#jenplayssims

[jenplayssims]

Sims 4 “Oregon Trail” Challenge (BACC)

Inspired by playing Oregon Trail on the Switch recently with my family as well as the Homestead Challenge for Sims 2 by child_of_air, I wanted to create a historical build a community challenge (BACC) with references to the Oregon Trail game (ie, river crossings, death by illness, new pioneers arriving by wagon train, etc). The below are guidelines for play, many adapted from the Sims 2 challenge for use in Sims 4. Please consider these guidelines flexible and tweak them as you wish to fit your gameplay. This challenge was written with all packs in mind but can be played without them.

HUGE thanks to @antiquatedplumbobs for providing me valuable feedback and helping my idea really come to life! Also thanks to @cowplant-snacks​ for being a sounding board and providing feedback. This challenge wouldn’t be the same without either of their input and I am so grateful!

The Basic Rules 

1. There is no electricity, no running water, and no access to technology that wasn’t invented prior to the 1850s. You may wish to utilize the lot trait “off the grid” to aid with this, but this is not essential. As long as the home, decor, and most behaviors of the sims matches the time period, how restrictive you choose to be in your gameplay is up to you. “Close enough” is ok for this challenge.

2. Each member of your wagon party has a backstory to their lives, and many of them are trying to escape from the confines of the restrictive social order or begin a new life. However, the items they take with them will be restricted to what their social rank was when they left. Space on the wagon is limited, and only the most precious items would be taken along. (More on items below)

3. At the start you will play your aspiring pioneer household as they journey by wagon to their destination, facing obstacles along the way. Once your pioneers arrive at their destination, they will all move into a boarding house with a host sim. Only the host household (which includes your first set of pioneers) will be played at this point. Once sims move out and begin their own homesteads, the neighborhood will be played in rotation. Each house will be played for 1 week (length of rotation of your choosing. 1 week is my recommendation).

4. Only the host or hostess at your destination will be able to have a job at first, which will be in politics. Everyone else will have to focus on developing their skills, adding to their hope chests, and preparing for their own homesteads. Sims cannot marry or move out of the boarding house until they have produced enough goods to begin their own homesteads.

5. Please note that your end destination does not have to resemble Oregon. The Oregon Trail game was simply an inspiration for this challenge.

Time 

The concept of time passing is up to you. You may want to let the seasons dictate the years, or you may want to base your year around a biological marker, such as the sim age spans. Some may want to make their own metric for years (ie, 4 days = 1 year). You may choose to not bother with the passage of time at all. If you choose to advance the passage of time, you will need to keep track of advancing technology (I recommend Decades Challenge for inspiration). This challenge could be played as a prequel to the Decades Challenge.

Getting Started

1. Create your wagon train lot for your pioneers to live on as they travel to their new home. You can build this yourself or pull a lot from the gallery (my recommendation is Oregon Trail Camp by HistoricalSim). If building your own, this functional tent looks like a covered wagon - http://simfileshare.net/folder/183978/ kindly hosted by @cowplant-snacks, amazingly made functional by @superflare, original by inabadromance.

2. Host Sims and House - Before the pioneers’ journey is complete, you will need to create a host house and a host/hostess sim. (Note: This step can be done right at the start or can wait till their journey is almost over.) Create a host sim of your choosing. This will be the only sim in the initial household able to hold a job, which should be in politics. The host will be the one to hand out homestead deeds (though not literally). The wagon load of pioneers will begin their new life here as they gather supplies and build up their skills to qualify for a homestead of their own. Consider it a boarding house of sorts and build accordingly. You’ll want space for many sims as well as skilling/crafting items available for use. 

3. Townies - Your game should have as few townies as possible to begin with as your first pioneers should be part of the town’s founding. You may use mods to prevent the game from spawning townies or you may create your own and use mods to make them fill the roles the game would normally spawn new sims for (mailperson, bartender, etc). You can also allow the game to spawn as it needs to and either ignore those sims or make them over to fit the historical context. (Note: The Sims 2 Homestead Challenge mentions creating Native people to serve as existing townies. This is up to the player)

4. Create your first wagon of settlers

a. Roll a dice to see how many are on the wagon (1-7, unless you use mods to increase the household sim limit). They can be teens-adults. If you want to roll for gender, age, traits, etc you may. You can start with a married couple or single sim if you wish, but keep in mind that not all sims are guaranteed to survive the journey so more sims may be better for this challenge.

b. For each sim, roll their socioeconomic background: This determines the quality and quantity of items each sim may have brought with them to begin their new life/homestead. Note: Sims 4 furniture is stored in the shared household inventory, so may want to roll and make note of this somewhere but not actually choose the items until the sim has moved to their own homestead. 

1-2: Indentured Servant or Former Slave (2 Items, poor quality) 

3-4: Lower Class (5 Items, poor quality)  

5: Lower Middle Class (6 Items of poor quality and 3 items of medium quality)  

6: Middle Class (10 items medium quality)

c. Likewise with animals - it stands to reason that some would have brought livestock or perhaps a pet with them, but as these won’t really come into play until the sim moves to their own land, you can decide what they have now and then add them later.

5. Move them into your wagon train lot and begin their journey!

Optional: You can use my save file as a starting point for this challenge. It contains a wagon camp (Oregon Trail Camp by HistoricalSim) placed in Willow Creek. It also has the calendar already set up to include events on the journey and holidays (more on the journey and calendar below). Host house and sims are not included. http://www.simfileshare.net/download/4024989/

The Journey:

Your wagon of pioneer sims will begin their journey in spring. Their goal is to reach their end destination before winter begins. The length of this stage is up to the player - you may want to drag out the survival struggle or you may want to zip through it quickly. The average time of travel was 150 days. I’ve included a sample calendar below from my save file. The Oregon Trail begins in Missouri and ends in Oregon, and typically took months to complete with many hardships along the way. Any sim who becomes sick while on the journey will need to have a dice rolled for their survival odds (even - they live, odd - they succumb to their illness and die along the trail unless they are within a day of a Fort where they can purchase medicine). Also along the way are 4 river crossings (Kansas, Big Blue, Green, Snake) as well as passage through the Blue Mountains near the end. There are also 4 random events in the spirit of the original Oregon Trail game. For each of the 5 major events (spaced however the player chooses), roll a dice for their odds of success. 

1-3 unsuccessful attempt at crossing - roll to see which sim doesn’t make it

4-6 successful crossing - continue on

For the 4 random events on the calendar, roll a dice to determine which sim will be affected by the event. Roll the dice again for survival odds - if a 3 is rolled, your sim dies. 

Once the events are completed, the wagon arrives at the boarding house and moves in temporarily until their own homestead can be secured.

The sample calendar below from my save file includes all 5 events spaced out as well as a couple of stops at Forts where supplies can be purchased (medicine, food if you’re playing using the Simple Living lot challenge). I also included 4 random events and a few holiday celebrations.

Optional: If you’d like to further simulate pioneers journeying across the country, you can move your pioneer sim household to wagon camps in different worlds with each river/mountain crossing. If you’re using my save file, use the numbered wagon train lots as listed below.

Recommended worlds to use:

Kansas/Big Blue River Crossings - #1 stay on original lot in Willow Creek

Green River Crossing - #2 Henford

Snake River Crossing - #3 Oasis Springs

Blue Mountains Crossing - #4 Copperdale

Homesteads:

In order to qualify for a homestead, sims must gain 4 skill points in 3 different skills (Baking, Cooking, Cross Stitch, Fishing, Fitness, Flower Arranging, Gardening, Gourmet Cooking, Guitar, Handiness, Herbalism, Horse Riding, Juice Fizzing, Knitting, Nectar Making, Painting, Piano, Pipe Organ, Violin, Writing) as well as meet the qualifications for homesteads below:

Basic Homestead: all skills obtained, $100 starting fund, 10 household wares

2 Bedroom Homestead: all skills obtained, $200 starting fund, 12 household wares

3 Bedroom Homestead: all skills obtained, $300 starting fund, 20 household wares

Middle Class Homestead: all skills obtained, $400 starting fund, 30 household wares

If sims decide to marry, they must each obtain the skills individually but can pool household wares and money to qualify for a homestead. 

Since work is not allowed for the pioneers until they move out, they will need to grow and sell produce or create and sell crafted items to earn money. Items can be sold through their inventory for ease if desired. If using Chestnut Ridge as their town, items can also be sold at the General Store.

Household wares include what they rolled from earlier based on their socioeconomic backgrounds as well as anything they create while in the host house.

Note: if you choose to play with the Simple Living lot challenge turned on, you will also want your sims to bring some produce, canned goods, and possibly seeds with them to their homestead.

Once in their own homesteads, they can expand as they have funds and need or can move to a new lot.

Optional: When two homesteads have been established, you can build a Trading Post. This is where your sims can sell their wares through the sales tables available in Sims 4. A grocery stall from Cottage Living may also be placed. They can also sell items at the General Store in Chestnut Ridge.

If you prefer a lot from the Gallery, I highly recommend Old Western Township built by antiqueplumbobs (antiquated plumbobs : Western Township - Simblreen Gift #1 A CC-Free... (tumblr.com) It is perfect as a community lot for this challenge.

When all pioneer sims from the initial wagon have moved into their own homesteads, a second wagon of pioneers can be created and start their journey. As your initial sims have families of their own, you may choose to create families to journey to your town rather than individual sims. The second (and any future) wagon train households created will be played in rotation with the homestead households established by your original pioneers.

Careers:

Once on their own established homesteads, your sims can begin careers. 

At home careers: farmer, orchard owner, florist, woodworker, dairy farm, llama farm, chicken farm, horse breeder, goat herder, sheep farmer, nectar maker, juice fizzer, herbalist

Careers in game: fisherman, manual laborer, gardener, painter, politician, writer, lawyer, doctor, teacher, criminal, entertainer (Note: I would suggest creating a specific sim to be the doctor to unlock medicine, creating a teacher to be part of a wagon train once your town begins to have infants/toddlers, etc - add the careers as it makes sense for your town, as most making this journey initially would have been farmers).

Optional careers:

Create a clergyman to perform marriage ceremonies among the settlers. Can add a fee to their household funds for each marriage performed, etc.

Add in custom careers, such as Fur Trader ( Peebs : Fur Trade Career | Original Career This career... (tumblr.com) )

That’s it! See how far your town can grow and advance as new settlers arrive but most importantly, have fun!

PDF link to rules

[theplottdump]

What's song #8 on your list? 👀

Overcome - Nothing But Thieves

Ah! You've fallen for my classic it's an absolute banger but it has nothing to do with the legacy trap!

Thank you for playing my game!! 🥺❤

[applesaucesims]

Adorable! I love the treat! Thank you so much!

You're welcome!!

[alainas-sims]

For the Emoji Ask game-

How about...Carolina in 1990s fashion?

OC Outfit Emoji Asks- accepting!

💃 OC in some radical 90’s clothes

Ah, Carolina... transporting her 100 years later than her original time period, I wasn't exactly sure what her story would be, as women's roles were very different from the 1890s to the 1990s. Reflecting that time, her style is still feminine but in a comfy-chic way. My first thought is that she would be an art teacher.

hair / choker / sweater / skirt

[ottersinhats]

Hi! For the Ask game- 3, 8, and 16. Thanks for playing!

Hi!!

3. What is your favorite decade/era to play?

So far my favorite for this challenge was the 1890s. I loved all of the kids and starting fresh was really fun. In my old save the 1950s were probably my favorite cause I love the aesthetic so much!

8. Do you have intricate plots/storylines planned in advance or do the sims actions dictate what happens?

Yes, I plan nearly everything. I have a google doc planning out the lives of Everett's children that is fairly detailed. Sometimes I change the story if I feel like the character would do something different. I have very vague plans of topics and ideas I want to touch on up to the 1940s.

16. Do you create your own townies or use gallery/game generated sims?

I usually go on the gallery and search for families from that decade to fill up my world. If they're more minor characters (like Rowena's mom or Abraham's parents) I make them myself.

[mostardentlyinllamaswithyou]

For the historical ask game - 3, 5, and 8. Thanks for playing!!

Of course! Thanks so much for the ask!

3) What is your favorite decade/era to play?

Answered here :)

5) Which decade/era are you most looking forward to playing? 

So far I have played up to the 1980s in my main decades challenge save. That being said, I am really looking forward to playing the 90s, especially because I am very fond of my next heir and their dynamic with their family.

8) Do you have intricate plots/storylines planned in advance or do the sims actions dictate what happens?

A mix of both, actually. I usually have a storyline planned going into each generation, though I do like when my sims' actions surprise me. So basically I do leave room for deviations from my original plan, since that allows for some even more interesting stories.

Thanks again for the ask!

[cassimopeia]

For the Ask game - 8, 9, and 20. Thanks for playing!!

thanks for asking!! 🥰

8. Do you have intricate plots/storylines planned in advance or do the sims actions dictate what happens? i use the random legacy roller now to help me figure out the plot! usually i have a storyline in mind though. sometimes little things sims do will become part of it, but i have a tendency to micromanage, so not often 😅

9. How are spouses/partners chosen for your sims? i always make them myself. sometimes i make a few so my sims have options, but i refuse to let my legacy's genetics be left up to ea's weird looking sims 😂

20. Share a “behind the scenes” fact or story about your save file/challenge so i actually restarted my belsterling legacy not long after i began it because when i first started it, i had no idea what i was doing with reshade and honestly i didn't like any of the screenshots i took. so i ended up redoing it but keeping most of the same storyline! i'm also better now at integrating poses alonside gameplay so i think restarting it was a good choice

[cinamun]

Your Sims Black History Fact

Thanks to @riverofjazzsims and @jenplayssims we now know that the first Black premade character in the Sims franchise was Melissa Roomies! First introduced with her roommate Chris when The Sims was released on February 4th, 2000.

24 years ago today.

[cowplant-snacks]

More recommendations of simmers that I enjoy!

Simblrs:

@papiermaker - makes me want to play in Cooperdale as a librarian, colorful interiors and slice of life style gameplay shots

@caffeinatedtrait - distinct sims style, cute world and gameplay screenies - can't wait to see more!

@cowplant-pizza - soft and muted yet delightfully colorful screenies, super cute sims

@tarobeans - cute sims, lovely lighting, and masterful close up shots that helps me feel part of the story.

@radioactivespacebug - super cute space themed screenies + the most beautiful shades of blues that make my brain so happy. sims 3 Into the Future was one of my favorite packs and this simblr captures what that world could be like if we had in ts4.

Builder / Interiors Simblrs:

@sweetbeagaming - get all of their builds. seriously all of them! I am trying to work the Las Vegas style chapel into my gameplay because I NEED to use it.

@lilamausmaus - detailed builds and cute gameplay shots too! - love to see that throuple representation.

CC Creators:

@hexcodesims - must have mesh edits and super cute simmies that I want to see more of!

Challenges:

@jenplayssims - creator of the Oregon Trail Challenge!

Deco Creators:

@madebycoffee - I have all of their DECOs and poses! <3

[ruthplaysthesims]

Hey y'all

So I recently saw @cinamun posting about the very first black premade sim in the entire franchise was Melissa Roomies. This was a fun fact for me as I had never known about the sims at all and I started playing the sims 4 at towards the end of 2022/beginning of 2023. And it's thanks to @jenplayssims and @riverofjazzsims that we know this fact. I heard @jenplayssims wanted a remake of her... So i took it upon myself to attempt at making this. Here are my results.

Again, this is my version. I'm not saying this is how she actually looks like. This is my attempt at making it and I love challenging my creativity.

[antiquatedplumbobs]

About Me - Simblr Addition

Thanks for tagging me @starandsims ! I love doing stuff like this, it's what makes simblr so fun for me.

Your 3 Traits: Foodie, Loves Cats, Creative

Your Aspiration: Bestselling Author

In Game World You'd Live In: I think we all know it's Brindleton Bay

Favorite Townie: I'm always so bad at answering this because I do not play with townies lol 🫣, but I do love all the lore around Bella Goth, and she feels like a classic answer so I'm going with that

Most Used Pack: Cats and Dogs, Cottage Living, Laundry Day

Favorite Decor Object: Well this feels impossible. I feel like I'm closing my eyes and throwing a dart at the bb catalog, but let's go for the fireplace pokers. They feel like such an important part of historical builds and I was so happy when they got added to the game.

Something You Want In the Game: God so much? No not really actually, there's a lot I really like in the game. I hate to admit it but I'm kind of one of those people that wants cars, and that's not because I'm some car head or anything, it's just because it's the direction I for some reason pushed my historical story towards .....

What Color Is Your Plumbob: Probably yellow, it's about the end of my work day and I've had a lot to do today. Not orange though, we're not that far gone yet.

Continuing with my throwing darts, I'm just gonna tag some random mutuals if they wanna do it! @aheathen-conceivably @chereindolente @jenplayssims @sims-half-crazy @matthewsimmer @alainas-sims @devotedsims @plumbobpuddingmodel @sasaofastora

[jenplayssims]

Travel continues daily and the pioneers look forward to breaking at camp each evening and getting to know each other a bit better.

Pete tells Annie all about the farm he hopes to start when settled. She listens politely but isn't sure that farming is all THAT interesting. Lottie quietly listens, enjoying the fresh air and companionship.

Both Jesse and Charles brought a few books along and reading by the fire or lantern light becomes one of the few options available to build fun.

Prev / Next

Rules

[katssimsdecades]

I will be restarting this now that there is a version of this challenge for Sims 4. @jenplayssims  Sims 4 “Oregon Trail” Challenge (BACC) has the Sims 2 Homestead challenge included in it.

My sims will be from different Sims 3 and 4 worlds.  I will also be starting in the year 1846.

I will still have the same 4 sims but will add 3 more sims and a horse.

[kindred-sims]

About Me - Simblr Addition

Many thanks for the tag from @jenplayssims, I always love doing these!

Your 3 Traits: Creative, Dog Lover, and Clumsy

Your Aspiration: Bestselling Author

In Game World You'd Live In: San Sequoia

Favorite Townie: Given that many of the townies in Sims 4 don't really stand out to me that much, I'm gonna dial it back to Sims 2 and say Brandi Broke. It has to be said, I enjoy playing a single parent household and Brandi's has always just really stuck out to me.

Most Used Pack: Cottage Living and/or Growing Together

Favorite Decor Object: It may be the plant fan in me talking, but I adore the fiddle leaf fig that came with Cottage Living. I use it almost any chance I get.

Something You Want In the Game: Singer career. Please EA, I beg of you, I'm tired of having to do everything myself. I'm strongly considering having my future 1960s heir be a singer so I'd love for an in-game career to come along and make that just a bit easier than it is now.

What Color Is Your Plumbob: Green for the moment, long as I'm not at work and in the comfort of my room.

Leaving this open for anyone else who might want to do it!

[alainas-sims]

Hi! How about 10 and 31 for the storytelling ask. I always love seeing a fresh Marquez post!

storytelling ask meme

Thank you!

10. is your story fully planned or are you still working things out? is there a definitive end?

Nope, not at all... I just have a general idea of where things will go for the rest of the 40s and into the 50s (as I've done Salvador and Gloria's generation rolls and decided their career/personality a bit). As for definitive end, I'm thinking 2019 might be a natural stopping point like in my previous decades challenge, with maybe an epilogue showing what the Sims have been up to post-2020 to present day (whenever that will be if I play the entire legacy to the end!).

31. drop some random trivia about your story

As you may have noticed, I usually give a defined color scheme to characters in my legacy. This sort of just happened organically and I've been trying to branch out and include some color variation so that my Sims aren't entirely monochromatic but have overarching themes. For example, I gave Manuel a green theme, Olga's was blue with a touch of yellow, Consuelo's was yellow, and Héctor's is green and brown.

[historicalfictionsims]

🎸 80's Molly please?

Molly McIntire in the 1980s

Molly belongs to a modern dance troupe and loves to watch MTV, trying out all the latest moves. I think she would be a big fan of The Goonies, released in 1985.

@jenplayssims requested 1990s Molly, and I would have used the same outfit because the red, white and blue color scheme is so iconic on her. I really do like the Throwback Fit kit.

What do we think of Molly with rectangular frames?