Musing.. A Non-LitRPG Book in a LitRPG Series

Discussion in 'All Things LitRPG' started by Jun, Sep 25, 2018.

  1. Jun

    Jun Level 13 (Assassin) LitRPG Author Citizen

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    Since my series is a trapped in a game setup, I'm thinking about doing a novella (40-50k words) focusing on what's happening in the world outside of the game. Corporate people shitting themselves, public fear and outrage, legal battles over how to handle so many people who are unconscious and in need of life support, of course insight into the organization that compromised the game to begin with, etc...

    What's your general feeling on this? It'd be part of a LitRPG series, but not a LitRPG since it would take place outside the game. Would it rub people the wrong way or be a welcome perspective?
     
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  2. Jay

    Jay Hiatus. LitRPG Author Beta Reader Citizen Aspiring Writer

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    It kind of depends? Like will there be "peeks" into what's happening in game from the perspective of the people outside? Will there be characters connected to the main characters in the series to tie it all in? Without some pretty strong tie-ins directly to the characters people are coming back for, it would likely be hard to pull off.

    It might be interesting to offer as a freebie on your website maybe for those interested? Maybe something like "sign up for the newsletter and get a few novella"?
     
  3. Jun

    Jun Level 13 (Assassin) LitRPG Author Citizen

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    Someone's going to get out of the game in book 3, and the protagonist is an employee of the company (still locked in game).

    I was thinking to bounce the real world's reactions off the person who gets out, as well as revisit the protagonist's co-worker, an AI, who we saw only briefly in book one. Right now no one really knows why the organization that trapped everyone in game did what they did, but there's actually an interesting reason for it. It's just not something that the people stuck in the game world would know about.
     
  4. Jay

    Jay Hiatus. LitRPG Author Beta Reader Citizen Aspiring Writer

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    See that might be a really fun tie-in and help to move the story along. I'd probably include it more as a "side story" then part of the "official series" if that makes sense just because some readers might not want to read if it doesn't include 'actual' LitRPG. I'd personally be curious about it though!
     
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  5. Windfall

    Windfall Level 18 (Magician) LitRPG Author Citizen

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    I agree with this. Make it a side story that's not essential to the main story line, but that helps deepen the readers' understanding of the world.
     
  6. Thomas Davidsmeier

    Thomas Davidsmeier Level 12 (Rogue) LitRPG Author Citizen

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    Rick Scott works this type of material right into the main story and does so in a really, really effective way. His 3rd book just came out and I haven't read it yet, but in the first two he really adds to the stakes of the in game stuff by linking it to outside the game stuff. He's actually got an awesome set up for the link where the game world is actually a link to a real world where AI's have run amok and created fantasy lands on the actual surface of the Earth where game rules apply. People have to succeed to a certain level in the game world to access the real world because the resources needed to send people out are actually very rare.
     
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