Winner announced: Mazaloom Achievement Award Year 234

(Year 234, Winter) It was the 4th time that Crown Princess Emireza handed out the annual Mazaloom Achievement Award. This is a way to honor citizens who maxed a 10 level skill, and because it covers all social groups, it has grown rather popular with both the press and people in general. There are no strict rules, but the Crown Princess has previously stated that there is no cance the same skill or same region will be awarded twice - at least not for the first ten rounds.

This year the committee searched high and low anywhere but in Newcest (region Gloom, but region Mazaloom when awarded), Henford (region Rossie) or Brindleton Bay (region Gloom), and found the worthy winner in Oasis Spring (region Advorton): Sissela Morck (83).

Sissela maxed the Fishing skill quite some time ago.

- We live a simple life here at Nookstone, and back when we settled we harvested what we could fom nature to make ends meet. I often walked down to the Nook River, and over the years I maxed my skill.

Many will recognize her for other efforts than fishing, though.

Baron Auphor of Verde is dead

(Year 234, Summer) What baron would deserve a long necrolog, if not Lord Verde? His history is quite unique, even for aristocratic standards. And his life was pretty long, passing at 93. Although he struggled after the death of his first wife, often referred to as «the love of my life», he had a pretty high life satisfaction in his later years.

Auphor Juan Humphor (Saxor) Sax-Donnersmalt, Year 141-234.

Auphor Juan Humphor did not only have a complex firstname, he also changed his lastname ten years ago. Aged 83 he started a new life, founding a brand new House of the aristocracy, involving remarrying and moving to Oasis Springs. So, this little article written to honor this private man with such a pristine reputation, will actually cover both the House of Saxor and the House of Sax-Donnersmalt.

The Military Horse Statue in Oasis Springs

(Year 232, Summer) At Desert Bloom, the community park at Verde in Oases Springs, we find a huge horse statue. This is far from random, as the old Verde was a center of equestrian masters and military support. In those early years Horses played a major role in this district, and the statue was erected to remind us on the history.

The tallest monument of Mazaloom kingdom is located at Verde in Oasis Springs.

Verde barony was created as early as Year 5 by King Baltazar, and the first Baron was the king's Knight, Wilhelm von Donnersmalt. He was known as a warmonger, building up an impressive system in Oasis Springs, where horses were bred and trained for military purposes. To some extent, this activity also spread to Chestnut Ridge.

Nobility: Orders and their Sashes

(Year 229) How about a closer look on those sashes? With the high number of peerages in Mazaloom kingdom, one should expect lots of pictures from gala events with sashes and tiaras all over the place. But this far there were rather few such reports on this blog. That does not mean that there is not a rigid system of sashes, though. So, in this article I'll try to introduce you to the most essential. Keep in mind that although my system is based on real life stuff, some details are not ;)

The Peerage of Mazaloom, also known as the large peerage consists of 4 noble levels: Royals, Dukes, Counts and Barons. Peerages close to the Monarch are granted with a so called District Order (aka friendship orders), which make them high nobility. Peerages with no such order stated in their Letter of Patent, will be considered low nobility (or actually, just plain nobility). While the unique sash color refers to the District Order, the star brooch worn with the sash comes in 4 version referring to 4 different rankes within the large peerage.

1. King/Queen
Top notch of this system is naturally the Monarch. Also the spouse (Queen/Prince Consort) and heir apparent (Crown Prince/Princess) are seen as of same top rank. They all wear the 1st level of the star brooch, regardless of which sash they may use for the occasion.

Because noble men normally wear a sash inside a tuxedo, rather than over their shoulder, we'll let a female model display the sashes for this article. Some male uniforms come with the star brooch already, and when that is the case I can not replace the brooch with the correct version. But for females these details are followed rigidly as they are separate accessories.

Most Monarchs will at some point in their lives lead a military career. Most reach Officer levels, either through hard work or granted them as they are head of the military organization. For gala events they will often wear the uniform with a red sash.

The Simmerville Show - Premiere!

(Year 228) Finally, my new TV-show is airing! It's lots of fun with a mix of guests in studio and video reports from visiting local households. Main host Fritz Mervil (CEO of Simmerville Studio, Inc.) is assisted by a Castle Reporter and Guest Caretaker.

This show is also a nifty way for me to share stories and builds from my Region 12. There's plenty of references to the past, but you won't need any knowledge to watch, neither will there be many links between the shows. Each show lasts about 12 minutes,

I hope you'll enjoy :)

Llamas everywhere!

(Year 227, Oasis Springs) So, we are eagerly awaiting the Cottage Living pack and with llamas introduced, TS4 will take a giant step forward, for sure! It's funny how a game with the llama as a legendary cultural element from the very start took more than two decades to add the animal itself to the mix. We have all been waiting for this moment- the wait is not over until July 22nd, but at least we find ourselves counting days.

As long as I can remember, there were always numerous of small hints of the llama being an important element of the simmish culture. Llamas on t-shirts, naming the Sim City football team, and many of the popup text events featured a llama reference, also, even if we never ever saw a single llama or knew exactly how or when they were such a big deal to simkind. At the moment I'm accessing neither my game(s) nor the internet, so I won't dive into all those reference details.

House of Sax-Donnersmalt: An heir was born!

(Y226) Baroness Morgan of Verde has given birth to a son, who will be the long awaited heir to his father, Auphor Sax-Donnersmalt, Baron of Verde. The happy parents announced that everything is well, and that they and the little one's sister, Lady Vitorina, are all very grateful.

The boy's full name is Dominus Juan Sax-Donnersmalt, and he will be entitled Lord Dominus of Verde.

Investiture: Baroness Morgan of Verde

(Year 225) First day of Winter is Investiture Day, and in Verde this year was busy! Morgan Fyres (32) married to Baron Auphor Sax-Donnersmalt of Verde (84) this Spring, and now it was time to formalize her Baroness title as well as for her to become a worthy member of the exclusive Verde District Order.

As she is not the Peer to this high nobility barony, but only married to the Peer, I would normally not see this as a major event. Investitures like this normally take place at home, handled by the Peer himself, and it only requires two witnesses, who can actually be servants of the house. But this time so much is new at Verde in Oasis Springs, so I wanted at least to have a formal investiture photo of the fresh Baroness Morgan.

Girl born to Baron and Baroness of Verde

(Year 225) House of Verde announced that Baroness Morgan has given birth to a healthy baby girl! The girl is named Vitorina Cordenza Sax-Donnersmalt, and shall be known as Lady Vitorina of Verde.

Yuma Heights was recently renovated, and on the wall behind the happy little family hangs the updated Verde coat of arms. Baron Auphor has replaced the yellow color with the brown, in order to state that it is a new House taking over this Oasis Springs high nobility peerage. He switched his last name to Sax-Donnersmalt, as a nod to his late mother. His son Duke Victus of Meadows is now Head of House of Saxor, a special arrangement approved by Royal Chamber, as death is normally the only accepted reason for any Head of a House to step down.

The Verde Peerage Trust

(Oasis Springs, Y225) There are several announcements from the Barony of Verde: First off, the baroness is pregnant, and birth is due this Winter! It's a relief that there will be an heir this early on, as Baron Verde himself is quite old. Only males can inherit the peerage, but also a girl might help indirectly on the line of future successors.

The Verde coat of arms was originally black and yellow with 2 crossing swords.
Auphor Saxor's new version is black and brown with a centered horse torso.

Next announcement is the Verde peerage Trust. Who are the board members?

Oasis Springs: Surprise engagement

This morning Oasis Springs woke up to surprising news as the high nobility Barony of Verde published its first announcement in ages. That is, back on first day of Winter it was announced that Auphor Saxor (83) from San Myshuno had moved in at Yuma Heights right after his coronation - as he was found to be the correct successor to the Verde peerage, but that was already kind of public, following the massive court trial.

Auphor Saxor, Baron of Verde (83) with fiancée Ms. Morgan Fyres (31).

This morning the elderly Baron Verde announced that he is indeed engaged! Local gossip dealers certainly got busy as the woman turns out to be the 52 years younger Ms Morgan Fyres (31), daughter of Dominic Fyres; Lord von Dresden, Lord of Deadgrass and Lord von Haunt. Nobody saw this coming, and locals are now questioning whether the engagement builds on economical interests rather than pure love.

Welcome to Dusty Turf Bazar

(Curent Year 224) One of the oldest lots in Oasis Springs is the Bazar at Dusty Turf. This was a busy trading arena from Year 42, and was drastically expanded when Landgraab Retail, Inc. formalized the trades in Year 172. Today it's still owned by Landgraab Retail, Inc. who also run half of the 6 stores, while the remaining are rented by others.

From the start only the front building existed, while the outdoor ground area was the main market with many stalls selling fresh produce or collectives from distant corners of SimNation. The field behind the bazar was used for trading farm animals. In Year 172 Landgraab Retail, Inc. built the 2 stories block, which today is the main part of this business. Come for a tour!

Baron of Verde Crowned

(Current Year 224) First day of Winter is "Investiture Day", the day for coronations and other investitures, and this year the region's main event was the crowning of Baron of Verde, Auphor Saxor (83). It's been busy days for him since court agreed that he is the correct successor to the Verde barony. Despite his high age he accepted, and has been busy moving from San Myshuno to Verde in Oasis Springs, where he will be the head of Yuma Heights - seat of the Barony of Verde.

The coronation took place at Church of Similius in Gloomville.

The legit Baron of Verde was found

Region 12 Court House has now handled the case where Malcolm Landgraab claimed to be the legit Successor to the Baron of Verde peerage. However, the refined list of candidates brought up a couple surprises, like Malcolm Landgraab's father not being first in line, as claimed...

On the case's final day, Region 12 Council was represented by Mayor Charloman Dougham. He announced the line of successors as it should have been presented back in Year 173. That is when the last Baron of Verde, Javiar von Donnersmalt, died without any male living descendant. The hunt for successors started, but was concluded too early when finding the first candidate, who has now been proven not legit.

Duke Jarret Ross of Rossie gives up peerage after 50 years.

Jarret Ross, the Duke of Rossie and current Baron of Verde, explained how he was only 3 years when he was told that he would be crowned Baron of Verde when turning 25. He did not protest to the double incident of female descendants in his line, and he informed that he is willing to give up on the peerage as the jury may decide. 

Court House: Chaos at Barony of Verde Trial

[Current year 224] After Malcolm Landgraab, Lord Cacti, claimed to be the correct successor to the high nobility Verde peerage, the trial has now been running at Region 12 Court House for a week. The current Baron Verde, Jarret Ross, Duke of Rossie, was accused for not being legit successor because there are 2 following female generations between him and deceased last Baron of Verde, Javiar von Donnersmalt. According to heritage law only one female generation is accepted.

Yuma Heights is owned by the Verde peerage Trust, which is 100% owned by Baron of Verde.

Court has already confirmed that Jarret Ross was incorrectly instated as Baron of Verde.

Barony of Verde taken to Court - Successor not legit?

[Region 12 Court House, year 224] The Barony of Verde has been remotely operated ever since the last Baron Javiar von Donnersmalt died in Year 173. He was a widower, both his sons already died young, and his daughter Lady Juliez only had one little daughter. This 220 years old peerage can only be inherited by males, but skipping one female generation is tolerated. However a distant heir was found, the deceased Baron's oldest sister Lady Eva Maria had married to the Lord of Prome, and their daughter Julia had married to the Duke of Rossie, who in Year 173 had a 3 years old son, Jarret Ross. As long as a successor is born and alive, age is no issue and a peerage might simply be operated to a minimum until the new Peer can be crowned at age of 25 (the youngest possible age of coronation).

Jarret Ross, Duke of Rossie.

Verde is the old name used for the Oasis Springs district, which House von Donnersmalt reigned for 168 years. This family spread widely, and they were also strongly tied to the Royal family - House de Froux. Princess Emergale, daughter of King Baltazar II of SimNation, married to the 2nd Baron of Verde, Victor August von Donnersmalt - indicating how important the Verde peerage actually was. Their son, Wizar Colin, became the next King of Sim Nation, as House de Froux expired. The House von Donnersmalt's full family story will be told in a future blog article.

Sandtrap Crafts Market

In my Region 12 there are 2 markets with traditions going more than 100 years back. In Gloomville (aka Willow Creek) there is the Mugger Fair, which is a farmers' market. This blog post focuses on Oasis Spring's Sandtrap Crafts Market - once a thriving market for anything horse related, but over time transformed to a market for anyone to sell their crafted goods.

Sandtrap is located in Oasis Springs' poor hood, Nookstone (some still use the old name, Bedrock). It was originally initiated by the first Lord Bedrock, Kevin Greco, who was the father of today's Natalie G. Twoller, Lady Bedrock. This family still owns this market, but it's become more of a hangout for tourists and locals, than a valuable business asset. The place is worn and shabby, and the owner has no intention (nor funds required) of upgrading it.

Region 12 NEWS - Election Y220 Special

Every 5th year there is a huge Election in my Region 12. First the 18 Hood Contacts are found, then each district (=world) decides which 2 Hood Contacts shall be Nominees for the district's Councilor, and finally those 5 Councilors have a last round of votes to rank the new Council and decide the Mayor for the new 5 years period.

This video is 18 minutes. Host Chad P. Mox takes you through the Election Day with the typical voting charts, street reporters and artists in studio. And - I did not know the final result until it was recorded.



This is an extra long edtion. Normally these TV news videos are less than 5 minutes and are posted on end of each sim year (= RL monthly).

As Sims Go By - New episode out now!

2nd episode of my soap series is called "Growing Farm Rights". So, farming is one of the highlighted subjects, but there is also lots of other stuff going on. You'll learn to know the 5 Councilors better, get a few more ideas about those mysterious people, and there is of course some hints for next episode.

In a week or so there will also be a new film in my "How I Play" series, explaining the Farm Rights a bit more in detail.

Enjoy:

As Days Go By - Year 215 Picture Post

Hello! Year 215 was completed long ago, actually the first As Sims Go By episode released Nov 15th took place in my game's year 215. My current routine is to bring you a picture post every year to show what's going on in my game that counts 50 households.

So, in these more or less monthly As Days Go By updates, you get a chance to learn the small stories and destinies taking place outside the film series. Every here and there you might also find some ideas for your own game, but I'll not be very detailed in these posts. They are mostly meant as easy reads for inspiration. If you have any questions, feel free to comment, and I'll explain more thoroughly.

Starting in Gloomville's poor hood, Muggerdale. The richest household is Mugger Farm, being run by the same family for a few generations. They still grow produce, and this farm has 3 Farm Rights (see the As Sims Go By film series episode 2, or How I Play episode 3 for details on Farm Rights).

The household is a bit odd. Alan and Janet are siblings, and although Alan is young adult and ready to establish his own family, he won't take over the farm. Their parents died when they both were teens, and even if not building his life here, Alan ran the family farm while his sister was a student.