Making Camp

We're still tinkering around with a new Contest system, one that involves creating Routines by stringing moves together in an inventive and creative way, but I'll talk more on that when it's been tested.

The other thing we've been focused on at the moment is the Camp phase during overworld movement, and I'll share a few things with you that we've worked out.

I wanted the 'Make Camp' phase to be the equivalent of an 'Upkeep' phase, if you like; a chance for not only the characters to catch a breather, but for the players to stop, chat amongst themselves, and do a few cool and interesting things before refocusing on the next day's travel.

When night falls, the group must make the decision on whether to 'Make Camp', or push on through the night. Pushing on will get them to their destination faster and give them another Travel Card, but there are certain events that can only take place during camp.

For the group as a whole, the following things occur when they decide to Make Camp:

• The players tend to their injured or fainted Pokemon. All Pokemon that are Injured (half HP or below) or fainted regain HP equal to their Base HP stat, up to a maximum of half their HP.
   
• Players may trade items and cash amongst each other.
   
• Players may switch moves in a Pokemon's Move Set.
   
• Daily Pokemon moves are reset.

In addition, most professions will also have some sort of ability that can only be used when the group has stopped to make camp:

• The Researcher can dig for fossil fragments;
• The Groomer can groom one of their Pokemon, potentially raising it's Loyalty;
• The Breeder can make a batch of food, potentially raising one of the party's Pokemon's Loyalty;
• The Ranger can scout for Berries;

We're still working on abilities for the Medic and Trainer. The Medic's is looking like either replacing their 'Restore 10HP out of combat' ability with 'Heal one Pokemon to full HP when the group makes camp'. Alternatively, we might change the Medic's 'Cure one status affect on a Pokemon' to a Camp Only ability. The Trainer is going to be a tougher nut to crack, and it could be that given the Trainer's other benefits, they do not have a Camp Only ability.

With these additions, the decision on whether to make camp or not has become a lot more interesting.

As of writing this, I'm currently knocking out the final cards in the Sinnoh pokedex, and Unova is looming close behind it. The home straight isn't far away.

Until next time!

- Jamie

The Road to Victory

Given that we were including different professions in the game, I decided then that I also wanted to have different goals for the players to strive for, beyond just the standard Gym battles and Pokemon League. I want the game to accommodate a range of play styles and interests - battling shouldn't be the only measure of determining how well you've raised your Pokemon.

Currently, we've worked out 4 additional "leagues" that players can opt to partake in; Contests, Competitions, Tournaments and Archeology. Just like collecting badges from Gyms, these other goals are long-term, journey shaping paths that will carry those players around their chosen region on the road to victory.

Let's have an early look at each of these and how they work:

The Pokemon League
The one we all know and love. The road to the Pokemon League is still much like we all remember it: you travel from town to town, collect 8 badges, and that grants you entry to compete in the League. The League itself is a mix of the league from the show and the games, where players compete in a tournament, and the winner gets to challenge the current League Champion for the title.

Contests: The Pokemon Society
I was never a fan of contests in the games; I found them confusing, boring, and a bit of a tacked-on gimmick rather than a full blown path to follow. We're looking at rectifying that in Journeys; streamlining the system, making it fun and strategic, and expanding it into it's own thing, much like the Pokemon League.

One of the ideas we're looking at is placing Contest Halls across the map with Judges that you compete against, much like Gyms and their leaders. Just as Gyms are focused on a certain Type, we're looking at making the Contest Halls focused on either a certain Stat (Attack, Speed, Defence etc.) or a mix of all stats.

You compete against a Judge in a Yahtzee-esque game, based on your Social stat and your Pokemon's Loyalty level, by rolling a number of dice equal to your Social stat, with rerolls equal to your Pokemon's Loyalty. EG: If I'm a breeder with a Social stat of 5, and my chosen Pokemon has a loyalty of 4, that gives me 5d6, with 4 rerolls. For a reroll, you can reroll as many dice as you like (IE: Using the above example, you could reroll all the dice 4 times, not reroll just 4 of the dice). You do this over a number of rounds, adding the Contest's chosen Stat to your score to determine a victor.

We're still tinkering with this, but that's the general idea. We're also talking about using Moves instead of Stats, and having the ability to sacrifice some of your rerolls to force your opponent to reroll their dice instead.

There would be 6 - 8 Contest Halls across a region, where you earn Ribbons upon victory. Collecting all the ribbons gives you access to the Pokemon Society Grand Festival; where you compete against other contestants in a tournament similar to the Pokemon League setup. Any profession can compete in Contests, though we've built it with a focus on Breeders and Groomers.

Competitions: Master Trainer Championship
Competitions are aimed at using a player's pokemon in different and unique ways, such as racing, target shooting, even capturing. Some will focus on a specific stat (like a Pokemon's Speed in a Race), whilst others will focus on a Trainer's abilities (such as capturing the biggest Water Pokemon in a fishing competition). Think of the Pokethlon events in the games and that will give you an idea on what we're looking at with Competitions.

For things that use a Pokemon's stats, such as a race, you simply roll a d20, add your pokemon's associated stat (Speed in this instance), and the order of the scores determines the placing of the Pokemon. You are then able to affect those directly in front or behind you, by dealing damage and having the damage total come off their score, potentially dropping them back a place or two. We tried this in our play test, and what resulted was a fun, frantic game of alliance making and breaking as everyone scrambled for the lead spot. It's definitely a system we want to include in the final product.

Again, we're looking at about 6-8 Competitions across a region. Competitions award Patches for a placing, and you'll need to gain a place in each one to gain access to the Master Trainer Championship; a series of competitions that will play out much like the Pokethlon to determine a champion. We've made it so that any player can compete in Competitions, regardless of profession.

Tournaments: Element Cup
Taking the path to the Element Cup involves competing in a series of type-based tournaments, and trying to gain a placing. These tournaments involve entering a single Pokemon of the Tournament type (grass, fire etc.)
in a series of one-on-one battles to gain a place.

We think about 6 tournaments is a good number for a region, and earning a place gives you Medals. Collect a medal from each tournament and you can compete in the Element Cup, a series of type-based battles played out in rounds where the victor is awarded the cup itself. Any profession can compete in the Element Cup, though Trainers and Rangers would be ideal candidates.

Archeology: The Fossil Trail
Rather unique from the other paths, following the Fossil Trail does not result in a grand competition and trophies, but instead in awarding the player with a new Pokemon.

Specific to Researchers, this profession will have the ability to 'Dig for fragments' whenever the group makes camp, using their 'Luck' or 'Knowledge' stat added to a d20 roll. Scoring above a certain modifier set by the GM (around 20 most likely) means the Researcher has discovered a fossil fragment. They make another roll to determine the fragment's frailty, and then put it away in their backpack until they reach a town with a Laboratory.

In the lab, the Researcher then uses their Pokemon to begin cleaning the fragment. Fragments will be caked with rock and stone, and will have a certain amount of HP depending on the frailty roll when it was found. The Researcher uses their Pokemon's moves to whittle away this rock, uncovering as much of the fragment as they can without breaking it. Do too much damage and reduce the HP to 0, and the fragment breaks.

When they are ready, they can then make a Knowledge check to ID the fragment. The more rock they've managed to chip away, the bigger the bonus (or smaller the negative) to their Knowledge check - much like how the system for capturing Wild Pokemon works.

Successfully identifying the fragment will let the Researcher know what fossil it belongs to, determined by a random ID roll. Collect 4 fragments from the same fossil, and the Researcher can then resurrect it to give them their reward; a new Pokemon for their team. Successfully resurrect a certain number of fossils, and the Researcher will be granted a Master's Certificate, officially granting them the title of 'Professor'. 

Failing to ID a fragment means the fragment becomes unidentified. Unidentified fragments can be traded at a Lab for a fresh fragment (probably at a ratio of 3 to 1), and the Researcher can try again, until they're all out and need to go and dig some more.

It's a fun system with a real appeal for collect-aholics, and gives Researchers their own "league" to compete in and be challenged by.

These systems are all still under development, so things may change before we're done, but the foundations are there. I think they go a long way to making the world of Pokemon Journeys much more customizable and appealing to a wide range of players, and gives GM's the tools to shape and personalize their own regions much more finely.

Until next time!

- Jamie

Latest Updates

After our first mini playtest last weekend, there's been a slew of recent updates to the game's mechanics and formula, and I feel like what we have at the moment is pretty solid. Here's a quick rundown of what's changed:

• Pokemon HP is determined by multiplying the HP stat by 3.
• The Luck trait has been officially included into the trainer stats, giving a total of 4 traits. Luck is used when initiating a battle with another trainer, to determine who sends out first by rolling a d20 and adding the Luck stat. On a tie, both trainers send out at the same time.
• Once per battle, players can also 'Try Their Luck' by attempting to use their Pokemon moves in an unconventional way to alter the battle conditions (EG: Using Ice Beam to freeze a pond an enemy Pokemon is swimming in). This is determined by a d20 + Luck roll, against a target the GM sets, and the outcome is determined by the GM (EG: The Pokemon in the Pond's Speed is reduced to 1, and the pond is now a solid surface). Trying your Luck cannot be used to damage the enemy in any way.
• When rolling to hit with a move, you must now roll beneath the move's Accuracy/10 (rounded up) on a d10. EG: Accuracy of 80 needs a roll of 8 or less on a d10 to hit.
• Move damage is now calculated by taking the move's Power Rating and applying it to a dice equivalent using a prepared chart, which you can see here.
• Pokemon now apply Def/SpDef before weakness/resistances. 
• The evasion system (where a Pokemon was harder to hit based on their Speed) has been removed, to make it more in-line with the video game. Move accuracy is now only affected by other in-battle moves, like Sand Attack and Double Team.
• Pokemon have a total move pool of 8 moves, with only 4 being able to be used at any time. These 4 are called a Move Set, and can be changed for different situations. Pokemon must start forgetting moves as normal when they get above 8.
• More things can be done while the players make camp. As well as resetting character abilities, players can also only trade items with each other when making camp, and Move Sets can only be altered during this time (or when in Town).
• Move frequency will be based on a D&D-esque "At Will", "Encounter" and "Daily" system, rather than using PP. Depending on a move's video game PP value, it will be categorized into one of these frequencies. The frequencies themselves will also be renamed.
• The wager system has been reworked slightly. Originally, before battle, the player had to make a wager. If they win, they gain that amount of money, but if they lose, they lose it. The new system is that players can now choose to make a wager or not, and winning now grants the player double the wager (losing still causes them to lose the wagered amount).
• When drawing from the Travel Deck, players in the group take it in turns to draw, and the drawn card is for that player.
• When drawing a card from the Travel Deck, a player can choose to resolve it themselves, or pass it to another member of the group instead for them to resolve.
• Three new cards have been made for the Travel Deck. The Bicycle allows the group to move 2 squares each turn, but must be discarded if the Bad Weather card is drawn. The Town Map allows a player to search the Travel Deck and choose what they'd like to occur. Lastly, the Nurse Joy card allows one player to heal all of their Pokemon as though they were at a Pokemon Centre. 

That's about all for this week. Our first major play test of the game is tomorrow, so be sure to check back next week for all the details on how it went, and I'll try and get a few photos as well.

Until then,

- Jamie