Resurrection does not exist in my game. Not for the fact that it's unrealistic, I play with a male pregnancy mod after all, but to curb my own playing tendencies. Then again I've yet to have a scenario where I felt that it would even be justified in. I think if I do get there I would do something similar to Coriel though and have it affect them profoundly.

A bit undecided what to do with the Capps. I started Veronaville over, as a break from my building & renovatinating Pleasantview. I want to make my plays of the Capps and the Montys unique, but they're turning out very similar. I haven't played the Montys yet, but I'm leaning towards playing them as a strict, penny-pinching patriarchy--only boys inherit. Either only boys or just the heir goes to college. Everyone cooks. Lots of restaurants and OFB businesses. Etc. And then I'll have Romeo and Mercutio rebel in various ways against that to build some family wealth. I think I read somewhere that someone made them a crime family and I like the idea of Romeo dabbling in that behind his grandfather's back.

The Capps, on the other hand, aren't squeaky clean either. There's more of them so Consort is getting into debt trying to keep up appearances. I finally figured out how they'll earn money--mostly real estate "fraud", selling to townies and what not, and farming. And to build up power in the town, I'll have different branches on the family go into different career fields. I'm thinking Albany will go into Law Enforcement, since he's family, and Regan and Cornwall will start a law practice. I haven't decided who will go into Politics yet. Anyway, I'm a little torn about heirship here. For the Monty's it's clear that it's Benedick. Straight patriarchy rules, and he's young enough that moving back in with his grandfather will be a significant part of his life, and his grandfather can try to mold him into a "proper Monty." And his only real rival is Mercutio, since Romeo is Romance and I can't see a strict patriarchal figure upending their will & inheritance to make a Romance sim heir. With all that in mind, I don't have qualms about giving heirship to Benedick. Which brings me to the Capps...

Well, first let me say that the way I always see the family tree is Goneril is the oldest and Cordelia is the youngest. And because the Capps are a matriarchy, Miranda is technically the heir. But, oh, does this cause problems. First, she's living with with Goneril and Albany, outside of the legacy lot. And she's a teen; while she's not as old as Tybalt, she'll definitely be off to college soon. Not really enough time to soak in the family traditions, even if I did move her back to the Manor, you know? And then she's Romance, and like her cousins, she flirts with dating the dreaded Montys. Tybalt, on the other hand is Popularity, a much better aspiration for an heir, and is highly skilled (ten body points is nothing to sneeze at) and has already taken up the family feud, which I'd like to continue, at least for a little bit. Even discounting him, there's Hermia and Juliette, who have the benefit of living on the legacy lot and being Family. And then there's Consort. I had been playing by motivation rules, but never did I ever see such a unmotivated bunch, including Consort. I had to institute a new "legacy heir" rule so that anyone currently the heir of a legacy can be considered motivated, as only Albany and Cornwall are motivated according to my formula (which actually makes a lot of sense, when you think about it). Anyway, I thought Consort might be another meddling grandpa, determined to puff up his legacy, especially since he's Fortune. But I can't decided what he'd do about heirship. Does he keep his promise to Contessa and make Miranda the heir, despite her mom moving out in defiance? Or would he screw tradition and make Tybalt the heir? Or Hermia or Juliette? Or maybe since Miranda grew up off lot, one of her kids would be the next official heir? I can see him as someone who tries to hide the fact that the Capps are a matriarchy, and tries to make the family into a traditional patriarchy. But I can also see him as someone who loves his wife and wants to honor her family traditions. Not sure which way to go on this one and am looking for ideas.

@Phantomknight
I want to turn what you are saying on its head. The Capps are a matriarchy, so Consort and Tybalt should definitely be meddling. Why take a direct route, when someone like Miranda would clearly be uninterested in the responsibility of being heir and would likely love the mantle while the real power is held by others in her family.

Consort sends Tybalt to university to befriend Miranda, have her rely on him as one man in her life who can truly be a friend and not a conquest. Then, the only concern is ensuring she meets a weak-willed husband who can be disposed of once a daughter is born, and Consort will have so much influence over this baby girl

With the Capps, since I do not accept the "youngest daughter of King Lear is the eldest" thing as canon, I decided to make up reasons as to why Consort (Maybe Contessa? Don't really know her since she's kinda dead) disinherited the older gals and their families as a consequence. For Goneril I went with them simply disliking Albany (unemployed and uneducated), Regan straight up not wanting to inherit (bio), and Kent being male.

Also, about uni, what I usually do is make the two families opposites in what they make their kids do: the Capps value money and business, so they send all their kids to uni so they can get qualifications for the best jobs, and if all else fails, they can still get a low-level position in the family business, while the Monty family (Montys?) wants the kids to start working and have a family immediately, without uni. Basically scholarly nobles vs agricultural lords, but with cellphones and milder teenage drama (Juliette should definitely be cheating on her suitor with Romeo)

I did this, but it turned out to be Kaylynn. She was just so interested in her kids. So she and Ashlyn have moved into a trailer together. They don't have much money--that's one source of drama. The other source is that as Darren has gotten to know Kaylynn, he really likes her--more than Cassandra. Kaden stayed with his adoptive family, because he loves them and they can provide better opportunities, but he is still getting to know his birth mom.

Daniel is hopeless, although he is interested in his grandchild (Angela's son).

Thanks Coriel_Muroz & Sugoisama! That does help a bunch.

So I was going to take Consort and Tybalt, Hermia, and Juliette on vacation, so that Tybalt can skill up a bit before going to Uni. (I have strict rules on who gets to go to the Academie, and Tybalt is missing a few things in his portfolio/application. Even after I used Age Correct to update his time left to match my modified lifespan, I've only had like a week with him and I feel he deserves a bit more time.) I've decided that all the grandchildren will go on vacation now--Ariel just aged up, too, so that's perfect. And it's while everyone's on vacation, away from the adults in the family, that Consort will make his move. I reason that he's able to prove legally that Regan and Goneril each gave up their rights to heirship when they moved out, considering that one of the oldest and most enduring rules of a legacy is that the heir has to live on the legacy lot and may not leave unless going to college. Thus Consort is the current heir now, no question; I'm considering that case settled. With Miranda, Consort could argue the same, that Goneril gave up Miranda's (and any other descendant's) claim, but any good lawyer could counter-argue that Miranda was a baby and had no say in the matter. It'd be a long, public trial at least, and Consort (and I) don't want any fuss and prefer to make things as clear and unquestionable as possible. So! While on vacation Consort will get all the grandkids to sign some documents. He'll say that he's old and wants to make sure his will is uncontested, that all his grandchildren get something. The documents will clearly spell out everyone's inheritance--that the Capp fortune will pay for school, however much it costs, and that everyone gets a lump sum starter fund. I guess I'll give everyone 20,000, since I use No 20K Handout. What the kids won't realize is that the documents also say that they give up their right to contest heirship and that they are empowering Consort to choose the next heir. Also, there will be strict requirements for anyone--the grandkids and all future descendants--to inherit: they have to graduate a university, they can't marry a Monty, and, if the heir requests it, they have to work in a family business. And in order for the heir to inherit heirship, he or she has to graduate from the Academie and the current heir (in this case Consort) must approve of his or her spouse.

Consort will let everyone know that he's considering Miranda and Tybalt for heirship, but just won't tell them that technically it belongs to Miranda anyway. He'll say it's cuz they're the oldest. He'll give the both of them the chance to go to uni, skill up, and find spouses. If Miranda manages to look respectable and find someone suitable, he'll name her heir--but in name only. Her contract will be special and stipulate that if she is named as a successor, she relinquishes any heirship rights to her future kids. Basically, only her kids can inherit, since she did not grow up on the legacy lot. Consort will remain the legal heir until the next heir comes of age and he can name a stewart, too, in case he dies. This way, he's honoring Contessa's memory, and the legacy line will remain unbroken, but he can still hold on to power for a long time. And, if he doesn't like the way Miranda's behaving, and decides she doesn't deserve it after all, he can just give heirship to Tybalt and no one can do anything about it cuz they gave him the right to choose. I like this route because I don't have to decide anything just yet and can wait and see how everyone's wants roll in college. Plus if I do give heirship to Tybalt, I've got the potential for a family feud if someone finds out what Consort did.

And I like the idea of the Monty's starting their families earlier, Sugoisama! I still want heirs to get a degree so what I think I'll do, at least at first, is play around with college in the main hood. It'll be like they're going to the community college while the Capps go to the prestigious university. That way heirs can start a family easier, with everyone around to help. Monty girls will remain at home until married and help around the house or with the business. Monty boys can move out (except the heir of course), but if they want inheritance, they have to work in a family business. Their inheritance will be a monthly stipend, to keep them tethered to the main family. They'll also play by Family Values/Squeaky Clean rules and if anyone is caught sleeping around by the heir, or if they get pregnant, they have to get married.

This really isn't a traditional dilemma, because I know what I'm going to do (probably), but what I don't know is how to explain why.

I had a well thought out plan for Veronaville too maximize the drama. Eventually I strayed from this plan due to the irresistible opportunity to make ships canon (and keep genetics like Tybalt's extra gorgeous jawline <3), but that complicated things I still want to happen.

Basically, my plan was to get Juliette and Romeo married, then Romeo would become a slipper husband (basically simp), while mean girl Juliette cheats on him with Puck, and even has a baby with him. I didn't plan whose baby she'd have first, but that's not important. What is important is that in that plan, Puck was to be single for life living with Tybalt and his kid and ex. However, I changed my plan and now Puck and Hermia are to get married and have kids sometime in the future, but this affair with Juliette is still going to happen.

Anyway, the problem is Puck is pretty much the only non-problematic person in Veronaville, and it's difficult to explain why he'd go through with something as bad as cheating. My original explanation was that he was seduced by Juliette, and it was all a mistake of the moment, or something like that. Something a bit less evil than having an affair with your friend's wife because you like it. However, in the current situation their affair might just overlap with the HermiaxPuck thing, and I absolutely cannot see Puck cheating on her.

Tl;dr: Puck is supposed to have an affair with Juliette (who's married to Romeo), maybe while he's with Hermia. How would you explain that someone as kind as him would do this?

Because like in real life, nosim is perfect.

There are tons of reasons for someone sleeping with someone they shouldn't/wouldn't normally.

Maybe someone Puck loves dies, and Hermia is not there but Juliette is and they spend one night together because of all the intense emotions.

Or it's his bachelor party, and people get him really drunk and he wasn't even sure who he slept with, or if he did sleep with anyone.

Or Juliette is awful, and tells him she's desperate to get pregnant but Romeo just can't have kids, and who does she trust except for Puck and he could make them so happy! And only after does he find out she just wanted to see if he would sleep with her.

Or he and Hermia have a fight, and he ends up making a big mistake, before they reconcile.

If I can't explain something in character terms I just don't do it. But that's me. If you're going to do it anyway, why do you need an explanation? This isn't a novel. It's your game. Who is the explanation for?

I usually know what I'm going to do, but I never know for certain what my Sims are going to do!

In our Veronaville I think Puck is the only pre-made who is cheating! He is going steady with Hermia, and he tries to stay faithful to her, but when he gets together with gay Romance teen David Cornton, "Stuff happens." (As one wonderful American politician put it a few years ago.) (It's really my fault for letting David seduce him with the aid of a Christianlov Easy Bed quite early in my game.) Puck knows that Hermia is right for him, that she can give him the love and constancy that he needs. He equally knows that David can't. He also knows that he's not really gay. But when David and he get together, the kissing and flirting starts -- every time! The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

Some people call it hormones.
.

Andrew, you need to sit Puck down and have a talk with him, about how bisexuality is a legitimate orientation but it does not exempt him from expectations of faithfulness, and he needs to sit down and have a talk with Hermia and let her decide how she wants to proceed, which will influence how he proceeds. Anything else is just asking for trouble (and incidentally letting down all the rest of us bisexuals who have to fight the Promiscuous Bisexual trope, though I hate to load a teen with responsibility for that).

I would explain it as they both got so drunk that they both made a terriable mistake and slept together while intoxicated and woke up to make the horrifying realization that they made an awful mistake in getting so drunk.I'd have it end with them not wanting to drink for a long time and even when they do they tend to be overcautious after that.I'd have also had it that their partners were also drunk at the time and it made everybody realize that they needed to be responsible about drinking.

A bit of a late reply, but you have a point actually. Aliens are basically just sims with unique visual characteristics, who just so happen to hail from a different planet. No different from Earthlings.

I guess I just put them under the 'occult' umbrella, so placed aliens and resurrection in unlikely possibilities, if that makes sense.

I do also go with the mindset of 'if it's interesting do it,' but the issue with me is that I'm indecisive. If two interesting outcomes stare at me in the face, I get stuck.

I'll stick with keeping Lucy deceased, as again, it opens some character development for Beau and Jennifer, too. Who knows, with Ophelia now being single in my game at the moment (don't know what's going to happen there), her and Beau could start something after the grieving process with them both being Family sims.

Just depends on what happens with chemistry and other events.

I think this is what is interesting when you have an unexpected death in the game: It opens possibilities for storylines that you may not have considered before. It takes us, as players, out of our predetermined boxes, so to speak.

It's why I love having a balance of what determines what happens in my game:
- random chance
- ACR
- Wants-Based play
- Having people vote for which scenario I should follow
- More autonomous interactions (via mods)
- Chance based on dice rolls (D4, D6, D8, D10, D20, D100)

It unlocks the creativity!

Do you have a list of chance events that you roll for? I'm always looking for ideas to introduce more unpredictability and shake things up.

The ones I consistently use are regarding death or aspiration failure.
If something happens that could harm a sim, I roll to see if it's sever, which can kill the sim (even if the original event didn't), change their aspiration (which I also dice roll to determine, although secondary I usually choose based on their personality or leave blank), cause a change of fertility, limit their body skills, or do nothing.

Risk of Death or Injury

Should an incident risking death or injury occur, roll the designated die.
The results are as follows:
1 - Death
2 - Maximum Body Skills = -2
3 - Change in fertility level
4 - Aspiration change

D4 Lightning
D12 Fire
D6 Electrocution
D20 Frightened by Ghost
D8 Elevator Crash
D12 Murphy Bed crash
D20 Miscarriage
D20 Alien Abduction
D100 Bee attack
D12 Chance Card accident
D8 Heatstroke/Frozen
D100 Fight

Mental Breakdown

Should a sims suffer aspiration failure, roll a D6

1 - End a relationship
2 - Quit job/school
3 - Maximum Logic Skills = -2
4 - Move out
5 - Go on a vacation
6 - Get a pet

@Coriel_Muroz

Cool. So by your method, my newlywed on her honeymoon that was struck by lightning in the hot tub could potentially have a major aspiration change which certainly could affect her marriage. If it was death would you just wait till the vacation ended? Do you allow for the grim reaper begging in these situations?

Poor Kiera thought it was bad enough she peed herself in public. :D

Really great ideas, I'm definitely stealing some. I've always thought there should be some big effect from an aspiration failure--that the Sim would want to make a radical change because something is clearly not working in their life.

I do allow begging in my game, as it has a random 50/50 chance of success. I that I would try to summon the Grim Reaper on Vacation; so far I have had more than 4 sims struck by lightning but all have survived. Of course when Dirk got struck and it signalled an aspiration change, he rerolled Fortune, so it all stayed the same.

Both major health events and aspiration can majorly change a character's path.

Take Derek Dreamer (youngest of Cassandra and Darren's kids). He was popular until a lightning strike. Now he's pleasure and so much less interested in graduating from university or findings a single romantic partner to be with. Or Sam Thomas, who also was hit and switched to Knowledge. She and Derek had at least two bolts before, but now have none.

So even more impactful for those who insisted on 3-bolt marriages.

I will roll for chances of new families arriving in town when it's time to bring newcomers in.I also have been working on my BACC rules and including a guide for playing it to make sure I don't stray from story events that might not work at that stage of the town growth.

I've always assumed it was a "very bad thing" for a sim to die on vacation or that they couldn't. I don't know this for sure at all just my own assumption based on the nature of vacation hoods. I guess you could send the grave back to the home lot. Does anyone actually have a haunted hotel?

Here's my dilemma.
Arnaud and Coralie Lamour-Saurel are happily married. He's 35, she's 57 (I know I said elsewhere that I dislike large age gap but simmies' willpower is sometimes stronger than mine).
She's Romance-Fortune and he's Romance-Family. They're 3-bolters. I added the secondary aspiration not so long ago.
So when Arnaud settled down with Coralie, he knew that Coralie wouldn't want kids. She made it really clear and he was agree with that. On a side note, she made it to the hood as a live-in nanny and she dislike it. Well dealing with the Desrosierses quadruplets was truly difficult.

Arnaud has siblings with kids. He always interacts with his nieces and nephews when he shows up at their house. I was not surprised he finally rolled the want to have a child.
I'd like to grant him his want but I'm at lost.
1. They could divorce due to irreconcilable differences and then he'll have to find somesim his age;
2. They're faithful despite being Romance. I can't picture neither of them having an affair and getting caught. (I have ACR and my most promiscuous sims are Knowledge and Popularity).
3. My hood has an orphanage with no toddler atm but he could adopt and after that, Coralie could left him.

I don't know yet how this story will unfold since I have some drama playing in the background.

I tried the idea of rolling after an adverse event. I really like this for shaking up the game and adding some realism. Cyd Roseland was in a cave-in (chance card) while on the job as a Spelunker. He rolled a 1, death. Certainly seems like a possible outcome of a cave-in. Poor Cyd, he had just been cured of being a zombie to be given a happy life and barely got a chance. Porthos has already moved on and adopted Ophelia Nigmos as his new master.

I can't roll every time there's a fire, though, or I'd be rolling all the time. I think I'll only roll if someone actually catches on fire. Usually, the firefighters can put the fire out and the person is only hungry and stinky afterward, but fire is a serious injury so...