Best City and Kingdom Building LitRPG books

LitRPG books with a strong town, city, kingdom, or empire building theme.


Share:

Best City and Kingdom Building LitRPG books

LitRPG books usually focus on character development with RPG game-like elements. But some LitRPG books also contain base-building elements. And that is what this article is focusing on.

We have created a good list of LitRPG book recommendations with a stronger than usual focus on base building elements.

So if you like town, city, kingdom, empire, and base building in a game-like system, then keep reading.

The base and city-building elements vary from book to book. Some have a high focus on it with a strong game mechanic system supporting it, while others focus less on it and might not have that much game mechanics to it.

We have added a few recommendations that are not strictly in the LitRPG genre, but they should scratch the same base building itch.

A genre that has many similar elements with base building LitRPG books are Dungeon Core books. Get more Dungeon Core recommendations in this article.

Noobtown

The Mayor of Noobtown Book Cover
Buy now! Amazon.com

Jim has just died and something strange has happened. He is in a room where he can pick between different classes. Just like in a game.

After some intense events connected to him still having his memories and a strange trait called unbound, Jim is transferred to a dangerous and new world. A world that acts very similar to a video game.

Jim finds himself in a new player zone for low-level adventurers. Unfortunately, the zone fell out of use centuries ago, and the monsters have taken over the place. Jim is the only player around in this zone. Even the town has no friendly NPCs around, only monsters.

 

Why is Noobtown included?

The Noobtown book series has a strong focus on town building. It also has some strong game mechanics to it. The town needs resources, but just like games, they start harvesting immediately, no need to wait for months for the crops to grow. The town also levels up just like the people do.

The books are also good, worth reading.

Why: strong base building

Visit titlefindr for more recommendations like "The Mayor of Noobtown".

Bobiverse

We Are Legion Bobiverse Book Cover 2
Buy now! Amazon.com

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and now he is looking forward to a life of leisure as a rich man.

Sadly Bob dies in an accident right after reaching his dreams.

But before he died, Bob paid for a service to freeze his brain. It will be kept frozen until we have the technology to put it into a new body.

However, when he wakes up a century later, he discovers that dead people have been declared to be without rights. Bob is now the property of the state.

As if that wasn't enough, he has been uploaded into a computer. His new task is to be the controlling AI of an interstellar von Neumann probe. His goal is to search for new habitable planets humanity can colonize.

If he declines, he'll be switched off.

If he accepts, he becomes the main target of competing states with similar projects and goals.

Is Bobiverse good?

The Bobiverse series is the best sci-fi book series I have read in a long while. 

It's full of references to interesting science and popular culture.

It has a good story with cool humor. It's also very interesting and funny how the different bobs interact with each other.

Great books.

Why is Bobiverse included?

Bobiverse is far from LitRPG. It is closer to Hard Science Fiction with a touch of comedy.

But the way they build and expand out in the universe scratches an itch close to where the LitRPG base building desire is itching. The Bobiverse series is also an excellent book series.

Why not: different genre

Visit titlefindr for more recommendations like "We Are Legion (We Are Bob)".

New Era Online

Life Reset Book Cover 2
Buy now! Amazon.com

New Era Online, NEO, is a full immersion virtual reality game.

Oren Berman is among the most powerful and influential players. He is the guild leader of one of the most power full guilds. In NEO the first person to discover a skill gives you the exclusive right to teach others the skill. Oren has some really good exclusive right, and together with being the guild leader he easily lives of what he makes in-game.

But all these changes when he is betrayed by his own guild commanders.

They use a rare item that transforms your character into a monster, permanently. Oren ends up as a level one goblin far into the uncharted monster territory. If Oren starts a new character he will loose his exclusive skills to the guild that betrayed him. What will he do?

Is New Era Online good?

Life Reset is an excellent LitRPG book. It has interesting game mechanics and character development.

It's fascinating to follow the main character. A person that starts out among the most powerful players, but then he is betrayed, changed to a monster race, and stuck in the game.

Why is New Era Online included?

Life Reset and the rest of the New Era Online series is one of the suggestions on the list with the biggest focus on base building with very strong game mechanics to it.

It is also a very good series.

Why: strong base building

Links to titlefindr.com:

The Divine Dungeon

Book cover: Dungeon Born
Buy now! Amazon.com

Cal is a Dungeon Heart, a soul forced into a magical stone against his will.

After several years of only instinctive living, he was able to regain his sentience. This allowed him to form new memories again, and to slowly start growing a dungeon around himself.

With help from a small friend, Cal learned to create monsters and traps and how to use treasures to grow his dungeon. His main goal is to lure in brave adventures to eat so he can grow in both power and size.

Is The Divine Dungeon good?

Dungeon Born is one of the best books I have read in a while. This book is written in a light and funny way. For me it was new and fresh, it was the first Dungeon Core type books I read.

Why is The Divine Dungeon included?

The Divine Dungeon is not exactly a LitRPG, but Dungeon Core is a close genre. Building a dungeon has a similar feel to it as base building LitRPG.

Links to titlefindr.com:

Ten Realms

The Two Week Curse Book Cover 2
Buy now! Amazon.com

Erik and Rugrat are both combat veterans, Erik is a combat medic and Rugrat is a Marine Recon sniper. During a mercenary trip guarding some shady copper mine owners, they are caught in an ambush and Erik ends up losing his legs and his arm.

And to top it off, they both get the Two Week Curse.

It's a strange sickness where they get a strange message saying that they have been randomly selected to join the Ten Realms. And that one may choose to ascend the Ten Realms, thereupon making a request to the Gods of the Realms.

People who get this curse dissipates in a bright flash after exactly two weeks.

As the harden veterans they are, they do their best to prepare for what is going to happen. When the two weeks are up they are teleported to a new strange world where people can rank up as in a game and cultivate their internal power.

Is Ten Realms good?

The Ten Realms Series is not the absolute best of its genre, but it is absolutely worth reading. Especially for people that are interested in the LitRPG and Cultivation/Wuxia genres.

It's interesting to see how Erik and Rugrat use their military knowledge and comradery to take on their new strange circumstances.

One of the major problems with the series is that Eric and Rugrath soon become too powerful. And the initial preparation part before they get to the new world is too long.

Visit titlefindr for more recommendations like "The Two Week Curse".

Chaos Seeds

The Land: Founding Book Cover 2
Buy now! Amazon.com

James and his friends were among the top teams on the newest and greatest VRMMORPG game, The Land. When they were riding a new dungeon he was separated from his friends.

A game boss, or so hi thinks, asks him a question.

After answering the same question three times he is suddenly transferred to the real planet that the game was based on.

James still has access to his character sheets and delves into this real game, where he now is called Richter.

Richter quickly finds himself dragged into an age-old war. A war between forest sprites and goblins. At the same time, he also ends up in control of his own village that he has to grow.

Is Chaos Seeds good?

The Chaos Seeds books are so far among the best LitRPG books I have read, atlas among the LitRPG book that goes all-in with the game mechanic.

Richter's story is captivating, funny, and a little addictive. I feel like I'm playing the adventure I'm reading and it's always interesting when Richter levels up or finds new loot.

The only thing I hate about this series is the author, he has been attempting to trademark the LitRPG genre. He's a greedy bastard, but his books are good.

Links to titlefindr.com:

Awaken Online

Awaken Online: Catharsis book cover
Buy now! Amazon.com

Jason attends a prestigious private school and his parents are reasonably well off. But his parents are never home, and he is bullied by both students and faculty at this prestigious school.

Frustrated with his life, Jason escapes into the newly released full immersion VRMMORPG game Awaken Online.

Jason quickly finds himself on the path to be one of the game's greater villains. With his powerful necromantic power and newly won leadership of a new playable race, he becomes a target for all the rest.

Jason constantly logs on to the game for the freedom and power he gets in it. Something that he lacks in real life.

One of the reasons for Jasons growing power in the game is that one of the major AIs in Awaken Online has taken an interest in him, and in humanity.

Is Awaken Online good?

Awaken Online online is one of the best LitRPG series.

Usually, I don't like LitRPG books that are too much in the real world. But in this case, Travis Bagwell has managed to keep that part interesting too.

Awaken Online has interesting game mechanics, and I like how the AI overlords interact with the game.

Awaken Online is an amazing book series that is absolutely worth reading, especially if you like LitRPG books.

Links to titlefindr.com:

Desire: A LitRPG Adventure

Desire: A LitRPG Adventure book cover
Buy now! Amazon.com
A mysterious all-powerful entity bestows individuals with a mysterious powerful tattoo. Activating this tattoo gives you a user interface that can be used to buy supernatural powers and knowledge of whatever you want, as long as you have the points to buy it for. The tattoo also shows you how to acquire those points. Ace and Vincent are two friends that have been chosen to get this new tattoo by the mysterious entity. Together they start to systematically gain points an new abilities as possible. This tattoo is changing our society, will it be for the better, or for the worse?

Is Desire: A LitRPG Adventure good?

Desire: A LitRPG Adventure is an interesting LitRPG book. It's not among the best, and it has overpowered main characters. But it is still worth reading if you like LitRPG books.

Visit titlefindr for more recommendations like "Desire: A LitRPG Adventure".

The Twenty-Sided Eye

You're Not Allowed to Die Book Cover
Buy now! Amazon.com

Joe decides to spend the remaining parts of his life in full digital immersion. This allows him to play in a virtual world with a fake but healthy body instead of the real body that is failing him.

An Evolving Intelligence will be his virtual assistant while he plays. It will take the form of someone close to him, and it goes by the name of Spooky.

As Spooky and Joe are about the enter the game world something strange happens. They are summoned to a different reality where magic is real. Because of this strange unfortunate timing, Joe believes that he is just playing a game.

What happens to the Evolving Intelligence Spooky in this world? And will Joe survive when he acts like it is just a game?

Visit titlefindr for more recommendations like "You're Not Allowed to Die".

Do you want more LitRPG recommendations that do not necessarily have a heavy focus on base building? Then check out this article for some good LitRPG recommendations.

If you have any recommendations that we missed then we would love to know about it.


Share: