What Makes for a Good RPG?

A medieval knight in armor rides a black horse, holding a lance, set against a mountainous backdrop reminiscent of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Nearby, another armored figure holds a shield. Both have orange accents on their armor, as birds soar in the clear blue sky.

A good role playing game is founded upon some very important categories. It is a building process that involves a lot of thoughts and “what if” scenarios. The creative minds behind the development of the best RPG games were born with an embedded skill that cannot be replicated or transformed in duplicate fashion. Maybe it’s not all that complicated, but there are many years of trial and error that go into the development of these kind of games. So, what makes for a good RPG game? Below we’ll focus on some of the top selling points and list the negatives that make up the mishaps as well.

A Look at LitRPG Facebook Pages

A Facebook Insights page showing a ranking of nine LitRPG-related pages based on total page likes, percentage growth, posts this week, and engagement. The top page, LitRPG Reads, has 1.7K likes and a 18.7% growth.

Wow. The LitRPG genre is blowing up in 2017! This is great for readers because there’s more books. And because of the competition, quality will continue to increase. I’ve heard a few people talking lately about the best way to stay on …

Smart Novel Writing Software on the Horizon?

Cover art for the video game Total Annihilation, featuring futuristic military vehicles including aircraft and tanks over a textured, dark landscape with a large, glowing green sphere in the sky. The title is prominently displayed in bold yellow letters.

I’ve been in my writing cave hammering out words like a dwarven smith preparing for a huge battle to save the entire kingdom, and I had a thought today. I switched from the Conan the Barbarian soundtrack to the Willow soundtrack for …

LitRPG and the Lessons of Zelda

A scenic view of a beach with two palm trees on sandy shores, overlooking calm teal waters. A large, rugged rock formation rises prominently against a clear blue sky with a couple of lens flares.

I was reading an article at Wired this evening (With Breath of the Wild, Zelda Finally Loses Its Way. And I Love It), and a certain paragraph reminded me of the current state of the LitRPG genre. This isn’t a mind-blowing observation …

Lone Wolf and Fighting Fantasy Books: LitRPG?

Cover of You Are The Hero by Jonathan Green. Features a group of fantasy characters, including a warrior, wizard, and creatures, in a dynamic battle scene. Text: A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks with a circular emblem at the bottom center.

I would say these are probably some of the very first LitRPG books – even though they didn’t have the moniker that a group of Russian writers came up with back in 2010. Anyway, here’s a look at some books that gave me hours of role-playing excitement when I didn’t have any friends around to play D&D with. Do you remember these books?

On Formatting Goblin: Tower of Gates Book One

A page from an e-book titled Goblin displays Chapter 1, titled Eric. The text narrates a conversation between Eric and his father about testing a tablet, mentioning safety and the fathers work-related stress.

A few behind-the-scenes screenshots for you of formatting tests for the novel. Leave a comment if you have any thoughts. First up is a look at chapter headings. I’ve also decided to keep “game screens” as simple as possible. Here’s a partial …

On Finishing my First LitRPG Novel

The book cover features a warrior in armor holding a sword, set against a background of trees. The title reads Tower of Gates: Book Two - Human by Paul Bellow, with a +500 EXP text overlay.

Wow. It’s been a strange, crazy trip so far. Most people have been helpful as I switch to the LitRPG genre. Others are protective of the money they’re making in the genre and haven’t been as welcoming, but I understand their position.

As I finish my first LitRPG book, it’s a bittersweet moment. I’m anxious to get the book out to more readers, but I’m also sad that the first one is ending. This isn’t something that’s happened with a lot of the novels I’ve written in other genres.

LitRPG Interview: Magic Dome Books

Book covers for New Releases in the LitRPG genre. Titles: From Bestselling Authors, Video Game Plotline Tester, The Way of the Outcast, The Phantom Castle. Authors: Vasily Mahanenko, Michael Atamanov, Alexey Osadchuk. Orange background.

Simon Vale from Magic Dome Books was kind enough to answer a few of our questions over email. Here’s his answers with news about what’s coming up from them in the next few weeks. As always, you can expect great Russian –> English LitRPG translations as they work hard to bring us Americans some LitRPG from overseas. 

What About LitRPG Movies for Gamers?

A group of three cartoon characters stands in a medieval village. On the left, a large bearded figure holds a sword, in the middle, a green-skinned character with pointy ears, and on the right, a mustached figure in a futuristic outfit.

Someone on social media the other day was asking about good “LitRPG movies.” While Ready Player One won’t be released until March 2018, I’ve put together a collection of some classic movies for gamers. Okay, not all of them are movies, but they’re worth a watch in my opinion. If you love gaming, there’s sure to be something on this list you’ll enjoy. 

My Gaming History: Part One

An ASCII art styled RPG game screen showing options and stats: HP, ATK, MP, and Gold. A quest to Destroy the raiders in the Rogue Camp is listed. Options include locations like Grassy Fields, Blacksmith, and Tavern.

Oh, my. Where to begin. I guess it came with writing my own Zork-like adventure in Basic on an IBM PC clone ordered via phone direct from China. The 80s, a wonderful decade as Ready Player One so masterfully shows. Back then, …

Why Do I Love the LitRPG Genre?

As a full-time self-published author, I’m always looking at the money side of the business to ensure my lights stay on. With that said, I love the creative writing part of my job. Occasionally over the last few years, I’ve had to …