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Even if the game won't last that long, I do want to consider even short term benefits though.  Or at the very least possible story dynamics.

Let's assume that children are entirely useless.  They are an extra mouth to feed.  They won't grow up in any realistic time frame within the game.  You do not have any direct control over them.  However, they do give the parents a happiness bonus.  If the child dies, the parents obviously get affected.  In such a way, the children are actually a handicap that you must manage.  as bad as dwarf fortress or king of dragon pass kids XD

Or if you want to get really realistic, you could also have the baby in a crib interrupt sleep XD  and take the mother out of action many times a day.  Quite the handicap.  But otherwise a happiness bonus.

Maybe even make it a choice that conception is denied, causing couples to be unhappy for a short time to avoid the long term handicap.  (maybe even arrest baby and sell to slave traders? mwahahaha)

Alternatively, assuming a couple wants a child, you 'could' opt for VatGrown kids as well.  This would allow you to effectively have a new colonist in a few days time.  would require research, a specific building, and resources.  Maybe increase the chance the parents will choose VatGrown for each VatTank or whatever? but make Natural Conception always a possibility?

Dunno.  Maybe a part of me just wants to see a child I can't control follow a squirrel around dangerously close to freshly landed raiders akin to a kid chasing a ball into the street.

Tell me that wouldn't be hilarious 'only yourself to blame' story drama.  you bad parents you.

not exactly the cheapest idea, but I wonder if its possible.

I for one see promise story-wise from the artificial interactions between colonists.
The traits will go a long way towards this (such as putting a prisoner who's claustrophobic and goes berserk in a tight cell is a bad idea if you failed to notice that).

Anyways, I was wondering if the social element of the game could include their own styles of government?  such as someone elected or assuming the role of leader.  Could be Social and Tenure dependent and perhaps a mix of other useful things.  Might cause some interesting clashes within the community if there are rivals for leadership and different factions supporting them dependent entirely on the random daily social interactions and perhaps similar skills.  Or perhaps if there are 2 or more recognized leaders, they may want 'wants' such as more power or more rooms or more plants or higher shooting skill average, and your decisions as a player decides who gets what, and those who are disappointed get sour.  Those who support said leader would also be affected.

I feel the missing dynamic so far beyond traits is the capability of the colony to rip itself apart, not just failing to survive a rimworld event.  If you want a good story, you need good drama from good characters, and people's petty one-sided interactions with each other with their own reasons are the best drama there is.

However, I recognize this isn't cheap by any means, and traits by themselves will give plenty of interesting drama.  I just feel the need for a little more oomph from that drama.  Just food for thought after traits are in I guess.

I know the game is in development, but I feel that if what Tynan seeks is a 'story', what are the things you'd like to see happen and either force you to react, or smile to yourself for no reason?
These are just a few things I had in mind that I think would make the game very interesting.  Add this with the future traits and the way the colonists would interact each other, and things could get quite interesting XD

(Possibly triggered when power outage occurs.)
- JailBreak:  All Prisoner Doors Unlocked and they immediately flee like raiders breaking down only doors and fighting only melee.
- TakeOver: All Prisoner Doors Unlocked, and they immediately begin to be violent in a concerted effort to take over / cleanse your place, with their primary goal being your guns (melee attacking and taking your weapon after you're down, or bashing their way to your armory).

- Illness: One member of your colony becomes Ill (Incapacitated - Low HP).  Bed Rest only pauses dying (think poison) rather than heal them.
- Outbreak: 25%-75% of your colony becomes Ill (Incapacitated - Low HP).  Bed Rest only pauses dying (think poison) rather than heal them.

- Wandering Reinforcements: During a Raid's Preparation, a wandering band of mercenaries may pass by and allow you to hire them for silver/food/metal to fight for you for one fight.  Rejection will increase chance and decrease gap in time for next raid.  Attempting to arrest them after hiring will cause all reinforcements to turn hostile and must be incapacitated before capturing.

- Raider Tribute: When Raiders land and attack, they may demand 'Silver/Food/Metal' from you before they finish preparing their assault.  If paid off, they'll just leave, but increased chance and frequency of next raid.

- Super Soldier Raid: Proportional Raid, but few in number, say... 1 for every 5?  These soldiers have twice the aiming speed and very high (15+) shooting and melee with the Tough and/or Runner traits.

- Drop-Assault: Raiders intentionally drop anywhere in your Home Territory without a thick rock roof.    The attack begins immediately.  Any roofs that collapse (get crashed through) will of course become debris, but the raiders will be fine.

- Slavers: When moderately close to map borders, Slavers may appear and attempt to abduct your colonist off the map.  Best hope your reaction is quick and that you can run away.

- Turret Malfunction: Random Turret loses Friend-Foe Recognition.

- Hopper Infestation: Bugs spawn from a Hopper, consuming the food in it, and spawning bugs relative to the amount of food in the hopper.

- Trubbles: A small slow moving furry animal has spawned in a food pile, consuming the entire tile's worth.  It will then spawn another, and move on to the nearest meal.

- Bad Dream: Bad night's sleep for a person.  unhappiness modifier for a day.  No Fear. Stacks.

- Shared Dream: Everyone has the same bad dream.  Unhappiness modifier, with Fear.

- Local Phenomenon: A random Tile in the world goes weird.  Causes random positive or negative happiness and random positive or negative fear when near.

- Bad Mood: This Colonist's Social Interactions do unhappiness instead to the recipients for one day .

- Suicide: Random Event.  Requires low happiness and high fear.

- Marriage: Random Event.  Requires 2 people with high happiness and low fear. (Not Possible while influenced by Warden.)

- Bereaved: long time unhappiness penalty for spouse.

- Avenger: If colonist dies during firefight, loses Player Control and begins rampage, targeting enemies first, but due rage duration, if there are no enemies left while still enraged, will turn on friendlies.

- Meteor Shower: Random Rock Debris on fire Falls crushing any square it lands on. (Thick rock roofs safe).

- Meteor (Large): Large cluster of Rock Debris and fire appears in exploded area.  May contain Metal

- Aurora: Slight Happiness when outside.

- Rain: Slight Unhappiness when outside.

- Foggy: Slight Fear when Outside.

- Clear: Slight Fear Reduction when outside.



What else would YOU guys like to see?  And what do you think of these? XD

I wish I had a grandiose story to tell, but alas, I got crushed by the elements.

Things were going well, I had captured 2 raiders from 2 raiding parties, as well as 3 passerbys, I decided to build my 4th farming zone, and just before harvest, a blight hits.

I was like, 'Okay, I think I'll manage, but I should really start stockpiling more food'. 

Before that replanted harvest finishes, I had an eclipse.  Plants do not grow in an eclipse.  They need to be brightly lit.  It wasn't even a day before I realized that this eclipse could kill me.  I didn't know when it would end.  I rushed a research bench and focused Hydroponics ASAP.

The eclipse passes, to my relief, as I gather the minerals I need for my hydroponics area, when another blight hits right when I harvest 18 potatoes worth from it.

I'm in the 'Oh Sh*t' category now.

I build that hydroponics room like a madman.  I had to let my prisoners starve to ration what little food I had if any for my colonists.  I had extra batteries and Solar Panels on the ready for the next eclipse!  I was gonna make it!

Solar flare.

between the starving conditions, the hydroponics not growing, the slow growth of the outside farms, and the now raw food finally tipping the scale, I had people leaving and getting arrested left and right until there were none.

In hindsight, I suppose I should have executed a starving/dying prisoner, and maybe even build small little gazebos of light next to my outdoor farms.  But from now on, I take a researcher as my first 3, and I research hydroponics ASAP.  They work rather nicely outdoors.