So there I was, minding my own business, replotting Land of Stone for the 47th time (slight exaggeration, but who's counting?), when this absolutely insane idea popped into my head: What if I turned it into a LitRPG?
My first reaction? "Fuck that noise."
I mean, seriously. Stats sheets? Progression systems? Game mechanics? I already had enough on my plate trying to figure out why my protagonist was being such a dick (again). The last thing I needed was to add another layer of complexity to my already-might-collapse-under-its-own-weight story. Not to mention I have like 1-2 hours to dedicate to the novel per week…
But you know how some ideas are like that one friend who keeps texting you even though you're clearly ghosting them? Yeah, this one wouldn't leave me alone.
Here's the thing: I've been gaming since before it was cool (I remember my very first games on our old Amiga… there was a game called Mouse Trap and another one Ivanhoe. I don’t think anyone else knows these, and it’s probably better that way! It looked like this:)
And this:
But I digress. I was walking in the forest (gorgeous out there folks!), I kept catching myself thinking what it would take. And the answer was: NOT THAT MUCH. In fact, the whole premise of Land of Stone is already so freaking close of that subgenre: A party of five teenagers from our world getting thrown into a fantasy world. Besides, when I was writing the first few versions, I was already thinking in gaming terms. Like when Megan faced challenges, my brain would go: "Well, clearly her perception stat isn't high enough for this shit." In one fight scene, Xander even wonders how many Hit Points he has… (!)
The real "oh shit" moment came when I realized these gaming elements might actually fix some of my story problems. Instead of just telling readers that my characters were growing stronger (boring)
I could SHOW them through concrete progression. It would also get rid of the implausibility that young adults would actually not die in the very first fight. Instead of vaguely handwaving how magic works (my specialty), I could create actual skill trees and special powers with cool and quirky names! And don't even get me started on how status effects could amp up the tension in fight scenes. "Oh, you think you're winning? Sorry, but you've just been punched by Ali’s FOOD POISONING’S fist attack, sucker!"
What I thought would be a massive pain in the ass turned into this weird creative playground. I started having way too much fun coming up with skill names. "Liquid Courage" isn't just a fancy way to say "getting drunk" - it's a legitimate battle strategy now, people! And "Molly Mind"? Let's just say some skills are based on personal experience (I'm looking at you, college years).
But here's the real kicker: All these gaming elements actually helped me solve plot issues I'd been banging my head against for months. Suddenly, I had built-in obstacles (sorry, you need level 5 for that), clear goals (achievement unlocked: basic human decency), and natural character progression (turns out you CAN quantify personal growth with numbers - take that, therapy!).
Now? I can't imagine Land of Stone without its gaming elements. It's like that friend you initially thought was annoying but ended up becoming your best drinking buddy. Sometimes the best ideas are the ones that make you go "What the actual fuck?" at first.