General Rules are on this page.
Neanderthal Stage (2 generations):
Basic: Welcome to the prehistoric times, Simmies! In today's world we make think that we have all the knowledge, but can modern Sims last in this ancient world? Like all challenges, you must start with humble beginnings. Humble indeed! We begin with the ICE AGE! (All seasons winter.)
1) Start with 2 couples with skin 4 (if using geneticized skins, close to skin 4 or darker), each with an adult male and female. Roll for aspiration 3 times. Pick any of the rolls. Roll 3 times for secondary aspiration as well. Each household is to move into a small lot. It is more important for the lots to look prehistoric than to be small. I don't build, I download lots. You may build or download as you wish. See this page for the lots I downloaded.
2) The neanderthals may greet witches. Everyone else they may not greet, including other Neanderthals. Eventually they will autonomously far away greet (I think from Free Time) which is allowed. Relatives will sometimes show up and act as if they've already been greeted, also allowed. (This is so they can have arranged marriages where they don't know each other.)
2B) Witches may be befriended and married!
3) The neanderthals are to try for babies as frequently as possible. As soon as one baby is born, then try for another. If you use silent pregnancy, Inteen flavorpak, than try for baby at least daily. If they don't have a good enough relationship, you may force them to woohoo with a modded object if it allows for the possibility, not guarantee, of pregnancy. If there are too many sims in the household, move someone out if possible just before the sims woohoo so that a baby is possible.
4) They are to make their living by farming, and survive by farming (including orchards) and fishing. Buying groceries is not allowed. At the beginning, no cc harvestable plants or platters from the buy catalog (okay from the fridge). This may change before the end of the era, see additional rules below. No digging for treasure. Date gifts are sold or put into inventory for a later era - but dates are not for the purpose of earning $. If you find something while jogging or on a hike, it may be kept in inventory, given as gifts (to pass on to future generations) or sold if not for this era. See forager mod on the Where Can I Find? page for better stuff for your sims to bring home from a hike.
No school allowed. I use the simlogical mod for this. You can find the link on this page.
4A) Parks are allowed if they look like they are for cavemen. Other community lots are allowed if they look like they're for cavemen. No espresso stands for example. Ponds to fish in are allowed. Castaway stories clothing rack is a yes. Bowling alleys are allowed if they look stone age. May only buy the minimum amount of groceries and only if your fridge is at a negative number. (Because I found if your fridge is at a negative number they can't cook fish.) No graveyards. Historical cell phone kiosks allowed. Community lots must be in neighborhood, no downtown. There are great community lot replacements, some can be found under objects in my "Where Can I Find?..." section.
4A1) In period grills are allowed. Only grill fish on them if on a community lot. Sometimes if you bring more than one sim to a lot someone will grill something else on the sly. If this happens go ahead and eat it but don't do this intentionally.
4A2) You may greet witches and no one else. Ok to befriend and marry witches, become a witch. Sometimes sims will autonomously greet other sims on community lots behind your back. If this happens don't worry about it. Just don't do so intentionally.
4B) Careers! Download the 3 Castaway stories careers and the simstone careers. Links are on the "Where Can I Find?" page. Career Rewards may be used, see special rule for Gatherer reward, but not purchased if they end up in your buy catalog...must earn. Yes, teens and elders may take jobs. And yes, mod that allows elders to work like adults (continue to be promoted) is allowed. And yes, retirement is allowed. No computers allowed, so must use newspaper to find job.
4B1) Gatherer Career is allowed and any sim may have it. May only use the reward if a witch. May not place the reward if not a witch. Once they come home from their first day of work may begin harvesting sap from tree. (See rule 7.) With each promotion, may place one harvestable plant. As in not maxi. Currently the very best available are by the Sun and Moon Factory, which you can find on my Where Can I Find? page. However there must be no snow on the ground when you place it (unless it is not harvestable during the winter, then may place immediately) and it can't be tropical. (No castaway stories fruit trees yet.) If the sim dies before the snow melts and no one else on the lot has had the job, no harvesting these plants. They get another plant every time they're promoted. Keep in mind that the plants will probably not be usable during the ice age, as most are seasonal. Quitting the job and getting it again does not give you an extra plant. May continue to be a "gatherer" and harvest plants even if you quit or lose your job.
4B2) Hunter Career Only males may get a job as Hunter. Female sims are not allowed to be hunters. I make an exception for my Ayla sim and her family. You may choose to make an exception for one family.
After someone comes home from their first day of work as a Hunter, then huntable animal of your choice may be added to your lot. This is added immediately regardless of weather. Only hunters may hunt animals or check traps. Sims remain hunters even if they quit their job. Considered hunter after 1 day in that career. May add another huntable animal when promoted.
4B3) Crafting Career is allowed for all sims. After first day of work may place the reed spawner from the basket set at the sun and moon factory. It won't make more reeds until after the ice age. After first promotion may place basket maker on the lot if you have enough $. It won't be usable until reeds are collected. At level 9, all sims on lot may make toys. I highly recomend default replacing the toys made. The Plumbob Keep has great options. If you reach level 10, simstone electronics allowed, see below. All sims are allowed to harvest reeds.
4B4) Simstone Career for males only. Must get Hunter job before this job. (May quit hunter after one day of work to qualify.) Once they get the job simstone car is unlocked, if they can afford it. Once level 5 is reached then all simstone electronics are allowed. Yes, this includes any cc electronics that look like they'd be acceptable by the Flinstones cartoon but visually not by an actual caveman. This is allowed for reaching level 10 crafting too.
4C) Witches - Aspiration Rewards in the Neanderthal Era
If your neanderthal becomes a witch, they are now a witch doctor. There can be any number of witch doctors. They may obtain the following aspirations objects, to be used as instructed. Note that objects can only come from witch's aspiration rewards.
The energizer if you use the caveman one which you can find in my Where Can I Find Roman section. To obtain it you must get the aspiration from the reward section, then delete it after placing. Then must purchase the caveman version in buy catalog. Yes, both at the same time. Then any sim on lot may use it.
Noodlesoother - may be used by any sim on lot. May be given to any sim visiting, then any sim on that lot may use it.
SimVac, may only be used by witch.
Witches may use the robot bench. I highly recommend the cc that makes bewitched objects instead of robots.
Witches may use the concoction junction gatherer reward object if they earned it. (Among other things you may make elixir of life potions.) May give or sell potions to other sims.
Witch doctors may have and use the Wrath of the Gods and the Voodoo bottle. (See Neanderthal objects on "Where Can I find?" page.)
Witches may use any other magical witch doctor cc you see fit.
5) Upon moving in purchase items in rule 7. Then reduce remaining funds to $3,000.
6) Seasons are set to WINTER year-round. You can play the challenge without Seasons but it is more fun with it.
7) Everything on the lot must look prehistoric if possible. Dinosaur themed items allowed if you wish. Objects you must begin with:
One fully grown tree from The Giving Tree
A pond
One limited rock from Fetch Water 3.0 (use Water Required For Baths/Showers - Semiglobal Mod with this mod)
One small shack/hut/cave
1 stove or grill (simstone preferably) *May only use stove with at least one bundle of branches in inventory collected from your tree. Delete from inventory when stove is used. You may place stove in inventory or sell it to prevent sims from using when out of branches.
1 counter
1 sink and/or 1 tub or shower if using this mod: Water Required For Baths/Showers - Semiglobal Mod
One toilet - preferably castaway toilet bushes
One dresser
One fridge, preferably shipwrecked fridge *May begin with any fridge. If it is old cc and doesn't allow you to get out leftovers you put in there, may replace fridge to get leftovers. Then may not replace fridge unless it burns in a fire.
And if there is $ leftover add:
5 beds (Hammocks, tents, or the lowest cost single or double bed, crib. Double beds and tents count as 2 beds.)
1 cheap loveseat
Table and 3 chairs
Compost pile
Farming plots or fruit trees (You can buy more as you get more money) Fruit trees will not be harvestable until the end of this era. Get them if you have extra $.
Almost everything else is allowed, though you might not have it if it didn't come with the lot. As in there might not be enough $ leftover. These things are not:
Nothing tropical, this is the ice age. (Ok after the meltdown!)
No fire or burgular alarms
No harvestable plants unless earned, see gatherer career above
No huntable animals unless earned, see hunter career above
No "easy" food. Like buy it from they catalog and don't have to prepare.
No "easy" cheat objects. (Makes everyone happy, gives unearned skills/badges, etc.)
No bookcases because they wouldn't have books, or cc that looks like books/scrolls. (Exception, there is a simstone magazine rack and simstone video game display dinosaur themed. These are allowed. Using the items once purchased is up to you.)
No electronics that look like they belong in a cartoon but not with real caveman unless earned, see crafter and simstone careers above.
No toymaking or robotic benches unless earned, see witches and crafting career above.
No cars unless earned, see simstone career above.
Many of the above can be lifted in rule 4B.
Yes to painting, electronics disguised as caveman stuff such as some of these telescopes.
Yes to mammoth showers, waterfall showers and stone hot tubs. If using this mod: Water Required For Baths/Showers - Semiglobal Mod
Yes to addition tables, chairs, etc.
7A) Phone Rules
May have a phone as soon as you can spare the $.
No hiring of any service.
No delivery except minimum for groceries and only if your fridge goes into negative. Otherwise sims try to prepare fish and it says there isn't enough food to make it.
No calling sims to chat, even if the sim won't come over. Exception, may call witches to chat.
No vacations, university, applying for scholarships.
No inviting npcs over, except witches.
No asking out on dates by phone unless your sim is cheating on their sweetie. (Ok to ask in person.)
Yes to wedding parties.
No birthday parties, because cavemen didn't have cakes and pies.
No sports parties because cavemen didn't watch spectator sports, especially on t.v.
Only swamp lodge members may have outings by phone. See 7C (May have non-phone outings even if not lodge members, but not to lodge.)
Yes to sneaking out. Especially if you have risky sneakout. (Inteen flavorpak)
Yes to go out.
Yes to reporting runaway teens missing.
No to reporting pets missing.
No headmaster. No school, no private school.
7B) No gypsy, no genie, use visitor controller to keep gypsy from dropping off magic lamps.
7C) You may have a Swamp Lodge. Swamp Lodge Rules:
Must be a member to go to swamp lodge or attend meetings.
Founding members are a Flintstone and a Rubble.
If you don't want to play Flintstones and Rubbles choose 1 man of 1 of your founding families to be the first member.
Only men teen and older can be members. Use the Visitor Controller to ban females and children. Also to clear off nonmembers that show up.
You may choose to have Lodge members wear the Swamp Lodge hat, see simstones at mts, or another way to identify members.
Go on an outing to call a meeting unless all members live on the same lot. If a member doesn't show up to outing but walks by, may greet member and ask to join outing.
Other men may apply to become members if they are bff with any member. That member calls the outing. During the meeting members present "vote" on new member, latecomers still get to vote. Anyone who is not friends with new person votes no. If not friends but bff with man that brought new member vote yes, unless has a negative relationship with either of the 2, then still vote no. Optional, initiate until task is performed such as crossing hot coals.
7D) Optional, move kids back in (using simblender) after social worker takes them. I don't let them get off that easy! You may also do this if the adults die. Another family can move the kids in and raise them. Simblender allows this without requiring adoption. Again, optional.
8) Sims may stay living on the lot until someone needs to move out to allow possibility of pregnancy. You may require the heir to stay if you wish. Heirs are the eldest male unless there is no son. Daughter heirs may marry and move out, but then are no longer heir. If all other sims are married or the households are too full, they may move into a different lot. Their starting funds are set to the lot they came from's household funds plus $3000. (Same as all moveouts during this era.) Upon entering lot must add beginning items as in rule 7. (Don't reduce funds when purchases are done.) The reason to keep so many sims on the lot is to avoid tons of households. If you wish, you may move sims out the moment they turn teen.
Personally I like playing lots with lots of sims over playing lots of lots with fewer sims. Also this way you can be playing 2 or 3 lots with 6-8 sims each rather than a dozen lots with 2 each. Makes playing a round faster.
8B) Heir confusion - Sprouts of the wife and their children (birthed or sprouted) are not heirs unless the father has no children by wife and no sprouts of his own. Plant babies are not usually heirs. However if the father has no birthed son, the eldest male plantbaby may be heir. If he had no birthed children and no male plantbabies, then eldest plantbaby daughter may be heir.
8C) Pets
You may adopt strays, have puppies/kittens. You may sell your pets to sims that pass by, greeting them if necessary.
No pet adoption service.
If you have a pet may buy a bathtub to wash them. Or buy the dog pond so they can wash themselves. And allow sims to use it. If all your pets die, run away or you sell them all, must delete bathtub if you are not using this mod: Water Required For Baths/Showers - Semiglobal Mod
8D) Marriage
As soon as a lady is old enough to get pregnant she marries the marry-able neanderthal with the most body points. Yes, even if they have never met. Use simblender when on the grooms lot to transport her there, then use this to marry them. They must then begin to procreate.
If there are no males available then when one comes of age use simblender to bring available ladies there and scope room. What a neanderthal, right?
If by a stroke of luck they have a relationship he may propose. Ok to do 1 flirt first if he has the relationship points but not the option to propose. If she says no, use arranged marriage arch. If she says yes but runs away during wedding, you may select someone else to marry if you wish.
If the groom wishes to ask on a date he may ask his bride to be with the hopes that he can propose instead of marry by the ugly arranged marriage arch. (Castaway stories arches are so perfect.) If that doesn't happen and he doesn't roll the want to ask her on another date, arranged marriage arch.
Likewise the groom and bride may fulfill wants to increase their romance (except woohoo) to see if he can propose. (Like flirting, talking, kissing, etc.) If the 2 run out of such wants and a voluntary engagement still isn't possible, marriage arch.
9) As soon as second generation turns adult (or teen if you have inteen) era ends and time for next stage. Founders are first generation. Sprouts do not count when counting generations. Look at birthed sims. Sims born to sprouts do count. If you have many generations of plantsims, 5 plantsims generations count as 1 birthed sim generation. Note that founders will be second generation parents unless sprouts are involved.
10) Next era is Egypt!
Create Egypt as a shopping district subhood. On the Where can I find Egypt Stuff? page there are 2 great Egyptian neighborhoods.
Install no local walkbys, as these kingdoms are too far to just walk on over. And they don't meet for a long time.
Neanderthals stay put! You will create Egyptians so that you can have people from different areas look different.
America will be created in a separate hood. America will begin with only 1 lot with only 2 Native American couples on this lot. The reason is because the Vikings did visit America. I'd like them to have an America to visit during the Dark Ages, which is the era after the Romans. Also it seems silly that when we get to the Pioneer era that all the native Americans are new couples. I wanted to give them time to populate America before Europeans come along and dwindle their population.
Remember to add graveyards (can be empty community lot) in each kingdom. I resisted doing this and after 3 era restarted the challenge because ghosts had killed my Africans repeatedly. Now I only keep a grave on the lot if a sim wants to see a ghost...and besides they can always go to the graveyard for that.
Seasons will change.
Make 1 skin 4 African couple in CAS, to add to your African kingdom.
Instructions for Egyptians will be on the Egyptian rule page. Africans get a few rule changes too. See links below.
10A) But all my Neanderthals died!
This happened to me.... Like repeatedly with 1 challenge... I hear you laughing...
This is if all teen and older sims died in the whole hood and you haven't had a kid grow up yet, as in rule 9. If you have 1 adult left they are stuck trying to get abducted by aliens to have kids. If too old, then they are trying to survive until the meltdown to try to turn into a plantsim.
Option 1: You lost, start over with a new hood! (I didn't like that option either.)
Option 2: Make exactly 1 couple and move into one of the lots where all the sims died.
If the dead adults left behind live kids, you may move them all in using simblender. (So adoption is not needed.)
Egypt Stage (1 generation)
Let My People Go - A special scenario.
Africa (Neanderthal) during the Egypt Era
Native Americans (play during Egypt Era)
Orient in Egyptian Era
Roman Rules for Romans
Roman Era Rules for Egyptians
Roman Era Rules Native Americans
Roman Era Rules for Tribes (Neanderthals)
Roman Era Rules for Orient