Pokémon: The Board Game Rules

Oct 12, 2026

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Rules for Pokémon: The Board Game describe player setup, movement, and when battles trigger at gyms, Pokémon Centers, routes, and other players. Gameplay uses turn-based battle mechanics limited to up to 3 Pokémon per side, with turn order and switch/attack actions. The rules define general battle notation, status modifiers with two-turn durations, exclusive status effects like Poison, Burn, Confusion, and Paralyze, plus damage and accuracy modifiers. Gym battles follow special coin-based role assignment and match the Gym Leader’s Pokémon count.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPaper Templates

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Players

Goal

Setup

Normal Play

General Battle Rules

Notation

Battle Mechanics

Status Modifiers

Exclusive Status Effects

Damage Modifiers

Accuracy Modifiers

Gym Battles

Weaknesses/Resistances

MIT OpenCourseWare [http://ocw.mit.edu](http://ocw.mit.edu) CMS.608 / CMS.864 Game Design Spring 2008 For information about citing these materials or our Terms of Use, visit: [http://ocw.mit.edu/terms](http://ocw.mit.edu/terms). David Butler, Joshua Campoverde, Justin Moe , Kenny Peng CMS.608 Game Design Revised May 15 , 2008 Pokémon: The Board Game Rules Players 2 – 3 Players Goal The goal is to be the first player to collect all 8-gym badges, which earns the title of Pokémon League Champion . Setup There is a deck of Pokémon cards. On the back, it shows to what group they belong. The three starting pokemon are marked. The starting pokemon are those which trainers may select as their first pokemon at the beginning of the game. In addition , if the Pokémon is supposed to be placed on a particular route , the route section is on the back of the card. The rest of the Pokémon belong to the evolution deck , which is set aside. In the rules, there is often need for generic counters: feel free to use any kind of piece for this purpose. Also, feel free to use any marker for the player movement , as long as they are differentiable. The players roll dice to determine who will go first. The player with the highest roll goes first, and selects their starting pokemon . Continuing clockwise, the other players select a starting pokemon from the center of the table. The pokemon that may be selected as starting pokemon are Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur. Normal play begins once each player has selected a starting pokemon . The player with the highest roll starts their turn . Normal Play Players have two choices of actions on their turn: 1. Move: Roll one die, then move forward or backward up to the number rolled 2. Battle Wild Pokémon (only applicable when on a colored path area): Select the top card from the deck for the current route . A Wild Pokémon battle begins. After the player moves, one of three possible events may occur: 1. Landed on a Gym: Players may choose to battle the Gym Leader 2. Landed on a Pokémon Center: Players remove all damage counters from all Pokémon in their team 3. Landed on a square with another player: The player who already occupies the square may choose to battle with the player who landed on the square. If they do, a Player vs . Player battle begins. After any battles have resolved, play continues clockwise. General Battle Rules Notation: PvP – Player vs . Player , PvW – Player vs . Wild, PvG – Player vs . Gym Battles, in general, will be limited to a max of 3 Pokémon vs . 3 Pokémon . The Wild Pokémon in WP battles and Gym Leaders ’ Pokémon in PvG battles are predetermined. Otherwise, the players will select their Pokémon to use. When a player gets to choose, he/she, in private, places the Pokémon he/she will use in the battle, and the Pokémon they will send out first , face down in the center arena area . The details of battle execution are explained later. A battle ends when one player is knocked out , i. e. they have no more Pokémon that they can use in the (up to) three they selected to participate in that battle. All damage from battles remains in effect until a player lands on a Pokémon Center , which heals their Pokémon . Battle Mechanics Battle progression is turn based. The player who initiates the battle goes first. During each player’s turn , he/she may take one of two actions . 1. Attack: Select one of the attacks on the active Pokémon , and use it . 2. Switch: Switch the currently active Pokémon with one of the Pokémon on their bench. Status Modifiers Certain moves may include modifiers, which apply to either the opponent’s Pokémon , or the player’s Pokémon . All modifiers have duration of two opposing player’s turns . At the end of the opposing player’s turn , one counter should be removed from the modifier indicator . When there are no remaining counters, the modifier is no longer effective. There are three categories of status m

FAQs

How do players start a game and decide who goes first?

Players roll dice to determine order; the highest roll goes first and selects a starting Pokémon, then others pick clockwise from the center.

What are the two action choices on a turn during normal play?

Players can move (roll one die and move forward/backward) or battle Wild Pokémon when on a colored path area by selecting the top route card.

What happens when you land on a Pokémon Center or a Gym?

On a Pokémon Center, all damage counters are removed from Pokémon in the player’s team. On a Gym square, the player may battle the Gym Leader.

Oct 12, 2026

Upload by asba