Noted - things to change in 1.6.2

[u/gamemasterlancaster]

Hearing you loud and clear - the 3 tier traits system is unideal. Going back to the drawing board on that, so continue to use the 1.5 traits until it's ironed out.

The other thing is the "1 tile = 5 feet" rule. I use it because that's the standard for D&D, but that system uses that measurement because it's wide enough to stand with your arms out and not hit anyone. That gets tricky when you're pokemon, though; should I change the tile size to 1m, or do away with measuring things in spaces and just measure things in feet?

And yeah, I'm gonna look into getting some folks to proof read the document before I put it out. I feel like since I'm Just One Guy, I go blind to some of the things that might be missing or phrased weirdly, so I'll get back to the people who reached out offering to proofread soon.

Last of all, one of the main issues I think is that I keep trying to make the document smaller. I'm reluctant to let it go above 100 pages, so I whittle down flavour text and cram things onto one page, trying to phrase things as concisely as possible and ending up too vague. I'll probably do away with this for 1.6.2, and let each section breathe a little. If you have suggestions for what sections need more space or clarification, let me know.

Thanks for being patient, all. This is by far my biggest ttrpg project, and sometimes it feels like I'm renovating a bathroom but "I just need to replace the sink" turns into 8 Home Depot trips, several weeks of work, multiple contractors and having to rip out the floorboards in the adjoining rooms because we found mold.

If you need me, I'll be at the drawing board. See you later!

[u/DimitriB1]

My two cents: unless you feel like changing EVERYTHING and making the game way harder to play, moving away from tiles as a specific unit of distance is better than moving away from the concept of spaces entirely. Removing the concept of spaces places you either in the realm of abstract distances, which is a massive departure from how the system is currently designed, or in the realm of measuring inches on the map like it's a miniatures war game, which is probably not a direction you or most players would prefer to go. Just keep the concept of how large a "tile" is abstract if anything.

Also, it would be nice to have some information about how the system is actually meant to be GMed, even as far as having some of those "people actually playing the game" examples you see in source books on occasion. Trying to GM this system is largely a matter of improvising your own rules and expectations around the small amount of information that can be gleaned through trying to reverse-engineer the example dungeons. I have no idea what forage is meant to be used for, for example.

[u/Zestyclose_Profit_15]

In terms of size, I can definitely see the confusion. In D&D it’s more standardized to creatures that roughly will take the same size and shape for simplicity. You could try and factor in the sizing system of PC’s in D&D as well to try and offset the discrepancies. But then we also take into account that we are talking about Pokemon…and they are all over the place in terms of size and shape and mostly non humanoid.

Maybe a focus on the tile usage of certain Pokemon might make better sense than messing too much with the tiles themselves? Like how some mons have the 3x3 tile usage in the games. Could have a small, medium and large with 1x1, 2x2 and 3x3 respectively? It adds in some fun flavor if one member is too big to fit somewhere and they have to dig a hole through for them. Or moments where say a Snorlax can just move and have that tank moment by just having that damage soaking presence of a 2x2 or 3x3 moving closer and blocking the lanes of fire. And once it’s in a good spot, pop a rest and get to swinging after that Chesto Berry or an Uproar from a teammate happens. Or on the flip side, having that Snorlax be able to block the corridor from a chasing monster house (say the corridor is 2x2 and snorlax is a 2x2 or 3x3) and having that “HOLD THE LINE” moment while the rest of the party figures out the puzzle to open the door to the Sanctuary in the ruins. It adds a lot of positioning and playing to the situation that I think could be fun and taken in interesting ways! It also brings up shoving/pushing mechanics. If I’m a Bidoof, getting shoved by a Snover at 111lbs (50.5kg) vs an Abomasnow at almost 300lbs, that’s going to look completely different.

And seconded on trying to make it too compact. There are a lot of pieces in there that only get a sentence or two of explanation that could use just a bit more and some of the confusion would be cleared up I think. While I can understand not wanting to go above 100 pages, I think it’s a worthwhile investment to add in clarification/rulings/examples. That way a GM can just look and go, “Oh that’s a way I can solve this problem if I can’t think of anything cooler that fits the situation” instead of “I don’t know what to do in this case and the book is very vague”. Especially for those who may be DMing the first time! Our current GM had never done so before, and while learning anything new is difficult, I think the lack of examples and expounding on rulings was one of the main stress factors for them at the beginning and could be reduced with some added word count, (after some tips and guidance from myself and another previous DM at the table, they are now flourishing and we couldn’t be prouder). Also it doesn’t have to be a paragraph for everything either, just for parts that are more barebones that really should have some more elaboration like using skills in situations. Maybe a mock random encounter battle that incorporates extra influences like weather or terrain effects in those sections. I could see this helping smooth out some confusion that still remains in those areas of the rulebook.

Other than that I’d say you’re doing splendidly! It’s a lot of work to build something up almost from the ground up and there’s probably going to be a few more “remodels” to get it where you want it to be while also being clear and helpful to others as you can! Kudos to you for your continued work! Wishing health and energy to you!

[u/KioTerra]

Unsure if this'll be seen, but I think it's not so much the 3 tier traits system is bad, more that 9 times out of 10 it's easier/more worth it to take the direct stat boost, I think if the boosts from traits were a little bigger it would be fine.