Storyline
| “ | Who I am does not concern you.
— Elizabeth pulling strings
|
” |
Although Team Fortress 2 does not have a story mode or single-player campaign, the storyline of the game has been revealed through comics, Meet the Team videos, and major updates. For example, the Halloween update of October 2009 (and Halloween update of October 2010), WAR! Update of December 2009, and Engineer Update of July 2010 have all added to the official Team Fortress continuity in one way or another. Hidden links within these pages as well as examination of Team Fortress 2 comic book pages are used to contribute to the various dates in the "Detailed timeline" section below.
Contents
1850
Mann family
The Mann family's backstory begins in 1850 with the wealthy Englishman Zepheniah Mann. Zepheniah Mann was the owner and proprietor of Mann & Sons Munitions Concerns – which also went by the name of Zepheniah Mann & Sons Co., but is better known by the name of Mann Co.. Later, he traveled to the United States with his two adult sons, Redmond and Blutarch, to expand their munitions business. When they arrived, they discovered the gravel pits and dustbowls were useless; in addition, Zepheniah had contracted numerous illnesses in his old age. With his last will and testament, Zepheniah set up the events of Team Fortress 2 by leaving half of his land to each of his sons – for them to fight over for the rest of their lives.
Beginnings of RED vs. BLU
Comprised of Billy the Kid, Stonewall Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Alfred Nobel, John Henry, Nikola Tesla, Sigmund Freud, Davy Crockett, and Fu Manchu, Blutarch had his crack mercenary team set and was eager to claim his land. However, Redmond had assembled his own team of mercenaries and was making similar plans to gain contol of his brother's land. The RED and BLU teams proceeded to enter into a massive stalemate as they attempted to destroy each other and take the land for their respective Mann sibling.
1890
A Loose Canon
Forty years later, Redmond and Blutarch were still engaged in their unwinnable war.
As Blutarch neared death from old age, he called in an expert craftsman named Radigan Conagher to construct for him a machine that would allow him to live on, to "make [him] a monster", by artificially extending his life. Radigan agreed.
Upon returning to his store that evening, Radigan found a stranger who had already made her way past his locked door. Knowing she couldn't convince Radigan to change his mind about building Blutarch's life extender, this stranger asked Radigan to build Redmond a machine as well. As payment, she gave him a hundred pounds of Australium – a powerful element found only in Australia which had caused the nation of unintelligent savages to become extremely intelligent and develop such technological marvels as teleportation and cloaking techniques.
Radigan agreed and became super-intelligent with the Australium. Radigan went on to develop life extending machines for Redmond, Blutarch, and a third individual.
1968
Modern war
During the Summer of 1968, nine individuals - the Scout, the Soldier, the Pyro, the Demoman, the Heavy Weapons Guy, the Engineer, the Medic, the Sniper, and the Spy - were recruited by Reliable Excavation & Demolition (RED) and Builders League United (BLU) to continue Redmond and Blutarch's neverending war to seize the land left to them by their deceased father.
Helen, a descendent of Elizabeth, acts as the overseer of the large-scale battles fought amongst these nine mercenaries. Descendent of Barnabas Hale, Saxton Hale, acts as the propitiatory owner of the renowned weapons and headwear business Mann Co., which acts as a subsidiary of the Administrator's shadowy company, TF Industries.
Recent developments
Our first major plot event occurs when the RED Demoman and BLU Soldier meet and become friends at an explosives convention, which severely angers the Administrator. With the help of Saxton Hale, she misleads both men into thinking the other is trying to kill them, sparking a bloody war.
The next major event occurs when Blutarch Mann realizes his life support machine is breaking. Blutarch contacts our BLU Engineer, the grandson of Radigan Conagher, to fix it.
Later, Saxton Hale discovers the Internet (which notably did not exist in the 1960s) and uses it to open the online Mann Co. Store for players to purchase weapons and items.
Mysteries
The Pyro's identity
The identity of the Pyro has been the subject of much debate since the game's release. As the Pyro is the only class to not yet receive a Meet the Team video, little is known about his or her personality and history. One popular theory claims that the Pyro was a woman, in large part because of a frilly flower handbag found in the Pyro's locker on several maps. Additional evidence supporters note include the Pyro's feminine humiliation stance, the Director's Vision taunt as well as one result of the High Five! taunt, the Madame Dixie, and domination lines from other classes that use derogatory female terms.
However, much speculation revolves around the idea that Abraham Lincoln is still alive and continues to play the role of the Pyro from his Original 1850's team. Three aspects of the Engineer Update are used as evidence:
- Abraham Lincoln was the original Pyro in the 1850s.
- Schematics on Radigan Conagher's workbench depict a contraption in which a seated man with a beard and top hat is dropped through a trap door and teleported to a desert location. An image of the penny (on which Lincoln is depicted) and the letters "LIN..." are nearby. Some have suggested this schematic may depict a way in which Lincoln survived his assassination by John "Tower of Hats" Booth.
- Radigan Conagher built a third life extending machine for an unknown individual. While some have cited the machine's construction date of April 14 (the day Lincoln was assassinated) as evidence, Conagher could not have built the third machine until at least 1894, the year he built Redmond and Blutarch's devices. An explanation for Lincoln's possible survival is provided above.
Another recent theory argues that the Administrator's secretary, Ms. Pauling, took the role of the Pyro to keep an eye on the mercenaries for the Administrator. Arguments for this include Pauling seemingly knowing how to handle a Revolver with expertise previously seen only with our mercenaries, as well as her taste in literature.
Zepheniah Mann's unknown will recipient
Zepheniah Mann left an important task, as well as the entirety of his (obscured), to an unknown individual in his will. Specifically, the line reads
| Lastly, to {obscured) I leave the entirety of my (obscured} (obscured) (obscured) and swear you to utmost secrecy in its keeping. |
Third "Life Extender Machine"
After constructing Blutarch his life extending machine on July 17, 1894, and a second for Redmond Mann on August 3, 1894, Radigan Conagher built a third machine on April 14 of an unknown year. Some have suggested Abraham Lincoln, the original Pyro (see above), as the owner of this machine due to the fact that it was built on the day he supposedly died. Others have theorized the unnamed descendant of Elizabeth who enlisted Radigan to make the devices in the first place may have requested one for herself, and is currently acting as the Administrator. Still others hypothesized that it was this unknown recipient from Zepheniah Mann's last will that have received this life extending machine.
Detailed timeline
| Legend |
|---|
| Important event |
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 18th Century | ||
| 1788 - December 18th | Old Nick turns his boat around to conquer the South Pole while on a voyage to Australia. | Link |
| 19th Century | ||
| 1808 | The company that produces the scrumpy that the Demoman would become a fan of over a century later begins production of their product. | Link |
| 1814 - June | An editorial cartoon is published in the Gentle Manne’s Monthly entitled "An Editorial Cartoon of Some Insighte" starring the editorial’s mascot the Gentle Manne of Leisure along with his "Companione". | Link |
| 1850 | The last will and testament of Zepheniah Mann is written and enacted. | Link |
| 1850 | Australia becomes the world's most advanced country. | Link, Link |
| 1857 | Abraham Lincoln invents stairs, replacing rocket jumping. | Link |
| 1862 - August 5th | Scientists in Australia "nervously assure the world" that there is "No gold after all..." Gold prospectors turn gaze to Canada. | Link, Link |
| 1865 | Abraham Lincoln holds his Second Inaugural Address stating, "I say this to you with unvarnished factualism of plain talk: I love Arena Mode." | Link |
| 1865 - April 20th | The War Department publishes a wanted poster for John "Tower of Hats" Booth for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. | Link |
| 1869 | Shiny's Bullion is established. | Link |
| 1880 | Emily begins her search for Australium. | Link |
| 1890 | Blutarch Mann commissions Radigan Conagher to build a life extending machine. | Link |
| 1890 | Emily requests Conagher to build a life extending machine for Redmond Mann as well. | Link |
| 1890 | Biggs starts producing steel rods. | Link |
| 1894 - April 14th | Radigan Conagher finishes a life extending machine for an undisclosed party. | Link |
| 1894 - July 17th | Radigan Conagher finishes building a life extending machine for Blutarch Mann. | Link |
| 1894 - August 3rd | Radigan Conagher finishes another life extending machine for Redmond Mann as well. | Link |
| 1895 - January 25th | “Hills Discovered!” The Here's Some News, Mate! newspaper runs a story about Australia stating “Mysterious new geographic lumps confound men of Australian science." | Link |
| 1895 - March 6th | “War, Mate!” Two months later, the king of Australia declares war on hills stating “There will be time to study these so-called hills after they are dead.” | Link |
| 1895 - April 5th | “King Conquers Hill!” It is reported by the Here's Some News, Mate! newspaper that the “Coward Mound Surrendered Without a Fight.” | Link |
| 20th Century | ||
| 1900 - January 23rd | "Mann Co. invents 'ro-bot'." It is revealed by an Australian newspaper that Mann Co., an Australian weapons giant, has invented the "robot". In the article, Mann Co. officials attempt to assure public concerns over their 'ro-bot' by stating that "These automatons will only be used for violence." On a minor note, a poll shows that "Robin" is the most popular Australian girl’s name. | Link |
| 1900 | Australia tries to colonize space by this time. They seem to have failed. | Link |
| 1901 | Newell and Sons debuts a "turnless" board game – Teams and Fortresses 2 – with explosive "real-time" gameplay. | Link |
| 1921 | Franklin D. Roosevelt loses both of his legs while rocket jumping. As a result, he perfects the modern staircase. | Link |
| 1923 | Red Shed beers are distilled in Tougaloo. | Link |
| 1937 | Redstone Cargo is established. | Link |
| 1939 - September 1st | World War II begins. Though he wanted desperately to fight in World War II, the Soldier was rejected from every branch of the U.S. military. Undaunted, he bought his own ticket to Europe. After arriving and finally locating Poland, the Soldier taught himself how to load and fire a variety of weapons before embarking on a Nazi killing spree for which he was awarded several medals that he designed and made himself. | Link |
| 1941 - September | The Heavy's father, a counter-revolutionary, is killed. The Heavy and his family are deported to a North Siberian gulag. | Link |
| 1941 - December | The North Siberian gulag burns to the ground with all its guards tortured to death and all prisoners, including the Heavy and his family, escape. | Link |
| 1945 - September 2nd | World War II ends. | |
| 1949 | The Soldier ends his Nazi killing spree in Poland upon hearing that World War II had already ended in 1945. | Link |
| 1959 | Primaprime comes out with a series of instructional films. | Link |
| Early 1960's | Saxton Hale's Barbershop Action debuts in the U.S. It is followed by ancillary titles Saxton Hale's Barbershop Romance and Haircut Horrors Starring Saxton Hale's Ghost. | Link |
| 1961 | Saxton Hale’s Thrilling Tales first arrives on newsstands. | Link |
| 1962 | Saxton Hale's Jungle Brawl debuts in the U.S. | Link |
| 1963 | Only four items are being produced for the elderly: hats, meat, caskets, and Saxton Hale's Mildly Thrilling Tales. Saxton Hale Visits His Mother Monthly and Soothing Stories of Familiar Things soon follow. | Link |
| 1964 - March | The first, and possibly only, issue of Saxton Hale's Mail Storm is published. | Link |
| 1965 | The Engineer creates several mechanical contraptions, including the Sentry Gun, while under contract with TF Industries. | Link |
| 1968 | Boy's Adventure Starring Saxton Hale comes under fire from the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency. Pressured by the Senate, Mann Co. changes the title to Girl's Adventure Starring Saxton Hale. | Link |
| 1968 - June | The main setting for Team Fortress 2. | Link |
| 1969 - August | Saxton Hale firebombs Woodstock from a helicopter due to a longtime feud with hippies. | Link |
| 1972 | Saxton Hale's Jungle Brawl ends publication. | Link |
Trivia
- World maps exist within the game that do not show 1968 contemporary nations, such as the Soviet Union, but instead show countries like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Estonia, and many others which were not independent at the time. This may be due to Team Fortress' timeline differing from our own, or simply being an oversight.
