The Pokémon universe is a vast and rich world; a ripe setting for you and your friends to tell your next exciting story. The fan-made adaptation, Pokémon Tabletop United, or ‘PTU,’ has translated the video games, TV shows, and books into a TTRPG system that players can use to create their own trainers, choose their Pokémon partners, and interact with the world of Pokémon like never before. However, many players are unable to run the game in person, being bound by schedules or location, and rely on virtual tabletops (VTTs) to host their sessions. For a complicated and expansive world like Pokémon, choosing the right platform can drastically alter the gaming experience, for better or worse, so let’s define what PTU needs from a VTT and pinpoint which service best fulfills those needs.
One of the first challenges of any TTRPG is the process of character creation. Whether it’s reshaping an idea of a character to fit the mechanics of a system or building one out of the rulebook from the ground up, it’s inherently necessary to have your character exist according to the game’s rules. Pokemon Tabletop United’s character creation can be twice as demanding, as you’ll have a sheet for your Trainer, alongside every Pokemon that’s joined your journey, beginning with your first Pokemon, your ‘Starter.’ Moreover, each character and Pokémon has a wide array of skills, abilities, stat blocks, and resources to manage during gameplay. Therefore, an ideal VTT would have a system flexible enough to account for these complicated PTU character/Pokemon sheets, and a friendly enough user interface that makes the math-intensive aspects of PTU less intimidating.
Fortunately, you don’t have to create Pokémon from scratch. A complete Pokedex of 1,164 total Pokémon (as of this article’s publishing) are ready to thrive in your PTU story. Every one of these creatures already has stats, move sets, art, and lore about them– some, such as Pikachu, are so iconic that they are ranked amongst the most popular video game characters of all time. This is to say, the VTT you choose should be able to accurately depict the world of Pokémon, whether by allowing you to upload imagery to use for tokens/backgrounds or by having models and assets available. Unlike in-person gaming, VTTs utilized correctly can create vivid and engaging landscapes without dedicating time and money to crafting and painting minis or building full sets for the table. If your VTT facilitates uploading content, the process becomes even easier because you can immerse players with existing sprites and art from official Pokémon sources.
The most effective VTT for your PTU game should be versatile enough to handle the complexity of the system’s characters and malleable enough to be aesthetically shaped into a recognizable Pokémon setting. With our rubric set, it is clear that one Virtual Tabletop stands taller than the rest. Commonly used by PTU players already, Foundry VTT offers that perfect mix of mathematical and aesthetic accommodations that will set your next game up for success. While you may not be able to upload your character/Pokémon sheets directly, Foundry VTT’s dice-rolling mechanics are highly customizable and can be fashioned to fit PTU’s needs. The platform also has countless user-made content packs and modules that can be utilized in your games, alongside support for uploading your own images, including official Pokémon art.
Deciding the VTT that will sustain your PTU is a critical choice, because if you choose the wrong one, your game may be difficult to play mechanically, frustrating to navigate, or misrepresentative of your intended setting. For a game system that combines complex components with a highly popular franchise, Foundry VTT’s adaptability makes it the best place to host your next journey into the thrilling world of Pokémon.
Finn Halpern is a Chicago-based writer, passionate about TTRPGs, nerd culture, and the art of storytelling.
