Madrid Files 5 - Between Hell & Rescue: Two Sides of Madrid 2.0 LitRPG Series
From Paper to Pixel: When Role-Playing Games Become Literature
Every Wednesday (or Thursday...😳), I'm opening the vault on the Magical Madrid - Madrid 2.0 Universe
🎮 From Paper to Pixel: When Role-Playing Games Become Literature
Hi there, magical realists and LitRPG adventurers! This week we're inaugurating Madrid Files, your window into the creative intricacies of the Madrid 2.0 universe.
I've just launched the first episode of my LitRPG series a dark and challenging LitRPG that immerses you in a post-apocalyptic Madrid where survival is just the beginning. And this is only the tip of the iceberg of what's to come.
Get ready to discover how two completely different game systems bring to life stories that share the same universe but with radically different flavors.
🎲 Hostile vs. Grimwild: Two Systems, Two Tones
The System Behind "Retrograde Orbit 'Game Mode'"
"Retrograde Orbit 'Game Mode'" is born from the depths of "Hostile," a ruthless dark space sci-fi role-playing game system known for:
Easy mechanics derived from Cepheus and Classic Traveller
A focus on hardship, survival and resource scarcity
An oppressive and claustrophobic atmosphere
The Mechanics of Hell
To adapt "Hostile" to a LitRPG format, I've had to translate its complex mechanics into narrative elements. Each dice roll becomes a moment of tension in the story. Characters face constant challenges where their statistics and abilities determine their survival, but always with that touch of uncertainty that makes the reader hold their breath.
In "Waking Up in Hell," the protagonist finds herself literally thrown into a hostile scenario where every resource counts and each encounter could be fatal. The game mechanics are reflected in the narrative through difficult decisions, permanent consequences, and a constant sense of imminent danger.
What This Means for You
This adaptation allows you to experience the tension of "Hostile" without needing to know the rules. Each page immerses you in a world where decisions matter and death lurks around every corner. The narrative captures the essence of the game: brutal, immersive, and addictive.
🌄 The Shared Universe: Madrid 2.0
One Setting, Two Experiences
Madrid 2.0 is the canvas on which both stories are painted, but with very different brushes:
A recognizable but transformed post-apocalyptic Madrid
Common areas that will appear in both series but seen from different perspectives
Characters who might cross between stories, carrying with them the tone of their own narrative
Contrast as a Narrative Tool
I've deliberately designed this contrast to explore how the same universe can host radically different stories. While "Retrograde Orbit 'Game Mode'" immerses you in desperation and the struggle for survival, "Madrid 2.0 Rescue Team" will offer an experience closer to action and adventure cinema.
This contrast not only enriches the shared universe but allows readers to choose their preferred "flavor" of Madrid 2.0, or better yet, enjoy both.
😂 Humor as the Connecting Thread
Laughing in the Apocalypse
If there's one thing that unites both series, it's the sarcastic and ironic humor. Even in the darkest moments of "Retrograde Orbit 'Game Mode'," you'll find flashes of ironic black humor that:
Serves as a release valve for narrative tension
Humanizes the characters even in extreme situations
Reflects the human capacity to find light in darkness
From Black to Technicolor
While in "Retrograde Orbit 'Game Mode'" humor is a thin line of mental survival, in "Madrid 2.0 Rescue Team" it will be a central component, closer to the style of 80s and 90s action movies, with witty dialogues and situations that balance adrenaline with laughter.
🚀 Next Week: Grimwild - When the Apocalypse Turns Epic
Next week I'll reveal all the details about "Madrid 2.0 Rescue Team" and how the rules of "Grimwild" shape a lighter, more cinematic and epic story within the same Madrid 2.0 universe.
How can the same post-apocalyptic setting host both desperation and adventure? Which characters might cross between both series? Find out next week!
📬 Your Vault Access
Do you prefer dark and challenging stories like "Retrograde Orbit 'Game Mode'" or lighter, more cinematic adventures like the upcoming "Madrid 2.0 Rescue Team"?
Share your answer in the comments and tell me which aspects of the Madrid 2.0 universe interest you the most.
Until next Wednesday, keep exploring the magical real!
A. P. Soto
Creating tomorrow's fiction today
🔗 Find Me Everywhere
📖 Original Stories: Wattpad (@apsoto_writer)
🎮 Game Mode (LitRPG): Inkspired (@apsoto)
📧 Behind-the-Scenes: Newsletter in Substack (@apsoto)
📱 Updates: Instagram (@solohistoriaspodcast) | TikTok (@solohistoriaspodcast)
📝 RESUMEN EN ESPAÑOL
Entre el infierno y el rescate: Dos caras de Madrid 2.0
Estreno del primer episodio de "Órbita retrógrada 'Game Mode'", un LitRPG basado en el sistema de rol "Hostile", con un tono oscuro y desafiante.
Exploración de cómo las mecánicas de "Hostile" se traducen a elementos narrativos que crean tensión y consecuencias permanentes.
Adelanto de "Equipo de rescate Madrid 2.0", que comenzará la próxima semana con un tono más ligero, basado en el sistema "Grimwild".
Ambas series comparten el universo Madrid 2.0 y un humor sarcástico que sirve como hilo conductor entre las dos historias.
¿Te gustan más las historias de supervivencia desesperada o las aventuras épicas con toques de humor? ¡Cuéntanos en los comentarios!
¿Preguntas sobre cómo adapto sistemas de rol a narrativa LitRPG? ¡Déjalas en los comentarios!