Litrpg system

[ThisAdamGuy]

How do you know if the system you've made for your litrpg is any good? I've never written a litrpg before and this is my biggest worry. I don't want to do anything crazy with my system, but I also don't want to copy an existing one. How do I know if the levels, spell points, stats, level ups, etc, all make sense?

 

[Rezcore]

How do you know if the system you've made for your litrpg is any good? I've never written a litrpg before and this is my biggest worry. I don't want to do anything crazy with my system, but I also don't want to copy an existing one. How do I know if the levels, spell points, stats, level ups, etc, all make sense?

Systems are inherently bad. Unless you provide a reason for it to exist, and don't use it to ex machina. Having it be an external thing works, like a special watch or something

 

[RepresentingPride]

You never know if you had copy someone or not, there tons of systems stories out there, so the chance that your look line another is huge.

Different reader like different system, a lot complain when the system is alive, some complain when there no origin of the system by the end of the story, it really depend. You can come with a living system that annoy the MC and readers will like it if doing well, or it just become annoying for everyone.

For the stat use Math, its really good to keep tract on those number. Joke aside, use a file to write down the number on each chapter, even if you don't show the stat, just so you can follow the advance of the stat.

For levels, it depend how you want your story to progress and the limit of the levels you set, like level max is 1000, then you need to fix how many monster of the same level you need to kill to level up (monster or quest or anything that help level up in your story), and then you can use a percentage, you decrease it if the level of the monster are lower than your character, and you increase it if the level of the monster is higher. Here again the percentage depend on you.

For spell points, it's the same, it depend on you, how you want your spell to progress and how fast you get those spell point. Is it by doing quest? Or each 5 level maybe?

 

[CarburetorThompson]

How do you know if the system you've made for your litrpg is any good?

That’s the neat part. It’s never good

 

[MarekSusicky]

You'll get a lot of hate that any system is trash, etc.

Well, you can say it is skill issue of the incompetent authors who hate the systems. Litrpg isn't inherently bad, but it can lead to lazy writing, because it is easy to fall into a trap. I know a did. But it works well in modern consumption style. People need instant gratification of any media, shorts popularized that, but it is a deeper issue.

Litrpg helps you with that instant dopamine hit. It’s like a slot machine. A new power here, new item here, new etc. With that they can skim over the boring parts! Like story, who needs that?

How do I know if the levels, spell points, stats, level ups, etc, all make sense?

Well, they don't need to. The best selling books in the genre are inconsistent at best. Readers often prioritize feel over math. As long as the system gives them that satisfying power trip or emotional payoff, they're in.

But if you go wrong, be prepared to face PhD mathematicians in the comments.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

The one I have not posted anywhere uses a coin (that imbeds itself in the Traveler - the Avatar of the player - when first accessed), and is a more complicated version of an actual, published game (adding Tiers to their straight percentile system - also adding additional Talents and merging a few skills, and with a "unique" set of stats to power it).

 

[Tyranomaster]

If you haven't read litrpgs or played a decent amount of rpg games (ttrpg or video game rpgs), then I don't advise writing one just to chase a trend. It'd be like trying to build a roof on a house when you've only ever lived in natural caves.

 

[John_Owl]

Systems are inherently bad. Unless you provide a reason for it to exist, and don't use it to ex machina. Having it be an external thing works, like a special watch or something

It can be used as a source of cheap tension. "I'm only a level 3, he's a level 10. I have no hope of winning, but if I lose, then the world will be destroyed".

 

[JayMark]

Since you asked.

- Prioritize storytelling over the system. Everything else you know about writing is more important.
- Make sure to have detailed logs of how the power scaling works, what the skills do, and how they level.
- Log the skills and relative ability of every character that has access to the system.
- Make sure the numbers will align generally with the power scaling you desire. *I'm trying to avoid using scientifc notation.*
- Don't shove the data at the reader, drip feed it.
- Treat your system like a character, even if it is a souless auto data feed with no agency.
- Put your own unique spin on it. *My system is a bit tongue-in-cheek satire*
- Have an idea of the systems origins and why it exists. The reader doesn't have to know this.

Most importantly

- Don't take advice from nobodies on the internet.

 

[StoneInky]

Since nobody is actually replying on what makes a system bad, I'll answer.

It's overly complicated stuff. Too many different things to keep track of, and the story falls apart. Readers only read system novels for the simplicity and game-like instant gratification, so make sure your system isn't too overly complicated or whacko unfamiliar. Make sure it's intuitive.

That and balancing. Scaling power. Most crucial part, really. But if you're writing a litrpg, you probably enjoy doing this anyway, and you probably also enjoy crunching numbers and making notes and files of every character's stats.

Overall, as others have said, it's a genre that is hard to write if you don't have much experience with games and litrpg. You should consider it carefully.

 

[LesserCodex]

If you're making a system, you must ask yourself these questions.

• Does the world revolve around the system or vice versa?
• Can it exist without the system?
• Does it have a purpose, or is it just a literary device?

Because oftentimes a system is just thrown into the world to attract readers. In my story, the system has a purpose to exist; without it, the world would crumble. It's not the main part of the story, but it is a part regardless, and my readers are aware of that. But you also have to make sure it's simple and easy to understand, not saying complex power systems are an issue.

But if people start noticing loopholes or issues with it, then it'll reflect on you as an Author, and for that, like everyone else mentioned, you need ot balance and log things, which can be challenging when you have hundreds of classes and skills, but it can be done. You just have to make sure a system has actual weight.

 

[Clo]

What makes a great LitRPG system is different from what makes a great RPG system.

Understanding game design—what makes players happy in MMOs, SRPGs, CRPGs, ARPGs—is an important part of it. In game design, the rule of thumb is K.I.S.S.: Keep It Simple, Stupid. Don't overcomplicate things.

A system with hundreds of talent points, attribute improvements, gear upgrades, unique effects, and skill-based progression might sound exciting on paper. But when all these are mixed together, they can create an unparsable mess. The more paths to power, the harder it becomes to understand what matters. If level is the primary metric, then a level 50 should obviously beat a level 20. But if you introduce seven different progression systems, suddenly you’re comparing a level 50 human E-rank Appraiser with legendary gear, 200 STR and high alchemy talents to a level 10 half-dragon S-rank Sword God with a wooden stick, 180 INT and a hoarding skill maxed out. Who wins? It’s unclear—and that’s a problem.

But most importantly: don’t stick to the rules of good system design unless they serve the story you’re telling.

Make the RPG system a mirror of your narrative, even if not the theme. If your story is about powerlessness, maybe the system itself resists empowerment. If it’s about mastery, maybe it's built around skill-based progression. Whatever it is, the system should say something.

So here are my main principles for a great LitRPG system:

- Keep it simple
- Make it intentional
- Compare notes—with writers and designers
- Keep yourself in check. Only add something if you know why you should add it. Avoid throwing more stuff at it just because it sounds cool.

 

[AncestorDuck]

Use the system as a helper, rather than their only power source. I created a system a few weeks ago where people could level up and increase their strength/mana and so on through levels, but ultimately needed to work for their abilities. Basically, everyone needed to choose one Path with an aspect and "comprehend" it to a certain level to attain a title, in order to not be level capped.

With leveling, one could upgrade their origin, which was their existence. There were 9 Mortal levels, Origin Realm 1-9, and to advance further and not be capped, they needed to have the right title.

To advance past Origin Realm 3, one needed to have a Level 2 Aspect.

Basic Example:

• Path: Warrior
• Aspect: Sword
• Level: 1

Leveling the Path wasn't possible by leveling, but by improving your aspect. A Warrior with a Level 1 Sword Aspect received the title Swordsman. At Level 2, they became a Sword Master, and so on. To advance to Level 2, one needed to form sword intent.

This way, one needed to prove oneself worthy of their existence.

Apart from the "Main" Path, one could also create minor paths and later fuse them. Even if your minor path was at a higher level than your main path, you would still be unable to level further.

One was never capped by their main path but needed to advance it further anyway to prove themselves. If one suddenly wanted to start becoming a mage after choosing the sword, they could do so. However, if they weren't talented enough with the sword and put all their time into training spells, they would never be able to progress.

 

[RainingFish]

I prefer systems that give a small number of abilities that are used often to systems that give lots of abilities that are rarely used and hard to keep track of. It’s kind of annoying when I feel like I have to use notes to keep track of things or if I notice that the author seems to have forgotten some of the abilities given to the MC. In regards to stats and/or levels, it can be a good way to show the character’s progress, but sometimes it seems like the author doesn’t really know what the numbers mean, which can make them seem pointless. If the character seems no different after a stat increase, then it can make me stop caring when they get them. As for level, they can help establish a hierarchy in the power system, which is good for showing progress but can also be restrictive. If you want it to be less restrictive, you need to show why the MC is able to fight above their level. For example, maybe they can fight above their level because of high stats, which shows that the stats really matter while making levels seem less restrictive.

One of the things systems are good for is giving the reader information. You can use system abilities like scan to give the reader information about the world and stat windows to give information about the character.

As others have mentioned, one consideration is what is behind the system. It can be a challenge to come up with a source for the system, but it can also be an interesting story. I’ve read a couple of stories where the MC was the mastermind behind the system, sending people to other worlds and giving them systems for his own reasons. I think that the behind-the-scenes story is interesting.

 

[DireBadger]

Systems are never good, but they can be useful.
Just remember that the entire point of the system is to support the story, instead of the other way around.
But in the end, a system is a hammer. It works great to help with dealing with nails, but too many writers decide every problem is a nail... and it's not beautiful.
If your story is a bit like getting a girl out of her prom dress, that hammer's probably not the right tool unless her daddy invested in some serious underwear.

 

[OokamiKasumi]

Systems are never good, but they can be useful.
Just remember that the entire point of the system is to support the story, instead of the other way around.
But in the end, a system is a hammer. It works great to help with dealing with nails, but too many writers decide every problem is a nail... and it's not beautiful.
If your story is a bit like getting a girl out of her prom dress, that hammer's probably not the right tool unless her daddy invested in some serious underwear.

 

[Golden_Hyde]

in short; it's a massive headache to get through, and most of the time, people copy and paste the existing system like in Solo Leveling just to get that dopamine hit.

All in all, there are reasons why I refuse to write one, even if I managed to wrote it once. Do I want to write it once more? No. Not this time. Not until anyone can come up with something clever instead of using pop-up window coming out from nowhere

 

[DireBadger]

All in all, there are reasons why I refuse to write one, even if I managed to wrote it once. Do I want to write it once more? No. Not this time. Not until anyone can come up with something clever instead of using pop-up window coming out from nowhere

You have not read much litrpg I take it?

There are hundreds of clever systems, from cultivation 'ranks' to lotuses that pop up over people's heads, bracelets that read your 'stats', armor suits that can detect and tell you where your energy is going, 'god systems' that give you feathers representing various elements as you advance, power rings that let you shift your own energy, to hard-working dudes that test their own capacity and write down mathematical formulae for their own growth and advancement in a notebook.

Add to that card-based systems, gem-based systems, tattoos, 'shrines' that tell you what's going on with your advancement, magical items, spells that literally show you, the 'systems' are almost as limitless as the authors that write them.

Sure, a lot of them default to the pop-ups, but my first litrpg book involved the character turning an entire nebula inside of his 'soul space', where each 'star' represented a skill or talent, into his own version of a giant marble character sheet that he used illusions to create inside of his own realm, using Mnemosene's (The greek demigod of knowledge) help.

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Loved that movie. "At least I can wear tights!"

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Mine doesn't have a pop-up, at least for the MC - because he's using the system in a way it was never intended (from inside) so can't use the cute interfaces and such the regular users have access to...
Of course that means it's harder for him (and sometimes ME) to track his progress (a fact he does not realize for a while)...

 

[OokamiKasumi]

...my first litrpg book involved the character turning an entire nebula inside of his 'soul space', where each 'star' represented a skill or talent, into his own version of a giant marble character sheet that he used illusions to create inside of his own realm, using Mnemosene's (The greek demigod of knowledge) help.

I think I read that one...!

Loved that movie. "At least I can wear tights!"

Um... I think that line goes:
-- "I can speak with an English accent."

He was dissing the Robin Hood movie that came out a year or so before with Mel Gibson, who spoke with an American accent -- while the rest of the cast didn't.