What is the fascination with litRPG?

[Ilikewaterkusa]

I'm new to the litRPG scene and I honestly do not see what the hype is about. Everyone has their subjective view about a specific genre and enjoy reading different kinds of literature, there are even people who enjoy reading case studies as casual reading... honestly who can judge? litRPG is so popular these days it has a massive following and everyone is trying their hand in writing it, and I don't know why.. heck I'm one of them! Some people are extremely successful in their endeavors and others.. well like me... just can't seem to get it right. I find writing litRPG to be tedious. Maybe it's because I haven't invested enough time in playing a RPG game in depth. I never could get the hang of perk upgrades, classes, armor, abilities and the lot. It takes time to learn and some concentration to understand. The Only MMORPG experience I have is in SWTOR, but I haven't played in years. I enjoy running around, slashing through mindless npc's and playing the story line. Is it maybe because I never got involved in the "Role Playing" aspect of the whole thing? Eh who knows? I would like to know from someone who truly enjoys the genre and maybe someone who even writes it. I'm eager to knw what the fascination is.

Video game

 

[CarburetorThompson]

I myself don’t like writing literpg. I think it can be fun to read sometimes, but I just won’t write it. Litrpg is a hard system, it works through you showing the reader the rules of the system. However because of that it makes it harder for you as a writer to bend and break the rules and get away with it.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

I'm new to the litRPG scene and I honestly do not see what the hype is about.
...

I would like to know from someone who truly enjoys the genre and maybe someone who even writes it. I'm eager to knw what the fascination is.

I wrote the Encyclopedia Viniculum Draconus.
112 yes, ONE HUNDRED AND TWELVE, BOOKS ranging in size from 30 pages to over SIX THOUSAND. They are all handbooks about 3.5 d20 Dungeons and Dragons.

I wrote an analysis about 3.5 Dungeons and Dragons to a degree where I debated the combat usage of STILTS. (Because stilts were made in 3.0 but was not invalidated for 3.5, so the 3.0 stilts are still official and as they are written they turn your base movement to 20. Not LOWER it to 20, make it 20. SO, if you put stills on a Toad Familiar, your toad familiar, which normally has a movement of 5 and cannot sprint, can no move 20 feet AND sprint, because the original movement modifiers no longer exist!)

Did you just see me rant about how STILTS work in a game about killing dragons?

Some people enjoy this stuff. Some people enjoy figuring out how to weaponize 100 foot long tongues that are considered Constructs. Some people figure out how to kill people in the game by dropping monks on them.

Freaks like us, who enjoy deep dive into rules and figuring out how to play with the RAW, enjoy LitRPG, because we enjoy the concept of being able to ACTUALLY go into the game AS IT IS WRITTEN.

The problem is, Most LitRPG is shit.

a LITERAL RPG story should FOCUS on the YOU ARE IN A WORLD WITH ALTERNATE LAWS OF PHYSICS. Most people write the story and go, 'Ooo, I have a character sheet.' This is LitRPG. NO! NO NO NO! That's just a fantasy story with some NUMBERS. WHERE IS THE RULE EXPLOITS? WHERE IS THE FIGURING OUT HOW TO MAX LEVEL YOUR STEALTH BY CROUCHING NEXT TO A SLEEPING BEAR FOR TWO DAYS?

So, while I love the idea, I have found that most LitRPG aren't what they claim to be. It's just someone taking shortcuts to explain 'I don't have to describe him getting stronger, I just have to add some numbers on his status screen.'. They are lazy.

But yeah, when I have the time, I plan on writing a LitRPG. It will be called:

LORD EDGELORD, LORD OF THE EDGE.

About a guy who winds up in a 3.5 d20 game and have to deal with combat that exists on a grid.

 

[OsiriumWrites]

Number fetish for some, a more complex and growth based experience for others. Call it how you want. Some like it, others hate it.

 

[GlenWald]

Overall, there is not much difference in a litrpg vs any other fantasy story. Litrpg is simply the power system of the fantasy world. It does appeal a lot to people who play games, but also as others have already mentioned, the thing that makes litrpg so awesome is quantifiable growth.

Since you have quantifiable growth, the author has it much harder to pull a dues ex machina. It requires realistic solutions that fit the narrative, otherwise, the story turns to crap. More on that below.



Yes, that is because what happens is this, if anyone has paid attention, most litrpgs start with a lot of talk of the status screen and stats. But as time goes, stats become less and less shown, and author just does whatever.

The reason is a few things for this, the first is, to a reader, a status screen may take 10 seconds to look over. To an author, the status screen takes longer than writing a chapter.

The second reason is that any author will soon find out that the status screen LIMITS them. You see, the more information the author gives a reader, the more harder it becomes for the author to write without creating plot holes.

Thus, it doesn't take long for most litrpg to dump super rare OP skills onto the MC one after the other so that the MC can wiggle their way out of situations they shouldn't be able to beat with their normal skills or stats. And before long, the concept of stats and levels become useless. And even seemingly normal skills end up doing pretty much anything the MC needs at any time.

That is why most litrpgs midway become not litrpgs anymore but just a fantasy story which has some game elements.

Now I am not saying that is a bad thing, end of the day it is all about the story. Just many authors aren't prepared for all the work the litrpg requires. And if the shift away isn't planned for or thought out well, you end up with stories going down the drain.

I do agree. There is fundimentally no difference. Though there is so much about the genre that becomes too complicated after a while and keeping track of what is going on 700 chapters later is sometimes difficult as a reader. The writer takes advantage of that fact and starts forming the story away from it's original plot. And the whole concept of keeping tabs on abilities and stats becomes pointless when the MC is so OP, because why does it matter? As tradition dictates there is a reason a story has a beginning a middle and an end. Dragging things out has no point.

I wrote the Encyclopedia Viniculum Draconus.
112 yes, ONE HUNDRED AND TWELVE, BOOKS ranging in size from 30 pages to over SIX THOUSAND. They are all handbooks about 3.5 d20 Dungeons and Dragons.

I wrote an analysis about 3.5 Dungeons and Dragons to a degree where I debated the combat usage of STILTS. (Because stilts were made in 3.0 but was not invalidated for 3.5, so the 3.0 stilts are still official and as they are written they turn your base movement to 20. Not LOWER it to 20, make it 20. SO, if you put stills on a Toad Familiar, your toad familiar, which normally has a movement of 5 and cannot sprint, can no move 20 feet AND sprint, because the original movement modifiers no longer exist!)

Did you just see me rant about how STILTS work in a game about killing dragons?

Some people enjoy this stuff. Some people enjoy figuring out how to weaponize 100 foot long tongues that are considered Constructs. Some people figure out how to kill people in the game by dropping monks on them.

Freaks like us, who enjoy deep dive into rules and figuring out how to play with the RAW, enjoy LitRPG, because we enjoy the concept of being able to ACTUALLY go into the game AS IT IS WRITTEN.

The problem is, Most LitRPG is shit.

a LITERAL RPG story should FOCUS on the YOU ARE IN A WORLD WITH ALTERNATE LAWS OF PHYSICS. Most people write the story and go, 'Ooo, I have a character sheet.' This is LitRPG. NO! NO NO NO! That's just a fantasy story with some NUMBERS. WHERE IS THE RULE EXPLOITS? WHERE IS THE FIGURING OUT HOW TO MAX LEVEL YOUR STEALTH BY CROUCHING NEXT TO A SLEEPING BEAR FOR TWO DAYS?

So, while I love the idea, I have found that most LitRPG aren't what they claim to be. It's just someone taking shortcuts to explain 'I don't have to describe him getting stronger, I just have to add some numbers on his status screen.'. They are lazy.

But yeah, when I have the time, I plan on writing a LitRPG. It will be called:

LORD EDGELORD, LORD OF THE EDGE.

About a guy who winds up in a 3.5 d20 game and have to deal with combat that exists on a grid.

You speak the truth about the difference between the two. The majority of litRPG's are like that, just fantasy with a few numbers. Though the plans you have sounds amazing. Though it sounds like you have your work cut out for you.

 

[AnUnknownMan]

Lite rpgs are about progression. Power can be obtained by collecting items x, y, and z and slaying 5 goblins. Also don't forget to practice your [attack lv3] skill. Information is presented that can be used to immediately give a goal to achieve, as well as spare mental resources to spend on character moments and world building.

 

[SakeVision]

14 year old gaymers rise up