Sandbox, cheats and quick reference

The sandbox for experiments, the cheat console for testing ideas, the log, the mistakes that sink churches, and every number worth remembering, all on one page.

The sandbox

New game → Sandbox gives you no goals: any tradition, any lot, any money, and any number of people (see Getting started). It's the place to:

• learn a tradition's needs: choose it, build a nave, and read the building check;
• test a design before you try it in a scenario: sound, sightlines, flow through the doors;
• found your own tradition and see how it plays (see Traditions, beliefs and stances).

The books open at once, so building costs money: give yourself $10 million to experiment freely. Building needs no approval until the church first passes the building check.

The cheat console

Press Alt+C to open the console, type a command, and press Enter. Esc or Alt+C closes it. It's meant for testing ideas, not for scenarios you want to win honestly.

The log

Messages pop up at the bottom of the screen. Important ones (a problem, a decision on a project, a conflict) stop the clock until you dismiss them; routine news fades by itself. Every one goes to the Log, saved with the game, so nothing is lost when you look away.

Common mistakes

• Leaving the maintenance budget at zero. Deferred maintenance is the slow killer: failures, repairs at a premium, overdraft interest, and finally the building costing everyone 0.2 a week.
• No greeters. A visitor who isn't welcomed starts at a 0.25 disadvantage and rarely comes back.
• Counting seats against the average Sunday. Count against the busiest service and the feasts.
• A full-time pastor in a small church. Under about 75 people, it's the fastest way to overdraw.
• Spending the endowment. Drawdowns above about 5 to 6% eat the capital that pays for the future.
• Sitting in overdraft at 12% when a loan costs 6.5%.
• Proposing the unaffordable. Members vote against work the church can't fund from cash and campaign; bishops refuse it. Raise the money first.
• Ripping out pews on authority. One household in four of the opponents leaves. Consult first, do it in one go, or add seating instead.
• Ringing new bells in town before building. Complaining neighbours block planning permission.
• Overworking volunteers. Burned-out volunteers quit everything and drift away.
• Ignoring the tradition's requirements. Each missing required item costs everyone 0.08 after every service: more than a great preacher earns.
• Dropping the apportionment in an episcopal church. Below 0.7 standing, the bishop won't approve your projects.
• A band in a Gothic nave, or an organ in a carpeted box. Match the room's sound to the music.
• A characterful item the tradition dislikes in a small nave. With few items to average against, one red score drags the whole building's fit down.

Numbers worth remembering

Controls

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