Thanksgiving 2014

First - a welcome to all of our USA based Tappers - you already know everything you need to know about this holiday! For our Tappers outside the USA though, some splaining is in order...

So just what is this Thanksgiving Holiday thingy?

Thanksgiving Day (celebrated in the USA on the fourth Thursday of November) is traditionally a day during which family and friends gather together for a special evening feast -- which usually consists of a turkey with stuffing, a ham, at least some form of potatoes as well as other veggies, the traditional cranberry sauce, lots of gravy, and an assortment of apple, pumpkin, and blueberry pies.

Earlier in the day, due to the traditional broadcast sports events (American football being the primary one), various forms of nosh and lots of beer are consumed to fuel arguments about whose football team is better and which team should win (of course the only real football is Aussie Rules Football, because padding is for girls), and much debate ensues.

Ideally the celebration on Thanksgiving Day is supposed to be a time for the giving of thanks for all of the good things that prosperity brings -- a selection of food, good health, and beer. Did we mention beer? While there is a religious element to the holiday -- many practitioners call upon God to aid their football team throughout the day -- it is mostly intended to be a day set aside for being thankful.

In addition to the traditional football games, a number of special “Thanksgiving Day Parades” are held in major cities like New York City and Los Angeles, which in addition to celebrating all things Thanksgiving also serve to mark the opening of the Christmas shopping season -- the next day being what is almost universally known in the USA as “Black Friday” for reasons too unimportant for us to cover here.

The Balloon Collection from previous year's Thanksgiving Day Events is a nod to the parades mentioned above.

That sums up the reality Version -- now for the popular History version which is taught to young children but is widely inaccurate and mostly fabricated...

According to the lessons taught to young children a group of conservative Christians departed Plymouth, England on a ship called the Mayflower, sailed across the Atlantic, and landed in a place they decided to call Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1681.

There they settled and began brewing beer but sadly were so busy brewing beer that they forgot to grow enough food to get through the Winter -- but luckily for them the local indigenous people from a tribe called the Wampanoag were very good at growing veggies and hunting, and helped them out by sharing their food stocks - or so The Story goes.

A Thanksgiving feast was thrown by the Pilgrims, who brought the beer, and the Wampanoag, who brought most of the food and taught the Pilgrims how to play football while everybody ate together and none of the Pilgrims even noticed the deerskin miniskirts worn by the Wompanoag women. Really... They never noticed.

The holiday was unofficially celebrated at different times of the fall depending on what settlement you lived in, and it wasn't until 1789 that any effort was successful at making it an official national holiday -- that was when President George Washington declared it as such, but even then nobody could agree on just what day the holiday was supposed to be celebrated on -- at least not until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared that November 26 was the official date.

From 1863 onwards a lot of bitter arguments were fought on just what day Thanksgiving should be celebrated, and it was not just different dates in different states -- in some states towns decided when to have the feast. Finally on October 6, 1941, the government finished arguing and made a decision...

Both houses of the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution declaring the last Thursday in November as the official national date for the holiday starting with Thanksgiving in 1942. Which might have stuck except that in December 1941 the Senate decided that an amendment to the resolution was needed to split the difference in the date by requiring that Thanksgiving be set annually on the fourth Thursday of November, which was not always the last Thursday but hey, they made it stick!

That pretty much sums the whole matter up from the popular History point of view. Just thought you should get both versions, right?

The Thanksgiving Event in Tapped Out kicks off with the end of the Halloween Event (Treehouse of Horror) and the official kick-off date for the Thanksgiving Event.

Traditionally this event includes some Costumes, a special quest line, and new Buildings - not all of which are premium buildings but some are. And as fitting the tradition, we walk you through the process on this special page covering this treasured Holiday Event!

New Items, Objects & Buildings

As is the tradition, with this new Holiday Event comes a selection of new Items, objects, and Buildings to be added to your game! So we thought we would share the list of the important stuff just so you know what there is and what you might be wanting to get for your game!

Buildings

• Caesar's Pow-Wow Casino (150D) Comes with Native American Character Tribal Chief

• Piggly's Supper Smorg (140D) Comes with Character Jacqueline Ingrid Bouvier (Marge's Mom)

Objects

• Blinky Balloon ($16,500)

• Caged Tom Turkey (100D)

• The Grumple Balloon (25D)

• Heimlich Machine (60D)

• Pow-Wow's Casino Sign (40D)

• Rusty the Clown Balloon ($5,400)[

• Santa's Little Helper Balloon ($30,000)

• Snowball 2 Balloon (15D)

• Stampy Balloon (40D)

Remember the Premium stuff is always optional - but when it includes Characters tends to have mission and quest lines associated with it, so act accordingly?

Thanksgiving Season 2014

The official kick-off for this year's Thanksgiving Event comes from none other than Ned "The Christian Man" Flanders, who is Homer's next door neighbor and almost but not quite a good friend.

After giving what really we can only consider to be an outright lecture, Ned Flanders sets out to educate Homer on the whole meaning of Thanksgiving - but of course this is the Flanders Version, and not necessarily the one you may be familiar with. Just saying...

To begin this process we must first obtain the Puritan Flanders Costume - which has been conveniently placed in your personal storage for the purposes of claiming it and adding it to your Springfield - so before you do ANYTHING else go open your Storage and get that!

Add Puritan Flanders Costume to your Game

You will receive 25XP for adding this new costume - and Ned gets some spiffy duds to wear!

Educate Homer (6h) $450 and 110 XP

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

The Battle of Thanksgiving

While Ned has a rather narrow view of the meaning of Thanksgiving, Lisa is here to help even-out that narrow view - much to Ned's horror!

The Battle of Thanksgiving Pt. 1

Lisa takes on Ned's Version of the holiday with her own counter-version....

1. Make Puritan Flanders Perform an Exorcism

2. Make Sacagawea Lisa Get Exorcised

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

The Battle of Thanksgiving Pt. 2

Make Puritan Flanders Self-Punish ti bring some violence to this battle...

Have Flanders Punish Himself

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

The Battle of Thanksgiving Pt. 3

It's time for the battle to get serious. Seriously!

1. Make Puritan Flanders Read Revelation Passages

2. Make Rod & Todd Listen to Stories

3. Make Sacagawea Lisa Shop for Thanksgiving Food

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

The Battle of Thanksgiving Pt. 4

Flanders is a bad boy! Bad boy! Punish the bad boy!

Make Puritan Flanders Self-Punish

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

Premium Missions

As previously discussed there are some returning Premium Content Buildings and Characters who have brief but meaningful missions and quests attached to them... This is where we fit that into the event!

God Bless Native America

When you buy and build the Native American Casino, you will get The Chief, and his quest line...

God Bless Native America Pt. 1

The Chief wants to learn about Springfield...

1. The Chief: Learn About Springfield's Culture (12h) $600 and 150 XP.

2. Homer:Teach about Springfield's Culture (12h) $420 and 100 XP.

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

God Bless Native America Pt. 2

Make Tribal Chief hand out Expired Vouchers...

Hand Out Expired Vouchers (24h) $1000 and 225 XP.

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

God Bless Native America Pt. 3

Make Lisa continue her efforts....

1. Make Lisa visit the Kwik-E-Mart

2. Make Tribal Chief visit the Kwik-E-Mart

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

God Bless Native America Pt. 4

Make Lisa continue her efforts....

1. Reach Level 13 and Build Android's Dungeon

2. Make Lisa Visit the Android's Dungeon

3. Make Tribal Chief Visit the Android's Dungeon

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

God Bless Native America Pt. 5

Make Lisa continue her efforts....

1. Reach Level 15 and Build Moe's Tavern

2. Make Lisa Visit Moe's Tavern

3. Make Tribal Chief Visit Moe's Tavern

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

God Bless Native America Pt. 6

For the record, Lisa Simpson did her best - it is just that Springfield does nor really have much in terms of cultural value with which to impress the First Nation... The Tribal Chief needs to seek the wisdom of his ancestors if there is going to be any resolution to this question...

Tribal Chief: Embark on a Vision Quest (8h) $420 and 105 XP

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

God Bless Native America Pt. 7

Springfield would not be Springfield if the Police Chief did not horn in on any action going down - and the presence of the First Nation Casino is no exception to that trend!

1. Reach Level 17 and Build the Police Station.

2. Make Wiggum Have Fun at the Native Casino.

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

God Bless Native America Pt. 8

Lisa's concerns for keeping the First Nation happy and ensuring their continued involvement in local government go far deeper than simple White Guilt - she genuinely believes that their presence is a good thing for both her town and its community.

1. Make Lisa Fret about Native American Relations

2. Make Homer Fret about Native American Relations.

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

God Bless Native America Pt. 9

Lisa - and her father - feel the need... The need to intercede!

1. Make Tribal Chief Attend a Corporate Meeting

2. Make Lisa Bust in on a Corporate Meeting

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

God Bless Native America Pt. 10

Well the resolution of the matter was not quite what Lisa had in mind... But all is well that ends well, right? That is still true? Right? Right?!

Make Springfield "Live It Up" at the Native Casino (x10 Springfielders)

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

Jackie-O-Lantern

Once you have bought and built Piggly's you will have added Marge's Mom - and her quests... And for this quest Grandma needs to take Lisa shopping!

Go Shopping with Grandma (12h) $1020 and 250 XP (Lisa + Grandma)

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

How I Met Your Grandmother

Now that Jackie is in Springfield Grampa Simpson's memories of his dear wife have been stimulated!

How I Met Your Grandmother Pt. 1

Grampa Simpson takes Bart aside to tell him the great love story of...

Tell Bart a Story (1d 12h) $1500 and 400 XP (Bart + Grampa Simpson)

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

How I Met Your Grandmother Pt. 2

Grampa Simpson continues along the tour of memory lane...

1. Place a Bench

2. Make Mrs. Bouvier knit.

3. Make Grampa Find a Gift.

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

How I Met Your Grandmother Pt. 3

Grampa Simpson continues the path towards wooing the GILF....

1. Make Moe Serve Drinks

2. Make Grampa Drink at Moe's

Make Homer Drink at Moe's

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

How I Met Your Grandmother Pt. 4

Marge's efforts at lobbying Grandma to think of Grampa Simpson as a catch seems to have paid off!.

1. Make Grampa Dine at Super Smorg

2. Make Mrs. Bouvier Dine at Super Smorg

How weird would it be if Marge's Mum and Homer's Da hooked up??

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

How I Met Your Grandmother Pt. 5

Things went very well at Super Smorg - we know that because the old people need to take naps!

1. Make Mrs. Bouvier Take a Nap

2. Make Grampa Take a Nap

Man it would be super weird if Marge's Mum and Homer's Da hooked up!

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

Too Cheap for Call Display

Marge is trying to convince Grandma that Abe Simpson is not that bad a catch really... And Bart? Well, Bart is up to his old tricks!

Make Bart Call Moe's Tavern

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

Leftovers

Lisa and Ned review the leftovers from Thanksgiving and Ned suggests putting them outside on a table for the wild animals to enjoy?

1. Place the Outdoor Dinner Table

2. Make Sacagawea Host a Peace Feast for Puritan Flanders.

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

Going to See the Other Chief

While Chief Wiggum has done his best to debauch himself at the Casino, it is time to see the Big Chief and make all that nasty living right with the Church!

Chief Wiggum: Attend Church (12h) $420 and 100 XP.

Completing this mission awards you with $100 and 10 XP.

Conclusions

The pre-announcement for the annual Tapped Out Thanksgiving Day Event was received by the vast majority of the Tapper Community as a harbinger of a massive and major event on the order of the annual Summer Event - which was a mistake. While veteran Tappers had good reason to presume that this was going to be an epic Holiday Event - an assumption that was based upon both past experiences and the pattern that the wizards behind the game helped to create - was nevertheless incorrect.

We did not presume that the Thanksgiving Day Event would be epic - largely because we knew that having just come off of a series of epic events, and our certainty that the Christmas Event (which always includes and encompasses the New Year) would itself be the epic, massive, and all-encompassing event that was being anticipated.

We don't claim any special or inside knowledge. We don't hold ourselves out as expert in the decision making process for event density. In fact what we do say is this: the wizards behind the game - the folks that make it - and the creative spark from which its brilliance shines - gave every indication in the combo of commentary and pre-event publicity that outlined in no arguable terms what was coming - and what was not.

So, with that matter settled, and debasing you of the notion that we possess let alone know how to use in an expert fashion some crystal ball, please allow us to wrap this up and set the stage for what is coming?

The Thanksgiving Day Event was intended - clearly - to provide Tappers with a means of playing catch-up for all of the past Autumn events - and it did that nicely.

The Introduction of new Characters in the process was an action that was predicated upon good reason and cause - specifically it was necessary in order to set the stage for future events. In many ways, the new characters and their related Buildings were and are necessary pre-event actions for upcoming events that far from being the make-work that they appear to be, turn out to offer the typical Tapper something that has been an elusive element so far: community cohesiveness.

So with that in mind - and placing a higher than usual value upon it - moving forward we trust that you will find that your position in the game is now on a more solid footing, that you have a sufficient number and variety of Characters to offer the fluidity in play is required, and you are prepared to truly enjoy the events that are in the pipeline and for which this has all been preparation.

One last thing before our final comments: Happy Holidays mates!

So now that the important stuff has been said, we want to remind you that you should try, at each turning, to take full advantage of the blessings that are offered and in particular you should work very hard at completing the FP collection to its cap. Get your town leveled to ITS cap, and see to it that your house is put in order.

When we say that what we really mean is that you advance Squidport and Krustyland to their cap levels as quickly and conveniently as you can manage - and then take in hand the organization of your Springfield so that when the next series of truly monumental events hits - starting with the Christmas 2014 New Year's 2015 Events - you are ready. Be ready. Be prepared. And Be happy and well.

Cheers mates!