System or no system

[WarJoy]

So I am writing this thing and i wonder if I schould use system with stats etc. On one hand stas are fun, interesting, easily show power and progress. On other hand I feel like they destroy the immersion a little. What do you guys think?

 

[Deleted member 19066]

So I am writing this thing and i wonder if I schould use system with stats etc. On one hand stas are fun, interesting, easily show power and progress. On other hand I feel like they destroy the immersion a little. What do you guys think?

Depends on the plot.

 

[Prince_Azmiran_Myrian]

No system.

 

[NotaNuffian]

No system.

Use your own writing skills to show growth in character.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

No system.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

No system. Systems can be good if used properly but most of the time it just makes the story boring or uninteresting. You are correct that the immersion can be disturbed due to systems as it reminds the audience that this is basically a game and loses its grounding in the story (depending).

 

[LunaSoltaer]

If you're going to system, then incorporate the system fully into your world and do something cool with it.

At the bare minimum, acknowledge that your MC is probably not the only one exploiting the system.

You could also do some cool $#@! with a system and get the MC angry at being railroaded. "hey look a gap i can hop with no effort WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN MY JUMP SKILL IS TOO LOW AND NOW IM FALLING?!?!

A system is a part of a world. Like buildings, magic, and political protests. Use it or lose it, but dont just have it for the faff of it.

 

[WarJoy]

I provided a link to my story in first comment. System would be mostly used as a tool to show the mc is something truly eldritch. So if someone wanted to analyse him he would only get a bunch of cursed writing.

Plus the system would probably be used by gods to enforce rules on mortals.

I could do without it, tho.

If you're going to system, then incorporate the system fully into your world and do something cool with it.

At the bare minimum, acknowledge that your MC is probably not the only one exploiting the system.

You could also do some cool $#@! with a system and get the MC angry at being railroaded. "hey look a gap i can hop with no effort WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN MY JUMP SKILL IS TOO LOW AND NOW IM FALLING?!?!

A system is a part of a world. Like buildings, magic, and political protests. Use it or lose it, but dont just have it for the faff of it.

I tend to rather overthink the consequences of something like that on war, society and history.
And your idea for system with rigid rules that dont really go with rules of reality is really interesting and funny if you think about it.

 

[Syringe]

I agree with Luna. If you use a System then it really needs to be incorporated well rather than just for the sake of it, unless your story is more on the comedy/fluff side with no real stakes/plot. I like system stuff, so I'm kinda biased towards a 'Yes'. But in the end, it's really up to you. Maybe experiment a little and see how it goes with/without the system.

But, if you're going to use a system solely to show stats and growth then I'm kind of on the 'no' side. You can do what Arifurta did instead. They had Guild Cards that showed stats rather than a System, and I think it worked out really well.

 

[FluffyGura]

Ey I tink u can use system as a way to show the mc's information like her gender,name and more.But regarding the stats and growth then nah it kinda don't fit

 

[WarJoy]

I agree with Luna. If you use a System then it really needs to be incorporated well rather than just for the sake of it, unless your story is more on the comedy/fluff side with no real stakes/plot. I like system stuff, so I'm kinda biased towards a 'Yes'. But in the end, it's really up to you. Maybe experiment a little and see how it goes with/without the system.

But, if you're going to use a system solely to show stats and growth then I'm kind of on the 'no' side. You can do what Arifurta did instead. They had Guild Cards that showed stats rather than a System, and I think it worked out really well.

True, people often try to quantify things. I could do something like ability or a machine to quantify the amount of mana or power. The traditional ITS OVER 9000!

 

[KrakenRiderEmma]

I provided a link to my story in first comment. System would be mostly used as a tool to show the mc is something truly eldritch. So if someone wanted to analyse him he would only get a bunch of cursed writing.

You can do all this stuff with any kind of magic system — gods enforcing rules on mortals (I like “geas” style for that), people trying to analyze/identify magically and getting glitch nonsense runes that terrify them, etc. Doesn’t have to have stat numbers and dialogue boxes and all that other The System stuff that screams “GET IT IT’S LIKE A RPG VIDEO GAME” as if Gary Gagax is the true God Above All Other Gods with Dave Arneson as his own personal Chaos-Loki-Satan

 

[Jemini]

So I am writing this thing and i wonder if I schould use system with stats etc. On one hand stas are fun, interesting, easily show power and progress. On other hand I feel like they destroy the immersion a little. What do you guys think?

I would say the biggest problem about liteRPG systems is that, when poorly handled (which is 90% of the time), it speeds up power creep, sometimes to a rather extreme degree.

Systems work best when you don't have your characters stray too incredibly far from whatever number is established as the baseline number for the average civilian on the street, and every time you have someone who is an order of magnitude above whatever that number is you have to really work to justify it as the author.

(An order of magnitude would be a relative term, but it really depends on just how much extra "oomph" the stats give you. If the gain is exponential with stat increase, it would be around double the civilian base stats. If the gain is linear, it would be more like 5X the civilian base.)

In other words, the big mistake most writers make when creating these systems is that they do not carefully consider the implications on the world building.

Overall, at this point I would say that if you have to ask, then the answer is a very firm "no." There is just too much that can easily go wrong if the system is not very carefully considered, and the question being asked here means you really have not set the requisite groundwork to avoid all the pitfalls.

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

If you want easy views and readers, then go system.

System sells like sliced bread regardless of quality.

It is practically a no brainer.

 

[georgelee5786]

No stats

 

[CapitaoCaverna]

Really, my own preferance, and the one I think will get you a better story, would be to NOT have a system.

I feel like a system take away from the story. Systems fics can be fun, but they actually stop you from exploring your character's powers or finding interesting and gratifying ways of solving issues. You are either capable of creating a skill for any situation, or your character is locked into a class and, the vast majority of the times, the skills are set.

The worst is in the end game of your story, where your character tend to either get ridiculously powerful and versatile, or it feels like he hits the "Level/Stats cap" and it makes your readers, who are used to the growth, feel like there's no progress.

Another point is, do you want to give your character a specific power? Because it would be much better to give him That power, and then have him deal with situations with that power, instead of giving him a class and making it a skill, it gives you more freedom to explore, and more freedom to play with limits or things that empower it, to be more creative in the power use.

Again, there are good system stories, and a system can be an easy way of showing progress in a story, especially when you don't actually have an entire story arc in mind, but it can feel like a crutch.

So, unless you especifically WANT to write a system fic, (and you don't seem to have that as a goal), I REALLY suggest not using a system.

... On the other hand, I have to warn you, it really seems like it's easier to get readers with a system story.

I mean, there's a lot of people who won't read system stories, but even people who don't particularly like it tend to at least give a story a try, and there seem to be a lot more people who actually look for it.

 

[UnknownSaint171]

So I am writing this thing and i wonder if I schould use system with stats etc. On one hand stas are fun, interesting, easily show power and progress. On other hand I feel like they destroy the immersion a little. What do you guys think?

I think it seriously depends, Systems are very popular these days. If you are confident in your story then don't do Systems but to gain readers do it,
Personally, I'm sick and tired of System Novels but I wouldn't mind reading it if it was executed right, just sit back and relax while binging this easy-to-read System novel.

 

[Placeholder]

If you think about it, Le Guin, Tolkien, or Aaronovitch's writings wouldn't be better for having a System.

Not saying you shouldn't write with one, just that it locks you into a certain structure.

> They had Guild Cards that showed stats rather than a System, and I think it worked out really well

I find works with adventurers guilds even more overdone than System stuff.

 

[Beeteetee]

The system concept has a major flaw that doesn't seem to be addressed in most system stories.

A system can only work if one is already in a simulated/holographic universe. Think of it this way - a system is like being able to have the runtime console showing during gameplay, it shows what should be hidden or usually hidden.

Why hidden?

If exposed, the system is supposed to show probability of ability based on current skill sets, historical performance, state of body/mind and then environment itself - otherwise, it's putting numbers on the what cannot be measured.

If a system is placed in a universe that wasn't simulated but is in effect "reality" and the interface is put in place by a greater powers, it is becomes a reductive representation of now and is missing or misrepresenting details on what cannot be measured (which would make an interesting plot point if it's integrated into the story )

So, if you want to make a story with a system in it, you need to expose the system as either part of a simulated universe since the beginning (such as implying that the divine entities are the OG gamers) or flawed system shoved in place guessing the details on everything that can be measured put into place or if honest, only represent historical accomplishments, known skills and probability of success at such skills of probability of skill evolution

unless if the knowledge of the skills are implemented but that implies near quantum manipulation of the universe, considering the complexity of the neural network and the known interaction of quantum mechanics to the neurons and even then, how high quality is the implanted knowledge and does it take into consideration of the capacity and capabilities of the individuals? for example, swordfighting skills for a short reach person in comparison to a person with long reach which uses completely different mechanics of the muscle memory and techniques.

when all that is considered, a story without a system all of sudden looks more simple, clean and without distraction.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

Write the story you want to read.