Before I begin, please feel free to give feedback, and especially to vote in the poll! I'm working to try and make the contest system of more use, without making it too complicated, and balancing the different elements of anime/game/creativity. I can't promise any changes, at least not immediately, but I would love to hear back, and if you have any questions, ask! I definitely might have missed something, so if there's something confusing in the new system (or in general), I'd love to know so I can try and fix it! Thank you!
Now, on to the updates...
First of all, these will be implemented over the next few days (not immediately; if you go to check, you won't see most of these reflected in the contest page just yet)
The rules will now state that a mod must be quoted in the 'prep' post at the beginning of a contest. This will likely be done regardless, because a mod is required to play the NPC opponent and to judge the contest, but on the off chance that things change in the future, it will still be required for that post.
A moves effect when used in a contest NOT matching its type has been changed!
The effects are now as such:
Cute in Tough or Cool results in -2 Appeal; in Smart or Beauty, however, it does nothing
Tough in Beauty, or Cute results in -2 Appeal; in Cool or Smart, however, it does nothing
Beauty in Tough or Smart results in -2 Appeal; in Cute or Cool, however, it does nothing
Cool in Cute or Smart results in -2 Appeal; in Tough or Beauty, however, it does nothing
Smart in Tough or Beauty results in -2 Appeal; in Cute or Cool, however, it does nothing
The Ribbon System has undergone a LARGE revamp!
You may now obtain TMs through the contest system, and even exp! See below for the details!
Levels of Ribbons -- Difficulty and prizes
No ribbons
Difficulty - Beginner's Difficulty
If your trainer has no ribbons of the type that they'll be entering, and the pokemon competing has not won any ribbons, then the NPC trainer's difficulty will be a maximum of 10 base appeal for their pokemon, will have little strategy in their performances, and will have a more limited or less tactical moveset for their pokemon.
Note: This is also the only level of difficulty where two rpers may compete with no NPC's joining, with the one winning earning the full prizes. This may only be done if neither trainer have any ribbons in this contest type
Prizes
If the trainer has no ribbons of this type, they may claim any 1st gym TM (see below)
Regardless of whether the trainer has any ribbons of this level, the pokemon will gain 10 exp
Winning a contest at this level awards a Beginner's Ribbon.
One ribbon
Difficulty - Deuce Difficulty
If the pokemon competing has one ribbon of this type, the NPC used to compete against them will have approximately 20 base appeal to their pokemon. They will have more strategy to their moveset.
If the Trainer has one ribbon of this type, they may either enter a pokemon for full prizes, or enter another pokemon into a lower level contest (Beginner's Difficulty) for exp only. Note, if using the latter option, the pokemon must not have won any ribbons of this type.
Prizes
If the trainer has one of this type, they may claim any 2nd gym TM (see below)
Regardless of whether the trainer has any ribbons of this level, the pokemon will gain 15 exp. If the pokemon competing has two ribbons or more, it will only gain 5 exp.
Winning a contest at this level awards a Deuce Ribbon
Two ribbons of the contest type
Difficulty - Tre Difficulty
If the pokemon competing has two ribbons of this type, the NPC's will now have a base appeal of 30. They will use strategy to their movesets and the order in which they use moves.
If the Trainer has two ribbons of this type, they may either enter a pokemon into a contest with difficulty described above for full prizes, or enter another pokemon into a lower level contest (NPC with difficulty of ribbons corresponding to the level difficulty) for exp only.
Prizes
If the trainer has two ribbons of this type and wins, they may claim any 3rd or 4th gym TM (see below)
Regardless of whether the trainer has any ribbons of this level, the pokemon will gain 20 exp. If the pokemon competing has three ribbons or more, it will only gain 10 exp.
Winning a contest at this level awards a Tre Ribbon
Three ribbons
Difficulty - Quaro Difficulty
If the pokemon competing has three ribbons of this type, the NPCs will have a base appeal of 40 and a 70% chance of completing one combo.
If the Trainer has three ribbons of this type, they may either enter a pokemon into a contest against an NPC with the difficulty above for full prizes, or enter another pokemon into a lower level contest (NPC with difficulty of ribbons corresponding to the difficulty level) for exp only.
Prizes
If the trainer has three ribbons of this type and wins, they may claim any 5th or 6th gym TM (see below)
Regardless of whether the trainer has any ribbons of this level, the pokemon will gain 25 exp. If the pokemon competing has four ribbons or more, it will only gain 15 exp.
Winning a contest at this level awards a Quaro Ribbon
Four+ ribbons
Difficulty - Cin Difficulty
If the pokemon competing has four or more ribbons of this type, the NPCs will have a base appeal of 50. They will also have an 80% chance of completing a combo, and can use them the maximum two times per contest.
If the Trainer has four or more ribbons of this type, they may either enter a pokemon into a contest against an NPC with the difficulty above for full prizes, or enter another pokemon into a lower level contest (NPC with difficulty of ribbons corresponding to the difficulty level) for exp only.
Prizes
If the trainer has four ribbons of this type, they may claim any 7th or 8th gym TM (see below). Note this only works if the trainer has four ribbons! Once they have more than four ribbons of the same type, from the same region, they cannot claim any more TMs through the contest system in that region (See below for further clarification on regional specific ribbons).
Regardless of whether the trainer has any ribbons of this level, the pokemon will gain 30 exp. If the pokemon competing has more than four ribbons, it will only gain 20 exp.
Winning a contest at this level awards a Cin Ribbon
Defeating a Contest Leader
Defeating a Contest Leader will yield you a Title Ribbon, a sign that you proved yourself to be amongst the best of the best of that contest type, in that region, as well as 'Type Special Pokeblock' with 10 appeal in the Contest Leaders Contest Type, 7 Appeal in a type of your choice, and 4 Appeal in a second type of your choice; any TM of choice, and +35 exp to the pokemon.
Challenging Other RPers, Ribbon Types, Obedience, and an Explanation on Regions in the Contest System
Because a contest between two RPers is less formal than challenging an NPC/mod, most ribbons given to the winner of these contests will not count towards obedience, exp, or TM prizes. The only exception being that if both trainers have no ribbons in the contest type they are both entering. This also allows trainers to 'practice' with lower Base Appeal pokemon, and help one another get the hang of the system by doing contests, without worrying about the added challenge of an increasing base appeal in their opponent.
Ribbons awarded to trainers officially competing in a contest, without rewards, are called Base Ribbons. So, for instance, if two trainers were competing in a cute contest, but one or both had some ribbons, the victor would receive a Base Cute Ribbon. This is purely for the mods to keep track of things, since these ribbons will not contribute to the ribbon count above. If you get several 'Base Ribbons', and then challenge a mod/NPC, you do not have to worry about that NPC being any stronger than the difficulty corresponding to how many ribbons you obtained through previous competitions with NPC's.
When you compete against an NPC and win, you will receive a Contest Ribbon of the difficulty your character competed in. Note: when challenging a fellow RPer, if neither have any ribbons in the contest type competing in, the two of you can decide whether to compete for a 'Base' Ribbon, or a 'Beginner' Ribbon. Remember, if you compete for a Beginner's Ribbon, the person who wins will now have one official Contest Ribbon. This means the pokemon that participated will get less prizes if competing in a Beginner Contest again, but it will also allow them to claim the full Beginner Contest prizes upon winning. They will not be able to compete for Beginner Contest prizes in the same contest type, again, however.
For further clarification, check the FAQ (coming soon)
AND REMEMBER: Please make sure to clarify the ribbon type in your characters inventory!
Regions
Please organize your ribbons by region, too. I know this is a lot, but it will allow things to run smoothly, and lets us make the system region specific, so that trainers can get more TMs through the contest system, and allow us to keep track of things without having to go through every thread and figure out what type of ribbon was earned where. If it makes it easier (it will for us), feel free to include links to past contest victories, but it's not necessary.
If an uneven number of rpers join a contest, and an NPC is required to even out the numbers for the battle system, the rpers and mod can discuss the difficulty of the NPC, and the prizes that will be earned.
Obedience, TMs, and HMs
Obedience
Beginner Ribbon: Pokemon obey up to level 25
Deuce Ribbon: Pokemon obey up to level 30
Tre Ribbon: Pokemon obey up to level 40
Quaro Ribbon: Pokemon obey up to level 50
One Title Ribbon: Pokemon obey up to level 60
Two Different Type Title Ribbons: Pokemon obey up to level 70
Three Different Type Title Ribbons: Pokemon obey up to level 80
Four Different Type Title Ribbons: All pokemon will obey
HMs
HMO1 Cut - obtained by receiving a Beginner's Ribbon
HMO6 Rock Smash - obtained by receiving a Deuce Ribbon
HMO4 Strength - obtained by receiving a Tre Ribbon
HMO2 Fly - obtained by receiving a Quaro Ribbon
HMO7 Waterfall - obtained by defeating a Contest Leader
HMO3 Surf - obtained by defeating a Contest Leader
HMO5 Defog - obtained by defeating a Contest Leader
HMO8 Rock Climb - obtained by defeating a Contest Leader
Note: Upon defeating a Contest Leader, you may pick one of the four HMs available. You may not claim the same HM more than once. You may not claim them by defeating Contest Leaders of the same type from different regions.
TMs
First Gym TMs
39 Rock Tomb - Received from Brock
19 Roost - Received from Faulkner
26 Earthquake - Received from Roxanne
71 Stone Edge - Received from Roark
77 Psych Up - Received from Chili and co
83 Infestation - Received from Viola
Second Gym TMs
9O Substitute - Received from Misty
89 U-turn - Received from Bugsy
O8 Bulk Up - Received from Brawly
86 Grass Knot - Received from Gardenia
67 Retaliate - Received from Lenora
8O Rock Slide - Received from Grant
Third Gym TMs
25 Thunder - Received from Lt. Surge
45 Attract - Received from Whitney
73 Thunder Wave - Received from Wattson
31 Brick Break - Received from Maylene
76 Struggle Bug - Received from Burgh
98 Power-Up Punch - Received from Korrina
Fourth Gym TMs
22 Solar Beam - Received from Erika
3O Shadow Ball - Received from Morty
5O Overheat - Received from Flannery
18 Rain Dance - Received from Wake
72 Volt Switch - Received from Elesa
53 Energy Ball - Received from Ramos
Fifth Gym TMs
O6 Toxic - Received from Janine
52 Focus Blast - Received from Chuck
88 Sleep Talk - Received from Norman
65 Shadow Claw - Received from Fantina
78 Bulldoze - Received from Clay
24 Thunderbolt - Received from Clemont
Sixth Gym TMs
29 Psychic - Received from Sabrina
51 Steel Wing - Received from Jasmine
58 Sky Drop - Received from Winona
91 Flash Cannon - Received from Byron
62 Acrobatics - Received from Skyla
99 Dazzling Gleam - Received from Valerie
Seventh Gym TMs
38 Fire Blast - Received from Blaine
O7 Hail - Received from Pryce
O4 Calm Mind - Received from Liza and Tate
14 Blizzard - Received from Candice
79 Frost Breath - Received from Brycen
33 Reflect - Received from Olympia
Eighth Gym TMs
92 Trick Room - Received from Blue
O2 Dragon Claw - Received from Claire
55 Scald - Received from Wallace
57 Charge Beam - Received from Volkner
82 Dragon Tail - Received from Drayden
13 Ice Beam - Received from Wulfric
