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Running an e-Game/Anime -styled Campaign; (The kind with generally non-violent trainers.)
Topic Started: Jul 19 2015, 10:05 PM (949 Views)
GMJoe
Pokémon Trainer
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Recently, I posted a PTU-related question on RPG.SE. You can read the full question by following that link, but the thrust of it was "When running a PTU game in which humans don't directly participate in battle, what potential pitfalls and problems should I watch out for?" The one answer that I've received so far is decent enough, but it's based only on reading the rules, and I was kinda hoping for one based on actual experience running a no-trainer-violence campaign...

So, I figured I might as well ask the question again here, where a whole bunch of experienced PTU experts can see it. So: Are there any hidden pitfalls to running this kind of campaign? And if so, what are they, and how should I go about minimising and avoiding them?

(I don't really mind whether you answer here or on the RPG.SE question. Whichever you prefer, I guess.)
Edited by GMJoe, Jul 19 2015, 10:08 PM.
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kingsin
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the sinner of poffins
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from the few campains i have done not having trainers do things has two effects one faster battles but players lose interest easier because the differents between watching and playing, than saying something and rolling for it the players lose some of the investemnt towards it. dont get me wrong in a long game this wont happen but early on they feel seperated from it which is way most class effect battle in some way.
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Giant2005
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I have played in plenty of games where there weren't any martial trainers. They went just fine - I don't really understand why there would be an issue.
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Gamesdisk
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Pokémon Trainer
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It works fine. What I did is just forget about where the trainers are in the battle.
Since no one is going to need their stats apart from speed if they are not getting combat everyone should be around the same speed, so everything gos off pokemon speed.
The danger here is outside damages, falling for example. I just used logic rather then hp at this point. They fall down a hill covered in thorns ? Your bleeding but manically your fine. Off a building, hospital, off a skyscraper you be dead.
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Onidrill
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Pokémon Trainer
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Other than restricting builds to focus strictly on support for trainers, it'll work fine enough. You might find difficulty getting players interested since the overwhelming majority of PTU players use at least partial combat builds, though.
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Domo
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Kawaii Detective
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I'm running a game where all four trainers are 75% to full support builds. From the GM side, you should be aware that heavy support quickly messes with one thing in particular: initiative. Everyone is going to have Orders (and chances are good that one will have Agility Training), which have priority, at least one person will have Strike Again, and someone will grab After You. If the players ever decide that they NEED to get a full round of actions off at the top of the queue, they will absolutely manage to do it. You need to prepare major encounters to have their own initiative steals or just accept that they are going to chain their turns back to back the moment they get scared.

The other thing full support parties ruin is status effects. Between a Cheerleader and Focused Orders, no one will ever lose actions to Paralysis, Confused has a very low chance of denial, and even Sleep and Frozen are substantially less dangerous. I have one player whose Pokemon I just don't even bother targeting with anything besides Burn/Poison, because she can stack Focused Orders and blow another PC's Cheered buffs.

Playing with a full support party requires a little more knowledge of how things interact, since building support trainers to pose as gym leaders/antagonists is honestly more difficult than full combat. Some classes don't synergize well at all while others are obvious fits and a handful are more like secret tech where very specific parts overlap in a crazy efficient way. Pay attention to how your players start building so you can try to predict the weird curveballs that full support excels at, then reach into your GM bag of tricks to shock them with cool stuff of your own.
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Doxy
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The PTU Guy
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Everything everyone has mentioned is certainly worth considering, but I honestly think it's much -easier- to run non-interference matches than it is to run full-contact stuff. Plus if you screw up, the repercussions aren't likely to be as significant for your campaign :P
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