Tokotas

Tokotas is based around a large, ridable, bear-like species of the same name. It is by far one of the largest Art-RPG groups in existence, which (as of 2021) has just over 7000 members, and hundreds of active players. Players may focus on creating personal stories, and/or collecting and breeding tokotas to achieve their desired combination of colour and markings. The game has a strong sense of community, and trading and collaboration between players is common.

As with all ARPGs, gameplay involves posting artwork and literature to level characters and earn rewards, and breeding to obtain new characters with different appearances and bonuses. Individual areas of the game are explained in more detail below!

Group Structure
The Tokotas deviantart group is the main hub of the group's activity. However, they also own two additional deviantART groups; TokoCenter, where players can submit activity art, and Events of Tokotna, used for hosting large-scale group events. The group also has a dedicated website separate from deviantart, Tokotna.com, for managing game items, currency and crafting. Players will need to join the main deviantart group and Tokotna.com at a minimum to engage with the game.

The group hosts a server on Discord (a group-chat app) which is used to alert players to news updates, as well as having channels for general chat, advertisements, showing off art and tokota designs, and more.

The group has a team of about 30 admins, with each section of the group having a Department Head. Admins are responsible for posting the results of Activities or breedings, judging competitions, approving hierarchy updates and designs, and generally guiding players through the game. The list of current admin can be found on the Tokotna.com website.

The group closes temporarily at the end of each month to allow admins to clear any backlogged requests, and to make fresh comment threads for users to post in. This period usually lasts 4-6 days.

Deviantart-Specific Systems

The group makes use of Deviantart journals and comments for much of its gameplay. Admins will post journals dedicated to a particular section of the game, such as Bank, and provide simple forms which players fill out to make requests. Players then reply to the correct admin comment with their form, and wait for their requests to be processed. In other areas of the group, players create journals to which admins comment with their activity or competition results.

The group also makes use of Deviantart's Group Gallery system, which allows any member of the group to submit art to the group's gallery. In some areas of the group, members post art to the correct sub-gallery and wait for an admin to judge the results. Once the work has been judged, it is moved to a "completed" sub-folder.

Tokotna.com

Each player has a profile on the Tokotna.com website, where they can set their faction, active totems, and tribe. Much of Tokotas' banking and crafting system is hosted on this website. Players can buy useful in-game items from the Trading Post, while The Transfer Hub allows players to trade in-game items. The Story Central system, currently undergoing a revamp, allows users to share their personal stories with others. The Shrine is a game of chance, which allows players to deposit their earned Offering Tokens to earn randomised rewards. In addition, the website also hosts and a number of useful tools to help players generate forms, or plan breedings.

The website often hosts fun seasonal games during the holidays.

World and Lore
Tokotas allows players to create their own settings and lore for their personal stories. However it does have an official setting and lore, for those who wish to engage with it. Using Canon Locations or official Lore Figures in artwork or writing can provide bonuses in some areas of the group.

Tokotas is set within the fictional world of Tokotna. Tokotna was initially envisioned as a snowy northern wilderness with mountains, pine forests, and wide tundras. However, the world is now being expanded to include other biomes through an ongoing event called World Tour; this event encourages players to contribute their own ideas for the world, with some being chosen to add to the game's official Canon Locations list.

The world of Tokotna is also inhabited by a number of deities and spirits. Aippaq, the god of life and death, is worshipped by many. There are also six prominent Spirits, who each have their own followers throughout the world. The three light spirits are Sikrinerk, who guards the world against dark spirits and guides the souls of the dead to Aippaq; Nagruk, a tundra and forest spirit, considered a god of the hunt; and Aga, the forest mother. The three dark spirits are Meelanik, the devourer; Borga, bringer of snowstorms; and Sivoganik, a being of fear and madness. Minor light and dark spirits can also be found throughout Tokotna, taking more generic forms.

The deities of tokota lore have official Deviantart accounts, which are used during various events to interact with players.

World Tour will also bring us new deities specific to the new regions of the world, again created by players.

Factions, Tribes and Totems
Players may join one of the six Factions within the game to gain access to powerful bonuses. Each faction caters to a slightly different play-style, allowing users to pick the one which gives them bonuses in the areas of the game they engage with the most.

Tribes are player-owned groups within the game. Tribe members can work together to unlock special bonuses which can then be used by any member of that tribe.

Totems may be earned through various areas of the game. They usually take quite a bit of work to unlock, but provide powerful bonuses that can be used by any tokota owned by the player. Only ten totems can be active at one time, though! Once players have unlocked a totem, it will be displayed on their Tokotna.com profile. Players with more than ten totems unlocked will have to choose which ones they want to activate. Active totems can be changed once at the start of each month.

Obtaining and Designing Tokotas
Tokotas are a "closed species" meaning that they can not be freely created; characters must be obtained within the game, either bred by players, or created by admins and earned by players through in-game activities such as taming. Players are also free to buy and sell tokotas between themselves, with many bartering their characters for artwork, in-game items, or real-world currency.

"Import Images" are references of each tokota's design. An official lineart is provided by the group, which members colour to create a reference of their tokota's appearance. Once a design has been approved by the admins, it is uploaded to the Totemspirit gallery on Deviantart, and the Tokotna.com website. The Deviantart imports are kept streamlined, with little info - however the Tokotna.com imports include much more information on the tokota's genetics, lineage and applied items. Players can edit some areas of their tokota's information here, such as Name and Personality, and apply items or traits which provide their character with bonuses.

Once the tokota's import image has been uploaded, it can be used in the game. Players must often provide a link to the tokota's import when using them for activities, breeding and competitions. This allows the admins to verify the tokota's identity and bonuses.

Breeding and Genetics
Many players enjoy breeding tokotas - some aim to create a tokota with the perfect combination of their favourite colour, mane type and markings, while others may aim to collect all available manes or colours. Tokotas must earn their Rites of Fertility before they can be bred; this involves creating three pieces of art or literature based on set prompts provided by the group.

Every tokota has a set number of "breeding slots" which determines the number of times they can be bred - though more slots can be unlocked through increasing the tokota's hierarchy level. Breeding slots can also be sold to other members, and are bartered for art, items or currency, just like characters. In order to sell a slot, the player who owns the tokota must post a comment in the correct thread on Deviantart, stating how many slots have been sold, the buyer's username, and any rules for use (such as No Inbreeding.)

In order to breed, members must find an eligible male and female tokota, fill out the breeding form, and post a comment to the correct thread on Deviantart. An admin will then use the 'Breeding Roller' programme to generate a litter of pups, which they post in a reply comment. Each of the pups is represented by a Genotype, or geno. This acts as the tokota's birth certificate, and players will need to provide a link to this geno when submitting the pup's design for approval. If a player chooses to sell their pup to another member, they reply to the litter comment to state which pups have been sold, and to whom. Genotypes provide information about the tokota's starting hierarchy level, appearance, and any extra traits they have inherited. Once a player owns a genotype, they can design their tokota using the lineart provided the group, and submit it to Design Central to be approved and uploaded to the group.

Colours, Manes, and Markings
Tokotas are all born with one of four base coat colours - tundra, tawny, brown and black. Several 'modifier genes' exist which can affect the base coat colour.

There are a number of different mane types available in Tokotas, which affect the texture and length of the fur around the tokota's neck and shoulders. Some mane types also extend over the stomach, legs and tail.

Tokotas can inherit a range of markings. These range from common markings which almost all tokotas have, such as Accents, to rare markings such as Shadowmarks, which have a very low chance of passing to pups. Each marking has a 'Design Guide Handbook' article, found on the Deviantart group, to aid players in designing their tokota.

Players may craft items which can be applied to their breedings, to boost or lower the chance of certain markings passing. There are also totems, traits, and companion animals which can be applied to a tokota to provide breeding bonuses.

Hierarchy Points and Levelling
Tokotas uses an 'art points' system. Each time a tokota features in a piece of art or writing, they earn hierarchy points, with the number of points being dependant on the complexity of the piece. In Art submissions, for example, coloured work scores higher than line drawings, and adding a background or handler increases the score. For literature, the initial score is determined by the length of the piece, and the bonuses by how often the relevant setting/character has been mentioned in the story. HP is tied to the tokota, not the player! Players can commission other members of the group to do art of their tokotas; the tokotas will earn HP from art regardless of who created it. As a result, art is frequently used as currency in the group, with players seeking or offering a certain amount of HP in exchange for valuable genos or items.

When a tokota has earned a certain amount of Hierarchy Points, they can level up. There are four hierarchy levels: Submissive, Average, Dominant, and Alpha. Tokotas are born as Submissive or Average (depending on the hierarchy of the parents) and must work their way up to earn new bonuses, breeding slots, and be able to participate in new activities and competitions with more lucrative rewards.

Moving from Submissive to Average only requires hierarchy points. Once the Average tokota has enough HP to reach Dominance, it must complete the Rites of Dominance - which requires three painted or written works featuring that tokota, in response to prompts chosen from a list.

Ascending to Alpha has much more complex requirements. Tokotas must earn a certain number of Hierarchy Points, gain a first place in a competition, have completed a certain amount of successful Activities, and have a pup who has been raised to Dominant status. Once all of these pre-requirements have been confirmed by an admin, they can begin the Passage of the Alpha, which again requires three painted or written works featuring that tokota, in response to prompts chosen from a list.

Activities
In Tokotas, "Activities" are mini-games you can participate in with your tokota. By drawing your tokota Hunting, Fishing or Exploring, you can earn item rewards which can then be placed in your bank for crafting or trading, or exchanged for in-game cash (Toko Tokens, or TT for short.) Players may include up to three tokotas in a standard activity image, and may choose to include their friends' tokotas in an activity with their own, or collaborate on an Activity piece with another player.

Once a tokota has reached Dominant Hierarchy, it can also take part in Caving, Diving and Dangerous Game Hunting, which provide more valuable rewards. However, these activities can only include two tokotas per image.

In order for the activity to be judged, or "rolled" it must be submitted to the correct folder within the TokoCenter gallery on Deviantart, and forms for each tokota must be posted in the comments, identifying the tokota participating, what bonuses they have, and where the admins should post results. Players generally keep an Activity Journal on which Admins can comment with results. Some players keep separate journals for each tokota.

The admins have access to a special "Activity Roller" program which generates the results for them. It uses Random Number Generation (RNG) as a basis, so there can be no complaint of bias. If a tokota does not bring back any items, it is considered a "fail" result and will not count towards Passage of the Alpha requirements. However, there are many ways to boost a tokota's chances of success.

Occasionally, Activity results also include Random Events, which are short, multiple-choice roleplaying prompts. Users can respond with their choice of action, which can result in items being lost or gained, or changing in value.

Tack, Companions and Traits
Players may apply various items to their tokotas to earn bonuses. "Tack" refers to items which reduce the likelihood of failure, increase the potential amount of items brought back, or the rarity of said items.

"Companions Animals" are another type of bonus which can be applied to tokotas, and they provide similar bonuses to tack - in many cases, the bonuses provided by tack and companions "stack" or act cumulatively - so in order to give your tokota the best chance of bringing back rare fish, apply both fishing tack and companions!

Tokotas can also have Traits which provide activity bonuses. These can be inherited from parents at birth, or bought with a currency called Trait Tokens, and applied to the tokota just as tack and companions are. Certain rare traits may only be bought by exchanging an Elemental Heart, a rare item found through Caving or Diving, or earned by achieving Alpha status.

Other Systems
Continuous Events are competitions between members based on RNG, effort put into entries, and game item bonuses. Continuous Events have no deadline; they are rolled whenever there are five entrants. Prizes are much more valuable and more useful than those you can find through the pure RNG activities. Since the revamp of the Continuous Event system, there are eight classes of CE available for entry, with the prompts changing each season. Each class has slightly different requirements and judging rubric. A participation prize is awarded to entrants who don't place.

Quests are drawing or writing prompts, which can be completed once per player, and provide a set reward. A new quest is posted each month.

Crafting allows players to create useful in-game items with things they have earned through activities, or bought at the Trading Post. In addition to the freely available recipes, players can find recipes for more valuable items through Exploring, Caving and Diving, and then unlock them through the Tokotna.com website. Once unlocked, they can use supplies from their bank to craft the items.

Group Events: The group also hosts occasional large events, often lasting several months, which bring the community together. They are based around a storyline, and as new "chapters" are posted, members create art or stories in response. Collaboration is encouraged. At the end, winners are announced in various categories. So far, these events have included Dire Days (2015) Back to the Tartoks (2017) LoRE (2019) and World Tour (2020-21)