Paul BellowPaul Bellow

Paul Bellow is a LitRPG author, gamer, RPG game developer, and publisher of several online communities. In other words, an old school webmaster. He also developed and runs LitRPG Adventures, a set of advanced RPG generators powered by GPT-3 AI. Here at LitRPG Reads, he publishes articles about LitRPG books, tabletop RPG books, and all sorts of DND content that's free to use in your personal tabletop campaign - i.e. non-commercial use. Enjoy your stay and reach out on Twitter or Discord if you want to make contact.

Panzer Corps Review

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The transition from the tabletop to the computer screen hasn’t always been easy. Some war games eschew everything that makes tabletop great. Others stick too close to the formula, forgetting … Read more

RPG Legends: Greyhawk

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Greyhawk D&D Setting

One cannot have Dungeons and Dragons without Greyhawk. Sure, there have been other settings in the history of the game. There have even been settings that have arguably been more … Read more

Stick RPG 1 & 2

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One of the great things about RPGs is that they don’t have to look great. Sure, some of the biggest role playing games on the PC and consoles have boasted … Read more

RPG Legends: Dark Sun

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When most people think about Dungeons and Dragons, their minds turn towards epic fantasy. Elves, dwarves, dragons – it’s part and parcel of the role playing game package. However, those … Read more

Marvel Heroes Omega MMORPG

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Marvel Heroes Omega MMORPGMarvel has never had a fantastic amount of luck with its video game properties. Most of what it put out prior to 2010 was largely in the realm of rushed tie-in products, with one or two games that really rose to the level of adequate. Things did, however, start to change once Marvel got serious about its movie properties and how they appealed to gamers.

While many of these games were still hit or miss, it started to become apparent that the company really cared about its games. There are now a string of small titles that tend to fly under the radar but that have strong player bases. One of the most successful of these titles has been Marvel Heroes.

Marvel Heroes began life as a free to play brawler on the PC. The game was very similar to bigger hits like Diablo, with the added bonus of being able to play Marvel characters. While the earlier iterations were a bit rough, the game improved by leaps and bounds. Now a bonafide success, the game has released on the Playstation 4 and XBox One under the new moniker Marvel Heroes Omega.

One of the few fully-realized MMORPGs on the consoles, it now has a chance to really explode in popularity.

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Cool LitRPG Travel Destinations

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One of the real joys of the LitRPG genre – as well as the sci-fi and fantasy genres – is the ability to travel to new worlds in one’s mind. Think back to the fabulous places you’ve visited in your imagination, how they’ve changed the way you perceive the world and the sense of longing that you’ve always felt. There are, fortunately, a number of locations in the real world that can bring you a step or two closer to the world of fantasy. If you’ve always wished to travel to a brand new world, the locations below will bring you as close as possible.

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RPG Legends: Warcraft

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RPG universes are a dime a dozen. There’s more of them out there than anyone would care to count and most are easily forgettable.

Not Warcraft, though.

Since the release of the first game in 1994, Warcraft has been an absolute phenomenon. Now encompassing a handful of video games, over a dozen novels, and even a feature film, it’s a juggernaut in its own right.

It didn’t start out like that, though. It all started with a single game.

Warcraft takes place on the world of Azeroth, a planet home to a handful of races and kingdoms. The main games have concerned Azeroth’s wars against invaders from other worlds, including the warlike orcs and the Demonic Burning Legion.

For nearly twenty-five years, Warcraft has captured the imagination of players around the world. It is one of the few games that has as loyal an audience outside of its country of origin as within. New material is still constantly released and consumed by millions.

This setting is one of the true legends of the role playing world, ranking up there with the settings of Dungeons and Dragons or Vampire: The Masquerade. Taking a moment to look more deeply into the phenomenon will help you to understand why.

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Fun Real-time strategy (RTS) Games

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Video games allow players a chance to take basic gaming concepts and expand them out to their natural conclusions. Gamers have been playing at war from the earliest days of the PC, taking the games they loved on the tabletop and finding new ways to interact with those same mechanics. When it comes to war, the obvious solution was to put pieces in motion. Instead of taking turns, players would be able to guide units while they were in motion. Once games started moving into real time, war games would never be the same.

The real time strategy genre has become more popular over the years, especially now that the internet can connect players from across the world. These games are a combination of strategy and learning, in which players must know must their opponents and the systems of the game. These games require the ability to manage an economy and an army all at once, putting any player’s skills to the test. Even those who play only casually will admit that RTS games require a great deal of brainpower.

Looking at the growth of the RTS genre can be an interesting exercise. Certain concepts start off as novel, then become the norm, and are finally found obsolete. As these games grow, so too do the ways that they are played.

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RPG Legends: Conan the Barbarian

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There are a few characters that take such deep root in the public consciousness that they become part of the background fictional landscape. These characters are so important than those who have never read or saw their adventurers feel familiar with them as a concept. One of these characters is Robert E. Howard’s Conan, a character who has become the byword for barbarian hero throughout the English-speaking world.

Conan started as a character in pulp magazines, but he has become much more. He’s appeared in novels, comic books, and newspaper strips. There have been successful Conan films, video games, and board games. Conan is part of popular culture – and understanding his origins can help fans of fantasy understand how he transitioned from pulp hero into the icon that he is today.

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8 Great Tabletop Superhero RPG

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Looking for Superhero RPG (pen and paper)? We have you covered…

It’s not much of a stretch to say that superheroes are in the midst of a golden age. While comic sales might not be at their all-time highest point, superheroes dominate the movie and television industries. It’s no wonder, then, that people are always on the lookout for ways to feel more like heroes themselves with superhero tabletop games.

One of the most popular ways to have a super-heroic experience has long been in the form of tabletop games. These games allow players to create their own heroes and live out the adventures they have always wanted to experience. Below are just a few of the most influential games in the pen and paper Superhero RPG world. 

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Ashes of Creation MMORPG

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Massively Multiplayer Games Role Playing Games are in a strange space at the moment. While there are a handful of very successful free to play titles, the traditional games are all but dead. With a few notable exceptions like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV, most recent subscription-based games have crashed and burned.

Why? Some would say it is because these games continue to try to follow the leader, never really innovating or differentiating themselves from the pack. One game that seeks to buck that trend, though, is Ashes of Creation. The game has a solid team behind it and looks to change the way that players interact with MMORPGs.

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Why Jumanji is LitRPG

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Is the new Jumanji movie LitRPG? Let’s take a look…

One of the most consistent debates (and in some cases, outright arguments) in the LitRPG community concerns exactly what constitutes a part of the genre. Since there’s not even a mutually agreed upon definition for LitRPG, this means that anything that isn’t explicitly labeled as such tends to be taken on a case by case basis.

While most of the works that are argued about tend to be literary in nature, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other works in other mediums that can qualify. As an example, there’s a very strong argument to be made that Jumanji – both the original film and the upcoming sequel – is a work that falls under the LitRPG banner.

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High Fantasy: The Wheel of Time

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The world of fantasy can easily be divided into high and low. Low fantasy has often been the stuff of popular entertainment – swords and sorcery, realistic worlds and problems therein. High fantasy, though, has always been something special. High fantasy is something higher, something a bit nobler in form.

While the stakes aren’t always higher than those in low fantasy, they are often much grander. There aren’t many books that really give readers the sense of scope that this subgenre calls for, but the few that do really stand out.

While the classic series of high fantasy will always be The Lord of the Rings, there’s one other series that has come close to capturing the same scope and depth as those books. Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series is perhaps the best-known work of modern high fantasy, one that has sadly lived on past the life of its author.

The Wheel of Time incorporates much of what one would expect from a high fantasy experience, but does so in a manner that creates a world that seems quite familiar at the same time. From the books to their various adaptations, the world that has been created is one that has amassed a legion of fans.

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Four Hot RPG Games Coming in 2017-2018

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E3 – the Electronic Entertainment Expo – is over, but we’re still digesting all the news about great new games coming to market. If you didn’t know, E3 is the annual video game conference and show at the Los Angeles Convention Center. This year it was an even bigger event with many game companies showing off their latest offerings. We’re going to have more roundups over the summer about great games coming, but we’re starting with a look at four super-hot RPG titles coming in this year and next. Both 2017 and 2018 are shaping up to be years RPG gamers will love. 

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From Total Annihilation to Spring RTS

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The RTS genre of games isn’t quite dead, but at times it seems like it might be.

Sure, you still have games out there like StarCraft 2 that have a thriving competitive scene, but those games are few and far between.

The audience for RTS games has been cannibalized by Grand Strategy and MOBA games, and it can often feel like it’s never going to come back.

Fortunately, all the games that players used to love haven’t gone anywhere.

Total Annihilation was a huge hit when it released and it has a thriving community even today. Sure, it’s not getting airplay on major networks, but people still love it. Figuring out why people still love this aging game might be the key to bringing back the real time strategy as a genre.

So, what made TA so great? It’s one of those rare games that was greater than the sum of its parts. Those parts were, of course, amazing in their own right as well.

It’s also interesting to watch the progress of Total Annihilation and its eventual evolution. The Spring RTS engine is another one of those key elements that might go a long way towards reviving a once-proud genre.

What’s certain, though, is that Total Annihilation had a huge impact on the gaming world. It’s time that it gets the respect that it deserves.

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History of City Building Games

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Have you ever wanted to be in charge of your own city? If you’ve ever been stuck in traffic on a long commute, the thought has probably passed through your mind.

While getting to the point at which you can actually make plans for a large city takes decades of work, you can do all the fun stuff with the right software. City life simulators are a well-regarded part of the PC gaming landscape, and thus continue to release through this day.

While probably not the most popular genre, city simulators are common enough that there’s some real divisions in the fandom. Some players prefer games that prioritize building and management, while others look for design and aesthetics. There’s a huge divide between those who want more realistic sims and those that just want something that’s fun to play. No matter where you stand, though, there’s probably a great simulator out there for you.

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