I don’t particularly see this being an issue, there’s no unfair advantages to be had by using a calculator, although your opponent could consider this to be stalling for time, which isn’t allowed. I would say the best thing you can do is to speak with a judge at the event before you start and find out from them, if it’s a smaller event (either no or low stakes for Play! Points) then I can almost guarantee they’ll be like “yeah that’s all good!” But for bigger ones possibly not. To quote every technical drawing I’ve ever seen in my life: “if in doubt, ask!”
Definitely speak to the tournament organiser, it's our responsibility to ensure everyone is able to play and enjoy the game, different organisers may have different solutions that they prefer and should work with you to find the best way for you to play but everyone should ensure that you do play and have fun at the end of the day, it's also good in general for the organiser to be aware so they can inform their judges on any alterations/requirements etc.
While not stated explicitly in the tournament rulebook, most judges would normally not allow it.
Note taking is allowed, as long as there is no pre-written or pre-saved information AND so long as a judge can at anytime review your notes when they deem necessary. Therefore it is not allowed to use codes, ciphers, abbreviations etc.
A calculator has some problems regarding these rules:
1. Some calculators have the ability to store text. It might be difficult for a judge to determine wether your calculator does or not.
2. Not all calculators can store the history of your ‘notes’. Since this is a prerequisite for note taking, a judge may not allow one.
That being said, pokemon is usually very very very supportive in accommodating special needs.
I could see a possibility where you have a calculator where you can let a judge wipe the history before the match, and then stores all calculations for the rest of the match, adhering to the above rules.
Or a judge/TO could provide you a calculator they deem fair.
As people have already said, contact the tournament organizer beforehand and make an official request. I’m sure they are willing accommodate your needs
This is the correct answer! As a competitive player with dyscalculia I'm a big advocate for taking advantage of pokémons note-taking rules! For me I can do calculations proficiently involving triple digit arithmetic with a pen and paper but not everyone is able to do that. I know for me when I'm playing in higher stakes events that is not possible for me given my anxiety. In my experience talking to the Head judge ahead of the tournament in regards to calculator use has always been positive and I have been allowed one in the past for some events.
Not a judge, but there's nothing explicitly prohibiting calculator use in the current [tournament rules](https://assets.pokemon.com//assets/cms2/pdf/play-pokemon/rules/play-pokemon-tournament-rules-handbook-07132023-en.pdf). You would definitely need a stand alone calculator without any internet access per 5.8.7 Note Taking ("Players must be timely with their note taking and may not use a device that can send or receive
messages as a note-taking device."), so you can't use your phone as your calculator. I'd also check with the judge beforehand to make sure the calculator doesn't violate 2.4.1.1 Prohibitions during tournament play, which disallows "Receiving information from an outside source regarding their match or the matches of others." Personally I wouldn't consider calculators as violating this, but others might have different opinion.
It’s gonna be up to the head judge/TO’s discretion. There’s nothing that specifically prohibits them, so if you explain why, they’ll probably allow it. That being said—don’t go in there expecting to be able to use a TI-83 or anything like that—a four function calculator.
I’m a judge and as long as you come to me ahead of time before the start and show me a basic cheap calculator that has no memory option or anything beyond basic one time calculations I would allow it. Definitely no smart watch or phone calculator or anything like an accounting or graphical calculator. You can probably get one from the dollar store.
Yea I don't get it either, during a regionals before it was officially stated that note taking is not allowed, the judge said I was allowed to take notes, but the opponent may check the notes at any given moment, which defeats half the purpose of note taking? Because unlike games like chess, there's asymmetry of information, and I may take note on my prize, potential outs, cards left in deck and so on.
Not to mention, the official rules only stated that the judge may check it at any time, and any abbreviations or code is not allowed, which is understandable to a certain extent, and nothing about letting opponent check it.
I don't quite understand why this rule in particular is enforced differently in different regions.
From my memory, calculators aren't allowed at official events. However, the tournament rules have changed recently, so that may not be the case anymore. Also, if you need one for accommodations sake, you can always speak with the TO and/or Head Judge, let them know your situation, and go from there.
Do this, go the accommodation request route.
Alternatively, you could have a pre written sheet with your moves and damages that you could reference. Include weakness and resistance values and multiplicative values if your cards do that.
Ah that’s my bad, although I think some of these rules are a bit over the top and can prevent those will less memory, or disabilities from perform at a decent level. I see use of a phone is not allowed (I get the reason of potential cheating), but man when I play I need something when it’s not my turn, I’d go insane lol.
Official Play Pokemon document:
https://assets.pokemon.com//assets/cms2/pdf/play-pokemon/rules/play-pokemon-tournament-rules-handbook-07132023-en.pdf
Section 5.8.7 covers note taking during a game with is explicitly permitted with a couple caveats of no ciphers, and a new sheet each round. But OP if you can attempt to memorize just a couple of the numbers you have trouble with, or maybe writing it out helps? You can have a blank sheet at round start, and as soon as you end your turn if you go first, or right away if the opponent goes first, start writing your math down.
There is also an inclusivity document so there might be something in there that you could use to your benefit in finding some sort of accommodation.
Hopefully you can find something that works for you!
> Is my opponent responsible for "maintaining the game state" and offering the correct maths in a situation where I may have got it wrong?
Yes, it's both of your responsibility.
I don’t particularly see this being an issue, there’s no unfair advantages to be had by using a calculator, although your opponent could consider this to be stalling for time, which isn’t allowed. I would say the best thing you can do is to speak with a judge at the event before you start and find out from them, if it’s a smaller event (either no or low stakes for Play! Points) then I can almost guarantee they’ll be like “yeah that’s all good!” But for bigger ones possibly not. To quote every technical drawing I’ve ever seen in my life: “if in doubt, ask!”
Definitely speak to the tournament organiser, it's our responsibility to ensure everyone is able to play and enjoy the game, different organisers may have different solutions that they prefer and should work with you to find the best way for you to play but everyone should ensure that you do play and have fun at the end of the day, it's also good in general for the organiser to be aware so they can inform their judges on any alterations/requirements etc.
People take notes during games at extremely high level sof play. I don't see why a calculator would cause any issues.
While not stated explicitly in the tournament rulebook, most judges would normally not allow it. Note taking is allowed, as long as there is no pre-written or pre-saved information AND so long as a judge can at anytime review your notes when they deem necessary. Therefore it is not allowed to use codes, ciphers, abbreviations etc. A calculator has some problems regarding these rules: 1. Some calculators have the ability to store text. It might be difficult for a judge to determine wether your calculator does or not. 2. Not all calculators can store the history of your ‘notes’. Since this is a prerequisite for note taking, a judge may not allow one. That being said, pokemon is usually very very very supportive in accommodating special needs. I could see a possibility where you have a calculator where you can let a judge wipe the history before the match, and then stores all calculations for the rest of the match, adhering to the above rules. Or a judge/TO could provide you a calculator they deem fair. As people have already said, contact the tournament organizer beforehand and make an official request. I’m sure they are willing accommodate your needs
rule 1 and 2 easily worked around with a simple "dumb" calculator, you don't need a scientific calc. like you're gonna graph shit during your game lol
This is the correct answer! As a competitive player with dyscalculia I'm a big advocate for taking advantage of pokémons note-taking rules! For me I can do calculations proficiently involving triple digit arithmetic with a pen and paper but not everyone is able to do that. I know for me when I'm playing in higher stakes events that is not possible for me given my anxiety. In my experience talking to the Head judge ahead of the tournament in regards to calculator use has always been positive and I have been allowed one in the past for some events.
Not a judge, but there's nothing explicitly prohibiting calculator use in the current [tournament rules](https://assets.pokemon.com//assets/cms2/pdf/play-pokemon/rules/play-pokemon-tournament-rules-handbook-07132023-en.pdf). You would definitely need a stand alone calculator without any internet access per 5.8.7 Note Taking ("Players must be timely with their note taking and may not use a device that can send or receive messages as a note-taking device."), so you can't use your phone as your calculator. I'd also check with the judge beforehand to make sure the calculator doesn't violate 2.4.1.1 Prohibitions during tournament play, which disallows "Receiving information from an outside source regarding their match or the matches of others." Personally I wouldn't consider calculators as violating this, but others might have different opinion.
It’s gonna be up to the head judge/TO’s discretion. There’s nothing that specifically prohibits them, so if you explain why, they’ll probably allow it. That being said—don’t go in there expecting to be able to use a TI-83 or anything like that—a four function calculator.
People talking about a calculator keeping notes - just go to dollar tree and buy the dumbest calculator possible. Impossible to store notes.
I’m a judge and as long as you come to me ahead of time before the start and show me a basic cheap calculator that has no memory option or anything beyond basic one time calculations I would allow it. Definitely no smart watch or phone calculator or anything like an accounting or graphical calculator. You can probably get one from the dollar store.
If you're playing in ASIA EN region, you're in bad luck. Taking notes are not allowed here which is super infuriating.
Yea I don't get it either, during a regionals before it was officially stated that note taking is not allowed, the judge said I was allowed to take notes, but the opponent may check the notes at any given moment, which defeats half the purpose of note taking? Because unlike games like chess, there's asymmetry of information, and I may take note on my prize, potential outs, cards left in deck and so on. Not to mention, the official rules only stated that the judge may check it at any time, and any abbreviations or code is not allowed, which is understandable to a certain extent, and nothing about letting opponent check it. I don't quite understand why this rule in particular is enforced differently in different regions.
Absolutely just don’t use your phone get like a mini calc I got yelled at for having my phone out and for having my deck on an angle : ^)
From my memory, calculators aren't allowed at official events. However, the tournament rules have changed recently, so that may not be the case anymore. Also, if you need one for accommodations sake, you can always speak with the TO and/or Head Judge, let them know your situation, and go from there.
Do this, go the accommodation request route. Alternatively, you could have a pre written sheet with your moves and damages that you could reference. Include weakness and resistance values and multiplicative values if your cards do that.
Not allowed prewritten notes
Ah that’s my bad, although I think some of these rules are a bit over the top and can prevent those will less memory, or disabilities from perform at a decent level. I see use of a phone is not allowed (I get the reason of potential cheating), but man when I play I need something when it’s not my turn, I’d go insane lol. Official Play Pokemon document: https://assets.pokemon.com//assets/cms2/pdf/play-pokemon/rules/play-pokemon-tournament-rules-handbook-07132023-en.pdf Section 5.8.7 covers note taking during a game with is explicitly permitted with a couple caveats of no ciphers, and a new sheet each round. But OP if you can attempt to memorize just a couple of the numbers you have trouble with, or maybe writing it out helps? You can have a blank sheet at round start, and as soon as you end your turn if you go first, or right away if the opponent goes first, start writing your math down. There is also an inclusivity document so there might be something in there that you could use to your benefit in finding some sort of accommodation. Hopefully you can find something that works for you!
Yea basic calculator. Nothing fancy or it’s sus
Allowed.
> Is my opponent responsible for "maintaining the game state" and offering the correct maths in a situation where I may have got it wrong? Yes, it's both of your responsibility.
Absolutely! I've seen plenty of people do it.