How it started: A random musing, could I write a challenge that forced me to deviate from playing fundamentally nice/good sims, without having total miscreants and exploring more of the game?
How it’s going: Below, a narrative driven TS4 legacy challenge in which each generation has a “poison” trait to contend with. Their goals are based loosely on the properties/colours/flower meanings of various poisonous or toxic plants.
There is a Sims 3 Version here. I’m playtesting it over at @poisongardensims and tweaking the rules as I go!
More legible Google doc here - or rules under the cut!
Legacy rules - Every Generation
Complete the relevant career, aspiration and max the skill(s)
I’ve tried to leave room for creativity and your story inc. a trait slot per gen. Feel free to change rules to match your packs/story idea. The only thing you must keep is the “poison” trait for each gen, and keeping the challenge level the same by swapping out a maxed skill for another skill etc.
Each heir should try and have their urn saved and a portrait painted.
Kids can be biological or adopted except in Gen 9.
Play it berry/banilla or vanilla with the colours used in decor/clothes.
If you decide to try and wanna let me know tag #poisongardenlegacy or #simspgl and I’ll boost. I’m currently playtesting under the same tag and tweaking as I go.
GEN ONE | Aconite
Beware; A Deadly Foe is Near
Raised by a paranoid mother, your founder has been taught to fend for herself and trust no-one. After running away from a dark event in your past, you live in almost complete isolation, nature is your family and your protector, and your bite is worse than your bark. You swear you need nothing and nobody but yourself for the rest of your life.
Colours: Pale Green & Deep blue || Traits: Loner, Loves Outdoors + Your Pick
Skill to Max: Herbalism || Aspiration: Outdoor Enthusiast
Living situation rules
Private + Off the grid lot traits. Try and pick an isolated lot in a rural-ish world.
[OPTIONAL Cottage Living - Simple Living Lot Challenge]
Indoor space limited to 32 tiles (tiny home).
Vibe - Use hedges/trees to hide your lot’s buildings. Once you build up money, house style is up to you, but in theory you’ve built it yourself so keep it simple, keep it tiny!
Start up
This is a rags to riches gen - you can use your start-up funds to buy at most a water collector, solar panel, a grill, a woodworking bench, gardening stuff with basic seed packs x 1. With leftover cash you can set up either an indoor sleeping space or a tent, an outhouse etc. Make it as hard as you like
You should not start out with a generator, fridge or oven or any sort of nice house situation. You want em you better save up!
Decorate in a survivalist type style, then reduce funds to 100 simoleons to start play.
Relationships
You may only meet/romance/socialise with other sims in a vacation world (Granite Falls or Selvadorado - if you don’t have these, choose a neighbourhood you don’t live in to act as your “vacation” world) where you go to gather ingredients. You can change this rule to suit your story, but the main thing is that you basically pick one off-lot location that is your hunting ground for any relationships.
You should not tell the other parent about any children and the children should not leave the lot aside from school (foraging, for story purposes) until they’re teens. At school they may not use the socialise interaction.
You may only leave your lot to “trade” (vacation) or “forage” (travel to other neighbourhoods in search of seeds). You may only forage at night.
Any sims who auto interact with you you must be mean to, if they persist, you fight them. If they seriously wont stop… maybe they die
Money Making
You make what you can and fund what you can’t by selling your produce/makes/finds etc.
If you have Cottage Living, you MUST go to the stalls in town or Creature Keeper in order to sell your produce (and items from your inventory). For an extra challenge, you may choose only do this while the Finchwick Fair is on on Saturdays.
Optional Extras
Grow a death flower and pass this through all the generations when each heir reaches teen. You shouldn’t use it.
Grow a Wolfsbane (Aconite!) flower and [CL] enter it in the Finchwick Fair as a low key evil joke
Make Every Canning Recipe and have em on a survival shelf
Have an evil chicken (Cottage Living)
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Gen Two | Lily of the Valley
Sweetness/Tears
You’ve been shielded from the world but a chance encounter as a teen made you dream of a bigger world than your family plot. Running away on your 18th birthday, the big wide world may be uglier than you dreamed.
Colours: Green + White || Traits: Foodie, squeamish + your choice
Skills to Max: Wellness, baking || Aspiration: Soulmate
Relationship Rules
You become infatuated with the first stranger you meet as a teen, sneak out with them, they will be your only external contact until you move out.
Give them the non-committal trait. They should never become a boy/girlfriend or marry you, or even share a room with you.
Living situation rules
Your teen obsession takes you in when you run away on your YA birthday, but it’s an unequal partnership that leaves you as lonely as you ever were in the wild. Once you move out you may not have any contact with your parent.
You effectively become a live in housekeeper, cook and then nanny when you have their child. Baking is your one outlet aside from your love for your child.
When your child ages to child, you steal enough money to leave. You may cheat if necessary to have the funds to buy a basic starter home (under 20k) in a new neighbourhood where you know nobody. A kindly neighbour offers support and a second chance at love… if you can let yourself trust them.
Making Money:
You may not have a job until you get your own place. Then you may take any part time job/jobs to support you or own a bakery.
If you have the cupcake machine while at your baby daddy’s you can sell cupcakes to the bakery to make money for your escape/life afterwards
OPTIONAL EXTRAS
[CL]As a child, befriend a wild animal who is your only friend until you move out.
Max the child motor skill due to your parent’s obsession with you being able to run away from stuff.
[HSY] - sneak out to a teen hang lot to meet your secret crush/love.
Don’t take up yoga/wellness until after you leave your toxic first love.
Your child(ren) should never eat quick meals. Always cook, as many recipes as possible, and make sure to bake a cake for every birthday.
Write a cookbook [Cottage Living]
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Gen Three | Rosary Pea
Pretty poisonous
You grew up in a financially struggling household with a parent who believed a deep breath and a cookie could fix everything. You’re pretty sure that money is actually the answer. You pursue fame and the adoration that comes with it. Money can’t buy happiness but it can buy security.
Colours: White, Deep Red || Traits: Self absorbed, materialistic + your choice
Skills to max: Charisma + the skill associated with the flavour of fame you’re pursuing
Aspiration: Fabulously Wealthy
Relationship: Marriage is just another transaction. You prioritise a savvy partnership that will help you climb the ladder. Folks say you’re a gold-digger - you say you’re just gold.
Your spouse should be more famous/wealthy/connected than you.
Once you have locked them down, you look to meet your needs elsewhere. Have at least one affair. It is up to you whether you regret this, leave/kill your spouse/have a series of not so secret lovers. Whatever fits your character.
You may have children with whatever combo you like, though your heir should be born during your status spouse’s lifetime to inherit their wealth.
Living situation rules: the flashier the better
Prior to your marriage, live in the most expensive rental lot you can afford, even if you can’t keep the lights on. Take as much of your parents money as you can.
Move in with your status spouse as soon as possible. Add 5k for “wedding pictures” and spend their money on all of the upgrades and status symbols you desire
Making Money: Depending on your packs, pursue either the entertainer, or actor careers.
Optional Extras
Complete the Admired Icon teen aspiration
Pursue fame - up to you how successful you are! Are you forever a z list wannabe or do you make it big and find it hollow?
Maintain a specific image - pick your style and look and regularly update your outfits as you try and cling on to youth and status.
Enrol your kids in afterschool drama clubs, social clubs and make sure they are socialising with other wealthy “celeb” children.
Gen Four - Lantana
An Invasive Species
Your parents believed only in status and wealth and it left you rich, but with an empty feeling inside. You decide to find meaning by giving back to those less fortunate than yourself, whether they ask for your help or not…
Colours: Red/Orange/Yellow || Traits: Adventurous, snob + your choice
Skill to max: Photography, Selvadorada culture (or Vampire Lore if you’re into that)
Aspiration: Friend of the World
Relationship rules: There are just soooo many interesting sims in the world and you can’t limit yourself or them to monogamy.
You collect lovers around the world the same way you collect artefacts and memories, and if you sometimes end up with a souvenir in the form of a child, well that’s just another gift.
Have at least two kids from different parents, only one genetic donor per homeworld. Up to you how deep the relationship goes.
Partners can’t move in.
Have a distant relationship with your kids, make sure they have a nice nanny or whatever but you shouldn’t be the one doing their skills or homework, just bringing them inappropriate gifts!
Living situation rules: Live wherever you want, you’ll hardly ever be there! You can stay in your parents gaudy home or sell it and buy yourself a pied-a-terre. And keep it classy, you might be on an endless gap yah but you still like nice things.
Making Money: Live on your parents earnings - that’s what they’re for! If you do need a job (ew?) then you can be an influencer, a photographer or an archaeologist. You just love exotic culture after all!
Optional Extras:
Develop a following on Trendi and make the town wear your amazing (or terrible) designs
Complete as many collections as you can, display them.
Eat every world food from the streetfood stands
Spend a game week in each vacation world you have (Granite Falls, Selvadorada, Mt Komorebi)
Explore the Jungle Adventure temples, hoard as much stuff as you can
Gen Five - Tansy
This Means War
One parent viewed you more as a curiosity than as a person and the other was never about. Worse, they completely squandered your family fortune. With nothing left but a name, you don’t have much choice but to pursue less savory means of survival
Colours: Yellow - 2nd colour your pick if you like Traits: Evil, Creative + your choice
Skill to max: Mischief, Handiness | Aspiration: Public Enemy
Set Up: Move all the collection items and treasures your parent amassed to the family inventory and leave it there for Gen 10. They were “lost”, along with your fortune in a series of shady “charity” ventures.
Relationship rules: You don’t trust easily and you don’t trust often.
Your prospective partner must reach BFF and Partners in Crime status before you can initiate any romance.
Once partnered, only death can part you. Interpret that as you will.
All children - have at least 2 - must be with this partner.
The children should be opposites and you should have a clear favourite who is not your heir.
Living situation rules:
At the start of the Generation you inherit your parent’s estate… and their debts. Take over one of their properties (their actual primary residence or a vacation home), sell all the furniture except bathroom and kitchen basics, then set your money to $1000. Their debts are settled, but you’re on your own in an empty shell.
Once you’ve rebuilt, you build a hidden lair which must be locked to all but you. Anyone entering your home should see the home of an upright citizen. Your kids are seemingly perfect, things are tidy, but all is not as it seems.
Making money: Be a criminal. Take what you can, wherever you can to restore your fortunes. You deserve it right?
Extras:
Infiltrate the most exclusive in game club and take it over, turning it to evil and expand it to maximum members. Have the dastardly club perk
Pass as many diabolical NAPs as possible
Groom one of your children (not the heir) to take over your criminal empire, max their toddler skills and make sure they age up with the emotional control trait. Make this child head of a club that the other kid isn’t allowed to join.
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Gen 6 | Bittersweet Nightshade
Effective Against Bitchcraft
You grew up hating your seemingly perfect sibling, and how your parent clearly preferred them. Your goal in life is simple, to beat them, and the world at everything. (If you like playing with magic, you could make the sibling magical, just to really rub things in).
Colours: Purple + Yellow | Traits: Jealous, Ambitious + Your Pick
Skill to max: Whichever your sibling is best at when you age to YA + Research and Debate
Aspiration: Mansion Baron OR Villainous Valentine
Relationship rules:
Steal the partner(s) you want from someone else. Ideally your sibling’s true love but really anyone you take a liking to. All romantic partners should be in a relationship/married when you initiate romance.
Become enemies with their former partners
Take all their money when you move them in
Do not adopt any step children. Either your partner (or a nanny) should stay home and ensure your kids max toddler skills, gets As and generally make you look good.
Living situation rules: The best house ever. Huge. Expensive. Your sibling could never, Bonus points if you live next door to them and dump trash on their lot. Bonus bonus points if it’s a McMansion
Making Money: Politics call to you - if you run the world then you can make your sibling and everyone that reminds you a bit of them illegal. No you don’t think that’s problematic at all.
Optional Extras
Complete the Drama Llama teen aspiration
Have a bad reputation
Only be friends with people you consider beneath you. If your friends ever beat you at something or get promoted above you, you must be mean to them until you’re enemies.
Start a club for hangers on whose activities include being mean to your enemies and is bitter rivals with your siblings club. Fight them.
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Gen Seven | Digitalis
Light fingers, light touch
Your parent was possessive, destructively intense and you are more interested in just drifting through life, banking on your innocent looks to fly under the radar and your athletic skill to run away very fast from bad situations. You never meant to start stealing things, but you prefer your way of getting what you want to your parents, and its kinda fun knowing that your lifestyle could destroy their legacy!
Colours: Pink & Purple | Traits: Kleptomaniac, Romantic + your pick
Skill to max: Athletic | Aspiration: The Curator
Romance: It really couldn’t have been much less convenient for the person who stole your heart to be a detective(or military/secret agent). They’re rigid and law abiding while you’re a free-spirited thief, but having seen what a marriage of convenience and control did to your parents, you decide that you’d rather hide your less legal activities and follow your heart.
Living Situation Rules: Having grown up in an ostentatious monstrosity of a house, you prefer simpler things. Your one extravagance is a gallery to proudly display your “collections”. Your partner thinks you’re just a big thrifter
Money making: Your primary income as a singleton should be stealing/collecting and selling your “finds”. If required, you can supplement this with odd jobs. Once you’re partnered you can join the decorator career if you choose, which may also help with your thieving! Alternately you can become a digital artist but only do the illegal jobs.
Extras:
Complete the Live Fast Teen aspiration
Access as many hidden worlds (Sylvan Glade/Cave of Sulani/Sixam etc) as you have access to an bring back a souvenir or stolen item from each
Maintain an excellent reputation - you may be a thief but you’re a damn good one!
Get involved in your kids lives, encourage their interests, your moral compass may not point north but you believe in them 100%
Take at least one family adventure holiday, ideally to Mt Komorebi and climb the mountain with your boo/ski with the kiddos
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Gen Eight| Hydrangea
Understand I’m Heartless
Growing up in the dazzle of your parents fairytale love, you thought the world was a magical place, until the sudden death of one parent left the other one broken. You vowed never to give someone else that power over you. Like the hydrangea whose flower colour is changed by the acidity of its surroundings, you are changed by this shift in environment. Will you ever feel differently?
Colours: Pink & Blue | Traits: Non-committal, childish + your pick
Skill to max: Mixology + Juice Fizzing | Aspiration: Serial Romantic
Romance: Romance is fun, until it isn’t and you’re terrified of love ruining your life so you’ll do anything in your power to stop it happening. You’ll take on responsibility for any kids you unintentionally parent, because you quite like children, but it would take something truly miraculous to make you let someone into your heart.
Living situation rules: Do not move in a partner sim until you have completed the serial romantic aspiration. Any children you parent must live with you, you can cheat a 5k “child support” payment for any kid you move in.
Money Making: Culinary (mixologist) branch. Juiced lips reveal their secrets and when you know someone at their worst, they can’t surprise you. You never expected to make a living getting people drunk - but it’s honest work
Extras:
Own a bar - if you choose instead of doing the career you can run a bar/restaurant that focuses on booze, and helps you pick up partners
Take full custody of any children you create. If you play with mods, always use risky woohoo. If you don’t, flip a coin every time you want to woohoo to decide if it’s a woohoo or try for baby.
Moonlight as a depressed comic or musician
Complete the poster collection
Mix every type of drink
Throw a party once a week
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Gen Nine Lobelia
Malevolent Pen
You don’t have a terribly high opinion of people. Growing up knowing that you weren’t an intended child has always made you critical of yourself , which has made it easiest for you to just pass that criticism along. Turns out you can get paid for the kind of bitchy writing you excel at.
Colour: Blue and white | Traits: Perfectionist, mean + your pick
Skill to max: writing | Aspiration: Bestselling author
Romance: You choose a partner you feel superior to, and always keep them guessing.
Use at least one mean interaction a day on any live in partners you try to “improve them”. You write novels about terrible wives and scheming husbands but can’t recognise the behaviour in yourself.
If your partner drops into the red for two consecutive days they will leave you. Give them half of any money you have when you move them out.
You must have a child with someone. Don’t adopt this generation, You’d hopefully fail the screening.
Living situation: You’re vain, judgy and kinda terrible, so of course you have the kind of fantastic home that looks great in the types of pretentious magazines that love to profile you and not so subtly imply you’re a diva.
Money making: Your poisoned pen is in demand from the moment you start a gossip column in the school paper. Pursue a career as a writer or critic and give any books you write suitably bitchy names.
Optional Extras
Never have any real friends, only acquaintances. Introduce yourself to every sim you see. If you get too close to someone, you must push them away.
Use neighbourhood stories to break up/mess with your community’s progress. Write books about it
Gain a bad reputation
Have a pet that you actively prefer to your child, pamper them, build them a bedroom, love them in a way you never could a kid
You have terrible fomo. Every time you’re invited to do something, flip a coin and if it’s heads you have to go, even if it interrupts your wedding!
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Gen Ten Hemlock
I Will Cause Thy Death
Your parent kept detailed records of family history, and looking back, you’re pretty sure your line deserves to die out! Some of them have been ok, but mostly terrible. You dedicate your life to scholarship of your lineage, sure that if you don’t reproduce and take care to make known the misdeeds of your ancestors then others will avoid repeating their mistakes.
Colour: Black & White | Traits: Gloomy, hates children + your pick
Skill to max: Logic | Aspiration: Renaissance Sim
Romance: You plan never to date, but in later life a research assistant becomes a friend, and becomes more. You decide that denying yourself love would be counterproductive, so you enjoy it while it lasts, confident that you’ll still never become a parent…
Living situation: You build a house with a room dedicated to each generation that has gone before, collecting in it any artifacts, portraits or urns you have held on to. This serves as a daily reminder why your line must end with you. Your love understands this fully….right?
Money making: Pick any career or skill that you feel like exploring and makes narrative sense for your final gen. Detective or lawyer could be good. Complete this career.
Extras: Visit each world where a previous generation has lived and try and do a good deed. (e.g join a protest, clean litter in Sulani, give money to a performer - hell save Strangerville if you’re feeling ambitious) - interpret this how you well but the main point is that you try to make amends… so much so that you ruin your own life by getting lost in the past
If you’ve managed to hold on to it, plan and grow a death flower plant.
The legacy ends when your lover vanishes in your old age following a suspicious illness. You try not to dwell on the fact that they had symptoms similar to pregnancy…
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