Sims 2 Challenge: House of Plumbobs

Welcome to the House of Plumbobs Challenge where you will start a brand new neighbourhood with a certain number of starting families all vying to be the most successful family in town! Your aim is to get each of your starting families to 10 generations and see which family has the most influence over the development and design of the town. 

*Note: you don't have to reach 10 generations of all the family branches, you just need 9 heirs descending down from one of the Sims in each of your starting families through the family tree. This is quite a task so feel free to change this goal number to any number of generations you wish.

This challenge has been adapted from Ryoko’s civilisation challenge. I give them full credit for this idea, I’ve adapted it to suit my own play style, added new elements to the challenge and re-named it. 

I am playing this off screen and occasionally live streaming this on my YouTube Channel (Newland Springs is the name of my neighbourhood). Please do stop by and say hi! Feedback is very much welcome and I’ll adjust the rules as required while I play through if needed. If you are playing this challenge, let me know! I would love to know how you are getting on.

*Note: It’s a game and the aim is to have fun so change the rules as you see fit to have fun with it for your play style. For example. you can choose your Sims aspirations based on their personality instead of their zodiac sign if that’s your play style, you can expand upon the treasury/taxation system if you like to play with more complicated tax systems and you play an integrated hood of you wish. I will be using much of my general gameplay rules which I use for my Pleasantview, but this is not necessary you can use whatever gameplay rules you like.

Setting Up Neighbourhood & Families

• Start with a blank map which will be your new custom neighbourhood, you can download a map or create your own one if you wish. 

• Roll between 3 and 8 for the number of starting families you will start with.

  Note: the higher the number the harder/longer this challenge will be.

• Then roll between 1 and 53 to see what type of sims make up each family (see rollers section down below). You can then make these Sims or download some Sims to use if you like.

• At the start of the game, only adult Sims can be considered Gen 1, no Elders or other life stages count. This is so all families start equal.

• Each Sim must have their zodiac sign and primary aspiration chosen by rolling between 1 and 12 and then picking one of the options listed for that number (see rollers section down below). Each new child that ages up to teen should have their primary aspiration chosen by their zodiac sign (see rollers section below).

• Roll between 6 and 20 for the funds each family can use to purchase a house at the start of the game (i.e. 6= £6000) then purchase a property and move them in.

  Note: For cheap houses, I recommend you check out Plastic Box on Mod The Sims.

• Roll between £500 and £5000 for the family starting funds after purchasing a home and moving in. This is your starting fund and you must set your family funds to this amount at the start of the game.

• If you are using ACR, set each Sims sexuality. Then let ACR randomise future Sims that grow up in the neighbourhood after this.
  

Mayor & Taxes

• Each household pays 10% of the household net worth (including money in bank accounts if you use them) at the start of the round as tax to the town treasury which is controlled by the current Mayor. Bank accounts belonging to teens or younger are not subject to tax.

• The town treasury starts with £50k to start you off. At the end of each round the treasury is granted £20k, plus all of the tax money generated in that round.

• The Mayor at the start of each round can spend money from the treasury how they want - they can be selfish and use the money to build up their own home, business, send their kids to University, buy a car or they can spend the money to benefit the whole community by building community lots, building new houses or apartment buildings, provide welfare benefits to poorer sims etc.

• When starting out in Round 1, roll for the Mayor - they should be an adult or elder from one of your starting families and randomly chosen. The first Mayor decides on the first community lot to be built and there is no charge for this, but the value should be below £50k. Choose a community lot that fits the Mayor's aspiration, hobby or interests e.g. a Romance Sim might choose a bar or restaurant, a Family Sim might choose a park with swings/slides, a Knowledge Sim might choose a library, a Sim with a hobby in fitness might choose a Gym.

• At the end of each round a new Mayor is chosen. The Mayor is chosen from the family with the most points. Any Adult or Elder Sim within that family can be chosen to be the Mayor, you can roll for it if you wish or have your Sims complete a challenge (e.g. the one that wins a chess game, or a fight, or paints the most high value painting).

Heirs

• Each household from your starting families must select an heir for the next generation. If a household has multiple children, you can select the eldest, you can roll for the heir or have the children complete a challenge to decide e.g. a chess match. The heir will be allowed to move back in after University (if they go) and inherit the family home and continue the official family line.

• A non-heir sibling can fight their sibling to be heir (1x only), if they win the fight they are the new heir.

• If the heir dies without leaving any children behind, the family line moves to the deceased heirs sibling or closest relative.

• You should also continue the non-heirs family lines, but you can end the line if your town is getting too big by not letting them adopt or have children.

• If non-heir children have little money after University to buy a house roll their starting funds when they finish Uni (or when they age to an adult if not going to Uni) as described at previously.

• Non-heir household points can also be calculated and contribute to their family’s total points, as long as they retain the family surname.

• Household names are based on the majority of the last names in the household, of if it's equal it is randomly chosen.

• Adoption is allowed, but adoptee's must take the households last name. They can be heirs.

• When marrying Sims from two of your starting families you can choose or roll for the surname that will be taken, or pick the family with the most points. *Tip: Try to preserve the surname of all your starting families in the hood, e.g. sometimes it's good to let a male sim take a female Sim's surname when marrying them.

Points

• All Sims earn points for their family, see points section below for the points that can be earned and lost through gameplay.

• Sims in a household earn points for the family the household is named after. This means a Sim that starts off earning points for one family can marry into a different family and start earning points for them.

• Children who do not live with both parents, earn points for family of the household they live in even if their last name is different. When they age up and move out on their own, they earn points for the family that match their last name.

  
  

Townies

• You can add new townies whenever you like, but if you make them in create-a-family you should also randomise their zodiac sign and associated personality as well as their sexuality. 

• Townies can only marry into your families, they can't start households of their own.

• Townies must take the last name of the family they’re marrying into.
  

Misc

• The choice of chance card pop ups is determined by a coin flip, heads = option 1, tails = option 2.

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Aspiration Roller

In create-a-family roll a random number for the Sims zodiac sign, then flip a coin to decide the primary aspiration,  heads = option 1, tails = option 2. For Sims born in game, check their zodiac sign then flip the coin.

1. Aries – Romance/Knowledge

2. Sagittarius – Knowledge/Fortune

3. Capricorn –  Pleasure/Popularity

4. Aquarius – Popularity/Family

5. Pisces – Family/Fortune

6. Cancer – Fortune/Romance

7. Scorpio – Romance/Pleasure

8. Libra – Knowledge/Family

9. Leo – Pleasure/Fortune

10. Gemini – Popularity/Romance

11. Virgo – Family/Knowledge

12. Taurus – Fortune/Popularity

Household Makeup Roller

Roll a random number between 1 and 53 and create a family that fits the below.

Unless the lifestage is specified they are an adult sim.

All un-specified sexualities can be randomised .

All sims in the household must be related in some way e.g. parent/child, spouses, siblings, grandparent.

1. Single Man

2. Single Woman

3. Siblings, Male and Female

4. Siblings, Male and Male

5. Siblings, Female and Female

6. Siblings, Male and Male and Female

7. Siblings, Male and Male and Male

8. Siblings, Female and Female and Male

9. Siblings, Female and Female and Female

10. Siblings, Male and Male and Male and Female

11. Siblings, Male and Male and Female and Male

12. Siblings, Male and Female and Male and Female

13. Siblings, Male and Female and Female and Female

14. Siblings, Male and Male and Male and Male

15. Siblings, Female and Female and Female

16. Single Man and Toddler

17. Single Man and Child

18. Single Man and Teen

19. Single Man and Toddler and Child

20. Single Man and Toddler and Teen

21. Single Man and Teen and Child

22. Single Man and Child and Child

23. Single Man and Teen and Teen

24. Single Woman and Toddler

25. Single Woman and Child

26. Single Woman and Teen

27. Single woman and Toddler and Child

28. Single Woman and Toddler and Teen

29. Single woman and Child and Child

30. Single Woman and Child and Teen

31. Single Woman and Teen and Teen

32. Married Couple

33. Married Couple with One Toddler

34. Married Couple with One Child

35. Married Couple with One Teen

36. Married Couple with Two Toddlers

37. Married Couple with Two Children

38. Married Couple with Two Teens

39. Gay/Lesbian Couple

40. Gay/Lesbian couple and Toddler 

41. Gay/Lesbian Couple and Child 

42. Gay/Lesbian Couple and Teen  

43. Elder and Adult

44. Elder and Two Adults and Toddler

45. Elder Couple and an Adult

46. Elder Couple and Two Adults

47. Elder Couple and Two Adults and Toddler

48. Elder Couple and Two Adults and Child

49. Elder Couple and Two Adults and Teen

50. Elder and Two Adults

51. Elder and Two Adults and Toddler

52. Elder and Two Adults and Child

53. Elder and Two Adults and Teen

Points

Money	Starting funds more than £2500 (+2)
	Starting funds less than £2500 (+1)
	Every £100k made (+2)
	Large sum from chance card (+2)
	Household value above £500k (+5)
	Repo Man (-3)
	Money Lost via Chance Card (-1)
Aspiration & LTW	Age Up Platinum (+2)
	Age Up Gold (+1)
	Age Up Green (-1)
	Age Up Red (-2)
	Aspiration Reward Object (+1) - once per house only
	Platinum Grave (+1)
	Non-Platinum Grave (-1)
	Aspiration Failure (-5)
	LTW Completed (+10)
Friendship	New Best Friend (+1)
	Lost Best Friend (-1)
	Win Fight (+1)
	Lost Fight (-1)
	New Enemy (-2)
Romance	Have a Dream Date (+2)
	Go Steady (+2)
	Fall In Love (+3)
	Get Married/Joined (+5)
	Woohoo Rejected (-1)
	Bad Date (-2)
	Get Caught Cheating (-3)
	Get left at the alter (-5)
	Get Divorced (-5)
Family	Legitimate Child Born (+1)
	Adoption (+1)
	Multiple Birth (+2)
	Get into Private School (+2)
	Rejected from Private School (-1)
	Miscarriage (-2)
	Illegitimate Child (-2)
	Orphaned teen or younger (-2)
	All toddler skills (+5)
	School Grade A- or up on Birthday (+1)
	School Grade D on Birthday (-1)
	Pregnant Sim Dies / Death by Childbirth (-5)
	Social Worker (-10)
	Pet Runs Away/Removed from Home (-5)
	Family Branch Killed Off (-50)
	Whole Family Ends (-100)
University/Career/Skills & Hobbies	Career Object (+1) - once per house only
	Gold Talent Badge (+1)
	Invited to Hobby Secret Lot (+1)
	Maxed Skill (+2)
	Maxed Hobby (+2)
	Business Lv5 (+3)
	Business Lv10 (+3)
	Top of Teen Job (+3)
	Top of Job/Pet Job (+5)
	Earn a Degree (+3) but make this +5 if 4.0gpa
	Each scholarship (+1)
	No scholarships offered (-1)
	Get Demoted (-1)
	Lose a Skill (-1)
	Bad Hobby Chance Card (-1)
	Fired (-2)
	Academic probation (-1)
	Kicked Out of College (-2)
Misc.	Burglar Caught (+1)
	Burglar Escapes (-2)
	Each Unique Ghost Color (+2)
	Roof Raiser Party (+1)
	Disaster Party (-1)
	Sent to prison (-3)
	Electrocuted (-1)
	Fire (-1)
	Fail to Pay a Service Sim (-1)
	Sim Dies (not old age) (-3)
	Sim Dies of Sickness (-5)
	Sim Killed Purpose (-10)
Occult	Vampire or werewolf (+2)
	Witch or plant sim (+2)
	Alien pregnancy/birth (+2)