Far Across the Horizon [[Tabletop LitRPG]]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

"Are you yet blind, to the way of the world?"

Four heroes. One airship. Boundless secrets. Simon, Mina, Lawrence and Dianna are an unlikely band of adventurers brought together by a mysterious client in search of an ancient artifact. In short order, they discover that their entire world is not what they once thought it was. Guided by mysterious dreams, the four of them set out on a grand journey across the land of Hoenheim, and along the way grapple with their own pasts and futures, all while evading and outpacing a duo hired to hunt them down.

A LitRPG based on the TTRPG experience, expect weak-to-strong character growth, unique classes, complex and intricate battle scenes that span multiple chapters, and a focus on character dynamics and conversation. For those who are fans of D&D live-play podcasts like Critical Role, this story will feature the gags and shenanigans for to love from the genre.

Updates Tu/Th/Sa. Comments and reviews are all appreciated.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: JTNubs

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 3
Views: 8,048

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(6)

Jaha RiderRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The story follows four main characters (so far) as they navigate the rich and intriguing world and the dynamics between each other.
First, I will start about what I loved about this story so far, and then I’ll move to things that, I think, can be improved.
The characters are definitely the best part of this story. We get a lot of variety with them. From different backgrounds, looks, and attitudes. That variety is, in my opinion, what makes their interactions with each other very compelling. They converse with each other in a way that is easy to read and enjoyable. They have great comedic chemistry and bounce off each other splendidly. That translated to even secondary characters who feel fleshed out and interesting. They hook you with a cool line, or a funny comment and I think that was the most pleasurable part of this story for me. In the end, I could tell that they were well-thought through and written with pleasure.
Next is the story and the world itself. The character introductions at the beginning not only offer a brief look into our protagonists, but also provide some insight into how the world and the many fantasy races function in it. I could tell that the author has this whole world thought out as the slight mention here and there about a certain location doesn’t feel like it was imagined on the spot (if it was then kudos to the author for convincing me).
I had no issue with the grammar of the story. Any minor thing that I would change didn’t detract me from reading it. There were some minor cases of repetition, when for example the character’s name was mentioned once and then twice. Or there were also some moments where narration changed from past to present tense. All of those things can be easily changed with a slight edit, and they didn’t siphon the pleasure I got from the story itself.
Next I will mention the parts that, I believe, could be improved (the scores that have that 0.5 star less). That thing is the tabletop elements. We get stat checks (cha
SkarabraeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Style: I like this story's style a lot. It has literary devices, in particular a lot of imagery that helps with the story's tone and set various scenes within the story. The author has incredibly good word choice and is able to set the tone very well with it. The author's way of writing is also unique. And I can safely say that the tone fits the story perfectly. It is a dark tone, and that is just right.
Story: The story is great. it is paced at just the right pace. It develops at the right pace too. So, no complaints regarding that. The story itself is about a group of people from very different walks of life ending up on an adventuring party together. I like this premise a lot, and I like the way the story handles this. So, no complaints.
Grammar: I couldn't find any grammatical errors. That does not mean they don't exist, but if they do, they are most likely not distracting enough for most people to notice them.
Character: The characters are great. They are all well-depicted, realistic, and three-dimensional. I especially like how the story takes the time to introduce each character and give them a bit of development. I have no complaints here.
Overall, this is a very good story and I recommend it.
AQuAnRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This is part of a review swap, however, I found the story amusing. I got what I was promised in the description. And I will elaborate on this later.
But first. It was my first time reading a LitRPG story resembling a tabletop game. It was unique. Some aspects I enjoyed, while others felt slightly strange and foreign. Make no wrong, it was a matter of preference and familiarity. I am not blaming the tail at all.
Style: 4/5
As promised, the story is based on the TTRPG style. There are skills, stats, levels, and the throwing of a virtual die. This die determines the outcome (success or failure) of an action. For me, this was probably the most foreign aspect. And I am still unsure if I like it or not. Most of the time I found it distracting and useless.
Otherwise, the style was lovely. I enjoy the way the story is written and the details. What I don't like are the tables including numeric values. I can't and I don't find the need to remember that many stats per the number, especially since we have a couple of important main characters. But I shouldn't stray much, this is not a matter of style. It befits the LitRPG. Besides, as far as I have read, the tables were not overused. Seeing them, once in a while, is not much of a problem. For the character intro, they can point out the general weaknesses and strengths of the cast.
To conclude. Was it something I was not too used to? Yes. Was it unpleasant? I wouldn't say so.
Story: 4.5/5
I like both the idea and the execution. The story starts slow. There are five introductory chapters. The first sets up the world's rules, while the next four lead the reader into the character setting. As a writer myself, I know these can't be skipped and are important for the future of the fable that will be told. As a reader, I like a good world and character building, which I'd say the novel did have. The only criticism here is that I would have preferred if they were woven into the storytelling itself, yet, this is a negligent matter and I
DUDEMIKERoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This is an intriguing story with a cast of unique characters, plenty of humor, and clever banter. Each of the four main characters is distinct, making it easy to keep track of who’s who. The classes have cool abilities, and it’s clear a lot of effort went into designing the spells, which are detailed and well-defined.
The dialogue strikes the right balance between humor and seriousness, with characters exchanging quips that make the interactions a lot of fun. The skill checks are an interesting feature—I haven’t seen them used in a LitRPG before, so I’m curious to see how they’ll be further integrated.
The grammar is great; very few problems there. Maybe a more active voice than a passive voice would be better, but it depends on the author’s style.
The main mystery has a strange but compelling vibe, with an objective that feels unique and a sense of foreboding that things might be tooooooo good to be true.
This book has real potential, and it’s clear each character and their backstories have been well-developed. Lawrence is my favorite by far—he’s clearly surrounded by a bunch of whippersnappers. Simon, on the other hand, comes across as more stoic and reserved, which makes him stand out in a different way.
Just a few suggestions: I haven’t read many LitRPGs, so I’m not entirely sure what’s been done before, but it might be beneficial to weave the class explanations into the narrative rather than dedicating separate paragraphs to them in each chapter. This could make the information feel more organic, especially early on when there is a lot of upfront explanation. Also, keeping the tense (present vs. past) consistent within each chapter would improve the flow. I’d love to see more skill checks per chapter, especially in situations like bartering or interrogating, where they could add extra depth. Lastly, it might be interesting if the narrator had some more personality, like a Dungeon Master in a tabletop game giving a running commentary—though I’m not sure if that
Mukund_Vishwa95Royal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
I remember reviewing this story a while back, but for some reason, only the rating stuck around. So here I am, writing it again, because it definitely deserves more than just a number.
The story moves at just the right pace—not too fast, not too slow. It’s easy to follow, and you’re never left feeling lost or overwhelmed. The characters are a real highlight; they’re well-developed, relatable, and grow naturally as the story progresses. It’s hard not to get attached to them.
What really stands out, though, is how the skills, stats, and levels are handled. They’re clear and well-organized, fitting seamlessly into the world without ever feeling forced. And the spells? They’re awesome—creative, detailed, and written in a way that makes you visualize every single moment.
It’s clear a lot of thought has gone into building this world, from the mechanics to the way everything ties together. Whether you’re into progression systems or just love a good story with solid characters, this one’s a win.
If you haven’t started it yet, you’re missing out. Trust me, it’s worth your time.
And yeah
Grammar was pretty good nice and clean, I'm not the best guy to review on grammar anyway so. FULL POINTS!
John KowalskiRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
The story so far has been pretty enjoyable and I appreciate the time the author put into creating spells, some of which seem original and are quite interesting. Along with that, the author did an excellent job at creating the main four characters, making each one distinct. As I continued to read, I could tell the author really likes these characters and I enjoyed watching their interactions with each other grow as time went on.
Overall, I like the ideas expressed here by the author; however, I must say that there are not enough details. These chapters seem to sit around 1,500 words each, but many of them could easily be double that and would be better for it. This is due to many details seemingly lacking, with many major details such as setting, time of day, and even descriptions of characters that the main group encounter are all very small and at (many) times the descriptions are confusing. This, alongside several times that the narrator switched from past tense to present tense, leads to an overall rushed feeling to the story, as if it is just moving along at a no-nonsense pace. The thing is, this nonsense is a lot of the reason I read these stories, give me those long descriptions of walls and decor. While these descriptions are laborious to write, they help plant the reader into the story and not feel like they are watching characters interact in a white void.
Even with that critique, once again I must emphasize that I can tell the author is enjoying writing this story and I hope they continue it as I wish to see where it grows from here.