<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Basics of Training and Rules for Battle</strong></span><br/><br/><em>Remember that pokemon are under the control of their respective owners. You may not control someone else's pokemon unless they have given you permission.</em><br/><br/><em><strong>Training</strong></em><br/>As with all pokemon games, training is an important part of getting stronger, for your character as well as for you. Your pokemon are not going to be all-powerful the moment you start out, and if you hope to even come close to that, you're going to have to battle a LOT. There are a few different methods of carrying out battles, and many reasons to do so. Therefore, before you begin, be sure that you read everything provided here.<br/><br/>Your pokemon will gradually become stronger over the course of the RP. There is no set method to "leveling up," but as you go, you will be aware of just how strong your monsters are and be able to determine an appropriate comparison between them and other monsters. I trust everyone in this RP to use their best judgement storywise, but if problems arise, I may have to change the rules. Currently, however, there are no level numbers associated with pokemon in-story. This is primarily because I am assuming that every character that participates is an experienced trainer rather than a beginning trainer. If that changes, and someone decides they wish to be just beginning their adventure, I may have to make some adjustments to how the game is played.<br/><br/>As it stands, levels only matter when it comes to deciding how much your pokemon can handle and what sorts of attacks they might know. They also play a role in developing teams for the Pokemon Online Battle Client. Other than that, they aren't very important. I trust that everyone here is mature enough to decide how strong their monsters are relatively speaking.<br/><br/><br/><em><strong>Wild Battles and Catching Pokemon</strong></em><br/>Frequently on your journey, you may encounter wild pokemon. Wild pokemon are NPCs, and they can be controlled by anyone at any time, as long as multiple people aren't controlling the same one at the exact same moment. You never know when one might pop up. They generally stick to the wild, in places such as tall grass, forests, caves, and abandoned buildings, but sometimes they'll show up in a town.<br/><br/>It's recommended that every once in awhile, you cause a pokemon encounter for someone else. It gives them a chance to train or catch pokemon. If nobody has given you a wild encounter in awhile, you may cause one for yourself, but it's not as fun that way. If you DO cause an encounter for yourself, make it reasonable. In other words, don't just make a rare pokemon or a legendary pop up.<br/><br/>To make it simple, Follow these Guidelines:<br/><ul class="bbc_list">- Encounters with common or uncommon pokemon may be initiated by you for yourself if you have not had an encounter in awhile.<br/>- Encounters with rare pokemon should always be initiated by someone else<br/>- Encounters with Legendaries must go through me, as they are major story events<br/>- All pokemon encounters must make sense. No fire pokemon appearing underwater. Stay true to each species' elements and environmental preferences.</ul><br/><br/><em>When a Battle Begins....</em><br/>The players involved will decide how that battle shall be handled. There are three ways to cover a battle, and each will be described below.<br/><br/><br/><br/><strong><em>Section 1: Pokemon Online Battle Client</em><br/></strong><br/>The Pokemon Online Battle Client (http://pokemon-online.eu/) is a computer program that allows you to battle other players over the internet in matches modeled after the original game's battle system. You are able to fully customize your team with every pokemon all the way up to Black and White. This method of battling is the fastest, and causes the least dispute and discussion, and it can also be the funnest, as it's like playing the game.<br/><br/>This method is recommended for virtually every battle, especially wild battles, matches that you want to go quickly, matches that you don't want to argue about or discuss, and every match in between. There are a few important rules to follow when participating in these matches, however.<br/><br/>1. When designing your team, only create a team that matches your character's current team in the story. For now, all pokemon in the simulator should be set to level 100, thus leaving the competition down to strategy.<br/><br/>2. If you don't have a full team of 6 pokemon, don't give yourself any extras. Leave the empty slots empty.<br/><br/>3. If you have a pokemon on your team that is not represented in the battle client (as in the case of creating your own monster) you may choose one of the options below:<br/><ul class="bbc_list">-If the pokemon is an evolution or a pre-evolution of an existing pokemon, represent it with the most accurate available form of its species.<br/>-If there is another pokemon of the exact same element with very similar attributes, you may substitute with the available monster.<br/>-If no similar monster is available, you will have to treat that monster as an empty slot and complete the battle in the story once the match is finished.</ul><br/>4. When challenging an opponent for the battle client, be sure you specify that indeed that is where and how you want to fight them.<br/><br/>5. Be a good sport, as always.<br/><br/>6. After the battle is over, the victor will save the battle log and post it in the thread so that everyone can see how the match went. Please note that if you do not enable the save function, you will lose the battle log if your opponent leaves the match before you. A lost battle log means the match never happened.<br/><br/>7. Maintain your team. Make changes to your team over time as you advance in the RP. This is primarily for your benefit.<br/><br/>8. No cheating. Do not change a log after a battle is over to give yourself an advantage or make it look like you won. Getting caught doing so will not only make you look bad, but could get you kicked out of the RP.<br/><br/>9. All forum rules apply when communicating with other players on the battle client. Behave appropriately and remain in character if you converse during the battle using the message feature.<br/><br/><br/><br/><strong><em>Section 2: Story Battles</em></strong><br/><br/>Story battles are a form of literary art and are a treat for other players to read. They add an element of interest and intensity to the RP, and they tend to be the most flashy and the most entertaining to witness from the sidelines. They are the most fascinating to read, and can help develop your characters by enabling more interactions and focus on pokemon personalities during the match.<br/><br/>Story battles are recommended when you want to make a battle interesting, when you have time for writing a work of art, and for important battles that you want to go down in history as "epic." If the players decide upon a story battle, both must follow these rules:<br/><br/>1. Discuss the match out of character beforehand, whether on a separate ooc thread, via email, pm, or instant messenger. Decide who you both want to win and what you would like to see happen.<br/><br/>2. Begin the match. When participating in a story battle, try to think of it as writing a story more so than RPing. Traditional rules do not apply. You are allowed to affect the opponent's pokemon directly and even control their actions to a small degree. Write a few paragraphs, taking special care to make them interesting and full of imagery and intensity, and then pass it off to your opponent. They will do the same.<br/><br/>3. Continue the battle until the agreed upon result is reached. Once the battle ends, full control of the characters returns to their respective owners.<br/><br/><br/><br/><strong><em>Section 3: Military Style Battles</em></strong><br/><br/>In military battles, your monsters' skills are limited only by your own ability to fight and by the monster's element. Obviously, a water monster won't go around breathing fire in typical cases. There is no HP, level, or stats to keep track of, although effects such as poison, stun, sleep, burns, etc. are possible and must be acknowledged in battle when appropriate.<br/><br/>Since your monster's skill is equal to your fighting ability and skill with particular elements, anyone with any monster can become amazingly powerful. There are generally no named attacks (ex. flamethrower, water gun, etc.) and instead you'll just exercise your knowledge and skill depending on how well you think you can explain any given move you make. You can, however, use moves from the game to inspire your own battle. This fighting style means that even the legendary monsters may not be the most powerful, if not placed in the right hands.<br/><br/>However, the military style of battling means that, while a more accurate judgment of RP battling skill, there will be more conflict and open ended battles. Military style battles frequently result in frustration, disagreements, and even outrage. As a result, they are the LEAST recommended of all battle styles.<br/><br/>If you do choose to participate in a military style match, in order to win, you must understand the rules.<br/><br/>1. Be respectful and considerate of other players. There is no reason to mistreat anyone OOC.<br/><br/>2. ABSOLUTELY NO G-MODDING! G-modding is not only unfair, but it doesn't prove anything and it often causes flame wars. G-modding can be defined as:<br/><br/><ul class="bbc_list">-Changing something that has already happened. This includes editing posts during a fight.<br/><br/>-Saying an attack hit before your opponent has a chance to react. If your opponent fails to react to an attack, you may cause the attack to hit and appropriate damage will be dealt.<br/><br/>-Not acknowledging damage you have received fairly (acting like it never happened).<br/><br/>-Being invulnerable, for any time amount of time<br/><br/>-Not taking damage from lasting injuries or effects (such as poison, burns, etc.)<br/><br/>-Initiating attacks that you cannot defend with valid sources from a pokedex, scientific evidence, or other reasonable explanations.<br/><br/>-Controlling the actions of someone else's character (without their permission).</ul><br/>3. Elect at LEAST one unbiased Referee for every battle. It is STRONGLY recommended that you appoint more than one referee to watch your match and settle any disputes that may come up, as well as to help decide on a victor if the question arises of whether an opponent won or lost. Electing an odd number of refs will ensure that the refs can vote on a winner in the event a dispute arises. With any luck, however, you won't need the refs' help.<br/><br/>4. Accept all battles or else decline with dignity. It's rude to decline battles, but you may well do so if you don't think you're ready. There's no shame in conceding the opponent's strength if you do not expect you can match them.<br/><br/>5. Know your limitations. Don't do things that you don't think you can't explain later, or that don't coincide with your monster's elements or otherwise known abilities.<br/><br/>6. Remember that the laws of nature do apply. This is a fantasy RP, and we widely accept usage of fantasy maneuvers, such as the controlling of fire itself. Just remember that there are some rules you can't defy. Like gravity, momentum, and the fact that fire does not burn underwater.<br/><br/>7. If, after a battle ends, an argument over the victor proceeds, do not argue in the rp. Take it to IM, PM, or the OOC thread and bring in your ref/s.<br/><br/>8. What the ref rules is final! If a ref has been brought in due to inability to resolve the fight yourself, don't argue against the judge's ruling.<br/><br/>9. Be a good sport. Win, lose, or draw, always shake hands. Don't walk away bitter towards the players themselves, and don't whine like a baby.