Template:Infobox Victoria Byng
- "Get yourself back to the Garden, you Downer bastard!"
- — Bobby at the St. Georges Holm Bridge
Bobbies are the Quaternary antagonists in We Happy Few.
"Bobby" is British slang for a policeman and thus, they are the law enforcement force of Wellington Wells.
Description
Bobbies wear a typical English policeman's uniform and have Happy Face masks like the other Wellies, only theirs are twisted into a permanent grin or a sneer. They can also be seen wearing gas masks during nighttime. They typically wield Bobby Truncheons as their sole weapon but sometimes, they may utilize Electric Truncheons in combat. They are much taller and stronger than any other Wellie.
Variants
Red Bobbies are a rare variant of the normal Blue Bobby that can be seen at a stationary post in stores inside Hamlyn Village and can be found patrolling in the Parade District. They are the same as regular Bobbies, with the exception being that they have a red uniform, are stronger and have higher health, cannot be bribed, and wield Electric Truncheons exclusively.
Another rare version of the Bobby is the White Bobby who is Anton Verloc's private guard. He is far stronger than any Bobby and serves as an area boss. The White Bobby wields a weapon called the "Pipe Down" which is a glowing-hot Lead Pipe that causes burn damage on hit.
There are several special Bobbies in addition to this. One is Constable Peters, a figure from Arthur and Sally's past and John Constable, who is a playable Bobby in the Night Watch game mode.
Behavior
Strategy
Bobbies generally can be found patrolling Wellington Wells or guarding bridges, police stations, and government buildings. They can also be found watching over crime scenes, transporting deceased individuals, and at times conversing with each other. Bobbies are typically only encountered on Maidenholm, St. George's Holm and Apple Holm but there is a special location where three can be found guarding an apple tree in the Garden District.
Bobbies can be bribed with Scotch, which will instantly make them become peaceful and will no longer pay attention to crimes committed. This doesn't work though if players are experiencing Joy withdrawal, memory loss or the Bobby is already hostile to the player. Bribery doesn't work on Red Bobbies, however. Bobbies (and reinforcements) will also be summoned if there is an alarm triggered, or there is havoc in town by emerging from Bobby Poppers, which transport them all around Wellington Wells.
Events of We Happy Few
Act One
Arthur Hastings is chased by Bobbies out of the Parade District and all the way to the Garden District, where they catch and proceed to kill him, only to smell a gas leak and flee. Throughout the rest of the act, Arthur is constantly on guard around the Bobbies, as he is off his Joy. Arthur uses deception, bribery, and even violence to take them on, and even receives help from them on certain occasions. Arthur needs a particular Bobby's papers in order to get to the next district (he's in Hamlyn Village at the time), and goes to one of their police stations to figure out where he is. He encounters the Constable there, who calls him Percy for unknown reasons. Arthur doesn't fully recognize him, though, and experiences a flashback of only pieces of a memory. Arthur eventually learns that the Bobby is at the House of Peculiar Pleasures, and goes there to steal his credentials and formulate a lie. Arthur successfully tricks another Bobby (whose sister is marrying the other Bobby) and makes his way into the next district.
Much later, as Arthur is retrieving cod liver oil for Sally Boyle from Haworth Laboratories, where Verloc has set up shop, Arthur encounters a White Bobby guarding Verloc's office, and tries to trick him into letting him get to Verloc. Verloc hears all of this though, and quickly realizes that Arthur is an intruder, and orders the Bobby to kill Arthur. Arthur manages to defeat the Bobby and continues on with his journey.
Arthur eventually makes his way into the Parade District, where he learns from a Bobby that they will be closing the bridge into the district in the near future. Here, Arthur is forced to deal with the Red Bobbies as well as the regular ones, who cannot be bribed or be easily fooled. Eventually, Arthur manages to lift the quarantine on the broadcasting tower and tells the Bobby there that he has done so, allowing him entry.
Arthur, once he has escaped Wellington Wells, hears two more regular Bobbies before he escapes. They are talking about vacationing in Spain when Christmas comes along. However, one of the two asks the other if they'll ever get out of Wellington Wells, to which the other one responds with how his friend ruined the mood. The first Bobby states that he can only suspend his disbelief for so long, to which the other replies, "A word to the wise, Constable. Sincerity is the most important thing. The better you can fake that, the better you'll do in life." These words basically define Arthur's situation.
Arthur continues on to meet the Constable again, who greets him and checks his credentials before leading him out of Wellington Wells. However, the Constable removes his mask after talking about taking care of brothers, causing Arthur to recognize him. Arthur then remembers how he tricked the Constable into believing that he was his brother Percy while leaving Percy to fend for himself on the train. Upon remembering this, Arthur breaks down and reveals the horrible truth to the Constable, who consoles him and states that since Arthur can't afford to forget anymore, he should consider it a gift to know who he really is. The Constable goes on to state that the mercy in life is that life goes on, and he escorts Arthur across the Britannia Bridge.
Act Two
The role of the Bobbies changes from aggressors to clients during the second act, as Sally Boyle is responsible for providing them with Blackberry Joy, which is a more refined version of Joy made from natural chemicals and herbs. However, Sally is late on her latest batch, however. This is causing the Bobbies to begin to threaten her, but because they work for General Byng, one of the two bigwigs seeking control over Wellington Wells, who is protecting her, most of their aggressive remarks are empty threats. They also protect Sally from Anton Verloc, the other major figure seeking to gain control over Wellington Wells, who is Sally's former lover (and the father of her child).
As the game progresses, it is discovered that Sally was found by the Constable (Arthur's Bobby) after she had run away from home. He takes her back, only to discover that Sally's mother had poisoned herself and everyone else in the family, to keep Sally's siblings from going on the train to Germany.
The Bobbies continue to grow more restless, and threaten to give Sally to Verloc, who would undoubtedly hurt her, but lay off because of Byng. Eventually, her daughter Gwen contracts measles, and Sally goes to get cod liver oil from Verloc in order to cure it, communicating with him from a safe distance at a police station, but he angrily rejects her and orders the Bobbies to arrest Sally, though they don't comply and apologize for Verloc's behavior. She then uses Arthur to retrieve the cod liver oil for her.
Much later, Sally escapes Wellington Wells with Gwen, leaving them all behind.
Act Three
The Bobbies serve as a near-constant threat to Ollie Starkey, as he is a known dissident and non-conformer, but they prove to be simply annoying obstacles, as Ollie is more than capable of taking them on. When Ollie and Margaret go to the bridge that will lead them into Hamlyn Village, a Bobby guarding the checkpoint stops Ollie. He makes Ollie figure out the cause of death for a patrol of Bobbies who were found in the Garden District, with no clear cause as to what killed them. Ollie investigates this, and discovers that they were killed by Foggy Jack with mustard gas. The Bobby lets him through, in exchange for his silence on the situation. Later, when Ollie broadcasts Uncle Jack's final recording, Red Bobbies come to stop him but Ollie manages to defeat them all. He too escapes Wellington Wells.
Epilogue
The Constable escorts Arthur across the Britannia Bridge, but Arthur continues to hear Percy's voice, prompting the Constable to ask what's wrong. Arthur then notes how truly heinous he is, and the Constable explains that not everyone is built to handle the truth. He then offers Arthur an Oblivion pill. Should Arthur accept, he will forget the past and return to Wellington Wells as perhaps one of the last people still on Joy, but if he refuses, he leaves the city towards for a more hopeful future.
Dropped Items
When the player successfully beats a Bobby or gives him alcohol, the constable can drop any of the following items:
- Baton
- Gas Mask
- Constable's Keycard
- Bobby Whistle
- Bobby Hat
- Cloth Scrap
- Screwers
- Apple
- Bobby pin
Encounters
Several Bobbies appear in some quests that the player has to resolve in order to continue the main story or to get useful items.
- St. Georges Holm Bridge
- The Apple Tree
- Blood in the Streets
- Cerberus was the First Bobby
- The Moonjuice Leech
- Popper Popped
- Tits Up Downer
Gallery
Trivia
- Though "Bobby" is the colloquial term for them in Wellington Wells, they are referred to in letters and missions as Constables.
- The term "bobby" comes from the real life inspiration of Scotland Yard police officers in London, founded by Sir Robert Peel[1].
- When you give a Bobby Alcohol, it is possible to get the alcohol back once the Bobby has thrown it, This is tricky to pull off as timing is essential.
- If the player gives Scotch to a Bobby and then gets into a fight with an enemy of any kind (including other Bobbies), the bribed Bobby will start cheering on the combatants. If he is hit, he will still not become hostile and will just retreat back.
- Bobbies' surnames are taken from several famous English painters between the 17th and the 20th centuries[2].