This challenge is based on Morbid's Ultimate Decades Challenge. It is a very involved challenge, and there are also spreadsheets (a blank one is available in the challenge write up), to track your family's progress, and also to keep track of what "year" it is. For instance, year 1300 lasts a mere 4 sim days. And, there are certain restrictions that come with the time period you are working on, such as what harvestables you can grow, and restrictions on items you can't use during that time period (for instance, in 1300, there was no electricity, so you can't have a tv). This challenge is not for the faint of heart. as it involves "death rolls" to coincide with what could have happened to your sim during a certain time period (disease, etc.). For someone who gets very attached to their sims, this, in itself will be a challenge for me.
Most gamers play this challenge with mods and cc; however, I won't be. This will be played as a vanilla game. I have, however, up-dated all the builds in the world I will be playing in to reflect off-the-grid builds. Some builds have been replaced and new builds have been downloaded from the gallery. For this time period, I have chosen to live in Henford-on-Bagley, and most of the residents' clothing has been updated; however, I can't account for those random townies' clothing, or sims from other worlds popping in. @Snarkysims has actually re-done Henford-on-Bagley as a Medieval World, and I have used some of her builds in my gameplay. Additional medieval builds have been placed in Newcrest. Not quite the same as you can see modern buildings in the background, but I had an overflow of lots that I wanted to use, and that is where I placed them.
Yay, babies! Do you have to do the death rolls for the side households too? I hope they all make it lol. I love the names you gave the chickens. :D
Thank you! Yes his top and belt are cc, and hat too actually. I downloaded some medieval cc, though I love that you are doing it without any. And it looks so good! If you search rooms on the gallery with #medieval, there is an amazing medieval looking stove that someone made entirely without cc. You should check it out. :)
@Belalucina - I will check out that no cc stove on the gallery. I did download some different medieval kitchens that were quite nice, and might use something like that in the next house.
Apparently for side households, you don't do death rolls. However, you do have to do marriage and baby side household rolls, EXCEPT for the side households of the first Generation. So, for the side households, when a sim becomes a teen, you roll to see if they will get married or not, and how many baby "attempts" they can have. This is not actual babies, just attempts - more for MCC where you have to do pregnancy percentages. I find it is very rare that a sim doesn't conceive in a vanilla game when they try for baby. But I decided to do the baby rolls for the side household to see how many attempts they can have (the heir can have as many as they want), and Reginald & Colette ended up with a roll of 2 and Thaddeus & Isabelle ended up with a roll of 6.
Side Household Marriage Rolls: When Teen, Roll D20 for Marriage Roll 1 -3 = Never Marry Roll 4 - 20 = Get Married
Side Household Baby Attempts Rolls: You will have to roll to see how many birth attempts they are awarded. The # you roll on the dice means how many births your side households are allowed to try for. Roll a D12 for # of baby attempts 2-12 = # of Pregnancies 1 = No Children
For the birth and age-up of the side households, no "death rolls" will be done. There are time periods in this challenge, where the side families are affected, such as the Great Famine, war, etc. where death rolls have to be made.
For the heir's family (William) death rolls will be done when Francesca gives birth and each time a baby ages up. Since their first child was a daughter, once a son is born (hopefully), they will become the new heir. All of the sons & daughters of William will become William's lineage, so when William's children have children, death rolls will be done for all of the lineage children at that time.
At least, this is how I read the rules, although it was rather confusing until I watched a few Let's Plays and figured it out.
@flauschtrud - The parents and Parson Bernard are all adults; however, at the start of Morbid's gameplay, if you have made parents, you have to roll right away to see if they survive. So, because I didn't do that at the start, I waited until the first babies were born. (See Rules below).
"Because the average life span is so short, you can (optional) start your decades-long challenge with THREE different generation 1 sims. One of the three must be the starting heir. The other two will automatically become side households and you must treat them as such. Go ahead and skip the side household marriage rolls and baby rolls for these sims. ONLY these sims are granted automatic marriage and up to 10 pregnancies. (❗️Keep in mind that that doesn't guarantee all 10 pregnancies will end with 10 children.❗️) (If you are going to start with three sims) Your THREE starter sims must all be related. Obviously, your THREE sims didn't spawn out of thin air. You may go ahead and make parents for your sims. The parents DO NOT count as your first generation (Your 3 starter sims are your automatic first gen). Roll immediately for the parents to see if they survive under their age stage."
@SoulGal7 yeah the rules are a little confusing. :p Do you play the side households like on a rotation, or how do you do the "attempts" for the babies?
At the De Baskerville Cottage, Parson Bernard had been outside tending the animals in the rain. His niece, Colette, had been in labor for several hours, and he had told Reginald to stay with her and that Parson Bernard would tend to the farm chores. Reginald nodded and stood by comforting Colette, holding her hand and whispering softly to her. Parson Bernard had sent a messenger quite a while ago to fetch the midwife, and had been pacing outside in the rain waiting for the midwife's arrival.
As the hours ticked by, and the rain fell harder, Parson Bernard became more worried. He had been feeling a bit ill all day, but had not mentioned it to Colette due to her delicate condition. If only that midwife would get here, then all would be well.
He said a silent prayer that the midwife would arrive in time, but it wasn't meant to be, and suddenly he heard a baby cry.
Parson Bernard looked up at the sky: "My dear sister, your daughter has given birth. This is indeed a glorious day. Let us hope that both Colette and the baby are fine..."
Parson Bernard rushed in the house and saw Reginald holding a swaddled babe in his arms.
https://i.postimg.cc/wxXMm8mM/baby-jolene.png
Reginald looked up smiling when Parson Bernard came in, "It's a girl..."
Parson Bernard saw Colette standing there leaning on the wall, smiling faintly, and went over to her, "Colette, my dear, you should be resting. I am so proud of you, my child, giving birth without the aid of a mid-wife..."
Parson Bernard held the baby in his arms, "Oh nonsense, Reginald, she couldn't smile at you already...probably just a bit of gas..." but then when he looked at the baby, it seemed as if the baby smiled at him, too.
Parson Bernard: "Oh my! She did seem to smile at me. Oh then it can't be gas...she is just a wonderous babe. And her hair is as blonde as her mother's hair. Such a beautiful baby with the eyes of an angel. What have you decided to call such a sweet babe?"
Colette: "We've decided to call her Joan...after my mother..."
Parson Bernard felt tears well up in his eyes and looked upward, "Oh my. Your mother would be so pleased. Baby Joan. And a most fitting name for this babe..."God is generous", he said and suddenly felt a bit out of breath. He placed the baby carefully back in the cradle.
Colette noticed the change in her uncle, "Uncle Bernard, you look rather pale. Did you forget to eat today? Come...sit down..."
But before Parson Bernard could say another word, he felt a severe pain in his chest, and clutched at his heart. He then reached out both hands above him and seemed to utter something, as if he was speaking to someone he knew. And then, Parson Bernard's body seemed to go limp. Reginald reached out for him, but Parson Bernard fell to the ground.
Reginald got down beside Parson Bernard trying to revive him. He looked up at Colette and just shook his head, "Colette...he's not breathing..."
Colette burst into tears, "No! No! Not Uncle Bernard. No...it can't be..."
On such a joyous occasion with the birth of baby Joan, such tragedy occurred. Colette sobbed uncontrollably, and Reginald could not hold back the tears.
And Reginald's horse, Lexington, had come in to see what all the fuss was about...and saw Parson Bernard on the floor, and the poor horse was crying, too.
Colette choked out some words, "Oh Reginald...why...why did this have to happen? He was a good man. Why, Reginald, why?"
Reginald stroked her hair, but didn't have an answer. Baby Joan started to cry and he went over to hold her. And Colette, with her head bent, headed out into the rain and went into Parson Bernard's sleeping shelter. She lay down on the bed and pulled the blankets over her head and continued to sob.
Reginald sent out a messenger to deliver notes to Isabelle and Francesca on the passing of their uncle. All night he tried to talk to Colette, but she just stayed under the blankets and cried. In the morning, he tried again, bringing Joan with him. He convinced Colette to sit on the bed, and placed the sleeping babe in her arms, but she just sat there, with a glazed look in her eyes. Colette looked at baby Joan and then handed her back to Reginald and then proceeded to go back under the covers again. And again he heard her softly weeping.
Something was wrong, and Reginald didn't know what to do. He needed help. As he was walking from the sleeping shelter back to the main house, he saw Rahmi Watson walking by. He called out to her. He must have looked quite a sight because she eyed him nervously. He quickly told her what had happened about the birth of baby Joan, and the death of Parson Bernard, and of Colette's condition. He asked if she could stay here to look after baby Joan and Colette while he rode to the Fletcher Farm and talked to his parents. Rahmi said she would stay, and that Reginald should go and not to worry about anything here.
At the Thatcher Farm, the messenger had delivered the news of Isabelle's uncle. Both Isabelle and Thaddeus looked at each other in shock. And then Isabelle wept openly.
Isabelle: "Oh Thaddeus, Uncle Bernard is gone. And he...he never even met the twins," she sobbed, "If it hadn't been for Uncle Bernard, we...we...would never have met..." she said sobbing again, "and...and...Katherine and Philip would never have been born..."
Thaddeus held her close and felt the tears run down her face. What a horrible twist of fate on an otherwise happy day.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When Reginald arrived at the Fletcher Farm, he ran into the house. The messenger with the note about Parson Bernard's death had already delivered the missive, and William was comforting Francesca on the bed.
Reginald: "Father, mother...I need your help. It's Colette...."
Ian: "Reginald...what has happened? Please tell us that Colette is fine..."
Reginald shook his head, "No...she's not...she was fine after baby Joan's birth...but when her uncle collapsed...she's...she's...oh father...all she wants to do is stay in her uncle's bed with the covers drawn up over her head. And she's crying...she hasn't stopped crying..."
Gwendolyn: "My word! And where is the baby? You did not leave Colette and Baby Joan alone, did you son?"
Reginald: "No...no...a neighbor, Rahmi Watson is looking after them until I get back...but baby Joan...oh she is a good baby...but she is getting hungry...and...and Colette does not seem able to nurse her...and I'm not sure what to do..."
Gwendolyn: "If Colette is not feeding the baby...you must, son...don't worry Reginald, everything will be fine. I will bring some extra bottles of cow's milk and sterilize some bottles...and we will feed baby Joan that way..."
Reginald: "I am afraid to leave Colette alone with the baby...she is just not herself...and I am supposed to continue with my knight's training soon..."
Ian spoke then, "Not to worry son, we will come and stay with you. Gwendolyn and I. We need to get Colette strong again, and your mother will look after baby Joan. Don't you worry, son, everything will be fine. I need to pack our bags and arrange for the hackney to come and get us...:"
Reginald ran a hand through his hair, "Thank you father..."
William had heard Reginald arrive and went in to see him. Reginald saw his brother and hugged him fiercely.
Reginald: "William I am sorry to intrude on you at this time. How is Francesca? Is she alright?"
William: "Yes, she will be fine. She is quite sad right now over the death of her uncle, and I have been comforting her. And...and we have a baby girl, Reginald...we named her Amelia..."
Reginald: "Oh, William I am so happy for you....and Colette and I had a little girl, too. We named her Joan after Colette's mother..."
William and Reginald went over to the cradle, and William carefully picked up Amelia and showed her to Reginald.
Ian: "William, I know this is rather sudden, but your mother and I have to move to the De Baskerville cottage. You may have heard Reginald say that Colette is not well and we need to be there for them."
William: "How long will you be gone? The farm is so big, father, and Francesca just gave birth...and I'm not sure that I can..."
Ian placed his hand over his sons, "William, I know what you are thinking, that you might not be able to handle this farm by yourself. But, William, you can. I have faith in you. And this farm will be yours one day, son, and you already do the farm chores...I know you will be fine. And your brother Thaddeus is right next door...so, if you need help...he will be there for you..."
Gwendolyn came in with some bottles and a small basket of cloths. She told Reginald to go on home, and they would be along shortly once the hackney got there. Francesca came out holding Amelia then and Gwendolyn went over to speak with her. William saw Francesca nod her head, and then Gwendolyn gave her a hug.
Gwendolyn: "William, Francesca understands why we must go. Colette was always the one who was closest to their uncle, and it seems, has taken Parson Bernard's death the hardest. Francesca wants Colette to get better and wants baby Joan to be alright. But Colette and Reginald need our help right now. You will be fine here, William. Take good care of Francesca...she is grieving, too...and take care of our grandchild, Amelia. I am so proud of you, son...and soon we will all get together again as a family. Remember, son, family is everything, and together we can conquer anything."
And with that, they heard the hackney driver pull up, and they loaded their belongings into the carriage and were off. When they arrived at the De Baskerville cottage, they saw Colette standing outside alone. She was pale and thin, and, as Reginald had told them, had a glazed look in her eyes. Gwendolyn went over and gave her a hug and then went into the cottage with Reginald to tend to baby Joan. Ian went up to Colette and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Ian: "I know how you feel, Colette...I miss your uncle, too. But do not worry...Gwendolyn and I are here for you..."
"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never seem to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." Quote from "For Whom The Bell Tolls", Ernest Hemingway, 1940.
Death Rolls:
Using a D20 roller, if you get these numbers, then that sim dies. I closed my eyes every time I rolled. It was tense.
2,6,9,12,15,17,19 ADULT - This should have been done at the start of the challenge, but I chose to do it now. If Parson Bernard, Ian or Gwendolyn get any of these numbers, they die :(
Pastor Bernard 12 Ian Fletcher 3 Gwendolyn Fletcher 11
1 Birthing moms - If Francesca gets a 1, she dies :(
Francesca 11
1,5,7,10,15,20 - Babies - If Amelia gets any of these numbers, she dies :(
Amelia 4
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
And so, unfortunately, Parson Bernard does not survive. I am happy that I didn't roll this at the beginning, as Parson Bernard was the one who wanted the marriage contract for his nieces. I should have let him meet his other great-nieces and his great-nephew before he was "done in", but that didn't happen. Colette was hit the hardest with the very sad moodlet. Not sure if this is because Parson Bernard died on that lot; but she really did have a tough time. Francesca & Isabelle had sad moodlets as well. Two whole days of sadness! I picked Reginald to plead for Parson Bernard because he had the loyal trait, and I thought that perhaps that might help get him resurrected, but it didn't.
Because I don't use mods, Parson Bernard was "slain by a vicious killer rabbit," which is an option you can choose - testingcheats on - Shift + Click the sim, you get a "Kill" option, and this is the choice. I believe it comes with the Cottage Living pack. His cause of death on the spreadsheets is listed as sudden death, as in medieval times, they didn't know what a heart attack was.
@Belalucina - I am just playing the heir's house, or William's house. However, in the last chapter, since Parson Bernard passed at the de Baskerville cottage, I played that house just for the death scenes. So, no, not playing in rotation.
When it is time to age anyone up, I will go to that house and do it. For pregnancies, you are supposed to wait one day after birth before attempting pregnancy again. In this case, it might be two days because they are all sad and have no interest in woohoo. This choice is actually greyed out. i also have neighborhood stories on, so sometimes you get a pop-up asking if they should have a baby, and the answer will be yes.
And I didn't know about the horses crying either, and when I saw it, I was like, Oh the poor horse is even crying.
The next morning, Francesca woke up feeling sad. Before Gwendolyn had left yesterday, Gwendolyn had told her that it was alright to feel sad and remember the ones that we loved and had lost, but that you must not lose yourself in the sadness. Gwendolyn told her that when her own parents had passed that she had felt very sad and alone, but she had continued on because Ian, and her sons, who were very young at the time, depended on her. Francesca took a deep breath, and realized that is what she must to do, too. She could not let the sadness engulf her like it had her sister, Colette. Her sister who had been so strong and cared for all of them when their mother had passed, and who could now barely function because she was so grief-stricken. Francesca had a caring husband who loved her, and a new baby, Amelia, who depended on her. And even though she was sad about her Uncle Bernard's passing, she must carry on.
At breakfast, William and Francesca talked about the farm chores, and William told Francesca that if she was not feeling up to it, that William would handle them all himself. Francesca immediately dismissed that notion, and told William that she was very capable of milking Eda and looking after the chickens, and that William should tend his garden to ensure they continued to have food on the table.
Francesca: "Plus, it is a lovely day outside, and perhaps we could move Amelia's cradle outside and I could tend to her while I work..."
William smiled at her and thought how fortunate he was to have someone like Francesca.
And so, William tended his garden while Francesca tended to the animals. She gave Eda, the cow, an extra hug and spoke to her about her new daughter and how Eda would meet her soon. When she fed the chickens, she talked about her Uncle Bernard and how, when he was tutoring them, would give them logic problems to solve, and her favorite one was "which came first, the chicken or the egg", which none of them were able to solve properly and always had a good laugh about it. Talking to the animals and remembering Uncle Bernard made Francesca feel better. Francesca went over to chat with William.
Francesca: "William, do you think you might look after Amelia for a bit? Since I am not pregnant, I was thinking of going for a ride on Buttercup..."
https://i.postimg.cc/W4YmkTJJ/RDING-BUTTERCUP.png
William smiled at her and said that was a wonderful idea, and so, Francesca headed off and saddled up Buttercup and went for a ride. As she left, William got a note from a messenger that he had successfully sold one of his knife blocks, that he had placed on display at one of the market stalls in Finchwick.
(Note: All items made/found will be sold either on Plopsy, the yard sale table, or by selling their harvestables at the market stall in Finchwick. They will not be selling directly to their inventory.)
Later in the morning, William received another note from a messenger that there would be a burial service for Parson Bernard later that day, at The Old Stone Church in Finchwick.
When they arrived at The Old Stone Church, Parson Thomas Bennett met them at the entrance. He had been a friend of Parson Bernard de Baskerville when they had attended monastic school together. It had been some time, though, that he had seen his old friend, and even with the passage of time, he recognized Parson Bernard's nieces.
They all went into the church, and Parson Thomas said a few words about his dear friend and the strength of families.
Parson Thomas: ",,,My dear friend, Bernard is in the heavens now. He may be gone in body, but he will always be in our hearts. He will be watching over each of you until it is time for you to meet each other again..."
Colette, Isabelle and Francesca placed flowers beside the gravestone. Colette also gave Isabelle and Francesca each a photo of their uncle that she had found in some of his books. It was then time for them to say a final goodbye to their uncle.
Reginald held onto Colette tightly as they walked towards the waiting carriage. Ian and Gwendolyn were going to visit with Thaddeus and Isabelle and meet their new grandchildren, and would return to the De Baskerville cottage after dinner. Baby Joan was being cared for by Rahmi Watson at the Watson Farm, and Gwendolyn felt that it would be good for Reginald and Colette to have some time alone together.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When Colette and Reginald returned home, Reginald prepared them some tea and they sat in front of the fire. Reginald placed a cup in front of Colette and wished that there was something he could do to help her be happier.
Colette sipped her tea and looked at her husband, "Reginald...do you still want to be with me? To be...to be married to me?"
Reginald was surprised by her question, "Colette, why would you say something like that? You are the only one I want to be with..."
Colette: "It's just that I haven't been a very good wife or mother...'
Reginald: "That's nonsense. Colette, your uncle passed, and you were the one who was closest to him, so his passing hit you the hardest. But, know this, Colette, I will never leave you. No matter how long it takes for you to feel like yourself again, I will wait. I will be patient...and that is why my parents are here to help..."
Colette: "Yes, your mother has been wonderful to baby Joan and me. I have learned so much from her. I really like her being here..."
Reginald: "Yes, I can see that she is a great comfort to you. And, Colette, she so enjoys being here with you, too. In fact, my mother and father were wondering if they could stay on here, even when you were feeling yourself again. That is...that is, if you want them too..."
Colette: "Oh really, Reginald? Well, if it's alright with you, I would like that very much..."
Reginald softly caressed her cheek, and was filled with such desire for her, but quickly tried to squelch the feeling. He knew that she was not ready to be with him yet and, instead, tenderly kissed her on the cheek.
https://i.postimg.cc/15YB51Pb/kiss-her-cheek.png
Colette: "Oh Reginald, I am lucky to have someone like you..." she said looking into his eyes, and suddenly Colette realized that she had much to live for.
Parson Bernard's old sleeping shelter is now where Ian and Gwendolyn sleep. I switched out the single bed for a double bed and widened the shelter a bit.
