I've read a lot of fantasy and science fiction books throughout my life, but nothing has caught my attention more than the LitRPG. My brother first recommended the genre to me a few years ago and I've been enamored ever since. There are so many good LitRPG books available that have taken the self-publishing route that it's a bit overwhelming if you're just jumping in now. But for those of you who are fan of RPG games and reading, I highly recommend you check out what the genre has to offer.

As for where to get started, one of my top picks is The Wandering Inn series by Pirateaba. This story was actually recommened to me by IGN readers last year and has quickly become one of my all-time favorites. I started reading the books on my Kindle and only found out later that the author had been publishing the story as a free online serial for years. So when The Wandering Inn team reached out to me about a Pirateaba interview, I was absolutely thrilled to hear more about how the whole thing came together.

The Pirateaba Interview

IGN: Could you tell me more about The Wandering Inn’s Journey from web serial to audiobook and now paperback?

Pireateaba: Sometimes, it all feels like a series of coincidences and luck. The Wandering Inn first began when I was browsing online for a new story, and someone recommended Overlord (the light novel, not the manga), and I encountered my first LitRPG story. I was instantly hooked, and I wanted to write a story like that, but I had no idea if you could write a story online. So I did some googling, and found a web serial called Worm. The author, Wildbow, was able to make a living online. But for those two stories, and I might never have had the idea to put a story online for free.

"Traditional book companies wouldn’t be paying attention to web serials but for the fact that all of us are making a splash."“

Podium Publishing and the journey to the audiobook were just as coincidental. I believe I was around Volume 4 when I received an email in my inbox from Podium asking if I was interested in an audiobook deal. I had turned down every single offer before that, but I had just watched The Martian in movie theatres and I thought that I had to give the audiobook company that published The Martian a chance.

All of that was luck, and many amazing things like Andrea Parsneau becoming the first narrator of the audiobook were all due to chance, and not things I deliberately worked for. The paperback is the first project I feel like I and my team have pushed for. It took years of pitching the story to find a company that was interested and for the wave of LitRPG’s to allow a deal to come together.

If anything, I owe it to Worm, Dungeon Crawler Carl, Beware of Chicken, Arcane Ascension, and all of my peers. Traditional book companies wouldn’t be paying attention to web serials but for the fact that all of us are making a splash. A rising tide lifts all ships, and I hope I am helping in my own small way for another author to do what they want to.

IGN: Would you ever want The Wandering Inn to be adapted into a TV series?

Pireateaba: Yes, but who’s directing it? There is no doubt in my mind that someday, if possible, I would like a TV show. A television show over a movie, and animated, preferably. There are a few western animation styles I like; a lot of anime styles would also work well for the story, I think.

CGI or live action would surely fail given the complexities of characters like Antinium or even Drakes. However, my main concern would be the company behind any such project. They require a lot of creative control and the fear I have is that executive meddling will destroy the show.

I could cite any number of fantasy stories that got their shot and failed. Sometimes it’s just so hard to make, other times the production elements are the problem. I’m a huge Wheel of Time fan, for instance, but I never found the Amazon show appealing. I disagreed with central choices in changing Perrin or even Mat’s story and it seems like audiences agreed with me because it was cancelled which is a shame because you don’t get infinite chances, especially with such gigantic and complex stories.

"I’d have to talk to the director and get all that contractual stuff like Brandon Sanderson did"“

It could be none of the factors I listed were why the show failed, but I’d have to trust the studio a lot--or have that creative control. If there were any group in this world that I’d consider working with tomorrow, it wouldn’t be a traditional big studio like Netflix, Amazon, or HBO, actually. I’d have to talk to the director and get all that contractual stuff like Brandon Sanderson did to ensure I have a say in the final work.

However, I’m no director and it’s arrogant to assume I could meddle my way into a better show. I’d rather find someone who was what Peter Jackson was for the Lord of the Rings. Someone with their own creative vision with their version of a story to tell is to me, ideal.

For instance, I had a thought recently. If Viziepop or Glitch, the two indie animation studios, were to make that offer, I’d consider it. Which might be silly of me to think I’d get the offer, but that’s the way I see the animation space. New companies willing to take risks or who don’t have the old traditional company models are more appealing and are making some of the stories I really like. (I am waiting for the Gaslight District to come out, my favorite of Glitch’s works. And Helluva Boss Season 3.)

IGN: What are some of your biggest inspirations for writing LitRPG?

Pireateaba: Since it’s IGN, I assume you mean videogames as well as books. I have talked about how some of my favorite authors are Terry Pratchett, Tamora Pierce, Robert Jordan, Anne Mcaffery--I feel like I got to enjoy an age of amazing fantasy writing and those are the authors who shaped my introduction to the genre growing up.

But I also play lots of video games. Too many. Ironically, most games are just ‘fun’ and don’t touch the storytelling elements I love about The Wandering Inn. If Baldur’s Gate 3 had existed, it would have been an inspiration at the time. I loved Majesty: Heroes of Ardania a lot, though, and there’s a certain [Innkeeper]-y vibes to how that game plays (not Majesty 2, the original).

"I loved Majesty: Heroes of Ardania a lot, though, and there’s a certain [Innkeeper]-y vibes to how that game plays"“

I even played Adventure Quest back in the day, which is as close as I got to any MMORPG; I never was a social player. Battle for Middle Earth II, another classic. Even Spore, Steve Jobs’ finest creation. I’m not into 4X games, but there is something about watching your heroes growing and overcoming the odds that always spoke to me.

Oh, and I suppose we must mention Ghibli works. Howl’s Moving Castle, Porco Rosso, Laputa, Spirited Away--we owe a lot to those movies which are still so classic. And One Piece, which I swear was called Nep Ecc for years because I only found one chapter in a library one time and I misread the title. I wish I were that age again…with my current income so I could buy all the stories.

IGN: Do you have a favorite side character you’ve developed?

Pireateaba: Honestly, I like most of them, which is why I take so much time to tell stories about each one. Every character is the hero of their own tale, and I try to do them justice…it’s probably why the series is so long.

But if you twisted my arm, I’d say Pisces is one of the more obvious, if boring choices. I think you can tell I like him. A more subtle answer would be Rabbiteater, for reasons that might become obvious later.

I like characters who change through the story. Sometimes literally in physical ways, but often in who they were shifting. When we meet Pisces, we find a dirty, haughty, definitely criminal [Necromancer] who is many of the things people would assume about him. Over the story, he changes.

Not just literally in washing more and being fed, but by revealing who he was. Without spoilers, when he picks up a sword, it has weight because we understand what it means to him. He meets figures from his past and by the time we catch up to the present, he’s still the Pisces we got to know, but I think he would completely astonish the Pisces we first meet.

He could still work a bit on his undead creativity, but the different things he’s chosen to reanimate…I think that alone speaks to how he changes. And that goes for many characters, but Pisces, Rabbiteater, are great examples of what I’m talking about.

Oh, and Bird. Though I can’t take credit for Bird; they seem to write their own stories and songs whenever they appear.

IGN: Is Erin Solstice based on someone from your real life?

Pireateaba: No! I am definitely against basing characters on anyone I know, or myself. It would make the story too personal, and too unable to deviate, in my opinion. Also, if I knew an Erin in my life, I’d probably want to move away from them. Visit now and then, but I don’t know if I could handle all the chaos.

IGN: Are you planning a definitive ending for The Wandering Inn?

Pireateaba: I know the ending, and I am still writing towards it. It’s not changed since I came up with it many years ago, and my only fear is dying or not being able to write to the standards to complete the story. I keep meaning to finish my will, just in case, but I haven’t had the time to write it. I’ll add another paragraph when I get the chance, but the ending has always been in my head.

Jacob Kienlen is a Senior Audience Development Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his home for his entire life. With a bachelor's degree in communication and 10 years of professional writing experience, his expertise is spread across a variety of different pop culture topics -- from TV series to books and the latest Pokémon games.