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Welcome to The Pokémon Ultra RPG, or URPG for short.


Notice:

The game is currently in a state of hibernation. As a player-run game, this means that many of the player-run duties will be on pause during this time. This means that your Starter Requests may not be processed, and activity may be very low. You can learn more about the game’s hibernation here.

While it isn’t the best time to begin playing, feel free to join our Discord to be notified when the game reawakens with some amazing improvements! We also have an awesome community that’s happy to chat.

What is the URPG?

This is a multi-faceted game based on the Pokémon saga. You start as a Trainer with a single Pokémon, working your way to capture new friends and battle for the championship while battling, writing, roleplaying, and making art along the way.

We use our Discord server for a majority of our activity, including almost all of our day-to-day conversations. It’s where you’ll find most of the community! Joining the Discord is the recommended first step to joining, because we’ll be able to help get started best there!

While a lot of our activity like battles and contests take place on Discord, a lot of record-keeping and creative sections (like roleplaying, submitting art, and submitting stories) take place on the URPG forums. If you’re not familiar with forums, don’t worry! Let us know if you need help figuring it out.

Why should you join?
Because the adventure is thrilling, the community is great, and the URPG is the longest running Pokémon RPG in existence. From battles and contests to roleplays, stories, and art, the URPG has something for everyone! If you like Pokémon and you like to have fun, sign up today!


Getting Started

To begin your journey, go to Starter Requests and apply for a starter Pokémon of your very own! You’ll also receive:

After being approved, you can post your Trainer Stats at the Trainer Stats board. Think of your stats page as a mixture of your Trainer Card, your bag, and your PC all wrapped into one–it’s where you’ll keep track of your money, Pokémon, items, and the rest of your game’s progress! Please note: this is an honor-based system, and you’re expected to keep track of your stats responsibly and update them with correct information with every change.

Once you’ve done that, it’s recommended to get a Discord account to join in the majority of the community, as mentioned above. Our invite link is here. Once you’ve successfully obtained your starter and created your stats, let an Official or Moderator know so that they can give you the Member role, giving you the permission to post in the game chats!


Main Features of the URPG

Pokémon Battles!

Capture New Pokémon!

Amazing Activities!

Main Rules

For more in-depth rules, particularly about each section, see this page.


What You Can Do

The Marketplace
Here, you can find the PokéMart, a place where you can purchase new TMs, HMs, and even teach your Pokémon Daycare Moves or unlock their Hidden Abilities! You can also visit the Trading Machine to trade Pokémon to collect them all. Once you’ve made a purchase here, the link will automatically be posted in our #questions-approvals chat on Discord for approval!

Battles
Battles between members is the most common activity of the URPG. Challenge Gyms and earn badges to take on our Elite 4 and Champion! Every few months, test your skills in our Tournaments—themed events that put your skills to the test! To get started, post in #player-search on Discord that you’re looking to battle!

Stories
Writing stories is a great method to capture Pokémon in the URPG or earn some URPG cash. Occasionally, there will be seasonal writing competitions for aspiring writers to enter and compete in, where you can earn even more prizes. There are also events scattered throughout the year that offer extra bonuses! You can browse stories that others have written here!

National Park
Roleplaying is another method for you to capture Pokémon in the URPG. You can adventure through the Main RP to interact with other players or go on your very own adventure with just you, your ranger, and your trusty Pokémon in the wilds of the Individual RP, while visiting different areas to encounter various wild Pokémon. Occasionally, there are special Mission Events where you get to participate in special roleplays/runs or win special items! A special Beginner-style run is also available for new members to get used to how the area works.

Contests
Contests are an RSE (Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald) classic where you get to play with other members, giving your Pokémon a chance to earn a ribbon as well as URPG cash. With the money and ribbons you accumulate, you can purchase Berries, TM Bundles, or even Pokémon! DPPt (Diamond/Pearl/Platinum) and ORAS (Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire) contest modes are also available.

Art
If you’re an aspiring artist or are just looking to whip out your brushes and other tools, draw some fantastic Pokémon art in whatever medium you’d like. Do you prefer hand-drawn, traditional art, or are you fancying trying your hand at a sculpture or digital work? Your imagination is the limit! Capture Pokémon or earn URPG cash.

Morphic
Morphic is a Pokémon RP section. You play as your own URPG Pokémon that washes up on a vast, mysterious deserted island–an island that, unbeknownst to your character, will eventually give them the power to shapeshift into other Pokémon! Morphic is a freeform roleplay that you can use to EM your current Pokémon or earn new ones. It’s purely player-driven, which means you don’t have to wait on section staff to post–you can have as many threads with as many people as you want! Ready to start? Read the Quick Start guide and jump right in!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the #general-chat or #questions-approvals channel of the Discord.


Frequently Asked Questions

How does the battling system work?

To have a battle, all you need is an Opponent and a Referee. Opponents can be anyone who has also registered in the URPG, and you can challenge them by contacting them. You need a referee to follow mechanics and calculate how each move in the battle affects the Pokemon involved, including damage, status effects, and, ultimately, the battle’s outcome.

Battles in the URPG work the same way that battles in the mainline games work with a few differences. The biggest difference is that a Pokémon is not restricted to only 4 moves, but is able to use every move that it can learn via leveling up in all generations and pre-evolutions.

You can also check out the Reffing Encyclopedia to learn more about Battle Formats & Rules or the Ultradex to find out what moves Pokémon can learn.

How do I evolve my Pokémon?

Pokémon require experience points to evolve, and this depends on how many times they can evolve. A Pokémon needs five points per stage for three-stage Pokémon (5 to go from Charmander -> Charmeleon and another 5 to go from Charmeleon -> Charizard) , and seven for two-stage Pokémon (Eevee -> Espeon). The following methods will provide one EXP when the basic Pokémon is used.

There is also a few more quick, efficient methods for roleplayers. The following will ignore EXP, and evolve a Pokemon one stage on completion:

And lastly, we also have PokéJobs, which can provide you with one/two stages worth of evolution by sending your basic Pokémon on a job. Take in mind, however, that you can not use them during the time they are gone!

What is my Pokémon’s ability, nature, and gender?

Pokémon abilities aren’t set in stone. You can choose any ability a Pokémon has access to before it is sent into battle and change it between battles.

You can choose the nature for any Pokémon you start with, purchase, win, or catch through stories. Any Pokémon you catch at the National Park will have a randomly determined nature. Natures are permanent. Natures only affect National Park and have no bearing on the Pokémon’s stats. It’s recommended not to pick natures until you read up on the National Park.

You may choose the gender of any Pokémon you gain. A Pokémon’s gender is locked in once it has been used in any battle/contest/FFA/etc, but can be changed at the Refund Station for $2,000.

What are Pokémon ranks?

Every Pokémon in URPG has a rank that determines its capture difficulty (for Creative sections) and its relative rarity in the game. In general, higher-ranked Pokémon will be harder to obtain than lower ranks. The ranks and base values are:

You can find your Pokémon’s rank by checking its Ultradex page, or by using the “,rank species” command in the Discord (base stages only). Evolved forms are always one rank higher than the rank of their prior stage (ex. Magikarp is Easiest, so Gyarados is Simple).

Note that a Pokémon’s rank will not always determine its value. Pokémon available in the PokéMart will be worth Mart price no matter their rank. For trading purposes, Pokémon are considered the same stage as their lowest base form (ex. Magikarp and Gyarados are worth the same at $4,000). For other exceptions, see the Trading section under URPG Rules, or check the Trading Machine.

Legendary Pokémon use a special Tier ranking system, falling into either Tier 1 or Tier 2. For more information on legendary Pokémon and how to get them, see the Legendary List.

How can I earn more money?

The easiest way to earn money is through battling or by participating in a contest, so hop online and grab your friends! Be on the lookout for FFAs, or Free-For-Alls: it’s just your Pokémon versus the URPG-World in a 1v1v1v1+ setting, with tons of prize money for everyone. If you are unsure how much money you should add after a battle, be sure to check that Referee’s battle log or ask a Ref or Official!

Users can also earn more money by writing stories or submitting art for cash instead of Pokémon captures. Money can also be made in the Park by taking pictures of rare or legendary Pokémon. Additionally, many users make deals for Pokémon in which someone can draw/write/capture a Pokémon for someone else and then be paid via cash or another option that can be worked out between the two users.

If you think you’ve got what it takes, another way to earn money is to have a paid URPG profession. These include:

Professionals are paid very well, but only because they often work hard to ensure enjoyment for all URPG participants. Becoming a professional takes time and effort but is ultimately rewarding in terms of money and prestige! In order to gain a profession, fill out the corresponding quiz and send it to one of the leaders of that section. Only those people can help you on the quiz for that profession, and cheating is not tolerated.


Other Reading

If you feel like you understand everything, then nope! If you have any questions, feel free to ask any of our Mods or Officials!

Most importantly, welcome, and have fun!