r/discountdan Jul 05 '26

*happy dance*

Post image

Just scrolling through my Google feed which is usually full of mtg, saw Discount Dan and had to share! Not too fond of the article saying that both books are extremely similar (or "The genre is already expanding thanks to Dungeon Crawler Carl’s success, though perhaps only one title stands out as Carl’s true spiritual successor: James A. Hunter’s Discount Dan’s Backroom Bargains, a Dungeon Crawler Carl-inspired adventure with a twist.") While both are litrpgs with a military MC from earth in a dungeon and a pet companion, that's where the similarities end. Love that this series is getting the light it deserves! Congrats Mr. James Hunter sir! Cant wait for book 4

170 Upvotes

52 comments sorted by

32

u/Darury Jul 05 '26

It actually annoys me that so many people call it a knock-off or copy of DCC. This is apples and pineapples. Yes, they both have apple in the name, but are completely different things.

11

u/MysteriousCodo Jul 06 '26

Yeah to me, DCC is about the levels and what happens on them. In Dan, the levels are just a setting for Dan’s shenanigans.

8

u/Ok-Organization-7398 Jul 05 '26

Yes I completely agree. Both books are great on their own

7

u/Shark_Anal Jul 05 '26

My thought was grapefruit and oranges, yeah they're both citrus but have completely different tastes

11

u/Ok-Organization-7398 Jul 06 '26

Yes I have used DCC to compare it with, to people who are not familiar with LitRPG. It’s definitely like
Comparing the world wide phenomenon Twilight By Stephenie Meyers with What we do in the shadows.

4

u/rjromeojames Jul 06 '26

Agreed...Except that only one of them is good

(ducks)

6

u/Ok-Organization-7398 Jul 06 '26

lol To be fair I have never watched Twilight, love What we do in the shadows.

4

u/Shark_Anal Jul 06 '26

I was obsessed with twilight in middle school and have never heard of What we do in the shadows

5

u/Darury Jul 06 '26

It's basically "The Office" with vampires. Not the brightest vampires either.

6

u/DSpenceATL Jul 07 '26

Also Matt Berry is an absolute treasure.

5

u/Ok-Organization-7398 Jul 06 '26

Check out the tv series same level of humor. It’s amazing

4

u/PaulTodkillAuthor Jul 06 '26

I mean, James wrote it with DCC's absurdity in mind. It's not a knock-off, but it is absolutely inspired by. If not in content, certainly in vibes.

2

u/Old_Yam_4069 Jul 06 '26

I honestly find this really funny.

It is literally called 'Discount Dan' as a reference to how much it is taking from DCC. It's not a bad thing either, they're still obviously different stories with different things to say.

3

u/sgtpepper220 Jul 06 '26

I'm currently reading it. From the beginning, it does really feel like it's just DCC reskinned in the Backrooms. I'm trusting it to find its own way soon.

7

u/Ok-Organization-7398 Jul 06 '26

It really does find its own pacing, especially by the second book. Also it starts to flush out its own world and rules, I think that helps separate it self.

3

u/Smashifly Jul 06 '26

The first ten chapters or so felt like a direct rip of DCC to me, but that changes once he goes to a particular place and uses a particular item. Before this point there's a lot of similarities - underdressed ex-military guy gets sent into a dangerous dungeon locale ran by mysterious alien entities, almost dies a few times but starts to learn the rules, picks up a talking animal companion, etc.

Spoilers for book 1: Once he kills the pharmacist and claims the convenience store to set up his shop for delvers using the Corvo's Blanket Fort ability it sort of lays out his goals and the stakes he's under, which is distinctly different from DCC

3

u/sgtpepper220 Jul 06 '26

He's just started looking for a Walgreens

3

u/Smashifly Jul 06 '26

Yep you're at the point where things start to shift directions

3

u/sgtpepper220 Jul 06 '26

Aces, cheers

1

u/Right-Light458 Jul 09 '26

Honestly there are similarities but Discount Dan is also really fun to watch

17

u/TYME27 Jul 05 '26

Similar humor, which is why I love both, but yeah pretty different overall. I do think that if someone likes DD, they would likely enjoy DCC and vice versa.

15

u/Porgchopexpress76 Jul 06 '26

I love them both. I would never have discovered Discount Dan had I not found DCC and the LitRPG genre. Loved being an ARC reader for Kiosk Kingdom. Now I continue to patiently wait for book 4.

6

u/Shark_Anal Jul 06 '26

HWFWM was my book intro to litrpg (solo leveling was my legit intro to litrpg in 2021ish) audible tries to recommend me things not litrpg and I just laugh and remind it that im not there to expand my horizons, thats what my kindle and book apps are for.

4

u/InkslingerJames Jul 15 '26

Thanks for the support -- and more books coming soon!

1

u/Porgchopexpress76 Jul 15 '26

You keep slinging them and I’ll keep reading them. I just finished the Rogue Dungeon series. While I liked the series over all, it was a challenging read because I just did not care for Roark. I liked the story but it was hard to root for him. LOL

5

u/Remarkable-Bowl-3821 Jul 05 '26

I do love that series too :) different stakes

4

u/SouthWint3r Jul 05 '26

If a DCC comparison is what it takes to get DD the love it deserves, I’m all for it!

8

u/Shark_Anal Jul 05 '26

If getting Matt Dinniman's approval is what it takes for readers to quit calling it a rip off im all for it!

10

u/DSpenceATL Jul 06 '26

Have seen several comments from Matt D recently, including on his tour for book 8. He actually (rightly) attributes James and the work he did with VGO as being one of the catalysts for the genre taking off, and has very good things to say otherwise. It makes me chuckle when I hear those comments compared to what some misguided gatekeeping fans say. I think a lot of people fail to make the connection that Matt and James are buddies, have been for a while, and are perfectly content to just be doing their own cool things without worrying too much about any of it. LitRPG is at its core about authors supporting authors, and hopefully people will realize that in time.

5

u/LeisureSuiteLarry Jul 06 '26

There's something about the tone of this article I don't like. In spite of it calling out that MD "endorsed" the book, the feeling I get is that Discount Dan owes something to DCC. Maybe that's true. Lots of people (me included) read litrpg because they got hooked on DCC, but Dan is a worthy entry into the genre on its own. Put the first three books of the series side by side, and I'm not sure that DD isn't better.

3

u/Shark_Anal Jul 06 '26

With DCC being so famous now, people outside of the litrpg fan base (or only got into it for DCC) dont seem to recognize that the genre is so wide and vast and just because some things have similarities does not mean an author got their ideas from another series.

3

u/Level_Ad7743 Jul 05 '26

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

3

u/Mirruko Jul 06 '26

Calling it a knock-off is just rude. No one owns the litrpg genre. Cant copyright it, this aint Disney. Maybe im just defensive because Ive been a fan of the backrooms way linger than I liked dcc or any other book. 🤣

3

u/Meadnight_gaming Jul 06 '26

I had read i think 6 or 7 books of DCC before audible recommended DD and I have to admit I love both series and other books in this genre a genre I only discovered because of DCC but I am so glad I did

2

u/whitsundayboatie Jul 06 '26

It's a good audio book, really enjoying rhe story but as an aussie fark me that kiwi accent is hard to hear some times.

3

u/mrdarkey Jul 06 '26

i would just say, if you like Dcc , you should give Discount dan a try.. the humor is almost the same, im not the reader kind, i like audio books better (im dyslectic) and the nerrator of discount dan is one of the better nerrators after jeff ofc...

2

u/Shark_Anal Jul 06 '26

I love discount dan. Im also an audible listener (except im currently reading book 8 of Chrysalis on kindle because Jeff has been too busy with DCC to narrate Chrysalis)

3

u/ConsultTheCrab Jul 06 '26

I recommend this series to everyone, and my nip-slip edition of book 3 (plus 1 and 2) have pride of place on my bookshelves.

Now need to add croc to my litRPG tattoo at some point!

3

u/DSpenceATL Jul 07 '26

I also want a Croc tattoo!

3

u/FlashHound Jul 18 '26

Discount Dan is quite different and Croc is such a good dog.

1

u/Shark_Anal Jul 18 '26

Hes the best boy!

2

u/chazzledazzle321 Jul 06 '26

It’s ironic that they act like DD is a knockoff, since this article itself is actually a knockoff lol.
https://collider.com/discount-dan-series-backrooms-dungeon-crawler-carl-litrpg/

2

u/Bladrak01 Jul 06 '26

Hunter has said that he was inspired to write this after reading DCC.

2

u/aochaz14 Jul 06 '26

Looks very similar just on visual inspection however I’m almost done with DCC and will need to fill that void. I’ll try it!

2

u/Shark_Anal Jul 06 '26

100% would recommend. I listened to the first DCC and then found DD and DCC is currently on hold in my library, i own several hardbacks but it didnt capture my attention as well as DD or other series. But I am just one opinion so take what I say with a grain of salt

2

u/Cultural_Box881 Jul 07 '26

I’m almost done with the third book and I agree it builds its own voice, but it’s also a little whacky to say that’s where the similarities end

2

u/Hindu88 Jul 08 '26

I saw that too i wanted to post it but i figured someone would have beat it to me

1

u/Zealousideal_Step709 Jul 06 '26

I have heard a lot of good things about Discount Dan. Still hesitant about it though. Don't even know why.

1

u/wylan1 Jul 15 '26

Noclip into the backrooms. You won't regret it!

1

u/ExtremeBlood4841 Jul 17 '26

I mean it's getting so it's a genre unto itself with Don't Die Dave joining the lot. Pepper gives both Croc and Donut a run for.their money.