I’m a little confused. What separates “systems” from roleplaying?
When I was younger, I would imagine alternate versions of myself that had gone down different paths in life - Mountain was my fashion designer persona, Kouda Kyew was my eccentric business mogul persona, and so on. I would get advice from these imaginary people and sometimes even act like them in real life, but I was always conscious that my alters were fictional. As I grew older, I roleplayed with them less and less, but they ended up being wonderful inspirations for my writing!
With all due respect, the term “system” seems like a pathologized synonym for roleplay, which is a normal and reasonable activity for young people discovering their sense of self. I’m wondering if someone would be willing to educate me to the contrary?