Meta Tone Essay
This is a no-frills version of the Tone Essay, for an in-character version of the Tone Essay, see here.
Contents
Basic Tone
WAAPT plots tend to run on three things: Awesomeness, humor, and meaningful drama. (It's generally a good idea to focus on all these things as you're RPing, though not necessarily all three things at once.) That said:
1) People have either missed or misunderstood the desire for meaningful drama in the past, and have instead focused more on over the top angst and excessive grimness. WAAPT's tone is overall optimistic, and while some plots may enter darker territory than others, that should always be kept in mind. That said, If something you're planning requires some angst or grimness, it's likely doable, but may require discussion in the Discussion thread and/or the chatroom (The former being mandatory) depending on how dark/grim it may get.
2) WAAPT has had plenty of darker moments that have satisfied the "meaningful drama" category, including things that have involved death and at times graphic violence. Just make sure to ask more experienced players for advice, and don't get too excessive or gratuitous. Generally, the RP doesn't get any worse than the darker end of PG-13 in terms of content, though swear words are used liberally and graphic injury is possible.
3) The rules on PC deaths:
- New players are barred from killing off their PCs, period.
- Even for experienced players, killing off your PCs for non-narrative reasons in general is not allowed (Ex. People simply not liking their character anymore for X reason), and even narrative deaths are strongly discouraged without prior discussion, especially if it'll have a major effect on other people's characters, as it can easily violate the rules on tone. Also, the fact that WAAPT is done in semi-real time means that simply time-skipping your way past the worst of the mourning period isn't really an option. That said, you still wish to do so, it's best to clear it with the others first instead of trying to surprise everyone, as that rarely goes well.
Content
3) WAAPT by its nature is a very freeform RP, and both references to other works of fiction and stuff we make up ourselves are rather common. However, if you've read the Content Essay before this, you should remember one particular point: This is a Pokémon RP. As such, you should try to mesh whatever you do with that fact, no matter how out-there or crossovery it is. For help with that, as a new person would be incapable of doing so without help, talk to more experienced members of the RP who are willing to help you.
3a). When considering arcs and plots that draw on elements outside of the Pokemon universe, most notably media arcs, the ability of the media to fit into the milieu of WAAPT should be of primary concern. Attempting to shoehorn elements of outside media into WAAPT out of personal interest, without working with the community as a whole to create something that matches the overall tone of the RP, stretches the bounds of the universe created and can become grating quickly.
4) Canon characters should be treated with respect no matter how much you may not personally care for them, as while this RP might be primarily centered around fans of the main series games, it's for fans of all Pokémon media to enjoy, not a bashfic. This includes characters from the anime and manga.
So, now that we've gotten all that unpleasant but unfortunately necessary stuff done... welcome to the world of WAAPT! Enjoy your stay, and don't feed the wandering Pokemon!
Lore
Since the RP has been around for quite a few years, it has amassed a lot of its own deep lore. To that end:
6) Do not introduce new concepts, including new regions, organizations, and plots without prior discussion, as it can easily derail plots and plans. If you're making a new character, please use what you know of the canon incarnations of the Pokémon franchise - especially the main series games, the anime, and Pokémon Special/Adventures - and what you know of the WAAPT world from its recommended reading to build a character.
Crunch vs Fluff
Crunch vs. fluff is a concept common to all kinds of roleplaying, and its exact interpretation depends on the RP, RP system, and/or RP community... But for this RP it means the following:
Fluff is approaching the RP more as story; doing this means you'll be making any decisions from what's narratively better, more interesting, and more fun in terms of plot and characterization.
Crunch is approaching the RP as some sort of highly competitive game that can somehow be "won"; decisions are made on the basis of strategic advantage as well as beating anyone possible in a fight, and accruing as much power/wealth/influence as possible, etc.
As you might've gleaned from the Content Essay, WAAPT leans primarily towards fluff, and while we may have a mandatory Battle Mechanics page (Please read.), we are not the main series games or a battle simulator like Pokémon Showdown, so treating the RP as a game to be won, whether in or out-of-universe, will have you and your characters seen as just plain unpleasant to be around, and may lead to disciplinary action by the moderation if you prove particularly obnoxious.
Also, do not assume that just because your team happens to be made up of Pokémon considered high tier at the time of reading, that they'll necessarily sweep aside mons of a lower tier, as it's not only raw stats that can decide battles, but also wits and strategy.
That said, depending on the situation, battles may lean more crunchy or fluffy depending on the desires of the individual players, or even throw out the normal battle rules altogether, though cases of the latter must be agreed on by all players involved beforehand.
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