[Voltage] Chapter 1, Act 1: Bugging Out!

Brody

I don't have to buy off, correct?

Grunt's Ghosts

You do. It's the failure aspect of your ambitions, when your eyes grow bigger than your mouth and you can't finish what you started.

Edit: Just realized what you said. You don't have to use it when you meet the condition.

Brody

I guess I'm worried that it would be too easy to fail my ambition then?

Edit: Can I have multiple Ambitions?

Grunt's Ghosts

You can have multiple ambitions, but you can't have two ranks that are basically the same. So you can't have rank 1 of one ambition be "When you fight in a Pokebattle" and another ambition be "When you fight a wild Pokemon".

Grunt's Ghosts

Also, looking at your Ambitions, you could go with something like this:

Hunter
Gain 1 xp when you track down a Pokemon.
Gain 3 xp when you capture a Strong Pokemon.
Gain 5 xp when you defeat and/or capture a Rare or Legendary Pokemon.
Buyoff: When you let a Strong or Rare Pokemon go instead of capturing it.

This way, the Buyoff is more of a choice, which is what the Buyoff should be, a choice to give up your ambitions, for any reason. Now, again, even if you meet the buyoff condition (in this case letting a Strong or Rare Pokemon go instead of trying to capture it), you choose if you want to gain the XP for it, which is when you give up being a hunter, at least for a time. Then later, you might find the drive again, take back up your need to go and explore the world for powerful wild Pokemon, which means you can get your Ambition back in the next Chapter.

Brody

I'm thinking of:

Ranger

When you succesfuly navigate a new location, gain 1 exp.

When you successfully navigate dangerous terrain, gain 3 exp.

When you are the first person to visit a location, gain 5 exp.

Buyout. If you find yourself hopelessly lost, or needing rescuing from the wilderness.

AustinP0027

I posted another ambition.

With that, I think I should be wrapped up.

Grunt's Ghosts

Yeah, that's pretty good.

Brody

If the ranger ambition sounds good, I'll add that and update Hunter when I get home.

WACriminal

I don't think I'll be able to finish mine until tomorrow night. I understand if you want to go ahead and start without me.

Endless_Serpents

I had just picked the operative ambition, it was in brackets, pretty boring though. Let's see:

Ambition: Seeker
- When you follow a pokemon into the unknown, gain 1 exp.
- When you record something previously unknown, gain 3 exp.
- When your advice is sought by those of high standing, gain 5 exp.

Buyout, if you're grievously injured by a pokemon, or you feel your understanding of the world is proven false.


I've also altered Arkose's story a tad, I'm thinking he's more of a zen-style wanna-be wise man, than a bookworm.

Grunt's Ghosts

WACriminal wrote: »

I don't think I'll be able to finish mine until tomorrow night. I understand if you want to go ahead and start without me.

I'm not even thinking of starting until Friday or Monday. You got time.

I'm going to be doing some changes I thought of in the rules during the day. It wouldn't effect what you guys are doing now, but more of the combat stuff and catching Pokemon. So keep up being awesome.

Edit: I lied...

New Pokemon Energy Rule: Pokemon have Energy equal to the higher of their Attack or Special Attack multiplied by 2 plus the lower of Attack or Special Attack.

Brody

I fixed the energy stat, and fixed/added to my ambitions.

Grunt's Ghosts

I've been meaning to ask you, what's a nestuke? Because Google is just linking me to wooden frog statues and pregnant women.

Brody

In traditional japanese clothing, kimono's didnt have pockets, so you would wear a belt, and put your stuff in pouches, and hang them from your belt. The netsuke was kind of like a bead that would go on top of the belt, and then the string would go from the netsuke, under the belt, then into the pouch.

Grunt's Ghosts

Ok, that makes more sense than Nadare carrying flowers in a pregnant frog statue.

I also see that Rhydon got an evolution! I didn't know that since I haven't played Pokemon since Black and White.

Brody

Yeah... I'll probably be avoiding that. Maybe even avoiding Rhydon. Its a little disappointing that it goes from a cute little rhinoceros to a big kaiju style thing with a narwhal horn.

Also, my understanding is that most netsuke examples that are around today are more of an art piece, or things that would have been used by aristocrats, and that the general populace's would have been much more plain.

Grunt's Ghosts

Well, right now there is no reason to evolve a Pokemon except to restat them so you can avoid it forever.

Endless_Serpents

While we're still just thinking on stuff, what's everyone opinion on:
1. Legendaries owning huge areas, almost as large as any given clans. They'd still go unseen, but you wouldn't test their territory's borders lightly.
2. Pokemon based heavily on modern man-made things not existing.
3. Healers (Jennies) that use pokemon are treated like witches, hated as a rule, but secretly asked for help when the muk hits the fan.

Grunt's Ghosts

2- According to the Pokemon Wiki, Magnemite was found in Carvings in the Ruins of Alph, nearly 3000 years before the modern time, so you'd see them around. Polygon and Mewtwo might be non-existence in this setting due to being artificially created, but that doesn't mean someone didn't try to make them with magic. And Voltorb might exist and Pokeballs were made to copy its looks, not the other way around.

Marshmallow

I always figured a primal Porygon would be an origami bird. Maybe made out of written-on paper so it keeps the 'made out of data' concept.

(You could call it Porigami).

Edit: Oh man, and you could write on it to 'reprogram' it. I'm saving this idea.

Grunt's Ghosts

"Its believed that if a person captures a 1000 Poligami, they are granted a wish. However, they are extremely rare, making doing so impossible."

Brody

Are we doing red and white mechanical balls? I figured we'd be aiming more towards traditional acorn balls. Or just flat out subduing it through willpower.

Grunt's Ghosts

I was thinking of using Apricorn Balls, which are from Jonto. Being that trading between the regions is rare now, this means that they will be hard to come by but worth it. In fact, I do have an quest idea that was going to earn everyone one normal Apricorn Ball.

Brody

My understanding is that traditionally, apricorn balls would have been used everywhere, but fell out of favor with the invention of the modern pokeball.

Grunt's Ghosts

Apricorns are native to Jonto, and only found in the games that happen in Jonto. So I figured that they only grow in Jonto and were the region's biggest export before the Clan Wars caused trade between the regions be hard (since you were now travelling into a technically lawless land to trade). Few Jontian traders travel to Kanto, so the clans hoard Apricorns and Apricornsmiths jealousy. But there are still Apricorn Balls out there you can get, you just have to find them.

Endless_Serpents

They'd still be a rarity worthy of a quest even if they're from Kanto, as those that make them are hard to come by I'd imagine. I suppose they'd last a long time too, so a cache of ancient apricorns would be a great find.

On point 2, that's great! I love the origami porygon idea! Yeah, I don't want it set in stone, just in general. I don't expect to see Mewtwo any time soon regardless.

Grunt's Ghosts

I personally will be keeping to wild Pokemon being native to Kanto. Other gen Pokemon will be owned by Pokemon Trainers so we most likely won't be seeing Klefki or Rotom.

Brody

Yeah, I guess I just assumed that by the time period of the games, the only person still making apricorn balls would be kurt, but in this era, they wouldn't have the plastics/metals/electronics to make a "pokeball." Also, even if they were commonly used regionally, I'm sure the damage caused by the wars would have some effect on availability.

Endless_Serpents

Just as a bit of fun, what is the second pokemon everyone wants, or the third I guess, since you take what you can get early in an adventure.

I'd be down for a krabby; I just find them hilarious.

Grunt's Ghosts

Endless_Serpents wrote: »

While we're still just thinking on stuff, what's everyone opinion on:
1. Legendaries owning huge areas, almost as large as any given clans. They'd still go unseen, but you wouldn't test their territory's borders lightly.
2. Pokemon based heavily on modern man-made things not existing.
3. Healers (Jennies) that use pokemon are treated like witches, hated as a rule, but secretly asked for help when the muk hits the fan.

3- I kinda dislike this idea. Before the Clan Wars, people lived in peace with Pokemon, and owning Pokemon isn't a taboo thing. So why would people dislike being healed by Pokemon? Then again, it depends on how the fae-like powers of Pokemon work in this game. How effective are they against People.

Endless_Serpents

@Grunt's Ghosts Yeah, thats fine. I was just coming up with random things to ponder.

While I'm at it:
1. Should we assume that the dead clan Star used psychic types?
2. Do the Lightning clan consider themselves most like the first emperor, with their favouring of the electric type?
3. Are there four elite guards at the Indigo Palace, who await to test the skill of worthy heir?


Find out all this and more, at an undisclosed time and place!

Grunt's Ghosts

No, that's fine. I have just the basic idea of world building and then when people say something I go "I didn't think about that, so... things!"

Brody

Thats where I was coming from on the Apricorn balls thing. Mostly just letting setting questions percolate, and then asking the ones that sound maybe coherent.

Endless_Serpents

Say, does this game have rules for weather, or particular terrain, like fighting near a volcano say. It doesn't have to be a big deal, it'd just be interesting.

I'm thinking, when fighting during rain, water and grass types gain +2 energy. Or, when fighting underground, be it a cave or a subway, ground and dragon types gain +1 Attack.

Could provide a bit of drama, like "we need to defeat these bandits before the sun sets, or their dark type pokemon will such and such!"

Edit: I promise I don't edit every post I make. My phone likes to help me spell thing in its own unique way.

Grunt's Ghosts

Endless_Serpents wrote: »

@Grunt's Ghosts Yeah, thats fine. I was just coming up with random things to ponder.

While I'm at it:
1. Should we assume that the dead clan Star used psychic types?
2. Do the Lightning clan consider themselves most like the first emperor, with their favouring of the electric type?
3. Are there four elite guards at the Indigo Palace, who await to test the skill of worthy heir?


Find out all this and more, at an undisclosed time and place!

1- Clarification Denied. I have an idea on who the Star Clan are today.
2- Yes, yes they do. While each Emperor or Empress has had their own Pokemon of varying types through the years, The Lighting Clan claim to be the "true" heirs as their clan leader believes himself to a distance relative to the Emperor line.
3- That is a great idea. I shall pretend that it was the plan the whole time.

Grunt's Ghosts

Endless_Serpents wrote: »

Say, does this game have rules for weather, or particular terrain, like fighting near a volcano say. It doesn't have to be a big deal, it'd just be interesting.

I'm thinking, when fighting during rain, water and grass types gain +2 energy. Or, when fighting underground, be it a cave or a subway, ground and dragon types gain +1 Attack.

Could provide a bit of drama, like "we need to defeat these bandits before the sun sets, or their dark type pokemon will such and such!"

Edit: I promise I don't edit every post I make. My phone likes to help me spell thing in its own unique way.

No, not yet. I know that the vidya gaem has Abilities that work sorta like that but that's a species thing and not a type thing.

Endless_Serpents

That's okay. A bit of a collective agreement between players would be enough anyway. If we're fighting in the middle of a blizzard I imagine everyone here would just be fictionally descriptive about what's going down. Food for thought though.

Grunt's Ghosts

Brody wrote: »

Thats where I was coming from on the Apricorn balls thing. Mostly just letting setting questions percolate, and then asking the ones that sound maybe coherent.

Also, understand, I'm not going to make Apricorn balls super legendary rare, like they are orange items from WoW. People might be willing to give up a ball or two for your help, you might be able to steal some from Clans, or find them in the ruins where past Trainers ran off and left a bag with a few supplies behind. They are going to be special items that you earn but not items that are impossible to find.

Because that would be a dick move for me to do to folks who are playing a game that is based on a game that has the slogan "Gotta Catch 'Em All!"

Brody

Grunt's Ghosts wrote: »

Brody wrote: »

Thats where I was coming from on the Apricorn balls thing. Mostly just letting setting questions percolate, and then asking the ones that sound maybe coherent.

Also, understand, I'm not going to make Apricorn balls super legendary rare, like they are orange items from WoW. People might be willing to give up a ball or two for your help, you might be able to steal some from Clans, or find them in the ruins where past Trainers ran off and left a bag with a few supplies behind. They are going to be special items that you earn but not items that are impossible to find.

Because that would be a dick move for me to do to folks who are playing a game that is based on a game that has the slogan "Gotta Catch 'Em All!"

I'm not super worried about it. I was just wondering how a trainer having multiple pokemon would work prior to the age of industrial production pokeballs.