Forum Announcement, Click Here to Read More From EA_Cade.
The Kids of Straud Mansion: a family-based story/challenge
katrinasforest
Posts: 1,002 Member
I know lots of people are stuck inside with their kids now, so I wanted to devise a challenge that could be played as a family and enjoyed by kids, too. It requires the Vampires expansion pack and base game only. I'm going to be trying it out and I'll report back how it goes. 
I'm also writing the directions assuming readers having a passing familiarity with how The Sims works, but maybe aren't that experienced yet, since I know some people are picking up the game for the first time now, too.
The challenge starts with our stereotypical evil vampire, Vladislaus Staud, who--as we all know--is a whole lot of fun to mess around with.
Two adorable and resourceful kids are about to completely take over the Straud mansion.
In this challenge, vampires are kind of like bears. Except while bears are adorable woodland creatures that sleep during the winter, vampires are not adorable, and they hibernate all summer long. Spring's just starting, as it happens in our story, and Straud is thinking of turning in a bit early this year.
According to the Sims' website, Vlad has a cousin named Arthur Climate. Arthur feels like Straud is missing something in his life. But what?
...
Ah, yes, that's it! A family! Arthur calls up the adoption agency, impersonating his cousin, and tells them Straud would like to adopt one...no. Two children!
When the kids arrive, Vlad is quite perplexed, but he welcomes them, and then goes into the basement for the start of his hibernation, assuming the confused little ones will find their way home eventually.
Now the children are looking at a huge mansion with the one adult who was supposed to supervise them snoozing indefinitely in the basement. What will they do now?
The answer is whatever they want!
Your goal: Give your kids the best life possible with Straud hibernating through the whole thing. You can hire services, throw a party, make a mess, whatever sounds like a good time.
To begin:
1. Start a new game. (If you've got Seasons installed, select Spring.)
2. Say, "No, thanks" to story mode and just randomize the traits, name, and aspiration of the Sim in create mode and move them in wherever. This isn't who we're playing with.
3. Once you've got your randomized Sim in a house, hit F5 to go to Manage Worlds. We're going to go to Forgotten Hollow!
4. Select the Straud Mansion. Enter build mode and add a computer to the desk in the bedroom upstairs. (I'd personally add some bookshelves, too, as Straud has surprisingly few for a giant mansion, but that's me.)
5. Have Straud go up to the computer, select "Household," and adopt two children.
7. After the kids arrive, from the upper left corner, you may want to select "Off-The-Grid" trait for the lot to avoid bills. The lights, water, and stove will still mostly work, but the computer and any new electronics won't be usable. It's up to you.
8. Send Straud to the coffin in the basement and select "Hibernate."
The rules:
1. Kids are only allowed to blow out candles on a birthday cake (and thus age up into teens) when they've completed one of their Childhood Aspirations AND their grades are at least a B.
2. Kids can build and sell stuff in the mansion as much as they like. They may also change the lot traits and their aspirations anytime.
3. The kids are allowed to move Straud's coffin. They may take it to a family retail lot, a new house, or on vacation. Simply edit the lot, add a coffin, and have Straud hibernate the moment he arrives.
4. Straud can only be taken out of hibernation to:
a) Make a cake (if there is no butler or bakery for the kids to get one from)
b) Pay the bills
c) Flee a fire
d) Tend to his needs if they've gone into the red.
e) Move to a different coffin.
Once there is at least one teen in the house, Straud can no longer make a cake or pay the bills (he sleeps more soundly as summer goes on.)
5. You may purchase items with anyone's satisfaction points, including Straud's.
6. You can use the kaching cheat if you're really stuck, but not the motherlode cheat. The point is to have fun but have a little bit of a challenge, too.
7. You may set the seasons to any length and aging to any speed, including turning it off altogether.
Winning Conditions: You've won the challenge when both teens have: Gotten As in school, acquired at least 5,000 satisfaction points over their lifetime, and reached level 10 in at least one skill. Age them into young adults and send them on their way, leaving Straud still snoozing and wondering what happened. Bonus points if you can do this before summer reaches its end.
And if you don't win the challenge (or you need to bend the rules a little to win?) That's okay, too. The point is, you watched some kid Sims cause lots of chaos and had a good time doing it.
UPDATE: If anyone would like to follow my family's chaotic journey through this challenge, I've started chronically it as an ongoing story below...
Part 1: The Arrival
I'm also writing the directions assuming readers having a passing familiarity with how The Sims works, but maybe aren't that experienced yet, since I know some people are picking up the game for the first time now, too.The challenge starts with our stereotypical evil vampire, Vladislaus Staud, who--as we all know--is a whole lot of fun to mess around with.
Two adorable and resourceful kids are about to completely take over the Straud mansion.
In this challenge, vampires are kind of like bears. Except while bears are adorable woodland creatures that sleep during the winter, vampires are not adorable, and they hibernate all summer long. Spring's just starting, as it happens in our story, and Straud is thinking of turning in a bit early this year.
According to the Sims' website, Vlad has a cousin named Arthur Climate. Arthur feels like Straud is missing something in his life. But what?
...
Ah, yes, that's it! A family! Arthur calls up the adoption agency, impersonating his cousin, and tells them Straud would like to adopt one...no. Two children!
When the kids arrive, Vlad is quite perplexed, but he welcomes them, and then goes into the basement for the start of his hibernation, assuming the confused little ones will find their way home eventually.
Now the children are looking at a huge mansion with the one adult who was supposed to supervise them snoozing indefinitely in the basement. What will they do now?
The answer is whatever they want!
Your goal: Give your kids the best life possible with Straud hibernating through the whole thing. You can hire services, throw a party, make a mess, whatever sounds like a good time.
To begin:
1. Start a new game. (If you've got Seasons installed, select Spring.)
2. Say, "No, thanks" to story mode and just randomize the traits, name, and aspiration of the Sim in create mode and move them in wherever. This isn't who we're playing with.
3. Once you've got your randomized Sim in a house, hit F5 to go to Manage Worlds. We're going to go to Forgotten Hollow!
4. Select the Straud Mansion. Enter build mode and add a computer to the desk in the bedroom upstairs. (I'd personally add some bookshelves, too, as Straud has surprisingly few for a giant mansion, but that's me.)
5. Have Straud go up to the computer, select "Household," and adopt two children.
7. After the kids arrive, from the upper left corner, you may want to select "Off-The-Grid" trait for the lot to avoid bills. The lights, water, and stove will still mostly work, but the computer and any new electronics won't be usable. It's up to you.
8. Send Straud to the coffin in the basement and select "Hibernate."
The rules:
1. Kids are only allowed to blow out candles on a birthday cake (and thus age up into teens) when they've completed one of their Childhood Aspirations AND their grades are at least a B.
2. Kids can build and sell stuff in the mansion as much as they like. They may also change the lot traits and their aspirations anytime.
3. The kids are allowed to move Straud's coffin. They may take it to a family retail lot, a new house, or on vacation. Simply edit the lot, add a coffin, and have Straud hibernate the moment he arrives.
4. Straud can only be taken out of hibernation to:
a) Make a cake (if there is no butler or bakery for the kids to get one from)
b) Pay the bills
c) Flee a fire
d) Tend to his needs if they've gone into the red.
e) Move to a different coffin.
Once there is at least one teen in the house, Straud can no longer make a cake or pay the bills (he sleeps more soundly as summer goes on.)
5. You may purchase items with anyone's satisfaction points, including Straud's.
6. You can use the kaching cheat if you're really stuck, but not the motherlode cheat. The point is to have fun but have a little bit of a challenge, too.
7. You may set the seasons to any length and aging to any speed, including turning it off altogether.
Winning Conditions: You've won the challenge when both teens have: Gotten As in school, acquired at least 5,000 satisfaction points over their lifetime, and reached level 10 in at least one skill. Age them into young adults and send them on their way, leaving Straud still snoozing and wondering what happened. Bonus points if you can do this before summer reaches its end.
And if you don't win the challenge (or you need to bend the rules a little to win?) That's okay, too. The point is, you watched some kid Sims cause lots of chaos and had a good time doing it.
UPDATE: If anyone would like to follow my family's chaotic journey through this challenge, I've started chronically it as an ongoing story below...
Part 1: The Arrival
Watch me mash together Sims and Pokémon to tell a story about battling glitches in Penny Saves Paldea. Updated every other Thursday.
Post edited by katrinasforest on
3
Comments
The first one was Creative and very happy to have a new sibling. The second was evil and very angry about the exact same thing. These two are going to be an...interesting pair. ^_^;;
(As you know, I've kinda been thinking about starting a new challenge of my own.
Gosh this description is giving me serious Count Olaf vibes.
(That's the Netflix version of A Series of Unfortunate Events. In my opinion, it's the better version!)
Book O' Spells: The Life and Times of Lady Ravendancer Goth
The Shadow Over Newcrest - Revised Story Blog
Oh, gosh, Count Olaf is actually pretty accurate. I'd say this is like if Count Olaf was really, really lazy and just slept all day not paying any attention to anything. Including the state of his house.
It would make the challenge even harder if Vlad adopted two toddlers. You would leave popcorn out for the toddlers as it doesn't spoil and toddlers eat it autonomously or, for those without the movie hangout SP, you would be allowed to stock their inventories with fresh fruit/veg (which you would get by opening seed packets, purchased by the computer).
The rules would need to be amended to allow Vlad out of the coffin in order to cook more popcorn/buy more seed packs from the computer. Other than that he would not be allowed to care for/interact with the toddlers at all.
The toddlers could then be aged up either when they have all skills at level 3 (you can buy toys etc to help them bring up their skills) or on their birthday.
Vlad The Dad: A 100 Baby Challenge, Vlad as ‘matriarch’ *COMPLETE*
Breed Out The Weird *COMPLETE*
I started reading Vlad the Dad, and it's hilarious so far!
Book O' Spells: The Life and Times of Lady Ravendancer Goth
The Shadow Over Newcrest - Revised Story Blog
I may have to play through this challenge at some point, it sounds really fun! I love the thought of kids raising themselves completely.
Oh thank you haha. I am afraid it does get a little boring and repetitive, especially towards the end, but I wanted to have a completed 100 baby blog and there it is.
Vlad The Dad: A 100 Baby Challenge, Vlad as ‘matriarch’ *COMPLETE*
Breed Out The Weird *COMPLETE*
@MaggieMarley You have much more patience than I do. I still haven't even completed a 10-gen legacy. ^_^;; But, yeah, Fresh Chef is the only thing that makes toddlers tolerable for me. I just have the chef make a giant plate of food and the toddlers take one serving at a time and put it in their inventory. Then they'll just plop down and eat whenever they're hungry. I didn't know about popcorn, though. Funny how water can somehow spoil but popcorn lasts forever. ^_^
I also forgot about food prepared in a cauldron. It never goes bad as long as it stays in there. (Individual servings start to spoil once they're removed from the cauldron, though.)
I am keeping screenshots and videos to share when I compile our family adventures. So far the hardest thing has been actually following my kids' directions.
My kids: Make them order pizza!
Me: Why? They have a butler!
My kids: Pizza! With pepperoni! And make them yell at the neighbor!
Me: But that is going to completely undermine her Social Butterfly aspiration, and--and... Right. Sorry. Pizza and yelling at the neighbors it is. ^_^
(Sometimes I have to remind myself why I wrote this thing up in the first place!)
Popcorn doesn't spoil so long as it stays in the popper but after you take it out it can spoil. So the same as food from the cauldron. Why didn't I just use the cauldron in my 100 baby...?
Lol your kids are hilarious
Vlad The Dad: A 100 Baby Challenge, Vlad as ‘matriarch’ *COMPLETE*
Breed Out The Weird *COMPLETE*
Part One...The Arrival! http://www.fanfiction.katrinasforest.com/2020/10/21/the-arrival-of-kids-at-straud-mansion/
(I decided to have Caleb be the one to call the adoption agency...just because it struck me as something he'd do.)
Site | Thread
I finally updated! Here are chapters 2 and 3: The Decorating and The Butler!
http://www.fanfiction.katrinasforest.com/2020/11/20/kids-at-straud-mansion-the-decorating/
http://www.fanfiction.katrinasforest.com/2021/01/14/kids-at-straud-mansion-the-butler/