Seven Plots Seven Generations Legacy
Note: I have not fully completed this myself, but someone asked about it and I thought Stories and Legacies was a better place than General Discussion to post it.
I've been exploring this idea off and on for a few years now, and while technical issued have disrupted my previous attempts, I thought I would post what I'm doing with my Seven Stories Legacy... I hesitate to call it a challenge, though doubtless some generations are in for quite the challenge.
In essence, each generation becomes subject to one of the Seven Basic Plots as per Booker's tome on the matter. The TV Tropes link here covers them pretty well, so I won't repeat them. The following is how I have (or plan to) accomplish that with each generation. If you want to try this, feel free to reorder anything.
General guidelines - I try to have my sim marry/partner with an in world sim, and I don't neccisarily wait until they've accomplished their generation's goal to find a partner and have kids. In a few cases (Tragedy and Redemption) having the story impact their relationship with their family is part of the intended storyline. I don't worry about mods or cheats. I do play on Normal Lifespan.
Packs recommended: Strangerville, City Living, Get Famous, High School Years and/or Discover University, one of the occult Game Packs or Journey to Batuu, Eco Lifestyle and/or Snowy Escape, Jungle Adventure
Generation 0 - setup
Generation 1 - Overcoming the Monster
Generation 2 - Rags to Riches
Generation 3 - Tragedy
Full disclosure - this is as far as I've ever gotten before tech problems (either a Modpocalypse, save errors, or my rig actually dying) get in the way.
Generation 4 - Voyage and Return
Generation 5 - Comedy
Generation 6 - Redemption
Generation 7 - The Quest
And that's how I plan to tell the Seven Basic Plots. I'd do a proper story thread, but I'm terrible about remembering to take screenshots. I'm currently in the process of setting up Generation 3 now, so hopefully nothing will go wrong ... again.
I've been exploring this idea off and on for a few years now, and while technical issued have disrupted my previous attempts, I thought I would post what I'm doing with my Seven Stories Legacy... I hesitate to call it a challenge, though doubtless some generations are in for quite the challenge.
In essence, each generation becomes subject to one of the Seven Basic Plots as per Booker's tome on the matter. The TV Tropes link here covers them pretty well, so I won't repeat them. The following is how I have (or plan to) accomplish that with each generation. If you want to try this, feel free to reorder anything.
General guidelines - I try to have my sim marry/partner with an in world sim, and I don't neccisarily wait until they've accomplished their generation's goal to find a partner and have kids. In a few cases (Tragedy and Redemption) having the story impact their relationship with their family is part of the intended storyline. I don't worry about mods or cheats. I do play on Normal Lifespan.
Packs recommended: Strangerville, City Living, Get Famous, High School Years and/or Discover University, one of the occult Game Packs or Journey to Batuu, Eco Lifestyle and/or Snowy Escape, Jungle Adventure
Generation 0 - setup
Spoiler
This generation is optional, but I've used it to establish a family situation for my actual founder by starting with the founder sim either as a child, or even starting with the parents and just establishing a full childhood. One variation I did had one of my founder's parents in the Military career, and then I moved to a different world with each promotion, ending with Strangerville when my founder was a teen.
Generation 1 - Overcoming the Monster
Spoiler
The most direct way to do this plot is to play through the Strangerville story. I've played through Strangerville several times, so I always try to find a new angle on it. I've done it as a Teen Horror movie (going through this when my Founder was a teen) and as a journalistic investigation (with my founder being an investigative reporter) If your sim is unemployed and doesn't have a family to deal with, you can speed run Strangerville in about a week of in-game time.
Generation 2 - Rags to Riches
Spoiler
This one is also pretty simple. Take the kid of Generation one, have them decide that they're tired of living in the middle of nowhere and have them move to San Myshuno. Start in one of the cheapest apartments, give your sim the Fabulously Wealthy aspiration, and move up to a better apartment as you progress through each level of the aspiration until you end up in one that suits your family's needs.
Generation 3 - Tragedy
Spoiler
This one, the game does not like. You have to build your sim up to a certain point, and then sabotage everything they do so they loose it all. I use Get Famous for this, have my Sim be an Actor and moving into an expensive house with high bills, and then around fame level 3 or 4 have them start blowing off gigs, generally being a player without the player trait and sabotaging their relationships, leading to their partner divorcing them and taking the kid(s), and eventually having to sell off the furniture in the house, or even move out and into a smaller place in Del Sol Valley (and now with For Rent, you can have that be a long term Motel... if the bugs don't get you.)
Full disclosure - this is as far as I've ever gotten before tech problems (either a Modpocalypse, save errors, or my rig actually dying) get in the way.
Generation 4 - Voyage and Return
Spoiler
Back to simple. Pick one of the occults and have this generation's sim explore one or two of the relevant Aspirations. Alternately, for the like twelve of us who have it, have them go on an extended stay in Batuu. I'd recommend Realm of Magic if only because you can then ignore future spellcasters magical abilities if you so choose. Alternately, having your sim find a cure can also be part of the story.
Generation 5 - Comedy
Spoiler
This is the hardest for me to codify, as there are so many ways to do a romcom. The way I plan to do this is to use Discover University and have my sim's Childhood Sweetheart/high school crush attend the opposite school, and possibly date someone else for a bit, before my sim comes in and sweeps them off their feet again. So it will require a bit of rotational play, along with a few other shenanigans to get the sims into the right place... and the game may still shoot me down.
Generation 6 - Redemption
Spoiler
This is another one where the game will likely fight me/I may have to self sabotage a bit, though Midlife Crisis (from Growing together) may make it a little easier. Basically have your sim on a bad path, either they're a criminal, or perhaps a workaholic, or something like that, and have a poor relationship with their spouse and kids. Then using either the midlife crisis or by manufacturing some near tragedy/actual tragedy, have the sim of this generation realize the error of their ways, find a new career, and repair their relationship with their family. Growing Together, Eco Lifestyle (my Green is showing) and/or Lifestyles enabled from Snowy Escape may make this flow better, but it can be done base game.
Generation 7 - The Quest
Spoiler
And we wrap with simple again. Pick a collection, have your sim complete it. I like to use Jungle Adventure for this, as I like Archaeology. I also plan to use neither of the official collections, but the mystical totems (possibly the gold ones) to complete this. But any difficult collection should work fine. An alternate Quest can be something like reaching the top of Mt. Komorebi.
And that's how I plan to tell the Seven Basic Plots. I'd do a proper story thread, but I'm terrible about remembering to take screenshots. I'm currently in the process of setting up Generation 3 now, so hopefully nothing will go wrong ... again.
