We're glad you decided to stop by, welcome to Collateral Damage! This thread is a guide for newbies through the different threads that need to be read before creating a character. If you have any suggestions or ways to improve this guide, please contact Wicked and she will update this as soon as she can so others in the future can have an easier time.

As you may have noticed on the desktop version of the site, there is a list of links for you to navigate the site through. This can be completely hidden by clicking on the star icon in the bottom right of your screen next to the cog icon. This icon will only appear if you have joined a group, so be sure to go to the groups tab under your Profile and join a group before you try to toggle it!

The very first thing you will want to check out, is our Rules. Rules are an important part of any site, so it's best that you get acquainted with them before you make any characters. If you don't know how to "link" accounts in Proboards, just click on the icon in the bottom right of the Desktop version of the site and look for the "Create an Account" link. If you're on mobile, switch to Desktop version as there is no way to do this from there.

After you have looked at those rules, you may want to have a look at Pokemon Specific rules if you plan on having any Ghost types, a Type:Null / Silvally, or a Fossil pokemon as they have certain rules applied to them due to the lore of the roleplay. That thread also includes some answers to questions people might have on Spiritomb and Rotom. It is also highly suggested that you have a look at Controversial Pokemon if you plan on having a Porygon, Golett, Baltoy, Zorua, Spiritomb, Ghost Type in general, Fossil Pokemon, or Type:Null character as they face social issues or even benefits in the pokemon society.

Here in Collateral Damage, we have quite a long site lore and history. In order to save you more immediate time, we've created a Cliffnote Version for people to read. The full version is here for you to read if you are curious. We recommend that you read the full version, but it is not a requirement.

Once you've finished checking out the above threads, it's time to move on to the mechanics of the site. One of the most important parts of any pokemon site is Leveling Up and Evolution of your pokemon. Everyone wants to be that strong cool pokemon, but you can not just start with that right off the bat. You start off at level 10, or 15 if you're a military member, otherwise known as an explorer. This thread covers how you'll become strong and how you will evolve your character if you wish to do so. If you don't want them to evolve, then they are perfectly allowed to refuse evolution without needing an Everstone. This thread also covers Pokemon Appearances and how you can make your characters appear different from others.

Up Next is Dungeons, Battling, and Items as they are a fairly important part of any Pokemon Mystery Dungeon roleplay. The thread will cover all you need to know for the Dungeon Mechanics and how we roll around here. This thread is also placed in the quick links on the desktop and mobile version for people to look back and reference to. One of the key things to note from that thread is that you are not required to do any fancy rolling for items or wait for a moderator to post for every single movement of the enemy. If you happen to finish a Dungeon or a Mission thread, you can start up another immediately while you are waiting for the pending rewards on the one you finished. Just remember to post in the Staff Request thread whenever you need something done for you!

Speaking of missions, Military, White Dawn, and Politicians get them! In the Class Boosts, Teams, and Missions thread, missions are explained along with what classes get certain boosts and what teams do for the forum exactly. One thing to keep in mind from this thread is that Military and White Dawn pretty much are what the games called Explorers. We do not call them that here as it would make more sense for towns and cities to send their military recruits after outlaws and do rescues instead of a teenage pokemon that has not yet been trained in the slightest. There's even an entire thread dedicated to explaining each class in a bit more detail HERE in case you're interested.

Once you've read all of that, be sure to check out the F.A.Q. if you have any questions as many that are usually brought up in Pokemon RPs are answered there. If you would like a better understanding of the world we have developed be sure to check out Technology, Pokemon Biology, and Invictus and the Multi-National Security Panel. Each one explains parts of this world and how they work, so it's very useful to read these items as they will help you in remaining accurate in your history and roleplay. Be sure to check out the Shop as well, but it's not likely that you'll be using it soon unless you get some quick cash.

Once you've read everything, you're ready to start up your App and make that character! If you have a specific country of origin in mind that you want other people to be able to join and rp in, check out Creating A Country. If you want to join someone else's country as a place of origin, then check out Member Created Countries to see if there's anything you might like. If you want to see what's on the site so far, check out the Who's Who and Pokemon List thread. Keep in mind you're allowed one free shiny character. If you want to beef up your character fast, then you can go to the Advertising Rewards and do some advertisements in exchange for getting some neat items for your character!

As a bit of a friendly reminder, ENABLE DRAFTS. Go to your "Profile" then click "Edit Profile" then go to the "Settings" tab and enable drafts there, then save your progress. It's not required, but it should save you so much pain in the future if you're planning on playing on any site. For those who don't know what that does, it basically saves a draft of your post if you happen to click away or refresh the page on accident. It's very helpful.

When your character is finished, post in the who's who thread so people can know what you play.