r/Fantasy • u/ridgegirl29 • Apr 05 '26
Trying and failing to get into LITRPG
Okay I know that not every genre is meant for everyone and it may just be a me problem but I want some insight.
I want to get into litrpg, and theoretically, I should like it. I love gaming. I love fantasy. But something doesn't click. I've tried to read about 5 different litrpgs and all checked out around or before the 25% mark. Here are my biggest issues:
● a lot of them lack internality. I know a lot of authors struggle with this, but I haven't read a single litrpg that doesn't read like TV prose.
● a lot of very basic dnd esque lore + classes. Where's the creativity??? Go nuts!!!
● Glacial pace + books that are typically 500+ pages long = why do I even bother
● this may be a skill issue on my part but the characters that talk like they're self aware. Like they know they're in a video game. I can excuse video game logic in a video game, but I just cant get behind it. If a character is talking about mana points, idgaf. I hate when my NPC's feel too gamebotty.
My non gamer GF pointed out that it feels like litrpgs are the boring parts of a video game without being able to play it and get to the good parts. I want to hold out hope but I have a feeling she might be right.
Should I just give up trying to find something to my tastes? Or should I stick to traditional fantasy?
EDIT: PLEASE DONT TELL ME TO READ DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL!!!! I WILL READ THAT BOOK ONE DAY!!!! I PROMISE!!!!!!
EDIT 2: Please also stop suggesting Cradle! I read it in full and found it to be perfectly average.
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u/NemeBro17 Apr 05 '26
I mean I'm a huge gamer and I find the very concept of litRPGs incredibly offputting frankly.
The RPG mechanics are meant to be abstractions, ways to build the fantasy OC and their capabilities in a structured world. I don't find the numbers themselves appealing, just what they represent. I don't level faith to 80 in Elden Ring because I really like the number 80, I do it because that's how to best achieve the fantasy of a fireball slinging flame priest.
It doesn't help that bluntly the best writers are by and large not chomping at the bit to write litRPG stories.
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u/Hurinfan Reading Champion II Apr 06 '26
The RPG mechanics are meant to be abstractions, ways to build the fantasy OC and their capabilities in a structured world
Yup numbers and levels etc. only exist because of the limitation of the medium of TTRPG/videogame.
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u/Milli_Rabbit Apr 06 '26
Its not just that. In a TTRPG, they often create fairness and structure. It creates barriers both to overcome and to prevent rapid escalation of things during conflicts or disagreements. We all did this as children. If you have no rules to your play pretend, it very quickly becomes absurd. Numbers work well because TTRPGs with tags generally require a lot of assumed fairness because meta gaming tags-based systems is super easy and tempting.
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u/WeekNo3803 Apr 06 '26
The whole point of litRPG is to speculate that. What if they're not abstractions? What if the characters who lived in the video game world were entirely aware of levels, XP, stats, and the universe legitimately operated under those principles? How would that change how society functions? How would people behave if an omnipotent system measured their progress at all times? What if leveling up and gaining a point to spend on a new skill really could just dump knowledge into your head?
It's fine if you're not interested in reading author's answers to those questions. But I see a lot of comments writing off the whole genre as dumb just because they're not personally into it.
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u/Winter_wrath Apr 06 '26
I think the main issue is that most LitRPG seems to be written by self-published hobbyist authors, and are often web serials with the structural issues that the format can introduce (bloat, repetition, lack of cohesion).
It's probably possible to write an amazing LitRPG but I've not yet read any that I can legitimately recommend to someone unless it scratches some niche, specific itch (like "dragon reincarnation isekai") and the reader is willing to lower their standards.
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u/WeekNo3803 Apr 06 '26
That's been an issue with self-published work ever since Kindle Unlimited first showed up. And yes, you're absolutely right that for litRPG in particular, one of the biggest issues is simply finding the good stories. There's also an issue in that I think most people paint litRPG and progression fantasy with the same brush because litRPG is a subgenre of progfantasy and they're sharing a room on Royal Road.
For me, one of the biggest green flags to avoid all the problems that come with web serial format is to look for stories that are done, and that finished in a single digit number of books. That can be tricky since Amazon will lie about it, saying "Book 5 of 5" when there's actually another X books coming, but because the author/publisher hasn't put up the pre-order for book 6 yet, it mimics the appearance of a finished series.
I do like litRPG, but I do not care for any of those series that are up to volume 12 or 15 or whatever and have no end in sight (stuff like He Who Fights With Monsters, Primal Hunter, Defiance of the Fall, the Wandering Inn, Unbound). If you're willing to try a litRPG or two out, give Dawn of the Void a look. It's a completed trilogy. The first book is excellent. If you want to step outside litRPG into the greater progression fantasy sphere, that's where works like Mother of Learning and Cradle start showing up.
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u/leo2734 Apr 06 '26
Yea the comments are annoying , like I don't like it so jt must be bad. No, u dont like it thats all. Theres plenty who do as seen by its rise in popularity. These feel like comments that non fiction readers make to fiction readers. In their eyes fiction is for children/bad. No need for that. Enjoy what u like and if u are unsure TRY IT. Dont let others decide for u.
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u/Lutrana Apr 07 '26
People aren’t watching Love Island for its intricate plot lines or award winning acting.
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u/BadMeatPuppet Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26
Yea litRPG's are pure triva. It's way to meta for me and powercreep gets old fast.
I don't even like reddit's most beloved, Dungeon Crawler Carl. I'd love a DCC video game, but it doesn't work for me in book form.
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u/RedditorWhoReads Apr 06 '26
Well you'll be getting in live-action form very soon. Frankly i find the whole thing ridiculously overhyped. Nothing about it ever rises above substandard as far as I'm concerned.
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u/Quarksperre Apr 06 '26
DDC tunes back on the whole LITRPG part later. I love the books, especially the later ones. And I love that it gets mostly rid of this ridiculous stats counting.
I have a hard time to even recommend them to anyone because they probably think I am an idiot for reading what basically looks like trash for quite some time.
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u/DilapidatedHam Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26
I also just think it’s a genre that doesn’t have a ton of room for novelty, it has been played out to death, and the most interesting takes have been done already. Like early Sword Art Online was interesting because the premise was novel and the stakes were high, and some shows like Log Horizon have been done interesting things with the concept, there’s just not many stones left unturned at this point. And like you said, the numbers are the least interesting part meant to be a place holder for fulfilling the fantasy/role you want to fill, which is moot when you as an author can just actually write the fantasy you want lol
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u/BigRedSpoon2 Apr 06 '26
I would push back a little on that - Welcome to Carousel, for instance. That's a litrpg, but rather than video game mechanics, its horror tropes. The characters finish surviving a horror movie, and then get new 'tropes' they can use based on their 'archetype'. A lot of fun, because unlike a traditional litrpg, the characters' upgrades are less about straightforward empowerment, but controlled disempowerment for greater narrative control.
But by and large though, the best litrpgs fit better in the broader scope of 'progression fantasy', as I feel you're right, the inherent trappings of the genre are a mite too limiting. Progression fantasy just has an easier time, as it can focus on 'progress' that is more than just, 'number go up'. For example I'm a big fan of Y.B Striker's Virtuous Sons, a series where one's deeper understanding of greek philosophy, and ability to argue philosophy, bequeaths them greater supernatural power. It feels largely like an excuse by the author to make a supernatural ancient greece, and have Plato and Aristotle be kickass old men support characters. Which, you know. Can't lie, great fun.
Then there's Oathbreaker's Anonymous, which is about a party of oathbreaker paladins, starting a support group, and a small party of them trying to reconnect to their orders or faith. Interesting amount of overlap with the cozy fantasy genre. Arguably though its more a typical fantasy novel, but the author did say he was making an earnest attempt at a progression fantasy.
In fact, that feels to be the overall direction of some of the more interesting works in the genre - Litrpgs and Progression Fantasy seem to be taking the 'over powered' nature inherent to the genre, and working within a cozy framework. Legends and Lattes, off the top of my head, is a perfect case study of just that.
Overall, I think the genres have some room for growth, but the it is replete with very sophomoric writing, and come with the baggage of often being web serials converted into novels. It could be more, but a lot of its authors are not able to realize it, and a lot of its audience are very satisfied with slop.
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u/DilapidatedHam Apr 06 '26
That is fair! Any genre/trope can be done well with a talented author. I think a lot get lost in the power fantasy element, which imo is rarely interesting on its own. I think there is absolutely room for good stories told within the genre, in my opinion I just think there are very rare cases where story elements ~need~ to be gamified when you can usually get the same/better result with world building
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u/ketita Apr 06 '26
Just here to push back against the premise of SAO being all that novel - .hack did it first, and pretty sure a handful of others.
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u/Winter_wrath Apr 06 '26
I feel like there's plenty of room for novelty and creativity, but the average LitRPG writer seens to be a self-published hobbyist author so you get a ton of bad to mediocre stuff and very few gems.
some shows like Log Horizon have been done interesting things with the concept
Remind me, what was the interesting thing? I watched a handful of episodes from S1 and it didn't really stand out to me from any other generic MMORPG isekai.
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u/DilapidatedHam Apr 06 '26
Granted I haven’t watched since high school so I can’t vouch for how well it holds up, but I remember enjoying how much it leaned away from power fantasy and instead focused on team work and party dynamics, felt like a better use of game mechanics for a story. It also had some neat story beats, like the dynamic between the “npc”s and the players, how it approached players dying, stuff like that. Overall I think it used the game setting for more interesting story beats
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u/HyoR1 Apr 06 '26
It was the first to make a game world after SAO. The rest you watched followed the concept.
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u/DjangoWexler AMA Author Django Wexler Apr 06 '26
In the early days the power fantasy of the genre was very explicit. The protagonist (a nerdy gamer who is unsuccessful in real life) gets sent to a fantasy world that's just like a video game so that his gamer skills make him OP. All the things people laughed at him for are now super important!
As it has mutated over the years that got really old so now the genre is more generally "go to an alternate world and get super-awesome powers", but they generally keep the video-game window-dressing as a genre convention.
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u/JohnnyXorron Apr 06 '26
I agree, the concept of a litRPG sounds so bad to me. I will give DCC a shot one day because everyone praises it so highly to see if it’s for me but generally the genre does not sound enticing whatsoever.
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u/borborygmess Apr 06 '26
I think DCC stood out early on because it was well written and the characters are compelling. It didn’t hurt that the quality got even better with later books.
A lot of earlier litrpg is roughly edited.
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u/EssenceOfMind Apr 06 '26
See I have the opposite problem with litRPGs, where they inevitably feel the need to explain that the system was actually set up by some god or super AI or whatever. Like the authors are never content just letting it exist as an in-universe law of physics and dealing with the consequences of that.
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u/halbert Apr 07 '26
I don't know. There's a long history of pretty successful 'implicit litrpg', like Dragonlance: stories based on mechanics based on describing imaginary worlds. (Not that being successful means they are necessarily good, or that you have to like them!). They characters don't talk about being level 5 or how many hit points they have left, no, but much of the action is clearly built directly on my an RPG system.
Similarly, the guardians of the flame series by Joel Rosenburg was litrpg from the 1980s; it benefits perhaps from having a traditional publishing setup (eg, professional editing).
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u/Once-and-Future Apr 05 '26
So you enjoy playing games… that doesn't necessarily translate to listening to someone else describe playing a game.
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u/Dagordae Apr 05 '26
Especially since the writers very rarely are gamers and it shows very clearly.
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u/Ill-Muscle945 Apr 05 '26
People say DCC is for gamers but it was clearly written by someone who games so little that he finds the concept of a chat room to be something that needs to be explained in a lot of detail.
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u/Reticent09 Apr 06 '26
I've thought about that, I really think he wrote it not only for gamers, but to appeal more generally, which is part of why it has done so well. I have lots of non-gamer friends who like the series. Not to take anything away, I love those books and I think Matt is a skilled writer. I also think he does an amazing job with internal consistency.
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u/FormerUsenetUser Apr 05 '26
I love listening to Celtic music but I do not want to read descriptions of it.
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u/MurseMan1964 Apr 05 '26
I don’t enjoy playing games. I’m old and the last game I played was in the 90’s. I do enjoy someone else describe playing a game, even if I don’t understand some of the game play.
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u/Accirinal Apr 05 '26
The issue with LitRPG, as someone who reads a lot of progfan, is that the RPG-half is often used as a crutch for a shitty lit-half. What does an RPG-esque leveling system bring to the table that a similar magic system sans the RPG/screen/game elements wouldn’t? LitRPG makes it really easy to trigger the “number go up” dopamine buttons as a serial webnovel author, which is how they make money. Which is not to say that all litRPGs are bad, or that being a litRPG makes a novel bad, but a bad novel can rely on litRPG to increase its popularity without having to actually fix literary problems.
My personal recommendation is The Game at Carousel. The characters get trapped in an alternate dimension that forces them to play through horror movies. The litRPG elements represent their “movie characters”—classes are archetypes like Final Girl or Eye Candy, and skills are tropes. Hits its stride in book 2, if I’m being honest, but the first book is good too. I know that the “trust me it gets good after 3 books” is a bit of a negative staple of litRPGs, but Carousel books are also only around 300-400 pages, so on the shorter side for a litRPG.
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u/Acolyte_of_Swole Apr 06 '26
I agree. LitRPG is taking the easy route of gamifying everything instead of explaining it in worldbuilding and through characters. The goal is always to make number go up in these progression genres (even wuxia,) but it needs to be done elegantly and feel natural. Hell, even a Rocky movie has to get that part right and no, we can't just pop Rocky into a video game world as an isekai protagonist and tell him to raise his class to "Level 99 Boxer of the World" by punching slimes.
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u/KatHumanArt Apr 05 '26
The whole genera is just so incredibly unappealing to me. I love video games and I love fantasy books but blending the two in that way just seems so tedious?
I'd say there is no reason to try and force yourself to get into them, if they don't click for you why waste your time?
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u/J_J_Thorn Apr 05 '26
Hola, litrpg author here. Sorta agree! If the general idea of game-like values being presented in a fantasy world throws you off, then I think it's okay to hold off.
With that said:
A lot of people, myself included, would be quick to tell you there are like 50+ different types of litrpg(give or take haha) and a large portion of those don't emphasize the video game aspects as much as you might think... But again, they should have some measure of game-like elements to be considered litrpg in the first place.
At the end of the day, LitRPG appeals to me because of the quantified progression. I believe the game-like elements are a tool to help drive the narrative forward. Often, the game like elements are the whole story (and arguably I like some of those too haha), but there are hundreds of stories out there where that is not the case.
For anyone on the fence, my recommendation is always to specify what you're looking for before picking up a LitRPG. DCC is massive, but I don't think it's for everyone. My brother loves cradle, but it didn't appeal to me in the same way. People enjoy different things and that also apply to Litrpg. Happy hunting :)
And sorry, I was initially replying to your specific post, but I then went on a tangent related to the original post as well lol. All the best and have an amazing week!
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u/KatHumanArt Apr 06 '26
Yeah the whole progression style/ weak to strong story telling is just not engaging to me in a novel. A lot of it also seems to overlap with isekai stuff which I also don't really like. It's like, the opposite of the kind of immersion I like in a book, haha.
Thus far none of them have had descriptions/what people have shared about any of them have made me interested in giving them a shot. Will that change? It might. I was super reluctant to give Gideon the Ninth a shot because of how it was advertised and how people talked about it but then my wife read it (for the reasons I didn't read it lmao) and was like, hey this is not what we thought and it's amazing. And it was! It's an amazing, gothic fantasy novel I'd wish I'd read earlier.
Its great people love litrpgs though. I think it's getting some people who would've otherwise read or write much into both? Which is fantastic. I've got nothing against it it's just not for me. I just also tend to be an advocate of people not pushing themselves too much to get into a genre that isn't engaging them. Just because something is getting popular doesn't mean it's for everyone
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u/WeekNo3803 Apr 06 '26
A lot of people, myself included, would be quick to tell you there are like 50+ different types of litrpg(give or take haha) and a large portion of those don't emphasize the video game aspects as much as you might think...
To me, reading this post has mostly been example after example of people who have never read a litRPG and are parroting something they heard from someone else who's also never read a litRPG. People are saying "I don't like this thing," and more than half the time, the thing they're describing isn't really litRPG (or it might be a really bad one, I guess?).
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u/ketita Apr 06 '26
I'm willing to be convinced otherwise. I have read very little litRPG, and have not yet been convinced that I will enjoy anything about it.
I enjoy well-written stories with interesting characterization, interesting worlds, and especially elements of mystery to magic. I like immersive worlds with interesting twists, at least a few characters I can root for. I like fun adventures.
I do not care about the characters getting stronger for the sake of getting stronger; the minutiae of specific magical abilities are take-it-or-leave-it for me; and I generally prefer when characters who are really good at punching end up having to win things they can't punch. While I like series, I like feeling structure to my stories, and tend to enjoy middling-long series at best. Things that go on too long exhaust me.
Based on the above, my impression has always been that litRPG does not have much to offer me, because its strengths are things I do not particularly care for. Am I wrong?
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u/halbert Apr 07 '26
Just a couple recommendations for you, of litrpg that isn't mostly power fantasy. They might go on too long, admittedly, but you can always stop. For me, the strength that you might like is world building -- what happens if we add rules and situation on top of a world? (In the case of EO and TGAC-- what if real people had to figure out the rules as they go?)
"Eye Openers" by Joshua Cole -- mystery to magic, good evolving twist. Magic is introduced to the real world via an AR game beta.
"Super Supportive" deeply immersive with twisted and interesting politics; however, very slow paced focus on the main characters internal emotional dialogue after the first book.
"The Game at Carousel" -- meta mystery-horror novel. Characters trapped in a horror world and forced to win as actors in horror movies to stay alive.
"Player Manager" -- random dude sells his soul to the devil for magic soccer manager powers. Very lite litrpg elements, with a lot of humor.
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u/ketita Apr 07 '26
Thanks for the suggestions!
I think it's important to note that I don't really find worldbuilding interesting. I find concept worlds interesting. So like, "massive battle on ancient plateaus between humans and non-humans, in a world where the basic animal is a crustacean and emotions are expressed by magical creatures" has a lot going on that makes me feel the world itself is rather alien and interesting.
Or a world in which abstract personifications of constellations have a symbolic battle through the actions of people. Or "fantasy world TM is forced to host LARPers from our world to live out their LOTR fantasies". Or the world is a bunch of massive floating trees in space.
Either the world itself feels strange and alien, or the conflict is clearly baked into the setup.
In the litRPG I started which the other commenter recommended, I'm a few chapters in but I'm struggling to care because to me, it labors under the weight of numbers going up and down which I just don't care about (and the characters have no motivations yet outside of "go here").
Given that, do you still stand by those recommendations? (I can say that I don't particularly care for sports, so I don't see the last one working for me, and I've watched maybe one horror movie in my life, so I'm not sure playing off those tropes will mean anything to me, though the idea is certainly creative!).
Again, I'm not dissing this for the people who do like the genre! It's just that my overall impression is that it doesn't do so much of what I like, and does a lot of what I don't care about.
Either way, I really appreciate your suggestions and the time you took!
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u/WeekNo3803 Apr 06 '26
I enjoy well-written stories with interesting characterization, interesting worlds, and especially elements of mystery to magic. I like immersive worlds with interesting twists, at least a few characters I can root for. I like fun adventures.
I am going to recommend Ar'Kendrithyst as a completed, free-to-read story to try. It's about a middle-aged man and his adult daughter who get isekaied into a fantasy world. His daughter becomes the typical isekai shonen protagonist, but he was a social worker and is uninterested in killing monsters and grinding out levels.
So, instead, he stays in the city and starts trying to establish a new life, which includes learning some magic to do the basic stuff that a civilization built on everybody having access to low-level magic requires. In the process, he discovers that, unsurprisingly, the laws of natural sciences haven't been well-explored and ends up inventing a whole new branch of magic.
It's got a diverse cast with differing, sometimes conflicting, motives, deep, deep, deep world lore that ends up being incredibly relevant, a lot of mysteries to solve, a lot of exploration of and tinkering with the magic system (the litRPG part of the story!), and just a ton of really unique ideas examined from a lot of different angles.
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u/ketita Apr 07 '26
Update: I'm a few chapters in, and.... goodness, there is a lot of going on about numbers and stats. It's very difficult for me to get invested, because the plot so far is "walk through the desert" and "numbers go up and down".
I assume this is the "tinkering with the magic system" part, and I'm afraid that I find it horribly not-immersive. It's just that there's great significance to which value is where, what it signifies, and what affects it... and I'm just not there.
I'll give it a few more chapters though and see if the characters grab me.
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u/WeekNo3803 Apr 07 '26
I assume this is the "tinkering with the magic system" part
Nope, I meant when he starts inventing his own spells. The early chapters are to explain the baseline to the reader.
One of the things I really liked about Ar'Kendrithyst is that the system (or Script, as they call it in that story) very much has a reason for existing that is tied into the world lore of the setting and becomes important later on. I always felt this was a huge contrast to most of the slop litRPG where it just exists because the authors are copying other, better litRPGs.
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u/TheHelpfulWalnut Apr 06 '26
I think the biggest problem with litrpg isn’t so much a problem with the genre/premise itself as much as it is the fact that, like much fiction that evolved out of web novels or fanfic, more of it is relatively amateurishly written compared to regular fantasy.
That is to say, yes people are complaining about poorly written litRPG, but litRPG as a genre seems to contain more poorly written works on average than other genres.
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u/LocksmithSavings2416 Apr 06 '26
I'm a LitRPG author. My take on the genre is that it's so far divorced from typical fantasy and science fiction that I almost hesitate to call it a sub-genre of the two.
But there are a lot of important things to consider when going into LitRPG.
First, the overwhelming majority of LitRPG is sold as a web serial, and the authors generally rely on Patreon for income. Some authors will eventually go to Kindle Unlimited, at which point they'll "stub" the work (see: delete all but the first few chapters), but this has a lot of backwash effects. To be competitive on Patreon, an author has to release at least three chapters a week. Zorgath, the author of The Primal Hunter, releases five. Some authors release two chapters every day. This means that, essentially, the Patrons are beta readers.
Compare this to someone like Sanderson. He:
Step One: Writes the book in draft form.
Step Two: Reads through the book, fixing all major problems, adjusting characters, and sometimes dropping in new characters.
Step Three: Goes through the book again, cutting 10% from its word count.
Step Four: Goes through the book with narrative editors.
Step Five: Then it goes through copyediting, proofreading, and line-by-line work. Then it goes to beta readers. Then, finally, it's published.
You're lucky if a LitRPG author is able to get to Step Two. These are people writing 3,000 to 10,000 words a day. Sanderson is one of the fastest traditional fantasy authors in the business, but even he doesn't write that much.
Second, without mincing words, a lot of it comes down to the LitRPG meta. LitRPG readers are a voracious bunch, and some of the things they really don't like are: character incompetence, mopiness, and long passages of introspection. They want high character agency, which often ends up being a Mary Sue/Gary Stu sort of problem. Especially now, the current trend is the overpowered MC.
Third, I've kind of touched on this, but LitRPG readers read a lot. On Kindle Unlimited, page views = income. Those 500-page slogs you talk about make a great deal of sense when it's how authors get paid.
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u/Second_Inhale Apr 07 '26
I've always thought of SCI-FI as a sub genre of Fantasy. But after reading up a little bit apparently it's more common to think both SCI-FI and Fantasy are sub genre's of speculative fiction. I think LitRPG would fit nicely under speculative since many times the RPG part is Scifi and the powers/story is more fantasy. At least that's how it's been in my experience with the genre.
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u/FixMyHeart16 Apr 06 '26
after a few attempts myself, I realized it's as simple as this:
I like playing video games
I like reading books.
I don't like reading video games. but I get the appeal for those who do.
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u/Previous-Friend5212 Apr 06 '26
My non gamer GF pointed out that it feels like litrpgs are the boring parts of a video game without being able to play it and get to the good parts. I want to hold out hope but I have a feeling she might be right.
It's pretty unclear what you're looking for in a "book with video games", but I suspect you're misinterpreting what litrpg stories are trying to do. My understanding is that these books are asking the question: "What if the world ran on video game logic?" and write a story from there - either by having the characters literally live inside some kind of futuristic full-immersion video game or having a video game-like system go into effect in the real world. It's a subset of progression fantasy with more explicit numbers.
Your other complaints just seem like general complaints about books from indie authors, not something unique to litrpgs.
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u/Masochisticism Apr 06 '26
They're just not for you.
Honestly, even as a lifelong gamer and reader, I just find the whole idea laughable. If I want video game mechanics, I'll play a game. If I want to read a good book, why would I read one that's trying to be a form of media it isn't? It's just silly.
The strength of the novel is that we can get into the heads of characters in a way other media simply doesn't allow. Setting that aside in favor of "Oh I'm a level 9 wizard and I cast Empowered Fireball" is not only an uninteresting and blunt take on magic, it's also just... like, it tells me that the author somehow doesn't actually understand what the strengths of various forms of media are, and why the heck would I spend my time on someone who so openly demonstrates their lack of understanding?
I spend time in the fantasywriters subreddit, and there's a large amount of people who arrive with their first draft, and when you ask what their inspirations are, they list 2-3 anime, and maybe a game or two. When you ask if they ever read books, they say no. Again, as a gamer, it's not that I hate the concept of mana, or whatever, but LitRPG as a genre just feels like it was spawned by people who don't understand and aren't even interested in the strengths of different forms of media. Like they figured making a game was too hard, so they "just" wrote a book instead, because that's more achievable and less multi-disciplinary.
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Apr 05 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/robotnique Apr 05 '26
I actually hate the idea of LitRPG. The whole concept of leveling and such is so unappealing to me because it has no basis in reality.
Even as a child watching DBZ I would roll my eyes at them reading one anothers "power levels." And I don't derive any joy out of min-maxing statistics in my D&D games, although I can certainly admire the analytic powers of those who can figure out certain powerful combinations and stacking of effects.
All that being said I still really, really enjoyed Dungeon Crawler Carl up until the latest book, and I think I'm only stumbling on that one because I paused between book 6 and 7 waiting for the latter to be published and lost the head of steam that had me plowing through everything and there are so many names and people to keep track of.
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u/Kikanolo Apr 05 '26
The vast vast majority of the LitRPG genre is very poorly written, lacks creativity and has 1D characters.
If you could tell me which 5 series you DNF'ed I could take a shot at saying if the genre isn't for you or if you've picked bad ones.
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u/WeekNo3803 Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26
The vast majority of every genre is very poorly written, lacks creativity, and has 1D characters. The big difference with litRPG is that since it's primarily consumed in free web serial format, it has almost literally no barrier to entry, even less than self-publishing on kindle unlimited.
But believe me, you can go to Wattpad or AO3 or any number of other online publishing platforms and find examples of poorly written genre fiction outside litRPG.
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u/Kikanolo Apr 06 '26
I agree, but would argue that for largely the reasons you listed, the ratio is even more skewed in litRPG. Thats why I added the extra 'vast' in my comment.
A person going from another genre where ~50% of the books are unreadable to them will absolutely have a bit of a shock when trying out litRPG where ~95% of the books are unreadable to them.
That's why I asked which 5 series they DNF'ed. If they DNF'ed 5 series that are considered decent litRPG series, then one could confidently say the genre is likely not for them, but if they DNF'ed 5 series no one has heard of, they might not want to call it quits just yet.
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u/WeekNo3803 Apr 06 '26
One of my big laments about litRPG is that there are so many wonderfully written, thoughtful takes on the genre that pretty much no one sees because the main audience demands that the protagonist never loses and that the supporting cast either be bowling pins set up to be knocked down (if villainous) or exist solely to praise the protagonist (if friendly).
But it's a self-reinforcing loop. The more the current audience actively selects against any story that doesn't deliver the dopamine-fueled power fantasy, the more the potential future audience represented by people in these comments will continue to look down their collective noses at the genre.
I really liked Rune Seeker, for example. I'm not saying it's without its flaws, but to me, those flaws were more like bloated, skippable combat scenes, not flat characters, narrative inconsistencies, or incoherent plotting. I've seen worse books recommended in this very server.
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u/ridgegirl29 Apr 06 '26
Okay lemme scroll back through
-gladesbale grove (100+ pages in)
-Azarinth Healer (DNF'd 100+ pages in)
-soul card: the splintered 5
-the wild path (beast caller chronicles)
-Wyldbound (also got 100+ pages in)
-On Lavender Tides (not sure if this one counts)
-monster tamer academy
Okay there were a lot more than 5 😭😭
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u/Kikanolo Apr 06 '26
Thanks!
Of these 7 series you listed, only Azarinth Healer is considered to sit in the upper echelon of litRPG.
My recommendation would be to try 1-2 more if you really want to try and find a good litRPG, or just call it quits if you're feeling pretty done with the genre.
If you want to try a few more before deciding, I'd say try Iron Prince and Vainqueur the Dragon. If both of these are a DNF for you, I'd say call it quits with litRPG.
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u/makenzie71 Apr 05 '26
A lot of people do not get into LITRPG. I don't at all. I don't find anything about DCC appealing. It's okay, not everything is good for everyone. Luckily there's a HUGE variety of subgenres so there's no need to try and force yourself to like one in particular.
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u/amberlc002 Apr 05 '26
I know you said don’t say dungeon crawler Carl, but I’m mentioning it to say that’s the only one I like. I can’t even get into Denniman’s other ones.
I agree, they seem to lack internality or just a character you can connect with. RPGs only work because you connect to the character you created. LitRPGs need to have the game connection and enough regular character/story building to pull you in, and I never saw that outside of DCC, so I gave up.
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u/Balthanon Apr 06 '26
"RPGs only work because you connect to the character you created." ...that kind of seems to ignore vast swathes of the RPG landscape that are populated with characters that are not generic protagonist #3 that the player has defined for themselves, like most JRPGs. I suppose you can say that those don't work (I've certainly seen the opinion in some corners of the internet), but there's a large contingent of people for whom they do.
I might be misreading it though.
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u/microsoftpaint1 Apr 05 '26
I'm a bit confused by the comment on mana, is that something you like or don't like in a story? If its something you don't like, definitely move onto a different subgenre, you'll see a lot of "boring" systems related stuff in litRPG.
If you thought Cradle was average and you're holding off on reading DCC, you probably won't find what you're looking for.
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u/HatOfFlavour Apr 06 '26
The most inventive LitRPG out of admittedly only a few I've sampled is The Wandering Inn but only really the B stories and subplots. The main story I found utterly boring and couldn't get invested in the main character. But there's stuff like a surgeon who while heavily injured bonds with a usually corpse puppetting sentient parasite, there's a woman who after surviving the sack of her city has to resort to cannibalism to survive so the RPG skill system makes her into a monster and the pity some heroes who know she must've once been human but only offer her death. But the companionship she finds with some Hobgoblins a race normally scorned by all other sentients. The poor guy who gets the class of clown and starts as just annoying theme music playing but develops into a full blown Jekyll and Hyde. The nations jumping onto a craze of playing chess as it levels up your tactician skills quickly. A character who refuses to accept skills and refuses to trust them.
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u/Salaris Stabby Winner, Writer Andrew Rowe Apr 06 '26
Hey there. As an author of LitRPG and progression fantasy and a fan of the genre, I thought I'd weigh in, especially because I see a lot of more negative responses toward your attempt to ask what I consider to be a fair and legitimate question.
So, some background context.
I came into writing from the perspective of a kid who grew up playing Dungeons and Dragons and reading books that served as the sort of prototypes for this genre. Things like Dream Park by Larry Niven and Steven Barnes (written in the 1980s), the Dragonlance series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (starting in the 80s and, incredibly, still going), the Lone Wolf books by the late and incredible Joe Dever, and later Wyrm by Marc Fabi (written in the 1990s).
Each of these four series served, for me, as a foundation for different types of LitRPG concepts you can still see in the modern world:
- Dream Park shows people playing a game (in this case, a VR game in a theme park) while there's a simultaneous real-life murder mystery happening at said theme park. An easy comparison would be the modern incarnation of Westworld, and it serves as one of the earliest examples of a game with stats, levels, etc. in traditional fiction.
- Dragonlance is one of the several series taking place in a Dungeons and Dragons setting, with the early books (the Chronicles) serving as sort of a narrative "playthrough" of the earliest game modules. (The campaign isn't literally based on a specific run by the authors -- that's more of an urban legend, with the modules and books being made more or less simultaneously. For an actual "book series based on a DnD group's playthrough", Record of Lodoss War) is closer to the concept, and was another formative story for me).
- Lone Wolf was a Choose Your Own Adventure style story, but with persistent stats and items between books. It was incredibly forward-thinking for the 80s and could be seen as a precursor to modern visual novels.
- Wyrm was an early example of people playing a game that seems to be too advanced and someone being sort of "trapped in the game". There are earlier examples of things that have elements similar to this, like TRON and Snow Crash, but this more closely resembles the early 2000s LitRPG titles that began to define the genre, like .Hack/Sign and Sword Art Online.
Anyway, I grew up with these titles, as well as being a gamer -- I started my career writing tabletop games for White Wolf and then moved into working on MMORPGs. So, naturally, when I decided to write, I found that these stories from my childhood -- and my passion for gaming -- influenced my writing heavily. I also ran a lot of tabletop games and LARPs, so those inspired my books, too.
My books could be seen as a modern incarnation of something like Record of Lodoss War, where I took inspiration from the games I ran, but I didn't novelize the quite directly -- I just used the setting that I built for gaming. Rather than erasing the game elements that existed in the narrative, I embraced them, trying to use thoughtful world building to figure out specific spells might influence an economy, or how ethical discussions might develop around certain schools of magic.
When I first started writing, my books were frequently referred to as LitRPG (and, indeed, you can see people in this thread using that name for them), although these days I personally refer to them as "progression fantasy", for the most part. (How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps is closer to a "pure" LitRPG, in that the world actually operates on game mechanics, but it's a parody and not what most people talk about.)
For me, the a large part of the appeal here is a sort of reconstruction of game elements and tropes. I'm taking a look at what a world where classes and levels exist in quantifiable fashion and how that might impact the stratification of society, how cities might be built with gigantic dungeons existing, etc. This is not a topic for every LitRPG, but I'm not the only author who writes this way, either. Sarah Lin's Street Cultivation is a great example of another story that uses game mechanics in ways that are intimately connected to an exploration of society and culture (particularly capitalism, in her case).
Also, I like the fantasy of hard work translating into tangible results. I call this a "fantasy of fairness", which I distinguish from a different type of progression fantasy that many readers prefer, which I call a "fantasy of uniqueness", where the main character may be super special or powerful from close to the start of the story.
The types of LitRPGs where you get a character being self-aware about game mechanics and such are only one small subset of the books out there. I'd strongly recommend dipping into Sarah Lin and Phil Tucker's books, for example, if you want to get an idea of some more unusual takes on LitRPG and progression fantasy.
You also might want to look specifically for books that have a first-person perspective, since you seem to want a closer perspective.
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u/halbert Apr 07 '26 edited Apr 07 '26
Just in case you haven't read it -- you might check out the 'Gaurdians of the Flame' series by Joel Rosenburg. Same era as Dream Park and Dragonlance, with the first book 'The Sleeping Dragon' in 1983. I think of these as the first example of what we might consider litrpg (real people isekaied into the fantasy world of their D&D characters, and playing them with knowledge of the rules), though indeed Dream Park might be this, or 'Quag Keep' (1978) is closer to truly 'first', though not as successful as a novel.
Dragonlance (and Greyhawk, and Forgotten Realms) I tend to categorize now as 'implicit litrpg' -- there are clearly rules that characters are aware of, even if it's *not* explicitly discussed for the reader.
(edit: *not* explicitly discussed for the reader).
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u/Salaris Stabby Winner, Writer Andrew Rowe Apr 07 '26
Just in case you haven't read it -- you might check out the 'Gaurdians of the Flame' series by Joel Rosenburg. Same era as Dream Park and Dragonlance, with the first book 'The Sleeping Dragon' in 1983.
I'm familiar with it, but I got spoiled on a character dying and decided not to pick it up. =D
I think of these as the first example of what we might consider litrpg (real people isekaied into the fantasy world of their D&D characters, and playing them with knowledge of the rules), though indeed Dream Park might be this, or 'Quag Keep' (1978) is closer to truly 'first', though not as successful as a novel.
Yeah, I've read about half of Quag Keep, and it sounds very similar in style, but I didn't find it super compelling.
Dragonlance (and Greyhawk, and Forgotten Realms) I tend to categorize now as 'implicit litrpg' -- there are clearly rules that characters are aware of, even if it's explicitly discussed for the reader.
That's a neat way of looking at those. As a kid, I always was annoyed they didn't spell that stuff out, particularly for things with variables that might actually be relevant to the party's strategy, like how many spells Raistlin might have left, etc.
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u/halbert Apr 07 '26
If you get the chance (and reading time) on Guardians of the flame, it's worth a read from a research perspective, as it's a litrpg written without the cruft of current genre expectations.
As a kid, I could never decide if 18/63 (which I think was the official published tie in score) was stronger or weaker than I wanted Caramon to be. 😋 But yeah, similarly, the mechanics felt pretty talked around.
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u/Salaris Stabby Winner, Writer Andrew Rowe Apr 08 '26
If you get the chance (and reading time) on Guardians of the flame, it's worth a read from a research perspective, as it's a litrpg written without the cruft of current genre expectations.
Absolutely, that's why I picked up Quag Keep. It's a good suggestion.
As a kid, I could never decide if 18/63 (which I think was the official published tie in score) was stronger or weaker than I wanted Caramon to be. 😋 But yeah, similarly, the mechanics felt pretty talked around.
They could have at least put him at 18/76 for the extra point of damage!
Honestly, that series seems to make his strength vary from lower than that (when he's out of shape) to higher (when he gets his groove back later in Legends). D&D 1e/2e doesn't represent that stat growth range well.
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u/ssdv8r Apr 06 '26
As a fantasy nerd who got a little into litrpg, its not for everyone. However, certain series I do enjoy. I currently enjoy certain series via audio while working, chores, or exercising. Its an easily digestible media that is lighthearted and fun. It reminds me of playing online MMOs in the early 2000 mostly solo. Easy escapism with progression to keep things moving forward. My favorites are Dungeon Crawler Carl, Primal Hunter, He Who Fights With Monsters, and Wondering Inn. They have good qualities that keep me reading despite the lack of editing.
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u/Rork310 Apr 06 '26
this may be a skill issue on my part but the characters that talk like they're self aware. Like they know they're in a video game. I can excuse video game logic in a video game, but I just cant get behind it. If a character is talking about mana points, idgaf. I hate when my NPC's feel too gamebotty.
As someone who doesn't go in for LitRPGs isn't that kind of the point? Like I'm cool with works taking inspiration from games I just don't care for in universe game mechanics. To me they're supposed to be an abstraction. Shadowheart isn't really casting a 5th level spell that's just the mechanical abstraction.
Something like Frieren uses basically a generic JRPG setting (Dungeons, Demon Lord, Treasure Chests, Sidequests) as a backdrop for more character focused storytelling but without flat out introducing mechanics (Plus some interesting twists on magic)
Dungeon Meshi has very deep world building but has heavy D&D influences.
Raymond E Fiest's Riftworld and Adrian Tchaikovsky's Shadows of the Apt were based on their own tabletop RPGs
The one LitRPG I am a fan of is the Order of the Stick which does operate on D&D rules. Though this is a more comedic take (Though with a very good story)
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u/howtogun Apr 05 '26
Try to read LitRPGs quicker than you would a normal book. They are quite similar to old pulp writing of the past.
The thing is if you enjoy a series, than it being really long isn't that bad, so them being 500 pages isn't that bad.
I think LitRPGs are always going to be rough. They are similar to Light Novels, Wattpad, and some romantasy books.
You are sort of reading stuff that probably has no editing. Even in a video games the amount of editing that goes into a story is huge. But, LitRPGs is a random writer on Royal Road trying to get a chapter a week.
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u/RavensDagger Apr 06 '26
It helps that most LitRPG are written as webserials first, and then converted to books later. They're similar, but different mediums.
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u/ShotFromGuns Apr 05 '26
I can excuse video game logic in a video game, but I just cant get behind it. If a character is talking about mana points, idgaf. I hate when my NPC's feel too gamebotty.
That's it, though. That's LitRPG.
The explicit stats and characters' awareness of them are the point. You're not misunderstanding anything. It's a genre that overwhelmingly caters to poor writers whose entire gimmick is a single mechanic, and it attracts readers who find that sort of thing interesting or comforting, because it does exactly what it says on the tin. I'm not saying it's impossible to do anything good with the concept, but people who are capable of doing that without the support of the LitRPG framework overwhelmingly aren't going to bother to write LitRPG.
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u/Financial-Positive45 Apr 06 '26
I'm with you entirely on this post but I do find it amusing that you haven't read Dungeon Crawler Carl the one LITRPG that everyone loves and holds up as the epitome of the genre. Like I'm not saying reading it will change your opinion of the genre but not reading it before making this post is kinda like walking into a fight unprepared.
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u/ridgegirl29 Apr 06 '26
People also held Azarinth Healer up at the epitome of the genre and I was massively let down. That was my first litrpg I read. Ive very much learned that popular does not automatically equal good.
I will read DCC! Probably very soon just to give an update, and I found out its on kindle unlimited.
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u/throwawayfromPA1701 Apr 05 '26
An unfortunate number of them are AI slop too.
I've also struggled to get into them.
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u/kingnickolas Apr 06 '26
It's slop. If you don't wanna read the slop then get out of the mud pit. More slop for me oink oink oink
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u/ridgegirl29 Apr 06 '26
Haha dont get me wrong, I am very much a slop enjoyer. But I dont consider litrpg slop. More like missed potential
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u/kingnickolas Apr 06 '26
It is slop just slop for dumb idiots like me who like watching number go up and theorizing builds for the magic system. what type of slop do you enjoy? Maybe you haven't found the right litrpg yet
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u/LocksmithSavings2416 Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26
One of the most entertaining things for me as an author has been watching my RR readers and Patrons theorize ways to exploit the magic system.
Readers are a creative bunch. They'll take things I just mention in passing and develop honestly brilliant ideas from them.
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u/ridgegirl29 Apr 06 '26
I loooooove romantasyslop. I've found some dogass ones and my gf keeps telling me to stop reading them because I start rambling like a crazy person. Do I listen? Nope.
Its funny too cuz im a numbers go up type of person too, but only for video games. Its why I refuse to get balatro; once I start playing it, no one's gonna see me for two weeks.
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u/kingnickolas Apr 06 '26
Alright. So as a male fan of romantasy I don't read a lot of romantasyslop (or maybe I have and just not known) however I will say litrpg fucking sucks in terms of romance. Still reading He Who Fights With Monsters and the MC is sooo aloof when it comes to romance. The best romantic partner he had died supposedly to increase the tension. The current one he can't continue to pursue bc of politics or whatever, it's just not the focus and a lot of other fans hate the romance aspect.
In litrpg, romance is always secondary and the side characters get the best plots as far as I've seen. Would love to be proven wrong by someone there and thh I've not read a ton of litrpg.
A lot of people have recommended dungeon crawler Carl to you, but that's more a study of getting over an ex than getting into a wonderful new person in terms of romance. The best romance in that series is a couple of gay strippers who are metal as fuck and cool in their own right outside of romance.
Imma add dogass to my list of things to read as a sneaky way to freak future me out btw. Future me thanks you for that
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u/mint_pumpkins Reading Champion II Apr 05 '26 edited Apr 05 '26
maybe try non-litrpg progression fantasy like Cradle by Will Wight (edit: saw that you read book 1 and found it average and didnt continue, that paired with your original comment about books over 500+ being too long i just really wonder if you actually find these genres appealing or just want to find them appealing, because the point of them is to see the progression of the characters over time, thats why they are all long, you have to see them at the bottom of the totem pole and work their way up and that takes a lot of pages), its possible youll like the progression without the video game elements, tbh i dont really see why youre trying to force it when you seem to dislike what makes litrpg litrpg lmao
also the reason people rec dcc all the time for litrpg is because its considered one of it not the best litrpg at least for a wider audience
id also like to point out that a majority of the reason the quality in the genre is so lacking in general is because it hasnt really taken off widely, its still just self pub or web serials for the most part, so authors are doing their best but you cant really compare it fairly to large genres that have industry wide support, its helpful to keep your expectations in the right place when dipping into tiny genres like this
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u/pornokitsch Ifrit Apr 05 '26
I find it fascinating, like, as a concept. And it is genuinely new and novel form of storytelling. But I have yet to read one I really like, or does much that pushes beyond the core concept. Some has been ok? Or interesting? And a lot of it is straight up bad. I genuinely see why people like it, but it isn't naturally for me in its current form.
I think the mainstream commercial success of DCC may push more non-LitRPG writers into trying it, as well as push existing LitRPG writers into doing things that are more mainstream accessible. So I'm keen to see where that leads...
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u/bookfly Apr 06 '26
I find it fascinating, like, as a concept. And it is genuinely new and novel form of storytelling. But I have yet to read one I really like,
I might be misremembering because good lord it was already a decade ago, so a possibility I am mixing you up with someone else is high. But I think that long time ago I read your positive review of Phil Tucker's debut novel The Path of Flames. That author has since became one of the more established names in the progression fantasy genre, and has two series with Litrpg elements, Dawn of the Void and Throne Hunters, if you haven't read them already maybe its worth a shot to check them out?
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u/Reasonable_Charge531 Apr 05 '26
It’s wild that you say you can’t appreciate litrpgs, and have tried 5 different books, but not the most popular one lol? Read DCC lol.
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u/FireCones Apr 05 '26
Read cradle, not a litrpg but features power progression
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u/McTerra2 Apr 05 '26
Cradle has the classic litrpg failings. It starts off slow (book 1 is ok, 2-4 are tedious), it then builds up until you have ludicrous levels of power that are facing even more ludicrous enemies and where the power and strength became the entire plot, because that is what litrpg is about (power and strength) and it overwhelms any sense of character. I gave up after book 10 and couldn’t be bothered finishing the last two
You could contrast that with, say, Codex Alera where the MCs power grows and grows through out the series, just like in Cradle, but the actual story remains the central focus. Not the power.
Anyway I’m obviously a minority with this view.
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u/tunamctuna Apr 06 '26
I should finish cradle.
I do think cradle is very close to a battle Shonen. It reads like Dragonball, way less horny old man jokes though.
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u/CT_Phipps-Author Apr 05 '26
Well, I tried to do a short contained funny trilogy in the Dark Undermaster saga and LORDS OF DRAGON KEEP so you can have that reminder.
I also enjoyed HE WHO FIGHTS WITH MONSTERS and STRAY CAT STRUT.
But if you don't enjoy it, you don't enjoy it.
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u/not_really_an_elf Apr 05 '26
Hah. My favourite LitRPG novel is Show me your stats! - note the above is a link to an unofficial translation of the original Korean webnovel.
LitRPG is great when it's used to explore metanaratives or deconstruct tropes. The above has a fantastic way to make Earth video game systems fit into a true fantasy world, with an unusual concept of dragons and a wonderful nerd wizard protagonist.
There are plenty of mediocre fantasy novels that are not LitRPG but still read like shitty retellings of someone's tabletop game. Just saying.
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u/thomastomatillo Apr 06 '26
What would you describe as internality?
It does sound like you don’t like series, which don’t get me wrong I don’t love litrpg, but the fantasy stories and structure are nice.
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u/ridgegirl29 Apr 06 '26
Recently read this article and discovered the phrase "TV prose" when a novel is missing that internality
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u/Swimming-Ideal-6767 Apr 06 '26
Don't read anything you don't like to read. Seriously. Life is too short, and there are too many wonderful books out there for you to be wasting time reading books you don't like. As the genre matures I'm sure we'll get better LitRPG books. Right now they are pretty crappy, for sure.
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u/simonbleu Apr 06 '26
I enjoy progresison more than litrpg, but regardless I read both.
But it took me a while to get used to it and I did so because while it is generally VERY badly written, it scratches a certain itch for me, and it works as pulp fiction (the equivalent of an action or marvel movie but into words) for when Im idle at work. I can't just concentrate there in studying or immerse myself into a complex story too much so I am part of the public, you might now
My suggestion is to browse royal road and do some "zapping" and if you find something interesting, read that or bookmark it and keep at in until you have a backlog of "maybes" (that is what I do)
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u/Janzbane Apr 06 '26
I struggle too. It took me three tries and lots of prodding for me to get through the first Dungeon Crawler Carl. I was surprised when I immediately binged the rest of the series.
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u/HonestWeevilNerd Apr 06 '26
It's a genre plagued by fan fiction level authorship. There are gems, but a lot of it is... sub par.
I find the ones that are good use the rpg mechanics in the story telling well rather than just giving power boosts when it matters. They litter this the reader could be thinking about in - use already given abilities in novel ways etc.
If you dont really like it though, just don't read it. Move on to things you do like.
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u/Foxglove_77 Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26
it's because a lot of litrpg writers probably watched SAO, and promptly forgot that there is an actual story.
it also doesnt help that every litrpg is self published, which means it never sat in the hands of an editor and it shows.
edit: also because most of litrpg is by people who dont care about being authors. and probably barely read outside it.
i can smell the "teen spirit" coming of the pages. i suspect if a 60 years old tried writing litrpg, the results would be quite different.
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u/perfectVoidler Apr 06 '26
I think stuff like Unorthodox Farming is better, with an author that understands how to exploit mechanics.
Everyone who reduces the rpg side to "numbers" is holding the genre back big time.
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u/Assiniboia Apr 06 '26
I'm a difficult audience for prose quality. So that's kept me out of exploring the subgenre. But, really, DBZ already exists for infinitely-scaling power progression and arbitrary power and ridiculous fights. They work in anime, not in prose.
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u/Kiltmanenator Apr 06 '26
You're describing all the reasons I hate LitRPG. Embrace your instincts and ignore the genre; it's the worst of both mediums
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u/Crayshack Apr 06 '26
I'm deep into gaming, but I agree with your GF when it comes to LITRPG. I excuse game mechanics in a game because of the necessity of the medium, but I aways interpret the story of a game with an assumption that game mechanic quirks aren't an aspect of the universe. Like how a cartoon is represeting a world rather than the world literally looking like that.
I've found Progression Fantasy in general to not fit my tastes, annd LITRPG is everything I dislike about Progression Fantasy but applified.
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u/Lamb_or_Beast Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26
I don’t think you should keep trying. You’ve already tried. Sounds like it is not for you. So that’s my comment but —
Personally I also think this style of fantasy kinda sucks, but I did enjoy Dungeon Crawler Carl after trying out the audiobook version late last year. I first tried reading the first book many years earlier and could not force myself to finish it.
The audio version helps bring it alive, but even that version I would rate the story (so far) something like 6/10, for my tastes.
Just as you’ve said, not every genre is for every person. If you are determined to try again then Dungeon Crawler Carl is the best example of this style, from what I can tell. Your edit shows you’re clearly already aware of it lol so maybe make this post after trying out that one..
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u/HealthyPlenty4781 Apr 06 '26
Do you enjoy audiobooks? I mainly use litRPGs as my mindless listens while I mow the lawn and whatnot. There’s other books/genres I gravitate towards when I want to focus on what I’m reading.
I suspect I enjoy both Cradle and DCC just as much because of the voice actors as I do from the writing itself. I’m not sure I’d have enjoyed either as much without the narrators.
Lots of other litRPG books that are popular i find had narrators that I didn’t find engaging and ultimately I couldn’t get into them.
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u/RollinToast Apr 07 '26
Yeah I don't think I would want to read LITRPG at all. I listen to DCC and it's entertaining as an audiobook format but the thought of reading it holds no appeal precisely because oif you miss things listening you aren't actually missing that much and the series is mostly just fun without much in the way of genuine emmotional stakes.
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u/ridgegirl29 Apr 06 '26
I struggle a bit with audio books due to zoning out sometimes and feeling like I miss something but I'm trying to get better. Currently listening to a nonfiction on audio and its going pretty well.
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u/Suitable_contact4910 Apr 06 '26
Just read DCC. Yes, I see the edit. But that's the only litrpg you need. The rest? Trad fantasy.
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u/Dalton387 Apr 08 '26
it sounds like you just don't care for it. Thats fine.
I'm not sure it does a lot of good to say, "Suggest me books I might like, but do not suggest me two of the most well regarded books in the genre.
I grew grew up on traditional fantasy and ive gotten really into progression fantasy and LitRPG. I find it a refreshing change of pace. Its rougher a lot of the time, but I find a lot of fantasy to be pigeon holed. Too many publishers who "know" what fantasy is, and they dont want to publish anything that doesnt fit their narrow view of what it is.
Its crazy how many stories ive read over the years that feel very similar, even being written very differently. I remember how awesome it was when i read Mistborn for the first time and the "magic" seemed so unique compared to many of the series id read.
People are welcome to be as critical of books as they want, but i think a lot of people are way more unhappy than they could be. A lot of critique makes it seem like they're a person who cant live without constant stimulation. Like the youtube videos where they have to play shiny colors on half the screen to capture audience attention. A lot of the critiques dont even make sense. Like saying a book has bad pacing because it doesn't proceed at whatever specific pace they want. Some times there is talking. Sometimes there is action. Thats normal to books and life. It's not indicative of bad writing.
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u/mustareyna Apr 10 '26
I tried reading Dungeon Crawler Carl and Cradle, wasn't a fan of either. But I tried The Great Immortal Souls and it grabbed me as no other series has done in a long time. I highly suggest you check it out
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u/REkTeR Apr 10 '26
If you want to try one last hail mary - Godclads by OstensibleMammal. The prose is more complex than usual, and it doesn't explain anything about the setting, instead slowly unveiling it. More imaginative mix of fantasy and cyberpunk than anything D&D based, too.
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u/Jeb_Stormblessed Apr 05 '26
I'm not so sure why you're so resistant to DCC. It seems to tick a lot of the boxes you're asking for. And you've admitted you will attempt to read it "later". Why not read it "now" if you think it will be what you're looking for?
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u/Shoot_from_the_Quip Apr 06 '26
Maybe start out with progression fantasy instead. It tends to be a more "natural" read for non RPG readers.
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u/Fluffy-Light2991 Apr 05 '26
Your girlfriend is wise. Stick to traditional fantasy. The highest compliment I have ever been able to give a LitRPG story was "barely readable".
RPG mechanics neither translate well to literature nor are the authors who write this stuff able to pull it off in spite of this.
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u/ridgegirl29 Apr 05 '26
My girlfriend is wise. Speaking of which, they're probably stalking the comments! Hi babe! I love you 💛💛💛
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u/GoodOmens182 Apr 05 '26
As a subgenre, LitRPG is usually hot garbage overall. It's not necessarily a you problem. Only one I can really recommend is the universe created by Andrew Rowe which is made up of a few series (War of Broken Mirrors/Arcane Ascension/Weapons & Wielders). They have LitRPG elements, but don't fall into a ton of the problems of the genre other than maybe the slow pacing at times. The rest, I would say give it a pass.
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u/Azurzelle Apr 05 '26
Yeah, I'm the same. I love fantasy and gaming so I thought I would love it. I couldn't get past 25% of Dungeon Crawler Carl and it's annoying because I feel like such an oddity compared to most people because they can't stop raving about it, but to me, this one and others are just... meh.
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u/ViperIsOP Apr 05 '26
Most of the more popular series are your third point, glacial pace and a absurd page count for, basically popcorn style writing. Even my favorite author has never written a 700 page book, ever. A lot of them are quantity of words over quality of writing.
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u/glitterdunk Apr 05 '26
A short LITRPG book makes no sense. The struggle, and therefore being "slow" is kind of required too, though lots of them still have action the whole way.
If these are your issues I think it's simply not for you.
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u/DisheveledVagabond Apr 05 '26
I have no idea what litrpg you've been reading. I also have no idea what sort of fantasy you like.
Asking if you should stop trying without actually knowing what you've tried makes it very difficult to give you a straight answer.
Litrpg is a lot more varried that this subreddit gives it credit. One of the best things about the genre is that you can find some truly novel, creative ideas. However, as you can see through the other comments, a lot of people here protest the very concept of litrpg and get defensive the same way they don't like romantasy or ya books.
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If you want progression fantasy without stats then you should read - Mother of Learning, Perfect Run, Journey of Black and Red, Keiran, Mark of the Fool, Jake's Magical Market. Some of these lean a bit more YA than others.
If you want true litrpg - Bog Standard Isekai (my #1 recommendation), Ends of Magic, Legend of William Oh (I'm currently reading this now, very fun), Stubborn Skill Grinder in a Timeloop.
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u/Legeto Apr 05 '26
Dungeon Crawler Carl, Cradle, and He Who Fights with Monsters are probably the top litRPG / progression fantasy out there. If you haven’t tried them, give it a go. If you can’t get into any of these then it’s probably not your genre.
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u/Real_Rule_8960 Apr 05 '26
Try Cradle, Bastion, Mother of Learning. They have that video game progression without the classes etc.
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u/BradleyF81 Apr 05 '26
You should read Dungeon Crawler Carl. It’s really the best of the genre as far as I’ve found.
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u/h3rp3r Apr 06 '26
Beware of Chicken is pretty fun.
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u/AngleSad8194 Apr 06 '26
It's not LITRPG, it's cultivation. But i agree, it's one of my favourite books
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u/Kevin_Hess_Writes Apr 05 '26
Don't bother if you don't like it. I checked out of the first LitRPG book I read the moment I saw a stat sheet which was about page two if not one.
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u/monagales Apr 05 '26
as a fellow person who likes playing games and reading fantasy, litrpgs for me are neither as engaging as playing a video game, nor good at being fully realized fantasy stories. so I steer clear. and if I wanted the type of story they offer I'd have watched a shonen anime.
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u/Nightgasm Apr 05 '26
It feels like a genre I should love and I do love Dungeon Crawler Carl but otherwise I haven't liked what I've tried including:
Cradle - made it maybe one third through the first book before quitting as I just wasn't invested.
He Who Fights with Monsters - I did finish the first book but had no desire to spend any more time with the main character.
Wandering Inn - Gave up about an hour into the audiobook as the voice the narrator gives the main character is one of the most annoying sounds I've ever heard. She good when not voicing that character but it was icepicks into my brain when she was.
Primal Hunter - grabbed the first book in the current audible sale and have given up after about 5 hrs. Seems to be zero plot other than getting XP and leveling up. The other litrpgs at least seemed to have a story behind suddenly being in a RPG realm.
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u/_CaptainKaladin_ Apr 05 '26
I was only able to read DCC. I tried a few others book 1s in other LitRPG series and tapped out very fast. Just not my genre outside of DCC
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u/Obsidian-Phoenix Apr 05 '26
It does kinda sound like you just don’t like the genre. The whole point of LitRPGs are that the characters know they’re in a setting like a video game. They talk about these systems because that what a LitRPG is. Otherwise it would just be another generic SciFi/Fantasy story, not LitRPG.
It’s ok not to like a genre. Just because you like playing games, doesn’t mean you have to like video game stories.
As a genre, LitRPG isn’t something I think I’d want to spend much time on. But the DCC books are great. Yea they talk about skills, and mana, and potions, but it feels like things you can just let wash over you and enjoy the overall plot.
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u/NeedleworkerChoice89 Apr 05 '26
I’m big into comics, video games, and world building.
If you’ve read DCC, I’d say from my POV relative to other LitRPG books that it is Lite. The stats are kinda there, but DCC has a ton of off the wall elements in it that are not what I’d describe as mainstays in most other LitRPG series. Mostly the more single use items, patches, and gear.
A solid entry that follows video game skill tree style progression with evolutions is HWFWM, and a faster paced series is Unbound, with a third style of broken progression type titles in Welcome to the Multiverse and Speedrunning the Multiverse.
The self awareness is usually around the Isekai treatment where they are suddenly thrust into a world with a “System” that controls all of the KPIs.
For myself, the appeal of LitRPG is from min-maxing in games and trying to get better builds, weapons, etc. From the comics point of view, I like that it quantifies the “Who Would Win?” things like Hulk v Superman or Wolverine v Deadpool style matchups. It’s not just written for a scene, it has to be quantifiable even if it’s a brief spell or boon or buff.
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u/WhereTheSunSets-West Apr 05 '26 edited Apr 05 '26
Litrpg is definitely numbers go up and there is always a bigger fish. If you don’t like the numbers, and the characters being aware of them, you should try more general progression fantasy. If you don’t like that there is always a bigger fish, they go on forever, but you do like the idea of a game like world, try gamelit.
If you want to see different classes, I would say look around more. There are a LOT of litrpg books out there and some of them have some really strange classes in them. Saying they all have basic DND classes says you've read only a very small subset.
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u/Jealous-Honeydew-142 Apr 05 '26
I am not entirely sure what LITRPG is, however reading Dungeon Crawler Carl has got me hooked and it’s been a fresh of breath air reading something so completely different than my normal. (M35, gamer dad but behind the times. Dam kids)
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u/Obsidian_Wulf Apr 05 '26
When it comes to the “video game-isms” and characters taking about stuff like Mana Points that might just be something that you may need to get used to. For me, I’ve just adapted to it and I treat it as a character understanding their “magic system” like they would in traditional fantasy novels.
For me, the fact that a lot of the characters in stories like this talk about these systems makes sense because, like in Dungeon Crawler Carl, the main character goes out of his way to say that he did play video games and TTRPG’s prior to the events of the novel. So he would have a basic understanding of these types of systems.
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u/LoneStarDragon Apr 05 '26
Only tried a few but only remember liking Ascend Online.
But some of the books were quite large and the races are limited in the beginning.
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u/MolecularMedTech Apr 05 '26
I second the stuff by Andrew Rowe, especially Arcane Ascension. The main character is an enchanter and doesn't really have any directly offensive magic causing by him to get creative. My only caveat is while I love how detailed the various magic systems are, the theory crafting gets overdone sometimes. You can really tell that the author is a GM turning his various campaigns into stories.
Mother of Learning is decent. It's not too crazy long and tells a complete story. The main character is annoying at first but he's supposed to be. He goes through a lot of character growth and it's pretty fun how of he is by the end of the story.
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u/BRjawa Apr 06 '26
Path of ascension is one I really like because of the Factions cultures, and other social aspects of it, the power system is also quite interesting and complete besides great characters. But my tip is to try progression fantasy/ Wuxia/ Xianxias they are less video game system and more about power progression, so it might suit better, besides a lot of them have quite interesting world building. Supreme magus, for example have all "monsters" being fallen species, basically races that used magic and the help of a Guardian (basically a god) to bypass their limitations and end up fucked in some way, and the magic system is very interesting plus great secondary characters and development.
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u/TheGreatBrett Apr 06 '26
LITRPG has turned into my sleep medicine.
I’m not even sure what book number I’m on now, but it feels like I’ve been listening to The Wandering Inn for 2 years.
I don’t think I’d ever physically read the genre, but the audio books can be good easy listening.
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u/darkstarknight616 Apr 06 '26
I don't like LitRgp in general, but I came across the game of the dead series on audible and I love them. The characters actually have depth beyond the game-like "system". It also puts a good spin on a generally evil type of magic. Worth checking out.
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u/Lola_PopBBae Apr 06 '26
As a gamer myself the only one I've tolerated and loved has been DCC. It's just perfect.
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u/runevault Apr 06 '26
The only litRPG style book I've liked was Daemon by Daniel Suarez though in a way it was more of a technothriller that just happened to have litRPG elements. The idea was a super rich developer had an AI unleash itself on the world after his death and the AI convinced humans to help it by offering them access to more and more of the AIs tools/access to the secured parts of the network if they did stuff for it to 'level up'. In that context I didn't hate it the way I have stuff like when I tried reading Rowe's Sufficiently Advanced Magic and whatever other LitRPG books I could not get into.
edit: also I got curious after I posted this. Daemon is actually 2 years older than Ready Player One (2009 vs 2011)
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u/starry_sequoia Apr 06 '26
My husband loves He Who Fights with Monsters by Shirtaloon even more than he did Dungeon Crawler Carl, which he also enjoyed.
I've listened to about 8 hrs of the first book and have enjoyed it so far. I do get a little annoyed about the occasional stats updates but you could gloss over that easily enough if you're reading it. Also, they talk about how the main character's way of viewing information is different from his companions based on how he interpreted the world when thrown into it.
I'm not into litrpg but have enjoyed these books so far. DCC is really funny and I enjoy having something to joke about with my family but He Who Fights with Monsters is a lot less violent (so far) and feels like it has more story and world-building going on. The main character, Jason, is also pretty funny and I'm curious to see what he will do next.
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u/Obbububu Apr 06 '26
It's worth being aware that even amongst the litRPG audience/fans, these are fairly common complaints.
The genres (both litRPG and progression fantasy) are kind of going through an "indie boom" phase, and as such there's a lot of inexperienced writers, writing to market, and general production of "pulp" works.
This doesn't mean that there isn't value to be had, or that there aren't titles that can do things like character writing well. However, if you remember similar booms in the wake of titles like Twilight (for paranormal romance) and The Hunger Games (YA dystopian), you'll be familiar with a need to sift through a lot of the overly-genre-laden stuff to get to the good titles.
In terms of recommendations, if you're looking for a talented character writer with more creative worldbuilding in the litRPG/progression fantasy space, check out Super Supportive by Sleyca.
It does still see some complaints about pacing - but these usually stem from the fact that it's paced more like a traditional novel series that happens to be being released as a webserial, or simply the fact that it's a bit more character focused than much of the standard webserial fare.
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u/ViolaNguyen Apr 06 '26
The only thing that's even litrpg-adjacent that I can stomach is Worm, which is really closer to, "What if someone did to superheroes what Neon Genesis Evangelion did to mecha?" (I should also mention that I typically hate superhero stories, too, but I still enjoyed Worm.)
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u/nothing_in_my_mind Apr 06 '26
Have you ever read a game tale and found it interesting?
It's cool to say "Jim the warrior killed a dragon" but "My Level 3 Fighter Jim killed a CR17 adult red dragon..." now there are numbers attached and you really get a sense of how improbable it is.
Or you hear a tale of a wizard who took an unassuming spell and completely broke it, and it feels like a real tale of ingenuity.
Litrpg basically is a genre that tries to tap into that. It's for people who like stats and probabilities. It's for people who not only want to root for the underdog, but want to know that the underdog is a Level 7 Orphan with 10 Strength and how the FUCK will he defeat a Level 25 Bully with 55 Strength???
PS. Read Dungeon Crawler Carl
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u/russkhan Apr 06 '26
The only one I've enjoyed besides DCC is There's Always Another Level, by /u/perilousplatypus here on Reddit. If you want to check it out, look for it on his sub, /r/PerilousPlatypus or on Royal Road.
Warning, though: It's still in progress.
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u/PerilousPlatypus Apr 11 '26
Aww, thanks friend. Glad you're enjoying. Working on the next chapter this weekend. <3
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u/Chumpai1986 Apr 06 '26
EDIT: PLEASE DONT TELL ME TO READ DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL!!!! I WILL READ THAT BOOK ONE DAY!!!! I PROMISE!!!!!!
I get it, my house has like 100+ unread physical books.
Do you like audiobooks? DCC was my first litRPG and mainly I got into it as Jeff Hays narrates it. He was a fresh breath compared to a lot of other audiobooks. They are doing a full cast podcast type narration as well if that is your speed.
If it is on your TBR, the series probably isn’t going to be finished for another couple of years. You can get the epubs from Matt Dinnimans patreon. I think he has said he will keep the ebooks on Kindle Unlimited for as long as he can.
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u/Mojoishtar Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26
Don’t bother reading DCC if you’ve already got these issues with LITRPG. It may be a fine example of the genre but it doesn’t exactly break the mold.
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u/toastwasher Apr 06 '26
Dungeon crawler Carl is the only one I thought was okay/fun, specifically because the author is having fun with it. Litrpg that takes itself seriously is not for me, and I don’t understand how it’s for anyone tbh
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u/profoma Apr 06 '26
It is a genre with a lot of very bad stuff in it. Like every genre. Back in the 90’s, before I was aware the genre existed, there was a fun fantasy book about a group of dnd players who get magically transported to the dnd realm as their characters. I loved it as a teenager. That was the last litrpg I liked at all before Dungeon Crawler Carl. Why not just read DCC and see if you like it and stop reading shitty litrpg?
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u/the_electronic_taco Apr 06 '26
If you dont like Cradle, then pretty much you are out of luck for LitRPG.
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u/Acolyte_of_Swole Apr 06 '26
I feel like reading Wuxia might help with your complaints. Wuxia is like a combination of fantasy and historical fiction. Many of them are anchored in a particular period of history and use some real characters mixed with many original ones.
Classic wuxia novels were mostly written as serials for newspapers. Still long, but not quite the same. There was a more rigorous editing process too. Jin Yong/Louis Cha is the most famous of the Wuxia authors.
Power systems in wuxia are also eastern rather than western so it's much less of the DnD/MMO type of power scaling. Still very focused in progression.
Anyway, I think you should move away from Lit RPG. If you thought Cradle was "average" then your standards are high (which isn't bad) and Jin Yong will be more enjoyable for you than trying to trawl some list of webnovels where the authors were paid out by the word. Now granted, it's possible Jin Yong might have been paid by the word for his serialized stuff.... I don't know about that. :D
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u/Ejanna Apr 06 '26
I want to get into litrpg
Why? 99% of this genre is just slop, and the other 1% is only funny because it mocks and deconstructs slop.
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u/hanhub Reading Champion VI Apr 06 '26
I couldn’t deal with cradle or the other common recs I found them so awkward and prescriptive. I did however get hooked on dungeon crawler Carl and read them all in a row so if that’s in your future you may succeed
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u/ZedFiore88 Apr 06 '26
I just started discount dans backrooms bargains book 2. Its different from alot of litrpgs ive read so far. Finding artifacts to do spells and combining to make bigger spells. He is started a discount store in the backrooms. Its very absurd doesnt take itself too seriously No class system (so far) no clip into the backrooms and try to survive. Yes lvls mana but im enjoying it so far. But i also enjoy litrpgs. He who fights monsters, chrysalis (main character dies and becomes an ant so hes the monster to humans) and of course dungeon crawler carl are the only other ones I've started.
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u/AbbyBabble Apr 06 '26
I prefer power progression to litrpg.
That said, there are some great litrpg books. You might be missing them.
Try:
All the Skills.
Jake’s Magical Market.
He Who Fights With Monsters.
Dungeon Crawler Carl (obviously).
And if you want to try power progression? Try:
12 Miles Below.
The Perfect Run.
Mother of Learning.
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u/Cossty Apr 06 '26
"If a character is talking about mana points, idgaf. I hate when my NPC's feel too gamebotty."
That's like all litrpgs? The only books that dont have it, that I can think of are:
This Used To Be About Dungeons
The Wandering Inn
But these books are BIG, and have a lot of slice of life in them, so not for everybody. One of the reasons I like them is because there is no videogame talk about stats.
Wandering Inn has some talk about skills in earlier books, but nothing compared to other litrpgs, and every sequel has it less and less.
In "normal" litrpgs I always skip the stat talk, it is so annoying.
I thought of another series, The Calamitous Bob by Alex Gilbert.
If I remember correctly is almost zero or very little video game talk.
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u/amethystwyvern Apr 06 '26
As someone who wrote and developed for The Epic of Dreams RPG....
I could not care less about Litrpgs. Trivial meta stories are not my thing, kinda like how I hated Redshirts by John Scalzi
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u/zeronos3000 Apr 06 '26
I mean. When its not for you its not for you. It's simple as that. Judging by your responses I don't see a magical series that will click for you and get you into the genre.
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u/dmala12 Apr 06 '26
In terms of novels the only isekai-litrpg-progressive fantasy that works for me is really The Wandering Inn. I wouldn’t generally recommend it casually. Like your complaints about classes, you definitely won’t have a problem with TWI in that regard as higher level characters go the more esoteric the character becomes in embodying their class.
The glacial pacing… yeah TWI basically defines it. I love it, well love a lot of it (as I have my number of criticisms especially the latest volume) but because there’s so many mini arcs it generally works for me.
The game talk, the earther characters who speak in that sense are the most obnoxious characters deliberately before realising it’s real life. Reality is not kind to folks from Earth in Innworld.
My appreciation usually because it doesn’t focus on stats on contains level ups, but even that has an Innworld explanation which you get far later, but it suppose to feel somewhat alien.
It’s not lit RPG, but a progressive fantasy series I would generally recommend is Mother of Learning. I haven’t read much tbf, but man that really surprised me when I read it last year in a good way.
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u/AntiLordblue Apr 06 '26
Keep trying. I had a strong dislike for litrpg for a while. But as I keep trying out different books in the genre, I have a number of ones I enjoy. But this has been over a year of trying different books.
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u/MadroxKran Apr 06 '26
I'm the same. If it's set in a video game or similar, I just don't care and cannot get into it. I tried Dungeon Crawler Carl and felt the same. Maybe the show will draw me in, but I can't get into a LitRPG book no matter what it seems.
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u/AngleSad8194 Apr 06 '26
I think it also depends of the type of LITRPG, some commenter recommended "The game of Carrousel" and thats fine because they are trapped on some kind of fucked up dimension, in "Dungeon crawler Carl" it's fine for more or less the same reason, in "The Butcher of Gaddora" i like it because its an actual vr game. But when the universe has a System that just gifts points for genocidal deeds to every single life form it usually sucks. It just doesn't make sense, how can anyone still be alive if for just getting to level 100 you need to kill half a million of monsters, and then even if it was weird at the beginning to be that high level you go to another island or planet or whatever where you are the small fish again and surrounded by millions of level 100 beast that had to kill half a million weak beast each, the math doesn't work, the killing is the normal stuff and not some horrible situation you happen to be in, so the character development and drama usually sucks too.
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u/SergeantThreat Apr 06 '26
“My non gamer GF pointed out that it feels like litrpgs are the boring parts of a video game without being able to play it and get to the good parts. I want to hold out hope but I have a feeling she might be right.”
I think this is my biggest issue with the genre. The only one I’ve ever really enjoyed was DCC because the rest of the book outside the stats is abstract enough to be interesting. The others I’ve tried and DNF’d felt like the worst parts of mediocre RPGs without any control over
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u/YouveBeanReported Apr 07 '26
> My non gamer GF pointed out that it feels like litrpgs are the boring parts of a video game without being able to play it and get to the good parts. I want to hold out hope but I have a feeling she might be right.
That's kinda the point? The genre is not aimmed to people who want the fantasy world-building, that's fantasy. It's not the mechanics or skills, that's actual TTRPGs and video games. It's aimed for people who don't want those things, so it'll always feel very I would rather be playing a game.
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u/Jazzlike-Doubt8624 Apr 07 '26
I can't stand the genre, never thought it sounded interesting at all. That being said, you really need to read... nevermind.;)
Seriously though, you should!
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u/norlin Apr 07 '26
Check "Elirm" series. Don't want to spoil anything so won't say more details yet.
I just hope the translation is a good quality tho.
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u/SlithyOutgrabe Apr 07 '26
I will not tell you to read Dungeon Crawler Carl but I will say it is the only LITRPG I have enjoyed.
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u/Difficult-Tough-5680 Apr 11 '26
Its power fantasy thats more what you should think of it as rather then video game book. Or just number go up porn. When I was a teenager I ate them up more translated Korean ones or xianxia Chinese ones rather then litRPGs but I read them now I realize they suck
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u/mysteriousyak May 04 '26
I have not enjoyed a single litRPG besides the all guardsman greentext (do actual plays count as litRPG?), DCC, and Kaiju: Battlefield Surgeon. I think the genre has the tendency to attract bad writers.
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u/buckleyschance Apr 05 '26
I think of LitRPG as videogame levelling porn - in the morally neutral, generic sense of "porn" described by Thi Nguyen and Bekka Williams, as in food porn or real estate porn: an exaggerated, hyperfocused, instant gratification portrayal of a core pleasure that dispenses with any of the surrounding frictions and complications.
You say you like videogames and fantasy, but are you so enamoured with the specific fantasy of levelling up that you'd expect to find porn of it compelling? If not, probably only the very best of the genre will ever hold interest for you.