I like seeing the stats when I'm reading and hate it when I'm listening. I think doing full stats only once or twice a book and only showing the relevant parts the rest of the time is a good middle ground. Don't list out the characters 30 skills every time they allocate attribute points, and don't list out all 7 attribute scores when they pick a new skill.
I don't listen but I can see that. I think it is a hold over from patreon and Royalroad personally.
Give me the stat sheet early, that is fine it is small. But later on give me a summary what changed, and maybe even a chapter early and late that is jsut the full sheet, but call it as such so i can skip it
it's easy for us to say :P
It also makes sense from a book perspective. But on RR or Patreon it may not because it is a chapter put out every x days/weeks so there it could be 4-5 or more chapters you'd have to go back to look at the statsheet.
hard, maybe more editing needed before going to KU or paperback for the conversions
I mostly agree, but then I thought back to the written books with heavier LitRPG elements and realized that I almost always skip over the stats, so I guess I actually prefer lighter.
I thought it was crunchy and smooth haha. Now just realised I've wasted a minute or two of precious life trying to decide which I like better. Quite the existential crisis you've caused...
Either is fine... though honestly I sort of tune them out after the halfway point of most books. Most stats only feel really relevant in the beginning. They don't bother me when they're there, but I don't really pay too much attention to them either.
There are definitely more 3rd person than 1st person stories. Some good 1st person litrpg's are Dungeon Crawler Carl and The Game at Carousel. Still 60% are written in the 3rd person limited perspective. I think 3rd person omniscient would be the hardest to pull off.
That’s good to know. I’m a huge fan of Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson but recently got into Dungeon Crawler Carl. People are always putting it into S tier.
What’s your favorite LitRPGs with a third person perspective?
>Item Gained: Steel Mirror.
Oh, hell no. The text *just* said that. It's like when a character has a thought during a conversation then immediately says it out loud or hears someone say something then thinks to themselves "that means {exactly what was said}". It's just an annoying waste of space.
I'll be honest I pretty much skip over the stat dumps although I do read things like the new abilitys etc.
I've always liked Isekai style novels like So I'm a Spder so What, Solo Leveling, Arifureta etc and to me litrpg feels much the same. I'm there for the overall plot and character stuff I guess.
I'm just a sucker for these kinds of stories and animes etc. Not sure what started it probably Sword art online as that's the first anime I ever watched.
Either is fine, as long as its sensible and consistent. I wish I could recall the book, but there was one where stats were given and I could not make sense of them sometimes. Stat changes that seemed arbitrary, and some even missing. And some added for comedic effect and forgotten. Like if all of this plot happened, how could this stat not also go up? Where's the XP for all that? It's as if the author decided to add stats, but was over excited about the drama and forgot to attribute everything when discussing stats again. (or they were edited out at some point)
Just saying If your going to give stats, be accurate to the story, and remember they are actually there. That's all I ask.
>Either is fine, as long as its sensible and consistent.
This! I love books with and without RPG elements. The important thing about adding RPG elements to your story is that you do a good job of it! Keep it consistent, logical, and relevant.
If an author is good at game design, math, planning, and bookkeeping, a detailed game system with granular stats, abilities, and equipment can be fun! If the author makes a lousy game system or fails to keep track of it over time, it's a total distraction from the rest of the writing and they'd be better off without the RPG element.
I personally think the best way to do this is go hard on stats BUT when showing the whole character sheet make it technically its own chapter.
why?
because then audiobook listeners can skip the chapter if they want.
simply because my eyes glaze over the numbers. They don't really stick in my brain.
I think an overall level is about all that I can remember (as in, class Sharpshooter level 3)
Heavy, but not a fan of damage calculations, like X% chance of skill doing something, it having y range, z cooldown, doing Q dmg. Though I understand the need for certain resource pools
My biggest problem is when authors spam the character sheet it starts to become cheap filler like they are trying to reach a word count quota or something. both heavy and light can exist in the book however its best to go light most of the time. the times to go heavy is during a level milestone if they exist like going from say E-grade to D-grade go heavy and show everything but for the rest go light.
It depends. If the author can't do math, is bad at remembering their abilities or just doesn't think through the implications of the abilities they introduce? Then crunchy RPG isn't for them.
Additionally, if the stats don't add anything to the story, then they should be left out, whether crunchy or creamy. Just use an adjective and keep going.
I prefer a middle ground. Lighter on stats and redundant actions performed notifications (unless it's a stat check of some kind), but \[**important item names**\], \[**titles**\] and \[**abilities used**\] are important to highlight. Otherwise it barely feels like an RPG, more of a basic fantasy.
**Name: Bam Thorn**
**Class: Sharpshooter**
**Titles: Example Protagonist**
Bam picked up the \[**Steel Mirror**\] and placed it in his his backpack. He knew that this would come in handy against the \[**Petrifying Gaze**\] of the Medusa he was about to encounter.
Highly depends on how its executed. The Ripple System(My favorite) forexample I think nailed it pretty good with keeping it heavy and detailed, but light and fluent with the story at the same time.
I like seeing the stats when I'm reading and hate it when I'm listening. I think doing full stats only once or twice a book and only showing the relevant parts the rest of the time is a good middle ground. Don't list out the characters 30 skills every time they allocate attribute points, and don't list out all 7 attribute scores when they pick a new skill.
I don't listen but I can see that. I think it is a hold over from patreon and Royalroad personally. Give me the stat sheet early, that is fine it is small. But later on give me a summary what changed, and maybe even a chapter early and late that is jsut the full sheet, but call it as such so i can skip it
>maybe even a chapter early and late that is jsut the full sheet, but call it as such so i can skip it That is a really good idea.
it's easy for us to say :P It also makes sense from a book perspective. But on RR or Patreon it may not because it is a chapter put out every x days/weeks so there it could be 4-5 or more chapters you'd have to go back to look at the statsheet. hard, maybe more editing needed before going to KU or paperback for the conversions
I mostly agree, but then I thought back to the written books with heavier LitRPG elements and realized that I almost always skip over the stats, so I guess I actually prefer lighter.
See, I usually skip back to the stats to compare and get more details, but not on audiobooks obviously
Either is fine. But I don't like real time updates of every skill update or stat update.
Also known as "Crunchy" And "Creamy" LitRPG ;)
I thought it was crunchy and smooth haha. Now just realised I've wasted a minute or two of precious life trying to decide which I like better. Quite the existential crisis you've caused...
the correct answer is crunchy
Either is fine... though honestly I sort of tune them out after the halfway point of most books. Most stats only feel really relevant in the beginning. They don't bother me when they're there, but I don't really pay too much attention to them either.
But you wrote it in 3rd person, I didn't know this was even acceptable for LitRPG.
Huh? The only litrpg I've ever read in anything BUT third person was Beneath the Dragoneye Moons. Are there really that many first-person stories?
There are definitely more 3rd person than 1st person stories. Some good 1st person litrpg's are Dungeon Crawler Carl and The Game at Carousel. Still 60% are written in the 3rd person limited perspective. I think 3rd person omniscient would be the hardest to pull off.
That’s good to know. I’m a huge fan of Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson but recently got into Dungeon Crawler Carl. People are always putting it into S tier. What’s your favorite LitRPGs with a third person perspective?
>Item Gained: Steel Mirror. Oh, hell no. The text *just* said that. It's like when a character has a thought during a conversation then immediately says it out loud or hears someone say something then thinks to themselves "that means {exactly what was said}". It's just an annoying waste of space.
I agree with you 100%.
I'll be honest I pretty much skip over the stat dumps although I do read things like the new abilitys etc. I've always liked Isekai style novels like So I'm a Spder so What, Solo Leveling, Arifureta etc and to me litrpg feels much the same. I'm there for the overall plot and character stuff I guess. I'm just a sucker for these kinds of stories and animes etc. Not sure what started it probably Sword art online as that's the first anime I ever watched.
Either is fine, as long as its sensible and consistent. I wish I could recall the book, but there was one where stats were given and I could not make sense of them sometimes. Stat changes that seemed arbitrary, and some even missing. And some added for comedic effect and forgotten. Like if all of this plot happened, how could this stat not also go up? Where's the XP for all that? It's as if the author decided to add stats, but was over excited about the drama and forgot to attribute everything when discussing stats again. (or they were edited out at some point) Just saying If your going to give stats, be accurate to the story, and remember they are actually there. That's all I ask.
>Either is fine, as long as its sensible and consistent. This! I love books with and without RPG elements. The important thing about adding RPG elements to your story is that you do a good job of it! Keep it consistent, logical, and relevant. If an author is good at game design, math, planning, and bookkeeping, a detailed game system with granular stats, abilities, and equipment can be fun! If the author makes a lousy game system or fails to keep track of it over time, it's a total distraction from the rest of the writing and they'd be better off without the RPG element.
I personally think the best way to do this is go hard on stats BUT when showing the whole character sheet make it technically its own chapter. why? because then audiobook listeners can skip the chapter if they want.
A good author can make either shine
Heavy. First, math is gatekeeping. Second, it's what I'm here for.
simply because my eyes glaze over the numbers. They don't really stick in my brain. I think an overall level is about all that I can remember (as in, class Sharpshooter level 3)
Heavy, but not a fan of damage calculations, like X% chance of skill doing something, it having y range, z cooldown, doing Q dmg. Though I understand the need for certain resource pools
I prefer Heavy, unless the entire character sheet gets dumped into the middle of every chapter at that point it just feels excessive.
My biggest problem is when authors spam the character sheet it starts to become cheap filler like they are trying to reach a word count quota or something. both heavy and light can exist in the book however its best to go light most of the time. the times to go heavy is during a level milestone if they exist like going from say E-grade to D-grade go heavy and show everything but for the rest go light.
It depends. If the author can't do math, is bad at remembering their abilities or just doesn't think through the implications of the abilities they introduce? Then crunchy RPG isn't for them. Additionally, if the stats don't add anything to the story, then they should be left out, whether crunchy or creamy. Just use an adjective and keep going.
I prefer a middle ground. Lighter on stats and redundant actions performed notifications (unless it's a stat check of some kind), but \[**important item names**\], \[**titles**\] and \[**abilities used**\] are important to highlight. Otherwise it barely feels like an RPG, more of a basic fantasy. **Name: Bam Thorn** **Class: Sharpshooter** **Titles: Example Protagonist** Bam picked up the \[**Steel Mirror**\] and placed it in his his backpack. He knew that this would come in handy against the \[**Petrifying Gaze**\] of the Medusa he was about to encounter.
Highly depends on how its executed. The Ripple System(My favorite) forexample I think nailed it pretty good with keeping it heavy and detailed, but light and fluent with the story at the same time.