Setup
This page summarizes Simalot's rules, published on the Sims 4 Challenges blog in October 2014 and reposted on the EA Forums under the name lotlot80. The rules say wife and husband, but any gender can play and marry any gender.
- Lifespan on Normal. Turn aging off for every household except yours.
- Create one young adult with the traits Materialistic, Snob and Romantic and the Serial Romantic aspiration.
- Move in anywhere. No money cheats.
- Pick a housing option: move into each spouse's house and keep every tombstone on your lot, or never move into their houses and keep a written count.
The marriage loop
- Meet a Sim, build the romance and marry. A wedding party is optional.
- Host a dinner party that earns at least a silver medal.
- Find a new romantic interest and move them in.
- Get caught cheating: be romantic with the new partner while your spouse is nearby.
- The spouse dies. Marry the new partner and engrave the tombstone with the name and "Died by Black Widow".
- Repeat until 10 spouses have died.
The rules leave the cause of death to you. A spouse who dies of old age costs points.
Rules
- No mods and no cheats. The one exception is
resetSimfor a Sim who is stuck. - No job, ever. All money comes from spouses. She may sell collectibles she finds, but only before her first marriage.
- Single Sims only. To marry a Sim who is already married, the rules make you delete the rest of that household first.
- Skills: max Cooking and Charisma.
- Broken objects may be replaced, never repaired.
- Any number of love interests at once is fine. Children are optional and worth points.
Free · no download · LifeSim
Play the broke charmer in a real city
Type your charmer. LifeSim draws them and drops them, broke, into a real city full of AI people with jobs, homes and a memory of you.
Winning, difficulty and points
On Normal the run is complete when the Black Widow dies with 10 graves behind her and both skills at level 10.
| Difficulty | What you must do |
|---|---|
| Novice | 10 graves and either Cooking or Charisma maxed |
| Normal | 10 graves and both skills maxed before she dies |
| Specialist | All of that plus the Serial Romantic aspiration before she becomes an elder |
| Legendary | The same before she becomes an adult |
| Points | For |
|---|---|
| +1,000 | 7 or more graves; Cooking at 10; Charisma at 10 (1,000 each) |
| +400 | Each party with a silver medal or better |
| +300 | Each different ghost color that appears |
| +200 | Each spouse, and again for each grave |
| +100 | Each affair that ends in a death; each date; each child |
| -300 | Each partner who dies naturally |
| -200 | Cooking not maxed; Charisma not maxed (200 each) |
| -100 | No dinner party; each bronze party; each child taken by the social worker |
Specialist adds 2,000 for the aspiration, 3,000 for finishing before elder and 3,000 for the level. Legendary adds 2,000, 5,000 and 5,000. Both lose 300 per day you run late.
Other versions
| Version | By | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Sims 3 rules | LampreM, Mod The Sims, August 2009 | Traits are Charismatic, Flirty and Great Kisser. A part-time job is allowed until the first marriage. Points are smaller. Credits a Sims 2 original by discordkitty. |
| Five ghosts | Playalot, Carl's Sims 4 Guide forum, October 2015 | You win with 5 ghost ex-spouses living in your mansion, the Mansion Baron aspiration done and the skill and ingredients for ambrosia. The Black Widow has the Jealous trait, and each marriage has a checklist first, including best friends, soulmates and a gold date at home. |
| Black Widower | James Turner, September 2024 | A werewolf looks for love 10 times. Wheels pick the dates, worlds and fates, and the run ends by curing the werewolf. Needs Werewolves, Lovestruck and My Wedding Stories. |
For another money-focused run, see Rags to Riches. For a much stricter rule set, see the Apocalypse Challenge. The main list has the rest.
FAQ
How many spouses does the Black Widow need?
Ten graves in Simalot's rules, with a 1,000-point bonus from the seventh. Playalot's version asks for 5 ghost ex-spouses and James Turner's for 10 partners.
Can the Black Widow have a job?
No. In Simalot's Sims 4 rules she can only sell collectibles she finds, and only before the first marriage. LampreM's Sims 3 rules allowed a part-time job until the first wedding.
What packs does the Black Widow Challenge need?
Simalot's rules name no packs. James Turner's Black Widower variant needs Werewolves, Lovestruck and My Wedding Stories.
Who created the Black Widow Challenge?
The Sims 4 rules are Simalot's. They credit LampreM's 2009 Sims 3 version, which credits a Sims 2 original by discordkitty. Simalot's thread also thanks Scout and MaxTech for rule sets from 2006 and 2011.