nuzlocke-tracker/.beans/nuzlocke-tracker-0jec--soullink-tracking.md

title, status, type, created_at, updated_at

title	status	type	created_at	updated_at
Soullink tracking	draft	epic	2026-02-09T07:56:50Z	2026-02-09T07:56:50Z

Track a soullink — a multiplayer nuzlocke variant where two (or more) players play through the same game simultaneously. Each player's Pokemon are linked in pairs: if one partner's Pokemon dies, the linked Pokemon on the other player's side dies too.

Concept

A soullink adds a cooperative/social layer on top of a standard nuzlocke:

• Linked pairs: Each time both players catch their first encounter on a route, those two Pokemon become a "soul pair." Their fates are tied — if either one faints, both are considered dead.
• Shared rules: Both players follow the same nuzlocke ruleset (first encounter only, permadeath, etc.).
• Multiplayer: Requires at least two participants, each running their own nuzlocke run on the same game (or the paired version, e.g., one plays Sword, the other Shield).
• Coordination: Players need to progress roughly in sync, linking encounters as they go.

Core Mechanics

Soul Pairs

• When both players have caught their encounter for a given route, those two Pokemon are linked as a soul pair.
• If either Pokemon in a pair faints, the other is automatically marked as dead too.
• A Pokemon can only be in one soul pair.
• Pairs are typically formed route-by-route (Player A's Route 1 catch links with Player B's Route 1 catch).

Death Propagation

• When a player marks a Pokemon as fainted, the system should identify its soul partner and prompt/auto-mark the partner as fainted too.
• The death cause on the partner could note "Soul link — partner fainted" or similar.

Soullink Overview

• Show all soul pairs with their current status (both alive, one dead = both dead).
• Show each player's team side by side.
• Cumulative stats across both players.

Possible Data Model

• A Soullink entity grouping two (or more) nuzlocke runs together, with shared rules.
• A SoulPair entity linking two encounters (one per player): soullink_id, encounter_a_id, encounter_b_id.
• Each participant's run is a standard NuzlockeRun, just like genlocke legs.

Dependencies

• Requires user authentication (nuzlocke-tracker-d98o) — each participant needs their own account to own their run.

Notes

• This is a draft epic. Needs further refinement before work can begin — particularly around the multiplayer UX (real-time sync vs. async, invitations, how linking is coordinated).
• Consider whether soullinks can be combined with genlockes (a soullink genlocke).
• Some variants allow 3+ players — the data model should be flexible enough to support this.