The Gamer Discussion, Fic Ideas, and Recommendation Thread

[CeramicMug]

I'm going to agree that changing the level based on their attitude is too much. It muddles things up too much.

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"No, Daddy, he wasn't the one who kidnapped me!" The girl next to you shouts.
"Really?" The man says. Above his head, a "150" is replaced with a "10."

^That's what the attitude bit does.

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Attitude is Relationship, and is related to your past actions as well as said person perceptions. "No, Daddy, he wasn't the one who kidnapped me!", will just make them think Stockholm Syndrome and get them madder, unless they had the perception required to believe said girl, in which case they wouldn't be bothering to try and kill you in the first place which means their threat level was never that high to begin with. Attitude doesn't actually mean attitude. It has a capital letter for a reason; SI is a vast range of subjects and 90% have nothing to do with self-inserts, but the genre is called Self-Insert. 'Sides, Attitude is only one variable for overall threat-level, at most it would change 5-6 threat-levels; more reasonably it would change 1-2 threat-levels. 'Sides, Attitude is only one variable for overall threat-level, at most changes in it would differ by 5-6 threat-levels; more reasonably it would change 1-2 threat-levels based on actions after first contact. First contact of course will have a set average for how much attitude effects threat-level originally.

Also, how level works would change depending on the genre, as in what the protagonist aims to use his powers for. For example, a master chief would be level 10 if this was a fighting fic but level 200 if this was a cooking fic in which the protagonist had to overcome the chief through cooking duels.

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It's a threat-level, with a genre change it would be a different kind of threat, say for example a social threat or maybe career threat. If it's food we can work in a Toriko style threat-level, covering danger and tastiness at the same time. The manga already has one established if I recall correctly.

edit - Every genre has something to start off with, and you can always tailor it to suit your needs; isn't that what we are doing with The Gamer? Also, higher level observe can equal more accurate and thorough threat-level, get it high enough and you can evolve it to see different types of threat-levels. After which it is level one again and you need to level it up again from the beginning. Or you can keep it high and not evolve it.

edit - The thing with having a progression level determining how much experience it takes to level up skills can be used as a grinding deterrent.

 

[Nicholai]

Having different levels based on threat and role is a very bad idea. It will be breaking the narrative rules of the "video game" genre.

If you want to show attitude through some other means that can work out fine - but only so long as you are consistent with it. Say we are both Gamers and we are running around town. We can see everyone's names over their heads. If their name is white it means they are indifferent towards us. They don't hate us, they don't like us, they simply have no strong feelings one way or another. People we know will have color added to their names. For the sake of this example let's use green to mean "friendly" and red to mean "hostile." The degree to which their name is a color shows how strongly they feel towards you. If you run into an acquaintance their name will likely be faintly green or a little pink. If you run into someone who likes and respects you their name will be green. And if you run into someone in love with you their name will be as green as it can get. By contrast if you run into someone who loathes you their name is going to be bright red.

Personally I'd recommend having titles for every character so the Gamer can make their own decisions about threat level. A level 50 politician likely has a lot of political and social skills but relatively few combat skills. A level 35 manager likely has logistics, planning, and social skills but few research skills. By contrast a level 40 marine would have a lot of combat skills but fewer political, social, or logistical skills. (Unless they worked in the logistics side of things.)

Note this also gives the Gamer a reason to use one of their abilities - Observe. If you look at that level 50 politician and Observe them you might find out that they box in their spare time. Thus you can conclude they have some combat skills.

I'm suggesting this because it gives you more narrative options. If the Gamer is only looking at level as "threat level" then they can make incorrect assumptions. They can make mistakes. They can over- or under-estimate the people they are dealing with. It will give you ways to avoid and avert the "perfect hero" problem so many stories have while interjecting drama via surprise challenges.

 

[CeramicMug]

Having different levels based on threat and role is a very bad idea. It will be breaking the narrative rules of the "video game" genre.

If you want to show attitude through some other means that can work out fine - but only so long as you are consistent with it. Say we are both Gamers and we are running around town. We can see everyone's names over their heads. If their name is white it means they are indifferent towards us. They don't hate us, they don't like us, they simply have no strong feelings one way or another. People we know will have color added to their names. For the sake of this example let's use green to mean "friendly" and red to mean "hostile." The degree to which their name is a color shows how strongly they feel towards you. If you run into an acquaintance their name will likely be faintly green or a little pink. If you run into someone who likes and respects you their name will be green. And if you run into someone in love with you their name will be as green as it can get. By contrast if you run into someone who loathes you their name is going to be bright red.

Personally I'd recommend having titles for every character so the Gamer can make their own decisions about threat level. A level 50 politician likely has a lot of political and social skills but relatively few combat skills. A level 35 manager likely has logistics, planning, and social skills but few research skills. By contrast a level 40 marine would have a lot of combat skills but fewer political, social, or logistical skills. (Unless they worked in the logistics side of things.)

Note this also gives the Gamer a reason to use one of their abilities - Observe. If you look at that level 50 politician and Observe them you might find out that they box in their spare time. Thus you can conclude they have some combat skills.

I'm suggesting this because it gives you more narrative options. If the Gamer is only looking at level as "threat level" then they can make incorrect assumptions. They can make mistakes. They can over- or under-estimate the people they are dealing with. It will give you ways to avoid and avert the "perfect hero" problem so many stories have while interjecting drama via surprise challenges.

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I have been ninja'd, I added an edit about observe, lemme quote it.

It's a threat-level, with a genre change it would be a different kind of threat, say for example a social threat or maybe career threat. If it's food we can work in a Toriko style threat-level, covering danger and tastiness at the same time. The manga already has one established if I recall correctly.

edit - Every genre has something to start off with, and you can always tailor it to suit your needs; isn't that what we are doing with The Gamer? Also, higher level observe can equal more accurate and thorough threat-level, get it high enough and you can evolve it to see different types of threat-levels. After which it is level one again and you need to level it up again from the beginning. Or you can keep it high and not evolve it.

edit - The thing with having a progression level determining how much experience it takes to level up skills can be used as a grinding deterrent.

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The threat-level you see and understand will be based on how observant you are.

 

[CeramicMug]

' Say we are both Gamers and we are running around town. We can see everyone's names over their heads. '
Observe is the only reason you can even see other people's threat-level, clearly your skill in it determines how much you can tell about their threat level and has to do with how you observe the world around you, leading this to be a constantly evolving skill.

 

[ltmauve]

' Say we are both Gamers and we are running around town. We can see everyone's names over their heads. '
Observe is the only reason you can even see other people's threat-level, clearly your skill in it determines how much you can tell about their threat level and has to do with how you observe the world around you, leading this to be a constantly evolving skill.

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No, from the Gamer he can see the levels automatically without using Observe.
And again, having attitude determine threat-level is just weird because it will lead to constantly changing levels from everyone.

 

[CeramicMug]

No, from the Gamer he can see the levels automatically without using Observe.
And again, having attitude determine threat-level is just weird because it will lead to constantly changing levels from everyone.

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Point. I was under the impression Observe was the only reason he could tell anything about anyone; which makes my idea null without revamping.

 

[OSRFanatic0]

This is a reference for Gamer fics that anyone can use.

Name:
Age(Are you a baby, a child, a teen, an Adult, an old person, or Immortal you have an age):
Gender(Are you a Male, Female, Both, It, or something else you have a gender):
Race(Whether you are human or not):

Titles(A title is what people call you if you have a title): The Gamer
Jobs/Class:
Alignment(Are you good, bad, neutral, or all three):

Level:
Health:
Mana(Whether you use Mana, Chi, Spirit, Chakra, or Magic they all go in one stat):
Stamina(This is the overall of how long a person can stay awake, Walk, Fight, Run, and doing quests before rest):

STR:
END:
DEX:
VIT:
INT:
WIS:
Charisma:
Luck(Optional for people who really hate this stat):
Stat Points:

Money(This is the overall wealth a person has that will change to which ever is the main currency of the country the person is in at the moment):

Personal Info:

Conditions(Meaning the gamer's overall health):

Skills:
Passive Skills:
(There is a difference between skills, Traits and perks)
Perks:
Traits:

Relationships(How close(Love) or how far(Hatred) you are to a person):
Reputations(What people think the person is):

 

[oakgem217]

Race(Whether you are human or not):

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It's worth mentioning that if you have a "race" or "species" category in your menu, it implies that there are other races and/or species. This has interesting implications depending on what kind of world you're using for your story.

 

[Tahari]

Non-Taylor Gamer/Worm story.

Player V Player 1.1
Game Start
-0-0-0-0-
Theo

Breakfast, as usual, was a quiet affair. Even though his cousins had come over for a visit they remained silent on their phones, tapping away at who knows what. His father, as was his habit, sipped on his morning coffee as he reviewed the various papers in front of him. Theo himself was picking at his food with a great interest. He didn't want to look up from his plate because if he did the unwanted evidence would be staring him in the face.

The evidence that he had either gone crazy or had finally come into his superpowers. He really hoped it was the former. Because if had gotten powers then he knew what would happen.

He knew what would be expected of him.

His eyes flickered to his father at that thought. He looked back down at his eggs a second later. The words were still there, floating above his father's head in bright green letters declaring his names and title for the world to see. For him to see.

<The Emperor>
Max Anders/Kaiser (The E88)
LVL ??

Theo knew enough about, played enough, video games to know that LVL meant level and that the question marks meant that his father was too strong for him. That was something he didn't need any power to tell him. Though he felt an unwanted ping of jealousy as he remembered his cousins' own titles.
<The Emperor's Guard>
Nessa Biermann/Menja (The E88)
LVL 43

<The Emperor's Guard>
Jessica Biermann/Fenja (The E88)
LVL 43

It bothered him, more than he would ever care to admit, was that his own title had nothing to do with his family's. What type of a title was <The Gamer>? Was his power taking a dig at itself? At him?

What was a gamer to royalty?

"Theo, stop clinking your silverware on the plate. It's distracting" His father didn't even look up from his papers when he said this but his tone was clear.

Theo put his fork down.

"Good. Now, how has school been? Did you catch up with your friends after winter break?" He sounded like he was curious, he even sounded like he cared. He didn't. Even if he didn't know his father he knew it was a lie, he knew the signs. The man's posture all but screamed what he really thought and he didn't even bother hiding it.

A bright blue box suddenly appeared, both startling him and blocking his vision.

Congratulations! You have created your first skill!

Cold Read (Passive/Active): Lvl 1 EXP: 19%
The human body can tell a story just as well as the mouth and it can tell no lies in front of your eyes

• Ability to detect lies increase by 3% Passively, 6% Actively
• Ability to detect mental state increased by 3% Passively, 6% Actively
• Ability to ascertain and piece together information about a person increased by 3% Passively, 6% Actively

'What in the world' he had to wonder, blankly staring at the words in front of him. What was this thing before him and why was it worded so strangely?

"Theo." His father was paying attention to her now, undivided as his eyes locked on him. That was never a good thing.

"Things have been fine." He said stiffly, sounding as polite as he could manage. He flinched again as another the sound binged once more and another screen appeared.

Calm Surface: LVL 1 Exp: 22%
Like a river, your surface is calm and unbroken despite the rapids underneath. Hopefully, the trickle down effect will calm your insides as well.

• Ability to stay calm under pressure increased by 5%

He carried on as if the blue box never appeared, "Midterm grades should be back in by Friday." His father hummed but that was all Theo could tell, the blue boxes were still in his way, still blocking his sight. Though if he went a little cross-eyed he found he could see through them. See through them and see his father studying him.

His father hummed, clearly disappointed over something. "If I remember correctly post break is usually when clubs start looking for new members again. Did any of them catch your eye?"

A few, "No sir." But none enough that he'd want to deal with the pressure that came with it. Not only would his father expect him to start taking over the group but he'd have to interact with other kids. He really wished he was better at that.

"I can't say I'm not disappointed." Theo waited for the other foot to drop, "But I also can't let this go on any longer. You're wasting your time playing games all day when you could be spending it doing something productive."

There was a pause, he was supposed to speak here. "Like what sir?" It was almost like reading a script.

"Like, for example, working at Medhall part-time. There are a number of internship positions available. It would give you an opportunity to see how the family business works from the inside." Which family business? The largest medical company in the Northeast? Or the largest gang of white supremacists in the country?

Both were just as likely.

"I'll be sure to apply."

"See that you do. This company will be yours someday." He didn't miss the look his cousins shared. Yeah, he had his doubts about that too. "Now finish your food. The driver will be here for you soon."

-0-0-0-0-
Emma

-Hey u hr yet-

The text was sent with a nervous and impatient energy, her eyes tracking towards the bathroom door hoping her friend would arrive soon. That morning had been a rollercoaster of emotions for her. Going from confused to excited to disappointed to excited all over again in the span of a few minutes. She NEEDED to share the news with someone, someone who would understand and be just as excited as her.

That person just needed to hurry up and get there.

She had all but started pacing when her phone gave off a distinctive ring. Eagerly she pressed in her password and read the message.

-Bus jst got hr. Where r u?-

-Second flr b rm-

-K BRT-

Sophia wasn't the first to get there, instead, a girl named Amanda Granger did. She was a little slip of a thing that she barely recalled, a friend of a friend that she wouldn't even remember the name of if it weren't for recent events. Still, she had to go.

Emma blocked her path, "Occupied, find another bathroom." The other girl opened her mouth as if she was really just about to argue with her. A raised eyebrow was enough to get her to shut up and take a step back.

Since Taylor's incident at the beginning of the semester, people have been more than a little antsy around her. It was irritating but it had its uses. Like when you wanted a bathroom to yourself.

"I'll just hold it."

"You do that."

As the girl turned to leave a bright blue screen popped up in front of Emma's face.

Intimidation (Active): LVL 1 EXP: 34%
Through body language, reputation and sly words you inspire fear. Use it to scare away lesser foes or to squeeze information from the weak.

• Increase fear and unease in a Target by 2%

'Tell me something I don't know power' Emma thought a bit snidely, feeling insulted that her skill only earned a 2%. She still didn't understand what all the numbers meant but she had clue. The higher they were the better they were and she deserved more than a 2.

The door opened a second time and Emma had to smile as a dark skinned girl entered the room. Her eyes automatically tracking to the words that were floating above her head.
<The Huntress>
Sophia Hess/Shadow Stalker (The Wards)
LVL 28

Her friend had the highest number out of anyone she had seen so far! Her dad only had a 12 next to his name and the highest after that had been the gym teacher at 18. But Sophia had blown them both clear out of the water. And there Emma was with a lousy 3 next to her name.

It must have been because Sophia was a hero. She'd get there soon.

"Okay Ems, I'm here. What's the big rush?" Emma's grin just got all the larger at the question but she didn't verbally answer. Instead, she grabbed the little swiss army knife from her pocket, freshly nicked from her family's junk drawer, and stabbed herself in the hand.

The level of your Physical Endurance has increased!

Sophia's reaction was almost hilarious.

"Emma! What the hell!" she screamed, grabbing at her hand in a sweet gesture to get the blade out of her. But she paused, leaning in to examine what she was seeing. "There's no blood. There should be blood."

Emma just kept smiling even as she pulled the blade out, showing her friend the blood free blade. "Not when you got powers."

Sophia's grip on her hand got even tighter, "Emma, what happened?"

"Nothing."

"Emma, what, happened." Sophia kept her gaze firmly on Emma's eyes. Was that worry there. "You don't just get powers over nothing. Something bad has to happen."

"Sophia," Emma snatched her hand away, "Nothing bad happened. I just woke up and, boom, powers."

"... That makes no sense. Did you have a nightmare or something?"

Emma could only shrug, feeling disappointed her big reveal wasn't getting the type of attention she wanted. "No clue. If I had one I don't remember it."

The other girl seemed to think this over, "Well, if Glory Girl can get powers from getting fouled I guess you can get one from a nightmare. So what can you do?"

Emma's smile returned. That was the type of attention she wanted! "Well, I haven't gotten it all figured out yet but…"

AN:
It's a bit rough but a decent enough start. This idea started when I randomly thought something about Gamer fics and games in general, thinking how much more fun a game was when you played against/with someone else. Not that these two would realize it at first.

Both are going to have very different playthroughs of what is essentially the same game and when they meet it's going to be interesting to see how they react.

Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions?

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This is pretty well written so far. I love the idea of a Theo!Gamer, but not so sure about there being two of them. Plus, seeing Emma as one just makes me want to cringe. There's also the conflict of canon triggers to consider... Emma in no way should have gained this power without significant trauma. Also, the unlikelyness of two unconnected people gaining the exact same power just causes my brain to come to a screeching halt. If you want to do this, I would suggest putting them together in a situation where they might trigger - perhaps during Leviathan?

 

[azoicennead]

This is pretty well written so far. I love the idea of a Theo!Gamer, but not so sure about there being two of them. Plus, seeing Emma as one just makes me want to cringe. There's also the conflict of canon triggers to consider... Emma in no way should have gained this power without significant trauma. Also, the unlikelyness of two unconnected people gaining the exact same power just causes my brain to come to a screeching halt. If you want to do this, I would suggest putting them together in a situation where they might trigger - perhaps during Leviathan?

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It's kind of explicitly noted as noteworthy in-story that Emma didn't have a trigger event they're aware of, which implies there's something going on.

 

[Tahari]

So what stories and/or characters would everyone like to see made into gamer fics?

I personally have started trying to write a Hobbit/Gamer crossover featuring a young Bilbo Baggins as the gamer. I see this working well with the innate magic of Middle Earth, though I would probably boost it and make it a bit more flashy. This fic would include the Abyss Auction and other dark businesses of the Abyss. I can easily see evil men, orcs and goblins for example kidnapping young magic users to use as mana batteries and slaves. There's also lots of hints of minor magics that could be built upon - the stone sense of the dwarves, speaking to animals, undead of various sorts, and more.

Bilbo himself has a lot of potential to work with too as he basically got through the whole quest on sheer luck. I'd like to emphasize his natural Hobbit talents... namely stealth, accuracy of aim, cooking, and gardening. Lots of ways to take these to the next level. Invisibility or shadow walking, archery/throwing knives/bolos, potions, poison, plant magic, and more.

Other characters won't be forgotten either... there will be a lot of minor magical talents handed out, a few major, and much boosted warrior skills.

This story will be massively AU with it starting while Bilbo is still young, before the Fell Winter, giving him plenty of opportunity to grow in skill before the quest.

Of course I'm not sure how far I will actually get writing this as I much prefer reading to writing... so if anyone else wants to try this idea as well... go right ahead! Just let me know so I can enjoy it too!

 

[TheDivineDemon]

This is pretty well written so far. I love the idea of a Theo!Gamer, but not so sure about there being two of them. Plus, seeing Emma as one just makes me want to cringe. There's also the conflict of canon triggers to consider... Emma in no way should have gained this power without significant trauma. Also, the unlikelyness of two unconnected people gaining the exact same power just causes my brain to come to a screeching halt. If you want to do this, I would suggest putting them together in a situation where they might trigger - perhaps during Leviathan?

Click to shrink...

There was no Trigger event. Someone, somewhere, is playing DM with their lives. This is more than just a power give Crossover.

Also, good on the cringe. Part of the reason why I picked her. Her mentality and place in Canon made her an interesting choice for me.

 

[CeramicMug]

Point. I was under the impression Observe was the only reason he could tell anything about anyone; which makes my idea null without revamping.

Click to shrink...

Wait. This can work, just need to remove the elements to do with relationship, your past actions, and how likely someone is to maul you or help you and put that into an observe based skill.

+ [ (fraction) * stat level ] (static)
+ [ (fraction) * skill level ] (static)
+ equipment (variable)
+ attitude (relationship)
= threat-level

Click to shrink...

 

[EdroGrimshell]

So, I've been reading a story that's essentially The Gamer in our world. No magic, no Abyss, no nothing except the one person with a power.

Anyone think of doing this sort of thing? Because it's a first for me, and it got me thinking of my own idea. Take the above concept, then give the gamer to a few hundred people around the world instead of one, then add a few unique mechanics for each person, a Gamer defeating another allows you to gain that other mechanic, taking it from the other Gamer (you can choose to do this or not).

Anyone interested in this sort of thing?

 

[Verdom]

So, I've been reading a story that's essentially The Gamer in our world. No magic, no Abyss, no nothing except the one person with a power.

Anyone think of doing this sort of thing? Because it's a first for me, and it got me thinking of my own idea. Take the above concept, then give the gamer to a few hundred people around the world instead of one, then add a few unique mechanics for each person, a Gamer defeating another allows you to gain that other mechanic, taking it from the other Gamer (you can choose to do this or not).

Anyone interested in this sort of thing?

Click to shrink...

Can you link that story?

 

[EdroGrimshell]

Can you link that story?

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Only 4 chapters so far, so I don't know if it'll stay with the path I mentioned, but, it seems to be the case so far. Not the best fic, but it I've never seen a Gamer fic that is (so far) entirely mundane.

Greater Gaming

 

[CeramicMug]

Only 4 chapters so far, so I don't know if it'll stay with the path I mentioned, but, it seems to be the case so far. Not the best fic, but it I've never seen a Gamer fic that is (so far) entirely mundane.

Greater Gaming

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Like Zatch Bell? I am fuzzy on the details but

Spoiler: Summary

isn't it a bunch of demons come to regular world to battle it out to see who is demon king and you get other demons power if you beat them?

 

[EdroGrimshell]

Like Zatch Bell? I am fuzzy on the details but

Spoiler: Summary

isn't it a bunch of demons come to regular world to battle it out to see who is demon king and you get other demons power if you beat them?

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Not quite. Momodos aren't demons, and defeating others doesn't boost their power, mastery of the powers and synergy between the caster (the one holding the book) and the momodo increases power and unlocks new abilities. Other than that, you've pretty much got it right.

 

[TheDivineDemon]

In a DC/Gamer crossover wouldn't it be interesting if instead of summoning the four classical elements The Gamer could summon avatars/aspects/creations of the four fundamental forces of DC ala Kindred?

For people who don't know the Kindred were basically personifications of:
The Speed Force - what makes the Flash fast and controls motion to the point of breaking both the time and reality barriers.
The Emotional Spectrum - what powers every flavor of Lantern from Green to Violet, able to effect and see emotions as well as create constructs
Cosmic energy - Starlight, the classical fundamental forces.
Magic - ... magic.

It would be Op but then again all Gamers are.

Each one would need to start small and it'd probably have similar limits as Gamer familiars ie they only have skills that their Gamer knows but in element form.

 

[lordchaos99]

Are those really the 4 fundamentals?
What about the Green or the Red?

 

[TheDivineDemon]

Are those really the 4 fundamentals?

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It's what they were called in the new Justice League run.

What about the Green or the Red?

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Those are more Earthbound forces and actually might be more fitting considering.... In Earth 2 the Green and the Red weren't the only forces gifting out powers, there was also the White who represented the atmospheres and the Blue that represented the oceans. So maybe those four?

 

[KickInator]

Here is a new naruto/gamer fanfic. Its actually pretty balanced as MC is powerful and hailed as a genius yet not enough to rival the other ninja of jonin and above ranks. He can buy skills from the system but each time he executes that skill, it consumes a certain amount of his skill points.

Xover: The Root of Darkness Ch 1, Naruto & Harry Potter | FanFiction

 

[Broovian]

Here is a new naruto/gamer fanfic. Its actually pretty balanced as MC is powerful and hailed as a genius yet not enough to rival the other ninja of jonin and above ranks. He can buy skills from the system but each time he executes that skill, it consumes a certain amount of his skill points.

Xover: The Root of Darkness Ch 1, Naruto & Harry Potter | FanFiction

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Oh I love this one. He lost a lot of people when he got to the harry potter part. It's more of an X-over instead of just naruto and harry. He actually got to the dimension hopping part a lot of gamers say they'll get to but never do.

Also, could the OP perhaps create a threadmarked page with all the recommended fics?

 

[aattss]

i feel like fics in general would be better if there was less overlap between wisdom grinded and the Gamer narrating his plans.

Here is a new naruto/gamer fanfic. Its actually pretty balanced as MC is powerful and hailed as a genius yet not enough to rival the other ninja of jonin and above ranks. He can buy skills from the system but each time he executes that skill, it consumes a certain amount of his skill points.

Xover: The Root of Darkness Ch 1, Naruto & Harry Potter | FanFiction

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That became a crossover?

I'd say it's pretty good for a fic I'd drop, but I still dropped it.

 

[Broovian]

i feel like fics in general would be better if there was less overlap between wisdom grinded and the Gamer narrating his plans.



That became a crossover?

I'd say it's pretty good for a fic I'd drop, but I still dropped it.

Click to shrink...

Could you say why?