OK, so please don't say that I'm being petty. I know, it isn't a big deal. But seriously, I've got the mother/grandmother/matriach of my whole tribe here and she isn't a village elder. WHY, you ask? Because she spent her whole flipping life being a parent and got NO CREDIT for it! Those 2 YEARS that the woman spends bringing up the child is worth NOTHING. WHY???? Also, even if she did get credit for it, that would only be one area, but you technically need 3...

I'm just saying, I'd thinkt that the matriach of the whole tribe should really be considered an elder somehow.

-Robyn

Robyn; I can understand your upset and I don't believe anyone would think you petty for raising a question. Do you have parnet skills hecked? Also if she is 50 or older, she wouldn't be baring anymore babies, so now you an have her train in other areas. Depending on what level your at she may live until 80 (the eldest my have reached) And personly, as a mum, motherhood is priceless. But I agree; it should count for something in the game. Along with fatherhood and making stew for 100 people.

Unlike in VV1, the moms do now gain parenting skill while caring for their children. I usually try to let them work on other things, too, so that they get a little variety, and they typically learn new skills well after they turn 50 and no longer care for children.

Hmm, she does have some parenting skills, but I figured that was just earned while, ya know, trying to get pregnant. The father of the children has about as much. I didn't have her doing anything else because she was the only villager I had with the right hair color for my little game of "make all the villagers identical" hehe. Playing with the genetics of the tribe.

One she got too old to have any more babies I changed her name to Viagra and checked parenting so she'd max out her parenting skills. So ya, she has that going for her. I was just annoyed that she even needed to do that considering the full life devoted to taking care of babies that she already had. Plus - now she's old and while research isn't a problem, she's not really suited to the farming life and there is no way she'd ever get master in building.

The medical skill just isn't going to happen because none of the villagers will work on that one on their own. My doctor spends all his time at the pond or eating and occasionally heals someone or will study a plant if I make him. Mastering that one would be a LOT of hands on work from me.

I'm just thinking - once you are a parent of, say, XX kids and XX grandkids - you should get village elder status no matter what.

Yeah, it's a bit of an old boy's world out there.

I remember in history how we learnt that it was Middle Class Woman who actually campaigned for the vote (at least in NZ, the first country to have Universal Sufferage) because the poor ones were too busy working and having babies while the rich ones had enough money to do what they wanted!

So, now we just need a Middle Class and it will be honkey dory.

If you make sure to use the woman to drop on the man in order to get them to go to the hut together, only she will gain the skill. I have a woman who has never had children but she is an adept parent from being dropped on an inept man, and from telling the kids stories.

Personally, I think if a "matriach" becomes a master parent, and grows old, that she's just as esteemed in my eye as an "esteemed elder". Just because she doesn't have a totem, doesn't mean that she's not getting credit for her accomplishments!!

My personal strategy is to have the young women "work for a living", and allow them to become parents when they're further along in life. Not too late, if I'm looking for children, but later if I'm not. They'll be parents long enough to maybe mother a kid or two, then when they're too old to have kids, they'll be able to raise in parenting skill faster by making out with the boys, or they can spend their time teaching the kids.

Of course, I only have a handful of elders, so my strategies may not be the best.

It occurs to me that our villagers definitely have an interesting set of sexual ethics.

Well, I was thinking that since they actually do stuff with their kids, like changing and washing them, they could get a little exp whenever they do that.

They do gain some parenting skill while nursing. However, it's nowhere near as much as keeping them embracing without having a baby.

When they do get pregnant, you will notice the biggest jump in skill as they first conceive (which is at the kiss, not when they come out of the hut).