Monster Trainer Setting: Collaboration Edition

[Xathan]

I really want to do a Pokemon inspired setting, with BLANK modifications

Watching the threads and shout box for as long as I have, at least once a month someone mentions wanting to do a setting based on the basic premise of Pokemon. A few get started, but never last particularly long.

Let's fix that.

The goal here is to create a unified setting focused on the core element of Pokemon - the world is inhabited by a variety of creatures that people capture and train to various ends. Most of the settings I've seen propose a feudal-japan style time period, since guns and planes and cars would render some of the more interesting uses of these beasts obsolete, but I've seen 'em all. (HA! See what I did there?)

I'm interested to see who all actually wants to work on this and get the whole thing going. There's not much here yet because I'm keeping it flexible - just going to see who is interested in the concept of a Pokemon collaboration before we go into details.

[Nomadic]

I haven't played pokemon since there were only 151 of them so go easy on me but I might be interested in messing around with this, if only because I think collaborations are awesome.

[Xathan]

I've only played bits and pieces since the original 151 - and I'm more interested in the basic concept behind it than anything.

And I hope you are, because collaborations are, in fact, awesome.

[Ninja D!]

I think having people with less current Pokemon knowledge than myself involved would be useful, actually. I'd be interested in contributing some, depending on where and how this goes. I can't imagine making this sort of thing not dark...

[Ninja D!]

I've got a bunch of ideas but before I get ahead of myself, I think we first need to come to a decision as a group about a few things. The biggest is what, exactly, is the core of the Pokemon / monster genre. Just behind that is the level of realism thatt we want.

[Nomadic]

I can't imagine making this sort of thing not dark...

Quick! Someone get Steerpike!

what, exactly, is the core of the Pokemon / monster genre

I think the core of Pokemon is that of the classic adventure. The act of striking out on ones own with nothing but the materials and weapons you can take with you. Beyond that I can really see it going any direction as it offers a nice blank template to build upon. I think really the decision comes down to what do WE want the genre for this thing to be? I actually kind of like the idea of a darker pokemon like you mentioned.

[Ninja D!]

For a darker take, there is the Pokethulhu approach or the realistic one. For the realistic one, see dog fighting.

[beejazz]

I'd be on board with the realistic take. Mons can attack people, and people can attack mons. Mons can gang up on each other. Mons can and do die. And something you beat the crap out of and force to fight on your behalf doesn't necessarily love you, however you feel about it.

For mons design, I don't think I'd take it full Cthulhu. The visual design of some of the original 150 could look pretty distinctive without borrowing like that (I'm thinking things like venonat, hitmonlee, oddish and the like). I might ditch the animal + elemental theme of many, but not all the original 150 were like that anyway, so you could still keep an appropriate Pokemon feel without using the same old formulas.

Also, pokemon as unique instead of species, and a story format that would often include saving a town from a wild mons. Just 'cause the mons are a little nastier doesn't mean the trainers have to be.

[LD]

Suggestion: Why not use Cryptids... cryptozoological monsters, like those used in the Strange Matter book series?

[Ninja D!]

That's not a bad idea. Maybe modified versions of cryptids and creatures of legend...and owlbears, just because they're so cool.

[Superfluous Crow]

You could go all out and just use the Monsters Manual :P

[Xathan]

I should not be surprised that this got so many responses, but I'm glad it did. :D

I think having people with less current Pokemon knowledge than myself involved would be useful, actually. I'd be interested in contributing some, depending on where and how this goes. I can't imagine making this sort of thing not dark...

It getting dark is almost certainly inevitable, but I'd like to avoid it getting super-ultra dark - so the question is how dark do we want it to get?

I've got a bunch of ideas but before I get ahead of myself, I think we first need to come to a decision as a group about a few things. The biggest is what, exactly, is the core of the Pokemon / monster genre. Just behind that is the level of realism thatt we want.

Realism is an interesting question: do we want monsters that can shoot fire/lightning/ice/psychic powers, or do we want "powers" more closer to those found in nature. I'm inclined towards a middle ground, leaning a bit towards the former - I like them having supernatural abilities, but not to the degree they do in the source material.

I can't imagine making this sort of thing not dark...

Quick! Someone get Steerpike!

Summon the master of Darkness!

what, exactly, is the core of the Pokemon / monster genre

I think the core of Pokemon is that of the classic adventure. The act of striking out on ones own with nothing but the materials and weapons you can take with you. Beyond that I can really see it going any direction as it offers a nice blank template to build upon. I think really the decision comes down to what do WE want the genre for this thing to be? I actually kind of like the idea of a darker pokemon like you mentioned.

I'd like to answer the question about what we want with some more questions: do we just want it to be about people collecting and fighting these monsters for sports? Do we go with social hierarchy being based on a feudal society where your place is determined by the creatures your have trained and raised? Are they used for war? Transportation? Police action? (I'd like the answers to everything after the first to be yes, but that's my thought)

For a darker take, there is the Pokethulhu approach or the realistic one. For the realistic one, see dog fighting.

I don't want to go the dog fighting route as the focus - at that point, it starts just getting incredibly uncomfortable and a lot of the fun of game would be lost.

I'd be on board with the realistic take. Mons can attack people, and people can attack mons. Mons can gang up on each other. Mons can and do die. And something you beat the crap out of and force to fight on your behalf doesn't necessarily love you, however you feel about it.

I agree with this up until the last part - if we want to avoid the super dark slavery route, we could make it where mons and humans fight side by side, so it's not fighting on your behalf while you stand back and watch it bleed and suffer and war, but rather you bleed and suffer and battle as it does. Doesn't mean it will love you, but there's the potential for it to at least respect you and if it does love you, it's not a sick, twisted Stockholme syndrome thing. :P

For mons design, I don't think I'd take it full Cthulhu. The visual design of some of the original 150 could look pretty distinctive without borrowing like that (I'm thinking things like venonat, hitmonlee, oddish and the like). I might ditch the animal + elemental theme of many, but not all the original 150 were like that anyway, so you could still keep an appropriate Pokemon feel without using the same old formulas.

I'm with you on this - something between Pokethulu and the actual game in terms of monster appearance, as well as ditching animal+elemental - we can manage much more originality than that. :P

Also, pokemon as unique instead of species,

I'm not sure what you mean by that.

and a story format that would often include saving a town from a wild mons. Just 'cause the mons are a little nastier doesn't mean the trainers have to be.

I'm in favor of taht, though I'd like to leave that up to the DM more than anything else: just creating the possibility of it is good, though.

Suggestion: Why not use Cryptids... cryptozoological monsters, like those used in the Strange Matter book series?

That's not a bad idea. Maybe modified versions of cryptids and creatures of legend...and owlbears, just because they're so cool.

You could go all out and just use the Monsters Manual :P

I think those are all a good sources of inspiration, but I'd like to see us create new monsters - that, for me, is half the appeal of this kind of setting. :P

[Steerpike]

Summon the master of Darkness!

*Appears in a puff of noisome brimstone and echoing sussurations*

If it's going to be sort of feudal Japan, what about basing the creatures on Japanese Yokai?  This allows for various animal spirits (foxes, serpents, wolves, all sorts of things) and various weirder creatures (kappa, akaname, oni).  The world would be sort of "Nipponpunk": think Samurai Champloo but with weird monsters, necromancy, spirit-binding, etc.  The demons/spirits/mons would be used for everything from labour to entertainment (dog-fighting) to warfare to divination to transport to ritualized dueling.  There'd almost be an Eberron-like quality to the bound elemental stuff.

Random images:  a sentient katana; fox-possession epidemics caused by a Kitsuneesque thing in the nearby woods, a rickshaw being drawn by a red-skinned, hairless dog with smoke coming from its nostrils; a haunted waterwheel.

[Xathan]

If it's going to be sort of feudal Japan, what about basing the creatures on Japanese Yokai?  This allows for various animal spirits (foxes, serpents, wolves, all sorts of things) and various weirder creatures (kappa, akaname, oni).  The world would be sort of "Nipponpunk": think Samurai Champloo but with weird monsters, necromancy, spirit-binding, etc.  The demons/spirits/mons would be used for everything from labour to entertainment (dog-fighting) to warfare to divination to transport to ritualized dueling.  There'd almost be an Eberron-like quality to the bound elemental stuff.

I can't speak for everyone, but I can happily speak for myself when I say: SOLD.

[Nomadic]

If it's going to be sort of feudal Japan, what about basing the creatures on Japanese Yokai?  This allows for various animal spirits (foxes, serpents, wolves, all sorts of things) and various weirder creatures (kappa, akaname, oni).  The world would be sort of "Nipponpunk": think Samurai Champloo but with weird monsters, necromancy, spirit-binding, etc.  The demons/spirits/mons would be used for everything from labour to entertainment (dog-fighting) to warfare to divination to transport to ritualized dueling.  There'd almost be an Eberron-like quality to the bound elemental stuff.

I can't speak for everyone, but I can happily speak for myself when I say: SOLD.

I'd be all for this. Japanese folklore has some very unique spirits and creatures that would work great here. In fact I really like this idea for our theme. A darker more adult version of Pokemon driven by a theme that makes that level of maturity appropriate for the setting. I also really like the idea of Pokemon and trainers fighting side by side. IMHO that actually brings out the companion quality that Pokemon supposedly has better than Pokemon itself.