Secret society

A secret society is a secret lot only available with the University expansion pack for The Sims 2. There is one secret society lot located on the campus of each university. This lot is not visible. Once a secret society lot is placed in a custom university, it becomes hidden. Secret society lots also have career rewards and aspiration rewards from the University expansion pack and the base game. Secret societies have their own funds; money spent on on a secret society lot comes from the society's funds, not the Sim's. Likewise, money from selling items on the secret society lot, or money earned by using aspiration or career rewards on lot, goes to the society, not the Sim. Also, if a Sim goes to a final exam while on the secret society lot, any money received for semester grades will go to the society, not the Sim. However, any money a Sims earns on the lot will count toward the total amount he or she has earned.

While a Sim is on a secret society lot, the telephone menu is restricted. If Open for Business is installed, the "Real Estate" option will be available. Otherwise, the only available option is "Go Home", which calls the limo to take the Sim back home. A Sim who is on a secret society lot will be able to declare or change majors by using a computer, but not by using a phone.

Refrigerators also operate differently on a secret society lot. They are always full, but the society will be charged whenever food is taken from them. They will not have the "Make..." option, even if that option is available on other lots, so Sims will not be able to bypass the breakfast/lunch/dinner menus. However, it appears that hamburgers are available at any time of day on a secret society lot.

Buy mode and Build mode are available on secret society lots, as is saving. Consequently, a secret society lot can be modified if a playable Sim is on the lot. It is possible to save and exit to the college sub-neighborhood screen, but it this is done, the playable Sim will come home from the secret society lot the next time his/her home lot is loaded.

If Nightlife or later is installed, the player is able to access a Sim's inventory, so it is possible for a Sim to take objects on the Secret Society lot home with them. If Open for Business or later is installed, doors can be locked, though they normally cannot be locked on community lots. If Seasons is installed, the season on the secret society lot will not change with the season on the visiting Sim's home lot.

Joining
Only young adult Sims can join a secret society. In order to join a secret society, the playable young adult Sim must become friends with at least three members of the secret society. Members sometimes wear a black blazer with a llama emblem on the front, but may also wear ordinary clothes. Keep in mind that the three friends do not necessarily have to be members of the original (i.e. pre-generated) secret society, playable Sims that join count towards the three friends as well. Once a Sim has befriended three Sims in the secret society, they will be arrested some time between 11pm and midnight by one of the police officers in a black Llama blazer (not a member of the secret society as one might think). The Sim to be arrested will stop whatever they are doing and wait for the officer. If the officer cannot get to the Sim, the scenario will be interrupted and the officer will leave. Even the "jockeying for position" that Sims sometimes do before they interact is enough to interrupt the scenario and cause the officer to leave. Only one Sim per household can join the secret society per day, so if a household has two Sims that meet the requirement, only one will be taken.

For each of the pre-made universities, the game generates what is essentially the same group of characters, wearing the same "everyday" clothes, to be in the university's secret society. Like all other university townies, they will have randomly generated names. Additional townie secret society members are created if too many of the initial ones are made playable, killed off, etc.

Initially the Volauvent Society of Académie Le Tour has 7 members, three of whom wear blazers; the Landgraab Society of Sim State University has 10 members, none wearing blazers; and the LFT Society of La Fiesta Tech has 15 members, only one of whom will wear their blazer all of the time.

Some players have observed that, in a custom university with a secret society, the initial members of the society will look like the ones from Sim State University, but members of the other secret societies may be among them as well. Rather than being those Sims with yet another set of randomly generated names, they will be different Sims with different personalities.

To gain maximum advantage for joining the secret society, make sure the Sim who is joining is tired by 11pm, they will be re-energised on arrival at the secret society. It is also useful if the number of visiting Sims (i.e. party guests) is quite high, this will be reflected in the number of secret society members who will meet a Sim at the secret society lot.

Once a Sim has joined the Secret Society, he or she can return to the lot by using a phone and choosing "Transportation...Go to Secret Society".

Advantages

 * New outfit
 * Secret handshake social
 * Ability to hack grades
 * Access to all objects the secret society offers (career or aspiration rewards)

Lots

 * Landgraab Society in Sim State University
 * LFT Society in La Fiesta Tech
 * Volauvent Society in Academie Le Tour

Gallery
Société secrète