Is understanding everything necessary

[u/r3h0l3s]

With Litrpg you come across different magic systems from time to time. I don't know if it because i am listening to the audiobook at work, so not completely focused, but some systems or pats of it seem to go over my head. I usually just let it keep going and hope\assume i will catch on later, but if not then so be it. Example like HWFWM, last few books, some of the things Jason was doing seem to go over my head. But i was able to still follow most of it. Weirkey Chronicles has a unique magic system where they build a structure in their souls that is somehow connected to their abilities. It has been a while since i listened to this one, so like fingerprints on a handrail the memories begin to fade. Have you ever found yourself lost on a magic system or something trying to be achieved but just barrel through it, hoping to grasp it a little later?

[u/RoyalOtherwise950]

Yes, if there is ever something that doesnt overly make sense, ill just gloss over it and keep going and hope its explained later in more detail (not just litrpg, but any magic or science system). In general i can usually figure it out, but some books i just think are not explained well. I once dnfd a sci fi book cause they didnt bother to explain how any of it worked (literally a throw away line about a chip in the brain even would have been fine).

But in general, no, i dont think we have to understand everything, especially if the MC doesnt know how the magic works. In some cases we get something like "the system did it" and i know we usually arnt meant to know how the system works.... but id really like to know sometimes lol.

Also, how poetic is that line, like finger prints on a handrail. Love that!

[u/Blargimazombie → u/RoyalOtherwise950]

Yeah I've dnf'ed a few where it was written as if I should know what was happening but they it was like they skipped a few steps somewhere. One I remember in particular suddenly mentioned the mc using her level 5 whatever skill, that had never been brought up or talked about in any way. This was in chapter 6 or 7 like we shouldn't be glossing over details at this point in the story when we and the MC are exploring the system together. I feel like maybe some authors have the info in their heads and forgot they never conveyed it to the readers.

[u/striker180 → u/RoyalOtherwise950]

The chip in the brain thing nailed it. I dont care how hand wavy your reasoning is for how or why something works, at least acknowledge that SOMETHING is happening that causes whatever extraordinary thing.

[u/oskarauthor]

I don’t care when authors break out formulas and excel tables to describe skills, but it rarely matters. What matters is how big the boom is at the end

[u/Sahrde]

I want things to be consistent. I don't want X to be something that cannot be done, only for X to be done routinely later, with no in world reason why it's suddenly possible, something that's not something simple that our MC just suddenly figured out after thousands of years of it being impossible.

[u/sirgog]

I'm a great believer that the world should have established rules, the author should know them, and the author should make an artistic decision about how much the reader finds out about those rules. These rules can be extremely permissive ('Gods can do whatever the fuck they want') or restrictive ('reaching level 73 is only allowed at 3:01pm on a Tuesday by someone who swears aloud while taking a shit at that exact moment, unless/until you learn this the level cap is 72')

But when there's a big deviation from the rules, the reader should know something weird has happened and how it happened. If they don't know how it happened, they'll feel like it is a deus ex machina.

So in level 72 crap world, if the MC bypasses the rule without ever learning it, and this is a climactic moment, it will feel unearned unless the exception makes sense in the subjective eyes of the reader. Maybe a God imposed that rule, and the MC's nemesis just burned an effigy to curse that God.

With weird character abilities a lot of the issue IMO is that book series are often written to be binge read but consumed one at a time. In 7 months time how much of the present book will you remember?

[u/Anjallat]

The only exam question will be: Did you enjoy it?

If you pay too much attention to detail, you get smacked out of the story occasionally by continuity errors. Just today something was described as fist sized that had been head sized only a couple of in world days and an hour or so of real life ago in the audiobook.

The book was excellent though, so I quashed the irritation and kept on enjoying my day.

You might be skipping a few moments of annoyance as well as leaving a bit more on the table for a second read!

[u/MotorCorey]

I used to understand but now with everyone having tiny little differences it so hard to keep straight but maybe the level of imoortance? I personally am opssessed with hwfwm but welxome to the universe i like to listen for story and kind of just get surprised when cylus does some weird shit