Hi! I'm Alex, a long-time TS2 player who recently found out about the Build a City Challenge after I stumbled across @ts2windyvalley's blog. I highly recommend checking her out!!
Anyways, that being said, I'm drawing upon her ruleset, only deviating to fit my own personal playstyle.
These will likely be tweaked as I continue to play with Aridia, finding out what works best and what doesn't as well as letting the sims' stories guide the way. Essentially, these will be updated as time goes on.
Rules lie beneath the cut.
The Beginning
I will be starting out with 12 sims all of which will be played rotationally. Side note: townies and service sims are allowed in the hood but will not be allowed to become playable through marriage or moving in. All households start with the original 20,000 and upon moving in, I will roll a 10-sided die to determine how many additional simoleons will be added to their funds (1,000-10,000). With this new balance to work with, I will then build the initial houses and include the following in their homes:
a phone
a refrigerator, stove, and necessary countertops
a toilet, sink, and shower/bathtub
bed(s)
a couch, bookcase, and 1-2 hobby items
The build/buy catalog will then be closed until further progress has been made in the challenge (as described below).
Careers
The number of positions within a given career will be maxed out at 7.
Adventure: An initial position opens up once a sim-owned museum is established. Every 2 treasure chests discovered, a new position is unlocked.
Architecture: A new position opens up every 5 established business lots.
Artist: A position opens up every time a sim maxes the creativity skill or maxes enthusiasm in arts & crafts.
Athletic: An initial position opens up after a sports-themed community lot is built. A new position opens up every time the body skill is maxed by a sim.
Business: A new position opens up every time a sim-owned business reaches rank 5.
Criminal: A new position opens up every 3rd burglary or 3rd charlatan pickpocket.
Culinary: A position opens up for every sim-owned food-related business lot in the 'hood.
Dance: A position opens up once a sim-owned dance studio or nightclub reaches rank 5. Subsequent positions open up every time a sim maxes enthusiasm in music & dance.
Education: A position opens up every 6th child born in the 'hood.
Entertainment: A position is unlocked every time a sim maxes the charisma skill.
Gamer: A position is unlocked every time a sim maxes enthusiasm in games.
Intelligence: A position opens up every time a sim reaches level 7+ in the Military, Criminal, or Science career.
Journalism: A new position opens up every time a sim maxes enthusiasm in film & literature.
Law: A new position opens up for every even numbered position opened up in the Law Enforcement career.
Law Enforcement: A position opens up with every even number of Criminal positions open.
Medicine: A position opens up once 5 sims have gotten an illness, subsequent positions open for every increment of 10 within the population.
Military: The initial position opens up once a sim maxes enthusiasm in both fitness and science--a new position opens every time a sim reaches level 5 in the career.
Music: The initial position opens up once a sim-owned music store has been established in the 'hood--a new position opens every time a sim maxes enthusiasm in music & dance.
Natural Science: A position opens every time a sim earns a gold gardening badge.
Oceanography: A position opens up every time a sim earns a gold fishing badge.
Paranormal: The initial position opens once there is a community cemetery lot with at least two graves--a new position opens every 5 graves.
Politics: The initial position is available at the start of the 'hood, this is the mayor. Once the mayor dies, a new sim is able to take over the position.
Science: The initial position is unlocked after a sim maxes out both the logic skill and enthusiasm in science. A new position is unlocked after a sim maxes out the logic skill.
Slacker: A position opens for every 3 sim-owned businesses in the 'hood.
Show Business: A position unlocks after a sim has reached level 7+ in the slacker or entertainment career.
Services
Adoption: 6 babies must be born in the 'hood.
Butler: A fortune sim must complete their lifetime want.
Exterminator: 2+ sims must get the flu from cockroaches.
Gardener: A sim must achieve a gold gardening talent badge.
Grocery Delivery: A grocery store must be established in the 'hood.
Maid: A sim must max the cleaning skill.
Matchmaking Service: A romance sim must complete their lifetime want.
Nanny/Babysitter: The Education career must be unlocked.
Obedience Trainer: A pet store must be established in the 'hood.
Pet Adoption: A pet store must be established in the 'hood.
Food Delivery: A restaurant must be established in the 'hood.
Repairman: A sim must max enthusiasm in tinkering or max the mechanical skill.
Businesses and Community Lots
In the beginning, the 'hood will be empty save for the initial houses and a free park community lot. Businesses and lots will not be built prior to the first rotation.
As stated previously, the build/buy catalog will not be available on residential lots, but can be used on business/community lots. Build mode will be unlocked after the Architecture career has been unlocked and a sim has filled the position.
A sim can own as many businesses as they want provided they have the simoleons to run them.
Community lots can be built once enough tax money has been raised to fund the construction-- the creation of a single community lot per rotation is allowed. *An entire rotation will be 5 days--the length of an in-game season.
Simoleons & Taxes
Sims pay taxes starting with the first rotation--taxes are taken out at the very beginning of each rotation.
Taxes:
- 10% of household funds.
- 12% of household funds if they are business owners.
- 7% of household funds if they are strictly retired sims.
- no taxes if the household has below 500 simoleons.
Aid:
- 100 simoleons/day for pregnant sims if it is tax day.
- Unemployed sims recieve 100 simoleons on tax day if there are no other employed sims in the household.
Computers
Computers will become available to purchase once an electronics store opens up within the 'hood. After a household has purchased a computer, they will gain access to the buy catalog, however, a sim must pay an additional cost (0.5x the cost of the item purchased, e.g. if an item originally cost 300, the sim will have to pay an additional 150 for a total of 450). In addition, a type of item from the buy catalogue will have to be sold elsewhere in the 'hood before a sim can purchase it from the catalog.
Sub-Hoods
A new sub-hood will cost 350,000 simoleons in tax revenue from the 'hood. Before a sub-hood can be added, the Adventure career must be unlocked.
A university sub-hood becomes available to add once a sim maxes the education career and 350,000 simoleons from the 'hood's tax revenue is used to fund its establishment.
Other
Fire Alarms and burglar alarms are unlocked after 3 fires and 3 burglaries respectively and must be sold on a business lot.
Only two households can attempt to dig for treasure every rotation.
Money trees are only allowed for fortune sims or sims with nature as their one true hobby. There is no limit to how many can be owned.
Smart milk is available to unlock after both the science and education career have been unlocked.