LitRPG Podcast 236 - Etinhym, Cipher's Quest, 4X Four Hex, Monster Hunting 101
LitRPG Podcast 236 - Etinhym, Cipher's Quest, 4X Four Hex, Monster Hunting 101
July 24th, 2020
Hello everyone, welcome to episode 236 of the LitRPG podcast. I’m Ramon Mejia.
I’m here to bring you the latest LitRPG news, reviews, and author interviews. We have 4 new reviews just for you.
*New Pateron supporters: David Bennet, David Goodin, Tony Fino*
New Releases and Reviews:
Etinhym: Path of Graves (A LitRPG Epic) (14:22)
The action barely saved this for me
Score: 7.1 out of 10
Cipher's Quest: (A Scifi Fantasy LitRPG) (Ciphercraft Book 1) (18:58)
Didn't scratch that LitRPG itch
Score: 6 out of 10
4X Four Hex: A LitRPG Strategy Series (Avila Online) (27:43)
Strategy elements solid, but has other issues
Score: 6 out of 10
Monster Hunting 101: A LitRPG Fantasy Adventure (Titan Termination Book 1) (35:14)
I got bored
Score: 5 out of 10
(Play Music 2)
LitRPG News
Battleborne hits Amazon Top #100 Paid novels and numerous #1 tags. It's been out for almost a month. Huge congratulations to Dave Wilmarth on the success of his LitRPG novel.
J.D. Astra started a Patreon page, she's the author of the Firebrand - Viridian Gate Online series, as well as the Neon Dark story. If you like her work, go support her.
https://www.patreon.com/jdastra
Blaise Corvin has uploaded a new video explaining his Patreon. It's a little silly, but also informative. https://youtu.be/HD4h9_1weIU
Gate Wars: Upheaval will be FREE to download from July 23 to July 27th. To celebrate the 2nd book in the novella series. Gate Wars: Sprint, out now. I enjoyed book 1, gave it a Score: 7.4 out of 10
Gate Wars: Upheaval https://amzn.to/2WMvaPx
Gate Wars: Sprint https://amzn.to/30xGMHk
Soundbooth Theater announced this week that they’ve revamped their website and it’s live now. They list all their authors, narrators, and the entire interface is pretty smooth and pretty. They also had a special Soundbooth Theater Live! Thursday at 8:00 pm ET as well as some exciting giveaways.
https://soundbooththeater.com/
https://youtu.be/p_YVe0TU6-M Launch Party Stream
Out Now!
The Mechanical Crafter - Book 2 (A LitRPG series)
https://geni.us/MechanicalCrafterBk2
The Source: A LitRPG Fantasy Adventure (Enora Fireborne Book 1)
Gamified - Book One: Beastmaster (A Fantasy LitRPG)
Blade Walker: Chronicles of StormShadow Part 1: A Fantasy LITRPG
War Fantasy Online: (A Litrpg Standalone Novel)
Uru's Third Temple: A Fantasy LitRPG Adventure (Divine Apostasy Book 3)
Soul Bond - a LitRPG gaming adventure: The Dimensional Wars, Book 2
The Heaven's Boxer: LitRPG - Esports - Mecha Battles (Overdrive Book 1)
Unmarked (Olympus Reborn Book 1)
Condition Evolution book one: A LitRPG / Game-lit Adventure
Djinn Tamer: The Complete Bronze League Trilogy (A LitRPG Series Box Set)
New LitRPG Audiobooks
Life Reset: Human Resource - New Era Online Book 4
Season One: Bloodgames - Book 1
Silverspear - Rise to Omniscience Book 6
Skull and Thrones: Bad Guys Series - Book 3
Phantom Campaign - Card Mage Book 2
Path of Light: BlackFlame Online Universe
Glory of Formation Emperor Series, Book 2
Upcoming LitRPG:
The Ruined Temple: A LitRPG Adventure (Eternal Online Book 2) (July 28th, 2020)
Arrow of Justice - A LitRPG Novel: (Book 1 of the Vindication 2.0 LitRPG Universe) (July 31st, 2020)
Autumn Infernos: A LitRPG Sci-Fi Adventure (Space Seasons Book 4) (July 31st, 2020)
The Hidden Paladin (The World of the Undead Force Book 1): A LitRPG Wuxia Series (Aug. 4th, 2020)
Modern Paladin: A LitRPG Adventure (Aug. 4th, 2020)
Lord of the Dead (The Eternal Journey Book 2) (Aug. 5th, 2020)
The Dungeon Fairy: Two Choices: A Dungeon Core Escapade (The Hapless Dungeon Fairy Book 2) (Aug. 5th, 2020)
War of the Posers (The Bad Guys Book 4) (Aug. 8th, 2020)
The Way of the Force (The Heavenly Throne Book 2): A LitRPG Wuxia Series (Aug. 11th, 2020)
Intellectum [RealRPG series] Book 1 (Aug. 18th, 2020)
The SyStem: Multiverse: Book 2 (Aug. 23rd, 2020)
War of Gods: Dungeons of Perdition - Book 4 (A LitRPG and GameLit Adventure) (Aug. 24th, 2020)
Dream Stream Reality: A LitRPG Adventure (Aug. 25th, 2020)
Small Unit Tactics (Volume #1): LitRPG Series (Aug. 27th, 2020)
Holy War (Disgardium Book #5): LitRPG Series (Sept. 4th, 2020)
Dungeon Worlds: A Reborn Online LitRPG Adventure (Sept. 9th, 2020)
Stolen Lives: A LitRPG/GameLit Novel (The Underhill Chronicles Book 1) (Sept. 15th, 2020)
Sovereign (The Gods' Game, Volume IV): A LitRPG novel (Sept. 30th, 2020)
Final Odyssey: A LitRPG Journey (Legends Online Book 7) (Oct. 1st, 2020)
Dungeon Crawler Carl (Oct. 2nd, 2020)
Watcher’s Fate: A LitRPG Saga (Life in Exile Book 3) (Oct. 6th, 2020)
City of Goblins (In the System Book #1): LitRPG Series (Oct. 7th, 2020)
The Otherworld (Underdog Book #4): LitRPG Series (Oct. 26th, 2020)
The Fallen God: A LitRPG Adventure (Eternal Online Book 3) (Oct. 27th, 2020)
Onto New Releases and Reviews
(Play Music 3)
New Releases and Reviews
(Picture 1)
Etinhym: Path of Graves (A LitRPG Epic)
“The Light Pantheon rules from above. The Dark Pantheon rules from below. Together, they defeated the other divine races and became the masters of Etinhym.”
Eadric is the son of the Grave Queen, but he was raised in the Crown Realm as part of the alliance between the two pantheons. After reaching the age of eighteen, he’s finally able to choose the Path that will allow him to acquire demigod abilities and explore the many realms of Etinhym. Although his goal is to become a Grave Lord, serving under his mother, he finds himself following the trail of a conspiracy that threatens the Divine Pact that has kept the jotuns, the valkyries, the greater demons, and the dragons from uniting against the gods.
Eadric’s story will take him through strange realms—from a spatially disjointed forest that twists and turns on itself to a living ocean of blood and even a skyscape full of floating castles. He’ll also have to face off against strange monsters, corrupted spirits, and even towering abominations. If he fails, then the war that follows will likely be the last war Etinhym ever sees—a war that will surely lead to the extermination of the human race.
My Opinion: 492 pages, $4.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
There's nothing bad about the story but I never really connected with the main character (MC) or the story worlds, which were a take on the multiverse with gods and demi-gods trying to gain power by killing monsters that infested the various realms. However, despite the various monsters faced it felt like there was never a serious threat to the demi-god MC and his adventures always felt predisposed to success. Which I guess is in line with the demi-god theme.
While I liked the Zelda-like mechanics, there weren't many RPG decisions just collecting soul or karma points to get new powers or items.
The action was a saving note for the story. It was good enough to keep me reading the story and used the upgraded powers well enough to maintain interest, mostly.
Overall, it’s an ok read if you want something greek/norse/demi-god themed with some fairly decent action RPG elements.
Score: 7.1 out of 10
Etinhym: Path of Graves (A LitRPG Epic)
Cipher's Quest: (A Scifi Fantasy LitRPG) (Ciphercraft Book 1)
A real-life game system lost millennia ago could turn the tide of a galactic war.
At first, Cullen thought the strange writing in the air was his imagination, but the power and drive to follow its quests was undeniable. The reward on the other end, too valuable to pass up.
He and his crew pullspace to a prison under siege, where the Cipher has quested him to rescue two telepaths who've seen the Cipher’s quests, too. This bounty hunter and mother-son duo of telepaths must utilize level-up bonuses and new class skills to survive in an alien jungle where the EMP throwing tigers aren’t even their greatest threat. Ha!
As Cullen recovers ancient texts which could unlock the power of the Cipher for all, they encounter reject telepaths who hunt their jungle like berserkers looking for revenge and a way home — just like Cullen. Ehli and her son were just happy to escape prison. Now they find their freedom came with a cost, like any true power worth wielding. In their race for survival, they will uncover dark secrets about her husband's death and the dangerous testing that turned her and her son into telepaths without their consent.
Welcome to Reject Jungle Dungeon. No quest is easy that involves telepaths. Even if it’s your first one.
My Opinion: 301 pages, $4.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
Full disclosure: I received an advanced copy for review. I purchased a copy when it became available.
The story is not a VR story, or a transported to a game world story. It takes place in an alternate universe where there was once an ancient lost technology that we’d describe as an RPG interface.
I was so confused by the beginning of this novel. The reader is just dropped into the story and I kept going back and re-reading sections trying to understand what was happening, who these characters were, and how this was a LitRPG story. I came to understand that three of these characters had access to an RPG interface and system so they could fulfill some forced quest to unlock Cipher for everyone. But the details of what that meant were a mystery, even to the characters. Beyond that the story felt a bit more like sci-fi or sci-fantasy.
The RPG system was light to say the least. It amounted to the characters getting classes and XP for doing mandatory quests. There are two classes, the Bounty Hunter and Ultras, but neither was really developed. They felt like general powers and less like an RPG class system. There were pretty regular notifications and the system was part of the story. However, I never got the feeling that the game system was an integral part of the story world but more like an interface or technology to advance power. Like the story about gaining freedom from the oppressive aliens would have been the same without the notifications or classes or XP and could have been replaced with just a reference to ancient tech implanted. In the novel description the author says the LitRPG crunch is a 4 out of 10, which is pretty accurate.
The story itself is fine and eventually, around the 15-20% mark, I understood the goals of the story, the stakes, and a little bit of the world building. But honestly, by that point I was a bit checked out by the confusion of the start of the novel. Not all of that went away either, as the sci-fi elements of the story were left unexplained and new characters were introduced and dismissed without enough background to make me care about them or really even the main characters. The action in the story is neither amazing or bad, just ok. The plot was a little convoluted and the RPG stuff felt really light and a little forced for my tastes.
Overall, the story just didn’t work for me. The threat from the aliens never came through well for me and the Cipher system didn’t feel impactful beyond directing the characters to plot points or as a way to give them power boosts. The sci-fi elements weren’t fleshed out enough to be interesting on their own either. There was some good world building and decent character development, but it wasn’t enough to keep me engaged with the story.
Score: 6 out of 10
Cipher's Quest: (A Scifi Fantasy LitRPG) (Ciphercraft Book 1)
4X Four Hex: A LitRPG Strategy Series (Avila Online)
Jayden likes to mind his own business. It’s the best way to survive in the favela. When an unfortunate set of events force him from the shadows of insignificance, he finds himself in the crosshairs of the biggest, baddest, crime lord in whole of the favela, the one and only, Terisco.
Fortunately, lady luck is shining on Jayden in the form of a mysterious Goddess who places him smack bang in the middle of a power struggle between two of the richest men in Texatron. One thinks he can mold any Tom, Dick or Harry into the greatest civilization builder of all time, rivalling even the King of Avila, Bilda FOH Smartown, while the other thinks he’ll fall flat on his face.
Propelled to the virtual world of Avila Online, Jayden has six months to build his civilization up to rival that of Bilda or he’ll be thrown out and have to face Terisco’s retribution.
4x Four Hex is a LitRPG Civ builder tale with stats and levels.
Audio currently going through quality control.
Features turn based fighting and playing card heroes.
For lovers of settlement building tales.
My Opinion: 520 pages, $3.95, Available On Kindle Unlimited
Besides the initial building of the first mud hut, the main character (MC) really doesn't do much. He kinda gets led around by the nose with everything getting explained to him.
Also, all the conflicts are managed for him. About to get swindled out of a sweet mine? Someone rescues him. Need to make the best deal to mine? Someone tells him just what to negotiate. Not sure how to develop the territory, what to build, or how to use resources? Great, someone shows up each time to direct him. The MC is even power leveled so that he doesn't have to risk his life.
The game mechanics are a little mixed with real time combat for monster fighting but turn based combat for PvP. There are also standard stats, XP, skills, classes, etc. But classes just unlock abilities as the MC levels, in his case new buildings he can build. Actual building is gamified with drag and drop options, though there's an option to build things by hand the long way. About 30% in, the kingdom building starts with more citizens coming in and the MC needing to balance his resources, build housing, build specialty structures like a mill, quarry, walls, barracks, etc.
There's also an odd personality conflict. The MC IRL is poor and lives and works among the mafia and criminals. Yet, in-game he's uber trusting and follows the advice and direction of complete strangers. It felt like he'd be more worldly and suspicious given his rough upbringing.
Things mostly go the MCs way until about 50% into the story when he faces his first big challenge to his budding kingdom. It's also about that point when this chosen one thing happens with the MC. It felt like the story gained more of a purpose than just growing a town to please win a bet for some rich guys. It’s gained more non-town building adventures.
Overall, I enjoyed was a miss for me. The fighting was fine and I liked the strategy mechanics, though the mix of real time and turn based didn’t quite work out. The pacing and resource management aspects aren't going to be for everyone. The mechanics of the story revolve around gathering resources, managing them, building and upgrading various structures, hiring and assigning citizens, and a bunch of other strategy and 4X game stuff. If that doesn't seem interesting to you, you may not enjoy large parts of this novel. But if it is interesting to you, pick this up.
Score: 6 out of 10
4X Four Hex: A LitRPG Strategy Series (Avila Online)
Monster Hunting 101: A LitRPG Fantasy Adventure (Titan Termination Book 1)
When I climbed out to the surface this morning, to scavenge some food for my village, I knew the odds were severely stacked against me. A mere nurse, I had no business going out into the sun where all kinds of monstrosities roamed. But what other choice did I have? All our scouts had already perished on previous surface runs, leaving us few other options. It was either take the gamble or let my people die of hunger.
As if to prove my fears right, I was only out in the open for a few minutes when a pack of Kinru spotted me. Standing absolutely no chance, I started to run for my life but was quickly cornered by one of the fearsome beasts.
In a last desperate attempt to defend myself, I managed to hurt one in the face…right before the creature was snatched by an even bigger monster that turned it into a snack. Then everything became a blur.
When I came to, I wasn’t the same anymore. As it turns out, wounding the Kinru had earned me some mystical energy called “Bloodpoints” which gave me access to the “Hunter’s Sight.” Now, wherever I look, I have strange words floating before my eyes urging me to assign those Bloodpoints to gain incredible skills and abilities. Moreover, if I manage to kill a monster in the future, it would seem that I could use its bones to craft powerful talismans and its organs to brew magical potions.
As I’ll learn, there’s a name for people like me who’ve unlocked the Hunter’s Sight: Venators. But if those new talents give me a chance to survive on the surface, I still am very much a green and weak Venator. I will need to keep hunting monsters if I want to increase my points and provide for my people. Who knows, someday, I might even grow strong enough to reclaim the surface from those foul beasts and the worst of them all: the Titans, the dreaded giants which drove humanity underground in the first place…
My Opinion: 313 pages, $0.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
I was so bored reading this story I kept putting it down. The fights are decently written, but everything else was just so slow that I had a hard time staying awake. It's not bad on a technical writing level, but the dialogue and pacing outside the fights just didn’t work for me.
The game mechanics were fine. Nothing really original. The main character (MC) chooses to be a scout when she discovers bloodpoints, or an energy she can use to upgrade herself from her kills. But the system felt a bit wand wavy since it imparted an expertise of working with weapons and abilities without the MC really having to work for it.
Overall, I was just bored reading this.
Score: 5 out of 10
Monster Hunting 101: A LitRPG Fantasy Adventure (Titan Termination Book 1)
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(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/