My First Taste

I started a Prosperity Challenge type challenge with three families just to see how long it would take to play a few generations. I played each family for 7 days which took about 45 minutes per family. This is, of course, without a storyline or picture taking. And to play three families which (with the children growing up and moving out, etc.) quickly became six families.
I am still waiting for the Seasons expansion. I wasn't looking forward to it too much when I heard about it, but I think it was the jobs that hooked me. My university expansion doesn't work and I don't want to have to spend another forty dollars on a new one, so the career choices are old and bland to me.
I do think it'll be a good expansion though. I wanted to do a neighbourhood that represented somewhat the year's weather I live in (winter, winter, spring, fall). I am sort of psyched for it now, but I know even if I get it when it comes out, or shortly thereafter, I won't be able to play it any time I want. The most frequent amount of time I'll be able to play is every other weekend. Which sucks.
But oh well.
I'll get over it.
I'm going to start up a story line for my "Aliens Attack" challenge. LOL. I am thinking it'll be told by one of the humans at the fall of the Alien Empire (approximately five generations after the invasion) or an alien at the same time. The human one might be more interesting, so I'll decide later.

A Couple More Rules

I was rereading this blog and found a few more things I would like to put as rules.
>If any male (ie. human or alien) gets pregnant by telescope/abduction, the child born will automatically looked upon as royalty (because an actual alien chose the vessel to give a child) and the current royal heir's future may be in jeopardy. Makes for some neat story lines (I'm thinking one guy has a baby and every alien is overjoyed, so a half-breed human/alien is attempted to be passed off as "new royalty." I think it will be like the current royalty can or has to marry the child (once grown) or something along those lines. Revisions will be made.
>One problem I encountered was with the situation that a person of one status marries another of the same status; whose name is taken? Whoever proposes or whoever has the larger dowry.
>At the beginning of the "story" (or neighbourhood, if you prefer) all alien homes will take on a "slave" since at the very beginning of the inhabitation of Earth, the human race would be enslaved. But, alas, as time moves on and kings and queens take pity on us poor humans, slavery will be abolished (for the second time in our history, 'cept this time it's not a particular race, just the human race).
>If, because of a love affair or just because people are jerks, a human fights an alien, no matter who wins, the human will go directly to jail (without passing go... sorry, I just had to) and live out his/her days there. An exception is that if the jailbird is friends with royalty or a highly respected noble, they can be rehabilitated and put on parole from jail. This can only happen after the perpetrator has been locked up for a week.
>Servant peasants can max to mechanical skill, although I guess nobles/royalty who have servants can just hire the handy man. Oh well.
>Taxes! Oh yes, that's right

• Peasants will be taxed the heaviest. Half of their weekly income will be taxed every Sunday. This is really just to keep them poor.
• Merchants will only be taxed a quarter of their weekly income every Sunday.
  
• Nobles, just as in France before the 1789 revolution, will be barely taxed, as many of them are friends with royalty (or they really should be). Only 10% of their weekly income will be taxed.
  
• Royalty will not be taxed, nor will they receive the money from this taxation.
• All this will be done primarily with the cheat " familyfunds (insert family surname) #"

So that's pretty much all for now.

Just a Note

I think instead of playing a whole village's set of families for a week each, I will choose one family from each class (the royal family being most prevalent and taking most of my time with the story) and only play the four families a week at a time each.
Also, I've decided that instead of starting a whole intricate neighbourhood and storyline on the computer in Sherwood Park, then when I make my move on to college, have to start all over again, I will just wait to start it. I'll plan it (possible story lines, characters I'd like to have, etc.) and play other families or test ways of playing - 'cause we all know I'm not going to stop playing... gosh I'm so dull - and when it comes to the actual story time/game time, I'll be all set and know exactly what to do.