Pokémon Crossover RP - Interest Check and Brainstorming

Alright, this is a thing that I came up with after seeing this picture◊, which made me think "why don't we apply this to a crossover RP?"

I don't mean Zelda and Pokémon, I mean everything and Pokémon. The idea is for players to play characters from TV shows, movies, animes, comic books, etc in an universe where they are Pokémon trainers. It can all be summed up as "what if these characters all came from one universe where Pokémon existed?"

Something that we would do, borrowing a page from Justice Avengers, would be to allow people to change their character's backstories to fit this new Pokémon-filled world while still having their powers and personalities. It's a very raw idea, so that's why this thread is also for brainstorming, and not just an interest check.

Anyway, what do you guys think?

Like I told you, it sounds really fun. And like I said, only real problems are trying to figure out what the region is like, what the villainous team is called and their motives, and how to balance starting Pokemon (since having everyone start with a team of pseudo-legendaries would be immensely dull, for one thing).

...Also there should totally be contests in addition to gyms so people can play coordinators if they want. >.> <.<

So, the basic idea is 'there's this world filled with Pokemon, and we're creating really close Expies of various characters. They are going to live in that world as Pokemon Trainers.'?

Also, if it's a Pokemon RP we should probably try and avoid things that would make it too grimderp. By all means, dark and edgy characters shouldn't be barred, but it should still probably stick closer to the light and idealistic tone that Pokemon has than anything too nasty.

^ Awwwww...

So do they start with full teams or from the a level 5 starter?

edited 5th Mar '13 10:32:46 AM by Chabal2

I'm already thinking of using either Phineas and Ferb, Batman, or Mordecai and Rigby for this one.

I'm thinking about running a Tales Of The Otori character. Or a Warriors Orochi one. Or a Neverwinter Nights 2 one.

...Very tempted to use Yuuka. And her fearsome signature Pokemon Sunflora.

No, Ika Musume with a Tentacool is still a stupid idea. >.> <.<

I already have a character in mind. Nadeshiko Misaki. Though she'll almost not have her Nadeshiko Driver... and the jury's out on if she'll have her SOLU form (basically she's really a sentient metallic slime) or if she'll be the Nadeshiko that the SOLU based itself off of.

Balancing starts shouldn't be too hard. No pseudo-legendaries. Not a one, Not at the start. Maybe later IF it fits the character's gimmick.

So to use the Zelda image as an example Ganondorf would NOT start off with Larvitar.

Why must things like this happen when I'm going to be unavailable for a while? I have some interest in this, for the record, and an idea of who to play. Details later.

So, I kinda wanted to play an older Toph, inspired by this picture I like (kinda imagined this version of her would be friends with this version of Zuko and the two would travel around the world for some reason), but there are two things.

One, I don't know if there would be benders in this world. If the answer's yes, then it's easy to adapt their origins to this new Pokémon-filled world: instead of sky bisons and badgermoles, they learned it from Air and Earth type Pokémons. And to explain why everyone doesn't have this ability, I could say that this only happened in a certain area of the world due to "magical" influences, and even in that area (an island, perhaps) benders aren't that common.

Two, we don't wanna get too dark, like Moe said, but how much is too much? I mean, should we be peachy clean or can we do things like swears? Sorry, it's just I don't know what grimderp means.

Grimderp, IIRC, is 'so grimdark it's getting ridiculous'.

Grimdark basically means being "dark" and "edgy" purely for the sake of it; the classic example is Warhammer40000.

edited 5th Mar '13 12:04:25 PM by Deadbeatloser22

Oh, got it. Well, that doesn't fit with Pokémon at all.

Also I hate to stay obsessed with this topic but...may I make everyone's teams? Everyone can tell me Mons they want (WITH a good explanation of why) and their team gimmick if they want. I think one guy making all the teams helps balance out the Pokemon as well.

Now my own personal character...oh dear God there are so many characters I love to play as.

Well, technically the first few editions were a Crazy Awesome parody of such excesses, but unfortunately the parodic elements went completely over the heads of the Periphery Demographic of American teenagers and it ended up becoming one of the worst examples of what it was originally supposed to be mocking. ...And yes, this is a sore point for me. >.<

Ahem, uh, anyways... I don't suppose Nero Cladius Caesar Augustus Germanicus as a Coordinator would be a good idea, would it? Hmmm, maybe someone else...

edited 5th Mar '13 12:14:25 PM by Moerin

Yeah. Basically what I did with my Pokemon RPG.

It had a temple where Aztec Pokemon sacrifices were held. And a plot involving a war between Legendary Pokemon in the works.

@Grimdark: Yes, yes. No grimdark. This is Pokémon, people. That doesn't mean we should act like a TV show for 5 year olds. We should act... like a TV show for 12 year olds and adults. -king of metaphors-

I think we should start not only with a new region, but a new world. Like, build up a different mythos behind it, because this world will be incredibly different from the world of Pokémon. What do you guys think?

I think everyone starts with one pokemon, right? Or am I terribly wrong and am about to be corrected?

Not Expies. The actual characters. In a different universe.

You know, I might be OK with that, but I think we could make some changes to the concept, like the fact there wouldn't be an Avatar or a Spirit World. The idea that it's restricted to a certain area seems OK, as well as the fact they're rare. The problem is how much of an advantage benders would have over non-benders... I'm going to have to ask for everyone's opinion. What do you guys think?

What to play what? See, this is why you should have a GM that actually knows Pokemon in depth.

Only if they authorise you to do so.

Coordinators. People who focus almost exclusively on Pokemon Contests. They train their Pokemon in whatever contest stat they focus on by giving them certain foods and the like and also focus the movepool on being contest-worthy.

Introduced during the anime when it was airing the seasons relating to Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald. May is probably the most famous example of a coordinator I can think of.

Contests are basically to Pokemon battles what performance art is to martial arts. Basically. Um... If that makes sense. Basically it's about how the attacks look and how well executed they are rather than how powerful they are.

Basically if this was the Olympics battles would be boxing and contests would be rythmic gymnastics.

edited 5th Mar '13 12:20:46 PM by Moerin

I guess it'd be cool. A lot of spin-off Pokemon Games have different worlds with different mythos, and even the regions just have different mythos.

No. Obviously the start of the game gives you six Pokemon off the bat so you can nuke the first seven Gyms and slightly miff the eighth. I kid. You're correct with the one Pokemon.

That could be cool.

Basically, for a good chunk of the games, you can enter Pokemon into contests, which are like Pokemon talent shows, and moves are used to woo the audience rather than to vaporize the competition.

edited 5th Mar '13 12:20:21 PM by Psyga315

@Contests: Oh. Sounds fun! We still need to come up with a plot and a world and we really need to go through this piece-by-piece or else it'll get reaaaally confusing.

I guess that the characters would be new Pokemon trainers, then... would they have to be ten years old or something like that?

I don't know how much of an advantage benders would have since it's the Pokemons that are fighting...

How would the fights work? I mean, in general terms it would be "pokemon X attempts to do Y", but what about critical hits and all that?