Zhordiacs - A co-op Pokemon-like experience on tabletop; Play-testers wanted. Overview: Zhordiacs is a game created entirely by myself, heavily inspired by Pokemon and DnD 5e. I am currently looking for 2 people to partake in play-testing the game (for free). If you are a fan of Pokemon and/or DnD, this could be the game for you. What is Zhordiacs?: Zhordiacs is a game where you play as a Handler, a human that collects and commands a bunch of creatures (Zhordiacs) to do battle. Heavily inspired from Pokemon there are 18 types in the game, and each Zhordiac in the game is a combination of two of these types. There is a Zhordiac for each possible combination of types (So if you want a Mythic/Shadow Zhordiac, or a Lightning/Cold Zhordiac, it is potentially out there to catch!) meaning there is a total of 153 Evolution Lines in the roster, and 255 unique creatures to potentially collect and battle with! The game plays out similarly to a tabletop version of Pokemon (Let’s use Fire Red as an example) where you will choose a starting Zhordiac and make your way through the world collecting more and trying to collect Medals from the Arenas. Where Zhordiacs differs from Pokemon however, along with several other nuanced details and mechanics, is that all combat is performed in world, on a tactical grid with an initiative order, AoE attacks and the ability to control multiple Zhordiacs at once! (As opposed to Pokemon’s 1v1 static turn order system where you are fighting in a vacuum and all that matters is the move you pick and swapping for the type matchup). What Does Tactical Combat Bring?: The 4v4 open-world allows for greater strategy as you may do an AoE move that could hit an ally or take an advantageous position at a choke point, begin to flank etc. Zhordiacs has its own Type Chart that is balanced in such a way that each of the 18 types has as many weaknesses as it has resistances/immunities, meaning every type is as useful as each other, but it is still important to pick the right Zhordiac for the job and get an advantage in the situation you find yourself in. A key difference to the type matchups is that instead of doing double or quadruple damage, it instead heavily increases your chance to hit, so while the Type Matchups help give you an edge, they aren’t completely overwhelming if they are not in your favour. What is in this play test? This play test will start from the beginning, allowing you each to pick two starting Zhordiacs (For four total) and runs up to the completion of the first Arena at Lvl 10. I haven’t tested how long this will take as that is part of what I am finding out by running this game, but it will likely be about 5 sessions, depending on how fast things progress. I intend to produce more content leading up to the second Arena at Lvl 20 and so on, but figured it would be wise to test what has been made so far to get a feel for if any major changes are needed. How does it all work?: You will each have a sheet dedicated to your handler character (and a custom token made from a character made by yourself on HeroForge) which will track your Handler stats. These include, but are not limited to, increasing the distance you can throw to give more versatility when throwing items to your Zhordiacs, the amount of actions you can take in a turn as a Handler, or increase your chances of catching new Zhordiacs. Each of you will also have a sheet per Zhordiac you catch and want to use. You can each control 2 at once in a 4v4 battle, but will also have 2 spares each that you can use if one faints or if you want to change the Type Matchup. This means you will have essentially 4 active Zhordiacs each but can catch extras and change your party lineups at regular checkpoints (like Pokemon). Each Zhordiac has a basic melee and basic ranged attack that they can do at will. They then also have up to 4 Special attacks that are area of effect or stat changes etc. which have a limited number of uses until refreshed at checkpoints or refreshed with items. Finally each of the 153 evolution lines has a Ultimate move, unique to that evolution line which you can do once before it requires refreshing. This leads to interesting resource management as well as tense Arena Battles as both sides will be giving it their all, since they have no reason to hold onto ultimates. What are Arena Battles?: Arena battles are like Gyms, from Pokemon. A key difference however is the fact it is an arena; a large open space to do battle with interesting environmental obstacles to navigate. This play test is up to and including the first arena, in an attempt to obtain the Focus Medal (Lvl 10). The Arena Bosses (Plural, as there are 2 Handlers to match the 2 players) have 1 Zhordiac each that they will always use, then will have 3 additional Zhordiacs, randomly generated from a pool (This pool will consist only of Zhordiacs that match the Types associated with the Arena). This allows things to remain unpredictable, so you cannot just show up with a party that dominates the type matchup as you don’t know if you will be against a Combat/Nature type or a Combat/Earth type in the Combat Arena, for example. About the sessions: The sessions will be as and when we can arrange them. I would like to try to play once a week, but if you happen to enjoy the game I can likely run it whenever we all have a day free together. I am British, but I work nightshift, so I am actually up during the hours of 12pm to 4am Eastern US time (9am-1am Western iirc). However, my work schedule is 4 days on and then 4 days off, meaning the evenings I have free change each week. This means you and your friend/partner ideally need to have the flexibility of schedule to play test this and not be locked into just one day of the week. I would like 2 people who know each other already (But am willing to take 2 singles if need be) because there is a fair amount to learn about the game. I would like to avoid having to have each of you get to know each other and blend well on top of all the info and getting to know me and get along with me also. If you can come as pre-made pair, it will take a lot of variables out of the equation, and also I think it will make for a more enjoyable co-op experience for yourselves as you will be relaxed around each other and be familiar with one another, even if you aren’t so with me and the new game at first. I could only put so much information in the listing, so if you have any questions of any kind, be they mechanics, lore, or meta questions about scheduling, please ask or send me a message and I will be happy to answer!