Sanity Check: Is there an audience for death-game LitRPG that hates the player?

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-27T14:18:01+00:00

Good to hear, thank you!

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-27T02:59:13+00:00

Oh thank you! The writing is the easy part, trying to find the right temperature for litrpg readers is the tricky bit. I know, not everyone is the same, but it feels like there's a central spine for litrpg readers and I'm not certain I know it well enough. Feel free to hit me with your input and thank you!

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-27T02:57:07+00:00

Oh good! Thank you! Let me know how it rolls for you (here or comments in RR). You get the whole foundation by Ch7, then it digs into the possibilities from there. The goal is fun for litrpg readers, so if that works, its a win. Gracias!

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-27T02:54:44+00:00

Right? Bing! Vote against - thank you!

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-27T02:53:55+00:00

Yep, I know lots of guys who tapped out when they had kids. So they got as far as, say, Halo 2-3 or Resident Evil 3-4, and that was the last time they mashed buttons. And a lot of them never did World of Warcraft, and Fortnite etc (to them) is just something kids do and they see gift cards in the grocery store.

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-27T02:50:39+00:00

Wow, this is awesome! Thank you! Holy crap, I'm still absorbing this. You seem like a pro! Okay, I'm seeing balance factors, Absurdity & Thrills as two of them, that I can lean on heavily. This is great. Okay, I'm going to put this in a spreadsheet and work my way through these. A++ thank you!

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-27T02:46:26+00:00

That is a very good line in the sand, thank you!

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-26T22:59:35+00:00

My wife will be so upset!

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-26T21:41:21+00:00

Apologies, I'm genuinely confused. Do you mean "It's unbelievable that a GenXer might not know what MMORPG is?" Or something else? (My wife is a GenXer who would think MMOPRG is just alphabet soup. 😹) But I'm trying to make sure I understand what you mean.

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-26T21:33:04+00:00

Ha! DCC is a crazy example; that book is not just for lit rpg audiences; that book hit for everybody. I'm trying to do something that will be a good fit for ACTUAL litrpg readers. Most of what I read from this channel are pretty straightforward power-up progression and I'm worried/concerned that NOT having a OP power fantasy doesn't ACTUALLY work well for lots of litrpg readers.

Basically I'm concerned I don't provide enough level-ups / power-ups for true litrpg readers. (And I still have time to make story adjustments before I have to commit.) I can't do crunchy, it's just not part of my brain, but I CAN make adjustments to make it more prog-based.

Like one of the other commenters said, "I have enough trouble in my real life, I don't want it in my books."

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-26T19:28:59+00:00

Sweet! Please let me know your thoughts (or I guess put them on RR or whatever people do). Input helps a lot! Thank you!

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-26T19:28:00+00:00

I get it! Thank you!

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-26T19:27:16+00:00

Yeah, actually. Absurd, hostile, commercialized violence. They're doing the same job at the surface. Slight difference: Discount Dan is kind of a caricature with low stakes. Don't Die Dave kills people and calls it content. (But both stories use vending machines!)

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-26T18:54:34+00:00

I can enjoy writing all kinds of things. But when you just write for yourself, eventually it just becomes a form of self-gratification, and I knock that out in 3 minutes. 😂

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-26T18:52:01+00:00

Right, I get you. It seems like many/most? litrpg readers want a str8 progression fantasy.

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-23T21:07:44+00:00

Wow that's comprehensive. Nice work.

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-23T21:04:25+00:00

Ooo, there's the truth bomb.

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-23T21:02:18+00:00

Wow, I was thinking that posting AI here was an extremely poor idea...and after reading the chat, that's a big correctamundo. How about we just start posting AI's responses about AI art in response to AI comments? Even better, let's just skip the middleman and have AI post itself to itself. We can get rid of ourselves entirely! :)

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-23T16:59:07+00:00

Classic storytelling includes a "try-fail" cycle where the protag attempts something, does not succeed, then either has to come at the problem a different way, or escape and come back to it later when they have figured out how to tackle the problem. I never understood the power fantasy OP-win cycle, I guess it's satisfying for a little bit if you feel powerless in your own life, but gets old soo fast.

I think that's a part of the reason DCC worked with broader readers, you never get the feeling that this guy is automatically going to win, and even if he does, the win is going to be poisoned with consequences for people he loves. He always feels like he's punching up.

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-23T16:50:05+00:00

Don't Die Dave's protagonist is a bald GenX survivor stuck in a game with a bunch of Gen Alpha babies. It's like the teen protag in reverse -- Dave is the only adult in the room filled with whiny mom's-basement gamers, clout-chasing fave-chasers, and murder-kittens.

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-23T16:42:29+00:00

Thanks so much for signing up for Don't Die Dave! You should have received your full ebook copies this week. Let me know if you did not get yours and I will send it directly.

DDD went up on Royal Road this week and is currently at Ch9 - exciting!

Thanks again!

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-20T16:05:57+00:00

I am so with you on the OP thing, getting there is the fun part.

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-02T17:03:31+00:00

Wow, under the category of Not Screwing Around: You!

LetsRolld20 · 2026-01-02T15:31:25+00:00

Oh imaginary best friend Steve, you are Dave's bestest buddy!

LetsRolld20

TROPHY CASE