The Warlock of Firetop Mountain is on Kickstarter!

Exciting news, Fighting Fantasy fans... It's here at last!

That's right, Tin Man Games' Kickstarter to complete work on The Warlock of Firetop Mountain* is now live, and in under 24 hours has already raised almost half its funding target of $15,000AUD.

I'm sure you'll agree that that's an amazing achievement and if you are a fan of Fighting Fantasy, RPGs, or Tin Man Games' previous gamebook apps, then you will want to be a part of this! 

Rewards on offer include having your name appear in the credits, unique digital miniatures to use in the game (which also unlock additional content and story), and even having your name appear on the wall in Zagor's crypt!

So click this link and be a part of this project! And may your STAMINA never fail!

* I might have had my own small part to play in this project.

YOU ARE THE HERO - 'A cultural roadmap of an '80s childhood'

That's what Jes Bickham, current editor of White Dwarf magazine and the man who commissioned my original History of Fighting Fantasy piece for an SFX Fantasy special back in 2012 says, more or less. Here's Jes in his own words:

"I read You Are The Hero over Christmas and what a treat it was... Not only was the book an absorbing account of a phenomenon, it also acted as a strange cultural roadmap for my childhood/adolescence - like you, I grew up with GW and now I find myself editing my favourite magazine from when I was 13! Lovely stuff, and very well done sir."

If you haven't got hold of a copy yourself yet, you can acquire a strictly limited edition signed hardback here.

* * * * *

In other gamebook-related news, Bloodbones the App appears to be going down a storm and has certainly created some buzz online, such as here, and here (even if Pocket Gamer don't actually know who wrote it).

The Tin Man himself has this to say about his company's latest release:

"Jonathan Green has become the modern standard bearer for Fighting Fantasy, having recently written You Are The Hero, a history of the series. I’m really thrilled to have one of Jon’s titles as part of our FF library and Bloodbones is truly an epic adventure – one of our biggest yet!"

Illustrator Tony Hough gets a mention too:

"Veteran fantasy and science-fiction artist, Tony Hough, has also returned to add some colour to his original black and white artwork, which can still be viewed by playing in an added retro mode."

Reviews have already appeared on 148apps and Playboard, with the latter saying:

"This one is from Tin Man Games. Almost all of their gamebooks were awesome and this one is even better - fantastic story and just so much fun!"

Don't forget you can download Bloodbones for the smartphone of your choice via the portal here.

YOU ARE THE HERO in Fighting Fantazine #14

Issue #14 of the hugely popular and highly professionally put together Fighting Fantasy fanzine Fighting Fantazine is now available for download - for FREE!

I have been particularly looking forward to this issue, because not one, not two, but three of my projects feature within its 104 pages!

First up is Bloodbones, or more specifically, Tin Man Games' adaptation of my fourth Fighting Fantasy adventure which was on hiatus for ten years until it was finally published by Wizard Books nine years ago*.

Bloodbones gets bigged up.

Second up is a report on Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014, written by Andrew Jones...

It's nice to see some pictures from the Fest from the other side of the table.

...and third is another glowing review of YOU ARE THE HERO, this time by Stuart Lloyd.

According to Stuart's review, if you're reading this you should also own a copy of YOU ARE THE HERO. 

The issue also includes a brand new Lone Wolf adventure this time, and an in depth interview with Marc Gascoigne, who was consultant editor on the series when I started writing for Fighting Fantasy... almost 23 years ago**!

Congratulations to Editor Alex Ballingall and the team, for another fantastic issue, and you can download your FREE copy by clicking this link.



* Crikey! Has it really been that long?

** It's actually nearer 25 years*** since I first started pitching ideas to Marc.

*** That's a quarter of a century!

YOU ARE THE HERO at Christmas

One of the joys that Christmas brought this time was people posting pictures of the copies of YOU ARE THE HERO they received for Christmas on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, along with kind words in many cases. Here are just a few of them...

"Christmas just got better! Many thanks to Jonathan Green, Steve Jackson & Ian Livingstone!"

"Guy Francis Haley and Jonathan Green - Santa brought me some fine reading. Happy Christmas everyone!"

"Thank you Father Christmas! @jonathangreen - I think I have the best bookmark too courtesy of @ian_livingstone!"

"How did Santa know?! #dungeonsanddragons #starwars #fightingfantasy #DnD5 #books #xmas"

"Now this is what I call a present!! Great book Jonathan! Thanks!"

Christmas also brought a new 5-star review, bringing the current total to 34.

"I can honestly say this is a magnificent book and will take any fan of the original books on a warm fuzzy trip down memory lane."

In other news, Bloodbones the App is now available to Android users*, and as of writing this blog post, four people have already rated it 5 stars!

* The iOS version is coming soon.

YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks - is here!

So yesterday, this happened...

If you're wondering, that's what half a tonne of books looks like. (I'm not kidding - it's actually slightly more than half a tonne!)

YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks - in print at last!

It's big.

In case you were wondering how big, here's YOU ARE THE HERO next to the 25th anniversary edition of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain.

In other news, Tin Man Games' app version of Steve Jackson's Appointment with F.E.A.R. was released on the 32nd anniversary of the publication of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain.

The official book launch of YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks is taking place at FIGHTING FANTASY FEST 2014, the world's first convention dedicated to Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks. You can find out more details, and buy your ticket, here.

Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014 - The Schedule!

Here at is at last, what you've all been waiting for, the schedule for Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014, taking place on Sunday 7 September at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel in Ealing, West London.

~ ~ ~

10.30am – The event opens and Registration begins.

11.15am – Welcome to the event you've all been waiting for...

11.30am – Tin Man Games presentation - A very special preview of some of Tin Man Games' forthcoming FF apps.

12.00pm – The History of Fighting Fantasy - A talk by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, with Philippa Dickinson, their editor on the original FF gamebook, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain.

1.00pm – Lunch - Join us for a flagon of Cloud Ale at the Black Lobster Tavern.

2.00pm – The Art of Fighting Fantasy - The Fighting Fantasy artists, in conversation with Jonathan Green.

3.00pm – Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks and YOU ARE THE HERO mass signing.

4.00pm – Fighting Fantasy Costume Competition, followed by the Fighting Fantasy Auction (with auctioneer Ian Livingstone).

5.00pm – Your adventure ends here… The event closes.

~ ~ ~

During the day you will also be able to enjoy Advanced Fighting Fantasy gaming sessions, courtesy of Arion Games, take part in a Swindlestones tournament, with Inkle Studios, and have your fantasy-themed portrait taken by Legend Photography.

Traders who will be there on the day include Otherworld Miniatures, board games specialists Leisure Games, FightingFantasy.com, French AFF publishers Scriptarium, purveyors of gaming accessories All Rolled Up, Pure Evil Miniatures, and Snowbooks, publishers of YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks (which will also be launching on the day).

If you've not bought your ticket yet, you can do so here.

Attend Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014 and appear in a Fighting Fantasy gamebook app!

There's now just 1 week left to purchase your ticket for Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014...

One of the guests attending Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014 will be Neil Rennison, the Tin Man's flesh avatar from Tin Man Games.

As well as very generously donating a free download code for everyone attending FFF 2014, Tin Man Games are giving YOU the chance to appear in a future Fighting Fantasy gamebook app.

Everyone attending Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014 will be entered into a prize draw, and those lucky people who have their names drawn out of the hat will appear as characters in a forthcoming FF app.

Imagine that - being immortalised in one of your favourite FF gamebooks and becoming a part of Fighting Fantasy history yourself!

So don't delay, buy your ticket today!

Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014 - Featuring Arion Games and Inkle Studios

There are now only 7 days left in which to buy your tickets for Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014...

Amongst the traders and guests attending the event are Arion Games, publishers of Advanced Fighting Fantasy Second Edition, and Inkle Studios, who are in the process of converting Steve Jackson's Sorcery! books for the iPad.

Inkle will be demoing their latest apps, while Arion will be running games of AFF during the day for attendees to sign up for and take part in.

So what are you waiting for? Buy your ticket for the gaming event of the year today!

Tin Man Games will also be attending Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014 and one of their more recent FF adaptations is Island of the Lizard King, illustrated by Alan Langford, whose illustrations appear in YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks.

Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014 - Featuring Tin Man Games

There are now just 10 days left for you to purchase your ticket for Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014, which is causing a stir all over the Internet - such as Charlie Higson's tweet below:

One of the guests attending Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014 will be Neil Rennison, the Tin Man's flesh avatar from Tin Man Games. He will be there showing off all the latest FF apps and talking about his experience of converting classic gamebooks, such as House of Hell, for digital platforms.

Tin Man Games have also very generously donated a free download code for everyone attending FFF 2014, so don't delay, buy your ticket today!

Fighting Fantasy 2014 - Official Press Release

For immediate release!

Fighting Fantasy Fest 2014

The first dedicated Fighting Fantasy convention, with Special Guests of Honour Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, featuring the official launch of YOU ARE THE HERO – A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks by Jonathan Green.

Sunday 7 September 2014 will see the first dedicated Fighting Fantasy convention take place at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel in Ealing, West London. Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, co-creators of the publishing and gaming phenomenon that is Fighting Fantasy, will be Special Guests of Honour at the event, where they will be joined by legendary fantasy artists Russ Nicholson, Chris Achilleos and Tony Hough. A highlight of the day will be Steve and Ian’s own talk on the History of Fighting Fantasy.

Fighting Fantasy Fest will see the official launch of Jonathan Green’s YOU ARE THE HERO – A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks, along with an exhibition of rare FF memorabilia – including original artwork and other more obscure artefacts connected to the series – as well as trade stands, and an auction of Fighting Fantasy treasures. Arion Games will be running Advanced Fighting Fantasy role-playing game sessions during the day, while Tin Man Games and Inkle Studios will also be in attendance, talking about their digital versions of such classic gamebooks as Ian Livingstone’s The Forest of Doom and Steve Jackson’s Sorcery! epic.

Tickets for the event cost £50 each, and every attendee will receive an event-exclusive Adventurer’s Backpack containing various Fighting Fantasy Fest and YOU ARE THE HERO goodies.

“The success of the YOU ARE THE HERO Kickstarter project demonstrated that there is still an active community of Fighting Fantasy fans out in the world who would relish the chance to not only meet their heroes, but to get together and share their stories of battling the horrors of Deathtrap Dungeon or braving the perils of Kharé – Cityport of Traps,” says Jonathan Green, author of the History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks, “ideally whilst quaffing a flagon of ale in Port Blacksand’s infamous Black Lobster Tavern.” (The event will even feature a themed bar!)

Ian Livingstone, co-creator of Fighting Fantasy said, “It’s crazy really that it’s taken 32 years for a dedicated Fighting Fantasy event to take place!  But that’s going to make it all the more special. It will be brilliant to see old friends, artists, authors and fans again after all this time. I’m going to bring along some special Fighting Fantasy items that have never been seen in public before. It certainly will be a Return to Firetop Mountain! I can’t wait.”

Steve Jackson, who is famed for his Sorcery! series, said, “Amazing to think it’s almost 40 years since the first Games Day was held, at Seymour Hall and Baths in Central London. There was a great buzz at that event. Visitors – and organisers – felt they were attending a special occasion. I’m sure it will be the same kind of buzz at Fighting Fantasy Fest. FF celebrities will be there, dealers and memorabilia, game demos and a special auction of items from the Jackson and Livingstone personal archives. This will be an event not to be missed by FF readers. I’m really looking forward to it.”

For more information, or to arrange interviews with the organisers of Fighting Fantasy Fest, please email Jonathan Green at info@jonathangreenauthor.com.

@fightingfantasy @stevejacksonuk @ian_livingstone @jonathangreen @You_Are_TheHero #FightingFantasyFest2014

Sunday 7 September 2014 • The DoubleTree Hilton, Ealing, London, UK

Artists • Panels • Book Signings • Games • Exhibition • Special Guests • Auction

www.FightingFantasy.com

Dragonmeet 2013

Today I dropped by Kensington Town Hall for Dragonmeet 2013 with two of the next generation of gamers* in tow.

We had barely entered the building when we bumped into Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone CBE, who were giving the first seminar of the day on the early days of Games Workshop. It was a surreal experience to later find ourselves sitting in said seminar with FF and GW artist Tony Hough, the Tin Man himself Neil Rennsion and Mr Joe Dever, the creator and writer of the classic Lone Wolf series of gamebooks.

Mr Joe Dever and Yours Truly

We weren't there for long but did manage to catch up with Graham Bottley of Arion Games (and take delivery of my copy of Maelstrom: Domesday, that I'd backed via Kickstarter), say a quick hello to Jay Wallis of Greywood Publishing, FF fans Stuart Lloyd, James Aukett and John Berry, Dominic McDowall and Andrew Kendrick of Cubicle 7, one time artistic collaborator of mine Ralph Horsley, and Paco Jaen of G*M*S Magazine. Oh, and buy a lot of dice of course**.

Tony Hough, Neil Rennison and Stuart Lloyd

FF fans James Aukett and John Berry

Graham Bottley of Arion Games

Messrs Jackson and Livingstone did reveal one interesting snippet about the future of Fighting Fantasy, involving a possible game involving miniatures of FF monsters, and possibly being crowdfunded. So, backers of YOU ARE THE HERO, watch this space...


* And maybe even games designers, judging by the way they were changing the rules of 'Loopin' Louie'.

** But then why wouldn't you?

Dragonmeet 2013

Just a quick one to let any interested parties know that I shall be attending Dragonmeet 2013 tomorrow (Saturday 7 December).

Also in attendance from the world of Fighting Fantasy will be Steve Jackson, Ian Livingstone CBE, Tony Hough, Graham Bottley and Neil Rennison (and they're just the ones I know about), along with artists of my professional acquaintance Andy Hepworth and Ralph Horsley, and gamebook legend Joe Dever!

So if you're in the vicinity of Kensington Town Hall, London, tomorrow, why not stop by and say "Hi!" (but only early on because I'll be gone by 2.00pm).

Maybe I'll see you there...

Nomination of the Spider God

I just wanted to draw your attention to the fact that the Android version of Temple of the Spider God is eligible for nomination in 6th annual Best App Ever Awards in the 'Brain and Puzzle Game' category.

So go here, enter 'GA7' into the search bar, and please nominate the game. The iOS version achieved a 2nd place ranking when it was released a couple of years ago. Wouldn't it be great if it could achieve 1st place this time around?

Rewards of the Spider God

Good news! If you pledged to receive the SPIDER level reward for YOU ARE THE HERO you should now have received your desktop Gamebook Adventures!

They've been a while coming, but you're going to love how these games look on your desktop, not to mention the fun you'll have playing them. In fact the experience will probably take many of you back about 30 years!

(As is always the way, if any of you have not received Gamebook Adventures 1-7 for your Mac or PC and think you should have done, drop me a line and I'll get it sorted for you. It won't have been Tin Man Games' fault - it will have been a clerical error on my part.)

It just remains for me to say a huge THANK YOU to Neil Rennison and Ben Britten Smith of Tin Man Games who so generously offered this reward in the first place and sent out the codes. And once you've played through GA 1-7 you should really check out their new app versions of a certain gamebook series from the '80s too. ;-)

May you always roll sixes!

YOU ARE THE HERO - Upgrade of the Spider God!

The SPIDER level reward over on the YOU ARE THE HERO Kickstarter has been upgraded, thanks to the generosity of the Tin Man himself!

Now, if you add £10 to your existing pledge and you will receive not only a copy of GAMEBOOK ADVENTURES 7: TEMPLE OF SPIDER GOD, written by Yours Truly, you will also receive Gamebook Adventures 1-6 for either PC or Mac.

So that's...
GA1: An Assassin in Orlandes
GA2: The Siege of the Necromancer
GA3: Slaves of Rema
GA4: Revenant Rising
GA5: Catacombs of the Undercity
GA6: The Wizard from Tarnath Tor
and
GA7: Temple of the Spider God

...and all for just £10!

So don't delay! Pledge today and tell all your friends. There's less than 37 hours to go!

Two new rewards announced for YOU ARE THE HERO

I have Ian Livingstone CBE and Tin Man Games to thank for these two...

SPIDER - £10
Receive a copy of GAMEBOOK ADVENTURES 7: TEMPLE OF SPIDER GOD digital gamebook app written by Jonathan Green and created by Tin Man Games. The app will be available in two versions that will work on PC or Mac. Tin Man Games will also throw in GA1: An Assassin in Orlandes and GA2: The Siege of the Necromancer! (Add this reward to any other simply by adding £10 to your existing pledge level.)

ZOMBIE - £25
Receive a BLOOD OF THE ZOMBIES poster signed by Ian Livingstone himself. (Add this reward to any other simply by adding £25 to your existing pledge and selecting this reward level.)

So check your pledge level and tell all your friends!

Gamebook Friday: YOU ARE THE HERO and CODENAME: CRUSADER

A quick update...

YOU ARE THE HERO is now 71% funded with 255 backers and 8 days to go. That's fantastic going, but we can't let off the pressure now because if the Kickstarter doesn't make £15,000 the book ain't gonna happen! So keep spreading the love or consider pledging yourself (if you haven't done so already).

And in other news... The Tin Man has let the cat out of the bag at long last.

"If you’ve been following the blog for a while you will know that we’ve been hinting for some time about a new Jonathan Green – Tin Man Games collaboration. We can announce that this will be happening this year! We couldn’t squeeze it into our Twelve Days of Gamebooks announcements (plus we currently don’t have any artwork created) so we wanted to mention it here instead. Jon’s new book will be part of our new Gamebook Adventures Masters series (alongside Gary Chalk’s Gun Dogs) and will hopefully be the first of many in his new setting. We proudly present Jonathan Green’s Codename: Crusader…"

To find out more, follow this link.

Skill 7? I mean, really! SKILL 7?

Gamebook Friday: Blood of the Zombies - Best Interactive Fiction of 2012!

From the Gamezebo website...

While video games are all well and good, they’ll never offer the level of immersion that a good book can. Unless, of course, those video games are a good book. Welcome to the world of interactive fiction.

2012 saw a number of notable releases in the world of playable words, proving that the genre didn’t die back in the days of ZORK or Choose Your Own Adventure – and 2013 is set to offer even more! But this isn’t a roundup of interactive fiction that’s still being written, this is a roundup of interactive fiction that’s ready to be read. Wondering what the best stories that you could play in 2012 were? Then read on!

And #1 on the Gamezebo list of the Best Interactive Fiction of 2012?

#1 – Fighting Fantasy: Blood of the Zombies (iPhone, iPad, Android)

If you follow the history of interactive fiction all the way back to its pre-video game roots, you’re sure to discover the name Fighting Fantasy. A series of books that blended fiction and role-playing mechanics, it served as the inspiration for Tin Man Games' popular Gamebook Adventures series. Much to Tin Man’s delight, that relationship has come full circle, as their GA games proved that they were the perfect mobile masters to adapt the latest Fighting Fantasy book from series co-creator Ian Livingstone.

Not only is it their best game to date, but it has us drooling with anticipation for the other Fighting Fantasy books they’ve announced they're adapting. We can’t wait to see what they come up with in 2013.

YOU ARE THE HERO will feature an entire chapter on Blood of the Zombies, so back the project today and help make this book happen!