A new kind of Nuzlocke challenge

[E-Man]

Hey guys!

When I was playing Pokémon Y for a bit and thinking about Nuzlockes, I actually came up with a very interesting idea of a new kind of Nuzlocke challenge. I'm normally not a fan of these because you could easily work your way into a hole (i.e. Release a Pokémon who knows that one HM move you can't live without), but the Nuzlocke challenge I had in mind sounds like it could be a lot of fun. If this idea has been done before, well… Sorry I brought it up then…

Anyway, while most Nuzlockes are played by one person, the Nuzlocke I have in mind is supposed to be played by two or more players in what I like to call "Nuzlocke Tennis."

RULES
- You and a friend(s) start off on a Pokémon game of the same generation (mainly to allow the two games to smoothly trade with each other). Ideally, you should start off with different starter Pokémon and (if it's possible) different version of the game (i.e. Ruby and Sapphire, X and Y).

- Like all Nuzlockes, you are only allowed to catch only one Pokémon per route/area (Legendaries may or may not be an exception depending on what is agreed upon prior to starting the challenge); however, unlike other Nuzlockes, failing to catch the Pokémon on the route does not mess things up for you. Your are given as many chances as needed to catch only one Pokémon per route/area. Of course, once you finally catch it, your are not allowed to catch another Pokémon on the same route for the rest of the challenge. In other words, make the Pokémon you want count. Also, no duplicate Pokémon on your account (i.e. catching a level 5 Pidgy on route 1 and wanting to catch a level 15 Pidgey or Pidgeotto on another route). The only exception to this is if your friend somehow managed to catch the same Pokémon you did.

- You are not entitled to catch a Pokémon for every route/area. You could pass up a route for the time being to move on with the game and then return later to make your choice.

- Before catching any Pokémon once you get to the point where you could use Poké Balls, the first Pokémon you and your friend should get is a very weak Pokémon to use as a "trading catalyst." This Pokémon is not to be used for anything and it does not count towards the "only one Pokémon per route" rule. More of these Pokémon can be caught, but only if it is absolutely necessary. The purpose of the "trading catalyst" will be explained in the next rule.

- What sets this Nuzlocke apart from the others is what happens to KO'ed Pokémon. Usually, they are considered "dead" and must either be released or stored in a PC box. In this variation of the Nuzlocke, though, that is far fro the case. Any Pokémon in your party that faints must instead be traded to the other player and that Pokémon will then be used by the player as if its their own. Since it is not possible to simply give trainers your Pokémon (at least based on my knowledge), that is why you are required to have a "trading catalyst," so you can easily trade your Pokémon away. If you have a fainted Pokémon and your friend also has a fainted Pokémon, then both of those Pokémon can be traded at the same time.

- To further elaborate on the trading, once a Pokémon in either party faints, you and your friend are obliged to head back to the nearest Pokémon Center as quick as humanly possible (you could do a few small things on the way, such as catch a new Pokémon or two, but the Pokémon Center is the biggest priority). If one player is in a situation where going to a Pokémon Center is hard to get to (i.e. battling the Elite Four), then the players have the choice to keep moving on with the fainted Pokémon (even though the fainted Pokémon is not allowed to do anything besides a few basic HM functions or battle when no other Pokémon is up for it) until each player is at a good spot to meet up and trade. Also, if the Pokémon that has been traded to you faints, then you have to trade it back to the original player and this player will continue using it again until it faints. Afterwards, it will be traded back again. (NOTE: If there are more than two players in this Nuzlocke, then you have to trade the fainted Pokémon to another player instead of giving it back to the original player.)

- Healing items and Pokémon Centers are allowed, but any type of Revive is prohibited.


What do you think? To be fair, the rules are a total drag to read and confusing at times, but I think this could be a fresh new way to play the Nuzlocke challenge. If you have any questions, just let me know!

[Vipershark]

Don't traded pokemon gain experience (and therefore levels) a lot easier?
This could be easily exploited if both players keep repeatedly killing off the same pokemon (such as a starter) since you can just trade it to the other guy, quickly grind up levels, then purposely faint and trade back.

[E-Man]

Point taken, but I don't think some Nuzlocke players would stoop that low. My big idea is to provide a new spin on the whole Nuzlocke challenge that would not only provide an alternative to the dreadful moment of seeing your Pokémon "die," but also allow more fun for other people in the popular Nuzlocke world.

Beisdes, if they really wanted to cheat like this, they should just trade the Pokémon straight up instead of waiting for them to faint. Also, if I'm not mistaken, I do recall you need badges to keep overleved Pokémon that are not your own under control, so at least there's that (even if the whole trading system isn't foolproof in regards to prevent cheating).

[Vipershark]

What's there to stop both guys from purposely fainting their entire parties in order to both recieve pokemon that can be leveled easy? The badge limits might be in place to stop you from getting /too/ powerful but there's no reason that it can't be abused to grind out a few levels quickly in order to beat the next gym/a difficult trainer/whatever when normally it would be more difficult. Plus once either player beats the 8th gym, badge limits go out the window and you can grind to 100 easier than normal.

If you really want to include the trading thing, you should enforce a limit where if the pokemon faints a second time (as in, once it's been traded to the other guy already) then it's gone for good.

[E-Man]

Well, my Nuzlocke is capable of providing additional rules to make it more challenging for those who want to cheat. If you want to apply the "second chances but that's it" rule on your Pokémon, sounds fair to me. My set of rules are for the very basic concept of this kind of Nuzlocke and I made them out of the assumption that no one would abuse the trading feature like that.

Beisdes, if I'm not mistaken, aren't there any Pokémon ROM hacks that are modified in a way to cater to Nuzlocke challenges? Once this idea becomes more mainstream, I could imagine those kinds of ROM hacks popping up.

For now, though, in order to prevent cheating, I think a kind of referee to oversee the challenge is not a bad idea.