In most of the VV games, I try to get my tribe well established before I start on the puzzles. Sometimes, I have to solve a puzzle or two along the way, but overall I save them for the proverbial "end."

There is an easier way to do this if you're interested. Keep a picture of one of the kids in the the box where you can select the villagers...you know, the one with the arrows so you can scan through the tribe? Then you can move around looking for collectables without holding the kid. When you see a collectable, click on the kids picture and you'll be able to go right to the kid and drag him/her back to the item.

I did the "flying scan" for a long time before I came up with this method.

I have given this a lot of thought and I have read all the posts of what others considered their ideal tribe. After considering everything; a tribe of nursing mothers would definitely be challenging but my luck would be the 5 nursing mothers would all have female children. A tribe of children also would be very challenging also but could be disasterous which is something I don't want at the beginning.

So I think what I will try is this:

1- male 14 with some skill in farming and preferably a runner
1- female 14 with some skill in research and preferable a runner
also
1- female 10 and if there are skills for children I would choose
some skill other than building
1- female 6 the same as above
1- male 2 the same as the other kids

I would look carefully at likes and dislikes looking for ones that like things like medicine, herbs, work, running, etc.
And I would look for dislikes of laundry, play, jokes etc.

I would work the 2 oldest back and forth between farming research and building the 1st hut if it was necessary and would use the kids to get all the mushrooms and collectibles that I could get as they do seem to appear fast and furious at the beginning. This may not be the best way to go but hopefully by starting out with the younger ones I will be able to accomplish a great deal before the first ones die off. After all longevity is a problem in the early stages of the game. I think it will be interesting to post how my ideal tribe is doing and read how others ideal tribes are working as well.

Skipper, that sounds like a great idea. I might try that in another slot.

Hi to everybody here! I'm looking forward on Monday!!!!!!!!!!!!

Skipper, I like your tribe too!

Here is my tribe for the beginning:
1 nursing female, 18-19, blond, skill in research
1 male, 18-19, black hair, skill in farming
1 male, 14, blond, skill in building
1 female, 10, black hair
1 male, 4, brown hair

I see your point, but if I were going to use this strategy I would just make the first 3 age 14, and then bring along a pair of 2 year olds. That would still leave me with 3 hands to accomplish the initial work, while the "kids" gathered mushies and other collectibles.

It would also still leave me 10 game years before I had to worry about growing the tribe. I can accomplish a lot with 3 workers (especially if 1 or 2 are runners) in 10 game years. By the time I needed to expand the tribe, the collectibles should have slowed appreciably. At least that's been my experience with the previous VV games.

There was a thread about which peeps you would choose. Did you follow through?

I decided to have 1 nursing mom, one 14 yo male, one 14yo female, one 11yo girl and one 5yo (I think...maybe 6). I'm pretty happy with my choices.

You?

Just the ones I intended to back then. Two young women, neither nursing, two young men, and a very young child (6 was the youngest I could find).

Working well so far - child is 12 and woman has just had a baby, so child #2 will be ready to start collecting when child #1 is ready to start working. Just as I planned

i have 2 men, 2 women and a 7 yr old little boy. i wasnt going to have any kids, but thankfully i thought of mushies and collectibles! Slh, thats what im gonna do! im glad this isnt my first vv game! my first one, i was NOT smart, i made kids WAY too much and too fast and they all starved

i have one female farmer 2 builders one male and female a male researcher and a male kid and currently my female builder is nursing her baby