Four of the voices helping shape the LitRPG community sit down for a candid, behind-the-scenes conversation about what really keeps the genre thriving. Evan Durham and Jay Taylor from the LitRPG Group, Sean Hall from LitRPG Books, and Stephen Landry from Club Kaiju break down how they became moderators, what separates a great community from a chaotic one, and why they keep coming back day after day. The discussion dives into the debates that never seem to die, the trends defining today’s readers, and the surprising reasons LitRPG communities stay so active and engaged compared to other genres. Most importantly, they tackle the big question: can LitRPG hold onto its tight-knit, grassroots identity as it continues to explode in popularity, or is that sense of community something that inevitably changes as the genre grows?

Michael Chatfield joins me and special co-host Jess from In Other Worlds Podcast for a deep dive into Restarting the Apocalypse, Ten Realms, and Emerilia. We talk about the original version of RTA, where Len and Rick were first meant to build up a refuge in Eskon City before the apocalypse, how the series is evolving as characters begin to feel like legends in their own worlds, and how long Michael thinks the series might ultimately run as Book 4 releases May 4th. We also get into Ten Realms ahead of Book 1 hitting bookstores and the May 18 book tour, including the lingering fan curiosity around Kun Lun’s granddaughter and one of those smaller healing-related threads readers still remember. And for Emerilia, Michael shares how Dave was originally just supposed to be the guy who wanted to build a home, drink beer, and have a good time, before the series expanded into something much bigger, plus how he decided where to draw the line so it wouldn’t lose the fantasy, party-based feel that made readers fall in love with it in the first place.

JD Glasscock stopped by to talk about some of the most emotionally charged parts of his work, including why Shira’s “The Leap” from Nocturne remains the single best scene he feels he’s ever written and why Jebediah’s PTSD was such an essential part of shaping Warborn. We also got into what trauma, sacrifice, and survival mean across his stories, while special guest Michael Norman Johnson, narrator of Warborn (alongside Sarah Puckett), joined the conversation to bring in the audiobook side of things. To top it off, JD also shared updates on the multiple music albums he has coming out over the next few months and teased a brand-new Wonderland-inspired Steampunk Grimdark LitRPG project currently in the works.

In this episode, we sit down with J.L. Mullins to dig into both Millennial Mage and Choose Your Apocalypse, starting with a fan theory that might sound wild but raises real questions about the deeper structure of his world—is Millennial Mage secretly compatible with something like Warhammer 40k? From there, we get into the future of the series, what almost happened behind the scenes with characters who were originally meant to die, and one of the biggest questions readers have right now: what actually happened to Kit during the Reforging. We also shift over to Choose Your Apocalypse to talk about the intent behind the “Apology Tutorial,” what it says about the System itself, and whether romance is even on the table for Alex. It’s a mix of theory, author insight, and just enough behind-the-scenes detail to give longtime readers something new to chew on.

In this episode, Casualfarmer joins The Longwinded One and guest host Samantha Boyd for a deep dive into the lore and development of Beware of Chicken. The conversation explores the origins of Xiulan’s character, as well as the mysterious backstory of her mother and the circumstances that brought her to Azure Hills. We also unpack the controversial betrayal of the Verdant Blade Sect, discuss how power actually works among cultivation sects in the series, and explore some of the deeper political and historical layers shaping the world of Beware of Chicken. It’s a fun mix of behind-the-scenes writing insight and cultivation lore for fans of the series.

In this episode, I’m joined by author Aaron Michael Ritchey, creator of Shadowcroft Academy for Dungeons and the Dungeon Accountant series, to talk about the strange and hilarious worlds of LitRPG authors. We dig into fan questions about why Logan begins Shadowcroft as a fungaloid, the chaos of Marko the goatman, and how something as bizarre as a professor specializing in silverware studies became part of the academy’s lore. We also explore the wider universe that links Shadowcroft and Dungeon Accountant, including themed worlds like the infamous puppy planet plus, and a visit from the narrator, Henry Kramer, that adds a little extra chaos to the episode (in the best possible way).

In this episode, I’m joined by Royal Road author AlwaysRollsAOne, along with special guest Camadt (aka Alex Hancock), to dig into the deeper layers of his universe, including the worlds of A Soldier’s Life and A Gladiator’s Life. We talk about what older societies like the elves might really know about the demon war, whether cyclical threats like the shadow clouds are meant to return, and how long-running plot threads evolve over nearly a decade of storytelling. We also discuss how POV chapters come together and how perspective shapes what readers see versus what stays behind the scenes, and take questions from the fans in chat.

In this episode, I take a deep dive into the worlds of Troy Osgood with special guest Richey Stephens of Richey’s Players Guild, exploring the ideas and creative decisions that shaped some of his biggest series. We discuss the original direction of Tales of a Far Rider, the ambitious 20+ book concept behind Sky Realms Online, and how the time jumps in The Connected System help tell a larger story of survival and civilization-building. We also talk about living and writing in New England, the collaborative process behind co-authored projects like the Jeff the Gamemaster series, and the community that makes LitRPG Con such a blast.