Tam Week 6: Passing the torch

Last week, the Tam family attempted to find future spouses and opened up lots of jobs for the BACC.

The Tam family currently includes:
Scott, Knowledge/Family elder with a Gamer job and an arcade
Megan, Family/Knowledge elder with a freelance novel-writing job and a library
Malcolm, Popularity/Pleasure teen
Derrial, Pleasure/Family teen
Hoban, Popularity/Romance teen
Jayne, Family/Knowledge teen
(older twins Simon and River moved away offscreen in between rounds; you'll see them later)

On Monday afternoon, Derrial takes Tina Traveller on a date to the arcade, even though she's way too young for him.

Tuesday evening, it's time for the twins to become adults. Here's Malcolm.

Derrial takes the time to maximize his Charisma before becoming an adult as well.

Scott becomes a game designer. (This isn't his LTW, but he's become permaplat over time anyway.) He retires, but I still have him buy a second set of the necessary electronics to keep in his inventory.

Why? Because he's transferring the arcade to Malcolm. Derrial will inherit the farm.

Scott spends the rest of the week fishing in the backyard pond and puttering in his garden.

Since Derrial's LTW (50 1st Dates) isn't career related, he gets a job in Business as a field sales rep.

Malcolm invites Marsha Bruenig over to make her playable and she promptly offers to set him up on a blind date. He gets a redheaded mechanic named Marsha Trimble.

They have two bolts, and it never hurts to have more redheaded genes in the 'hood...

Jayne's relationship with his girlfriend Ivy is progressing similarly well.

Early Friday morning, all 6 inhabitants of the Tam house are sleeping. A burglar takes advantage of the rare opportunity.

Later that day, Malcolm tries to repair the computer so he can look for a job and gets quite a shock!

Scott and Megan enjoy a lazy Saturday breakfast with three of their sons. (Derrial had to leave for work before he could eat the omelette his mother set out for him.)

Derrial comes home early with a promotion to Junior Executive, but one of his little brothers has already eaten his omelette.

Meanwhile, Malcolm finds a job as a trash talker, putting him on the road to his LTW.

Hoban maxes charisma.

And then he grows into an adult--now Jayne is the only one left!

While out shopping for new clothes, Hoban spots his high school sweetheart, Juliette Cooke, and wastes no time rekindling the flame.

Derrial has negative bolts with Marylena here, but he wants to be best friends with her and go on a date, so we kill two birds with one stone. (They order gelatin at Cooke Family Restaurant so Jerome doesn't set the place on fire.)

On the way home Derrial stops by the pet shop. Meet Madchen (dog) and Flicka (cat). Because what farm is complete without a sheepdog and a barn cat?

While the rest of her family has been running around, Megan has been quietly cranking out novels--which is good because they need the money after that burglary.










Progress toward challenge:
New Sims: 1 (Marsha Bruenig)
Burglaries: 1/3
Electrocutions: 1
Jobs opened: 2/5 Entertainment, 1/2 Gamer, 1/2 Law Enforcement
Taxes collected: $3000/$43,420

Tam Week 5: Brotherly Love

Last week, the Tam family moved to a new house, flirted a little, and played chess a lot.

The Tam family currently includes:

Scott: Knowledge/Family elder with a job in the gamer track and an arcade

Megan: Family/Knowledge elder with several bestselling novels and a library

Simon: Family/Pleasure teen

River: Family/Knowledge teen

Malcolm: Pleasure/Popularity teen

Derrial: Pleasure/Family teen

Hoban: Popularity/Romance teen

Jayne: Child

I mostly keep the Tam children skilling when they're not at school--it keeps them busy so I don't have to keep track of them all. This is River maxing charisma.

And Jayne becomes the last Tam child to max logic.

Shortly thereafter, he grows up in Platinum. He is Family/Knowledge like his sister River and wants to reach his Golden Anniversary. He's turned on by fatness and gray hair but turned off by underwear. I guess he doesn't mind if his future wife gets old and flabby as long as she isn't immodest.

I take the opportunity to snap a family portrait in front of the fireplace in the living room. Scott and Megan are 57, Simon and River are 24, Malcolm and Derrial are 21, Hoban is 16, and Jayne is 12.

That night, Jayne engages in some very shy flirting with Ivy Copur the Younger. (They have two bolts.)

On Friday morning, the arcade reaches Rank 10! Another slot in business is opened.

His last afternoon as a teen, Simon gets himself into plat by going on a date with three-bolter Meadow Thayer. His brother Derrial found her first, but who can argue with three bolts? Meadow doesn't seem to be arguing, anyhow.

After Simon, River, and Orlando age up, I make Orlando selectable and we have an engagement out by the pond. River's parents are very pleased.

Meadow is going to grow up with the younger twins, so while he waits Simon keeps himself occupied with a job as a Field Sales Rep. We need some business districts to boost our Sim Multiplier!

And it's back to the skill grindstone for the younger kids--here's Malcolm maximizing Charisma.

I don't make them work all the time, though. Sometimes they have midnight snacks of spaghetti and wonder if there will be enough rain for their new garden.

While her kids run around in six different directions, Megan has been sitting quietly upstairs hammering out novels. She sells her eighth on Sunday morning, netting $3054. Hoban the Popularity Sim gets to the phone before she does.

On Sunday afternoon, Megan's neglected library finally reaches Rank 3, thanks to a "projector" in the meeting room.

And a few hours later, Simon is promoted to Junior Executive. And we all breathe a sigh of relief that he and River will be moving out Monday morning. Eight Sims in one house is just too many.

Progress toward challenge:

Jobs opened: 1/2 Business, 3 Entertainment, 3/6 Science

Taxes collected: $2750/$26,720

Tam Week 4: Fledglings

When we last visited the Tam family, they celebrated a lot of birthdays and got along well, since they all have plenty of nice points.

The Tam family now includes:
Scott, Knowledge/Family with a job in the Gamer track and an arcade that's doing very well
Megan, Family/Knowledge with no job (except taking care of six children) and a neglected library
Simon, a boy teen (Family/Pleasure)
River, a girl teen (Family/Knowledge; Simon's twin)
Malcolm, a boy child
Derrial, a boy child (Malcolm's twin)
Hoban, a boy child
Jayne, a boy toddler

The original Tam house was getting far too small, so Week 4 opens with the Tam family standing outside their new 4-bedroom, 3-bath farmhouse. (The design borrows very heavily from the red farmhouse that is Maxis premade--I built my own version because I wanted a bigger lot.)

They kind of don't have enough money for furniture, so it's off to the arcade, which reaches Rank 7 and then Rank 8.

I didn't catch the hearts in time to take a picture, but Benjamin Long and Ivy Copur spontaneously got a crush while hanging out at the arcade. (!!!) I can't resist true love, so I started making plans to give them playable status.

And it's time for more birthdays! Malcolm grows up first, becoming a Pleasure/Popularity teen with a dream of becoming a Game Designer. I guess we know who will inherit the arcade!

Malcolm finds redheads in swimsuits attractive and dislikes black hair. Obviously he got the memo about recessive genes.

Derrial follows right after his twin, becoming a Pleasure/Family teen with a dream of 50 1st dates. It's theoretically obtainable, but I am lazy so it probably won't happen.

Derrial is turned on by underwear and cleaning skill but turned off by costume makeup. I guess he fantasizes about a woman who cleans au naturel.

One day, River brings Orlando Centowski home from school. They talk about inane things like how much snow they might get that winter.

They have two bolts, so I allow them to engage in some very shy flirting.

When I tell River to say goodbye, she does so with a kiss! Apparently she lost her shyness quickly.

Derrial is considerably less shy with 2-bolter Meadow Thayer, who came home on the bus with Malcolm. It's a good thing Scott is occupied in the bathroom and doesn't notice all this kissing.

I have Simon check Meadow out, just for fun, and they have THREE bolts. *cue dramatic music*

Just before midnight on Tuesday, Megan finishes the novel she started while pregnant with Malcolm and Derrial. It nets $2099 in royalties.

Back at the arcade, Ben and Ivy are still being all spontaneously lovey-dovey.

Wednesday night, Jayne grows to child. No more diapers and bottles for this generation of Tams!

Early Friday morning, River maximizes her Logic skill, opening a slot in the Science career.

That afternoon, Scott is promoted to Real-Time Strategizer (and reaches the "earn $25,000" milestone).

And that evening, Megan sells her fourth novel and first bestseller for $3169

Saturday is another big day. First, the arcade reaches Rank 9.

Then the library gets a makeover and reaches Rank 1.

Next, Malcolm maxes his logic.

A few hours later, Simon does the same.

And that evening, Hoban becomes a teenager. He's Popularity/Romance with a goal of becoming a Rock God. He's turned on by women who can clean and wear perfume but turned off by gray hair.

On Sunday morning, Megan maximizes her Creativity skill, which does nothing for the challenge but is still cool.

Progress toward challenge:
Jobs opened: 3 Science
Taxes collected: $3850/$14,650