Named Masterworks
When a Master or Legendary tier worker completes a production cycle, there is a small chance their output is something exceptional — a named masterwork. These are unique items attributed to their maker by name and year, and they outlast the artisan who created them.
A masterwork is recorded in the Town Chronicle when it is forged, and appears in the citizen panel under the Skills tab for as long as that citizen lives (and in the family tree panel after their death).
How masterworks form
| Condition | Masterwork chance per cycle |
|---|---|
| Master tier (10+ years experience) | 3% |
| Legendary tier (25+ years experience) | 6% |
Only tool-type outputs can become masterworks — stone tools, iron tools, and steel tools. Other production buildings won't roll masterworks even if the worker is Legendary.
When a masterwork is forged, the maker immediately equips it — their previous tool is recycled into the new one, and the freshly-produced unit flows to a barn normally to represent the recycled old tool returning to circulation. The maker reliably gets first wear on their own creation. Once the maker stops wielding it — through death, retirement, or being replaced by a newer masterwork they forge later — the next worker who draws that tool type from any barn picks up the masterwork instead of an anonymous unit.
Names
Masterworks are named from the maker's first name, a randomly chosen simple noun, and the resource type. Examples:
- Meghan's Forged Set, the Masterwork Iron Tools
- Tolman's Hammers, the Masterwork Stone Tools
- Nimela's Edge, the Masterwork Steel Tools
The name is frozen at creation. After Meghan dies, the item still bears her name — the tool carries her identity forward.
Bonuses and lifespan
| Wielder | Bonus to work output |
|---|---|
| The maker (same citizen who forged it) | +25% |
| Any other villager | +15% |
These bonuses stack on top of the tool's base work bonus and multiply with skill tier, education, happiness, and traits. A Legendary smith wielding their own masterwork is a measurably different worker.
Masterworks last four times as long as a regular tool of the same type. When a masterwork finally wears out, the Chronicle records it: "Meghan's Forged Set has worn out after years of use."
The maker's bonus does not survive their death — when another villager picks up the masterwork after Meghan is gone, they get the +15% like any other wielder. The tool never quite sings for someone else the same way.
Specialist Roles
Certain buildings can have a single citizen designated as a specialist — a named role that gives that villager's presence at the building a stronger effect than their ordinary work contribution. You assign specialists manually from the building's info panel.
Only workers already assigned to the building are eligible. If the specialist leaves the building or is reassigned elsewhere, the role stays dormant until you reassign it.
| Role | Building | Effect when specialist is present and working |
|---|---|---|
| Teacher | School | Students accumulate education progress 25% faster |
| Foreman | Sawmill | Production cycle time reduced by 15% |
| Physician | Hospital | Illness and plague duration reduced significantly — a fully-staffed hospital with a Physician cuts illness to roughly a third of base duration |
| Head Cook | Inn, Elder Home, Tavern | Residents receive 25% more need satisfaction at housing buildings; tavern visitors get an additional happiness boost |
| Master Baker | Bakery | +20% output per production cycle |
| Master Brewer | Brewery | +20% output per production cycle |
| Master Hunter | Hunters Lodge | +20% output per production cycle |
| Master Baiter | Fishing Hut | +20% output per production cycle |
The specialist's overhead label gains a ⭐ while they hold the role. Specialist roles are also tracked on the citizen's record — holding a role long enough contributes to earned nicknames (see below).
Earned Nicknames
Once a year, the game checks every citizen against a set of legacy conditions. If a citizen qualifies, they earn a nickname that appears beside their name in the citizen panel and the citizens list. Nicknames are earned — no one starts with one, and they accumulate over a lifetime of work.
Only one nickname per citizen, and they only ever move up to a higher tier — a nickname earned at a lower tier gets replaced when a stronger one is deserved, never the other way. The first time a citizen earns any nickname, a brief announcement appears.
| Tier | Condition | Nickname form |
|---|---|---|
| 5 — highest | Legendary tier in any profession | Meghan Thorne, the Legendary Smith |
| 4 | 10 or more masterworks produced (any tier) | Tolman Barleyvale, the Crafted |
| 3 | 5 or more masterworks produced | Nimela Riverthwaite, the Forgewise |
| 2 | 30 or more years at the same workplace | Oswin Meadow, of the Sawmill |
| 1 | Held a specialist role, or reached Master tier | Gilda Thornton, the Teacher or Wilgo Barleyvale, the Smith |
A citizen who reaches Legendary tier while also having produced 6 masterworks will earn the Tier 5 nickname ("the Legendary Smith"), not the Tier 3 one — the highest-qualifying tier always wins.
How these systems compound
Named masterworks, specialist roles, and earned nicknames are designed to reinforce each other. A blacksmith who reaches Legendary tier produces masterworks at 6% per cycle. Those masterworks give her a +25% work bonus while she wields them. After 5 masterworks she becomes the Forgewise; after 10, the Crafted. If she is also designated as a Foreman at the smithy, that role is part of her citizen record too.
When she dies, her tools are still in circulation — bearing her name, giving the next wielder +15%, slowly wearing out. The Chronicle holds the record of every masterwork she forged. The family tree panel still shows her masterwork count. Her name persists in the settlement's history even after the tools are gone.
This is the intent: some citizens become specific people, not just workers. The systems don't force that — they make it possible.