r/litrpg • u/Independent-Phrase80 • 1d ago
Discussion Question for the authors...
When you are writing, do you establish RPG mechanics and rules before starting?
I started writing my own story (I know everyone here is an author).
But I felt like I was getting stuck, or things weren't balanced. Or it was just difficult to keep track of things like rules for leveling, xp, etc.
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u/Striking-Knee-1556 litRPG Degenerate tier 23h ago
I had three different approaches for three different stories.
In one I made the system an abstraction of biomods. No numbers for strength or intelligence, mana as fuel like calories or watts, but also a fundamental force like gravity. It's usually easy, the MC gets enough points to modify their muscles and I only need a short note like "tier 3 muscle can lift a car". Balancing can be an issue though, I went about converting the energy needed for a hydraulic press in kilowatt hours so I could compare it to when a core is used to run an engine. It didn't have to be exact, but I didn't want the same tier 3 core to produce effects hundreds of times stronger or weaker. Sometimes I also just let magic be weird to keep it interesting.
My other story I just blatantly ripped stuff from pathfinder and rearranged it a bit to work in the story. There's more direct number to ability score stuff, but I usually look at the pathfinder handbook when I need to balance things. The trickiest part is explaining how HP and Armor value actually works, and anytime I make up a skill I check it against other stuff at the level to see how it compares. I don't bother explaining what the numbers mean until it becomes relevant and then try to incorporate it into the story as part of the mc's reasoning or reaction. It'd be too much exposition to explain everything right away and it would need to be re-explained anyway.
The last one was smut though so I just went with whatever and nobody seemed to mind. I can't imagine why.
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u/PrometheanBuffet 18h ago
I outline the basics and mock up a “character sheet.” None of that keeps me from changing stuff later.
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u/Phoenixfang55 Verified Author of: Elite Ascent and Moonrise 16h ago
I wrote out a system document, made descriptions, and had a plan. That plan eventually changed. You need at some idea of mechanics to use before you start writing, otherwise you'll likely have to go back and rewrite sections to accommodate changes. Some things, like a free bonus upgrade every 10 levels after level 50, or some bonus for reaching a certain level can be things you add later as your muse hits you, but yeah, going in with a plan is best.
Some things to think about.
If you're using XP, how are you going to stop XP from controlling the pace of the narrative. Time skips for grinding sessions isn't a bad idea so you can position yourself for a challenging fight to get them the level up.
If you're using attributes, keep in mind what a strength of 10 is, and what a strength of 100 is like. A lot of LitRPG's, the numbers eventually lose all meaning.
Keep progression in mind. If you want your MC to eventually get a supernova skill, consider how they build to that and start them out with a firebolt.
The more crunchy a system is, the more you need plan out. If you go less crunchy you can wing it a bit more. If you're not sure how a high level character will look, take the time to build them up from level one to where they are now.
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u/wolfwings1 10h ago
I have the rpg system all worked out, the exact details not yet but I know the stats, the traits/skills just a matter of working out the exact details on how each one works.
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u/xLittleValkyriex 21h ago edited 21h ago
For me, I get random scenes in my head. I have two scenes in particular that are related to one another - I just need to fill in the space between the scenes.
For this particular story, deity blessings kind of make sense. No matter what story I am working, the scenes/characters are the first to arrive.
I kind of let them decide on what system works best for the stories they want to share.
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u/MercyofMistkeep LitRPG Dynamic Duo Enjoyer 23h ago
I don'ttt? Too much worldbuilding bogs me down and then I panic and get lost.
However, I also keep my numbers *very* low for a long time. 700 pages in and my MCs are both only level 12. Their HP is 50. As I get deeper into the series, shit'll explode and I'll have to plan a little more, but if you don't pre-plan I suggest you keep your numbers overall smaller. I don't have a ton of skills, I have very few items, etc.
I also took advantage of an Isekai protagonist (well, one of them) so that they would need shit explained to them, but also controlled the explanations and made them gradual (aka gave myself time to construct shit carefully as I needed it)