Shadowswarm Summoner: A Worldhopping Deckbuilder LitRPG

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Shadow Wizard Ambrose always has a scheme, but this time, he's going for gold. The target: a Wildcard, a rare, powerful card that becomes whatever your deck needs most. Yes,technicallyheadmaster Charles Vanderborn has already promised him the card and a free year of tuition, provided he wins Rentan Academy's year-end tournament. But why leave it up to chance? He knows Vanderborn. The man is a power-hungry schemer. And if Ambrose can steal the Wildcard ahead of time and use it in the tournament... well, it's sure to show the headmaster exactly how dangerous he can be. But his dreams are shattered when his plot uncovers an insidious conspiracy. The headmaster's schemes go even deeper than he'd thought. Ambrose is forced to go on the run, but not before he steals a ship capable of flying between worlds. Luckily, he's got his rival classmates-turned-friends with him. Less luckily, they're all now wanted by an empire spanning a thousand worlds. Resistance will mean battling former mentors, swarms of ghouls, and massive molekin, scheme and plot to take on an impossible foe. Fortune favors the bold, and they fight to gain the power to undermine authority and smash oppression, wherever they find it. For only the fiercest fire will catch and topple the empire that claims to rule their fates. Expect: Deckbuilder litRPG with a balanced party Jerk with a heart of gold MC (Eventual)Multi-POV Worldhopping adventures Fun Cheat Abilities (Chapter 27 for the first) Book 1 is already complete, posting 1 a day until it’s complete, then M/W/F Patreon 20+ chapters ahead

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2026
Author: SmilingSatyr

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.9/ 5.0
Followers: 387
Views: 39,097

What readers say about Shadowswarm Summoner: A Worldhopping Deckbuilder LitRPG

“So. Shadowswarm Summoner, a book I liked a lot more than I thought I would going in. But lets talk about the big thing going in: THE MC It's MC is a abrasive as others have pointed out, but never in a way that made me want to stop reading him. Is he a jerk?…”
ZenkarnRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“I'll do a more complex review when I actually read more of this series, so this is more of a first contact sort of review. The main character is insufferable and the funny thing is that I just ran into a story with an insufferable main character so I legiti…”
ArilliusRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(8)

ZenkarnRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
So. Shadowswarm Summoner, a book I liked a lot more than I thought I would going in. But lets talk about the big thing going in:
THE MC
It's MC is a abrasive as others have pointed out, but never in a way that made me want to stop reading him. Is he a jerk? Yes. Does he have reasons for being a jerk, and does that soften slightly? Also yes. Never at any point did I think 'Ahh yes, this guy is going to be like this forever."
With that out of the way, lets talk about the second most important thing: The combat.
All the fights are card based (Fun!) and has imps (At least when the MC is involved, also fun!). But seriously, all the combat is well written, it flows easily from scene to scene. Each character has a unique way of fighting which fits them, be it big Dino go stomp to haha you don't have a deck anymore, the way they mesh is almost as fun as the fights themselves.
All up, its hard to talk about without spoiling the good stuff. I recommended it if your looking for something a little fun, a little different, and quite good.
ArilliusRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I'll do a more complex review when I actually read more of this series, so this is more of a first contact sort of review.
The main character is insufferable and the funny thing is that I just ran into a story with an insufferable main character so I legitimately was primed to hate this story and dislike where it's going immediately. And yet I find more and more that this story understands that the character is insufferable and tries to balance that with respecting their readers, attention and time. Yes, he's insufferable but that's intended and even he knows it to a degree. And his reasons for it real enough for me to buy this character story and reasons for acting this way.
It also does a lot of neat little exposition without expositing which it needed to do because lit RPGs and other things with rules-based mechanics have to explain their rules as well without boring you. This is a very good example of a solid start and a decent set of characterizations.
EarliestSideCharacterRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Since this review is titled like that, might as well start with it. The main character is smug frequently and is sharp with words, but instead of being grating it becomes good characterization and helps immerse you in the character. Additionally, the card system is both fleshed out and intuitive. I would definitely recommend this book if you like imperfect main characters
Fire209Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
My favorite part of any story are its characters, and in this respect Shadowswarm Summoner seems to holding up remarkably well. Ambrose is rich with flaws and personality, and I'm eager to see where SmilingSatyr takes him throughout the book.
My only critique is that the name needs some work- it reads a lot like a generic LitRPG I'd pass over any other day.
KarmaBusRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This might just be my new favorite story on RR!
TL;DR: Don't be put off by the idea of deckbuilding, the combat and system are terrific, TRUST. The author provides an incredible amount of depth to the world and characters (super character driven) without becoming overwhelming at any point. Everything feels natural and grounded and the bastard makes it look so easy.
The author jumps right into the action and the core of things so you really know exactly what you're in for within the first chapter or so. I'm genuinely impressed by how natural he makes it though. None of the important parts that help define the reader's expectations for the rest of the story that are so important at the start feel shoe horned or rushed in any way (this is gonna be a theme here. Author here makes a lot of balancing acts look absolutely effortless).
The combat/magic system is such a unique take on turn based games and deckbuilding that keeps an exciting pace and blends action with strategy in the most genius of ways. I was a little hesitant about how this magic system would be going in, but that trepidation was forgotten REAL fast haha Think Kaiba & Yugi running around on the playing field throwing hands xD
The characterizations are strong and each character and their dynamics and motivations feel so deeply fleshed out and grounded. In just these first 10 chapters, I could fill pages discussing these characters and the layers to them and what they represent to each other, but it's probably better for you to just read it.
I genuinely can't say enough good things about this so far. I haven't been this excited for a story in a very long time.
Kay Simons ScribblesRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Only the first seven chapters are up so far...but the story is addicting, and a pleasure to read.
The spelling and grammar are amazing, you can tell the author has worked hard and honed his craft. Characterization is very strong and intriguing even on day one
We're immediately thrown in the thick of it with Ambrose, with his prickly demeanor that you can still see the goodness buried beneath. He's got problems and he's got schemes and he wants to win big.
While it's early in the story the other characters also feel fully realized and distinct and the author drip feeds you just enough information to pique your curiosity to want to find out more.
The cadence and style of the story is fantastic. Enough details are given so you can picture each moment in every scene, but not overly done...the reader's imagination fills in the particulars. The tone just pulls you along...making you want to click next chapter over and over.
Even though some setup is done with the beginning of the story, (like any story), it's done cleverly, and we know there are some amazing things coming soon, both at Rentan Academy and with Ambrose's ambitious plans.
The System and combat we get to see in action right away, but it's still very clear what everything is. Some explanation and system mechanics is given in a fun way but it never bogs the story down we keep moving at a good pace.
I'm happy to consider the author a pal but being an avid LitRPG reader I can honestly say shadowswarm summoner is a new favorite of mine and I can't wait to see where this wonderful adventure leads us...and how much delight and shenanigans await us on the way!!
Sun Yi SolRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is the unrepentant asshole MC you've been looking for. You want someone who doesn't play fair, who preps for his fights, and who manipulates his opponents? Then say hello to Ambrose.
We're only 7 chapters in and this is already shaping up to be a fun adventure. Clear stakes, clear time pressure, and clear progression. The character are all unique and varied. You can feel that they have a history with not only Ambrose, but each other, and the rest of the world.
Also, it's a deckbuilder. I don't even like deck builders and this one is doing things for me.
ArchamedesRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
SmilingSatyr’s Shadowswarm Summoner: A Worldhopping Deckbuilder LitRPG starts off a little formulaic but I was surprised to find that I was just curious enough that I kept coming back. You could jumpstart into Chapter 7, where the story’s heartstrings start to dance a bit more, but overall the narrative voice is gaining confidence with each chapter and there are clever hints that the main character’s world is soon to rapidly expand beyond his early, provincial struggles. The initial magic academy setting of post-teens jocking around like pre-teens is a background to introduce the litrpg monster duel deck-building mechanics, but the project description mentions a much broader arena ahead for the diverse cast of powerful young characters and the author is delivering on dedicated chapter releases so I have to say this story is building into the hype seen in some of the early reviews. Recommend!