Farm Assault

The farm assault event is a quest accessible through Alex's farm. Similar to a tower defense game, this quest puts the player in a defensive position as they team up with Alex to combat a fearsome raid from the farm's primary competitor: Remy.

Synopsis

Once Alex's farm becomes large enough to turn a profit, Remy will initiate a surprise attack on the fields, successfully burning Alex's crops to the ground. Desperate and disheartened, Alex asks the player for their help.

After their first rampage on the farm, Remy will periodically send their goons at night to attack the Farm by burning the fields. The player can prepare for the attack by buying defenses, from increasing the time it takes for the goons to go into the farm to a watchtower that makes spotting the goons easier.

Prerequisites

Remy's assaults will only begin once the player has been offered a partnership by Alex and they've been invited to live in Alex's Cottage. Afterwards, the player has a set number of days to prepare for the imminent assault on the farm.

Notes

• The first assault will commence 30 days after the initial scene in which Alex offers the player a partnership. All subsequent assaults occur 17-24 days, determined at random, following the last assault.
• Remy's Encroachment has no effect on assaults.
• If the player's fields are barren during an assault, Remy's thugs will linger for a bit before leaving without burning anything, lowering Control and increasing Trauma. If the player has a guard in the watchtower, they won't leave until the guard has been defeated.

Walkthrough

On the night of the assault, between 9:00 PM and 12:00 AM, Alex will approach the player. Alex rushes over. "Remy's here," he/she says. "We can do this. Go get ready, I'll see if I can spot them. The player will be given a chance to change their clothes before the assault. Once done, they step back out into the farm, ready to fight.

"They're not coming through here," he/she says, nodding at the road. "They'll try to sneak in." He/She hands you a walkie talkie. "There's a lot of ground to cover, so we'll need to split up. We'll be stronger if we team up to fight them though."

This commences the assault. The player will need to defend all of their fields, however many they've claimed. Travelling between fields (or the watchtower, if available) takes 5 minutes. Every action the player takes counts as one turn, giving the thugs one action, whether that be breaking through the farm's defenses or preparing to torch a field.

Remy's thugs arrive in groups of three. Having more fields increases the intensity of Remy's attacks, with the number of groups sent being determined by the amount of fields unlocked. If Remy's assault is backed by Bailey, the player will have one additional group of thugs to contend with; for more information on this particularly vicious gang of ruffians, see the Bailey's Thugs section below.

• With 3-4 fields, Remy will send 2 groups.
• With 5-6 fields, Remy will send 3 groups.
• With 7-8 fields, Remy will send 4 groups.
• With all 9 fields, Remy will send 5 groups.

Once the thugs manage to breach the farm's defenses, they'll rush into one of the fields and attempt to set it on fire.

• You see Remy's thugs prowling through the field.
• You see Remy's thugs opening petrol canisters.
• You see Remy's thugs covering the field in petrol.
• You see Remy's thugs lighting matches!

When the thugs reach the final stage (lighting matches), the player must act immediately in order to ensure the safety of their field. If the player does nothing at this stage, the thugs will proceed to light the field ablaze.

If all the thugs in a group have been defeated, or if there are no more fields left to burn, the group's status will read: The group of Remy's thugs are running for the hills. They'll be inactive for the rest of the assault. The assault ends once all the groups have reached this point.

Fighting the Thugs

The player's options for dealing with the thugs depends on how far they've managed to trespass into the farm.

While the enemies are climbing the farm's walls, the player has the following options:

• Throw rocks (0:05) - If successful, incapacitates one of the group's members. Success is based on Physique; a full 6/6 with a large body will ensure success.
• Threaten (0:05) - If successful, causes the entire group to flee. Success is based on the player's Combat fame. At least 200 (Known) is needed for a chance at success; 1000 (Notorious) or higher will guarantee success.

When the thugs have made it onto one of the fields, the player has the following options:

• Fight them head-on (0:05) - Initiates a nonconsensual encounter with however many thugs are in the group. The thugs start with incredibly high anger, meaning that if the player chooses to fight all three thugs at once, there's a high risk that they'll end up overwhelmed with pain on the first turn of combat, especially if they're already injured from a previous fight. In any case, making them cum or beating them up results in them fleeing.
  • Becoming overwhelmed with pain has them tie the player up and gag them. The player must then spend three turns struggling out of their binds, during which the trespassers are free to traverse the farm as they please.
• Pick one off (0:05) - If successful, incapacitates one of the group's members. Skulduggery B or higher will guarantee success.
  • Failing has no consequence, unless there's only one thug remaining, in which case the player trips up, alerting the thug. The player can fight (initiates an encounter) or flee (allows the player to escape without confrontation).

If the player's pain is too high (meaning a full bar), they'll be unable to perform either of these actions.

Working With Alex

During the assault, Alex will randomly patrol the farm, attempting to take out any intruders they stumble upon. Alex's current state is indicated by the message they relay to the player over the radio.

• In "patrol" mode: "I'm looking for intruders," Alex says. "Just checking in."
• In "attack" mode: "I'm pursuing Remy's thugs at (location)." Alex says in a hushed voice.
  • "Knocked one out."
  • "They'll feel this in the morning."
  • "Wonder when they'll realise they're missing a colleague."
  • "One thug down."
  • "Took one down."
  • "Can't get them alone."
  • "They're too watchful."
  • "Can't get close."
  • "Just waiting for my moment."
  • "I won't take any risks."

Left to their own devices, Alex has a roughly 2/5 chance at taking down a single thug. To tilt the odds in their favour, the player can lend Alex a hand by going to their location (they'll announce it over the walkie-talkie, if they've spotted a group of thugs), where they and the player can plan out their attack.

If the thugs are in the process of breaching the farm's perimeter, the player can throw rocks with Alex (0:05), incapacitating one of the thugs. This will always succeed, unlike when the player attempts it alone.

Once the thugs are inside the farm proper, if the player and Alex are in the same field, they have the following options:

• Work with Alex to pick one off (0:05) - Incapacitates one of the group's members. Always succeeds.
• Charge with Alex (0:05) - Initiates a nonconsensual encounter. If there are three thugs left, Alex will take one, leaving the player with the other two; otherwise, Alex and the player take on one thug each. Making them cum or beating them up causes them to flee.
  • If the player becomes overwhelmed with pain, the thug will pull out a length of rope as they grope the player (+ Stress), only to be intercepted by a punch from Alex. This won't defeat the whole group, but it will incapacitate one of its members. Getting saved by Alex also increases their Dominance.
• Overpower - Only available if the other two thugs in a group have been taken out and only one remains. Guaranteed to succeed, increases Alex's Love.

If the player's pain is too high (meaning a full bar), they won't have the option to charge with Alex, though they may still pick them off or overpower them if they're alone.

Farm Defenses

Aside from the player and Alex, various other factors will contribute to the farm's defense. Some of these defenses must be purchased from the desk in Alex's cottage; others can be improved there.

• The wall temporarily halts the thugs' entry; the more the player upgrades the wall, the longer it will take to break through.
• A Watchtower Guard can be employed to keep track of enemy movements, with their efficiency dependent on their security skill.
  • If the watchtower lacks a guard, the game states that the player may climb it anyway for a better view of the area. However, this does not appear to have any discernable effect.
• The hounds of the farm will attempt to stop any thugs from entering the farm. With upgraded kennels, they can scare away up to two entire groups of thugs.

Wall

The wall surrounding the farm will temporarily keep any intruders at bay. For each upgrade the player has invested in the wall, it will take Remy's goons one turn to break in (ex. with no upgrades they'll be able to enter immediately, with the "full repair" upgrade it takes them 1 turn, with the "reinforce" upgrade it takes 2, etc.)

Additionally, with the "metal fence" upgrade, there's a 1/3 chance for trespassers to make no progress at all, temporarily stalling them and giving the player more time to repel them with rocks or intimidation. With the "barbed wire" upgrade, this rises to a 2/3 chance.

Watchtower

If the player has a guard employed to the watchtower, they'll relay the locations of each group of thugs to the player. The chance of the guard identifying an enemy's location is based on their security skill, with higher levels increasing the odds; at an S rank, they'll always point at the location of all groups, provided the guard hasn't been incapacitated (see the Watchtower Assault section for more details). If the guard isn't skilled enough to spot anything, or if the farm lacks a guard in the first place, the prompt "There's movement near the (location)" will be displayed instead, offering a vague indication of where the thugs are.

• A group of Remy's thugs are climbing the wall/cutting through the fence at (location).
• A group of Remy's thugs are rushing into (location).
• A group of Remy's thugs are entering (location).
• A group of Remy's thugs are opening petrol canisters at (location).
• A group of Remy's thugs are pouring petrol over (location).
• A group of Remy's thugs are lighting matches at (location).
• A group of Remy's thugs are reveling as the field burns.

The second to last prompt ("Remy's thugs are lighting matches") serves as the player's final warning before a field goes up in flames. Upon receiving that prompt, they'll have one turn to get to the field and stop the thugs before they torch the field.

Watchtower Assault

Occasionally, Remy's thugs may rush the tower in an attempt to incapacitate the guard. Should the player notice in time, they can choose to follow the goons and defend the tower, or leave it up to the guard.

If they ignore the thugs, they will hear a struggle, punctuated by static as the guard attempts to fend off their assailants. Their success is determined by their Security skill.

• If successful: You peer at the watchtower. A body falls from the top. It's not your guard. Seems they got the better of one of their attackers.
• If unsuccessful: You peer at the watchtower. A body falls from the top. It's your guard. They won't be helping for the rest of the assault.

If the player instead opts to defend the watchtower, they'll sneak up behind the thugs as they ascend. The player can either ambush them (initiates a Skulduggery check) or charge them head-on. Succeeding in the former will defeat the thugs without a fight, but failing or choosing the latter option triggers an encounter.

Defeating the player's attacker(s), or driving them to orgasm, enables the guard to regain the upper hand and eject them from the tower. Otherwise, if the player becomes overwhelmed with pain, the thugs will focus their attention on the guard. If their security skill is high enough, they'll manage to fend the intruders off and help the player to their feat; if not, the guard, outnumbered, will be pushed off the watchtower.

If the guard is incapacitated at any point, they'll be essentially disabled for the remainder of the assault, unable to update the player and Alex on the enemy's progress.

Hounds

Alex's dogs will eagerly aid in the farm's defense. They'll descend upon any intruders upon their entry into the fields, hunting them down with reckless abandon. On their first attack, they'll always successfully repel an entire group of thugs; however, they'll get so caught up in the thrill of the hunt that they'll chase their quarry into the night, tiring them out upon their return. Any of the hounds' subsequent attempts at fending off attackers will fail, yielding the following message: You hear a panicked howling.

If the player upgrades the dogs' kennel, they'll be more disciplined during assaults; rather than pointlessly chasing their prey at the first whiff of an intruder, they'll stick around after the first attack, meaning the hounds can fend off up to two groups of thugs per assault.

Bailey's Thugs

If the player refuses to pay Bailey after moving into Alex's cottage, they'll support Remy's attacks on the farm. This results in Bailey sending their own goons to aid in the assault.

Bailey's thugs essentially function as an extra group the player has to contend with in addition to however many Remy has already sent (for example, if the player has nine fields, they'll end up having to deal with six groups of enemies in total).

These thugs stand out as being especially deadly. They possess several unique traits that distinguish them from Remy's hired hands, all of which serve to hinder the player.

• Bailey's thugs are significantly stronger than Remy's. They have 30% more health than standard NPCs and a greater threshold for arousal, meaning it will take longer to bring them to orgasm.
• Alex will have a harder time dealing with Bailey's thugs than the standard goons. When left alone, Alex has a roughly 1/5 chance of taking out a single member of Bailey's group.
• If the player tries throwing rocks at Bailey's thugs with Alex, there's a 50% chance they won't hit anything. By comparison, throwing rocks at Remy's thugs with Alex always ends up with one of the goons getting knocked out.
• If Alex and the player charge Bailey's thugs together and the player ends up overwhelmed with pain, Alex won't be able to save them; instead, both the player and Alex get tied up by the thugs.
• The hounds can only take out one of Bailey's thugs at a time, as opposed to the whole group (as they do with Remy's thugs).
• When throwing rocks without Alex, Bailey's thugs are harder to subdue, requiring higher Physique. Even if the player has maximum Physique with a large body, there's still a chance their rock-throwing will prove useless against them.
• Bailey's thugs are impossible to threaten. Even with maximum Combat fame, they'll laugh off any attempts at being scared into submission.
• Bailey's thugs are harder to pick off than Remy's. A full S rank in Skulduggery is needed to guarantee a successful ambush. Furthermore, if the player fails in their Skulduggery, they'll be forced to fight the entire group (or however many thugs remain).
• Bailey's thugs have a much easier time bypassing the farm's defenses. Unlike Remy's thugs, they have no chance at failing their attempts to get through the metal fence/barbed wire.
• When attacking the watchtower, Bailey's thugs are especially difficult to ambush. With one thug, Skulduggery B will guarantee success. With two, Skulduggery S will guarantee success. If all three thugs are active, not even an S rank is enough to ensure success.

Stopping Bailey's Support

Bailey's thugs may prove incredibly dangerous, especially if the player's defenses aren't up to snuff. With that in mind, it may be wise to avoid having to deal with them altogether by cutting off Bailey's support of Remy. This can be achieved in one of three ways.

1. Paying Bailey. The most straightforward way of preventing Bailey from supporting Remy, works whether the player pays them at the cottage or the orphanage. If the player had already refused Bailey in the past, paying them will cause them to call off their support for Remy. This means the player could theoretically refuse Bailey for several weeks but pay them on the week right before an assault, in which case the assault will proceed without Bailey's support.
2. Falling victim to one of Bailey's punishments. If the player returns to the orphanage and (willingly or unwillingly) ends up submitting to Bailey, the caretaker will not back Remy in the upcoming assault. As with paying them, this also has the effect of cancelling out any support Bailey had promised to provide.
3. Refusing Bailey at the Orphanage instead of the cottage. Note that without Alex's protection, the player will need to subdue Bailey themselves in combat. It's also worth noting that if the player had previously refused Bailey at the cottage, they will not call off their support. This method only works if the player hasn't refused Bailey at the cottage at all, or if they've already reset their support by paying them/submitting to them.

Shifty Stranger

During the assault, a shifty stranger may show up in one of the fields. At first, they won't appear to be doing anything, but after a few turns, the field they're in will be set ablaze. If the player chooses to fight them head on, a bizarre, slimy substance will leak from them and spread across the field. The ensuing encounter will be extremely difficult to win. If the player wins, the embers fizz out and the pale figure retreats.

If the player loses, the field is torched before their eyes. | - Control | + + Stress | + + Trauma

Aftermath

Once all the thugs leave, whether they accomplished their task or not, the assault will end. The player will receive one of the following assessments based on how much damage Remy wreaked upon the farm.

• If the fields were barren prior to the assault: With no fields to burn, the thugs flee the field. | - Control | + Trauma
• If the thugs burn one field: They managed to torch a field. | - Control | + Trauma
• If the thugs burn some (but not all) of the player's fields: They managed to torch (number) fields. | - - Control | + + Trauma
• If the thugs burn all of the player's fields: Their job done, the thugs flee the fields, leaving a smoldering waste behind them. | - - - Control | + + + Trauma
• If the player successfully defends all their fields: They failed to torch a single field. | + + Control | - - Trauma

If the thugs managed to torch all of the fields, the player will find Alex lying face down in the dirt, unconscious, with an empty bottle beside them (- - -Alex's Dominance). The player carries them back to the cottage and lays them in bed. Otherwise, Alex regroups with the player and the guard (if the latter is present), encouraging or congratulating them, depending on how well the defense went.

You walk back to the cottage. Alex pats your shoulder. "We won, but Remy will be back. We'll be ready." Remy will attack again in (number) days.

Avoiding the Assault

There is no way to completely prevent Remy's attacks from occurring. No matter what the player does, they'll always send their goons to the farm on the night of an assault. However, the player can choose not to participate in an assault by simply staying away from the farm during the period in which it happens (9:00 PM - 12:00 AM). If the player is anywhere on Alex's farm (being elsewhere in the Farmlands is fine), they'll be roped into defending the farm without an option to back out.

In the event of the player's absence, the thugs will automatically burn a number of the player's fields to the ground, increasing Trauma based on how many fields are destroyed. If the player wasn't growing any crops at the time of the assault, they'll simply note that there were no fields to burn.

	No Searchlights	Searchlights Installed
F	0 Fields	0 Fields
D	0 Fields	0-1 Fields
C	0-1 Fields	1-2 Fields
B	1 Field	2-3 Fields
A	1 Field	3 Fields
S	2 Fields	4 Fields

Calculating the amount of damage Remy's thugs will do is somewhat complicated. The number of fields they'll attempt to burn is equal to the amount the player has unlocked, not how many fields have crops actively growing. The player can limit the damage by investing in security upgrades for the farm.

• Each upgrade to the farm's perimeter (full repair, reinforce, metal fence, barbed wire) protects one field per upgrade, totaling at four fields with all upgrades installed.
• Upgrading the kennel protects one additional field.
• A given number of fields are protected based on the Watchtower Guard's security skill and whether or not the tower has searchlights affixed to it - see the table for more details. Has no effect if the watchtower is not staffed.

In short, if the farm has all four wall upgrades, an upgraded kennel, a fully upgraded watchtower, and an S rank guard, the safety of all nine fields will be ensured even without the player's assistance.

Rewards

• The safety of the player's crops.
• A large increases to Control/decrease to Trauma if the player fends off Remy's assault
• If the player has claimed all nine fields and finishes the assault without losing a single one, they'll earn the "Heroic Victory" feat. Note that the player does not need crops growing in all nine fields to receive the feat; as long as the fields are unlocked, they'll earn it upon successfully fighting off the thugs.