Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl has grown from a self-published LitRPG series into a multimedia franchise, and its latest expansion is arriving in the tabletop space. Renegade Game Studios has confirmed that The Royal Court, a role-playing game based on the series, will release next month.

From Self-Published Books to a Multimedia Franchise

Dungeon Crawler Carl began as a self-published series that quickly attracted a devoted readership through its blend of gritty dungeon action, satirical game mechanics, and irreverent humor. Published by Penguin Random House starting in 2020, the books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide, revitalizing a genre that had lingered on the margins of mainstream fiction.

The series follows Carl, an ordinary man thrust into a deadly dungeon crawl broadcast as entertainment for alien viewers. Alongside his companions — including the beloved Princess Donut — Carl ascends floors, confronts bizarre monsters, and uncovers an ever-growing mythology that has kept readers engaged across multiple volumes.

What The Royal Court Offers at the Table

The Royal Court RPG lets players experience the World Dungeon firsthand, either by creating original crawlers or assuming the roles of familiar characters such as Carl, Princess Donut, and Katia Grim. The game’s mechanics echo the novels’ core concepts: achievements, loot boxes, viewer-driven challenges, and the ever-present risk of death for the sake of entertainment.

These elements give the RPG a distinctive identity that sets it apart from traditional fantasy role-playing games. The satirical tone and game-within-a-game structure should translate well to the tabletop format, offering players a unique blend of strategy, humor, and narrative tension.

The Final Chapter Ahead

The RPG’s release comes as the book series approaches its conclusion. The upcoming finale, The Beautiful Place, will be released as a two-volume set, raising expectations for a satisfying payoff after countless battles and revelations. While the exact timeline remains under wraps, the publisher has hinted that the finale will arrive in the next few years.

For fans of the series, The Royal Court offers a new way to engage with the Dungeon Crawler Carl universe before the story reaches its conclusion. It also represents another step in the franchise’s expansion beyond the page, bringing its distinctive voice to an entirely new medium.