Roseland LegacyA Return to the Sims 2

In the beginning…

Cyd Roseland thought he and Porthos would never get out of the Sim Bin. For one thing, a certain player had long ago given up on Mac/Sim compatibility. For another, Cyd noticed that that same player had a distinct dislike of Sim Pets, despite her fondness for pets in real life.

Lucky for Cyd, just as it looked like the Sims would never again be played in these parts, the app store came out with The Sims 2 Super Collection. So, Cyd and Porthos got a large and empty lot in the new suburb of Bernie Mac, and within the week Porthos had been taken away by a blonde cop who cared not that there was a full food dish not even a foot away from the dog.

Clearly the learning curve for this game is going to take some time.

Cyd’s a not-particularly-dedicated knowledge sim, with a lifetime want of being a criminal mastermind. About six years ago, that would have been no problem, but my skills are rusty enough that we’re having a hard time. He’s living in a double-wide and he gets more action from the penguin than from any townie so far.

One thing I’m clearly out of practice with is snapping pictures. Anyway, Brandi’s the only legacy-legal townie Cyd has any attraction with thus far… and it’s a measly one bolt. Oh well— neither of them minded their lawn wedding, even though only one of them has the red hearts of lurve. Hint: it’s not Brandi.

“Legacy Legal”

Definition time! I’m easing back into the game with a gentle, no-frills Legacy. But, I want to marry in the original townies, so my spouse-pool is the original 13 adult female townies that spawn with every custom neighborhood. Why females? Because I’m also having the oldest boy be the heir… at least for now. I might change my mind later, because I can.

I tried to fix the lack of attraction between my two sims by turning Brandi into a grilled-cheese sim. It didn’t work, and then she had twins… Really, my first in-game birth in over half a decade, and I get twins. So, the next few weeks are a blur and I didn’t take any pictures… and Brandi went back to being a fortune-minded sim.

Brandi’s lifetime want is to earn $100,000 which is a nice impossible want point, too. So, she gets to making flowers while the twins are babies and toddlers… I figure if I have to spend time selling to all the townies, I might as well seed the neighborhood with snapdragons.

The twins didn’t really earn all their toddler skills, but they still managed to grow up well— not that there are any pictures of them until childhood. I really will get better at this again, I swear. Also, I built a giant and completely non-functional house. Luckily the old exchange building tutorials got rescued by the wayback machine, so as soon as Brandi earns a little more money I’ll be rebuilding. Also, Cyd got fired, so he’s working his way back up to the top of the criminal network… Again, no pictures. Just take my word for it.

Cyd named the twins Aramisa and Athos to honor the departed Porthos. I’m not a huge Cyd fan… but I do feel guilt about the mutt. Athos is our heir, and he’s pretty much middle of the road, personality-wise. I like Aramisa better— she’s an outgoing slob.

Cyd’s not a particularly involved father. He’s got stuff to do.

Also, I don’t remember planting being such a pain. I probably started too big— but tending the bland garden did give Brandi a silver badge… Athos didn’t think it was fun enough as his after school activity.

Despite not having been so up on the walking, talking, or potty-ing as toddlers, our twins do learn to do homework.

Luckily, these two have each other. Athos doesn’t seem too happy about the whole heir business, but even though there is another Roseland on the way he’s not getting out of the heirship. I may be mercurial, but it’s going to take me at least a generation to change the way we hand this thing down.

So, with Brandi so exhausted she actually dies from hunger during this accidental, late-life pregnancy (Cyd saved her; nobody cared… because he’s a fake knowledge sim; I didn’t get pictures because I suck), Cyd’s left to do the headmaster thing. The twins did not get in.

It wasn’t exactly a huge tragedy.

At this point, the twins grew up into a pleasure-seeking serial dater (Aramisa) and an insecure popularity-type, who just has to have eleventy million besties (Athos). Ugh. And, because I feel bad for the perpetual townie children, I made an orphanage run by this guy, Senor Caretaker. He has a lifetime want of having a golden anniversary, so he moved-in Jace from the far away town of Three Lakes to be his husband… The three residents of the orphanage will join the legacy twins at college.

Baby! And that’s singular, thank you very much. Her name is Gretel.

And, we’re skipping straight to the birthday. Aramisa does the honors.

Notice, please, Brandi’s platinum plumbob. Perma-platinum, heya! She got the business up to level 10 and made over $75,000, then sold the deed for obscenely expensive— or whatever— to a townie. Gretel actually learns all her skills because Brandi’s around and not chained to the flower station.

I’ve been trying to get Aramisa her dates— this was number four— because I really prefer her to Athos. She’s just more interesting. Anyway, she doesn’t have any hearts, pink or red, so I sort of forgot that there might be some unrequited feelings leftover from date number three. I really suck at this.

Since I wasn’t much of a taskmaster when they were kids, and I was completely overwhelmed when they were toddlers, the twins have a lot of skilling to do before they can leave for college.

By the time Gretel’s birthday came around again, the family was a little less frantic. Cyd (who’s been an elder for awhile— again, my bad with the pictures) is mid-way to the top of his career (I think), and the teenagers are solidly in the green, with a couple of scholarships a piece. Athos got fired over a latte, and Aramisa never got a job, but they’re both A+ public school students with a couple of skill scholarships.

Family vacation time! Brandi bought a small cabin in Three Lakes with some of the profits from her business, and the family spends four days there before the twins leave the nest.

Mostly the family did family things, but Aramisa never wanted to go on the tours. She spent a lot of time doing other things while the rest of the Roselands ran from avalanches and the like.

The five Roselands also took extensive advantage of the skilling bonus during fall… it’s summer at the home lot, but Three Lakes is on a different schedule.

What started out as a lukewarm relationship has blossomed over the years. I think they went from two bolts to three when Cyd became an elder and Brandi got better at some skill I wasn’t paying attention to. Anyway, the vacation was a success.

Back from vacation, Cyd and Brandi take another stab at the headmaster. The twins get one day in private school before they cash in their scholarships and move to university. Gretel still isn’t super close to her older siblings, but they’ll keep in touch over the phone.

Just before she becomes an elder, Brandi gets a job as an Adventurer. She didn’t really want one, but she didn’t really want anything in particular (except 5 top businesses… and that’s not happening).

And Cyd settles in to help Gretel with her studying… not that he wants to. Not a real knowledge sim, folks.

Score card!

(this generation) (added to previous score) running total

+1 per generation 1 + 0 1

+1 for portraits 1 +0 1

+1 per $300,000 1 +0 1

+1 per platinum grave 0 +0 0

+1 for free-roaming ghosts 0 +0 0

+1 per impossible want 1 +0 1

+3 for a vacation home & generational vacations 3 +0 3

7