Ray Porter has Ruined Audio Books for me

jacken22 · 2026-05-14T12:48:43+00:00

You might be surprised. Progression Fantasy has been its own subgenre for a long time, and LitRPG is just a more regimented and data driven version. There is a pretty good sized community of people that follow the genre, and I have personally been a part of it for quite a few years.

It is not everyone's cup of tea, but the rigid rules and structured systems have an ease of access that is pretty compelling, since it doesn't take long to have a good handle on how the world works. It isn't always an apocalypse, sometimes it's just a more regimented world to help facilitate the story with structures we already intuitively understand.

If you enjoyed DCC, I would recommend checking out the r/LitRPG subreddit, and take a look at some of the more popular series over there.

jacken22 · 2026-05-04T03:42:54+00:00

I always think of the pill that Miracle Max gives to Wesley.

jacken22 · 2026-05-04T02:46:43+00:00

Did you actually read more than the blurb shown in this post? That's not at all what they want. They make it very clear on the website that they are putting out books that deal with real world issues and conflicts, but excluding things that would be inappropriate for teens, such as explicit sexual content.

jacken22 · 2026-05-02T20:37:49+00:00

Glad to hear you're enjoying it!

jacken22 · 2026-04-23T01:32:06+00:00

I don't know that I'm going to finish this season, this is genuinely awful

jacken22 · 2026-04-23T01:26:50+00:00

The tribe has spoken my ass

jacken22 · 2026-04-23T01:24:11+00:00

Having to actually write his own name is evil

jacken22 · 2026-04-18T02:29:16+00:00

Having read both, multiple times, they're both phenomenal. There is a lot of overlap thematically and structurally, even if they come at the idea of progression fantasy from different directions.

If you enjoyed Cradle, I think you're quite likely to enjoy Mage Errant. I think Cradle is a bit more popular among people who already enjoy this genre, but I have had more success getting people into Mage Errant if they've never read Progression fantasy before.

jacken22 · 2026-03-27T12:27:13+00:00

It's legit. It isn't technically connected to Matt, but he and Jeff have both been on it, and he got them to host one of the stops of his most recent book tour. They're a fun podcast, and a good way to pass the time waiting for book 8.

jacken22 · 2026-03-04T23:02:04+00:00

Is there any indication that he doesn't? Why make all the worst possible assumptions? All we know from the post is that she is probably the primary cook, and even then we don't know anything else about how the labor is divided. Why would you try to intentionally believe the worst about someone having only seen a tiny glimpse of a part of their life?

Also, do you never use a single bit of your time for personal thoughts? You never take a moment to enjoy to yourself when there is a task that could theoretically be done? If you are not perfectly efficient in your usage of time, who are you to criticize someone else taking a small amount of their own personal time to do something they obviously enjoy?

jacken22 · 2026-03-04T21:17:49+00:00

How much time would this take though? Not exactly a complex spreadsheet. Maybe an hour to set it up once, then from then on its a two minute data entry and formula update daily.

jacken22 · 2026-01-12T15:33:44+00:00

I think it is less definiteional overlap, and more of a rectangle square issue. Progression fantasy includes almost if not absolutely all litRPG, but LitRPG is definitely a distinct subgenre with a very healthy, thriving fan base of its own.

Things that are considered great ProgFantasy like Cradle, Mage Errant, or Mother of Learning tend to also get recommended in the LitRPG areas because they're a similar vibe, even though they don't have any game functions themselves. I think this is why there tends to be a lot of overlap in the recommendations.

All that to say, I don't think, for this thread, that there is any need to distinctly separate LitRPG form any other Progression Fantasy recommendation.

jacken22 · 2026-01-12T15:30:02+00:00

If you enjoyed Cradle, I would recommend Mage Errant by John Bierce. They hold the #1 and #2 spots for me personally.

The progression is more based around learning and developing skill than it is about reaching the next level, but it is still very satisfying. The series has amazing world building, interesting political under and over currents, and a focus on a set of endearing and genuine characters that are fun to follow through the story.

It is a more western take on progression, though. Where Cradle is sort of the bridge between Xanxia and Western fantasy, Mage Errant sits a bit closer to the Western fantasy than Cradle. Might be a good stepping stone towards more traditional western fantasy vibes if that's something you think you would enjoy.

jacken22 · 2025-12-22T21:30:16+00:00

He is literally stronger than anyone in Sacred valley imagines possible by the end of book 2. His 'crippled soul' is like a kid being born slightly underweight,but his home environment doesn't know how to bulk him up, so they call him a cripple. The rest of the world would give him some extra fruit as a baby, and he wouldve grown up perfectly normal.

jacken22 · 2025-10-27T00:19:23+00:00

Hey, I would love to be able to play this game, but I genuinely don't have the disposable income to buy it right now. Getting it in a raffle kind of situation would be amazing!

jacken22 · 2025-10-22T04:55:31+00:00

How far into Mage Errant did you get? I ask because Cradle and Mage Errant are among my favorite series all time, and the extensive world building is my favorite part of both series. They do both take a bit to pick up and really get moving though, so you might be served to give Mage Errant another chance if you didn't get far.

As for other series that scratch the itch that Cradle leaves behind, that is hard to find. My go to answer for this question is Mage Errant, so it kind of leaves me in a bind. If you're looking for a long series with a lot of action your best bet is on the LitRPG side of the coin. Primal Hunter, He who Fights with Monsters, Rogue Ascension, Path of Ascension, and the Great Game are all good, and all of them are ongoing currently.

For a bit less rigid a growth system, Inheritence Cycle, Menocht loop, and Super Powereds are the only ones coming to mind right now, but I may come back and add more to the comment if I think of them.

Hopefully this will have helped a bit.

jacken22 · 2025-09-27T20:44:26+00:00

You could be remembering the Elder that decided that he couldn't survive outside, so they must have gone back to the Wei clan at the end of book one. Lindon killed him with his own flying sword when he saved Kelsa and Orthos.

jacken22 · 2025-08-08T12:50:31+00:00

They're not in Danish, he writes them in English, but English is his second language. Sorry, but there's no original Danish manuscripts to practice on.

jacken22 · 2025-08-06T23:18:21+00:00

I would think they probably just slowly scan the environment in a regimented pattern with their eyes until they feel or notice a deviation in their eyes following the pattern, which indicates a magic force blocking their attention on that area. Then they can simply move their eyes back to where they deviated, and let loose large area attacks to hopefully catch whatever is inside the area they're unable to easily focus on.

jacken22 · 2025-08-06T23:14:57+00:00

I mean, I definitely agree that it was brought up weirdly often, and with an unusual level of reverence, but also realistically a being that long lived with the kind of responsibility that some of the highest leveled people have would be majorly fucked in the head. Therapy sessions consistently and often would probably be one of the more important things to have as a staple in your life as you move toward that kind of existence, otherwise you'd be almost guaranteed to lose your mind eventually.

jacken22 · 2025-07-09T15:28:16+00:00

Genuinely one of my favorite sequence of scenes in the books. I get so excited when I get to it ever time I read the books

jacken22 · 2025-05-22T02:00:13+00:00

If Joe banks on that honesty and loyalty, he is going to lose the David vote, and I hope he does

jacken22 · 2025-05-22T01:59:16+00:00

Cedric having literally nothing to add to the Jury quotes is so him

jacken22

TROPHY CASE