[PKMN OPEN] Legend Hunters OOC/Sign-Ups [M]

My first question arises from the "abuse" of Pokemon: when did the total flip in prevailing beliefs come about and how? This inquiry would help justify an especially-nebulous area in your description of Camuldon: the relationship between the proletariat and the Pokemon. While I understand Pokemon are exploited within industries, how do members of the working class perceive Pokemon? Could people idolize them as we would in the real world, look up at a sizable Steelix and be enraptured? Could a family reasonably own a Pikachu or a Buneary as a pet? Or have Pokemon been stigmatized to the extent where a Golem could be ripped into pieces and very few would care? If so, again, what would have inspired such a revolutionary change of perspective?

I also get a sense of gaping emptiness concerning Camuldon as a location. There seems to be great emphasis placed on it but over-generalization and ambiguity makes calling it "organic" impossible; I can't imagine people living in it, foremost, because the entire region—as I presume it is a region, like Ransei—is depicted as "an ugly city where people are mean to Pokemon". I'd need to see the bigger picture in order to then visualize a character on my own inhabiting this world. Consider key locations, geology, substantially fleshing out the culture, more than simply noting that nonspecific industrialists are money-grubbing and cruel. I glanced a few brief notices about "low fantasy magic" and hostility from surrounding countries in the sign-up but these should be compiled in your explanation. Never rely on players' prior knowledge, either, regarding culture once again; I doubt many people can immediately recall and apply knowledge on the Industrial Revolution and the fun truly comes from seeing elements of that time period translated through a fictional lens, so reference the trends, beliefs, major happening, etc. regarding that part of American history and applying them yourself to Camuldon to give it some life. With geology, consider prevailing climate and land forms. For key locations, start with the capital Brookshire and go deeper. What makes this fantastical city unique? You note in the "History" section of the sign-up: "Are you from Camuldon or one of her colonies?" What colonies are you referring to that were never noted prior? You invite creativity on players' behalf but it would be considerably difficult for players to invent a place of origin in a limited setting; they need to have a box before they can think out of it.

I stand by Ech in saying written personality sections are arbitrary but I'll debate your response to evaluating characters, as you said you'd rather evaluate the capabilities of players; the two go hand-in-hand. By providing insight into a character, a player speaks of his/her own ability to make said character balanced, believable and more individual than simply listing, as an example, that Emily has brown hair and blue eyes, she's bonded with an Emolga, she defends herself with a pocket knife, etc. Though you state "you can usually tell how much care has been put into a form", I'd argue said "care", which I interpreted as "detail", is arbitrary, in this instance, as the entire sign-up sheet can be adequately completed by simply listing base-level aspects (what a character looks like, what Pokemon the character is bonded with, how the character defends itself...). It's true, someone can extract a lot of content and insight with the application you've provided, but I feel it would be arbitrary to reject one person who did the bare minimum over someone who wrote full paragraphs for each section as both completed the sign-up successfully. You can't get "skills and equipment" wrong, ultimately, thus I encourage you to flesh out the sign-up format by encouraging necessary insight into who a character is at-heart rather than observably through "History". Inquire how a character's past has shaped who it is at-present. I'd also encourage a writing sample as well to get a further grasp of how a player plans to portray its character, in turn deciphering how said character would contribute to the roleplay. Is Emily entirely uninteresting or could she be enjoyable to read and interact with?

Very good on Ech for pointing out the evident lack of a main objective as well which is really the roleplay's greatest weakness, in my eyes. Your means of addressing it might work and my skepticism derives mainly, again, from Camuldon's lack of imagination. Most of the holes of "Legend Hunter", as I see it, stem from that lack of a truly believable setting that most of the roleplay's defining aspects rest so firmly upon.

Also, I'm concerned by a presumed lackadaisical attitude about players "[coming] up with a better idea" for the overarching plot. Note that there's a prominent difference between permitting player freedom and giving your work over to whoever applies for your roleplay. Remember that, as the GM, you are the leader, the provider of a solid base on which players should then proceed to build upon in-character. They should not be providing the essentials! You need to flesh out Camuldon; you need to solidify the main purpose of the characters' adventures.