Introduction - the Nuzlocke Challenge

My first blog! A momentous occasion to be sure. Anyway, time for an introduction.

The Nuzlocke Challenge is a new way to play Pokemon games, to add an extra bit of challenge to a series of games that Pokemaniacs (first and last time I'll use that word) like myself have completed over and over again for more than 10 years now. The inspiration comes from a random guy who decided to spice things up on a run of Pokemon Ruby, and drew a few funny sketches detailing his experiences. The sketches gained quite a following, taking the author by surprise as much as anyone, and developed into a full-blown series of webcomics. For more details and all the comics, go here --> http://www.nuzlocke.com/?page_id=2

Before I go into the rules, suffice it to say that in order to really understand what the hell I'm on about in this blog, you'll need a basic grasp of Pokemon game mechanics. If you don't have a clue what I'm on about but are interested in finding out more (hell, maybe you just like my style of writing) then head to Bulbapedia, here: http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Main_Page and you'll find literally everything you could ever want to know about the Pokemon games, anime, manga, and the Pokemon themselves and how the game's infinitesimally   nuanced mechanics work.

There are two main rules to Pokemon Nuzlocke challenges, and they are:

1. You may only catch the first Pokemon you encounter on each Route.
2. If any of your Pokemon faint, they are dead. You cannot heal them, and must release them immediately.

Thousands of people have undergone Nuzlocke challenges since the comics were born, and more and more rules are brought to the table every day. The extra rules to which I'll be adhering are as follows:

3. You must nickname every Pokemon you own. This will increase your attachment to your Pokemon, and thus the sorrow should any die.
4. You may not use any healing items. If you wish to heal your Pokemon, you must use a Pokemon Centre.
5. You may only buy up to 10 Pokeballs (of any type - i.e. including Great Balls, Ultra Balls etc.) from any one Poke Mart.
6. You may not switch your Pokemon out while the opponent is switching theirs. If you wish to switch Pokemon, you must switch while the opponent has a Pokemon out.
7. No legendary Pokemon are allowed.

So those are the rules. Should make the game a bit more interesting... I'll be playing on Pokemon Sapphire, for those who know the games, which is a Generation III Pokemon game set in the land of Hoenn. If it's fun, then I'll move on and probably do a Nuzlocke run of Diamond/Pearl and/or HeartGold/SoulSilver afterwards.

I hope you enjoy reading this blog, if anyone's reading it at all, and leave as many comments as you want!

Samwise