ CLOSED — OIL AT $300/BBL Grocery shelves emptying. Power grid unstable. What do you do?

 

HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT

This is a Choose Your Own Game (COG) designed to teach critical thinking, self-reliance, and emergency preparedness through realistic scenario-based decision making. Each chapter presents a crisis situation, real-world facts, and branching choices. Every choice has consequences — tracked through four survival stats — and every lesson is rooted in genuine preparedness knowledge drawn from emergency management, homesteading, and historical crisis response.

★  YOUR FOUR SURVIVAL STATS (track these as you play) •       FOOD — Do you have enough calories stored or being produced? •       WATER — Clean water secured and sustainable? •       SECURITY — Are you and your community safe? •       MORALE — Mental health and community cohesion intact?

 

For each chapter: read the scenario, study the Situation Facts box, then choose your action. Record your choice and track stat changes. At the end, calculate your Preparedness Score. 

CHAPTER 1

DAY ONE — EVERYTHING CHANGES

The Crisis Breaks · March 7, 2026

 

 

Your Apartment  |  Day 1 — 6:47 AM Wake Up. Everything Is Different. Your phone is blowing up. Seventeen news alerts. Your roommate pounds on the door: "Turn on the TV. Something's happening."   The anchor is grim-faced. Ticker scrolling: U.S. STRIKES IRANIAN NUCLEAR SITES — IRAN VOWS TOTAL WAR — HORMUZ STRAIT CLOSED — OIL SURGES 40%   Then: Three Saudi refineries in flames. Riyadh confirming coordinated drone attacks. Iraqi pipeline severed. Your phone buzzes one more time — text from your dad:   "Fill your gas tank NOW. Buy groceries. Don't wait."   You have $340 in your checking account and a quarter tank of gas. You have maybe four hours before everyone else figures out what's coming.

 

★  SITUATION REPORT — MARCH 7, 2026 •       Strait of Hormuz carries 21% of world oil supply — now closed •       U.S. gasoline prices up 40% overnight — projected to hit $9+/gallon within days •       Stock market circuit breakers triggered at open — Dow falls 3,400 points •       FEMA issues vague 'preparedness advisory' — no concrete action plan provided •       Historical parallel: In 2022, grocery shelves stripped within 48 hours of major crises •       Historical parallel: Gas lines formed within 6 hours during the 1973 oil embargo

 

WHAT DO YOU DO?

OPT.	YOUR CHOICE	OUTCOME / LESSON
A RECOMMENDED	Race to the gas station first, then the grocery store — prioritize fuel before lines form	You lock in fuel before $9/gal price spike. Lines 3 hours later stretch for miles. +Food +Security
B RECOMMENDED	Hit the grocery store immediately — load up on rice, beans, canned goods, and dry staples	You clean out the dry goods aisle. Smart priorities. A foundation for survival. +Food +Morale
C BALANCED	Call friends and family first — share information and build a mutual aid network	Information is a resource. You identify who has skills and space. +Security +Morale
D HIGH RISK	This seems overblown. Wait and see what develops over the next 24 hours	By evening, shelves are bare. Gas costs $7.40/gal with a 2-gallon limit. You are behind. -All Stats

 

REAL-WORLD LESSON: The First Mover Advantage •       In every documented crisis, those who acted in the first 4-6 hours secured what they needed •       The 1973 oil embargo created gas lines within hours — not days — of the announcement •       During COVID-19, stores were stripped within 24 hours across most of the U.S. •       Being first is not panic — it is intelligent threat recognition and rapid response

 

"The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining." — President John F. Kennedy, 1962

 

CHAPTER 2

WATER — THE FIRST EMERGENCY

Days 3–7 · Before the Taps Go Dry

 

Your Home  |  Day 3 — 11:00 PM Municipal Water Warning An alert buzzes on your battery-powered radio: "Municipal water utility warns of potential service disruption due to power grid instability. Residents advised to store water as a precautionary measure."   Your city runs on electricity to pump water. If the grid falters, taps go dry. You check your bathtub: empty. Under the sink: two small water bottles.   SURVIVAL MATH: Humans need at least 1 gallon of water per person per day. For six months, that is 180 gallons per person — minimum. Without water, you cannot cook most of what you bought. A human can survive 3 weeks without food, but only 3 DAYS without water.

 

★  WATER PREPAREDNESS — THE NUMBERS •       1 gallon per person per day = bare minimum for drinking and basic hygiene •       55-gallon drum = approximately 55 days supply for one person ($30-50 at farm stores) •       WaterBOB bathtub bladder = stores 100 gallons in your tub in minutes ($30) •       Berkey gravity filter = purifies river, rain, or pond water — no electricity needed •       Bleach purification: 8 drops unscented bleach per gallon kills most pathogens •       Rainwater harvesting: 1 inch of rain on 1,000 sq ft roof = up to 600 gallons collected •       Boiling: 1 full minute of rolling boil makes any water safe to drink

 

WHAT DO YOU DO?

OPT.	YOUR CHOICE	OUTCOME / LESSON
A RECOMMENDED	Fill every container immediately — bathtub, pots, buckets, every bottle you own	You now have roughly 14 days of water. The tap runs dry 48 hours later. Critical move. +Water
B RECOMMENDED	Invest in a Berkey-style gravity filter — gain ability to filter creek or rainwater	Long-term solution secured. You can turn almost any water source into safe drinking water. +Water +Security
C BALANCED	Buy several 7-gallon water jugs at the store while you still can	Good start — but 21 gallons will not last long. Foundation established, needs expansion. +Water (partial)
D HIGH RISK	Skip water prep — city water infrastructure will almost certainly stay on	Day 11: The tap runs brown, then dry. You are now in a life-threatening situation. -Water -Security

 

REAL-WORLD LESSON: Water Is Always Priority One •       FEMA recommends a minimum 3-day supply — preppers recommend 3 months minimum •       Water weighs 8.34 lbs per gallon — heavy, so store it where you can access it •       Stored tap water stays safe for 6-12 months in clean, sealed containers •       A standard garden hose and water bladder can fill 100 gallons in 10 minutes •       Learn to identify natural water sources within 1 mile of your home as backup

 

CHAPTER 3

FOOD FOR SIX MONTHS

Week 2 · Building a Survival Pantry

 

Your Home  |  Day 14 — Week 2 The 6-Month Food Problem The shock has settled into grim reality. Oil analysts are projecting $350/barrel. Grocery stores are limiting purchases to 3 items per category. Inflation is moving so fast that prices look different every day.   You sit down with a notebook and do the math: One person needs roughly 2,000 calories per day. Over 180 days, that is 360,000 calories — or about 500 lbs of food total.   That sounds overwhelming. But broken into categories, it is manageable. The prepper's pantry is not a bunker of exotic supplies. It is a deep larder of foods humans have always stored: grains, legumes, fats, salt, and preserved protein. Ancient technologies that work without electricity.

 

★  THE 6-MONTH FOOD FORMULA — PER PERSON •       Grains (rice, oats, hard wheat): 300 lbs — stores 25+ years in sealed mylar + buckets •       Legumes (beans, lentils, split peas): 60 lbs — protein, fiber, pairs with grains •       Cooking fats (coconut oil, ghee, olive oil): 20 lbs — critical calorie density •       Canned protein (tuna, sardines, chicken, salmon): 60+ cans — no cooking required •       Salt: 10 lbs — preservation, essential mineral, trade commodity •       Sugar and honey: 10 lbs each — calories, preservation, medicine (honey never expires) •       Multivitamins: 1 per day per person — fills nutritional gaps in storage diet

 

WHAT DO YOU DO?

OPT.	YOUR CHOICE	OUTCOME / LESSON
A RECOMMENDED	Build a full 6-month dry goods pantry — rice, beans, oats sealed in 5-gallon buckets	Foundation secured. Properly stored in mylar with oxygen absorbers, this food outlasts the crisis. +Food
B RECOMMENDED	Go high-tech: mushroom grow kit, sprout system, and microgreens trays on your windowsill	Mushrooms in 2-3 weeks. Sprouts in 3-7 days. Microgreens in 10 days. Living nutrition. +Food +Morale
C RECOMMENDED	Plant a serious survival garden focusing on high-calorie crops: potatoes, beans, squash	60-90 days to first harvest. By Month 3 it is a significant, self-renewing food source. +Food long-term
D RECOMMENDED	Divide investment equally: half pantry staples, half living growing systems	Best strategy. Pantry covers short-term. Growing systems cover long-term and refresh nutrition. +Food +Morale

 

★  LIVING FOOD SYSTEMS — GROW WITHOUT A GARDEN •       SPROUTING: Any jar + lid with holes. Rinse seeds 2x daily. Harvest in 3-7 days. Rinse, eat. •       Best seeds to sprout: mung beans, lentils, radish, broccoli, alfalfa, sunflower •       MUSHROOMS: Oyster mushroom kits flush every 2-3 weeks. Grow in darkness. High protein. •       MICROGREENS: Seeds + shallow tray + potting mix. Cut and eat in 10-14 days. •       POTATOES: Most calorie-dense garden crop. 20,000+ calories per 100 square feet. •       THREE SISTERS: Corn + beans + squash together — Native American companion planting method

 

REAL-WORLD LESSON: What Real Preppers Know About Food Storage •       White rice and white sugar store indefinitely in sealed containers with oxygen absorbers •       Brown rice goes rancid in 6 months — stick to white rice for long-term storage •       Oxygen absorbers (OA) in mylar bags extend shelf life from months to decades •       Rotate stock: first in, first out — use oldest supplies, replace with fresh •       Learn to cook every item in your pantry before you need to survive on it

 

CHAPTER 4

THE GRID GOES DARK

Month 1 · Off-Grid Cooking and Energy

 

Your Home  |  Day 31 — Month 1 Power Flickers. Then Goes Out. The lights flicker. Then go out entirely.   Your battery radio crackles: "Rolling blackouts now in effect across multiple states as fuel supplies reach critical lows. Duration unknown. Essential services remain operational. All others should expect outages of 8-16 hours daily, or longer."   Without power: no refrigeration, no lights, no internet, no electric stove, no HVAC. Your phone is at 43%. Your fridge is warming up. You have a gas stove — for now. But gas distribution is next to fail.   Here is what every prepper knows that most people forget: Cooking off-grid is entirely possible and has been done for 300,000 years. The knowledge and tools are simple. The window to prepare is right now.

 

★  OFF-GRID COOKING AND ENERGY OPTIONS •       ROCKET STOVE: Burns small twigs and scrap wood. Uses 75% less fuel than open fire. Build free with bricks. •       PROPANE CAMP STOVE: One 1-lb canister = about 2 hours of cooking. Stock 60+ canisters minimum. •       SUN OVEN / SOLAR COOKER: Reaches 350-400F on a sunny day. Zero fuel cost. Works globally. •       THERMAL COOKER (retained heat): Bring to boil for 15 min, insulate in blankets = fully cooked in 4 hours. •       SOLAR GENERATOR + PANELS: Recharges devices, runs lights, powers radio. Jackery/EcoFlow highly rated. •       FIREWOOD: 2 cords = 6 months of cooking for 1-2 people. Source locally before collapse.

 

WHAT DO YOU DO?

OPT.	YOUR CHOICE	OUTCOME / LESSON
A RECOMMENDED	Set up a propane camp stove with 30+ fuel canisters — reliable controllable heat	At one canister per 2 days, you have 60+ days of reliable cooking. Excellent foundation. +Security +Morale
B RECOMMENDED	Build a rocket stove from bricks in the yard — burns twigs and scrap, nearly fuel-free	A rocket stove uses 75% less wood than an open fire. Build once, cook for years. +Security +Food
C RECOMMENDED	Invest in a small solar generator and panels — maintain lights, radio, and device charging	Information and light maintained. In a collapse, knowing what is happening is survival. +Morale +Security
D RECOMMENDED	Combine systems: solar setup + rocket stove + thermal cooker for full redundancy	Never dependent on a single system. This is optimal prepper strategy. +All Stats

 

REAL-WORLD LESSON: The Thermal Cooker — The Most Underrated Survival Tool •       Bring food to a full boil for 15 minutes, then seal in an insulated container •       The retained heat continues cooking for 4-8 hours with zero additional fuel •       A simple DIY version: pot inside a sleeping bag inside a cardboard box •       This method is used in crisis zones worldwide — fuel efficiency is survival efficiency •       Combine with solar cooking on sunny days to stretch your fuel supply further

 

CHAPTER 5

COMMUNITY OR ISOLATION?

Week 6 · The Social Survival Question

 

Your Neighborhood  |  Day 45 — Week 6 The Hard Part: Other People Week six. The crisis has settled into grim new normal. Some neighbors prepared well and are quietly stable. Others are desperate. A few houses are empty — people fled to family.   Last night you heard shouting two blocks away. This morning: someone's vegetable garden was raided overnight. A handwritten note on the community board:   "Neighborhood Watch Meeting — Tonight 7pm at the Garcias'. Bring what you can share."   In every historical collapse — Argentina 2001, Venezuela 2016, post-Katrina New Orleans — organized neighborhoods survived better than isolated individuals. The question is how to organize yours.

 

★  HISTORICAL COMMUNITY RESILIENCE •       Argentina 2001 economic collapse: neighborhood barter clubs maintained commerce and safety •       Venezuela 2016 crisis: organized barrios shared food and skills — unorganized ones did not •       Post-Katrina New Orleans: the Lower 9th Ward communities that organized recovered faster •       During WWII rationing: community networks distributed food more efficiently than individuals •       Amish barn-raising model: pooled labor accomplishes in one day what takes weeks alone

 

WHAT DO YOU DO?

OPT.	YOUR CHOICE	OUTCOME / LESSON
A RECOMMENDED	Go to the meeting — help organize a formal neighborhood mutual aid system with roles	12 households organized. Combined skills and supplies dwarf what any individual had. +Security +Morale +Food
B RECOMMENDED	Quietly offer your medical or mechanical or agricultural skills to 3 trusted neighbors only	Small, high-trust circle. Less resources but more reliability and less risk. +Security +Morale
C RECOMMENDED	Propose a neighborhood barter market — your surplus seeds and food for their tools and skills	Commerce re-emerges without cash. This is exactly how post-collapse economies reorganize. +Food +Security
D HIGH RISK	Stay isolated — your supplies are limited and you cannot afford to share with anyone	Isolation works until it does not. Without community intel you are blind to approaching threats. -Security -Morale

 

★  COMMUNITY RESILIENCE FRAMEWORK — BUILD THIS •       SKILL INVENTORY: Document who has medical, mechanical, agricultural, construction skills •       NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH: Rotating shifts, communication tree, agreed response protocols •       BARTER SYSTEM: Establish fair exchange rates before you need them (1 lb rice = 1 hr labor?) •       SHARED GARDEN: Common ground grows more per sq ft with shared labor than individual plots •       COMMUNICATION: Hand radios (FRS/GMRS), community message board, designated runners •       CONFLICT RULES: Establish dispute resolution protocols before conflicts arise — this is critical

 

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." — African Proverb

 

CHAPTER 6

WHEN THERE IS NO DOCTOR

Month 3.5 · Medical Preparedness

 

Your Neighborhood  |  Day 105 — Month 3.5 The Wound That Will Not Close Your neighbor's 9-year-old daughter cuts her hand badly on broken glass. It is deep. It needs stitches.   In normal times: urgent care, stitches, antibiotics, done. But the clinic is overwhelmed and four miles away. No gas. No car.   Do you know how to clean a wound properly? Do you have the supplies to close it? Do you have antibiotics in your kit?   Medical preparedness is the most overlooked category in crisis prep. And it is the one that will kill you if you ignore it. Infections that were trivial before a collapse become life-threatening without access to antibiotics and professional care.

 

★  CRISIS MEDICAL KIT ESSENTIALS •       WOUND CLOSURE: Sterile strips, butterfly closures, suture kit with instructions •       ANTIBIOTICS: Fish amoxicillin (500mg) available OTC — identical to human formulation •       ANTISEPTICS: Betadine (povidone iodine), colloidal silver, pure alcohol •       PAIN RELIEF: Ibuprofen + acetaminophen — stock 500+ tablets of each minimum •       DENTAL KIT: Clove oil (toothache), temporary filling material — dental infections kill •       REFERENCE BOOK: 'Where There Is No Doctor' by David Werner — free PDF available •       HERBAL: Yarrow leaf (stops bleeding), garlic (antimicrobial), elderberry (immune support)

 

WHAT DO YOU DO?

OPT.	YOUR CHOICE	OUTCOME / LESSON
A RECOMMENDED	Build a complete crisis medical kit and learn basic wound irrigation and closure techniques	You clean and close the wound properly. No infection. The family owes you trust and loyalty. +Security
B RECOMMENDED	Learn herbal medicine — what plants in your region have documented antimicrobial properties	Plantain leaf as wound poultice. Yarrow stops bleeding. Garlic fights infection. Free, renewable. +Security +Morale
C RECOMMENDED	Organize a community medical station — find whoever has the most training and supply them	Priya the nursing student becomes your community medic. Skills + supplies = partnership. +Security +Morale
D BALANCED	Focus entirely on prevention — rigorous sanitation, hygiene protocols, avoiding injury	The best medicine is not needing it. Good sanitation prevents most collapse-era fatal diseases. +Security (moderate)

 

REAL-WORLD LESSON: Medical Reality in Historical Collapses •       During Venezuela's 2016 crisis, hospitals ran out of basic antibiotics — people died from infected cuts •       In post-disaster Philippines and Haiti, dental infections became a leading cause of preventable death •       During WWII, soldiers with untreated wounds died not from the wound but from subsequent infection •       The book 'Where There Is No Doctor' is used by NGOs worldwide — download the free PDF now •       Take a basic first aid + CPR course before a crisis makes training unavailable

 

CHAPTER 7

MONTH FIVE — THE END IN SIGHT

Day 150 · Resilience and Reflection

 

Your Community  |  Day 150 — Month 5 Light at the End of the Tunnel The radio brings cautiously good news. The Strait of Hormuz has partially reopened. Iranian and American negotiators are meeting in Geneva. Oil has dropped to $180/barrel — brutal, but trending downward.   Stores are beginning to restock slowly, chaotically, expensively. A bag of rice that cost $1.50 now costs $8. Eggs are $14 per dozen. But they are there.   You look around at what you have built over five months: A functioning food system. A sustainable water supply. A community of people who trust each other. Skills you did not have six months ago. A resilience you did not know you were capable of.   One month to go.

 

OPT.	YOUR CHOICE	OUTCOME / LESSON
A RECOMMENDED	Document everything you have learned — write a survival guide for your community	Knowledge shared multiplies power. Your guide becomes the foundation of long-term neighborhood resilience.
B RECOMMENDED	Organize a community celebration — you all survived the hardest part together	Celebration is not frivolous — it is the social glue that keeps communities together through what comes next.
C RECOMMENDED	Expand your garden and seed bank for next season — this will not be the last crisis	The best outcome of any crisis: becoming someone who handles the next one better. You are now a prepper.
D BALANCED	Ask yourself honestly: what three things would you do differently starting from Day One?	This question, asked honestly, is the most valuable thing you can do. Growth requires honest assessment.

 

REAL-WORLD LESSON: The Three Things Every Prepper Wishes They Had Done Sooner •       Started a garden at least 90 days before they needed it — plants take time •       Built their community relationships before the crisis — trust cannot be rushed •       Learned to filter and purify water before their first need — practice matters

 

YOUR PREPAREDNESS SCORECARD

 

 

After completing all chapters, rate yourself honestly on each category.

CATEGORY	MY SCORE	PASS (%)	GRADE
Food Security (6-month supply or growing system in place)	/ 100	40%+
Water Security (sustainable supply + filtration secured)	/ 100	40%+
Energy Independence (off-grid cooking + power solution)	/ 100	40%+
Community (mutual aid network or trusted circle built)	/ 100	40%+
Medical Preparedness (kit + knowledge + herbal backup)	/ 100	40%+
Mental Resilience (routine, purpose, relationships maintained)	/ 100	40%+

 

★  GRADING SCALE •       6/6 categories at 40%+ = A  |  You are a prepper. You survive and help others. •       5/6 categories = B  |  Well prepared. One vulnerability to address. •       4/6 categories = C  |  Functional but stressed. Two areas need immediate attention. •       3/6 categories = D  |  At risk. You make it but it is close and painful. •       2 or fewer = F  |  This is a learning outcome. Go back and try different choices.

 

 

MASTER REFERENCE: THE SIX-MONTH SURVIVAL FRAMEWORK

Everything you need to prepare — rooted in real prepper knowledge, homesteading tradition, and emergency management best practice.

 

 

★  WATER (Most Critical — Start Here) •       Store 1 gallon per person per day minimum — 180 gallons per person for 6 months •       Storage options: 55-gallon drums, WaterBOB bathtub bladders, 7-gallon stackable jugs •       Filtration: Berkey gravity filter processes river, rain, or pond water without power •       Purification: 8 drops unscented liquid bleach per gallon, shake, wait 30 minutes •       Rainwater harvesting: food-grade barrels under downspouts, 1st flush diverters for purity •       Well water: manual pump backup essential if electric pump depends on grid power

 

★  FOOD STORAGE — BUILD YOUR DEEP LARDER •       White rice in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers: 25-30 year shelf life, $30-40 per 50 lbs •       Dried beans and lentils: protein + fiber, stores 10+ years, pairs with every grain •       Rolled oats: fast cooking = fuel efficiency, 1 cup dry = 300 calories, $1/lb in bulk •       Coconut oil: does not require refrigeration, 2,000+ cal per quart, antimicrobial properties •       Honey: never expires, antimicrobial, wound dressing, sweetener, trade commodity •       Salt: 10 lbs per person minimum — preservation, essential mineral, barter gold

 

★  GROWING FOOD — START BEFORE YOU NEED IT •       Sprouting: any jar + cheesecloth lid, rinse 2x daily, harvest in 3-7 days, zero cost •       Microgreens: shallow tray + potting mix + seeds, cut and eat in 10-14 days •       Mushroom growing: oyster kit flushes every 2-3 weeks in any dark cool space •       Garden planting — high calorie: potatoes (plant 1 lb, harvest 10-15 lbs per plant) •       Garden planting — high nutrition: kale, collards, chard (frost tolerant, cut-and-come-again) •       Seed saving: heirloom seeds reproduce true — save from every plant for perpetual growing

 

★  OFF-GRID ENERGY AND COOKING •       Rocket stove: 8 standard bricks + grate, burns pencil-width twigs, 75% more fuel efficient •       Propane stockpile: 1-lb canisters ($3-5 each), one per 2 days of cooking = 90 canisters for 6mo •       Solar oven: commercial ($300) or DIY with cardboard + foil, reaches 350F on clear days •       Thermal cooker: boil 15 min, insulate in sleeping bag, fully cooked in 4 hours zero fuel •       Solar generator: 500-1000W + 100W panel covers lights, radio, phone charging indefinitely •       Candles and oil lamps: 100 candles or 2 gallons lamp oil = 6 months of evening light

 

★  MEDICAL AND HEALTH •       First aid: CPR + Stop the Bleed + basic wound care course — take before you need it •       Antibiotics: fish amoxicillin 500mg (identical formulation to human) available OTC at pet stores •       Dental: oil of cloves for pain, zinc oxide powder for temporary filling, dental picks •       Sanitation: 5-gallon bucket + toilet seat lid + sawdust or cat litter = functional composting toilet •       Herbal medicine: plantain leaf (poultice), yarrow (hemostatic), garlic (antimicrobial), elderberry •       Reference: 'Where There Is No Doctor' — free at hesperian.org, print before grid fails

 

★  COMMUNITY AND SECURITY •       The first rule: do not advertise your supplies to anyone outside your trusted circle •       Build relationships before crisis — the neighbor you know is an asset, a stranger is a risk •       Barter currency hierarchy: food, skills, medicine, tools, fuel, information •       Two-way radios (FRS/GMRS): Baofeng UV-5R ($25) covers 2-5 miles, no license for FRS •       Community garden contract: written agreement on labor, harvest shares, and conflict resolution •       Security in community: no single family can maintain a 24-hour watch — neighbors can

 

"It was not raining when Noah built the ark." — Howard Ruff, financial author

 

CRISIS POINT — A COGNITIVE CRITICAL THINKING ADVENTURE  |  For Educational Use