Card Apocalypse

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Noah was just an ex-army mechanic trying to get home to his pregnant girlfriend, ring in hand.

Then words flashed across the sky. The gods had decided. Earth was being combined with nine other worlds in a grand competition in which individuals must strive to rise in the new mega-world.

Oh, and the goal was for ninety percent of mortals to die before they rose again.

But not all is bad: Some chosen people will receive decks of Magical cards to help them along the way, to compete in The Great Game. Noah himself got a deck based on post-apocalyptic robots, spearheaded by a sarcastic junk golem.

Now Noah has to fight his way through ruined stretches of his native Kansas, as well as through magical forests and deadlands from worlds not his own to reach his girlfriend, Hope, in Night City. Along the way, he will meet all kinds of interesting or dangerous new things: creature cards that have personalities, a homicidal golem, an alchemist goblin-princess, remnants of human civilizations, outposts of a magical enslaving elf empire, and Night City--the post-apocalyptic remains of Kansas City overrun by vampires.

This is a CCG (Collectible Card Game) style LitRPG set in an apocalypse world. Expect real card game mechanics, but where deckbearers are on the field of combat.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: Tharsult

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 978
Views: 118,417

Chapters(27 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

RiptideCTRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
In my opinion this story is very well written, especially it's card system. The characters are pretty likeable and while there are moments where you get annoyed with the character due to their decision, it's purely annoyance at the character and not the written, which a great indication that the author isn't forcing interactions. Card system wise, I feel it's very simple on the surface which makes it a very easy read if you don't want to go too in depth with all the cards abilities and whatnot. However, it has quite a bit of substance behind it which I find makes the story feel all the more immersive, with detailed descriptions of abilities and effects, alongside actual card designs on most chapter pages. Before reading this story I read the authors other piece with a similar universe, but the stories are very different character wise and the environment the characters find themselves in is very different. Nonetheless, both stories feel like excellent reads for the same reasons. The book isn't super far in, but I look forward to how the author continues with it.
Coldfang89Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I read Demon Card enforcer and I loved that series, and this one feels very similar. Really looking forward to seeing where this series goes. The writing is excellent, the editing is excellent, and I love how the author includes custom cards at the front of every chapter. I will definitely going to be continuing this series.
JacksonRoyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story does not start off slow, we're not sitting around here world building. Jumping straight into it!! I love the care the author seems to have put into their system and I cannot wait to see how they flesh it out!
If you're a flesh bag looking for a fun read with incredibly high stakes give it a shot and join me in reading this one!!!
Tracyarmav D'OrdiniiRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Another exciting Deckbuilder from Tharsult! Noah is a bit lost at the start but is learning quickly. I'm eager to see where this story takes Noah and his companion RED. Also interested in what Mechos has in store for this round/season of the Great Game. They could be a valuable benefactor for the remnants of humanity; if they're interested.
Sololetter1Royal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
The excerpt presents an engaging mix of romance, personal stakes, and a sudden shift to a fantastical apocalypse scenario. Noah's character is well-developed, showcasing his love for Hope and his anxiety about proposing, which makes him relatable and grounds the story in reality before the unexpected twist.
The narrative transitions seamlessly from Noah's personal journey to the global catastrophe, maintaining tension and reader interest. The introduction of the "Great Game" and magical elements is intriguing, promising a blend of science fiction and fantasy that could explore themes of survival, power, and morality.
The pacing is effective, with action sequences like the Tesla incident and the appearance of the Goliath Firefang adding urgency. The descriptions are vivid, though sometimes the shift from personal reflection to action feels abrupt.
Overall, the chapter is a captivating start that combines relatable emotional stakes with high-concept fantasy, setting up a compelling story with potential for character growth and thrilling plot developments.
Dustin SieversRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Great card system, MC isn’t crazy OP and doesn’t make dumb choices all the time. Good writing and plot. Typical post apocalyptic world merging but not everything has to be original to be good and well executed! Can’t wait for more! Found the author after reading Demon Card Enforcer on Amazon. Would highly recommend that series as well!
impRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
Card Apocalypse has the same card system and universe as the authors other series, Demon Card Enforcer. The system is good, one of the best in the card game subgenre of GameLit. That said, it doesn't have the Noir tropes to fall back on, which has resulted in weaker characterizations and narrative oomph compared to the author's other card-based story.
This isnt to say that it's worse, just that the characters and story need a lot more time coalesce into something. Our lead character is currently more of an audience insert and the other characters are broad archetypes. This is holding the story back from greatness right now. The apocalypse setting doesn't have much going on so far and the narrative is relying on the characters and system mechanics to carry it, but the characters aren't yet developed enough to bear that burden.
There is a lot of potential here and the author has proven this system elsewhere. It really just needs time. It kind of needs to get this first book that is establishing the apocalypse setting and (re)introducing the card system out of the way before it can blossom into what it really wants to be.
Dungeon_Core_FanRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
Loosely set in the same multiversal setting as the author's Demon Card Enforcer (same gods and deckbuilding magic cards, different version of Earth), this is the story of a young man trying to get home to his pregnant girlfriend . . .right as the gods decide to kickstart the apocalypse. Ten different civilizations have just been dumped onto the composite world of Arena, and - to make things more interesting - the gods have decided to hand out magic cards to particularly interesting survivors. And thus our protagonist sets out for Kansas City (and his girlfriend) wirh a pistol in one hand, a deck in the other, and a human-hating magic robot in tow.
The character building is strong, and their reactions are reasonable to the situations. Even Noah's decision to run across Kansas to his girlfriend makes sense in context (remember, he's a twenty something who just found out he's going to be a father). Also, the exiled goblin princess might be one of the best characters the author has come up with. And while the protagonist might not be quite as strong, he's still a dynamic and likeable lead.
However, I'm not enjoying the story as much as the author's other works, and I think it's because of the setting. Despite the gods making the world of Arena by smooshing ten planets together, it feels . . .well, empty. So far, post-apocalyptic rural Kansas feels like generic farm country, just with goblins and elves thrown in. There's been no trace of the other seven species yet, and the only thing distinguishing it from a generic fantasy world is the asphalt highway that the protagonist is trying to follow.
Don't get me wrong - I am enjoying the story. It's just that System Apocalyse stories are fairly common, and the author's last work was so memorable . . .Card Apocalypse has a lot to live up to, and I don't think it's found it's groove (or iconic element) yet.
Overall, Card Apocalypse is a very good story . . .and its free here on Royal Road. However, if you've got an Amazon
NorthernReaderRoyal Road
★★★ 2.5
The story and universe is good, but the cast is stereotypical and trite honestly. It's a bit hard to get really invested in yet another "Morrally superior MC, snarky sidekick/rude nr.1 and lots of sexual jokes sidekick nr.2"
Also, the author lacks any and all understanding of agriculture and storing food. Which should be unimportant for a card-litrp, but there is a lot of focus on the "apocalypse and how will we get enough food". It's... bad. If you don't know anything about agriculture. Don't make it a focus. Or at least research a bit first.
The progression also seems off. The MC and team, only have any real issues when they are woefully outnumbered or suddenly surprised, and even then, they of course pull through without too much trouble. Yet everyone around them is getting murdered by monsters left and right? With the difficulty of enemies and monsters as described by what happens to the MC, honestly, most people should be fineish...
Everwind112Royal Road
★ 0.5
It’s rare to see the main character in an apocalyptic setting who manages to remain unwaveringly good or well, naive. Unfortunately, in this book this isn't achieved through character strength or moral complexity—it's the result of a blatant manipulation of the plot to bend the story in their favor.
Rather than allowing the protagonist's kindness and morality to be tested in a realistic or meaningful way, the author constantly engineers events to make sure things work out perfectly. The protagonist would be placed in dangerous, high-stakes situations where their naive, overly-idealistic decisions should have backfired or caused real consequences. But instead of facing the harsh reality of an apocalypse, they miraculously find the "right" people to trust, the enemies conveniently underestimate them, and every problem resolves itself as if by magic.