Rules
In “Kids & Monsters”, Players assume the role of preteen and teenage Pokémon trainers (at the youngest 10, at the oldest 15) who are in the early, formative years of their respective Pokemon journeys; perhaps you may have just received your starter and set off with grandiose ambitions of beating the Erehwon League or filling out the Pokédex; perhaps you’ve been at it a year or two, collecting a few badges here, catching a few Pokémon there, but growing disenchanted with your goals; perhaps you fancied becoming a Gym Leader, going so far as to apply for a license before realizing you’re way in over your head.
Whatever the case may be, you find yourself on the road, wandering aimlessly from town to town with no clear goal in mind. You won’t be alone in this journey, however, as you’ll find yourself in the company of several like-minded individuals, all struggling with a similar lack of direction. Together, you’ll catch Pokémon, battle for Gym Badges, and (for those feeling particularly adventurous) unravel the mysteries of the Erehwon Region.
While players have the option of NPCing as adults, it is strongly encouraged that your main player character be within the 10-15 Y/O age bracket. This way, they’re old enough to recognize when something’s not as it should be, but young enough that their age effectively hampers what they can and can’t do. When a player character turns 16, they part ways with the main group, but can occasionally pop up as an NPC. At that point, the player introduces a new character, or begins using a previously-established age-appropriate NPC as their main character.
While in many ways, competition plays a large part in the fictional context of both “Kids & Monsters” and the Pokémon franchise as a whole, it is important to understand that this is not a competition. While that may seem counterintuitive, the goal of “Kids & Monsters” is to tell exciting stories, not quarrel about stats and who’s Pokemon is more likely to win in a fight. Players are strongly encouraged to communicate with one another; be a fan of each other’s characters; see battles not simply as a contest of pride, but rather an obstacle a character must overcome to advance their story; and voting diplomatically on who may deserve to win, based on the nature of the fiction.
Story arcs in “Kids & Monsters” are told over the course of a single in-fiction year, which itself is broken down into four “episodes” covering a three-month period. In the interests of shaking things up, it’s encouraged that the game master step back from managerial duties every fourth episode and pass the torch on to an elected successor, who will continue the story on into the following year with a new block of storylines. However, in the unlikely event that no player is willing to volunteer as GM, players may vote diplomatically as to whether or not the incumbent GM may continue for another season.
The first season takes place in the year 1988. Players should keep that in mind when writing about pop culture, technology, history, etc. Many of the same touchstones from the real world can be incorporated, with slight tweaks to reflect the world of Pokemon (e.g. replacing country names with their Pokemon world counterparts).
Joining you and your friends on your Pokémon journey are the titular Pokémon themselves, who inhabit the world of “Kids & Monsters.” In many regards, Pokémon act as an extension of your characters, reflecting their personalities, preferences, ideologies and goals. When creating a new character, players have the option of filling out a field denoting the Pokémon in their party (up to 6, as in the games) as well as those in the care of a specialized storage service for whenever they are not in use. It is strongly encouraged that players start out with just one Pokemon in their party, as it ensures that they’re ready to face the world, but also leaving room for them to grow their team in real time.
If, however, a player has an excuse for starting with two, or even three (but no more than three) Pokémon, they may consult with the GM as to whether or not they are willing to make an exception.
Starter Pokémon
For players wanting to get straight into the game but are also unsure of where to start, “Kids & Monsters” offers a selection of Pokémon that they can start with by default, which can be found here.
If, however, a player desires to start with a different Pokémon in mind that is none of the ones listed above, it is encouraged that they submit a request to the GM for the specific Pokémon they wish to start with, as well as any narrative reasons as to why they wish to do so. For example, a player wishing to start with a Growlithe because their family has ties to Law Enforcement will likely be accepted; a player wishing to start with a Regigigas because they’re just so naturally talented will likely be rejected; If you want your character to catch a Legendary, it cannot be trivial. It will require narrative justification, long term work, and GM approval.
The foremost slot in a character’s party is reserved for their “partner” Pokémon, or the Pokémon with whom they share the closest physical and emotional bond; this can range in nature from the starter that your character received at the start of their journey, or a gift from a friend or family member, or even a wild encounter with whom you have since domesticated and forged a close friendship.
Over the course of your journey, certain situations might arise where your Pokémon learns a new move, or even evolves into a new, more powerful form. How and when these developments happen is not necessarily determined by some overly-complicated mechanics, but rather by what a player feels best fits the narrative at a given moment. All we ask when you implement these developments into play is that you make them count.
Player interactions and interpersonal dynamics are also driving forces of the story and the drama. Useful inspirations for these should be the various ‘children on an adventure’ stories of the 1980s and early 1990s (some examples listed above), as well as more recent stories which take their inspiration from them (e.g. “Stranger Things”; “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew”; etc.) These are stories about pre-teens experiencing freedom, and possibly getting in way over their heads, but by and large coming out on top, and changing (for the better? Who knows.)
There are several ways of going about this, not just through interactions with other players. Perhaps on their journey, your character may encounter someone who teaches them something they hadn’t given much thought over, and this individual may serve as a source of inspiration or even comfort. This could be a parent, a sibling, a teacher, a Professor, one of the innumerous, indistinguishable Nurse Joys that populate the Pokémon world, and so on and so forth. Not all of them may necessarily be “in touch” with contemporary issues that affect their children, but part of how we grow is through the values that we’re imbued from our ancestors, and whether or not we choose to follow those values.
Sounds deep, eh? And you thought this was going to be a run-of-the-mill Pokémon adventure!
Speaking of Pokémon- another medium for engaging in interpersonal dynamics is through the Pokemon themselves, who miraculously have their own special way of empathizing with their trainers. Granted, their vocal capabilities are somewhat limited, but they are usually able to discern when their trainers are angry, or upset, or simply pushing themselves too hard. They have somewhat of a conscience, and based on their own primordial instincts may disagree with what their trainer tells them to do, such as killing another trainer or taking things that may not belong to them. And granted, there are several environmental factors that may affect their outlook on things, but most Pokémon hold a human level of empathy and can be just as open-minded as their human contemporaries.
So! Now that you have a basic overview of what you’re in for, perhaps you’re wanting to jump in and start creating a character? Well, some good news for those who are already familiar with the “Play-By-Nova” system of collaborative writing; the character creation process is much like how it works on other Nova sims, but with a few new fields that help to appropriate the system for a Pokémon setting:
When applying to join, roles will be separated into two distinct categories: Player Characters and NPCs; these effectively speak for themselves, as you will only be able to join the game as a Player Character, and NPCs, while you have the option of playing as them in addition to your Player Character, are not part of the main group and serve more of a supporting role than anything else. We’ll cover some of the roles regarding NPCs, but for Player Characters themselves, there are three main roles you should be concerned about:
(Insert information about Player ranks- Novice, Experienced, Advanced, Ace, Veteran, and Expert)
Once you’ve selected your role, some of the following fields may be familiar to you as a veteran Nova player: Gender, Age, Hair Color, Eye Color, Physical Description, and Family Members. But once you get to aspects of your character’s personality, that’s where the real fun begins, as you’ll have a few new fields that will really help to define who your character is and where they may stand on certain matters:
-Your character’s Drive describes why they might be interested in stepping outside of the comfort of their everyday lives, set out on a Pokémon Journey… and possibly get in over their heads? Kids do stupid things, admittedly.
-Your character’s Anchor is someone- be it person or Pokémon- whom the character finds safety and comfort in. While this was dabbled upon in the previous section, the specific anchor that you choose for your character will be the one whom they know will always have an open door for when things get tough, and an ear to listen when your character needs to let off steam.
-Your character’s Problem is something that they’re having to deal with that might be uncomfortable for them to discuss with other members of the group. This could range from their parents getting a divorce, to the death of a near-and-dear family member, to the awkwardness that is pubescence and so on and so forth. They may not always affect the characters directly, but will help to stir up some inter-personal drama from time to time.
-Your character’s Pride is, as the name would suggest, a personal point of pride that pumps them up to get through a potentially dangerous or otherwise uncomfortable situation- a reason to persevere, if you will. Try framing this from the perspective of your character, and how they would tell themselves to be brave when faced with imminent danger.
-Your character’s Favorite Song bears no weight on the narrative, but goes a long way in defining your character’s personality. This being set in the late 1980s, and eventually early 1990s, players will be limited to songs released on December 31 of the year prior to which the sim is currently set, or earlier. For example, the premiere season of “Kids & Monsters”, set in 1988, will allow you to pick any song released on or before December 31, 1987; any songs released after the fact are not always guaranteed to be out at the time, and are strongly discouraged until the following season.
-Your character’s Iconic Item is a personal item that holds great significance to your character; this can be anything from a hat your mother gave you before setting off on your journey, to a keychain your uncle gave you before suddenly passing away, a or a crumpled Polaroid photo of a fond memory that you your friends made quite a few years back. Whatever the case, be sure that it, much like the Favorite Song, is reflective of your character’s personality.
Of course, what would any Pokemon journey be without your Pokémon? That’s where your character’s Party comes into the equation; in it, you’ll find six fields denoting the six Pokémon that your character can carry on their person at any one time; when you start, it’s encouraged that you fill out just one of these fields, but if for reasons you feel the need to start with a second, or even third Pokémon in your party, it’s encouraged that you consult with the GM over this matter.
Included in each field are a series of sub-fields denoting each Pokémon’s moves (no more than four at any one time- if a player chooses in the narrative to have their Pokémon learn a new move, then an existing move must be forgotten), abilities (only one, though many Pokémon have two or three options, one of which, called a Hidden Ability, could be much rarer), and a brief overview of the Pokémon’s personality and how they interact with their respective trainer. This is a narrative-driven sim, so while battle tactics do sometimes count (using an Electric-Type move on a Ground-Type Pokémon will pretty much have no effect, with certain exceptions), don’t feel you have to be crunching numbers every time your Pokémon executes a move.
There is also a field for Pokémon that are “in storage”, or otherwise have been captured by a character, but are not in their party at a given time. Unlike the more fleshed out fields, players only need to list the Pokémon “in storage” by name. If, at some point in fiction, a player wishes to swap out a Pokémon in their party for one “in storage”, they must first make their way to a local Pokémon center and request the Pokémon “in storage” that they wish to use.