Last updated on August 17, 2024
This is a basic breakdown of different systems within larger LitRPG novels. I haven’t spoken to the authors personally, but as a devout reader of LitRPG, I feel that I have a solid understanding of what each Author has done to develop their own systems.
As amazing as many LitRPG systems are, Ivan Kal’s Infinite Realm series really takes the cake. From multiple progression tiers to absolute personal choice filled with intrinsic value in the characters, it’s ridiculous.
Example:
Ryun is the initial villain in the series. After being transported to the Infinite Realm, he continues down the path of cultivation as he seeks to grow in strength. That path also starts out with great weakness, forcing the character to adapt, control the battle, and grow with their strength.
Zach chose the path of class, meaning he picked a class from a series of options. Classers are the opposite of cultivators. They start out immensely powerful, but, and I may be wrong here, can grow weaker towards the end.
However, there’s a third path optional for both. Skills. Skills can be developed to better align with the character, their path, and really bring a lot of power to them overall.
So what happens if you take all three? That’s an interesting note in the book that comes up again and again as everyone seeks to grow in power.
By far the most logical system out there, and I highly suggest it for those who love systems as much as I do.
Path of Ascension is currently my favorite overall LitRPG and one of my favorite series ever. Yes, it’s more Progression Fantasy than anything else, but I still consider it within the LitRPG genre. It initially focuses on a young man named Mat, who comes to learn that he has a detrimental talent.
Talents are within every citizen of the multiverse, waiting to come forth. The day that Mat gains his talent, he discovers that it isn’t something helpful. Some people with talents may have intrinsic sword-fighting knowledge. Others may be able to control water to a high degree. But for Mat, his is truly terrible.
However, this is where the system really comes into play. The Empire in which Mat is born has a system that recognizes detrimental talents and sends representatives to assist them. In this story, the “system” is less of a blue-screened narrator and more of a program to assist the reader and character with what steps to take next.
Path of Ascension’s system is developed piece by piece as the characters learn more about the universe. About Tiers and how to move forward in power. That is why I would still recognize it as a form of LitRPG. Some people will say that to have a LitRPG novel be considered within the genre, it must have stats. But I don’t think that way. Literature Role-playing game is the extended form of the shortened LitRPG, and I believe to a high degree that this follows. Stats and their use fall within the Crunchy sub-genre of LitRPG in my mind.
Kyle Kirrin’s The Ripple System is, to be blunt, the only VRMMORPG story I’ve ever truly enjoyed. Many have come close, but this one is truly outstanding. For those unaware, VRMMORPG stands for Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. Of course, it’s a book not a game, but the genre exists thusly named.
Unlike the previous two series, this one includes a large dollup of humor. The story begins with the main character Ned, who is tired of a world that’s become dull and unappealing. He signs up to join a VRMMO game called Earthblood Online, which is shortened to EO. Ned pays a boatload of cash to get into the game early, thereby earning himself a unique reward. A talking Axe named Frank, who is beloved by many LitRPG readers.
You’ll notice that even though it’s a VRMMORPG, I still call them LitRPG readers. That’s because they are. To me, LitRPG includes any form of “systems” and the like. A VRMMORPG fits neatly within that definition, and for a series titled The Ripple System, my point should be painfully obvious.
The system within Kirrin’s story focuses on multiple levels, as most great LitRPG do.
- It has a planetary-level system. Large actions taken by Ned, and his later friends, affect the world in its entirety, causing ripples to spread and further affect other elements of EO.
- There are classes and professions within the story. These include systems as well.
- There’s a larger plot of Ned versus the world, which includes multiple side-systems that occur with logic and progressive movements. Book five’s recent events have been wonderful, and I’m happy to say I didn’t forsee it coming.
All of those systems tie into the story, and push it forward, which brings me to the last point below.
What's the point?
Based on the above three novels, each a standout within the LitRPG genre, we can assume the following about great systems in stories. I understand this is generalizing, but these were the connections that I made. Also, keep in mind that these points are based on my reading of hundreds of LitRPG novels in the last several years.
There are multiple levels involved with systems. It can’t just be one person gains access to it, or they’re overpowered (Looking at you Solo Leveling). On the flip side, in a series where the main characters start to game the system, the character should have a unique appeal or attachment to it.
Zach and Ryun become powerhouses within an extremely short period of time due to their understanding and drive.
Mat’s Detrimental talent turns into something uber-powerful.
Ned’s control and understanding of Ripples rise quickly.
It all comes down to understanding. The character gains and enhances their power the more they know the system. As the quote goes, With knowledge, comes power.
Fortuitous events have to be controlled. The more a character is rewarded haphazardly by the system, the more Deus Ex Machina we see. It weakens the character arc and provides bad writing. Systems are supposed to be impartial, but not necessarily all the time. There are always exceptions.
However, if there are clearly defined rules, hard rules, then breaking them has to be momentous and something previously unthought of in the past. If a character is randomly rewarded such as:
Achievement: First Human to reach level 10
Then there needs to be continuous achievements as the character moves forward. Random rewarding creates confusion for the reader. I’m not saying that fortuitous events need to constantly occur, only that they should not be forgotten.
This has been said by others, and I’m just parroting it as a hard fact. Systems cannot be the entirety of the story. As an author, I’m guilty of sometimes giving the system a little too much time on the screen. For me, however, its necessary for the story to continue, and for the audience to have a better idea of how the story is going to progress. My character, Walker, is a system builder, not just an entity affected by it.
For normal stories, systems should help direct the plot, but it shouldn’t be the plot itself. This can be confusing to some people, so I’ll further explain.
Many books that fail or flop are because they focus TOO MUCH on stats, gains, and rewards. Do I really need to know that the MC (Main Character) just picked up a third glow rock? No. You could just skip to the point where he found twelve of them over time. I don’t need to know when he stops every single time he finds a glowy rock to complete a quest.
Do I need to know that his inventory is 40% full? Not really, at least without a damn good reason.
Everything should drive the plot forward. A lot of authors, and this isn’t a new thing, like to pad their word count with stat pages. A state page is where a “character” is looking at themselves in the screen. It looks like the below.
Character: J.D. Mullenary Sr.
Title: Writer
Strength: 2
Intelligence: 1
Wisdom: 3 (+10% per book written)
Yada yada. Now think of that: only ten times longer, and it appears dozens of times in a book. That’s 30-40 pages worth of almost useless drivel. I’m not against crunchy LitRPGs that show a lot of stats; I’m against the frequency of use. It’s annoying. It’s making the system more important than the character.
If you must, showing stat pages should only be done when needed—when it helps the plot and further describes the character’s power arc. Throwing stat pages up all the time just to fill out space is annoying as hell and pulls away from the story. Yes, some audience members will love it. But, the majority who are like me and have seen it done hundreds to thousands of times? Annoying. I recently stopped reading a series because of their dependence on the system, and ignoring their character.
p.s. Funnily enough, I just got a rough review because my character has feelings and acts like a person. MORE SYSTEM, LESS PERSONALITY.
Summary and Final Note
To summarize, systems should be:
Multilayered
Logical
Progressive
Controlled
Include rules
Avoid Deus Ex Machine whenever possible (Plot Armor)
Impartial unless it’s part of the plot for the system not to be
A driver of plot, not the plot itself
And lastly, should only interrupt the character’s story when its necessary
Again, these are just my personal beliefs about how systems should be created and used. There are plenty of unique LitRPGs out there. I’ll even include a few below if you’re interested in stories that have created outstanding systems.
Let me know in the comments if you agree, disagree, or feel more should be added. If I ever get more free time, I’ll try to write up another breakdown of a different LitRPG element.
Thanks for reading!
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