[bryanlarsen]

> not to have anything others would want.

Like food or the tools necessary to get food? Kind of hard to survive without that.

No, I think the OP is absolutely right. Humans are social animals, and large groups of humans are more powerful than small ones. Those who survive will be those who join the best groups. And the best way to ensure you're in a good group is to use your abilities to shape your group into a good group.

[Beltiras]

This is a good strategy past the first year.

[AstralStorm]

Yes, because civilization collapse hits immediately in a single year, not a tens of years to century...

One year is good for surviving something local, like a hurricane or landslide or such.