LitRPG Podcast 139
LitRPG Podcast 139
Oct. 26th, 2018
I’m Ramon Mejia. I’m here to bring you the latest LitRPG news, reviews, and author interviews. I have 5 new LitRPG reviews just for you.
Hey, Real Quick. I wrote a story and it’s out now on Amazon. Please check it out. This is a sci-fi survival story with augmented reality, a snarky AI, upgrade mechanics, resource gathering, crafting, alien creatures, and space pirates.
After spending months on an alien world for work, all John Espinoza just wants to do is get home to his wife and daughter. Unfortunately, the transport ship he chose is attacked by pirates and he ends up stranded on an unknown planet where the very air is toxic to him. Now John has to team up with the ship’s AI and the two have to survive on this hostile alien world and figure out some way to get off the planet or get a message out for help. Can they overcome their dwindling resources, alien life forms, and hostile space forces? Or will they die together, planet bound?
US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JL9PQX2
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07JL9PQX2
Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07JL9PQX2
Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07JL9PQX2
New Releases and Reviews:
Hero Time: a LitRPG novel (Metagamer Chronicles Book 3) (11:05)
Wraps up the series nicely.
Score: 7.6 out of 10
The Arena’s Call (Aventures on Brad: Book 4) (14:32)
Good old slice of life LitRPG
Score: 7.4 out of 10
Arcane Kingdom Online: The Chosen (A LitRPG Adventure, Book 1) (16:15)
Was really disappointed
Score: 6 out of 10
Heir Today Pawn Tomorrow: A LitRPG/GameLit Novel (The Good Guys Book 2) (24:42)
Such a good series
Score: 7.8 out of 10
Respawn: Lovers Lost (Respawn LitRPG series Book 2) (28:12)
Groundhog Day RPG Apocalypse. Slow start but gets better
Score: 7.2 out of 10
(Play Music 2)
LitRPG News
Beginnings (Peaks of Power Book 1) was supposed to be out this week, but issues arose that may either delay release or require those that pre-ordered to download the latest edition. The publishers, MountainDale Press, say they’re working on getting everything straightened out asap and apologize for any issues.
It’s that time of the year folks. The GameLit Society is running their annual charity drive and in only a few days has already made to their goal of sending $2000 to Shriner Hospitals for Kids. Please give if you can, and if you can’t, please share the post and spread the news of the charity drive. There will be a few gifts donated by LitRPG and GameLit authors including signed books, but we do this for the children. Think of the Children!
https://www.gofundme.com/gamelit-society-philanthropy-pt-2
Last episode before halloween and I figured I’d put together a little list of scary LitRPG horror stories. At least these ones creeped me out when I read them.
The Nightmare Game: Slayers
-Slasher film +RPG mechanics
Digital Shadows
-Horror game gets too real
Darkworlds London: A Cthulhu LitRPG
-Cthulhu madness
Out Now!
Vortena: Everybody Loves Large Chests (Vol.3)
The three current books in the series and a bonus short story.
Warlock: Reign of Blood: A LitRPG Novel
Necromancer System: A Dark Fantasy LitRPG (Book 1)
ZOMBIE SLAYER!!: A LitRPG Apocalypse
New LitRPG Audiobooks
Obliteration Unbound Deathlord, Book 2
Our review score for the ebook: 7 out of 10
World Keeper: Precursor - World Keeper Series, Book 3
Limitless Lands: The Commander's Tale, a LitRPG adventure
Limitless Lands Series, Book 1
Beyond All Expectations - Emerilia, Book 8
Upcoming LitRPG:
The Quizard Mountains: A Dungeon Core Epic (Station Cores Book 2) (Oct. 28th, 2018)
Survivors (Dark Elf Chronicles book 2) (Oct. 30th, 2018)
BASE Status: Online: An Unlikely Hero's LitRPG Journey (Oct. 31st, 2018)
Super Sales on Super Heroes 3 (Nov. 1st, 2018)
Neverfall: Mark of the Hero (Book 1): (A Gamelit Lit RPG Series)
(Nov. 1st, 2018)
Sorcerer's Quest: A LitRPG Adventure (Nov. 1st, 2018)
Dungeon Desolation (Divine Dungeon book 4) (Nov. 2nd, 2018)
Visaria Online: Odyssey: A litRPG Fantasy Adventure Book 3
(Nov. 2nd, 2018)
The Parallel: A SciFi LitRPG (Infinite Exodus Book 2) (Nov. 8th, 2018)
***Feedback Loop book 8 (Nov. 15th, 2018)
Guardians Of The Round Table 3: Singed Feathers (Nov. 18th, 2018)
A Song of Shadow (The Bard from Barliona Book #2) LitRPG series (Nov. 19th, 2018)
Island Kingdoms' War: Evolution Online III (A LitRPG) (Nov. 20th, 2018)
Fate of Camlan: A LitRPG Adventure (Camlan Realm Book 4)
(Nov. 22nd, 2018)
Eden's Gate: The Omen: A LitRPG Adventure (Nov. 30th, 2018)
Hero (Level Up Book #2) LitRPG Series (Dec. 10th, 2018)
Freehaven Online: Winter Dungeonland (Book 3) (Dec. 16th, 2108)
Dungeon Mauling - A LitRPG GameLit Novel (The Good Guys Book 3) (Dec. 19th, 2018)
Level Up: The Knockout (Book #1) LitRPG Series (Jan. 9th, 2019)
*A side story set in the same Level Up universe, different MC*
Onto New Releases and Reviews
(Play Music 3)
New Releases and Reviews
(Picture 1)
Hero Time: a LitRPG novel (Metagamer Chronicles Book 3)
The difference between a hero and a tyrant is charisma.
Fresh off their defeat of the lich’s army, Gary and his friends find themselves preparing for an even larger threat. While unlocking elder magic gave them the juice they needed to turn aside one foe, it unstoppered the bottle holding back an ancient evil. Gary knows what’s coming because he wrote it.
Now, with political responsibilities crushing him from one side and a demonic army looming on the other, Gary must balance the necessity of victory with the means to achieve it.
After all, what good is saving a kingdom only to become the villain?
My Opinion: 175 pages, $4.99, Not Available on Kindle Unlimited
While the story is rushed in places and I thought a few of the time jumps were a little annoying, this is what I’d always wanted from the series. In book 1, Gary, the main character (MC), was too passive and alone. In book 2, he finally has someone from our world to talk gaming with but the story is relatively small still.
Finally, the MC) and all his friends are all finally aware they’re in their tabletop game and it’s so much more fun. There’s plenty of meta gaming, exploitation of GM knowledge, banter, and the end is very touching and totally wraps up the series. Really good stuff.
Score: 7.6 out of 10
Hero Time: a LitRPG novel (Metagamer Chronicles Book 3)
The Arena’s Call (Aventures on Brad: Book 4)
As Advanced Adventurers, Daniel and his friends journey to Silverholt to attempt larger and more dangerous Dungeons. But just because they've graduated from Beginner Dungeons doesn't mean they'll get any more respect from the experienced Adventurers that make up their new city. They'll have to train, struggle and take part in an arena battle to win a chance at to enter the new Dungeon and some respect.
The Adventures of Brad series is a traditional fantasy story with LitRPG elements and features a Catkin, a Healer and an enthusiastic barbarian.
My Opinion: 147 pages, $3.99, Not Available on Kindle Unlimited
Another good action filled entry in the Adventures on Brad series. There is good dungeon diving and a tournament for our heroes to fight in and some developments relating to Daniels healing powers. Fun stuff.
Score: 7.4 out of 10
The Arena’s Call (Aventures on Brad: Book 4)
Arcane Kingdom Online: The Chosen (A LitRPG Adventure, Book 1)
Log-in or die.
Those are the only choices left for Clay Hopewell. Infected with the ZERO virus, he has less than twenty-four hours before he bites the dust. With no cure available, there’s only one option left: digitally reincarnate himself in the most advanced virtual reality game ever, the mysterious and newly released Arcane Kingdom Online.
But cheating death and gaining immortality isn’t that easy. If Clay survives the risky cognitive upload process, he’ll still have to contend with a fantasy world teetering on the brink of crisis. Worse, a quarter of the in-game population hates his starting race, he can’t unlock the mage class he wants, and a malevolent glitch threatens to upend the very existence of his new reality.
If Clay doesn’t learn the rules of his new surroundings quickly, his second chance at life will be a lot worse than his first.
Press play to start.
My Opinion: 232 pages, $2.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited
The first 10% is annoying as it sets up a zombie apocalypse virus in the world as a reason for the main character (MC) to get his mind uploaded and then it’s only mentioned again once at the end and doesn’t impact the story. The in-game story starts out kind of promising with the spawning initially captured by some rat people. He has to make his escape and fight his way out with the help of another NPC prisoner. There are some good game mechanics shown here and I thought for a moment that the story was going to be good. Unfortunately, I was proven wrong with the first few fights. The rest of the story is pretty much power leveling and some magic unlocking until the MC deals with the major plot point.
Another reviewer mentioned that the in game story was a rip off of .hack//sign and to a degree I can see where that statement is coming from. This story does seem to borrow a major plot element from that series, one where corrupted monsters with jumbled names appear and can permanently delete players. Only the MC seems to hear the voice of a girl and has the power to stop the monsters because somehow he himself became corrupted or gained some control of the game. Yeah, it’s a bit familiar to .hack//sign in that major plot arc. But the world is original, the characters are mostly original, and the remaining game mechanics, while not wholly original are different from that anime.
Game mechanic wise, there’s a good amount of detail given. Character sheets, item descriptions, game notifications, skill gains, damage notifications, and more. Unfortunately, the author doesn’t really follow his own rules and twists the story so that his characters are saved again and again, either by omitting information (like monster levels or being saved by characters with unrevealed levels) or by conveniently creating mechanics to save them.
The biggest culprit of plot armor game mechanics is that when someone levels, all injuries are healed, HP and MP are restored, and all status ailments and debuffs are removed. Now, I don’t necessarily have a problem with that mechanic in itself, though it’s severely OP. I do have a problem when it’s used no less than 4 times in the first 25% of the story to miraculously save the MC from death because the NPC (who is only level 1 like the MC) he’s grouped with just happens to kill enough monsters out of sight to get the MC a new level. The rest of the story follows the same wand wavy combat situations. The MC should really have died more than once in the story because he regularly fights monsters 3-5 times his level and only survives because information about damage suddenly disappears and the reader is told he scores a series of critical hits until the monster is dead or he’s saved by that plot armor.
Overall, while the initial in-game story showed promise, it quickly became a disappointment when I recognized the .hack//sign plot and the MC turned out to have so much plot armor.
Score: 6 out of 10
Arcane Kingdom Online: The Chosen (A LitRPG Adventure, Book 1)
Heir Today Pawn Tomorrow: A LitRPG/GameLit Novel (The Good Guys Book 2)
Montana’s new life in Vuldranni, the medieval fantasy game world he lucked into, isn’t quite the tranquil extended fishing trip he’d been hoping for. But you gotta admit, he’s doing pretty well for himself. Now he’s Montana Coggeshall, heir to a dukedom. If he can get his crew to Osterstadt and claim it in time.
Heir Today, Pawn Tomorrow is a heart-pounding adventure through uncharted territory. Montana and the party must cross WarWaters, a lake that offers everything but a pleasure cruise, and then race through a dense, forbidden forest full of hungry beasts, unfriendly races, and a few cocky nobles. If you’re ready for an epic quest full of hellbeasts, ghost royals, and wyrm guts, this is the book for you.
My Opinion: 252 pages, $4.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited
Full disclosure: I received an advance copy of the novel for review. I purchased it when it became available.
Such a good story. The series is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. It has this nice mix of fantasy descriptions with LitRPG. Game mechanics are regular and detailed. More importantly, the main character acts like a gamer who's been transported to a world ruled by RPG mechanics. Characters are well written, the action and adventure is really good, and the story takes some good twists. I finished this in a single sitting.
Score: 7.8 out of 10
Heir Today Pawn Tomorrow: A LitRPG/GameLit Novel (The Good Guys Book 2)
Respawn: Lovers Lost (Respawn LitRPG series Book 2)
The System is generous. Not with presents, but with predicaments.
Cheater now has a straightforward goal, or so it seems to him. To everyone else, his endeavor sounds suicidal for a high-level veteran, never mind a newcomer whose intellect is still shackled by the System.
Cheater sees only one way forward: develop his skills, conquer monsters, and become stronger, faster, wiser, and more fearsome with each passing day. Until he makes progress on his own capabilities, he cannot hope to achieve anything else.
But the System has intentions of its own. Namely, to hit Cheater every step of the way with unforeseen, unpleasant refutations of his noble plans.
My Opinion: 244 pages, $4.99, Not available on Kindle Unlimited
It took me awhile to recall the premise of the story. The main character (MC) is in a Groundhog Day like RPG apocalypse where every time he dies he's reset to right before the apocalypse happens: people start turning into zombies, monsters appear, electronics and cars stop working. He and other players get to respawn a certain number of times and level from killing creatures and each other. Higher levels, more stats and other game like bonuses. But all players get reduced intellect and wiped memories till level 10. The main character is only level 4 and on his 6th respawn.
Book 2 in the series continues on from the end of book 1, and essentially resets things. The MC wakes up, newly respawned, and uses the stuff he learned in book 1 to start gathering resources and trying to figure out ways to level up. His goal is to find Kitty, the woman he partnered with in book 1, even though she may be far far away. So that’s what the story is, that journey to level and travel. It’s basically a bunch of fights, survival stuff, traveling, with the MC always trying to figure out a way to exploit the system to reach his goals faster. Very slice of life. There are some interesting characters and more PvP, but that’s it in nutshell.
Overall, though the first 30% of the story is rather slow since it repeats a lot of the basic survival stuff, after that things are pretty exciting. A fun story if you like zombie apocalypse style stories with survivalist stuff and RPG mechanics all mixed together.
Score: 7.2 out of 10
Respawn: Lovers Lost (Respawn LitRPG series Book 2)
That’s it everyone!
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Thanks for hanging out with me today. Until we can hangout again, remember to go read some LitRPG!
(Music 4)
Music Credits
"Blip Stream" "Mighty Like Us" "Big Shift" "Vivacity"
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/