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1890s | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s

1940s – World War II

All rules from 1930s still stand with the following changes:

• War Part 1: All male Sims who are a Young Adult at the start of this decade must roll to see if they’re drafted for World War II. Rolling for war is done by anyone related or married into the bloodline. Random townies are not included!! This includes the husbands of the daughters in your family and their male children (even if they are no longer your primary household).
  • Males: Saturday in 1941, all males who are Young Adult) must individually roll for the draft. Any teen who turns YA during the war is safe, but must get a career immediately. Exceptions: If the male is the only caretaker of children under the teen age (if the spouse had already died), or if the male in question had already rolled for the Erratic trait.
    • If you have StrangerVille, all males who are drafted are required to take the Military (Officer) career during active duty. If you do NOT have StrangerVille, have the sim quit their job, move the sim out for their deployment to a designated military lot. They are free to get a new job after the war. (These sims are not played during the war except for while on leave.)
    • Men who are on “active duty” (living in the military lots) are either moved back home, or invited home for their 24 hours of “Leave” after each deployment. They then roll for their next deployment and head back to the military lot.

• War Part 2:
  • Unmarried Females: All unmarried, eligible females (without the Erratic trait) must roll a 10 sided die at the beginning of the war (any Teens coming “of age” during the war must roll BEFORE they do their coming-of-age rolls to see their fate, as well). Those who roll to become nurses are also moved out to the military lots with the men, but do not come home again until the end of the war.
  • Married Females: must also do a roll at the beginning of the war. Many of these women got jobs in the states to help out the men overseas.

• Relationships/WooHooing:
  • Sims may have relationships with other ethnicities/races, but they cannot marry.
• Children:
  • Babies can be born at home or at the hospital.
  • You no longer need to roll for the mother at birth. From this decade on (for each baby born), roll two 6 sided dice and if you get Snake Eyes (a pair of ones), the baby dies.
  • Change MC Pregnancy Settings to:
    • Allow affairs percentage: 20
    • Limit by relationship: woohoo partners
    • Auto-marry percentage: 70
• Health and Aging:
  • Sims can take medicine when they are sick.
  • Elders do not need to roll for death if they get sick anymore.
• Home/Building
  • Every house must have a Victory Garden in the front of the lot with at least 4 plants.
  • Every house must have a radio, and someone must listen to it for at least an hour each day.
  • Coffee makers are allowed (but not fancy espresso machines or one-cup brewers).
  • Fitness equipment (including the training bot) is allowed for Athletes and Military only.
  • Soundtastic jukebox is now allowed.
  • Winter Holiday music is allowed.
  • Large commercial farm greenhouses are allowed.
  • Thermostats are allowed.
  • You may use washing machines and dryers.
  • You may use the photo studio items (with the exception of the electronic backdrop).
• Education:
  • World War II lasted Early Fall 1939 to Early Fall 1945, but the US did not enter the war until Early Winter 1941. If your Sim wants to attend university, they may do so after they have served active duty for a minimum of two deployments.
  • The GI Bill was introduced in 1944. From this point forward, any veterans can receive half of their tuition for free (use the money cheat to give the household the funds).
  • Sims can now major in Culinary Arts or Psychology at university.
• Career:
  • Male Sims are permitted the following careers: Actor, Athlete (Bodybuilder), Civil Designer (Civic Planner), Criminal (Boss), Critic (either branch), Culinary (either branch), Detective, Doctor, Education (either branch), Engineer (Mechanical), Entertainer (either branch), Freelancer (Fashion Photographer, Writer), Gardener (either branch), Interior Decorator, Law (either branch), Military (either branch), Painter (either branch), Politics (Politician), Scientist, Secret Agent (either branch), Veterinarian, Writing (either branch).
    • Young Adult veterans cannot have a career until they have served active duty for a minimum of two deployments.
    • Young Adults male Sims who are NOT veterans MUST have a career.
  • Female Sims MUST have a career. Once they are married, they may keep their career or leave to become a housewife, their choice. They are permitted the following careers: Actor, Athlete (Bodybuilder), Civil Designer (Civic Planner), Criminal (Boss), Culinary (either branch), Engineer (Mechanical), Entertainer (either branch), Freelancer (Fashion Photographer, Writer), Gardener (either branch), Interior Decorator, Law (either branch), Military (Officer), Painter (either branch), Secret Agent (either branch), Writing (either branch).
  • The careers that require university degrees are as follows (for all sims): Civil Designer (Civic Planner), Culinary (Chef), Doctor, Education (either branch), Engineer (Mechanical), Law (either branch), Scientists, and Veterinarian.
  • Teens are now allowed (and encouraged) to have part-time work.
  • Permitted part-time work for any Sims:
    • Babysitter
    • Fast Food Employee
    • Fisherman – males only
    • Lifeguard
    • Manual Laborer
    • Retail Employee
• Holidays:
  • Holiday decorations are allowed – you may want to add “Decorate” to the traditions on your various holidays.
• Miscellaneous:
  • Sims may only have one hot-cooked meal per day. Otherwise they must eat food found from scavenging, fishing, and gardening.
  • The veterinary profession became more common – you may take your pet to the vet if they are sick. Also, spaying/neutering is an option! Build a Vet Clinic somewhere in your game world.
  • Events are once again allowed on a limited basis. Nothing extravagant, and obviously, you must be able to afford it.
  • Horses can now compete in Barrel Racing (agility).

Main Rules | Roll Reference
1890s | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s

Main Rules | Roll Reference
1890s | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s

1930s – The Great Depression

All rules from 1920s still stand with the following changes:

• Health and Aging:
  • Traits: Any Sim who comes of age (14 years old) during this decade must take one of the following traits when they become an Young Adult: Gloomy, Mean, or Noncommittal.
• Home/Building:
  • The “Science Lair” Lot Trait opens up this generation.
• Education:
  • High school no longer has a fee.
  • University: Kegs are now allowed.
• Career:
  • Anyone who has a career at the start of the 1930s must lose their job. After 1 Sim week (one year) they may get a job again. 
  • Same careers available as the last gen, but see the next bullet point for more info.
  • Maximum career level is 6! If you get to level 6 in a career, you must quit and get a job in another industry!
  • Teens who do not go to school, Young Adults, and Adult Sims MUST scavenge, fish, or garden during the week of unemployment.
  • Sims may NOT join the Business career anymore.
  • The silent film era has ended. Your Sims may have the Acting career.
  • Part-time work: Men can be a fisherman, lifeguard, or manual laborer. Women can be a babysitter, lifeguard, manual laborer, or retail employee. Teens under the age of 14 and Elderly cannot have part-time work.
• Financial:
  • To simulate the stock market crash, reduce your total household funds by 40% at the start of the decade (money cheat). (Multiply your household funds by 0.4 and then subtract that amount from your current funds.)
  • Bills are only allowed to be paid once the electricity is cut off.
    • Added Difficulty: Wait until the water has also been cut off to pay the bills.
  • World War I veterans receive a pension of §100 per veteran per sim week (money cheat).
• Holidays:
  • Add “Mischief Spirit” to the Halloween traditions.
• Miscellaneous:
  • Prohibition ends, and you can drink alcohol again. (Also, remember to remodel your Speakeasies back to Bars, Nightclubs, or Lounges.)
  • Sims may only have one hot-cooked meal per day. Otherwise they must eat food found from scavenging, fishing, and gardening. No cheating with quick meals from the fridge!
  • Sims cannot create medium or large paintings, only small paintings.
  • Sims may now purchase a camera and tripod.
  • Small pets began to gain popularity, you can own a pet hamster or rat (but not a hedgehog or bubalus).
  • Sims may shop at a Thrift Store.
  • No events during this decade! Weddings must be done by eloping.

Main Rules | Roll Reference
1890s | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s

Main Rules | Roll Reference
1890s | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s

1920s – Roaring Twenties and Prohibition

All rules from 1910s still stand with the following changes:

• Children:
  • Heir: Women are now allowed to be heirs (they are also no longer required to move out when they marry).
  • Teens can now be followed to High School.
  • The following After-school Activities are now open for all children and teens: Scouts, Drama Club, Football, Cheerleading, and Chess Club.
  • Prom is allowed.
• Home/Building:
  • Radios are allowed, but only Talk Radio.
  • Surrealism paintings are allowed.
  • Wind turbines are allowed.
  • No bars of any kind are allowed! (This means both at home and in the game world. Bars, Nightclubs, or Lounges in your save must be turned into “Speakeasies” with the bars in hidden or inaccessible rooms.)
  • Movies are allowed (but not TV shows). I recommend that you use this sparingly as movie theaters would have existed in this decade, but televisions would not be in the home for many more years. However, this does mean you can create a Movie Theater commercial lot (actual lot designation is up to you.)
  • Upright vacuum cleaners are available. (Bust the dust can now be enabled)
  • Photo booths are available.
• Career:
  • Male Sims are permitted the following careers: Business (Management), Criminal (Boss), Critic (either branch), Culinary (either branch), Doctor, Education (either branch), Engineer (Mechanical), Entertainer (Musician), Freelancer (Writer), Gardener (either branch), Interior Decorator, Law (either branch), Military (Officer), Painter (either branch), Politics (Politician), Writing (either branch). Sims may NOT join the Scientist career anymore.
  • Female Sims are allowed to work if they are widowed, divorced, single, or if their husband does not bring in enough money. They are permitted the following careers: Criminal (Boss), Culinary (Chef), Entertainer (Musician), Freelancer (Writer), Gardener (either branch), Interior Decorator, Painter (either branch), Writing (either branch).
  • The careers that require university degrees are as follows (for all sims): Culinary (Chef), Doctor, Education (either branch), Engineer (Mechanical), and Law (either branch).
  • Young Adults are encouraged to work in the Criminal (Boss) career.
  • Part-time work: Men can be a fisherman, lifeguard, or manual laborer. Women can be a babysitter, lifeguard, manual laborer, or retail employee. Teens under the age of 14 and Elderly cannot have part-time work.
• Holidays:
  • Add a new holiday: Armistice Day (Fall Monday): No Decorations, Day Off, Traditions – Remembrance, Tell Stories, Thankful Spirit
• Miscellaneous:
  • No alcohol of any kind is allowed! You cannot drink beer, nectar, etc. except at a Speakeasy.
  • Events other than weddings and family reunions are allowed (except baby showers, play dates, and slumber parties).
  • Women can now vote on Neighborhood Policies.
  • Rock climbing is now allowed.
  • Manicures, pedicures, and face masks are allowed.
  • Women shaving their legs is now appropriate.

Main Rules | Roll Reference
1890s | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s

Main Rules | Roll Reference
1890s | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s

1910s – World War I and Women’s Suffrage

All rules from 1900s still stand with the following changes:

• War Part 1: All male Sims who are a Teen, Young Adult, or Adult at the start of this decade, and all males Sims who become a Teen during this decade, must roll to see if they’re drafted for World War I. Rolling for war is done by anyone related or married into the bloodline. Random townies are not included!! This includes the husbands of the daughters in your family and their male children (even if they are no longer your primary household).
  • Males: On Wednesday in 1917, all males who are of age to adult) must individually roll for the draft. Any teen who comes of age before the end of 1918 must also roll as soon as they are old enough. Remember, “of age” in this era is 14 years old (Teen + 17 days). Exceptions: If the male is the only caretaker of children under the teen age (if the spouse had already died), or if the male in question had already rolled for the Erratic trait.
    • If you have StrangerVille, all males who are drafted are required to take the Military (Officer) career during active duty. If you do NOT have StrangerVille, have the sim quit their job, move the sim out for their deployment to a designated military lot. They are free to get a new job after the war. (These sims are not played during the war except for while on leave.)
    • Men who are on “active duty” (living in the military lots) are either moved back home, or invited home for their 24 hours of “Leave” after each deployment. They then roll for their next deployment and head back to the military lot.

• War Part 2:
  • Unmarried Females: All unmarried, eligible females (without the Erratic trait – this includes divorced and widowed) must roll a 10 sided die at the beginning of the war (any Teens coming “of age” during the war must roll BEFORE they do their coming-of-age rolls to see their fate, as well). Those who roll to become nurses are also moved out to the military lots with the men, but do not come home again until the end of the war.
  • Married Females: must also do a roll at the beginning of the war. Many of these women got jobs in the states to help out the men overseas.

• Children:
  • Babies can now be fed with the bottle, and you do not need to hire a wet nurse if the mother dies. Males can now take care of babies and toddlers in the absence of a capable female caretaker.
  • Heir: If ALL the male Sims in your family die in the war (whether they are in the active household or have moved out), then (and only then) your oldest daughter’s husband can become the heir.
    • If he dies in the war, then move to the next oldest daughter’s husband. You must look at all the daughters who have moved out – the oldest daughter with a surviving husband must move with her entire family back into the active household and the husband will become the heir.
    • If you do not have a single male Sim left in all of your entire family, then you must have the oldest daughter remarry, and her new husband will become the heir (though he’s still got to go to war too). Keep going along this line of logic until you achieve a surviving male heir.
• Health and Aging:
  • Rolling for death from sickness is now only required for elder sims. (See 1890 for directions)
• Home/Building:
  • Drywall/Painted Walls are allowed.
  • Murphy beds are allowed.
  • Portable generators are allowed.
• Education:
  • World War I lasted Early Summer 1914 to Late Fall 1918, but the USA did not enter the war until Early Spring 1917. If your Sim wants to attend university, they may do so after they have served active duty for a minimum of 1 deployment.
• Career:
  • Young Adult/Adult/Elder male Sims are permitted the following careers after their term of service is up (and before the war years): Business (Management), Criminal (Boss), Critic (either branch), Culinary (Chef), Entertainer (Musician), Freelancer (Writer), Gardener (either branch), Interior Decorator, Military (Officer), Painter (either branch), Politics (Politician), Writing (either branch).
  • Men can additionally have the Doctor, Education (either branch), Engineer (Mechanical), Law (either branch), or Scientist career if they earned the appropriate degree.
  • Women are encouraged to participate in Political activism and protests (but cannot work in Politics). 
  • Married female sims are still not allowed to work.
  • Widowed or divorced female sims are permitted to make money through freelancing (writing), gardening, painting, or woodworking. The only careers they may join are Education (either branch) or Entertainer (Musician).
  • Part-time work: Men can be a fisherman, lifeguard, or manual laborer. Women can be a babysitter, lifeguard, or a manual laborer. Teens under the age of 14 and Elderly cannot have part-time work.
  • Odd Jobs: Permitted as long as the job is appropriate to era starting in 1915.
  • Children and Teens are now allowed to join the Scouting career.
• Miscellaneous:
  • Soccer is beginning to gain popularity in the USA and is now allowed.
  • After 1915: Phones can now be used for chatting (pretend they are wall phones). No texting still.
  • Get Famous can now be enabled in Game Options. This means that the Celebrity-based Lot Traits are also available. (It does not, however, unlock Del Sol Valley.)

Main Rules | Roll Reference
1890s | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s

Main Rules | Roll Reference
1890s | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s

1900s – Edwardian Era

All rules from 1890s still stand with the following changes:

• Home/Building:
  • Remove the Off-the-Grid lot trait.
  • Electricity is allowed, but only in the form of lighting. 
  • Indoor plumbing is allowed. However, still only bathtubs, no showers.
  • Upholstery is allowed.
  • Wallpaper is allowed.
  • You may use the GrammyFone Old-Fashioned Music Player (in the stereos section of Electronics) for music. Allowed music styles are Lullabies, Classical, and Baroque.
• Career:
  • Male Sims are permitted the following careers: Business (Management), Criminal (Boss), Entertainer (Musician), Freelancer (Writer), Gardener (either branch), Military (Officer), Politics (Politician), Writing (either branch).
  • Men can additionally have the Doctor, Education (either branch), Engineer (Mechanical), Law (either branch), or Scientist career if they earned the appropriate degree.
  • Married female Sims are not permitted to work.
  • Widowed or divorced female sims are permitted to make money through freelancing (writing), gardening, painting, or woodworking. The only careers they may join are Education (either branch) or Entertainer (Musician).
  • Part-time work: Men can be a fisherman or a manual laborer. Women can be a babysitter or a manual laborer. Teens under the age of 14 and Elderly cannot have part-time work.
• Miscellaneous:
  • Your Sims can now go on vacation.
  • Show Jumping competitions are now okay for horse enthusiasts.

Main Rules | Roll Reference
1890s | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s

Main Rules | Roll Reference
1890s | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s

1890s – The Eve of the 20th Century

• Relationships/WooHooing
  • Sims may only have a relationship with and marry the opposite gender.
  • Sims may only marry within their own ethnicity/race.
  • Sims must only “Try for Baby” and risky “Woohoo.”
  • Teenage sims cannot “Mess Around”, “Try for Baby” or risky “Woohoo” until after marriage.
  • Sims cannot get a divorce unless one of them commits adultery (in this case, flirting with another sim in front of the spouse).
  • Female children move out only once they are married (and their dowry is ready)
  • Males can move out by themselves on their “move out date” (rolled by the earlier chart) if they roll to be unmarried (and their inheritance is ready).
• Children:
  • No using foods to influence the gender of the babies.
  • When your female sim gives birth, roll two six sided dice for each baby. If you roll doubles, the baby did not survive the birth – this is about a 16.7% chance. Then, roll the two dice again. If you roll two ones, the mother dies in childbirth. (irregardless of whether the child(ren) lived or died) This is about a 2.7% chance.
  • Births must occur at home. 
  • Babies can only be fed through breastfeeding and not by bottle (unless the mother died – in which case, you need to hire a “wet nurse”.) Create a female sim (or move in a female townie and subtract 100 simoleons per day to pay her “wages”. She may be moved out once the babies are children.) On a related note: there must be a female that is at least a teen in the home to care for children until they are at least child age. See above for creating/moving in a caretaker if the mother dies. 
  • Heir: Only male heirs are allowed. If there are no sons, then the eldest daughter’s husband may become heir.
  • Adoption is only allowed in the case of “neglected children” or orphans, and an adopted child can never be heir.
• Health and Aging:
  • If you notice that your sim has become sick, roll a twenty sided die. Rolling a 1 means they didn’t survive the illness. Use MCCC to kill them off using the “exhaustion” death.
  • Only home remedies, no ordering medicine.
  • Once your sim reaches the Elder life stage, on each birthday, roll a six sided die. See “death rolls” for the difficulty chart.
• Home and Building:
  • Use the Off-the-Grid lot trait for this first decade. This WILL mean filling your fridge with ice to keep food cold, and very limited stove usage. – including no birthday cakes.
  • No electricity. Use candles or lanterns to light up the house.
  • Outhouses required – no toilets in the home.
  • Sims can only take baths, no showers.
  • Only one kitchen sink (no bathroom sinks). 
  • (Both the sink and the tub would have been filled with water from an outside well or pump.) 
  • Only wooden furniture is allowed in the house.
  • Wooden floors and walls. No drywall or wallpaper. Rugs are allowed.
  • Buy the cheapest/oldest stoves, fridges, counters, etc. No other kitchen appliances are allowed besides a stove, a grill, and a fridge.
  • Paintings styles allowed are Landscape, Classic, Impressionism, and Realism. Kids’ drawings can only be hung in the kids’ rooms.
  • Not allowed: coffee and tea brewers, DJ equipment, earbuds, kids tablets, thermostats, and anything else that obviously wasn’t around in 1890!
  • No holiday decorations (with the exception of indoor decorations around winter holidays).
  • A small, personal greenhouse for your home is allowed, but large commercial farm greenhouses are not.
• Education:
  • Elementary school is mandatory, but high school is optional.
  • High school has a fee. It costs §1,000 for every Teen going to school (money cheat). If you haven’t paid for that teen to go to school, then they must stay at home.
  • University: Men and women may attend university as a young adult or adult (before or after they move out and get married).
    • All majors are allowed except Culinary Arts, Computer Science, and Psychology. 
    • Student loans are not allowed, but scholarships are.
    • No kegs, no juice pong, no robotics.
• Careers and Money:
  • Men can only have the Criminal (Boss), Entertainer (Musician), Freelancer (Writer), Gardener (either branch), Military (Officer), Politics (Politician), Writing (either branch) career. Men can also choose to stay home and make money through woodworking, painting, or gardening. 
  • Men can additionally have the Doctor, Education (either branch), Engineer (Mechanical), Law (either branch), or Scientist career if they earned the appropriate degree.
  • You can open a retail store or a restaurant only if you have enough money.
  • Women take care of the children, tidy the house, and cook. They can also help tidy the garden (but not do full-scale “farming” – i.e. large gardens), and go jogging or knit for fun.
  • If a woman becomes widowed, then (and only then) she may earn money through freelancing (writing), gardening, painting, or woodworking. If she becomes divorced, then she can also join the Entertainer (Musician) career.
  • Part-time work: Men can be a fisherman or a manual laborer. Women can be a babysitter or a manual laborer. Teens under the age of 14 and Elderly cannot have part-time work.
• Miscellaneous:
  • Your sims cannot go to festivals or city events with the exception of Cottage Living events.
  • Your sims may not throw any events besides weddings.
  • If your family can afford it, then you may hire a butler or maid. However, you cannot hire a Nanny.
  • No fitness or wellness equipment allowed. Sims may work on these skills without equipment. No soccer – it was not popular in the USA at this time.
  • Vacations are not allowed, but camping is.
  • Archeology became more prevalent in the mid 20th century, but did exist in the 1800s, so you can travel to Selvadorada from the beginning (but keep in mind this would be incredibly rare, and definitely not a family vacation opportunity).
  • Veterinarians for house pets were not common – you may have a pet dog or cat, but you cannot take them to the vet if they are sick, and you cannot spay/neuter them. Small pets were not yet kept in the 1890s. Also, no pet clothing is allowed.
  • All laundry must be done with a wash basin and a clothesline.
  • Playground equipment, play dates, and ball pits were not yet invented, and are therefore not allowed.
  • Volunteering is allowed for the women and children.
  • Skiing is allowed, snowboarding and rock climbing are not.
  • Sims may enjoy naturally occurring hot springs, but no making in-home hot springs or tubs.
  • Horses are unlocked from the beginning, as well as Endurance competitions.
  • Miniature Sheep are unlocked from the beginning, but mini goats are not (see main rules for why).
  • Nectar-making is unlocked from the beginning.

Main Rules | Roll Reference
1890s | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s
1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s

Modified by IllusoryThrall
Updated through the 2020s and Horse Ranch
Last Update:
8/12/23
Share your creations on The Gallery with the hashtag #DecadesChallenge

So.. that being said, I would imagine you have already heard of the Decades Challenge before. It’s been around for quite a while, and is basically taking one family from the 1890s to present day while trying to experience history as it was then. It’s terribly hard to get game play or even the rules to be completely accurate, but myself – and all the other people who have worked on this challenge – have tried very hard to make it as accurate as possible. This version is an adaptation on the base rules by CuteCoffeGal (who has done an AMAZING job, by the way), adding in a whole lot of random rolls and challenges or problems for each decade. I used a couple other Decades-like challenges, and some of my own ideas. Also of note: this is the history from a Caucasian American perspective. If you’re looking for another perspective, read on and check out some of the other links I have included in this first page.