RE: Anyone Play Pokemon Tabletop?
If that's a little too complicated, you might want to think of just the six main classes and decide later on. They are:
Ace Trainer - typical trainer, think of Ash or Gym Leaders
Capture Specialist - someone who wants to fill out their pokedex and catch all the pokemon they encounter
Breeder - specializes in hatching and raising pokemon; not as powerful as ace trainers, but their pokemon can become incredibly powerful with exclusive moves over time.
Coordinator - main focus is pokemon contests. it's a bit complicated, so talk it over with your gm to make sure you can play them.
Martial Artist - A physically-offensive character, they can fight alongside their pokemon and protect their teammates.
Psychic - A specially-offensive character, they are incredibly powerful early in the game and can inflict powerful attacks and abilities in a pinch.
Ranger - although they can't go on a catching spree, they can still befriend pokemon more easily than others, and even gather a team over time. if a ranger's on the team, there's little use for HMs--they can easily ask a pokemon to help out!
Mystic - a little difficult for early players, this type basically uses voodoo/magic to support their team and connect with pokemon.
Researcher - priding themselves on their knowlege, a researcher can tell you plenty of things about the area you're in, the pokemon you're facing, and sometimes the trainers you come across.
I also recommend finding four people (including yourself) who want to play the game. At least at the start, you guys should split as follows:
Player One - GM, runs everything, knows the plot, knows the bosses, and is there to make sure everyone has fun.
Player Two - the 'leader' role. Class should be Researcher/Coordinator/Ranger.
Player Three - the 'support' role. Class should be Breeder/Ace Trainer/Capture Specialist.
Player Four - the 'combat' role. Class should be Martial Artist/Mystic/Psychic.
Of course, those aren't rules, just suggestions. As you play the game, your team can also cross-class to fill in roles you're missing. A team of Researcher, Martial Artist, and Psychic could have their Psychic become an Empath to give the team more support, etc. There are a few things I'll also note:
-Don't disregard the Ranger class just because their team is limited. They can still (over time) gain a full team, and their abilities and advanced classes are incredibly powerful. Likewise, don't disregard the Coordinator just because it's not battle-based--they have some powerful moves in their advanced classes that can change the flow of battle entirely. Also, they will probably end up rich.
-If you're going to use Psychic, be sure your GM has a good look at their abilities. It's very easy to break the class, and if you do that, no one has fun. It's also very easy to cross-class into this section (iow, skip the base class and take an advanced class instead).
Aaand lastly, here is something you'll need:
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Players Handbook, Pokedex, and GM Guide
This is a lot of stuff, so just focus on finding a class you like. The Player's Handbook in the last link has nice pictures and descriptions to help you out ;3 .