Pokemon - Orange Islands journey rp concept

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thempress

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This is a very tentative and somewhat sleep-deprived idea -- nonetheless, I'm interested in running a group Pokemon roleplay involving a cast of beginner Trainers in some existing region. Can go one of two routes: The first is a standard adventure narrative involving a small group of 4-6 player-characters. The second is more slice-of-life with characters staying in one location and that'd probably involve a broader group, say more than 6. In either case, the characters would be brought together in some prologue event.

So, conceptually, fairly simple?

I was inspired to do this by revisiting an old character of mine who's a mid-30's sous-chef. I'm envisioning a Pokemon world, as the series purports, like our own, "just add Pokemon." But with adult characters, there'd necessitate a better understanding of the world from economy to politics. Not to the extent of needing a world bible, just so we can answer questions like, "What are kids expected to do when they grow up?" I'm not the best world-builder yet myself.

That's the first motivation for this thread: to hear how other people envision the Pokemon world to work.

The second reason for a brainstorming thread is I need a plot, especially the inciting event that brings our characters together. Maybe it's conflict, an attack by ne'er-do-wells? Usually in Pokemon there's a team of antagonists but we can go any direction based on what's concocted here. The appeal for this type of roleplay, in my opinion, is just an exploration of living in a world with Pokemon.

And of course, thirdly, do you like the slice-of-life approach more or the standard adventure?

I also have a fourth question: do you want characters to be more self-reliant, having running sub-plots with mini supporting casts? Or would you rather everyone contribute to a main plot in equal parts?

Regarding setting, it wouldn't be Galar... Galor... Gahool... Gargamel. It wouldn't be the new one. I'm thinking "mainline" but there's also Orre, though I only know it vaguely. (I'm honestly leaning tropical, favoring Alola, maybe Hoenn -- I think it's boring, personally -- or even the Orange Islands!)

Anything else I'd like to say out the gate... uh, I obviously haven't GM'd very much so my approach, I reckon, would be pretty hands-off; I'd be playing my own character. Keep rules straightforward with a little behavioral and PvP battle expectations. I'd be willing to do character reviews and try to rouse some discussion. And my writing expectations are kind of in my profile but willing to write three 5-7-sentence paragraphs and above goes a long way in my experience. I would expect a collective approach more akin to creative writing.

So yeah! I can throw in more ideas later as well.
 
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I'm just hear to say my ears and eyes are peaked. Been waiting for some Pokemon to hop into.

I have stuff to do, but once I'm done, I'll answer all four of those questions.
 
I am a big fan of Pokemon rps and I was really hoping to get into one soon! To answer your questions-

1) I like your "just add pokemon" theory to things. In the games it does seem like every aspect of the world is focused on pokemon, but even if you look closer there's big corporations and businesses, shopping malls, convenient stores- they just happen to all have products that ALSO cater to pokemon. I haven't watched the TV show in a long time, but I kind of imagine it's like the Avatar: The Last Airbender world, where they use their abilities for every day jobs. I think that would translate well to a Pokemon world where you have electric types running power generators, Water types acting alongside firemen or swim instructors or life guards, Fire types can assist in cooking and... other stuff? You probably understand what I'm getting at here.

2) As I was writing the paragraph above I was struck with an idea that could be a big bad antagonist or just a general conflict. Maybe there's a corporation that uses pokemon as free labor to a disgusting degree, where they work pokemon until they're dead tired and then when they can't work anymore they're essentially discarded. Terrible working conditions and everything. Word starts to spread throughout the adventure and the trainers (players) begin slowly encountering protests and strikes and whatnot as they travel the world. Eventually maybe they have to provide evidence of the corporations misdoings and that puts them in harms way, or they have to eventually fight the big bad boss man. Throughout this, the players then have to come to terms with their own trainer styles- are they too using their pokemon as tools? (It's very Gary Oak, I know). Of course, this is just one thought that I had. As far as individual character motivation, I have always loved the Pokemon League the show used, where you have to get the gym badges first and then you're entered in a big tournament, which could be fun with a bunch of people eventually battling eachother. It would probably then fall on the GM to decide who wins each battle (who doesn't want to be the champion?)

3) I personally prefer an adventure style, but I could see where a Pokemon slice of life would be fun and maybe a little easier to keep running even if people drop out.

4) I think you can find a middle ground for running the plot. It depends on how many people are interested of course, but if you have more than 5 it would probably be best to maybe have groups of 2 or 3, seeing as how every person writes at their own speed. I think that might lend itself to easier story progression and when you think about it mechanically, if you have a group of 6 pokemon trainers and ONE wild pokemon appears, how do you decide who gets to try to capture it? Ultimately it does fall on the shoulders of the individual writers to make it work but that can be tough. I imagine using a couple small groups creating their own mini-plots, but then saying like "Once we reach X town, everyone gets there around the same time" so we can still have consistent interaction with others or maybe even switch up the teams. Thinking of the landscape more in terms of the real world where there are multiple ways to go to get to the same place would be best for small groups, which brings me to the setting...


As for setting, I think Orange islands would be super fun. I remember that being a really exciting part in the show, and I don't know every nook and cranny off the top of my head so it would be fun to learn. Also, seeing as how we're island hopping, it would be pretty easy for multiple groups to be split up and finding their own was around the area.


No matter what way you decide to go on all these things, you can probably count me in!
 
1. Just like the games, so they say. The Pokemon World seems to have few differences to our world in the grand scheme of things, all things considered. Each generation seems to make this more apparent.
Of course, differences will naturally be present. Like how Pokemon are used to fuel our everyday lives, such as planes and ships being substituted by Pokemon, and Electric-type Pokemon being used as energy sources. Of course, the technology equivalents will exist, since some people prefer to use those, but using Pokemon tends to be more cost-efficient as a whole.

Yeah, eating Pokemon is a thing too, but I think we all know that. They ARE substituting animals after all.

2. Well, a villain attack could work. I think this aspect will need some long, good discussion.

3. If you ask me, maybe a mix of both? Like have a 'hub' town of sorts, then the adventure part can be a few characters going to other parts of the region, and returning to the hub area once they're done with their stuff.

4. Alola sounds good to me, and it goes well with my reply to question 3. Hoenn for second priority, Unova for third priority, with aforementioned 'hub' being within Undella Town area.
I assume custom regions are out of the question?
 
Pokemon in industry -- I like the TLA comparison, Chexlich. And Pokemon in some cases supplanting transportation, Crow, is wild; I'm visualizing a very traditionalist setting where people ride Mudsdale and Tauros. I suppose a Pokemon labor force would be in the custody of the larger company and distributed as partners to the individual workers. It would get more complicated if Pokemon were the individual workers, because then we'd have to ask, "How sapient are Pokemon?" Like, you don't "hire" service dogs. We'd also have to address what'd become of a human working class if Pokemon are infinitely stronger as to do labor and better suited for smaller, repetitive tasks. They're interesting questions that could take us to some cool places (but probably stall the roleplay, haha).

I know I've had a lot of fun in the past writing a Pokemon who had her own expectations of her Trainer, so I wouldn't want to oversimplify Pokemon to "dogs with fire powers", but it doesn't mean they can't also be pretty belligerent, instinct-driven creatures, smarter than Fido but ultimately second to people.

Chexlich said:
As I was writing the paragraph above I was struck with an idea that could be a big bad antagonist or just a general conflict. Maybe there's a corporation that uses pokemon as free labor to a disgusting degree, where they work pokemon until they're dead tired and then when they can't work anymore they're essentially discarded. Terrible working conditions and everything. Word starts to spread throughout the adventure and the trainers (players) begin slowly encountering protests and strikes and whatnot as they travel the world. Eventually maybe they have to provide evidence of the corporations misdoings and that puts them in harms way, or they have to eventually fight the big bad boss man. Throughout this, the players then have to come to terms with their own trainer styles- are they too using their pokemon as tools? (It's very Gary Oak, I know). Of course, this is just one thought that I had.
That's a cool idea for an antagonist group, very "fight the power" as opposed to the fringe groups of the games -- closest was Rocket but they don't really feel Yakuza since we never see, like, a Kanto-Johto government or anything. I especially like the idea of having players address how they perceive and treat their Pokemon, though I'm sure that sort of arc wouldn't apply to everyone.

PvP tournaments are something I'd be cool with implementing as well.
I imagine using a couple small groups creating their own mini-plots, but then saying like "Once we reach X town, everyone gets there around the same time" so we can still have consistent interaction with others or maybe even switch up the teams.
This is how I'd imagine the "self-reliant" approach working, with those little regroup periods. Player-characters would be largely responsible for any people they meet and what Pokemon they encounter. They'd have their only B-plots ideally connected to the larger A-plot.

I definitely think traveling together, or at least there being an impression that everyone is impacting the story/world, is a main appeal. Maybe the inciting event is the characters taking on the same job, as research assistants, ace trainers, rangers -- that would necessitate them acting as a team. They could also be actively competing against each other as rivals, a region-wide scoreboard and reporting media keeping everyone on their toes!

If you ask me, maybe a mix of both? Like have a 'hub' town of sorts, then the adventure part can be a few characters going to other parts of the region, and returning to the hub area once they're done with their stuff.
I like the hub idea a lot! Definitely plays well off the characters being explicitly part of a team and/or having a common employer. I like fleshing out one area. Doesn't even have to be canon either; a lot easier than thinking up a custom region! Though I do like Undella Town, and Unova was the region that introduced the whole Pokemon-human relationship question... and Seafolk Village could make a fun hub for Alola: it's a port town with its own unique culture.

Anyway: super open to more feedback. Love the interest so far! I can start finalizing things for a concept pitch near the end of the week or something. Then we can vote for mechanics we'd want to see and start thinking about characters!
 
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Looking forward to the final pitch! I do really like @Crow ’s idea of the hub town. The description of a hub town really made me think of Lumiose City of X and Y. Ironically the Unova region is the only one I’m not familiar with BUT I could always use an excuse to pick those games back up!
 
Looking forward to the final pitch! I do really like @Crow ’s idea of the hub town. The description of a hub town really made me think of Lumiose City of X and Y. Ironically the Unova region is the only one I’m not familiar with BUT I could always use an excuse to pick those games back up!

Yeah, like a place at the center of things in a physical sense too... Speaking of Unova, the 'Entralink' is at the heart of the region. It's a hub for local multiplayer, I think? I remember it had a 'mystic' quality to it, though. Something to look into?

Unova got me with that Plasma bait-and-switch... still wish they didn't brush off exploring the Pokemon-human dynamic. I think if I went with that region I'd want to lift inspiration from that narrative-wise, maybe? The idea right now, what with the corporation abusing Pokemon and that encouraging the player-characters to think harder about their own behavior, that kinda plays into that.
 
Before I answer the questions, this still breathing?
 
That's great to hear! My character's already prepared.
 
Before I answer the questions, this still breathing?
Of course, it's only been a few days. I've got the pitch in the works -- almost ready.
Beauty, or beastly?

I shall answer when I get home from work, on a saturday, without extra pay, thats dragging on as long as a normal work day.

Sorry, salty.
 
Okay, okay, good to see... and there's a character concept in the midst!

Here's how things are looking:

Synopsis ;
  • They've crossed their arms, said "No more" -- Pokedexes are off the market. Anyone vying to be the next Pokemon Master has to be chosen, as is tradition, through rite testing the trueness of heart and spirit. And yet, of the hundreds - approaching thousands - of people living on this growing island, a few find them anyway: real-deal, rarer-than-diamond Pokedexes. However banged up they are, all of them work. Maybe some of ‘em think it’s a miracle; maybe some of ‘em think it’s a mistake.
  • These people come from various backgrounds, practices, and lifestyles. What they hold in common is this island, whether born and raised or immigrated for reasons either innocent or tragically necessary. Some terrible, vicious luck has befallen those regions behind you. A lot of lives have been lost and a lot of destruction waked and the scariest part, you have no real comprehension of how, why, or the scale of what, exactly, happened.
  • Whatever path these future Trainers take, it’ll wind around, back, and through to one place alone -- that’s destiny. Theirs is adventure.
    • The roleplay is paced in a choose-your-own-adventure way as event posts can branch off into two or more options of what your character does next. And the devil-in-the-details, henceforth, is up to you. Everything is predetermined. Everything has already been.
    • As Game Master, I intend to be pretty indirect, as impartial as I can be. In that respect, what story-wide NPCs we meet will have their roles defined by me and their characterization interpreted by whoever’s encountering them. This is to create the impression that everyone is equally contributing as well as valuing each others' contributions. It will also make the RP less reliant on me alone in case (iN cASe) I go MIA.
    • And regarding less GM reliance, the roleplay will follow a “quest” system, or a system where characters claim different missions/objectives for their characters to guide their posts -- with a twist. At certain points, everyone will be invited to submit a quest and either put it up to be randomly-assigned or specifically hand it to someone else’s character.

Setting and Supporting Characters ;
  • After a series of established events, the characters will be cast across the Orange Islands, or "Orange Archipelago" to stiff-nosed scientists. The Orange Islands spans many individual bodies of land, most unsettled, instead being inhabited by Pokemon.
  • Characters will start on one of a cluster of related islands known together colloquially as the Rind. What Rind Islands have in common is culture: each is ruled by an aristocracy, each values the relationship of people and Pokemon without a contemporary sheen. They are very traditionalist but generally friendly, maybe a little passive. They are societies dating back to ancient times and are just recently corresponding with modern groups.
  • This place in-particular (the one where the characters start off) is working with the <name> Research Association, a private corp sweeping the Islands. The association is dedicated to Pokemon research and preservation, especially in relation to urban development. Businessmen and scientific minds alike work tangentially.
  • Unfortunately, the association seems to underestimate a band of pirates plaguing the Rind, extorting island locals and poaching rare species of Pokemon, those which the association is in dire need of greater research. But these guys have minimal competition; their own Pokemon teams probably rank lower than the average beginner.

Below are some more setting notes. Don't know if I'd include it in the OP but they do provide a little added context.
  • Most people live with Pokemon but the Pokemon journey is a very sacred concept within this isolated part of the Islands. It is often affiliated with “coming of age”; children are tested at ten years old through a ritual evaluating the sanctity of their soul and trueness of their heart, or spirit. From there, they undergo six years of arduous physical training and education -- one year for each island trial. Then they leave the island, never look back.
  • The introduction of the Research Association and modernization to the island has created a new ideal. Pokedexes are expensive but represent both convenience and individual choice. The truth about the current tradition is that the ritual appears biased against poorly-reputed families -- those whom are poor and/or from other regions -- while prioritizing children of traditionally powerful families, like the chief’s. Pokedexes aren’t just encyclopedias of every Pokemon known to man (ignoring their many limitations in that regard) but include many of the things that used to be exclusive knowledge taught across the six prep yeares, from identifying wild berries to conveying battle commands, streamlined down and accessible through voice command and second-long scans. Give it to an able-bodied person with some common sense and they’re bound to fare about the same as one of the so-called “Chosen Ones” the island has long purported.
  • The Pokedex also contends with the image of Pokemon within this society. Pokemon have long been thought to represent ideas, a reflection of the human experience in a very much mythological sense. Certain Pokemon are perceived as protectors of the household and are devoted especial attention while others are shunned. The nature of research exposes a mortality to them all underlying the magic powers.

Etc. ;
  • Content would include violence and some exploration of maturer themes.
  • Writing level (mentioned earlier) would be, at lowest, "Intermediate," highest "Advanced."

What I Need Now ;
  • Well, names. For the first location and the research org.
    • I was going to make the first location act as the hub, but as much as I like the idea of a hub I don't think it'd work in conjunction with everything else.
    • "Pokedex" itself is kind of a working name for the "signature device" of a mainstream game (the phone in GSC, the watch in DPPt...)
  • A super general map/outline of the different islands.
  • Clarification of... do you guys want a straight-up, "this-is-what-EVERYONE-does" set-up? In this case it'd be every character works for the organization to help with their research. Or would we rather play up the open-endedness considering the characters weren't "chosen" as far as they're aware -- it'd be an unspoken expectation that every character goes on a journey but they might all have different expectations, relationships with the organization, etc.
  • Do we want Gym Leaders? Orange Island-style leaders where the conditions to win are more abstract.
  • A write-up of the expectations and sign-up which I can whip up soon enough.
  • Finally... formatting? From experience, Iwaku's editor has been a bitch to work with but that's coming from someone who's rusty in the first place.

And of course any feedback on top of those two questions, totally peachy. I can post the expectations + sign-up too later on if ya'll want.

Note: Changed the title and such since we're in the endgame now.
 
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Hey now.

Been thinkin' about getting back into RP, and this looks like a really nice set-up so far. The concept and atmosphere. Wouldn't mind joining this, playing a Sailor Briney sort of character. I imagine if the region is a bunch of islands, at least one of us is going to need a boat lol
 
I might be interested :)
 
Ah, more interest! I'll admit, I'm a bit spotty working on this at the moment; my schedule's a bit busier than I anticipated it being. So apologies there. At the very least, I have what the sign-up would look like:

Name:
Age:
Occupation: (If employed.)
Appearance:
A physical profile of your character -- how they look plus anything that helps visualize them (voice, habits, etc.) Pictures are nice but a profile is nonetheless encouraged, and profiles should not solely describe, nor contradict, the image(s) provided.
Lifestyle:
Discuss their residence, daily routine, hobbies, passions, family and friend groups, as well as their reputation within the close-knit community of <island name>. This is all to give your character “weight,” like they actually live in this world.
Character:
Name one trait that really embodies your character above all else. What personal strength(s) arise from this trait? What personal weakness(es) arise from this trait?
Dynamics:
What do they look to or value in others? What personal qualities rub them the wrong way?
Skills:
What else is your character good at? Boiled down to 2-3 stand-out things.
Path:
Finally, what does this character really, really want? What’s keeping them from getting it?

This is for the Trainer, the main character. There'd be a brief section for whatever Pokemon they'd be starting with too.
 
425px-Orange.jpg


Apparently there is an actual Map of the Orange Islands. Personally? I think we should retcon this for the RP and make our own. Not just for inclusion of our hub, The Rind, but also because the map/island structure is kind of.... bleh? Maybe that's just me. At any rate, I'd totally be down for making a map. I'm not too horrible of an artist
 
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