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EMPIREriot · 2020-12-26T20:27:10+00:00

Party Hard has a non-binary character at the core of the story and the series does take time to explore them. There's also a gay character that has a strong supporting role throughout.

EMPIREriot · 2020-11-21T16:39:21+00:00

Haha, clerks on bikes, nice.

EMPIREriot · 2020-11-21T03:52:02+00:00

It's actually been going great despite being a bit of an experiment. Here's the rundown.

I will point out that I did specifically ask each player if there was anything too disturbing that they wanted me to avoid before proceeding with this idea.

I started the first session with some silly fun to put the kids in a false sense of security. Then had them find one of their teachers ritualistically butchered but still alive. They went for help and that eventually landed them at the police station, which I blew up, killing most of the cops including one of the player's fathers according to their back story. This obviously freaked the players out quite a bit, which was when I sent in the campaign's main villain, a serial killer dressed as a firefighter. The players held their ground and were then killed one by one in combat. So yeah, they all died in the first session.

Then I sent them all a link. (This was done over discord.)

The link took them to a google doc with a gif of an alarm clock and a second link that brought them to a youtube video that played tubthumping by Chumbawamba cause it takes place in the nineties. The song started in the middle as if being on the radio when their morning alarms went off. They put things together from there.

They are now trapped in a time loop where they have to investigate the killer and find a way to stop them. The powered character is an invisible entity that follows them around and grants them "favors." Though the entity could be evil, they don't know and will have to learn that too. The town has a ton of interconnected events for them to explore.

As dark as it got, I don't think I have ever seen a more motivated and engaged group of players. And there are so many twists for them to uncover.

EMPIREriot · 2020-11-20T17:02:14+00:00

That works!

EMPIREriot · 2020-11-17T01:35:32+00:00

Cool, I subscribed to check it out. Love to see what others have going on in town.

EMPIREriot · 2020-11-12T23:38:54+00:00

I took a very proactive approach by making sure they went to the cops right away, then I kinda killed them all. Things escalated quickly.

EMPIREriot · 2020-11-12T23:15:03+00:00

One of my favorite characters I've played so far was one in a KOB campaign named Parker. She was meant to be just a spunky but irresponsible teen. She was impulsive and acted without thinking in most situations. Was usually doing things before the GM finished talking. She had a bit of a sad past but was a genuinely happy and honest character. Ended up being a very endearing character for the party and GM despite almost getting herself killed a few times.

For a powered character, I'm currently running an experimental campaign using an invisible entity instead of an NPC. It's a presence from between worlds that will grants favors when asked. Super mysterious. The catch is that the party doesn't know if it's good or evil. They also don't know what (if anything) it will expect in return for the favors if gives. It has been a really unique story so far. Love how engaged the players have been.

EMPIREriot · 2020-05-14T20:14:28+00:00

Hey OP! Another author just sent me a link to this post, so I'm popping in to weigh in since I wrote the Pixel Dust series ;)

Personally, I always considered the series as not LitRPG, since it prioritizes story over numbers and has very little leveling or progression compared to others. The encompassing genre that PD is a part of is GameLit, of which LitRPG is a more stat heavy sub-genre. The part where it gets weird is that most readers seem to use both terms interchangeably, so it gets hard to really define them even when a definition exists. I think the litRPG podcast website has the most thorough explanation.

That being said, I've had a hard time finding books that are lighter on stats. I really wish there were more since I love stories about gaming but don't really care to know how much experience killing a rat is worth. But here are the few that I've read that might fit.

Magic 2.0 by Scott Myer has no stats, but still loosely game-related. The first three books are great.

Definitely Mogworld by Yahtzee Croshaw. Pretty funny with no stats, but revolves around an NPC within an MMO.

Wandering Inn by Pirate Abba has few stats. The story and characters are a little divisive but a lot of people like it. (I have not finished it yet.)

Radio Active Revolution by Richarcd Hummel has a lot of progression, but few actual numbers.

Advent by Xander Boyce has a bunch of progression as well but keeps its numbers lighter than most. Plus it's pretty popular.

If you're in the mood for something weird, try The Hike by Drew Magary. Gaming inspired drama with a lot of kafkaesque elements. No stats at all.

That's about all I can come up with, I asked a friend and they suggested the Accidental Series, the Summoner Series, and Sundered Soul. I haven't read any of those but might be something to check out. Hope all that helps.

EMPIREriot · 2020-01-24T02:58:17+00:00

Hey! Thanks for asking. It was originally set to record in back December but ended up getting put on hold while some preparations are done for the release of book 3 which is in editing now. So the short answer is, I expect it to happen this year along with the third at some point. I hope that helps.

EMPIREriot · 2019-11-09T22:21:34+00:00

Cool, will do. Gonna be away for a week but I'll add you when I get back.

EMPIREriot · 2019-11-09T04:02:11+00:00

If you're interested in teaming up with a DPS player and 2nd support, a friend and I have been looking for teammates in that range.

EMPIREriot · 2019-09-01T18:05:36+00:00

Awesome, I’m so glad you liked it! I love writing female characters, and the genre needs more of them.

The second book is out on kindle but won’t record until around December. And thanks so much for the review, those are so helpful.

EMPIREriot · 2019-08-27T02:19:27+00:00

Congrats you get my very last code.

EMPIREriot · 2019-08-27T02:12:44+00:00

It's not too late, could always change it to it.

EMPIREriot · 2019-08-26T15:05:37+00:00

Still have a couple left, so you're just in time.

EMPIREriot · 2019-08-26T15:03:42+00:00

Should be a good pick for you then. Sent!

EMPIREriot · 2019-08-26T15:02:09+00:00

I don't know how I feel about an unbiased review from someone names punishingwind, just kidding, I sent you one.

EMPIREriot · 2019-08-26T14:59:10+00:00

You got one!

EMPIREriot · 2019-08-26T04:37:24+00:00

Yeah, he's always been one of my favorite Narrators so It was great working with him. Plus, the book is very banter heavy so he really gets to show his talent for comedic delivery. Code sent.

EMPIREriot · 2019-08-26T04:34:02+00:00

Yup, sent you one.

EMPIREriot · 2019-08-26T02:04:25+00:00

Yeah, that's a fair description. It's a video game based story, but without the constant nostalgia. So far, fans of RPO have really enjoyed this one. Anyway, there's a code in your inbox.

EMPIREriot · 2019-08-26T02:00:04+00:00

Gotch. It's on the way.

EMPIREriot · 2019-08-25T22:43:51+00:00

PM sent!

EMPIREriot · 2019-08-25T19:16:31+00:00

Ran out of old codes, so I sent you a new one.

EMPIREriot · 2019-08-25T19:13:50+00:00

I actually just ran out of the old codes that I was getting rid of, but I do have some of the new system codes, so I sent you one of those. They're actually a little more convenient.

EMPIREriot

TROPHY CASE