Speaking of LitRPGs...

[Tetrahedron]

Title is pretty self-explanatory, but I wanna bring this up because I realized the more I disliked the genre, the more I want to tear it down and reassemble it into new kinds of "system" I can finally present to everyone, including those in Royal Road.

The first kind of stripped down LitRPG concept I had for quite some time is the one where I removed stats, leveling and HP/MP. How does the protagonist progresses if there's no clear metric? The "system" decides... subtly. It's as if it became the protagonist's puppet master and subtly shapes the path the protagonist took.

The second kind of stripped down LitRPG concept I recently made reintroduces stats, but still no leveling and no HP/MP. Same question; how does the protagonist progresses if there's no clear metric? This time, it's through real-time hard work. Hop between tree trunks while dodging hornet attacks? gain +1 AGI. Meditate under waterfalls at a set of time? gain +1 MND. Read a book while writing possible new spells or techniques? gain +1 INT. And the starting stats for every character (yes, I'm trying not to copy Solo Leveling) were also going to be relatively low.

The third kind of not-really stripped down LitRPG concept—more like this is closer to the classic—reintroduces both stats and leveling. Still no HP/MP though LMFAO. But the leveling is excruciatingly long, and I'm talking about from Level 1 to Level 2, the protagonist will have to gather 30.000 EXP. How does one progresses? I'd say for every 1000 EXP, he/she gains +1 on all stats and additional +1 on a primary stat based on Class. Obtaining skills are tied to how many stats you had, also based on Class-bound primary stat.

So yeah, thank you for reading my LitRPGTalk, and I'll see you with some more thought-provoking ideas.

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

Title is pretty self-explanatory, but I wanna bring this up because I realized the more I disliked the genre, the more I want to tear it down and reassemble it into new kinds of "system" I can finally present to everyone, including those in Royal Road.

The first kind of stripped down LitRPG concept I had for quite some time is the one where I removed stats, leveling and HP/MP. How does the protagonist progresses if there's no clear metric? The "system" decides... subtly. It's as if it became the protagonist's puppet master and subtly shapes the path the protagonist took.

The second kind of stripped down LitRPG concept I recently made reintroduces stats, but still no leveling and no HP/MP. Same question; how does the protagonist progresses if there's no clear metric? This time, it's through real-time hard work. Hop between tree trunks while dodging hornet attacks? gain +1 AGI. Meditate under waterfalls at a set of time? gain +1 MND. Read a book while writing possible new spells or techniques? gain +1 INT. And the starting stats for every character (yes, I'm trying not to copy Solo Leveling) were also going to be relatively low.

The third kind of not-really stripped down LitRPG concept—more like this is closer to the classic—reintroduces both stats and leveling. Still no HP/MP though LMFAO. But the leveling is excruciatingly long, and I'm talking about from Level 1 to Level 2, the protagonist will have to gather 30.000 EXP. How does one progresses? I'd say for every 1000 EXP, he/she gains +1 on all stats and additional +1 on a primary stat based on Class. Obtaining skills are tied to how many stats you had, also based on Class-bound primary stat.

So yeah, thank you for reading my LitRPGTalk, and I'll see you with some more thought-provoking ideas.

So like life?

 

[Corty]

Funny you mention that... Because I did the same thing not that long ago. It's just not publicised yet. Had to turn tables into images because damn, Patreon doesn't have a table function.

 

[Tetrahedron]

So like life?

...maybe? But slow progression can have a meaningful impression.

 

[Tabula_Rasa]

"Speaking of LitRPGs..."

Huh????

Title is pretty self-explanatory

If I said down and open with that

And

 

[Tetrahedron]

"Speaking of LitRPGs..."

Huh????





If I said down and open with that

And

and what?

 

[Tabula_Rasa]

and what?

I don't know!
I am too tired
I am confused
and a little bit scared

*punches a wall
*Runs a way
*slams a door

 

[8128]

The classic system implementation with stats, skills and so on, has a lot of hidden cognitive psychology working for it. It's the same reason why video games are fun to play, and LitRPGs/Progression Fantasy fun to read. It works on the dopamine reward system in the brain

System based stories have almost a "slot machine" element to them, that makes them dopaminergic. Without leaning to its strengths to me it would make more sense to write an adventure focusing on character growth/transformation and less on system. You can always make it an item in the story, a gadget, to quantify progress in another way. LitRPGs and Progression Fantasy usually use and abuse what they are strongest at, measurable growth with predictable reward loops, dopamine go brrrr

 

[laccoff_mawning]

It's funny. Stats in video games are there to simulate real life. As one gets experience, they get better at their job and their abilities go up.
Authors write stories which also simulate real life. Then authors decided to take a weird spin on things to simulate something that simulates real life instead.

 

[Juia_Darkcrest]

The second kind of stripped down LitRPG concept

This is DEN. His system only adds small amounts of stats when he changes the lore of the worlds he travels to, or spends points he earns in the Gatcha... which he also has to spend those points to fix his old and broken body.

He does get to keep the skills he earns in his travels, but he had to unlock personal mana in worlds where magic does not exist.

137 chapters in, and he is just getting to the point where he is a fairly fit human stat-wise instead of a broken old man.

 

[JayMark]

I have essentially that kind of system, with no HP because that's a dumb way to simulate how injury works and MP never mentioned because everyone has the same amount and their spells use a lesser percentage of the total as they level up.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Mine does not have character levels but skills fall into multiple ranks = Novice 1-9, Apprentice 1-9, Journeyman 1-9, Expert 1-9, Master 1-9, Legend 1-9, and Deity 1+ (theoretically no upper limit).
Skills at levels above Apprentice offer special "Talents" as well in some situations, and there are some Talents that can be acquired without a linked skill.