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[Meta Thread] Pokerole Mystery Dungeon: Primal Shadows
#1
Time for another pokerole adventure to begin, this time hosted by me! 

[Image: 450px-Pok%C3%A9mon_Mystery_Dungeon_logo.png]
Primal Shadows

Welcome to Pokerole Mystery Dungeon: Primal Shadows!

For those of you who are returning players from the other Pokerole campaigns we've hosted on this forum, I hope you're ready for an experience unlike any other we've played so far!

And for those of you who are new players, welcome to the roleplay section (and possibly the forums as well)!  We hope you'll enjoy your stay and have a lot of fun while you're here!

If you were a human who woke up as a pokemon one day, but had very little memory of your life from before you were a pokemon, what would you do?  How would you survive?  And more importantly, why were you turned into a pokemon in the first place?  This campaign seeks to answer those questions and more, as we go on an adventure across the world of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon!

Current Players:
1. Lord Windos (Pyra the Devimp)
2. PhantomUnderYourDesk (Kee the Galarian Zigzagoon)
3. Spiritmon (Kogeki the Delta Riolu)
4. no one (Daxter the Midgardian Charmander)
Not currently looking for new players.

If there are empty spots in the list above, then we have room for new players to join the game!  PM me if you'd like to join!

Do note that if you wish to join the game, it's expected that you'll be at least semi-active.  Posting in the game thread every other day at minimum is ideal, but it's to be expected that real life will get in the way of that every so often.  If and when something happens that interferes with your ability to play the game, inform the GM that you'll be unable to post if you can (and when you think you'll be able to resume posting if possible) so that they can take action accordingly.  If you're inactive for long periods of time, the GM may auto your character or remove the character from the game at their discretion.

Character Creation, Rules, and Other Stuff

To get the ball rolling on actually joining the game, if you don't have the Pokerole rulebooks downloaded yet, the first thing you'll need to do is download and read through them.  The first one you'll need is the corebook (we'll be using the 1.2.5 version, which is the latest one at the time of writing), and the second is the Pokerole Mystery Dungeon Module.  Click this link to go to the Resources tab of the Pokerole website, where you can download both the corebook and the Mystery Dungeon Module.

Now then, whether you're new to Pokerole or a returning player on these forums, here's a brief overview of some rules and mechanics that are relevant to this game!  If something has a page reference next to it and you want more information on the topic, you may want to read that section in the corebook or the Mystery Dungeon Module, starting on that specific page.  (Of course, it's good to read all of the rules regardless, and I highly recommend doing so if you're unfamiliar with them, but this post should work as a quick reference if needed)


And that should do it for the pre-game debrief!  I hope everyone's excited to get started, because I know I am!  If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in this Meta Thread or PM me. 

Pokerole Mystery Dungeon: Primal Shadows will begin once I either have at least 4 players participating or it is Tuesday, April 7th, 2020 (whichever comes first)!

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#2
@Lord Windos, @PhantomUnderYourDesk, and @Spiritmon, I've sent all of you PMs with relevant information you'll need for your character creation.  You've got free reign to make copies of the provided character sheet and edit them in preparation for the game.

As always, I'll be available to answer questions if needed.
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#3
Oh yeah baby! We back in action! (Soon, but still good). And the information you sent via PM is amazing! It's even came out better than I could imagine! Thanks Dragonstrike you are the best Big Grin
I have a few questions: It is possible to me balance my char to have at least 3 in logic and 3 in Instincts? And how much the score it would begin to affect each other?

Also, according to the MD book, a player can enter the Primal State when they want. And user HP fully restored and a bonus dice based in the Instict stat. Can you confirm that?

And finally: Kee, Karen and Kogeki would still remember each other, or they're memories disappear too?
Kogeki currently ability to active in battles: Anticipation.
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#4
(03-29-2020, 06:33 PM)Spiritmon Wrote: Oh yeah baby! We back in action! (Soon, but still good). And the information you sent via PM is amazing! It's even came out better than I could imagine! Thanks Dragonstrike you are the best Big Grin
I have a few questions: It is possible to me balance my char to have at least 3 in logic and 3 in Instincts? And how much the score it would begin to affect each other?

Also, according to the MD book, a player can enter the Primal State when they want. And user HP fully restored and a bonus dice based in the Instict stat. Can you confirm that?

And finally: Kee, Karen and Kogeki would still remember each other, or they're memories disappear too?

Glad you liked what I came up with!

Starting Logic and Instinct scores are 1 in one stat, 2 in the other (your choice which is which), no exceptions.  Those two stats are very important to the mechanics of how the game will run. They can both be increased during the course of the game, but it's not meant to be easy, and it'll probably take a good chunk of the game to get both of them to respectable levels since they can both decrease when other stats increase (at least, that's the intention).

Primal State can usually only be triggered when you faint (or in other extremely distressing and dangerous situations).  It's partially a penalty for fainting, but also partially a way for you to not lose the game very, very quickly if the RNG decides you're going to have a bad day.  Think of it as a last resort that you should avoid the use of unless absolutely necessary.

Kee, Karen, and Kogeki will be able to recognize each other once they've identified who they are, but how they know each other will be unclear IC at first due to their memory loss.
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#5
(03-29-2020, 06:45 PM)Dragonstrike Wrote: Glad you liked what I came up with!

Starting Logic and Instinct scores are 1 in one stat, 2 in the other (your choice which is which), no exceptions.  Those two stats are very important to the mechanics of how the game will run.  They can both be increased during the course of the game, but it's not meant to be easy, and it'll probably take a good chunk of the game to get both of them to respectable levels since they can both decrease when other stats increase (at least, that's the intention).

Primal State can usually only be triggered when you faint.  It's partially a penalty for fainting, but also partially a way for you to not lose the game very, very quickly if the RNG decides you're going to have a bad day.  Think of it as a last resort that you should avoid the use of unless absolutely necessary.

Kee, Karen, and Kogeki will be able to recognize each other once they've identified who they are, but how they know each other will be unclear IC at first due to their memory loss.

Wait a minute. Itsnt a bit...unfair? Because if we faint, we loose logic. And if we have 1 in Logic, we will automatic loose. I do hope we at least have a initial good chunk of XP to increase our Logic and Insticts stats to both be at least in 3. I do hope at least we can have that balance, since 3 in both to keep balance. And to make Kogeki use at least Moves of 20 XP cost.

At least we can buy permanent moves, so thats something.
Kogeki currently ability to active in battles: Anticipation.
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#6
(03-29-2020, 08:54 PM)Spiritmon Wrote: Wait a minute. Itsnt a bit...unfair? Because if we faint, we loose logic. And if we have 1 in Logic, we will automatic loose. I do hope we at least have a initial good chunk of XP to increase our Logic and Insticts stats to both be at least in 3. I do hope at least we can have that balance, since 3 in both to keep balance. And to make Kogeki use at least Moves of 20 XP cost.

At least we can buy permanent moves, so thats something.

I gotta remain firm on the starting values for Logic and Instinct.  One of them is 1, and the other is 2.  Up to you whether you want a few more moves to begin with or added security/more human memories.  You can work on increasing the values of both stats during the course of the game. Whether it's unfair or not, it'll certainly add to the story's drama, which is a big focus of Pokerole in general.

Note: If you have 0 Primal, you won't lose any Logic when you faint.  Then it goes up to 1 afterwards, however, and that's when you'd have to be more careful of fainting.

I'm well aware that you guys are super vulnerable if you choose to go with the 1 Logic and 2 Instinct route (and you're also rather vulnerable if you do it the other way around, but for different reasons), and I'll be attempting to balance early game content accordingly so that the game doesn't immediately end for your characters before their journey has even begun.  I'm not a GM that's out to beat my players.  I'm here to tell a story with your help, and tell a story I shall! You guys may be starting out rather weak and at risk, but persevere, and you can work on rising above these humble and frail beginnings!

Carrying Reviver Seeds is also a good way to avoid triggering the Primal State when you faint.
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#7
(03-29-2020, 05:44 PM)Dragonstrike Wrote: @Lord Windos, @PhantomUnderYourDesk, and @Spiritmon, I've sent all of you PMs with relevant information you'll need for your character creation.  You've got free reign to make copies of the provided character sheet and edit them in preparation for the game.

As always, I'll be available to answer questions if needed.

Welly well well, what wonderful and DELIGHTFUL surprise! My, am I glad I checked the forums out before I completely hit the hay, ha ha ha ha ha! This is just may just be the heralding of the start to a brand new adventure, but that ain't stopping me from getting PUMPED and excited for it!!!

Since you're accepting questions, though, I got a few for you:

- Abilities: Do our Pokemon Characters have access to all of them like PMD RB and PMD EoTDS, or is it just one Ability only per day like a hybrid of the remake PMD RB and the system for Ability Changing in Pokerole?
- IQ: Since I didn't see it listed in the launch post listings, I presume you had to nix it, or that it'll be some later element you'll introduce once the game goes underway?
- XP Rates: How are you going to handle that throughout the campaign? Because due to the OODLES of Stats and other stuff we need to buy with it (and potentially keep buying, in the case of those Instinctual Stats....), giving us a paltry amount of XP per Fight is going to be the proverbal shackle around our necks throughout the whole campaign. And when Fainting can result in character deletion in most practical cases and the only ways to counter act that are spending EXOBERANT amounts of XP on managing constantly fluctuating states.....
- From what I read on the Instinctual Attributes, it never said anything about Logic decreasing when Instinct is raised, right? If that's the case, then pretty much everyone should raise that stat to 4 or 5 first before going after Logic and spending ALL the money on Revivers/Healing Items to prevent that last Logic point from going up in smoke before you start raising it, or just ignore Instinct forever until you max out Logic first, as otherwise you'll be wasting a LOT of experience trying to balance them mates. Sure, Instinct will go to 0 in the process, but its better to pay that extra 100 XP + 150 XP cost to get it back to Base and to 5 of that than who knows how much more XP if you constantly try to juggle Logic, Instinct, and Feral management....
- Speaking of Items, will their be Gingsings, Attribute Drinks, and other Items that can help along with raising Stats ? Because again, raising a character without a little help in that department or a LOT of XP is going to be a nightmarish slog....

That should all right now, so grace me with your wisdom DMate!
Like the wind, I come and go as I please... but I am always there to provide a comforting breeze.

Member of Team PUNishment. Pun-pare for Struggle, make it Double Team!

Heart Phantom is my OTP~ Heart

Online ID: 000650
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#8
(03-29-2020, 09:40 PM)Lord Windos Wrote: Welly well well, what wonderful and DELIGHTFUL surprise! My, am I glad I checked the forums out before I completely hit the hay, ha ha ha ha ha! This is just may just be the heralding of the start to a brand new adventure, but that ain't stopping me from getting PUMPED and excited for it!!!

Since you're accepting questions, though, I got a few for you:

- Abilities: Do our Pokemon Characters have access to all of them like PMD RB and PMD EoTDS, or is it just one Ability only per day like a hybrid of the remake PMD RB and the system for Ability Changing in Pokerole?
- IQ: Since I didn't see it listed in the launch post listings, I presume you had to nix it, or that it'll be some later element you'll introduce once the game goes underway?
- XP Rates: How are you going to handle that throughout the campaign? Because due to the OODLES of Stats and other stuff we need to buy with it (and potentially keep buying, in the case of those Instinctual Stats....), giving us a paltry amount of XP per Fight is going to be the proverbal shackle around our necks throughout the whole campaign. And when Fainting can result in character deletion in most practical cases and the only ways to counter act that are spending EXOBERANT amounts of XP on managing constantly fluctuating states.....
- From what I read on the Instinctual Attributes, it never said anything about Logic decreasing when Instinct is raised, right? If that's the case, then pretty much everyone should raise that stat to 4 or 5 first before going after Logic and spending ALL the money on Revivers/Healing Items to prevent that last Logic point from going up in smoke before you start raising it, or just ignore Instinct forever until you max out Logic first, as otherwise you'll be wasting a LOT of experience trying to balance them mates. Sure, Instinct will go to 0 in the process, but its better to pay that extra 100 XP + 150 XP cost to get it back to Base and to 5 of that than who knows how much more XP if you constantly try to juggle Logic, Instinct, and Feral management....
- Speaking of Items, will their be Gingsings, Attribute Drinks, and other Items that can help along with raising Stats ? Because again, raising a character without a little help in that department or a LOT of XP is going to be a nightmarish slog....

That should all right now, so grace me with your wisdom DMate!

- Abilities will be 'pick one at the start of the day from your available ones', like in MCM.

- Expect Gummis to show up at a later point in the game.  However, they won't be granting IQ points.  They're going to work a bit differently.

- XP won't be split this time around, instead being fixed values like how you handled it in CCV so that everyone has more exp to spend than they would otherwise.  Expect my exp rates to differ, however.

- Correct!  Logic does not decrease when Instinct increases!  If it did, it'd be impossible to max out any stats.  Keep in mind, however, that your human memories are going to be very important for anything related to your character's backstory.

- Vitamins are present in the PMD universe, but they're usually rather rare.

--------------------------------------

Some additional notes:

Remember I can also award points in the Instinctual Stats based on your roleplay, and those don't cost a single point of exp when I do (though the rate you gain those points is gonna slow down significantly the higher the stats are already due to their rather large effects).  Good roleplay based on your stats is an important part of this game, and the more good roleplaying you do, the more likely it is that I'll reward it (eventually).

You may also want to reserve your judgements on the difficulty of the game until we've started playing it.  I know the L/I/P stats are scary sounding on paper, but that's why I'm adjusting the difficulty of the game accordingly.

There may also be other things that are worth spending money on besides items.  I'm putting a heavy emphasis on roleplaying in this game, not just combat.

---------------------------------------

TLDR; It may be a lot of mechanics to worry about, but if you actively participate in the game and have fun with it, I'm reasonably certain that everything will work out as I hope it will.
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#9
Err....I'm not too sure I can get into the sort of heavy RPing you want with my character outside of combat or being a foil to other characters, mate, so I wouldn't expect too much out of me right out of the gate. I know exactly the sort of play I am for the most part (The Fighter/ Supporting Cast Member) , so going outside that will be rather....rough on me for awhile.

The reason I'm paying particular attention to Institual Stats is because they're another 'Meter' gameplay element we potentially have to constantly monitor or pray that you're feeling generous when we need the points the most. The only way we have consistent and absolute control over those Stats - and really almost anything about our Pokemon intrinsically - is by spending XP to modulate them, and since that with I.Ss that's potentially a perpetual problem to manage (Especially if you give Logic Points if we don't want them yet) .....I think my caution is a little warranted until I get my feet wet with your campaign. It's not going to paralyze me or ruin it (Heck, I'm likely to have more fun because of those stats, given the way my chara is!), but I find paranioa and concern about odds in a Dice Game to be a very healthy thing indeed! Its all fun and games until you get snake eyes 5 times in a row, after all....
Like the wind, I come and go as I please... but I am always there to provide a comforting breeze.

Member of Team PUNishment. Pun-pare for Struggle, make it Double Team!

Heart Phantom is my OTP~ Heart

Online ID: 000650
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#10
I'm sure it'll be fine, Windos.  I'm doing my best to give everyone a role in this story, regardless of their characters' origins. Wink  There'll be a time and place for good roleplay for everyone, even if it isn't right away, as that's the nature of the game we're playing. Participation and good roleplay can mean many different things in the context of the game, after all.

I may not always decrease your character's Instinct when Logic increases.  Depends on the circumstances behind why I'm awarding the Logic point.

Caution is fine since it's a new mechanic, but let's also try not to start a long debate about something we haven't even used yet.  I'll do my best to make sure the introduction of the mechanic isn't intrusive at the start of the game. Just need ya to have a little faith that I'm doing my best to balance everything appropriately.
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