Have a magic system. Don't know what to do with it.

[1bitBoolean]

For past many years I have wondered in daydreams fleshing out an incredibly vast hard magic system I've never seen in fiction works before with ultra strict rules and complicated mechanics but as the title says - I don't know how to express it. I am scared of writing a novel since I am not a good writer and I do not have an actual plot in mind apart from the world and the history but I really want to find a creative outlet to make something of it. What could be some other ways rather than a novel to document this idea?

 

[Bick]

Do you know a game designer (board, rpg or computer)? Or design a game yourself.

[This thread is in the wrong sub forum, btw - maybe a mod could move it?]

 

[1bitBoolean]

Do you know a game designer (board, rpg or computer)? Or design a game yourself.

[This thread is in the wrong sub forum, btw - maybe a mod could move it?]

Yeah probably wrong sub.
Games are a great idea since I have some gamedev exp and have quite a few people know who'd be down to make a game however I fear it wouldn't do justice to the magic system because I don't think even AAA studio could make it work fully.

In this magic system I got symbol magic that in it's essence works like magic programming like seen in many alchemy drawings where you draw dem circles with runes and encase them in triangles and lines leading to more circles where each element and it's position makes logical sense with no loopholes so the audiance can even think of their own spells if they have pen and paper to do some visual programming using that system.
I got potion system that works kinda like the system that recently popped up in video game NOITA in wands where you have lots of ingredients doing lots of stuff and you can add more to expand the effect and or remove some other effects using certain ingredients or straight up go bad and non-magical if there are incompatabilities in the potion.
Verbal magic with little more loose rules where you can use your mind to assign meaning to keywords to match your intended use however it's limited in versatility if you don't combo it with body movement magic like showcased in ATLA which allows you to be more precise like when saying "cast fireball!" movement will specify, size, direction, maybe trajectory changes ect ect couple more systems and everything's running on energy management system where magic naturally flows through the world in some places more than others and mages can harness the magic but depending on skill level they have magic absorption rate, magic storing capacity in their body, magic output capacity at once before they sustain damage, certain materials, shapes and objects that can store/attract/reflect/dissapate magic/make magic move slower/faster through the medium/make it more/less stable and/or make it linger with those properties after exiting it...

Might be too vast for a game but could be done if the story and gameplay narrowly explores a certain aspect or even a novice who doesn't know how to properly use the magic all throughout the game.

 

[Pyan]

Moved to Writing Discussion, as the closest fit.

 

[Dave]

...could be done if the story and gameplay narrowly explores a certain aspect or even a novice who doesn't know how to properly use the magic all throughout the game.

Maybe you just need to read some fantasy books before you write your own - The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson, Fairy Tale by Stephen King, Glory Road by Robert Heinlein - or any of the many other stories where someone from the "real world" embarks on a 'Hero's Journey' type quest into another world, and must first learn 'the ropes'.

I don't know how to express it.

For either the gameplay or the written story narrative to be interesting to a player or reader, it must be about how the protagonist reacts and learns and overcomes difficulties, rather than being about the other world or the "incredibly vast hard magic system". It needs to be character driven. However, that character need not be a superhero or have any powers or ability themselves. It works better if they are just a normal 'Joe'; or a "novice". Ask yourself, how would I feel, react and overcome difficulties.

I don't know how to express it. I am scared of writing a novel since I am not a good writer

If you get more involved in this forum, then there are writing challenges and a vast amount of good advice about becoming a better writer. The fact that you know you would need to improve is good, rather than believing anyone can write and that you are already wonderful. You could begin by writing short stories set in your world.

 

[1bitBoolean]

Maybe you just need to read some fantasy books before you write your own - The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson, Fairy Tale by Stephen King, Glory Road by Robert Heinlein - or any of the many other stories where someone from the "real world" embarks on a 'Hero's Journey' type quest into another world, and must first learn 'the ropes'.


For either the gameplay or the written story narrative to be interesting to a player or reader, it must be about how the protagonist reacts and learns and overcomes difficulties, rather than being about the other world or the "incredibly vast hard magic system". It needs to be character driven. However, that character need not be a superhero or have any powers or ability themselves. It works better if they are just a normal 'Joe'; or a "novice". Ask yourself, how would I feel, react and overcome difficulties.


If you get more involved in this forum, then there are writing challenges and a vast amount of good advice about becoming a better writer. The fact that you know you would need to improve is good, rather than believing anyone can write and that you are already wonderful. You could begin by writing short stories set in your world.

Omg yes fr. Short series are flexible and can be narrow enough that I can explore just certain aspects of the idea as well as their short length means I don't need as complicated of a structure as a whole-aahhh book. Still writing is scary, so many things that need to go into it to make it believable and interesting... Narrative devices this, subtexts that - will need to do ton of research first...

 

[Brian G Turner]

What could be some other ways rather than a novel to document this idea?

Write an essay detailing your system and put it online. A magic system by itself isn't a story so not much use being fixated on it.

 

[AllanR]

I don't think even AAA studio could make it work fully.

Sounds like you're stuck on computer games, where what you have described sounds much more applicable to pen and paper role-playing-games. Many of these do have vast, hard, magic systems.

 

[msstice]

What's a hard magic system? Is it like rock-paper-scissors-spock?

 

[1bitBoolean]

What's a hard magic system? Is it like rock-paper-scissors-spock?

Hard magic system has very strict rules on how the magic works. Soft magic system has very loose rules like in harry potter or maybe even star wars. Where magic just exists and there are barely any rules to dictate what can and cannot be done.

 

[1bitBoolean]

Write an essay detailing your system and put it online. A magic system by itself isn't a story so not much use being fixated on it.

Essay seams a pretty dry application of a concept. Or maybe I am wrong and just haven't read any good essays.

 

[1bitBoolean]

Sounds like you're stuck on computer games, where what you have described sounds much more applicable to pen and paper role-playing-games. Many of these do have vast, hard, magic systems.

In pen-n-paper RPGs everythin' is living in the shadow of DND

 

[Oligonicella]

Start at the magical 'subatomic' level and document your way up using whatever form you like best; lists, symbols; doesn't matter as long as you provide the detail to support.

 

[THX1138]

What's a hard magic system? Is it like rock-paper-scissors-spock?

rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock.

Lizard eats Spock's paper.
Most people forget that part of the spell!

@1bitBoolean being that you are a gamer, you can always play a very short pen-n-paper game and use that as the base for a flash fiction or short story. Keep track of and write down everything. Now you can practice writing in your characters and all your own other bits that are apart of you would into writing a story. If it does not work out, no problem! Practice in where you feel you are lacking in here on Chrons, like @Dave said, then go back and start writing the story over again from the beginning.

You would already have the outline from the game you played to guide you, so keep what you like that works and just keep correcting and adding on as you go. At some point, you'll have written a story based on your world and magic system and character that belong there.

Use this as a form of writing exercise that you can add to, to any other writing skill you learn on your writing journey.

 

[sknox]

Why not just run a role playing game? You could have much fun letting your players encounter the rules and boundaries of your system as they play.

You could also consider developing a Player's Guide sort of book (or DM book). There's considerable creativity that goes into those guidebooks, including short bits of fictional writing to serve as world building. You could go for a full book as a goal, or develop it as a wiki.

Short stories is another option. In fact, you could do all the above eventually. But only if you start. As the Wise One says, if you don't start somewhere, you'll get nowhere.

 

[Oligonicella]

Why not just run a role playing game? You could have much fun letting your players encounter the rules and boundaries of your system as they play.

I used to run D&D campaigns when I was younger. You'll have to be one of those coercive DMs 'cause you've got other people making decisions about what to do as well as where to go. They also don't appreciate being handed characters so first you'd have to convince them of that if you want story leads and such.

In one with four players @ three characters each, they loaded up heavy on Conans. Game starts and they learn that despite having purchased wagons and horses and supplies, they'd neglected to give anyone any abilities beyond "Hulk smash.". So no drivers and about half of them couldn't even ride a horse.

Got to some mountains and, being mostly Conans, pissed off the dwarves by getting into enough lethal encounters that they got chased by the army. That chase ruined a wheel (which they didn't bring a replacement for) which meant they couldn't port the vast bulk of their supplies with them.

In avoiding being caught they of course couldn't pursue quests, bounties and such, only flee. They wound up in a desolated area with an alkaline body of water and no food. They began eating shore washed (no swimmers) seaweed.

I let them starve.

A lengthy but very uninteresting campaign.

 

[Oligonicella]

I used to run D&D campaigns when I was younger. You'll have to be one of those coercive DMs 'cause you've got other people making decisions about what to do as well as where to go. They also don't appreciate being handed characters so first you'd have to convince them of that if you want story leads and such.

In one with four players @ three characters each, they loaded up heavy on Conans. Game starts and they learn that despite having purchased wagons and horses and supplies, they'd neglected to give anyone any abilities beyond "Hulk smash.". So no drivers and about half of them couldn't even ride a horse.

Got to some mountains and, being mostly Conans, pissed off the dwarves by getting into enough lethal encounters that they got chased by the army. That chase ruined a wheel (which they didn't bring a replacement for) which meant they couldn't port the vast bulk of their supplies with them.

In avoiding being caught they of course couldn't pursue quests, bounties and such, only flee. They wound up in a desolated area with an alkaline body of water and no food. They began eating shore washed (no swimmers) seaweed.

I let them starve.

A lengthy but very uninteresting campaign.

 

[clarissajaneen]

Consider how a magic user could abuse the power at their disposal. Or how they might use it to achieve a goal which is in conflict with someone else's goal. Boom, you have conflict. Conflict is what will drive your plot as it gives the characters a "why".

 

[1bitBoolean]

Consider how a magic user could abuse the power at their disposal. Or how they might use it to achieve a goal which is in conflict with someone else's goal. Boom, you have conflict. Conflict is what will drive your plot as it gives the characters a "why".

That is one of the best advices I've heard about finding a plot idea