FAQs

You will also find the same information here.

About the group

Q: Can I join?
A: Yes, anyone can join at anytime! It doesn’t matter if we’ve done ten missions or two missions already. Feel free to click the join button and fill out a team application at anytime, regardless of which mission we are on!

Q: Want to affiliate?
A: The answer is most likely going to be no, sorry.

Q: Application? What’s that?
A: The Team application is what everyone will be referring to when you mention your team in a mission. It’s your sign-up sheet and a reference for others as well as yourself. You can find the blank form here. It is required to participate in mission and events so don’t try to skip out on it! You can join without filling one out, but you’ll need one to participate.

Q: Oh, I see. But how do I fill it out?
A: The deviation linking to the blank form has some guidelines, but also poke around the gallery and look at other people’s sign-ups for examples if you’re still confused. It’s pretty straightforward though. As a note: Please make sure you are only using moves, traits, and characteristics from the games. Not made-up ones!

Q: Can I make a team and sell it to others for points?
A: No

Q: What’s the difference between the guilds?
A: Rescuers are your standard go get ‘em kind of teams. They are the valiant heroes who usually take part in rescue operations and things like that. Rogues are the Robin Hood kind of teams. They steal from the rich to feed the poor, so they’re not always completely moral with how they do things, though they usually have good intentions. The merchants are mostly about money. They like to do their missions for a little incentive. If the pay is good, they will do just about anything, from escort missions to cleaning buildings and streets in Tao Village.

Q: Ok, I wrote my application. Now what?
A: Submit your application to the folder which corresponds to your rank. There are five folders it could go in: Raichu, Pikachu, Pichu, Chatot or Farfetch’d. All five folders are located in the "All Ranks" folder. Whatever rank you filled out in your application is the folder you want to put it in. No need to send us a note about your application either. All applications are automatically approved, though if we see something wrong we will let you know when we spot it. Once it’s in, you are free to participate in missions and events.

Q: I feel that I picked the wrong rank! Can I change it?
A: If you want to move up in rank, you’re allowed to at any time. Just let us know and we’ll swap the folders for you. However, if you want to move down in rank, you absolutely need to send a note to the group first to ask if that’s the correct rank for you. We want to prevent skilled artists from depreciating their work, but we don’t want to discourage newer artists from competing with the higher ranks. It would just be unfortunate if you were in the wrong rank and missed out on a prize!

Q: Can we be eliminated from the game?
A: No, you can play for as long as you’d like. The only reason we’d kick you out of the group is for being obscene or harassing other members of the group. This isn’t like regular Battle Frontier groups with eliminations per round; this is about coming up with fun things to draw each month as a story is unfolding, with chances of prizes along the way.

Q: If I miss a deadline or mission, am I still in the game? i.e. Can I resume when the next mission starts?
A: Yes, you’re still in the game even if you miss several deadlines or missions, but you will not receive any grading or judging that round, thus eliminating you from prize potential. You can participate in one mission, be absent for a while, and come back and still be allowed to play!

Q: Oh no! I missed the deadline! What do I do?!
A: Don’t panic! Unfortunately if you don’t get your submission in by the time to counter reaches zero, you won’t be eligible for mission judging. However, after judging is complete the folders will be opened back up again for a brief window of time. If you finish your mission and get it in during that time, you will still get the reward for participating even though you missed out on judging.

About Items & Accessories

Q: I played the PMD games! There were Orbs, Rocks, Arrows, and other things to use in there! What about in here?
A: For the sake of simplicity, there won’t be usable Orbs, and no rocks you purposely carry around. Make use of the environment in each of your pictures!

Q: What about TMs?
A: They don't exist for practical purposes of this game. This does NOT mean that you can't pick TM moves for your Pokemon though, it just means we're not going to be including TMs in the form of CDs in this little universe...

Q: Having just a single-colored ribbon/bow-tie/scarf kinda sucks! Isn’t there more I can do to make my character a little fancier?
A: For beginners, you’re stuck with a single-colored accessory. It’s the mark of a newbie to their respective guilds! However, after some participation, you can spend the points you earned from your missions at Leavanny’s Shop, to upgrade your first accessory into a two-color pattern of your desire, as well as a second specialized accessory you can use to customize your character’s looks!

Q: My character needs glasses to see. What now?
A: Too bad. Lenses like that don't come cheap, so you'll have to write a character with poor vision. They can get a monocle later.

Q: Okay, so I'm stuck with these basic ones for now. Well, can I at least put them on in a creative way? Like using the scarf as a robber's mask, or tying it around my torso?
A: Yes, by all means do whatever you'd like with the beginning accessories!

Q: My Pokemon has special markings, but only has one accessory! Is this allowed?
A: Keep markings to a minimum. You don’t need 20 things on your Pokemon to make it unique. Alternate eye colors are OK, but earrings and tattoos aren’t. Scars that aren’t overdone are OK as well. Shiny Pokemon are acceptable.

Q: What if I have markings that look like clothes?
A: Please don't. There is an accessory called "war paint." If you need extra special markings, use an accessory voucher to add the cool markings you would like to have.

Q: My Pokemon isn't shiny, but it's another color. Is this allowed?
A: Please, nothing radically different from the official designs when it comes to base colors. Small alterations are fine, but I'd really rather not see neon blue Pikachu. We also don’t want to see albino/leucistic Pokemon. Shiny Pokemon are pretty much the equivalent of that. If you are unsure how much of a change is too much, it’s better to be safe than sorry. If you’re going to change a Pokemon’s natural color, it’s better to stick to the same hue with maybe a slight change in the tint or shade.

Q: My Pokemon has something different, like a longer mane or a mark in a different spot. Is this allowed?
A: As long as you don't overdo it, that's definitely fine.

Q: What is specifically not allowed?
A: It's a pretty controversial subject, to be sure. A good general rule to follow is that if your team's Pokemon end up looking far-detached from what that Pokemon is supposed to look like, there's a problem. In the case of Ditto/Zorua/Zoroark, shapeshifting into other Pokemon is, of course, fine.

Some specific examples of this are, but not limited to:

• Humans or Human-like characters (obviously Pokemon that already have a human-like bodyshape, i.e. Hitmonchan, are not a problem here. This is primarily aimed at shapeshifter Pokemon and attempts to make anthropomorphic characters). Please don't put boobs on your Pokemon. This is not an anthro Pokemon group.

• Albinism (No color pigments, resulting in white skin/fur and red eyes)

• Extreme coloration differences (minor coloration differences (see: PK) tend to be fine, but if you have say, a Charmander that is blue and has a blue tail fire, that sort of thing is not desired for the group)

• Extreme bodyshape differences (in which you draw the body shape of Pokemon a lot differently from the way they should be. This one is normally lax -- we understand that peoples' artistic styles differ. Usually this isn't an issue, though be warned that mixing this with albinism/coloration differences will tend to result in what you've drawn looking nothing like the Pokemon you're going for, and then there's a problem)

Q: I want to have something like a Male Kangaskhan, or a Female Tauros, is this possible?
A: Unfortunately, you cannot have a male-form of a female-only Pokemon, nor a female-form of a male-only Pokemon. That doesn't mean that they cannot choose to identify themselves as the opposite gender, though. Malt, for example, is a Miltank but identifies as male.

About partners

Q: Can I have two or three different applications filled out, belonging to different guilds?
A: Whatever you can manage, but be sure to note that in the descriptions of each.

Q: Can we pick any Pokemon, or just the personality test ones?
A: No legendaries, but besides that yes. First forms only, unless there's also a baby form. Then you may start out with whatever's after the baby form as well. For instance, Pikachu and Jynx are allowed, as they started out as basic forms. Three Pokemon who are not allowed at first are Lucario, Hitmontop and Togetic, as their baby forms were introduced in the game generation that they were introduced in. You also cannot start with Zoroark, but Zorua is allowed.

• p.s. No Pokemon from Gen 6 (Pokemon X and Y) are allowed on teams until the games are released in October

Q: Can I start with an evolved pokemon?
A: Unless it’s a basic form, like the ones listed in the previous question, no. You have to start with basic/baby Pokemon.

Q: Can I use Rotom?
A: Yes. It's not a legendary.

Q: What about Shedinja?
A: Due to Shedinja's weird evolution case, you may pick it to start with as well.

Q: Can I have ditto?
A: As long as you know how to not powergame!

Q: How many team members do I start with?
A: Two! No more than that. You can get more team members later.

Q: How do we get more partners?
A: Bonus events throughout the group will allow for obtaining partners or eggs later on.

Q: What if I participate in an evolution event later on? Where do I draw that Pokemon?
A: Move the old image of your team member under “history” and draw the new image on the big slot.

Q: I have four Pokemon in my team now. What if I want to have more? Can I have a reserve stock?
A: Unfortunately, for the sake of simplicity, you cannot obtain more than four Pokemon at this time.

Q: I want my team to consist of me and another real person. Can we do this?
A: Yes, but it means that your prize will be split with someone else, should you win!

Q: Will there be times when we can draw other teams, too? I want to draw my friends’ teams!
A: Yes, if you feel like drawing any member of your friends’ teams in some form, go ahead! Just make sure you still complete the mission objectives, and make sure you note what you’ve done in your description with link(s) to the other Pokemon Application forms! (We may not understand you were drawing a member of your friend’s team otherwise.)

• Note: When you draw another person’s team in your mission, it is called a “cameo” (unless you are collaborating). Each mission/event we will create a folder specifically for cameo requests, so pay attention to that if you’re looking for people to cameo. Most people won’t mind a cameo even if you don’t ask, but it’s polite to ask.

Q: Actually, I'm a loner. I want a one-man team. Is this allowed?
A: Yes.

Q: What about abilities?
A: Pretend your Pokemon has all of its potential abilities. They don't make a ton of difference when it comes to this type of thing, anyway, so it's not that important, but it's a good thing to keep in mind when trying to think of ways to approach a mission.

Q: When my Pokemon evolves, can its moveset be changed?
A: Yes.

Q: OK, I have enough scrolls and I'm ready to evolve my Pokemon. I want to skip the middle stage and go straight to stage three. I have enough scrolls after all, so is this OK?
A: No! You can only evolve that Pokemon once per mission or event. No cheating by skipping out on the midstages! For example, just because you don't like Metapod doesn't mean you can just use two scrolls to go straight to Butterfree. Give it a chance!

Q: How many human partners can we work with?
A: You may only collaborate with one other person, though if you want to work with multiple people, you can consider working with them under different teams in different guilds.

Q: May my Smeargle learn any move?
A: It's restricted to non-signature attacks. Double check if a move is only learned by one Pokemon or not by going to veekun.com and searching for the move name in the search bar.

Q: And egg moves?
A: Any move it can get in game, excluding event moves like Pikachu using Surf.

Accessories

Q: I obtained a second accessory? What do I do with it now?
A: Update your Pokemon Application sheet with it. You don’t have to stick it on the drawing of your Pokemon, but you should stick it in the accessories box.

Q: Is there any limit as to how many times I can change my accessory?
A: Any additional accessories go in the accessory boxes below your Pokemon in the application; if you run out of room, you must make a choice about what to keep!

Q: How do I get more accessories?
A: If you participated in a mission recently, then you are given ONE free accessory voucher, which you can redeem at Leavanny’s accessory shop.

Q: So where is this voucher?
A: You don’t physically (or virtually, I guess) receive a voucher. Since we are going by the honor code, you just have to assume that if you participated in a mission that you received one when the mission ended. But if you didn’t participate then you don’t receive one. We won’t be checking to make sure everyone follows this rule, but that doesn’t mean you can just get away with stuff. Listen to your conscience!

Q: How do I redeem my accessory voucher?
A: Simply edit your team application to show the new accessory you chose and it’s done! We are going by the honor code though, so please don’t try to sneak in extra accessories that you didn’t earn.

Q: Do I have to use my voucher right away?
A: Nope. It’s perfectly fine if you want to save it and it use it later when new accessories roll around.

Q: I don’t like any of the accessories that are at Leavanny’s shop right now. When will there be more options?
A: Around the beginning of each new mission, the shop will update with different accessories for you to choose from. If you don’t like what’s there currently, just wait and there should be different ones eventually.

Q: I missed out on some retired accessories! Will they ever be available again?
A: Most likely not. That doesn’t mean never, but don’t count on it happening.

Q: I want to design some accessories! Can I suggest some?
A: Of course! Just draw them up and submit them to the accessory suggestion folder. We do periodic sweeps for ideas there.

About Missions

Q: What do you mean when you say “mission?”
A: This group’s primary focus is on our sort of role-playing aspect. We give you a scenario to work with, a “mission,” and you have to respond to that by using your team. You can do it in a variety of ways. Say the mission is “save Azurill from a mean Buizel.” You’d then have to come up with a way to save the Azurill (or not, it’s up to you). You can write a comic about how your team saved the Azurill, or do a writing entry. You can also just do a series of pictures, a flash animation, or a series of illustrations showing how your team did their mission. And that’s basically how it works! Poke around the gallery and look at the missions that other people have done for a better idea of what to do.

• Note: If you choose to do illustrations and submit the entry for judging in art, it needs to be able to stand on its own without textual context! Otherwise it is a series of broken images and we won’t know what is going on. Judges will tell you this!

Q: So on this application, I saw that there missions 1-10. Do I have to do all of those?
A: No no no no. If you pay attention to the front page, you will usually see a mission information box and a timer if the mission is still running. Only ever complete missions/events that are still running! Do not try to go back and complete older missions because you won’t receive the reward for missions that are already over.

Q: Do we complete all of the missions listed?
A: You only complete the missions for your guild. If you're a Merchant, you're only going to do Merchant missions. You don’t work for the Rescuers if you’re a Merchant after all! You don’t have to do every mission listed for your guild either. You can just do the main mission or several side missions. It’s up to you.

Q: How are we supposed to draw out the missions? Do we do single images? Comics? Flash...? How many pages...?!?
A: Whichever you want! So long as you complete the mission objectives listed, you're good to go. Whether you make a comic about how your team messes it up or does brilliantly, you just need to make sure you express the mission objectives as best you can. Any media is fine! If you can do it in a single picture, then go ahead. If it takes you several comic pages, that's fine too. We're looking for creativity here!

Q: What moves do the enemies have?
A: If it's not stated, then feel free to get creative. The wiki usually has moves listed for NPCs.

Q: What about deadlines?
A: They'll generally be around a month long, as it's understandable to be busy with school and life. We try to give people plenty of time to get their missions done. If you finish early, try working on your teams’ backstories or extra stories.

Q: I am ready to submit my art. Are there any set guidelines to follow?
A: If you are ready to submit you mission, please note the group with the following information so that it can be logged.

• Your Team Name
• What Rank your team is in (Pichu/Pikachu/Raichu or Farfetch'd/Chatot)
• What Guild your team is in
• A link to your application (Written or Drawn, either or depending on what you're being judged for!)
• A link to your work (Either every page or just the first page!)
  • Any COLLABORATING TEAMS and their application/info too, if this applies to you. Cameos need not apply here, only COLLABORATIONS. Other artists that actually worked must be listed too!

Q: I made a 10 page comic. What's the format for submitting that? Do I just submit 1 page, or all 10 to the group?
A: You label each page the same way and submit them all.

Q: So, do I link to my filled out Application Form on each of my completed Mission art?
A: Yes. Also list if you are a Rogue, Merchant, or Rescuer for judging convenience.

Q: Do I list which mission(s) I've taken on?
A: Yes, list which mission you're drawing out, even if it's obvious, please!

About Tasks

Q: What are tasks?
A: Sometimes you won't feel like taking on an entire mission, or you're really confused about the storyline. A simpler mission is what you really want. A "task" so-to-speak. That's why we have a bulletin board with tasks available to be completed by teams.

Q:What do I get for completing a task?
A: When you complete a task, you will receive a point, or sometimes just a small reward depending on who's giving out the task.

Q: What are points good for?
A: Points are similar to vouchers you earn from completing missions. You can spend them on different things. Accessories, items, learning special moves etc. Check the bulletin board for more information about point rewards.

Q: What if I rack up tons of points! how do I keep track of them all?!
A: Don't worry! We have this handy point card you can use!

About Judging

Q: So... we are being judged in this game? How does that work? Is there a “winner” for each of the ranks?
A: Each round players of each rank and guild will be separately judged. There will be a winner of each mission for each of the ranks, and varying prizes will be given.

Q: How does judging for the missions work?
A: We will take each completed mission and log it on a spreadsheet. Then the judges will look through them and pick the ones they think are exemplary. Eventually we narrow it down to a few per rank and guild and keep narrowing it until we finally have a winner! Remember there are winners for each rank and guild.

Q: Why is the judging taking so long?!
A: Judging is done by multiple admins and will take some time. We are all busy with things but we also want to make sure we are very thorough. Just be patient!

Q: What do I get for winning?
A: Prizes are variable each month, usually consisting of a pool the winners can choose from. In the case that you’re not allowed to receive mail from people from the Internet, there will be purely digital prizes as well (such as subscriptions to dA etc.)

Q: What will the criteria be to be a winner of my rank in any given mission/round?
A: The criteria you're being judged on is: creativity/cleverness, artistry, and role-playing (if you follow your move sets, personalities, etc.) Cleverness is how well you came up with your solution to the mission, as well as how engaging your story was for the viewer. Artistry speaks for itself: did you put your all into this entry or was it all sketched? Role-playing has to do with how accurately you stuck to your own character’s personalities, as well as the canon NPCs.

Q: So how many winners are there?
A: There’s a first place winner, a second place winner, and a third place winner for each rank and guild. So in the end we’d have 27 winners, with 9 for each rank, and 3 for each guild in that rank. I don’t know why you just made me do that math. Shame on you!

Q: Why didn’t I get feedback from you guys on my mission / why didn’t I win?
A: There are lots and lots of missions that we have to look through while judging. Literally hundreds. We simply don’t have time to comment on everyone’s work and we can’t have more than one winner either. Rest assured, your entry was looked at and appreciated by us. We couldn’t be more happy with the amount of effort you guys put into your entries! If you ever want extra feedback, send us a note and we’d be more than happy to give it.

Q: Are events judged too?
A: Nope. Events are to tide people over until the next mission and usually happen while missions are being judged. You will still receive a reward for completing them within the allotted time, but they aren’t judged like missions are. No need to send up a note about completing them!

Other

Q: I just made this really great journal entry. Can I submit it to the group?
A: No. Please do not submit journal entries to the group. If you want to write something out, submit a deviation or a literature piece. No journals!

Q: I accidentally submitted something to the wrong folder! What do I do!?
A: Keep calm and breath! It’s ok. That happens sometimes. To fix it, simply remove the deviation from that folder and resubmit it where it goes. If you can’t find it, scour the folders! A2 chatot rank is the #1 contender for misplaced submissions since it’s first on the folder list alphabetically.

Q: Where can I get further information about all of the NPCs and the world our characters live in?
A: Glad you asked! There’s a really handy wiki(YOU ARE HERE) that’s great for extra info. If you’re new, the right-hand side has all of the past mission and events for you to catch up on reading.

Q: Where do I submit backstories and other content that’s not related to missions?
A: There is a folder titled “Misc. Adventures” with a few subfolders in it. All side-content, from memes to sketches of your characters, goes in there!

Q: I have an idea for an NPC! What should I do?
A: Draw it and submit it to a folder called “NPC suggestions.” We do periodic sweeps for new ideas!

Q: I hate getting all these notifications! It’s so annoying. How do I turn it off?!
A: If you go to this page and search for our group name, you will find little circles to uncheck. Please don’t uncheck journal entries unless you frequent the front page of the group. We make announcements that way and you wouldn’t want to miss them!

Q: I saw somebody break a rule. Should I tell them? I’ll be really polite!
A: Please read this journal entry.If you spot anything wrong please send a note to the group. DO NOT try to be a mod and handle it yourself, regardless of good intentions. It has caused messes in the past and it’s better if you just leave it to us.

Q: So-and-so got away with ____ so why can’t I?!
A: Chances are, if somebody is breaking the rules and getting away with it, we simply missed it or haven’t addressed it. This is not an excuse for you to try to get away with it too!