Bardcore

Information

Status

Hiatus

Year

2021

Author

TamaNz

• 26. Micky's First Day
  Nov 19, 2021
• 25. The El Masri
  Nov 18, 2021
• 24. Thunderstruck
  Nov 17, 2021
• 23. Called into the Office
  Nov 17, 2021
• 22. Not Again...
  Nov 16, 2021
• 21. Morte Azul
  Nov 15, 2021
• 20. A Classy Night
  Nov 15, 2021
• 19. Ant Curry
  Nov 13, 2021
• 18. The Ability to Learn
  Nov 13, 2021
• 17. Tradesman's Hall
  Nov 12, 2021
• 16. It's definitely not a date
  Nov 11, 2021
• 15. Opalescence
  Nov 11, 2021
• 14. Tanya's Mistake
  Nov 10, 2021
• 13. Ma Duke's
  Nov 9, 2021
• 12. The Royal Mile
  Nov 8, 2021
• 11. Xenophon Inc.
  Nov 8, 2021
• 10. Under the Bus
  Nov 7, 2021
• 9. 5"4' of Enthusiasm
  Nov 7, 2021
• 8. The Mariners Vaixell
  Nov 7, 2021
• 7. The choice chosen
  Nov 6, 2021

Reviews

Community Reviews(10)

• S.N. KeirsteadRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Style: Story is told from the third person perspective from Micky's POV. Seeing as how Micky is relatively funny guy, the overall narration has a shred of humor to it. The style deviates from a lot of the more serious/hardcore LitRPGs out there.
  Grammar: In the blurb, the author has mentioned that the earlier chapters will be under-edited. The formatting can be off and there are some noticeable punctuation errors, but it is manageable to read. Nothing detracts from the story too much.
  Story: The story is fun. As mentioned before, there is quite a bit of humor present throughout the story. From the shenanigans that come from a convergence of multiple universes to the unique quirks of the world's "system," Bardcore is a pleasing and more laid back take on the genre.
  Character: Micky's class deviates from what one would expect of the genre; he's a bard. He sacrifices powerful magical spells for a more supportive class because of his passion for music. The author clearly has a passion for this subject as well and it reflects on the character. There are nice references to real world music scattered throughout (and the author elaborates on that in the comments), which goes a long way to show how much the writer is having. That fun is reflected in the story and the characters.
  Overall, a fun read and an entertaining take on the LitRPG genre! If you play support classes, this is the story for you.
• BullerRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  This is quite the story to read, if I'm quite honest. Been a long while since people quoted song lyrics and actually made it nice to still read. Makes me think back to Necromancer and co. during the glory days of RR. Good stuff overall. But what about the specifics?
  Style:
  Style is something I need to talk about first because it makes the initial impression a bit negative. Here it uses indents which is not the standard of the site. One one hand, though, I should perhaps not complain since any reader is fully able to remove indents through customisation normally yet it doesn't work here. Might wanna put in support ticket about that or edit the chapters to make it work with repaste. Yet, no matter how one takes indents, it shouldn't be seen as a reason to lower the score of what otherwise would be pretty decent work. Sentence length varies in good enough degrees, though the author does have a few tangents that need an endpoint. Also, I do need to comment on the tables which are perhaps not the greatest. Mixing that in with the use of CAPS LOCK AND YOU GET A STORY THAT CAN PERHAPS BE JARRING AT SOME POINTS. Lastly. BLEEP. That was a swear word but I couldn't show it to you even if I have the profanity warning. 4.5/5 on this one. Said a lot of negatives but still nice enough
  Story.
  I wouldn't call the world-building on this one phenomenal but it is pretty dang good. After not reading too much of the story itself, I did feel like I slowly understood where things fit together, creating a whole image that actually made sense to me. Not a lot of authors actually know how to do that, making this an larger positive for me. 5/5 for that.
  Grammar:
  ... yes. This story does have issues in that department. And when you then introduce times where they ssssssay ssssss more than normal, I have to wonder if this is a minor way to show accent or just there as a mistake. Was confusing at times. 4/5
  Characters;
  Here is where the story shines. This is a common thing among the larger ficti
• C. Ron IcklerRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  I've got a soft spot in my heart for good, lighthearted comedy, and that's what you're getting here. This strikes me as a really easy story to binge-read.
  Style: The strongest part of this story's style is how easy the prose and dialogue are to absorb. You can move fast through the story while picking up a lot, going well with its entertaining, jaunty style. However, the style would be effortless if it were not for formatting and grammar hits that are probably a side effect of the writeathon, and were these changed it would easily be a 5.
  Grammar: Goes hand in hand with style in that the author obviously has excellent grasp of language but, most likely from writeathon, there are often missed commas and formatting issues that harm an otherwise very strong story.
  Story: I really love how the world is characterized. 'The M Word,' censoring swears...I mean it really is wildly funny. And the explanation that people who cannot survive in their current reality go there is explained quickly and elegantly.
  Character: I feel like I know Mickey, and like he'd be fun to have a beer with. How's that for characterization? We really get tastes of his personality beyond just being a character in this fantasy isekai land, and that is something I really appreciate.
  Overall, if you enjoy a good laugh, this story is surely worth the read. The core story has strong characterization and interesting development, and it makes for a fun experience with good potential.
• MadAdam73Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  Style score- The writer is very talented at presenting a scene in an entertaining way, lot's of wit and humor. The only issue I have is the censored BLEEPs they were funny when first introduced but quickly became rather jarring. Those all caps just jump out at me and break my immersion man. Those alone brought down my experience a solid star
  Grammar score- I was going to leave this blank as the author mentioned they intend to go back and fix things after writathon is over. Alas I am not allowed. As it is, there are some pretty serious formatting issues. I can see that the author has the ability, but perhaps not the time to get everything looking all nice neat quite yet as he has with later on chapters.
  Character score- The characters are charming with their little quirks and interesting dialogues. Good stuff. I haven't yet made it past the main character freaking out over his isekai but I have hope. And british accents. British accents everywhere.
  Story score- The setting and the lore are very interesting. Rather than just another world, we are in a world were everything that slips through the various dimensional cracks ends up. Leading to a very varied mixing pot of species and cultures. Our Bard so far has no goal other than survival and maybe returning home. But from the quality of the work I've read so far, there is something interesting ahead.
• OrthorosRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  An interesting story about a lad dropped off into a rather intriguing universe, that is sadly plagued by some issues in the way it is presented.
  Style: As far as style is concerned, this story has it, and quite a lot at that. It's very descriptive about the environment and like to use words that I need to look up to understand. Sometimes, the paragraphs are a bit too long, or sentences blend into each other, making it difficult to read. There was one chapter that was basically just a single, humongous paragraph, due to missing formatting, most likely.
  Story: The story itself is interesting. Where it shines most in my opinion is the world-building that's going on. There are many races, places, and systems to explore, and all of them seem well thought out and interesting. There's a race that is a literal collection of snakes. I mean, how cool is that?
  The story seems like a slow burn for now, as the MC explores this new environment, learns about the people living there, and finds his own place in it. All in all, a good and interesting read. There seems to be some attempt at a budding romance in the latest chapters, which seems a bit shoehorned in. Mostly because it just feel too early in the story, considering the MC's circumstanced.
  Grammer: Probably the weakest point here. Overall the grammar seems to be fine. Great prose all around and a real effort to write things believable. Which makes the mistakes all the more glaring and jarring. Now, I'm very forgiving in this department, as it's pretty easy to make mistakes, especially since the writathon causes some authors to rush their work a bit.
  Yet, there are mistakes present in every chapter that really disturb the reading experience and the immersion. It's especially sad to see this since most mistakes could've been caught by a simple read-through before posting, or using a simple add-on like Grammarly. I agonized over what score I should hand out here, but eventually decided to be a bit harsh since every chapter is
• PenganRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  Needs proofreefing and spellingfix. Mainly dropped letters or words as author actually can spell. This story is almost ready for publication. I've paid good money for dead trees from Baen that held worse standard. Buy a new keyboard or bash out the breadcrumbs of your old one is the only way to improve this story besides external proofreading. Extra kudos for a borderline plausible explanation of dungeons. Hat off!
• MethuselahRoyal Road

  ★★★★ 4.0

  I’d recommend that you insert spaces between the lines of dialogue. When they’re together as they are, it makes it difficult to follow. You’ve got a few punctuation errors; missing a few periods at the end of sentences and such. As well as a few trivial grammatical errors. I’d recommend using ellipses when you’ve got broken bits of dialogue that are parts of the same sentence.
  Chapter 1: I am curious as to why he can’t swear, but as a general note, for me personally, I found it distracting and detracting. I like that you’ve made the character apprehensive and confused, instead of up-and-ready. It feels more real than some similar stories I’ve read.
  Chapter 2: I like the straightforward UI. Although, this chapter feels quite like a brief manual instead of a proper chapter. Perhaps expand it a bit around Micky’s investigation into the LitRPG’s systems?
  Chapter 3: ‘Cheapside’ sounds a little too on-the-nose. I like the slow-building and suggesting that you do with the minotaur, statues, and such. I really like that normal actions in the world directly improve stats, as opposed to just EXP improving stats.
  Chapter 4: In this chapter as well as the last I noticed a few of the aforementioned grammatical and punctuation errors. I’ve also noticed at this point that your chapters feel very brief, as if what would, perhaps, actually constitute a complete “chapter” should rather be multiple of your chapters. I try to think of a chapter as a complete “thought”; a mini-story within a larger story that can stand alone, or be a part of a greater whole.
  Chapter 5: Micky seems a little too ready to accept the manager’s explanation of how the system isn’t underhanded, but given the wording I understand why. I like the creative racial names.
  All-in-all I feel like what I’ve read covers the “Lighthearted LitRPG” description well. This was a comfortable and enjoyable read, and if I have the time I will likely read further onwards. Although the waking-up-in-a-new-place plot may be cliche
• AtroRoyal Road

  ★★★★ 4.0

  I like this one. It's got a lot going for it. A few issues but nothing fatal. The whole thing is pretty fun.
  The LITRPG, and Isekai themes are well done. They inform much of the rest of the world without becoming the only thing that matters. It's a fun and ammusing read that hits some interesting ideas.
  The story has only gotten started really, but I'm enjoying it so far. It's a nice mixture of slice of life and adventure, though I think the slice portions are a bit better done.
  Grammer is definitely an issue. Typos are frequent and confusing. But not unreadably so. And part of the reason you notice them is that the story can be very good at pulling you in until you find one. The author is also adding in accents phonetically, more characters than not seem to have a thick accent. This may be less of a problem for others, but for me can be an issue. And I suspect is a source of a chunk of those typos because a computer can't helpfully point out spelling and grammar issues when a bunch of your dialogue isn't words anyway. I personally have at least one character that I have no idea what they're saying because I'm not reading in a place I can repeat out loud what is written until it slides into words. That said, I'm not particularly against the accents. It's clear the author is focused on how things sound which is an interesting way to experience things, any they're mostly easily readable.
  The characters are good. Well written and with some depth to them. Even those that don't seem like it at first it's clear later that if we spent more time with them we would find those hidden nuances. They make the story more enjoyable and really drive it.
  As a last note, the Bleeping. It's an oddity, its regular and weirdly meta. It very much feels like the author wrote things, censored them, but also has the MC notice it. It's honestly something that pulls me out of the story Every time I notice it. Mainly because it is both in and out of world at the same time. I really wish the au
• Chaos JesterRoyal Road

  ★★★★ 4.0

  First five chapter review.
  First can I say that I've heard the term Bardcore used A LOT but I still like it as a title, especially with a subtitle. It just stands out to me. Great cover as well.
  TamaNZ was in the process of editing this, so I'll try not to get hung up on some technacalities in this review.
  Style wise, this story's pacing works really well for what it is. There's a natural progression from one chapter to the next and from one event to the next. The formatting is a little off, but seems to be getting fixed in editing, as well as normal grammar mistakes. They don't fully take you out of the story, but they exist, and you'll catch them. But like I said, TamaNZ is in the process of editing, so giving the benfit of the doubt on that one.
  Grammar wise, woops I lumped grammar into the style section. Ah well.
  Story wise, the concept is fairly standard as far as Transmigration goes, but goes into a wold where Transmigration is super commmon. I'm not sure that's new to royal road, but it's new to me. Usually I've seen worlds where it is rare or nonexistant outside of the main character.
  Speaking of characters, Mickey is a great one. He never deviates from his personality in the first five chapters. I like that, especially for a character whose personality is as strong as Mickey's. The side cast of characters also slip into their roles properly without removing the impact of Mickey's strong character structure.
  Overall, this is a fun story with a good character. If you can accept that editing is being done and focus in on the story itself, any fan of this genre will slip in pretty comfortably. Great work, TamaNZ!
• Ariadne_YarnRoyal Road

  ★★★★ 4.0

  We are introduced to Mickey, a British man who loves to curse but is unable to due to the system. He falls in a strange place in the alleyway and finds his way in this new Isekai. Overall, a fun LitRPG read with an interesting level system.
  1. Opening.
  The start got me pretty confused as we are thrown into a new world with many foreign terms. However, from Chapter 2 onwards, the image painted by the author becomes much clearer. It makes the story easy to follow.
  2. Story.
  A classic LitRPG where mythical creatures and races from fantasy worlds are common and so are stats, classes and dungeons. The story progression is well-paced and developed. This Isekai has a good historic background and explanation of the society and politics.
  3. Style.
  A beautiful descriptive style of writing. Scenes are painted clearly, forming a distinct image in your mind as you read through the details. The transition between different scenes are clean and crisp. I like how the stats are portrayed beautifully with in-depth details of each stat.
  4. Grammar.
  There are some inconsistencies in the grammar and the formatting. Hence, the loss in one star but I believe that the author will revisit to edit and reformat the chapters to make it more readable after the Writhaton Challenge.
  5. Characters.
  I love how each character has a distinct way of speaking that really sets them aparts. I can hear their voices with stunning clarity and it reflects their different personalities.
  6. Closing.
  Followed this story and it's definitely fun to see how Mickey continues to grow and level up in this unknown Isekai.