LitRPG Podcast 253 - Thanksgiving Deals, Luck’s Voice 2, Berserker, Dungeon of Chance, Live Dungeon!
LitRPG Podcast 253 - Thanksgiving Deals, Luck’s Voice 2, Berserker, Dungeon of Chance, Live Dungeon!
Nov. 26th, 2020
Hello everyone, welcome to episode 253 of the LitRPG podcast. I’m Ramon Mejia.
I’m here to bring you the latest LitRPG news, reviews, and author interviews. We have 7 new reviews just for you.
Special thanks to a new patreon supporter Master Tony Bates. (lol)
For the full show notes visit us at: https://litrpgpodcast.com/litrpg-podcast-253
New Releases and Reviews:
Cashing in (Luck’s Voice - Book 2) (18:06)
Entertaining for those that liked book 1
Score: 7.3 out of 10
Berserker: A LitRPG Urban Fantasy Adventure (Apocosmos Book 1) (23:53)
Good trading, misses on other fronts
Score: 6 out of 10
Dungeon of Chance: Even Odds: A Dungeon Core Novel (36:06)
Randomness adds some flare
Score: 7.8 out of 10
Live Dungeon! (42:40)
Healer’s delight
Score: 7.6 out of 10
https://mangadex.org/title/24659/live-dungeon
Ian’s (Eye-Ann) Picks of the Week (46:40)
(Pic 0)
New Segment from Ian Mitchell a long time LitRPG community member who reads and reviews as much as me. He was nice enough to agree to join the LitRPG Podcast family as a new reviewer.
(Pic 6)
Master of None (All Trades Book 1)
A pair of jacks to open
Score: 8.0 out of 10
Business as Usual (All Trades Book 2)
Jack expands his business
Score: 8.5 out of 10
Corporate Warfare (All Trades Book 3)
Jack has strong enemies. He hits Hard
Score: 8.7 out of 10
(Play Music 2)
LitRPG News
News includes possibly finishing the Lion's Quest series.
Michael Scott Earle has had a complicated history with Amazon and since he left the platform he’s done tremendously well with Kickstarter and Indiegogo to fund his writing, audiobooks, physical books, and artwork. His campaigns have raised tens of thousands of dollars each. But he’s planning to change things in 2021.
Stepping back from using crowdfunding to publish and just directly sell his ebooks and audiobooks to the public. This will let him publish more books since using the crowdfunding method requires previous rewards be handed out before a new campaign could be arranged, limiting the number of books/audiobooks he could produce.
“You guys have been really great fans and support me and buy the books at a higher price point. This indicates I can raise the prices on books and still make enough money to pay the bills. So, I’m raising the prices of my ebooks to $10 and audiobooks to $15.”
Instead of using Audible or even Bandcamp, MSE is going to directly sell his audiobooks through Bookfunnel, so he can keep 95% of the revenue as opposed to 85% on Bandcamp and 40% on Audible. If you’ve already bought the audiobooks, they should show up on that Book Funnel app after he’s submitted a spreadsheet showing you’ve purchased the product previously.
“Books I’m planning on publishing in 2021 (maybe not in this order, but probably in this order, but maybe not):
SJ 12 direct to my website
SJ 13 direct to my website
SJ 14 (should be the last book) direct to my website
Tamer 8 Through Kickstarter
LQ 4 direct to my website
LQ 5 direct to my website
LQ 6 (Should be the last book) direct to my website
SK7 Through Indiegogo
New series through either KS or Indiegogo
Either ME3 or SK8 through either KS or Indiegogo”
LitRPG Black Friday Deals
If there are any audiobook listeners out there, Audible is having a Black Friday sale starting today and lasting through the 30th. There are 27 Sci-Fi & Fantasy audiobooks on sale for $6 and if you buy 4 or more, you'll get a $5 coupon for the future!
Why am I mentioning this? Well, of those 27 Sci-Fi & Fantasy audiobooks, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐲 is one of them! If you are into LitRPG as well, 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐞'𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞 by A.F. Kay is also on sale.
https://www.audible.com/ep/black-friday-sci-fi-fantasy
Jonathan Brooks Following the day of giving thanks, I'm giving away a ton of eBooks on 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 for FREE! Take some time away from the frantic shopping to read some of my first-in-series, including Dungeon World, Bio Dungeon: Symbiote, and The Crafter's Dungeon!
Dungeon Player -- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077MRMJ6S
The Song Maiden -- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CV6MRWX
The Station Core -- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F7XK2J8
Dungeon World -- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PBMF7BS
The Dungeon Fairy -- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084VSHGQR
Bio Dungeon: Symbiote -- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0881Z38JR
The Crafter's Dungeon -- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07T72VCHH
Black Friday Weekend Special!
Codename: Freedom: Survive Week One $0.99!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0725PVK63
The Underworld Collection: A LitRPG Series $0.99
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081X9K968
Joshua Kern The Game of Gods is on sale this week, and then on Cyber Monday the first book in each of my series will go on sale for $0.99.
The Game of Gods - $0.99 till 11/27
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PGWWVT3
The Dungeon Alaria - $0.99 on 11/30
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TVFQ7JW
Both books of my zombie gamelit harem series are 99 cents each in the US. Book 1 is 99p for UK readers. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083QHVJXP
Frank Albelo’s series will be on Sale starting Black Friday and run to Sunday night!! All of these are also available on KU!
Grab you some epic fantasy LitRPG with the Muraglen Saga!
Book 1 ($0.99):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HL8Y9K6
Dive into the dark world of the Calforn's mutant Gamelit system!
Book 1 ($0.99): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QNZQ838
Tim Kaiver ‘s Ciphercraft - Book one, Cipher's Quest is 99 cents through Friday.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08D6VR918
Steven Rowland has a special signed paperback of Path to Villainy for anyone who supports him at the Bronze Tier ($5/month) or above (US) or the Gold Tier (International) during November or December.
https://www.patreon.com/slrowland
A LitRPG Author Passes
From Taj El 11/24/2020
“I have come bearing sad news. Our writing brother Paul Campbell Jr., Author of Peaks of power I & II, has passed away today. He was battling double pneumonia since late last week and after spending two nights in the hospital was sent home to convalesce. During the late afternoon today, he called a friend to complain of having trouble breathing and an ambulance was called. He was pronounced dead after attempts to resuscitate failed. He is survived by his loving daughter Aubrey Campbell age 7.
...Hold the ones you love close and make sure you know you love them.”
Out Now!
The Weaponized: A Sci-Fi LitRPG (Part III)
Pizza Mage: A LitRpg Short Story
I'm The Bad Guy: A Supervillain LitRPG Adventure
The Sigilist: Root Words: A LitRPG Fantasy Adventure
New LitRPG Audiobooks
Trial by Magic: PrimeVerse Series, Book 3
Forest of Desire: Alchemist Series, Book 2
Beastmaster: A Fantasy LitRPG - Gamified, Book 1
Gauntlet - Legends Online, Book 5
Defender - Light Online Series, Book 4
True Smithing - True Smithing, Book 1
First Sorcerer - Singularity Online, Book 1
War of the Posers: Bad Guys Series, Book 4
Ethria 2: The Golem Crafter - An Epic LitRPG Adventure
Upcoming LitRPG:
A Grim Demise and Even Worse Resurrection : Boneknight Series Book 1 (A Dark Fantasy LitRPG)
(Nov. 27th, 2020)
Windwalker: An Epic LitRPG Adventure (Ciphercraft Book 2) (Nov. 27th, 2020)
Sixth Realm Part 2: A LitRPG Fantasy Series (The Ten Realms Book 6) (November 30th, 2020)
Biomedical Self-Engineering : Book 2 (Dec. 1st, 2020)
The Twilight Hatchling: A LitRPG Adventure (Dream Stream Reality Book 2) (Dec. 1st, 2020)
The Broken Battlemage: The Doomsday System book 1, a LitRPG series (Dec. 1st, 2020)
The Mischievous Merchant: A Bard's Tale (A LitRPG Story) (Dec. 1st, 2020)
DLC: A LitRPG Adventure (Beta Tester Book 4) (Dec. 2nd, 2020)
In Service of the Pharaoh (League of Losers Book #2): LitRPG Series (Dec. 3rd, 2020)
Retribution: The Rise Of Resurgence Book IV (Dec. 8th, 2020)
The Tribute (Project Stellar Book 3): LitRPG Series (Dec. 10th, 2020)
The Dungeon Destroyer: A LitRPG Level-Up Adventure (The Dungeon Slayer Series Book 2) (Dec. 13th, 2020)
The Keepers of Limbo (The Range Book #1): LitRPG Series (Dec. 14th, 2020)
Drawing the Line: A LitRPG/GameLit Novel (The Underhill Chronicles Book 2) (Dec. 15th, 2020)
Dinosaur Warlord 3 (Dinosaur Warlord a 4x LITRPG Series)
(Dec. 15th, 2020)
The Dark Champion (Interworld Network Book #3): LitRPG Series (Dec. 16th, 2020)
The Guild Core 2: Core Sworn (A Dungeon Adventure) (Dec. 17th, 2020)
Sidekick: A Superhero LitRPG Adventure (Henchman Book 2) (Dec. 18th, 2020)
High Gloom: A LitRPG/GameLit Adventure (Bad Guys Book 6) (Dec. 22nd, 2020)
Small Unit Tactics (Volume #2): LitRPG Series (Dec. 28th, 2020)
Keys of Four Elements (Primacy Online Book 5) (Dec. 30th, 2020)
Labyrinth of Fright (Underdog Book #5): LitRPG Series (Jan. 4th, 2021)
Reborn: Evolution: A LitRPG Series (Warlock Chronicles Book 2) (Jan. 12th, 2021)
Shadow Seer (Rogue Merchant Book #3): LitRPG Series (Jan. 18th, 2021)
Watcher's Repose: A LitRPG Saga (Life in Exile Book 4) (Jan. 19th, 2021)
Player Reached the Top. LitRPG Series. Book IV (Jan. 20th, 2021)
Rifleman: A LitRPG / LitFPS Adventure (Battlegrounds Online Book 1) (Jan. 26th, 2021)
Spear of Destiny: A LitRPG Dragonrider Adventure (The Archemi Online Chronicles Book 5) (Jan. 30th, 2021)
Ascension: A LitRPG Journey (Legends Online Book 8) (Jan. 31st, 2021)
Onto New Releases and Reviews
(Play Music 3)
New Releases and Reviews
(Picture 1)
Cashing in (Luck’s Voice - Book 2)
Doc Holyday never expected to be in a new world with a new name, but Lady Luck made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Her deal came with perks; he gained the ability to heal and he could periodically avoid taking damage from any single attack. Lady Luck had assured him that the list of perks would grow over time. The offer also came with a major drawback, however— Doc had to help save the world.
While that would be a tall order for anyone, Doc was never one to back down from a challenge. Luckily, pun intended, Doc struck it rich on a mining expedition, staking a claim worth more than the whole town of Deep Gulch.
Using his new wealth, Doc hired the local clan of dwarves to work the claim. He offered them not only a better wage, but respect as well. Similarly, he was able to hire the secretary away from what had been the wealthiest man in town, and freed several of the town’s merchants from the crippling debt they’d been saddled with.
All of this has made him a target for the bigwigs who run the town. Doc isn’t worried, though, because he has friends to help him along. But will they be enough to handle Goodman and Suez? And the Church of Apoc, which is bound to notice him?
(This book contains adult situations, including but not limited to: sex, gambling, abuse, drug use, harem, and murder. It also contains graphic sex scenes, which portray elements of BDSM. You’ve been warned.)
My Opinion: 459 pages, $4.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
Full disclosure: I received an advanced copy for review but purchased a copy when it became available.
*There are graphic sex scenes in the novel, though it’s relatively small part of the story.*
A slice of life entry into the series, this novel advances the romance and relationships between the main character (MC) and some of the ladies. I expected a little more advancement on conflicts between the MC and the antagonistic forces in the town, especially with the church. But what was there was satisfying and it’s always fun to see jerks get a little comeuppance. Beyond that there are a few new powers but a good amount of set up for future conflicts. On the whole a good read for fans of the series.
Score: 7.3 out of 10
Cashing in (Luck’s Voice - Book 2)
Berserker: A LitRPG Urban Fantasy Adventure (Apocosmos Book 1)
Alex is a game developer though he'd much rather stream RPG classics or spend time with Louie. That's his adorable corgi.
He also hates people. Not in a homicidal way but rather in an extremely-antisocial one.
Unless you hurt Louie.
In such an instant, Alex is pulled in the Apocosmos, where our whole world is just a blip in a colorful tapestry of million others.
A multiverse ruled by a strict system.
Where Norse, Greek, and Celtic pantheons clash.
Where dwarves craft, dragons hoard, and vampires don't glitter.
A world that is as cruel as epic.
Alex wants none of that though. He just wants to earn an early retirement somewhere in Spain.
There's money to be made in the Apocosmos.
Alex will take advantage of the market just like he did in his MMORPG days, in what seems like an error-proof plan.
But it's a zero-sum game and some people would do anything to eliminate competition.
My Opinion: 445 pages, $4.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited
Full disclosure: I received an advanced copy for review but purchased a copy when it became available.
*Trading aspect good, but misses in other areas*
From the cover art and the opening prologue I expected an action filled fantasy story with lots of fights and a main character who was a berserker badass. However, that’s not what you get.
Instead, the story is split between a future version of the main character (MC) who is powerful and a berserker gladiator and the current version of the MC in a modern world who spends most of the story day trading craftable items to pay his medical bill. The MC, who is a programmer, doesn't have the background to do this trading though. So, while well described, it still felt out of left field that he was so good at it right away and knew all the pitfalls.
The story occasionally gets interrupted by scenes from the future where the MC is a badass berserker in a gladiatorial ring. It doesn't make sense that these interludes exist since they don't add anything to the story, not even any action until the very very end. Instead they felt disconnected. Like someone spiced in the talking parts of Gladiator into a movie about commodities trading. The two story lines don’t even meet up since the badass berserker version of the MC is years or decades older.
Another issue is that all of the fights, the combat scenes, felt contrived. They're not badly written, but they felt forced to gain the MC an ability or in one instance, get his corgi dog the ability to speak. Especially the last few fights that felt a little bit like padding since they didn't add much to the story besides getting the MC his berserker ability, which didn't make sense either.
I would have rather the story focused on the most interesting element. The trading aspect. It's not something that is seen often and felt the most original. It would have been more fun to see him leverage that for revenge or power in addition to paying bills.
Character wise, there are good fun characters in the story. The MC has a decent personality but inconsistent motivations and background between gymrat fighter, system crafting day trader, and regular job programmer/gamer. There are other good side characters that are fun, with the talking corgi being the best. Dialogue between the corgi, Louie, and the MC is always funny and a highlight. Other characters feel weirdly inserted, like the friend the MC hadn’t talked to in 2 years that turns out to be part of the System parallel world as a rich heir that for no really explained reason spends vast resources on the MC to protect him, outfit him, get him abilities, and eventually risk his life to help the MC.
The game mechanics in the story aren't bad but they're not particularly innovative either. Lots of item, and character descriptions but it's mostly standard RPG stuff applied to a modern world. The notifications are a bit longer and detailed than they needed to be and often took up multiple pages of the story. The saving grace on this front is the intelligent use of the trading/selling system. The MC uses it to predict the best times and days to buy, craft, and sell resources for a profit. It’s a system I haven’t seen much before and I thought it felt interesting.
Overall, the story felt disjointed, the action felt forced, and the Berserker title to the story felt like a false flag since it's barely part of the story. It's saved from a worse score because of the fun talking Corgi, and the neat trading mechanic.
Score: 6 out of 10
Berserker: A LitRPG Urban Fantasy Adventure (Apocosmos Book 1)
Dungeon of Chance: Even Odds: A Dungeon Core Novel
In a world dictated by probabilities, Clay was an anomaly…
Thousands of Heroes protect the land, defending against the periodic incursions by gigantic monsters known as World Threats. This was the way it had always been and Clay Shuntwise was perfectly fine with that. Running deliveries for his family’s shop in the sleepy town of Renton, the young teenager barely even thought about Heroes and their role in keeping the world safe.
That was, at least, until the world came crashing down on him.
Reborn into the brand-new and unfamiliar form of a Dungeon Core, Clay struggles through learning more about Heroes and the dungeons they delve through to get stronger. According to the guide that was trying to help him understand his new life, however, because he was a former Hero, Clay should already know most of what he needed to succeed; all of the finer parts regarding the relationship between Heroes and dungeons, including information about probabilities and drop rates, should be common knowledge.
The problem? Despite wishing that he had been that lucky in his past life, Clay had never been a Hero…but now he might be forced to become one, though not quite in the way he ever expected.
My Opinion: 415 pages, $3.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
The latest dungeon core story from the author is not only entertaining but tries to add some randomness to the sub-genre through a well used Gacha-type. Adding in some well thought out mechanics that let the dungeon murder the adventuring heros without perminetly killing them, it creates an interesting way to incorporate the dungeon into the world lore. Brooks’ game mechanics, as usual, are well thought out and a core part of the world and his storytelling is interesting enough to make me read the entire story in a single sitting and wanting more. Thanks for the good read.
Score: 7.8 out of 10
Dungeon of Chance: Even Odds: A Dungeon Core Novel
Live Dungeon!
An old MMORPG called Live Dungeon. Before the service was terminated, Kyotani Tsutomu made full use of 5 notebook PCs to clear the game and was invited to a different world. And then, Tsutomu was speechless when he saw a live relay of a dungeon capture in the different world. They bulldozed through without any thought of strategy. The misfortune of getting the healer position. Tsutomu reinstated the White Mage that had always been his favorite in games and aimed to conquer the dungeon to find the key to his escape from the different world.
My Opinion: 31+ Chapters, FREE, No English Publisher
There are a couple of rules that force a different kind of conflict. 1) A world rule, god’s rule, that no player ever maliciously attacks another player. This means low-lifes can troll or insult the MC to their heart’s content and he can’t respond with the force he wants to. However, the wording of the rule leaves interesting loopholes the MC eventually uses. 2) Healers are treated and utilized poorly. Since they do little damage, don’t use much armor, and the common tactics of groups in dungeons means that healers are treated as tools and have a short life expectancy since monsters target them frequently. The MC is determined to show them how to fight properly based on his gaming experience and how to be the best healer.
Of the LitRPG webcomics I’ve read, this focuses very heavily on proper group tactics and the role of a healer. It's a little tedious in places if you already know the information, but it’s an overall good story that sticks to its premise.
Score: 7.6 out of 10
https://mangadex.org/title/24659/live-dungeon
Ian’s (Eye-Ann) Picks of the Week
(Pic 0)
New Segment from Ian Mitchell a long time LitRPG community member who reads and reviews as much as me. He was nice enough to agree to join the LitRPG Podcast family as a new reviewer.
(Pic 6)
A pair of jacks to open
I loved reading this. Yeah, I was a little troubled because everything seemed easy too for Jack and often it was almost a sketch of events. At the same time, this worked very well as it kept the story moving at a very fast pace. So leaving out details yielded fast movement. The LitRPG elements often were unobtrusive and almost seamless. I was confused regarding stat gains for jobs being associated to the job. It made sense later on and there was a stats for each job at the end. Great reading. Keeping the detail low did get in the way of emotional depth. But the action was great. Hmm. So I had fun reading, but prefer more variation in pacing and depth of character.
Master of None (All Trades Book 1)
Score: 8.0 out of 10
Jack expands his business
Okay. Well I binged book 2. I'm liking these a lot. Reminds me a bit of the Irrelevant Jack series. This time we learn a bit about the world. Also reminds me some of Michael Chatfield's Emerilia as Jack is getting into all sorts of business ventures. Battles are interesting. A bit more character development and emotional intensity. Well done. I really shouldn't start books late at night.
Business as Usual (All Trades Book 2)
Score: 8.5 out of 10
Jack has strong enemies. He hits Hard
Every book feels like a level up. Jack's involved with Dez now. He's got a solid group.The fights are good with action and danger. The series feels like Emerilia. I like the interesting quick change class/ job mechanic. This story is tight with better pacing and variation in intensity and feel. I like real world part of the story. Not too heavy, enough to know that the real world matters. Great reading.
Corporate Warfare (All Trades Book 3)
Score: 8.7 out of 10
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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/