For those interested, here is a Pokemon ttrpg that tries not to be as crunchy as other systems I’ve seen out there. Instead, it uses PbtA to make the game feel more like the manga/anime. I doubt I’ll ever finish this, so feel free to take what is here and use it/tweak it for your table. If you do post an updated version, I just ask you reference us and send a link so I can see your handy work!
Issues I ran into: Too many npcs. Each Pokemon counts, so even just two players with 3 Pokemon apiece means 6 permanent npcs that the players want to interact with and have full personalities or might expect to interact with each other.
Number’s distribution: The d6s of PbtA may not be the best because it limits the potency of +/- stat bonuses I was originally going with. I might have swapped to d8s or d10s and added more ways to get +/-s to your rolls.
Fun things I found: Randomly rolling the traits table lead to some cool Pokemon looks and designs. For example, a grass Torus that had leafy vines for its tails.
Evolution not being tied directly to level up but to actions/side quests pushed players to do fun and interesting things!
Pokemon rolls being tied to player stats help veteren characters be able to take a new/weak pokemon with them and not feel so far behind the curve while still giving veteren pokemon alot of potency.
Have fun and let me know what you think as you play!
Very cool, thanks for sharing! I did not get a chance to read the whole thing yet but a skim+your comments make me excited. How do you think your system compares to others out there? I’m always looking for a great Pokémon ttrpg to actually get to the table!
Mine is definitely way less crunchy, as most systems based on the Apocalypse World tend to be. However, there is a LOT of heavy lifting when it comes to characters, especially if you try to give each pokemon a player has a unique personality. Otherwise, we had a lot of fun the few times we ran a oneshot with it!
