Covenant
Sentinent Cheesecake
Hey everyone! This is an interest check for a „Nuzlocke-Quest“ Pokemon roleplay.
The world, as you know it is in danger. Strange things are taking place. Seas are boiling, the sun won‘t come up, volcanoes that have been lying dormant for ages are coming to life again, smoke rising to the sky.
All this is happening, and yet nobody knows the reason. So a small group of heroes and their trusted companions will have to set out and travel all the different regions to find out what is upsetting the natural balance.
The RP will aim to emulate the „Nuzlocke“ experience some people might know from the game (either having played it themselves or having seen any kind of fan content about it) in the form of an RP.
- But what does „Nuzlocke“ mean?
The Nuzlocke Challenge is a set of rules intended to create a higher level of difficulty while playing the Pokémon games. Many challengers feel that the rules also serve the purpose of encouraging the use of Pokémon the player would not normally choose, and promoting closer bonds with the player's Pokémon. The rules are not an in-game function, but are self-imposed on the part of the player, and thus subject to variation.
(Quote taken from Bulbapedia, you can read the full article by clicking the link.)
While this RP will not aim to keep you on your toes all the time by threatening you with the loss of your pokemon, it will incorporate certain aspects for the Nuzlocke-Challenge.
- Each player will receive their starting pokemon randomly, based on the pokemon that are available in their chosen region. (Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola). Since those are considered „starter“ Pokemon, you will all start with the lowest possible evolution. That includes baby Pokemon.
Single-stage Pokemon (Pokemon that do not have any evolution stages) will be balanced by learning their moves a lot later so that no player feels at a disadvantage because they got a Wurmple, and the next player got a Heracross.
Similarly, baby pokemon that usually do not learn any attacking moves during their first levels will get one starting move that actually will do damage.
I will implement a shiny chance in the game: After rolling your encounter, I will roll a second time for a chance of the Pokemon being shiny. (1:256).
Mega-Evolutions / Z-moves are not a thing in this game, neither are the Ultra-Beasts from Alola.
- Pokemon will not only gain experience by fighting but also by bonding with their trainer or having their skills used in a creative way. (Think of it like a DnD campaign where outsmarting your enemy might give you more points than fighting them.)
- Every time the group reaches a new region, each player will get ONE encounter with a wild Pokemon. The Pokemon will be chosen randomly from the Pokemon native to that region, and the player can then choose to either attempt to bond with the Pokemon, or just leave it be. Leaving it be will mean that your forfeit your encounter for this region.
- „Dupes clause“ will be implemented from the games. What this means is that, if a player in the group already has a Rattata, and another player gets a Rattata as their next encounter, they can choose to let the Rattata go and will then get another encounter. If the player wants to keep the Rattata despite it being a dupe, that is fine too.
This is to give the players an option of having a big, diverse group of pokemon they will be traveling with.
-Legendary Pokemon do exist in this world. However, they are „one of a kind“, are considered sacred and will not leave their native region. At no point in the RP will any player character be able to „claim“ one of those pokemon for themselves.
- Each region will represent a certain „region“ in our world, to allow for a diverse cast of characters. Since each of the regions, until Unova, used to be based on a region in Japan, we are going to assume for the sake of the RP that all those regions are interconnected in some way, but have different cultural backgrounds.
(While that would be impossible on such a small scale in the real world, this is Pokemon after all, and characters should have the chance to travel everywhere, and meet each other.)
The starting point for all characters will be the Indigo-Plateau – a central point in the middle of all the regions, used for important meetings and with a „cosmopolitan“ feeling to it. It will be neutral ground for all the characters so they can get acquainted with each other.
Kanto – Eurasia
Johto – Asia
Hoenn – Australia
Sinnoh – Africa
Unova – America (with a focus on the „melting pot“ aspect of America. It doesn‘t have to just be North America)
Kallos – Europe
While Alola can be used as a potential region of origin for the character too, it‘s considered too far away to realistically be part of the „ongoing“ plot.
IT IS POSSIBLE TO PICK ONE REGION FOR CHARACTER BACKGROUND, AND PICK ANOTHER REGION TO GET YOUR FIRST POKEMON FROM!
So don‘t feel forced to pick a region because you like the Pokemon when you would pick a different region for your character background.
-Diverse characters (i.e. characters of color, different sexual orientations, characters with disabilities) are welcome. At the same time, I do want to offer players the option to „opt out“ of romance. If you‘d rather play a character that does not have an interest in romantic relationships / do NOT want this to be a part of your experience during the adventure, I will mark the character as such, and ask the other participants to respect that decision.
- There will be a limit for participants: At minimum four, and at maximum seven individual players. Less than four does not make much sense for the "group adventure", and I don't think I can handle more than seven people and give everyone the same attention. Each player will be allowed to have 2 characters maximum. (Just one is fine too.)
-Lastly, to give the RP more of a „Questing Adventure“ feel to it, it will take place in a roughly „medieval-fantasy“ type of world. That means no cars, cellphones, refrigerators.
Magic is a thing that is attributed mostly to ancient pokemon that are considered „guardian deities“ for their respective region, or something that can only be performed in rituals. That means magic will NOT be available to player characters as a skill, and it is not an everyday thing.
However – the characters will be able to fight for themselves too, instead of leaving everything to the pokemon. So if you want to play an archer, a knight, or maybe a lancer, you can! Just keep in mind that your character‘s background should make sense with their choice of weapon.
So please – a reasonable level of technology, and no magic while creating your characters. All player characters are expected to be human.
if you have any questions about the setting, the RP or the rules, please don't hesitate to hit me up in the thread. I hope to see some of you as players!
The world, as you know it is in danger. Strange things are taking place. Seas are boiling, the sun won‘t come up, volcanoes that have been lying dormant for ages are coming to life again, smoke rising to the sky.
All this is happening, and yet nobody knows the reason. So a small group of heroes and their trusted companions will have to set out and travel all the different regions to find out what is upsetting the natural balance.
The RP will aim to emulate the „Nuzlocke“ experience some people might know from the game (either having played it themselves or having seen any kind of fan content about it) in the form of an RP.
- But what does „Nuzlocke“ mean?
The Nuzlocke Challenge is a set of rules intended to create a higher level of difficulty while playing the Pokémon games. Many challengers feel that the rules also serve the purpose of encouraging the use of Pokémon the player would not normally choose, and promoting closer bonds with the player's Pokémon. The rules are not an in-game function, but are self-imposed on the part of the player, and thus subject to variation.
(Quote taken from Bulbapedia, you can read the full article by clicking the link.)
While this RP will not aim to keep you on your toes all the time by threatening you with the loss of your pokemon, it will incorporate certain aspects for the Nuzlocke-Challenge.
- Each player will receive their starting pokemon randomly, based on the pokemon that are available in their chosen region. (Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola). Since those are considered „starter“ Pokemon, you will all start with the lowest possible evolution. That includes baby Pokemon.
Single-stage Pokemon (Pokemon that do not have any evolution stages) will be balanced by learning their moves a lot later so that no player feels at a disadvantage because they got a Wurmple, and the next player got a Heracross.
Similarly, baby pokemon that usually do not learn any attacking moves during their first levels will get one starting move that actually will do damage.
I will implement a shiny chance in the game: After rolling your encounter, I will roll a second time for a chance of the Pokemon being shiny. (1:256).
Mega-Evolutions / Z-moves are not a thing in this game, neither are the Ultra-Beasts from Alola.
- Pokemon will not only gain experience by fighting but also by bonding with their trainer or having their skills used in a creative way. (Think of it like a DnD campaign where outsmarting your enemy might give you more points than fighting them.)
- Every time the group reaches a new region, each player will get ONE encounter with a wild Pokemon. The Pokemon will be chosen randomly from the Pokemon native to that region, and the player can then choose to either attempt to bond with the Pokemon, or just leave it be. Leaving it be will mean that your forfeit your encounter for this region.
- „Dupes clause“ will be implemented from the games. What this means is that, if a player in the group already has a Rattata, and another player gets a Rattata as their next encounter, they can choose to let the Rattata go and will then get another encounter. If the player wants to keep the Rattata despite it being a dupe, that is fine too.
This is to give the players an option of having a big, diverse group of pokemon they will be traveling with.
-Legendary Pokemon do exist in this world. However, they are „one of a kind“, are considered sacred and will not leave their native region. At no point in the RP will any player character be able to „claim“ one of those pokemon for themselves.
- Each region will represent a certain „region“ in our world, to allow for a diverse cast of characters. Since each of the regions, until Unova, used to be based on a region in Japan, we are going to assume for the sake of the RP that all those regions are interconnected in some way, but have different cultural backgrounds.
(While that would be impossible on such a small scale in the real world, this is Pokemon after all, and characters should have the chance to travel everywhere, and meet each other.)
The starting point for all characters will be the Indigo-Plateau – a central point in the middle of all the regions, used for important meetings and with a „cosmopolitan“ feeling to it. It will be neutral ground for all the characters so they can get acquainted with each other.
Kanto – Eurasia
Johto – Asia
Hoenn – Australia
Sinnoh – Africa
Unova – America (with a focus on the „melting pot“ aspect of America. It doesn‘t have to just be North America)
Kallos – Europe
While Alola can be used as a potential region of origin for the character too, it‘s considered too far away to realistically be part of the „ongoing“ plot.
IT IS POSSIBLE TO PICK ONE REGION FOR CHARACTER BACKGROUND, AND PICK ANOTHER REGION TO GET YOUR FIRST POKEMON FROM!
So don‘t feel forced to pick a region because you like the Pokemon when you would pick a different region for your character background.
-Diverse characters (i.e. characters of color, different sexual orientations, characters with disabilities) are welcome. At the same time, I do want to offer players the option to „opt out“ of romance. If you‘d rather play a character that does not have an interest in romantic relationships / do NOT want this to be a part of your experience during the adventure, I will mark the character as such, and ask the other participants to respect that decision.
- There will be a limit for participants: At minimum four, and at maximum seven individual players. Less than four does not make much sense for the "group adventure", and I don't think I can handle more than seven people and give everyone the same attention. Each player will be allowed to have 2 characters maximum. (Just one is fine too.)
-Lastly, to give the RP more of a „Questing Adventure“ feel to it, it will take place in a roughly „medieval-fantasy“ type of world. That means no cars, cellphones, refrigerators.
Magic is a thing that is attributed mostly to ancient pokemon that are considered „guardian deities“ for their respective region, or something that can only be performed in rituals. That means magic will NOT be available to player characters as a skill, and it is not an everyday thing.
However – the characters will be able to fight for themselves too, instead of leaving everything to the pokemon. So if you want to play an archer, a knight, or maybe a lancer, you can! Just keep in mind that your character‘s background should make sense with their choice of weapon.
So please – a reasonable level of technology, and no magic while creating your characters. All player characters are expected to be human.
if you have any questions about the setting, the RP or the rules, please don't hesitate to hit me up in the thread. I hope to see some of you as players!
