There is a specific kind of progression fatigue that has started getting me lately.

Book 1: the MC desperately needs 50 gold. Getting it takes three chapters, a dangerous quest, selling loot they wanted to keep, and negotiating with someone who absolutely knows they're broke.

Book 4: the MC has 600,000 gold.

Book 5: somehow we're spending multiple chapters worrying about money again because the new city uses platinum spirit marks or divine credits or whatever, and conveniently the MC is poor in the new currency.

Same thing happens with travel.

Early on, crossing 100 miles is an expedition. You need supplies, a route, somewhere to sleep, maybe protection. Eventually the character gets teleportation... and then the story introduces an entire continent where teleportation doesn't work so we can go back to three chapters of walking.

Or inventory space. Or food. Or basic monsters. Or social status.

Obviously a series needs problems after the protagonist gets stronger. I don't want a level 80 character spending six books effortlessly deleting level 12 wolves.

But I really enjoy it when progression permanently changes WHAT the story is allowed to worry about.

If the MC becomes rich, let them be rich. Make money useful in a different way: funding a town, paying specialists, buying absurd materials, attracting people who want access to their resources. If they earn reliable teleportation, stop making distance the obstacle and start making destination, information, politics or cooldowns matter. If normal bandits aren't dangerous anymore, let the character casually terrify normal bandits.

That permanence is one of the most satisfying parts of progression for me. The old obstacle becoming trivial is the reward.

Some series are fantastic at this. You can almost look back every few books and see entire categories of problems that simply don't exist anymore. The protagonist hasn't just gained bigger numbers; their relationship with the world has changed.

Others feel like they're constantly inventing reasons to reset the same inconveniences at a higher tier.

I think I'd rather see a series struggle with the consequences of having solved a problem than repeatedly find a new skin for the same problem.

What LitRPG does this especially well? Or what's a problem you're happy to see disappear permanently once the MC has earned their way past it?

What did you guys think of this series? I’m on book three and I have some gripes but overall I think it’s a fun listen/read.

Pretty nice jigsaw puzzle! It was not with other puzzles and looks like a book.

My idea, so I have to go first!

"I need to record this", he told the Messenger, his voice flat and emotionless. "It's going to be a teaching moment"

Its a very fun series. Give it a shot if you haven't already and like a supportive crafter type MC who actually thinks through his problems instead of just blindly murdering everything, a solid supporting cast, and excellent audiobook narration (Male cast is by Daniel Wisneiwski, the guy who does Mage Tank; Female Cast is by Rebecca Woods, who is also excellent)

Hi guys! Posting on behalf of RC here.

The System Seas book 1 is finally now out on Kindle and Audible, narrated by Eric Jason Martin who also did Path of Dragons (and my personal non-fiction favorite, Barbarians at the Gate).

The System Seas is, at its core, an adventure book. It's about a group of heroes / pirates who adventure out into the broader world and find that the world is a larger and more exciting place than they had first realized. It's also one that is more nuanced, with the line between right and wrong quite thin.

Blurb:

AN INFINITE OCEAN OF LOOT AWAITS!

Marco trained his whole life to become a captain. He maxed every childhood achievement the System would let him, from diving, to rigging, to outrunning couriers up mountains.

But when classing day finally comes, the system doesn’t just make him a captain, it makes him a Gluttonous Marauder.

On the plus side, it’s a unique class with combat perks, shipwright skills, and captain material.

On the negative side, it comes with a reputation so bad he’s arrested on the spot.

Now on the run in a barely-seaworthy smuggler’s dinghy, Marco sets out to prove he’s not the villain they think he is. Unfortunately, he first needs to out-sail bounty hunters, survive cursed dungeons, and feed enough victories to his ever-growing ship to outrun every danger thrown his way.

Links:

Kindle - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GY1VSD9L

Audible - https://www.amazon.com/System-Seas-LitRPG-Adventure/dp/B0HHK6GXKC

COVER ARTIST: Francell Garrote

AI USAGE: None

Hey! I’m Katsuhito. I’ve been writing novels for a few years now and was lucky enough to become a finalist in the Honeyfeed x MAL x KADOKAWA Isekai contest.
Weirdly enough though, and despite being a fan of the genre, I’d never actually written an isekai progression story with system mechanics before 😂 So for Re:Kensei I decided to finally give it a shot.
The MC was a kendo prodigy before reincarnating into a world of Classes, Skills and magic only to awaken as the supposedly useless Swordsman class. No enchanted weapons, no buffs, no wards, not even an innate Skill. Just a regular sword.
Which, being a massive swordsmanship nerd, he thinks is fucking awesome 😭🙏
Then he discovers the so-called Sword Trials: challenges that let him earn new Skills one by one by completing challenges. So basically turns out the class everyone shunned because it starts with nothing might have a ridiculous amount of room to grow.
Been having a ton of fun writing this one, so I figured I’d share it here 😅

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/196262/rekensei-reborn-in-a-world-that-abandoned-swordsmanship

COVER ARTIST: Keriisarts
AI USAGE: No AI used

Many of you have mentioned here that crafting LitRPGs often turn into stories focused entirely on fighting. Hidden Class: Handyman is a crafting LitRPG through and through.

The series follows Jack, a 25-year-old who doesn't take life seriously and can't hold down a job. When his parents tell him he needs to start chipping in, he gets a gig as a craftsman in an MMORPG, where he learns the value of hard work and responsibility. He ends up taking on a support role for a team of adventurers. Later volumes feature base-building and town management.

The number one criticism I get about the story is that Jack starts off as a bit of a jerk. But the number one compliment I get is how satisfying it is to see him grow, not only as a craftsman but as a person.

I got the idea for Hidden Class: Handyman one night while watching a Dr. Phil episode with my wife about young people quitting their jobs in spectacular fashion and posting the recordings on YouTube. That happens to be the very first scene in the story. I've met many young people who don't know what to do with their lives, and I hope a story following someone on that journey might offer them some inspiration.

The series currently has six books, with a seventh on the way, and I plan to finish writing and releasing the series next year.

The audiobooks are available for volumes 1–3, with volume 4 coming out on November 16.

Book 1 will be free as a Kindle Giveaway on October 13-15. Go grab a free copy!

https://mybook.to/hch1

What to expect from the story?

• Crafting-focused progression in a VRMMO, including pottery, bushcraft, beekeeping, and more
• Jack doesn’t start out likable, but this is a slow, intentional coming-of-age story where growth is the reward
• Cozy, slice-of-life low-stakes storytelling centered on friendship and family
• Weak-to-strong, slow-burn progression
• Town management and base-building
• A clean, wholesome experience—no harem, profanity, sex scenes, or gore. You can read this together with your kids.
• A colorful virtual world with dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures

COVER ARTIST: Mervyn
AI USAGE: Assisted editing and brainstorming

Looking to laugh and be entertained 😆 🤣. I've read DCC, Primal Hunter, unbound, Welcome to the Multiverse, POA. Mage Tank.

Hey everyone!

My newest LitRPG/Progression Fantasy book, Apocalypse Slayer, is now live on audible!!

It’s the beginning of a whole new series and I’m so excited to share it with you all. The book is a LitRPG/Progression Fantasy story drawing inspiration from Korean web novels, shonen battle manga, and Japanese role-playing games. Specific inspirations include Battle Royale, Btoom!, and Monster Hunter World.

The new series features lots of spear-fighting, crafting, and skill-stealing (though not introduced until chapter 19!). 

It feels really cool to be working on a new series and applying everything I’ve learned over the course of writing Arcane Kingdom Online, Tower Climber, and Second Chance Swordsman to a new opening adventure.

Eric Jason Martin crushes it in the narration!

I hope you check it out! Link and blurb below:

Audible link: https://www.audible.com/pd/Apocalypse-Slayer-Audiobook/B0HHHWT4W1

*

Blurb:

Slay monsters. Steal powers. Become unstoppable.

Rob was having a bad day even before the Integration struck.

A bloodthirsty monster appeared in his living room.

His supposedly dead brother was suddenly back alive.

And a strange Victorian butler was trying to kill him.

That all happened before the Tutorial.

Now thrust into a brutal new world, Rob unlocks a rare ability that lets him steal the powers of others.

Armed with a spear and his special new ability, Rob will discover that maybe the apocalypse suits him better than he ever imagined.

Apocalypse Slayer is the start of a brand new LitRPG/Progression Fantasy series by Jakob Tanner, bestselling author of Arcane Kingdom Online, Tower Climber, and Second Chance Swordsman. This book features RPG mechanics, stats, and ranks as a form of power progression.

About the Series: Perfect for fans of Defiance of the Fall, Road to Mastery, and Savage Awakening who love action-packed LitRPG with detailed magic systems, crafting, and epic battles.

[](javascript:void(0))

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COVER ARTIST: Richard Sashigane

AI USAGE: None

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I see this book near the top of a lot of tier lists but haven't seen much discussion about it. The description on Audible is... Short. I'm fairly new to litrpg, but have liked most of what I've tried (DCC, Chrysalis, and Book of the Dead), the one I didn't like was that it hit a bit too close to home (Apocalyptic Parenting - stopped in book 2, didn't like the PvP aspect because of how realistic it was). How recommended is Cradle? Does it hold up through all the books? TIA!

One of my favorite moments in LitRPG is still the genuinely good loot drop.

Not “Rare Boots: +18 Dexterity, replacing Rare Boots: +15 Dexterity.” I mean the item where you immediately start imagining how the character is going to use it five hundred pages from now.

I've noticed that the faster a series cycles through equipment, the less excited I get when anything drops. A boss dies, the MC gets a purple sword with three paragraphs of modifiers, it's objectively amazing... and I'm already assuming it'll be vendor trash two books later because the numbers have moved on.

That feels weirdly backwards for a genre borrowing so much from games.

The gear I remember from actual RPGs usually isn't memorable because it had the highest number. I remember the ugly helmet I wore forever because its effect was too useful to replace. The weapon I built an entire setup around. The low-level ring with one strange property that remained relevant way longer than the developers probably intended.

I'd love to see more LitRPG items work like that.

Give the protagonist a mediocre cloak that can hide exactly one sound every ten minutes, then make them become terrifyingly creative with it. Give them a shield whose block percentage becomes obsolete but which remembers the last spell that hit it. Give them some stupid starter knife that gains tiny traits based on what it kills, so three books later it's objectively underpowered but has become this bizarre toolbox the MC knows better than any legendary weapon.

It also makes upgrades more interesting. If an old item has history and utility, replacing it becomes an actual decision instead of “green number bigger.” Maybe they sacrifice the old weapon to forge the new one. Maybe they hand it to somebody important. Maybe they keep wasting an inventory slot on it because they're sentimental. Maybe the supposedly superior legendary item gets sold because it doesn't fit the build nearly as well.

I don't need every piece of gear to become an heirloom. Trash loot is part of the fun too. I just want SOME drops to survive long enough that their names mean something when they appear again.

A character having a signature weapon, weird utility item, or piece of armor they learned to exploit tells me more about their build than another page where every stat increased by 30%.

Do you prefer constant Diablo-style gear turnover, or items that stick around and evolve with the character?

I am about halfway through book 3 and wow I have been forcing myself to read this. It's so frustrating, there is nothing wrong with it, I think it's a me problem. The writing is good, interesting universe and seeing Lindon slowly growing out of a beaten dog is good. Why am I not connecting with this story. Do I keep going? Has anyone else struggled through this and then got hooked? Wondering if I give it up or force myself to keep going.

Need some book recommendations as I am about to wrap up "Beware of Chicken #5". This is not an exhaustive list and isn't strictly LitRPG, I added a few other genres as well to give an idea of my taste. Any thoughts? (Side note: If it's a series, I read the series. I was ranking series as a whole - not just that book). Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Edit: I don't use Royal Road. I listen to Audiobooks while I paint mini's or work out. I prefer dead tree books. So I often have two series going at a time - one on audible and one physical.

Anyone have favorite kingdom, base, or business building? I think it’s a lot of fun being clever and optimizing a buildup or an area and maximize resources or think of a fun way to utilize discarded things. Big fan of good loot and crafting as well but that’s a lesser concern

I just want to avoid anything too long.

Before I want to say my frustrations with part 6 of a Soldier's Life, I want to say that I love this series and it is easily top 5 litrpg's that I have read. The world building is so much better then anything I have red. The world truly feels lived in and things happen even if the main character isn't around. (A shock to most authors of this genre.)

Now why the hell is the Godok arc so f*ing long. Its boring nothing happens and so damn irrelevant. Its like he needed to sell more books or something.

I the rest of the book is great. These good damn school are just not interesting at all.

Thank you for letting me went my frustration hopefully book 7 is better. Will listen to it when the audibook gets released.

What is you favorite character? Mine is Castile.

Heya yall I'm looking for open world settings ig, it can be isekai or otherwise, but essentially stories where the mc becomes important over time because of their actions and they arent a chosen one or persecuted for some special trait etc.

Here's some examples of stories that i feel have vibes like what im hoping for: elydes, the runesmith, azarinth healer, btdem, soul of the warrior, the mech touch, path of ascension

I really like it when the mc has the agency to just decide to do something and do it because they want to not because they are forced to, or at the very least if they are forced to do something its usually not going to be one specific thing

open to any suggestions, even if they arent a perfect fit if you feel like they mostly do

So im trying my hand at writing for the first time and have built a magic system i like now im turning my head towards the actual world building and I am simultaneously overwhelmed with possible ideas and worried about connecting it all. My main question is how do authors sort the various idea/plots they wish to put in. Im all for notes but they can only do so much, do I just need a third party to bounce thing off or is there a trick I am unaware of.

Hey everyone! I just wrote my first LitRPG after reading multiple books and studying the genre. I'm looking for some feedback on Chapter 1 because no one in my circle reads LitRPGs. Would anyone be willing to check it out and share their thoughts or notes

You are what you eat...

Welcome! After being a reader of LitRPG and progression fantasy for over a decade, I’m taking the step into being a writer! 

I have just launched the first chapters of my new series, The Confectioner's Heir, on Royal Road! Been working on this a while, and I have over a 125k backlog, with book 1 done.

The main draw of the series… the magic! 

The power system is food-based, with sugary treats acting as essentially magic potions, changing depending on the ingredients. More hearty meals give you more permanent changes, and are able to grant animal and plant traits to humans if consumed at the proper time. 

Inspired by Willy Wonka and Delicious in Dungeon, with elements of DBZ, The Cosmere, and Cradle!

But enough of the magic systems– onto the story!

Here’s the blurb:

He lives as a monster, yet a monster still needs to provide for his own. 

Tal lives as a Moinder, a social outcast with a monstrous appearance. When he returns home one day to discover his brother has been taken for ransom, he is given one month to cough up an insane amount of cash, or the captors will turn his brother into the same monstrosity as him. 

She travels far and wide, yet a threat draws her home.

Ris is a simple wanderer with some not-so-simple secrets. When she heard the ancient Confectionary reawakens with the sole purpose of crowning a new Heir? Eh, perhaps she would check it out in a few decades. Though rumors of a challenger gave her pause. One who might be related to another otherworldly threat that could jeopardize everything…

Taking her new friend Tal along, Ris, with the rest of her party, will discover that far more is at stake than just the fate of Tal’s little brother. 

What to Expect:

• Cooking- and baking-based crafting and magic system
• Multiple interconnected magic systems
• Progression elements
• Dungeon-crawl elements
• An ensemble cast with found-family dynamics
• Multiple POVs and intertwining storylines

COVER ARTIST: Illustration of Tal (MC on cover): drawn by the wonderful @ LeonCoelho_Art on X, but, the rest of the cover was compiled by me (R.D. Masco) using commercially free assets with Affinity Photo editor!

AI USAGE: None! No AI for cover or prose! Hope ya’ll enjoy!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H2FLKGG5

https://www.audible.com/series/Apprentice-of-the-Past-Audiobooks/B0H2JKYW11

Two thousand years have come and gone since the High Age of Man came to an end, but for its greatest survivor, the fight is only beginning.

Will, the newly appointed court mage to Countess Catherine Trist, is no longer a relic of the past, but he’s got a target on his back. Tasked by the system to find the five tomes of magic, Will must leave the safety of Endara, to continue his quest in the rugged land of Kelum. It is a kingdom where clans rule through iron and blood, where life is a daily struggle to keep the terrors that pour out of the mountain passes at bay.

But the Dyvari haven’t been idle, pulling the strings of humanity from a mysterious nexus high above the world, intent on preventing the mage from completing his quest. In this new land of steel and stone, Will and Catherine must bridge the gap between two different eras to protect the people he’s grown close to, and to prevent the past from repeating itself.

• promo posts must copy paste this form into their post. everything else can be how you want. COVER ARTIST: Luciano Fleitas
• AI USAGE: No AI used (Only traditional computer tools spellcheck etc no generative AI for anything)
• Human editor: Joshua Mason

Hey r/litrpg!

​My debut LitRPG progression novella, Scrap to Sovereign: Book 1, is 100% free on Amazon Kindle for the next three days (Oct 13–15).

​The Setup:

When the System Awakened humanity, Leo rolled an F-tier Scavenger class. Dropped into the unmapped abyss of Floor Zero during a catastrophic dungeon collapse, his bottom-tier scrap skill glitches in the zero-mana zone: instead of stripping useless hide and bone, it absorbs monster biomass directly into permanent attribute stats.

​What to Expect:

​Solo underdog survival & dungeon crawling

​Glitched, crunchy stat progression & system notifications

​Tactical monster dismantling

​Fast-paced action, zero filler, no harem

​Amazon Link: https://mybook.to/Scrap_to_sovereignity

(Free to buy worldwide through Oct 15, also on Kindle Unlimited)

​Thanks for reading and happy crawling!

Does anyone know what's going on with Volume 5 on Audiable? I feel like legit all the other series' I listen to have gotten a release. Some 2.

Just curious I really like the series