LitRPG Podcast 276 - The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound, Gates of Thunder, Forest of Skills, Town Under, Regressor Instruction Manual
LitRPG Podcast 276 - The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound, Gates of Thunder, Forest of Skills, Town Under, Regressor Instruction Manual
Nov. 25th, 2021
Hello everyone, welcome to episode 276 of the LitRPG podcast. I’m Ramon Mejia.
I’m here to bring you the latest LitRPG news, reviews, and author interviews. We have 5 new reviews just for you.
New Releases and Reviews:
The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound: A LitRPG Adventure (18:18)
Serial RPG Apocalypse with town building and monster waves
Score: 7.8 out of 10
Gates of Thunder (Loner Book #1): LitRPG Series (22:01)
Uncomplicated slice of life adventure
Score: 7.7 out of 10
Forest of Skills (25:34)
Crunchy skill raising focused
Score: 7.6 out of 10
Town Under: A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG (The System Apocalypse: Australia Book 1) (29:20)
My new favorite story from the author
Score: 7.7 out of 10
Regressor Instruction Manual (Webcomic) (37:04)
Villain MC schemes his way to survival
Score: 7.7 out of 10
https://www.asurascans.com/comics/regressor-instruction-manual/
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LitRPG News
Audible's Black Friday Sale includes some of the best LitRPG and GameLit titles.
*Note you need to be an Audible subscriber to see the deals and it may be restricted to the US.
Poster made by the wonderful Ryan DeBruyn
https://www.audible.com/ep/black-friday-week-sale-2021
Other Black Friday Deals
The Great Centurian series - $0.99 each
Illusion: The Blacklight Chronicles: Book One - $0.99 (starts 11/26)
Nemesis (Sparta Online Book 1) $1.00 (starts 11/26)
Glitchworld Ground Zero FREE
A.R.S.E Augmented Reality System Explosion FREE (starts 11/26)
Aethermarked $0.99 (starts 11/26)
Luke Chmilenko’s Ascend Online comic book project on Kickstarter still has 11 days for you to support it. It was fully funded in 7 hours so you should check it out.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aetherworld/ascend-online-the-comic-series-chapter-1
Plagiarism List
This one is stolen from The Rogue Dungeon series with a slapped on stolen cover.
Stolen from the Stonehaven League series by Carrie Summer
Out Now!
Dungeon Core Online: Remastered Edition - Book Two
Alpha Resplendent (Alpha LitRPG Book 4)
The Guardian of the Verge (The Range Book #3): LitRPG Series
The Houndsman: A Base-Building LitRPG Adventure
Cyber Squad - Level 2: A LitRPG/Gamelit Adventure
The Warring Core (The Dungeon of Stories Book 3)
Valhalla Online 5: Burn It Down: A LitRPG Adventure
Isle of Destiny (A Buccaneer's Due Book #1 LitRPG Series)
Alpha Physics! Book 3 - Disquiet: A Post Apocalypse Progression Fantasy
Mercenary Manager: A Dark Isekai LitRPG Teambuilder (The Fantasy World of Dorbin Book 2)
Two Boys: A LitRPG Wuxia Series (The King's Soul Book 2)
Hero Killer: A LitRPG Adventure (Neverstone Book 2)
Lich Hollow: An Apocalyptic LitRPG Adventure (Fae Nexus Book 2)
The Last Light: Book 5 (The Wandering Inn)
Path of The Dragon Mage: Exiled: A LitRPG Fantasy
Star Divers: Myra's Song (A Sci-Fi LitRPG/GameLit Adventure)
Godsword: A Deckbuilding LitRPG (Goblin Summoner Book 3)
Left Out By The System: Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG Adventure (Lonely Apocalypse Book 1)
Arrival: A LitRPG Series (Cycle of Ruin Book 1)
Tech Duinn and the Birth of a Void God: An Ether Collapse Series (Ether Flows Book 1)
They Called Me Maddest: A LitRPG Apocalypse Series (MAD Book 3)
My RNGesus is Omnipotent!: A Gamelit/LitRPG Novel
Apocalypse Game: A LitRPG Adventure (The Chessboard War Book 1)
Rise of the Last Star: Nebula - A LitRPG Adventure
Mana Harvest: A Light Novel Farming LitRPG (Magicrops Book 1)
New LitRPG Audiobooks
The Last Light - The Wandering Inn Book 5
CivCEO 5 - Accidental Champion Book 5
The Demonic Games - Disgardium Book 7
Reincarnation Trials: A LitRPG Apocalypse
Viridian Gate Online - Resurrection: A LitRPG Adventure (The Heartfire Healer Series, Book 1)
The Houndsman - A Base-Building LitRPG Adventure (The Houndsman, Book 1)
Brace for the Wolves - Challenger's Call Book 2
Apocalypse: Fairy System - Systems of the Apocalypse Book 2
Downfall and Rise - Challenger's Call Book 1
Beta Test - The NanoWielder Saga Book 1
Path to the Unknown - Dragon Heart Book 11
The Mountain Valley War: 2nd Dive Concludes
Dungeon Core Online - Remastered Edition, Book Two
Game Break - Hayden's Book 1 (Updated 17 March 2018)
The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound - A LitRPG Adventure
Spear of Destiny: A LitRPG Dragonrider Adventure
The Archemi Online Chronicles, Book 5
A System Reborn - A LitRPG Adventure (Rise of the Glass Cannon Mage, Book 1)
The Rebel - Project Stellar Series, Book 4
Dungeon World Series Complete Box Set: Books 1 Through 5
Eden's Gate: The Scourge - A LitRPG Adventure
Upcoming LitRPG:
Castle Manager: An Isekai LitRPG Progression (The Fantasy World of Dorbin Book 3) (Nov. 28th, 2021)
Defiance of the Fall 3: A LitRPG Adventure (Nov. 30th, 2021)
Hunters Dream Online: The Pierced Veil (Dec. 1st, 2022)
Into Twilight: An Apocalyptic LitRPG (Viceroy's Pride Book 1) (Dec. 1st, 2021)
Future: A Superhero LitRPG Adventure (VR Hero Book 5) (Dec. 1st, 2021)
An Outcast in Another World: A Fantasy LitRPG Adventure (Book 2 - Shared Insanity) (Dec. 2nd, 2021)
The Rise of Chess (Fair Quest Book 2) (Dec. 3rd, 2022)
Awaken Online: Happy (Dec. 7th, 2021)
Cleaver's Edge: A LitRPG Fantasy Cooking Adventure (Morcster Chef Book 1) (Dec. 7th, 2021)
Aster Fall: A LitRPG Progression Epic (Guardian of Aster Fall Book 2) (Dec. 10th, 2021)
Stagger Home (The Aussie Mana Apocalypse Book 4) (Dec. 13th, 2021)
Uncontrollable: A LitRPG Adventure (Dec. 14th, 2021)
Frostworld 3: Embers & Glory: A LitRPG/GameLit Viking Adventure (Dec. 14th, 2021)
Clan Dominance: The Sleepless Ones (Book #9): LitRPG Series (Dec. 15th, 2021)
Don’t Slip Up (Fantasia Book #2): LitRPG Series (Dec. 16th, 2021)
Evolution: A LitRPG Adventure (Epiphany Realms Book 2) (Dec. 21st, 2021)
The Frost Ridge. First Circle [RealRPG Wuxia Series The Way] Book #4 (Dec. 22nd, 2021)
The Guild's Demands: A Young Adult LitRPG Fantasy (Adventures on Brad Book 7) (Dec. 26th, 2021)
Level Zero (Alpha Rome Book 3): LitRPG Series (Dec. 28th, 2021)
He Who Fights with Monsters 4: A LitRPG Adventure (Dec. 28th, 2021)
GoodGame (Unfrozen Book #3): LitRPG Series (Jan. 3rd, 2022)
In Pursuit of a Manuscript (A Buccaneer's Due Book #2): LitRPG Series (Jan. 4th, 2022)
Prime War: A GameLit/LitRPG Adventure (Magnus Book 3) (Jan. 4th, 2022)
Viridian Gate Online: Empirical Endgame (The Viridian Gate Archives Book 8) (Jan. 4th, 2022)
Shaman's Call- Spirit Song: A Litrpg Adventure (Jan. 10, 2022)
A Capital's Perils: A New Adult LitRPG Fantasy (Adventures on Brad Book 8) (Jan. 17th, 2022)
Mardis Dane: A LitRPG/GameLit Series (World of Magic Book 3) (Jan. 18th, 2022)
Onto New Releases and Reviews
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New Releases and Reviews
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The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound: A LitRPG Adventure
Randidly Ghosthound felt lost and alone even before the System transformed the Earth. Before every person had to deal with the sudden presence of Levels, Skills, monsters, and the very real possibility of death...
Due to unusual circumstances, Randidly starts in an isolated Dungeon far beyond his Level, forced to rely on the mysterious Traveler Shal in order to learn and survive with the dangerous new status quo for his world.
But survive he does, only to leave the Dungeon and discover that while he experienced several hellish months in the Dungeon, only half a day passed on Earth. Randidly's capabilities are now more than enough to help build a small enclave of survivors, but that doesn't mean balancing his sense of responsibility against the plots of an unfriendly town will be easy.
And although he doesn’t know it, he needs to prepare. Because the System has sent down a Tribulation, which waits in the shadows and monitors his every move...
Don't miss the start of this hit LitRPG Fantasy series with over 50 Million views on Royal Road. For the first time, The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound is now available with loads of new content on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible narrated by Macleod Andrews.
My Opinion: 574 pages, $4.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
This is a very good RPG Apocalypse story that originated online as a web serial. So the story is inherently kinda slice of life with regular arcs that push the main character (MC) to grow his power by facing off against the monsters brought by the apocalypse and help the towns that develop fight back against waves and waves of monsters. There’s lots of character and power growth, skills that grow, and for others levels and classes that give a variety of abilities. It’s a really good read that is as popular as a collected novel as it was online where new chapters continue to be published.
Score: 7.8 out of 10
The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound: A LitRPG Adventure
Gates of Thunder (Loner Book #1): LitRPG Series
Arktania is a virtual game with a steampunk style. It's a place where magic spells, enchanted artifacts, steam-powered machines, firearms and mechanical golems are a part of everyday life.
Gamer Andrew Falk begins his journey in a small village on the border of Orcish territory. The locals are the keepers of many secrets, but their behavior is too realistic for characters in a game; so realistic, in fact, that Andrew starts to treat them as if they were real people. Maybe because of the way he plays, or maybe just thanks to good luck, he becomes one of a mysterious class of people known as "sliders,” allowing him to control electricity and earn the favor of Elenia, the goddess of fate.
But as he advances through levels, the pain threshold in his character settings gradually begins to drop, making the game increasingly more dangerous. Andrew is facing a hard choice: either to keep on playing, risking eventual death by pain shock, or to abandon his gamer pod altogether. Still, his digital adventures just won’t let him go, immersing him ever deeper into VR…
My Opinion: 465 pages, $3.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
*Full disclosure: I received an advanced copy for review. I purchased a copy when it became available.
This is a Russian Translated novel and tonally it reminds me of the 1st book in Way of the Shaman. It's an uncomplex slice of life adventure with a guy who just got his top of the line VR rig and plays the best VR game around. You follow his adventures as he goes to his starter town, gets hints about his characters randomly generated background, fights monsters, does quests, and defends the town from a player invasion from a rival MMO faction. There are hints about some creepy real world implications for his ‘broken’ trait and the end definitely does that Russian LitRPG twists that keeps you guessing about plot changes. But mostly it’s just a fun adventure in this MMO world with the main character. It was an easy read that I was able to knock out in a couple of enjoyable sittings.
Score: 7.7 out of 10
Gates of Thunder (Loner Book #1): LitRPG Series
Forest of Skills
Skills are everything. When he accepted the hit, Russ would not have believed whose interests he was actually serving. Now, with the job done, an otherworldly being is giving him with one hand what was just taken from him with the other. His life. Skills are everything and what doesn't kill you makes your skills stronger. Placed into the world of skills, Russ found himself faced with a new life governed by a system he did not completely understand. It is, however, a completely new start. Will Russ continue doing what he does best? Or will he be able to achieve the things that he had always wanted but considered to be a lost cause in his old life? Why not some of both? This is a litrpg story where the main character acquires skills and levels them up by using them. He gets ability choices as he levels up and as a reader you will be going through the choices with him, in most cases.
My Opinion: 279 pages, $2.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
A transported to a RPG fantasy world with an interesting start. The main character (MC) is an assassin that kills the chosen one of another god and gets sent to an RPG fantasy world as a consequence. The MC reincarnates as a weak sickly half elf that has to use his new RPG abilities and to survive and live in this world. The beginning is mostly about the MC power leveling a few abilities and picking powers, then exploring this world and doing anything he needs to survive, including hurting people for information and robbing bandits for coins. Mid and late story picks up the action as the Mc gets a new companion and becomes involved in bigger issues in the world.
Game mechanics are mostly about raising skills to get abilities and feats as the skills increase. There are stats, but they’re slow to grow and increases come in fractions (0.01) with a normal score of 1 as a standard.
One of the only weird spots was the oddly forced relationship that happens about 50% in. It shifted from casual acquaintance to adventuring partner to marriage within a couple of chapters. It wasn't a bad shift as the MC had someone to talk to regularly and their relationship was cute enough, but it did shift quickly.
Overall, it's a slice of life story that mostly focuses on the things the MC does to increase his skills in the forest area he finds himself in. Entertaining if you enjoy a more crunchy adventure story, some build theory, and good action.
Score: 7.6 out of 10
Town Under: A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG (The System Apocalypse: Australia Book 1)
What's worse than Australian wildlife? Mutated Australian wildlife.
The System Apocalypse has come to Australia, altering native organisms and importing even more menacing creatures to the most dangerous continent on Earth. For Kira Kent, plant biologist, the System arrives while she's pulling an all nighter at work with her pair of kids in tow.
Now, instead of mundane parental concerns like childcare and paying the bills, she's got to figure out how to survive a world where already deadly flora and fauna have grown even more perilous - all while dealing with the minutiae of the System’s pesky blue screens and Levels and somehow putting together a community of survivors to forge a safe zone to shelter her son and daughter.
It almost makes her miss the PTA fundraising sales. Almost.
Town Under is the first book in a new series, The System Apocalypse: Australia. It's set in the same universe as Tao Wong's The System Apocalypse and starts in the same time period as Life in the North but focuses on the changes in the deadliest of continents, Australia. Fans of the original series, LitRPG, fantasy, science-fiction and post-apocalyptic novels will want to take a look
My Opinion: 487 pages, $4.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited
This is an entertaining story from a couple of my favorite authors. Tao Wong’s flexible System Apocalypse story world lends itself well to an expanded universe. K.T. Hanna does a good job of taking the few hard rules and making the setting her own by putting the story in Australia and having a relatable female main character (MC) who is a mom who has to not only survive the RPG apocalypse, but also make sure her kids do too. The story itself is pretty slice of life with regular action, some town building, and good class progression.
A few minor gripes which I don’t think are deal breakers for any of the readers that will enjoy this. The first half of the story could have been a bit tighter. The pacing started to drag a bit as the MC kept trying to find other survivors. But once the antagonists shift from just mutated animals to other more complex forces and people, things pick up again. Though I’ll note that the big quest conflict isn’t actually resolved by the end of the story and instead is left as a cliffhanger, which some readers will find frustrating.
Other than those minor things, the story was rather good and I think it’s my favorite story from K.T. Hanna. The RPG stuff is in line with what appears in the main System Apocalypse series and the MC and the other survivors all have their own well developed RPG classes with lots of numbers and notifications.
Overall good stuff.
Score: 7.7 out of 10
Town Under: A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG (The System Apocalypse: Australia Book 1)
Regressor Instruction Manual (Webcomic)
One day, I was summoned to this world.
Beasts poured out, and an incredible crisis came.
My talents couldn’t have been worse.
[The player’s talent level is at rock bottom.] [Almost all the numbers are hopeless.]
Whether you have to become a warrior or a wizard.
Whether you’ve gone back in time.
You have to take advantage of everything in order to survive.
“What about it?”
“I’ll use everything I have to survive!”
My Opinion: 23 chapters, FREE, No Official English Translator
This is a good webcomic that is based on a popular web novel about a villain main character that is transported to a RPG dungeon along with others. The twist for this is that the MC is a villain who has no compulsion about betraying, manipulating, or scheming to make sure that he’ll survive the monsters that they are forced to fight. Additionally, he has special skill that lets him see other people’s character sheets and he figures out one of the people with him is a regressor, or someone that is reliving his life with future knowledge. So the MC is determined to ride the gravy train with this guy and manipulate others to create a powerful team that will help him survive.
Overall, it’s a good read with clean artwork that conveys the emotion of the MC and the action in the story. It was also nice to just get a story with someone that doesn’t mind getting dirty or scheming his way to survival and power.
Score: 7.7 out of 10
https://www.asurascans.com/comics/regressor-instruction-manual/
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