Story

Warning

This page contains sensitive topics that some readers may wish to avoid, like nuclear war. Knowing Farmtown's backstory is not necessary to enjoy the game and will not give any competitive advantages. It is entirely optional.

Farmtown's unique mountains shielded it from the radiation and influx of displaced people. Some have speculated that the mountains alone wouldn't be tall enough to stop nuclear fallout and that some unseen force is at play.

Background

The War

Roughly fifty years ago, the nightmare came true. Nobody remembers who launched the first missile, and nobody remembers who launched the last. Perhaps the survivors don't want to remember - it wouldn't have changed anything. The world was devastated in the span of an hour.

Farmtown's Role

While most of the population survived the war initially, many perished in the famine that followed. With its unique geology and geography, abundant resources, fertile soil, and existing port capable of handling large ships, Farmtown was well-positioned to be the nucleus of the effort to rebuild civilization. Most farmland was heavily irradiated and rendered unusable by the nuclear fallout, but Farmtown's mountains, placement on an eastern coast, luck, and... perhaps something else... spared it.

However, Farmtown's story is not about the war. It's not about the devastation elsewhere. It's about the people who call Farmtown home and the role they're playing in providing food and hope to the remnants of the world beyond its borders. Technology was not necessarily lost in the war, and many examples of mechanized equipment have survived. But for the people of Farmtown, the simpler way is often the better way.

To those living outside of this idyllic valley, Farmtown is a symbol. Many of Farmtown's residents forget the ravages of the world outside, but they can never forget what they mean to that world.

Themes

Farmtown is primarily a place for people who want a more peaceful and fulfilling existence than they currently have, but all are welcome. However, newcomers should be prepared to work, because nothing worth having is easily won. The town is completely self-sufficient - it has zero material imports. It exports a truly staggering amount of food and raw materials. There are trucks, tractors, and combines, and all of them are built in the factory in the northeast of Farmtown by the good people of Farmtown.

The town is also home to many mysteries. Strange crystals that impart traditional knowledge when handled and seemingly magical machine parts are regularly unearthed inside the valley. Every night, an alien spacecraft descends from the sky to help farmers along. However, the only magic in Farmtown is the interactions of its people. Everything else is just sufficiently advanced technology.

The contrast between and combination of low-tech farming and alien technology resembles the divisions that once ripped the world apart, but also represents the healing that occurs inside the valley every day.

Notable People

The Farmers

Indisputably the most important residents of Farmtown, these kind souls wandered into Farmtown with a singular goal: to provide. They diligently tend to the soil and grow vast amounts of food, raise animals, and gather natural resources for the common good. They fuel a thriving economy in Farmtown and outside of it by constantly producing things of real value. They build houses for themselves and others and individually serve a supply chain that has risen from the ashes. The other residents of Farmtown are constantly inspired by them and want to help them succeed.

The Old Man

Main article: Old Man

Pitchfork Jeb

Main article: Pitchfork Jeb

But why?

Why does a peaceful farming game need a nuclear war backstory? The simple answer is that it doesn't. Like all good stories, it started as a joke. Over time, it expanded and it was realized that it handily explained a lot of the game design choices that were made for the sake of better gameplay, such as the incredibly high prices for crops, the lack of high-tech mechanized farming equipment, and the relatively small population of Farmtown itself compared to how many crops are exported. However, the nuclear war shouldn't be the key takeaway; it really just serves as an impactful plot device representing the real-world decline in American manufacturing.

Farmtown is really about self-sufficiency for the sake of being able to help others. It's about suffering a catastrophe and coming out of the other side stronger than before. It's not about politics or current events, though it is inescapably shaped by those however subconsciously.