Erlenstar Mountain Rules of Play

I am using the Royal Kingdom Challenge rules as a basis for this neighborhood, with many additions and modifications of my own. I'm not playing this as a scored challenge, just as a unique neighborhood and a story. Since it's a fantasy neighborhood, rather than an historical one, I'm using custom content from a really broad time span (probably close to a thousand years) rather than striving for any sort of historical accuracy. If it looks old and pretty, it's up for grabs!

The basic Royal Kingdom Challenge rules can be found on the BBS, under archived challenges.

However, I'm making quite a few adaptations. First of all, each of my classes are distinguished by certain physical characteristics:

Royal sims have the lightest skin tone, red hair, elf ears, and jewel eyes.
Nobles have any skin tone, elf ears, any hair color except red but recessive red traits, any eyes.
Merchants have any skin tone, regular ears, any hair except red; any eyes.
Peasants have light brown skin, brown or hazel eyes, regular ears, brown or black hair.

Erlenstar Mountain was created as a clean custom neighborhood, with custom townies, whom I created in CAS according to the above characteristics. I used random astrological signs and aspirations, and didn't keep track, so that when I marry these sims into my game I don't have any advantage. I balanced the distribution of townies over class (mostly peasants, only a few nobles,) age, and gender. When a townie becomes playable, I grow up a teen townie into an adult using boolprop, and a child into a teen, then create a new child of the appropriate class. That way, I won't have the same old characters in the neighborhood forever.

I play one season per house, Prosperity style, adding new houses into the play list according to where they are affiliated. Each peasant and merchant household owes fealty to one noble, and I play them in that order--peasant, merchant, noble, peasant, merchant, noble, etc. After all lines have been played for a round, I play the Royal household, the Convent, and the Monastery. If and when an herbwife/midwife/witch is added, she'd go in this set, too. New households are added at the end of the feudal line in which they belong. I am using several mods to play this neighborhood--the wear-any-clothes-as maternity, the teleporter bush, and the buyable clothing rack to dress dormies appropriately. Taxes are paid by giving gifts of the appropriate value. I'm not using the aspiration rewards at all, and career rewards only if they look appropriate to the times. Sims can socialize outside of their class, and can marry one class up/down, with the couple taking on the man's social standing. The occasional lower class child might be "sponsored" by the church to attain an education one class higher than usually allowed, if the child will be entering the church upon becoming an adult.

Specific rules for each social class:

Peasants

Employment: main family only farms/fishes. “Spare” teen or adult children in the house may take an acceptable job. May sell extra produce at a home business if they have it. Teens do not attend school, and grow up (using boolprop) when they have 7 days until they become adult. (I wanted to avoid inteenimator, but still reflect the shorter lifespans and childhoods of the lower class.)

Spare children may join the convent/monastery as lay sisters or brothers w/o payment. May also join wealthy families as a servant. Children who move out do not take any cash or resources with them.

Taxes: give 50% of harvest to their nobility at the beginning of each season, except spring. Pay 50% of any cash over $5000 to Royals at beg. of winter. 10 % tithe of money and produce to the church at beg. of winter.


Merchants:

Employment: acceptable jobs or businesses (tavern venue, trader/luxury goods/furniture, animal breeder, etc.)

“Spare” children may join the convent/monastery upon payment of a $5000 dowry.
Children receive a $5,000 dowry upon moving into their own homes. Teens go to school, but neither sex attends college.

Taxes: 20% of cash to nobility at beginning of each season. 50% of any cash over $10,000 to Royals at beginning of winter. 10% of cash to the church at beginning of winter.

Nobility:

Employment: acceptable jobs or businesses according to the rules. Spare children may join the convent/monastery or move into their own homes upon payment of a $7,500 dowry. Children attend private school, and males go to University.

Taxes: 20% of cash to royals at beginning of each season. 10% of cash tithed to church at beginning of winter. Must give food to starving peasants if/when necessary.

Royalty:

Employment: see rules. “Spare” children may join the convent/monastery or move into their own homes upon payment of a $10,000 dowry. All children attend private school and University.

Church: pays no taxes whatsoever. Residents may garden, sell handcrafts, or work in education, medicine, art, or journalism. Sims meditate (if able) or sit in the chapel for an hour twice a day.

Herb wife: gardens or works in science, paranormal, medicine or natural science. May make viruses or medicines to give to other sims. Pays only a 10% tithe of produce or cash to church at beg. of winter.