Welcome to the wonderful world of Pokémon!
This page will walk you through creating your characters and setting up a game. If you want to start playing right away, check out the Quick Start for pre-made characters and scenarios. That page is also a good resource to look at character examples if you are stuck on an aspect of designing your own.
If you're reading this, you're probably already a big fan of Pokémon. But even if you aren't, you don't need an encyclopedic knowledge of the Pokémon franchise to enjoy this game. As long as you know enough about Pokémon to to decide what Starter you want, you're good to go.
Materials
- This wiki (a pdf version will be created some day)
- Blank playbooks (coming soon)
- Two 6-sided dice for each Player and a handful of extras for the GM. A version of Homebrew is to use a d12's instead.
- A reference sheet for Pokémon type effectiveness, unless your group definitely has every single one memorized.
- A list of the move pool of any Pokémon you intend to use. Bulbapedia is a good source for that.
Step 1: Create your main character.
Ask yourself what sort of trainer your Main Character is. What is their relationship with Pokémon? Do they dream of being the best trainer of all time? Maybe they just want to make Pokémon happy? Maybe Pokémon are just an aspect of their career?
Once you have a general idea of their archetype, visit the page for Playbooks and choose one. Don't worry about choosing the same book as another Player, this game has no restrictions on that sort of thing. That page will tell you your Stats. You may also add +1 where you choose. If you wish to change your stats even more than that, get your GM's permission. No single stat should be higher than +2. At the end of character creation, your stat total should be +3.
Familiarize yourself with the Basic Actions that main characters can perform. Your playbook will have even more actions that are unique to your archetype. Your playbook will also have Attribute that give you bonuses on rolls in certain situations.
The Basic Action Solve a Problem will likely be used more than any other. When you roll high on that action, you can choose special effects. Your playbook has a list of even more effects unique to your archetype, so be sure you don't forget about those.
Step 2: Create your starter
Now is the fun part. What is the first Pokémon your main character ever got? How did they meet? How long have they been together? Ask the GM if there are any restrictions on which Pokémon you can choose as a Starter. You probably shouldn't choose a Legendary or fully evolved Pokémon as your starter... But then again, maybe that's the sort of game you'll be playing.
For a normal campaign in this system, your starter begins at Level 2. Pull up your favorite wiki for the video games and double check which Type your Pokémon is. In this game, its type gives it some special attributes. Look up it's learnset as well, and choose two moves to start with (starters get an extra move). Stick to moves it can know at level 20 or below in the video games.
Make sure you know what Type your Pokémon is and which moves it has. Pokémon also get extra bonuses to high Solve a Problem rolls. You may want to write these down in the same place as the bonuses you get from your trainer.
Depending on how much your group has decided about the campaign, you may be allowed to choose more Pokémon for your party. These start at Level 1 or 2 (no extra moves) unless GM has other plans.
Finally, decide on the Bond your Pokémon have with your Main Character. A bond between 3 and 7 is best for most campaigns. Tell your GM what you decide, and from then the Bond stat is a mystery to you.
Step 3: Communicate with the rest of your group
It's one thing to make a character that's interesting on it's own, but your party has to have good chemistry to make interesting stories together. The following considerations will help with that.
- Your main character has needs, goals, dreams, or desires that keep them tied with the party. These are your Dreams. You have at least one dream that you share or that involves every other Main Character in your campaign. The dream could directly involve them (to pay Misty back for her bike) or just be a similar dream as theirs (to explore the world).
- Additionally, decide on a specific relationship (such as rivals), shared person (such as a father), shared object (such as a bike), or shared location (same home town) for at least one other trainer. The more, the better.
Keep in mind that your main characters do not all need to be friends and directly traveling together to interact in a campaign together. After all, Team Rocket always seems to intersect with Ash's party even though they're two separate groups.
It is also important to communicate with your GM about what sort of game you want to play. Will the mood be lighthearted or serious? Will there be any Homebrew rules? Be mindful of player safety. Even if most games played with this system will be lighthearted and fun, you can never predict what will come up. If you know you have triggers you want to avoid, state them upfront. Ask the GM what they'll be doing to make sure every player feels comfortable and emotionally well during play. This page is a great resource about player safety that may aid your discussion.
Finally, discuss with your GM what sort of story you all want to tell. Does the GM have something specific in mind, or are they going to design something around the party? When in doubt, there's always the Gym Challenge and Pokémon League. This game basically writes itself!
Step 4: Start playing!
By this point, the GM has a scenario planned out and you can all begin session 1. Have fun!
At the end of every session, the GM will ask each Main Character if they made progress towards any of their Dreams. For each one that they made notable progress towards, they will gain 1 XP