Saturday, July 11, 2026
Panel & Workshop Schedule
Time: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Location: Colorado Ballroom
Panel Name: The MC Is Not a Build, They’re a Person
Description: A panel on keeping LitRPG protagonists grounded as real human beings, not just stat sheets and skill rotations. Even in system-driven worlds, emotional grounding is what makes their journey matter and feel real.
Moderator: Plum Parrot
Panelists: Shami Stovall, Jez Cajiao, Daniel Schinhofen, Shawn Wilson, Eric Ugland, Nicoli Gonnella
***
Location: Crystal Peak
Panel Name: I Can Fix Their Voice, But I Cannot Fix Their Decisions
Description: A discussion on voicing LitRPG characters you actively disagree with while reading. When the plan is bad, the confidence is high, and you’re quietly yelling at the character in your head while still having to perform it like it’s perfectly reasonable.
Moderator: Rose (TJ) Reynolds
Panelists: Andie Parsneau, Corvin King, Pavi Proczko, Steve Campbell, Neil Hellegers, Chris Boucher
***
Location: Sopris A
Panel Name: This Subplot Is Technically a Different Book
Description: A panel on managing runaway story threads in LitRPG and progression fantasy. From side quests that evolve into full arcs to system mechanics that quietly take over the plot, we explore what happens when “just a small subplot” refuses to stay small. Authors and editors discuss how to spot narrative sprawl early, when to rein it in, and when to accept that the subplot has officially become its own book and everyone just has to live with it.
Moderator: Matt Herrmann
Panelists: Adam Cotton, Jonathan Brooks, Dakota Krout, Josiah Davis, E.A. Winters
***
Location: Sopris B
Panel Name: Low Stakes, High Vibes
Description: Why are readers falling in love with cozy LitRPG? Authors and narrators discuss relaxing progression, comforting worlds, and stories where emotional payoff matters as much as combat.
Moderator: S.M. Boyce
Panelists: Travis Baldree, S.L. Rowland, Allora Lee, RavensDagger, Kia Leep, Jer “Tonic” Patch/Toni Binns
***
Location: Columbia
Panel Name: The Readers Remember Your Lore Better Than You Do
Description: A survival panel on continuity, callbacks, and fandom memory.
Moderator: Johnathan McClain
Panelists: Jacob Holo, Silas Sontag, Cornman8700, Edie Skye, Troy Osgood, Timothy McGowen
***
Location: Harvard
Panel Name: I Was Just Scrolling and Now I Have Opinions About Skill Trees
Description: Creators and authors discuss the exact moments, tropes, and hooks that turn casual viewers into genre fans.
Moderator: Dennis Meltser
Panelists: Reck Well, Sam Boyd, Keoni Taylor, Brian Bell, Richey Stephens, The Longwinded One
***
Location: Yale
Panel Name: One More Chapter: How to Build Addictive Story Momentum in LitRPG
Description: A panel focused on pacing, escalation, cliffhangers, and emotional hooks that keep readers saying “just one more chapter.” Discuss chapter endings, dopamine loops, progression systems, and balancing action with payoff.
Moderator: Joshua Mason
Panelists: David North, Aaron Renfroe, A.F. Kay, Sean Oswald
***
Location: Princeton
Panel Name: I Wrote a Simple Story and Now It Has 14 Systems and a Map
Description: A panel on how LitRPG stories evolve beyond their original scope, and why nobody is really in control after chapter five.
Moderator: Jeffrey “Falcon” Logue
Panelists: Joedan Worely, Robyn Wideman, J David Baxter, Arthur_Mega_Pint_Inverse, Luke Mess, Derek Siddoway
Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Location: Colorado Ballroom
Panel Name: Loot, Levels, and Loot Again: The Progression Loop
Description: Why does leveling up feel so good? This panel explores reward loops, stat progression, and how to keep advancement satisfying over a long series.
Moderator: Selkie Myth
Panelists: Travis Bagwell, Eric Dontigney, A.F. Kay, J.M. Clarke, Jay Krauss, Hunter Mythos
***
Location: Crystal Peak
Panel Name: Branding, Builds, and Pen Names
Description: What happens when your author name becomes a brand? Authors discuss pen names, genre expectations, audience targeting, social media presence, and the marketing realities of writing across LitRPG, progression fantasy, harem, cozy fantasy, and beyond.
Moderator: Dennis Meltser
Panelists: Travis Deverell AKA Shirtaloon, OverXelous, Ryan “RinoZ” McGrath, The Longwinded One, AlwaysRollsAOne, Tommy “Sourpatch Hero” Kerper
***
Location: Sopris A
Panel Name: Just One More Chapter
Description: Why do LitRPG readers binge entire series in a weekend? Creators break down pacing, cliffhangers, progression loops, and the storytelling tricks that keep readers smashing “next chapter” at 2AM.
Moderator: Johnathan McClain
Panelists: Willpowah, Chris Vines, Lorne Ryburn, Benjmain Kerei, M. Tress
***
Location: Sopris B
Panel Name: Who Brought the Beef?
Description: An insight into LitRPG and Progression Fantasies’ biggest rivalry. Brian J. Nordon V. Andrew Givler. Witnesses Including: Michael Chatfield, Eric Ugland, and other surprise witnesses!
Moderator: Haylock “The Judge” Jobson
Panelists: Brian J. Nordon, Andrew Givler, Eric Ugland, Michael Chatfield, Sean Dunning, Noret Flood IV
***
Location: Columbia
Panel Name: Crit Success: Narrating LitRPG
Description: An introduction to the business and performance side of audiobook narration in one of the fastest-growing audio genres. Topics include home studio basics, auditioning, ACX, working with indie authors, pacing for stat-heavy scenes, and avoiding listener fatigue during long progression sequences.
Moderator: Neil Hellegers
Panelists: Gary Furlong, Justin Thomas James, Jessica Threet, Wayne Mitchell, Daryl Mayfield, Pavi Proczko,
***
Location: Harvard
Panel Name: Conversations on Conversations, Part One: The Interviewer
Description: What makes a good interview? How can you, as an interviewer, best prepare beforehand to do justice to your interview subject? How can you guide the conversation without steamrolling your interviewee? How many questions is too many questions, and why is the answer, "four," when you're talking about a workshop description? Aspiring podcasters, BookTokers, BookTubers, and more won't want to miss this introduction to modern-day journalism in which we'll cover the key dos and don'ts of interviewing, why research is a requirement, and the different interview formats.
Panelists: Maude, Emily Labes-Rocye
***
Location: Yale
Panel Name: You Can’t Drink Another Potion Yet
Description: A look at healing limits, consumable cooldowns, and why recovery mechanics often matter more than damage. Survival becomes a timing problem, not just a power one.
Moderator: S.M. Boyce
Panelists: Erin Ampersand, J.L. Mullins, David Niemitz, Jeff Kohanek, Elizabeth “SilverSidhe” Oswald, Troy Osgood
***
Location: Princeton
Panel Name: Write What You Love vs Write What Pays for Snacks
Description: A look at how authors juggle instinctive, passion driven storytelling with genre expectations, reader demand, and the and the occasional need to keep the lights on.
Moderator: Aaron Michael Ritchey
Panelists: TheBusyBard (B.J. Webster), Jonathan Waters, Greg Tolley, Justin M. Sloan, Derek Siddoway, Justin Whitaker
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location: Colorado Ballroom
Panel Name: I Wrote One Cool Scene and Accidentally Started a Cult Following
Description: How single moments in LitRPG become fandom defining events.
Moderator: Michael Chatfield
Panelists: Travis Deverell AKA Shirtaloon, Matt Dinniman, Drew Hayes, Ryan Rimmel, Dakota Krout
***
Location: Crystal Peak
Panel Name: Live Reading and Q&A
Description: Join Will Wight and Travis Baldree for a live reading, and Q&A with Host, Maude!
Moderator: Maude
Panelists: Will Wight, Travis Baldree
***
Location: Sopris A
Panel Name: Same Genre, New Game: Finding Originality in LitRPG
Description: Level up your storytelling in a genre built on familiar systems. LitRPG thrives on stats, skills, and progression, but how do you make your story feel fresh when readers already know the rules? Hear from some of Aethon's most tenured and diverse storytellers as they discuss how to break expectations, reinvent tropes, and build worlds that stand out in a crowded field. Whether you’re a writer, reader, or aspiring game-master of your own story, come discover how to play a new game in the same genre.
Moderator: Steve Beaulieu/Jaime Castle
Panelists: Actus, J.M. Clarke, Troy Osgood, Sean Oswald, Ryan “RinoZ” McGrath
***
Location: Sopris B
Panel Name: Congratulations, Your Trash Build Is Somehow Meta Now
Description: A narrator-focused panel on bringing weak-to-strong progression arcs to life in audio. From exhausted level-one disasters to confident late-game powerhouses, narrators discuss how character voices evolve alongside progression, and how subtle changes in tone, delivery, confidence, and emotion help listeners feel every hard-earned level along the way.
Moderator: Joshua Story
Panelists: Erin Bennett, Laurie Catherine Winkel, Johnathan McClain, Heath Miller, Steve Corona, Wayne Mitchell
***
Location: Columbia
Panel Name: I Came for the Quest, Stayed for the Found Family I Didn’t Plan
Description: A panel on how party dynamics slowly turn into found family arcs you never actually outlined. Now everyone is emotionally invested and refusing to leave the narrative.
Moderator: Toni Weisskopf
Panelists: Reck Well, Lars Machmüller, Shami Stovall, Aoife Wai, S.L. Rowland, Blaise Corvin
***
Location: Harvard
Panel Name: The World Ended and All I Got Was This System
Description: Join authors as they talk about the joy (and chaos) of destroying their worlds just to build them back better. Expect behind-the-scenes storytelling, system design stories, and plenty of “this got out of hand fast” moments.
Moderator: Hunter Mythos
Panelists: Jay Boyce, Ryan Maxwell, Erin Ampersand, Jonathan Brooks, Luke Chmilenko, C. Mantis
***
Location: Yale
Panel Name: I Came for the Book and Stayed for the Trauma and Stats
Description: A discussion on how breakout LitRPG stories pull readers in with humor, chaos, and progression systems, then accidentally turn them into full-time genre fans who now know what a status screen is and have opinions about them.
Moderator: Todd Menesses
Panelists: John Cressman, Gabe Rathweg, Plum Parrott, J.R. Mathews, Sean Hall, AlwaysRollsAOne
***
Location: Princeton
Panel Name: When the System Chooses You
Description: What happens when ordinary people are dropped into game-like worlds with rules they didn’t ask for? A look at survival instincts, adaptation, and why readers love watching characters learn the system on the fly.
Moderator: Justin Thomas James
Panelists: Benjamin Kerei, Miles English, Liam Lawless, Kia Leep, J David Baxter, Bosloe
Time: 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Location: Crystal Peak
Panel Name: Truck-Kun Has a Higher Kill Count Than Most Dark Lords
Description: Authors and narrators celebrate the absurdity of isekai beginnings, from accidental deaths and divine misunderstandings to waking up with stats in worlds that immediately become someone else’s problem.
Moderator: Jay Boyce
Panelists: Nathan Ameye, Daryl Mayfield, Timothy McGowen, Arthur_Mega_Pint_Invverse, J David Baxter, Miles English
***
Location: Sopris A
Panel Name: Your Funny Character Still Has to Bleed
Description: A conversation on keeping comedic characters emotionally grounded so humor enhances rather than replaces tension.
Moderator: Lars Machmüller
Panelists: Jez Cajiao, Ryan Rimmel, Benjamin Kerei, RavensDagger, Gabe Rathweg, Aoife Wai
***
Location: Sopris B
Panel Name: Strong Voices, Strong Stories: Writing Without Compromise
Description: A conversation about staying true to creative vision while navigating trends, audience expectations, and market pressures in genre fiction.
Moderator: Sean Hall
Panelists: E.A. Winters, Joshua Rettew, M. Zaugg, Greg Tolley, M. Tress, Willpowah
***
Location: Columbia
Panel Name: Multiple Paths, One Goal: Getting Your LitRPG Into Readers' Hands
Description: Whether you are Self-Published, publishing through an Independent Publisher, Traditionally Published, or a Hybrid, the goal is to get your books to the readers. This panel brings together authors from a variety of publishing backgrounds, to discuss the different routs into the LitRPG market.
Moderator: Damon Courtney
Panelists: Lorne Ryburn, TJ Lombardi, Dakota Krout, David Niemitz, J.L. Mullins, Selkie Myth, Robyn Wideman
Time: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Location: Crystal Peak
Panel Name: Writing LitRPG That Doesn’t Drown in Stats - Workshop
Description: A workshop on integrating systems, stats, and mechanics into storytelling without overwhelming pacing or losing emotional engagement.
Moderator: Sean Hall
Panelists: Benjamin Kerei, Jay Boyce, Jason J. Willis, Pavi Proczko, Craig Hamilton, Ben Wolf
***
Location: Sopris A
Panel Name: Publishing Your First LitRPG - Workshop
Description: A beginner-friendly workshop covering the full indie publishing process: editing, covers, formatting, metadata, launch strategy, ARC teams, and setting realistic expectations for a first release.
Moderator: Steve Corona
Panelists: John Stovall, Selkie Myth, David North, R.A. Mejia, Stuart Grosse, Todd Menesses
***
Location: Sopris B
Panel Name: Just Because It's Called a Safe Zone Doesn't Mean Safety Is Guaranteed
Description: A panel on how safe zones and hostile zones shape progression, storytelling rhythm, and player expectations in LitRPG worlds.
Moderator: Katherine Grant-Suttie
Panelists: Valerios, Alex Knight, Gabe Rathweg, Justin Marks, Luke Chmilenko, Bosloe
***
Location: Columbia
Panel Name: Characters vs Authors: Who is Really In Charge Here?
Description: A discussion on stories that evolve past their original intent, and the strange moment where authors become witnesses to their own narrative. Are you steering the characters, or are they doing what they please while you just write down the notes?
Moderator: Richey Stephens
Panelists: Kevin Sinclair, Edie Skye, Timothy McGowen, Sean Dunning, Allora Lee, Jer “Tonic” Patch/Toni Binns
Time: 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Location: Crystal Peak
Panel Name: Villain Support Group: Hi, I’m the Problem, It’s Me
Description: A chaotic, funny panel where LitRPG authors explore villains who are just trying their best in very questionable ways. From misunderstood final bosses to overworked dungeon overlords, we look at antagonists who believe they are the hero of their own story, complete with justified spreadsheets, morally flexible quest logs, and a strong belief that everyone else is simply interfering with their progression.
Moderator: Garrett Michael Brown
Panelists: Seth Ring, Haylock Jobson, Ryn aka Jonathan Smidt, Alex Knight, Joshua Rettew, Jez Cajiao
***
Location: Sopris A
Panel Name: Building a Career Beyond Amazon
Description: A business-focused panel about diversifying income streams through Kickstarter, Patreon, direct sales, conventions, merchandise, and community building.
Moderator: Oriana Leckert
Panelists: E.A. Winters, A.P. Beswick, Shami Stovall, Ben Wolf, Doug Lohse
***
Location: Sopris B
Panel Name: More Than Power and Prestige
Description: Why do readers cheer for some heroes, boo some villains, and somehow become emotionally attached to a random innkeeper? Join our panelists as they explore the virtues, vices, quirks, and flaws that transform characters from stat blocks into unforgettable favorites.
Moderator: John Cressman
Panelists: Aaron Renfroe, Justin Marks, Jer “Tonic” Patch/Toni Binns, Bruce Sentar, Waldo Rodriguez, Rose (TJ) Reynolds
***
Location: Columbia
Panel Name: The Side Quest Character Who Won’t Leave
Description: Authors discuss the accidental fan favorites who were supposed to appear once and somehow became core cast members.
Moderator: TheBusyBard (B.J. Webster)
Panelists: Seth McDuffee, Kevin Sinclair, Sean Hall, Chris Vines, Aoife Wai, D. Petrie
Time: 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Location: Crystal Peak
Panel Name: Conversations on Conversations, Part Two: The Interviewee
Description: Look, if you only had one shot or one opportunity to make a first impression in front of thousands of viewers, would you capture it, or just let it slip? With the rise in popularity of vertical video, the broadcast interview remains as important a tool as ever in the author/narrator promo toolkit. But being a great writer or speaker doesn't automatically mean you'll give a good interview. This introductory media training session is designed to help get you confident and camera-ready! Key topics include deescalating, soundbites & storytelling, and the power of prep.
Panelists: Emily Labes-Royce, Maude
***
Location: Sopris A
Panel Name: Leveling Up Your Performance
Description: How narrators improve over time, developing acting skills, refining workflow, upgrading studios, and evolving their performance style across long series.
Moderator: Zura Johnson
Panelists: Jack Fields, Annie Ellicott, Corvin King, Austin Rising, David Stifel, Steve Campbell
***
Location: Sopris B
Panel Name: From Service to Storytelling
Description: Veteran authors share how military service shaped their lives, influenced their writing, and helped them find a new mission through storytelling. Join us for an honest discussion about creativity, publishing, and life after service.
Moderator: Chris Boucher
Panelists: James Hunter, Dakota Krout, Hunter Mythos, TJ Lombardi, Rose (TJ) Reynolds, Michael Chatfield
***
Location: Columbia
Panel Name: From Royal Road to Retail
Description: A discussion about the publishing journey from web serialization to success in other published formats, covering the editorial process, audiobook production, and selling into bookstores.
Moderator: Julie Constantine
Panelists: Matt Parkinson, Johnathan McClain, Josiah Davis, Tommy “SourpatchHero” Kerper, Plum Parrot