A big thanks to Mr Kevin Abbotts for creating this polished imitation zigzag cover for my first up and coming amateur Fighting Fantasy fan adventure. Downloadable as pdf from jamsplace.co and fightingfantasy.net SOON!
Calling all 80s gamebook fans and fantasy nerds!
Tickets for the the second dedicated Fighting Fantasy Fest are still on sale but time is running out. Click here if you wish to drop by this day long event organised by gamebook guru Jonathan Green, with guests of honour Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, plus an army of the series’ authors and illustrators.
The past two days I have turned my hand to writing my own little amateur Fighting Fantasy adventure. Was always gonna be an indoor weekend cos I’ve had a horrible cought for a few days. It seems to be trying to clear out now. I digress. When I was 19, I wrote a 400 reference adventure. Though this is stuck in a folder somewhere and hasn’t seen the light of day for years, I finally found motivation to write a 100 reference mini story based on an the larger story. This will be available to read on my blog soon after I have it proof read to make sure there are no holes and mistakes.
I’ve also updated my coverpic. The.other was 4 years old so rather outdated. I don’t even really look like I did back then due to stubble and thinning hair lol. As gamebooks appear to be clawing back as a main hobbie I think it’s best it was themed as such, and the new picture sports the legendary FF dragon banner which I believe is credited to Chris Achilleos. Of course I’ve Jammed it up a bit to make it fit and less likely to get me done for copyright infringement but it’ll do for now.
Speak soon, Jam
»»Warning, contains spoilers
Port Of Peril was always going to to be met with critique, with it being a brand new story in a brand new series relaunch. Many people including myself have already given their opinions but this post is to purely point out the bits I really enjoyed.
My first favourite bit was the delve into ‘the cellar’. Half expecting there to be something large and ravenous down there I never expected to find a zombie mooching around. Although these are never much of a threat on their own to a tough treasure seeking adventurer, Ian Livingstone incorporates a bit of character history behind the shambling wretch with a letter written by the unfortunate before they turned. It wasn’t just there for sword fodder there was a reason and a rewarding one at that. Given that this takes place in a single entrance/exit room, a greater threat comes along in another simple but cruel form.
Another piece I really enjoyed was exploring the Skullcrag. The bit in particular was the encounter with the Lavaworm. I had recently watched Tremors 5 with my niece and nephew from which I could vividly set the scene. Luckily I had a possession which could deal with this slimey brute and avoided hand to hand combat. The result was a pleasing descriptive demise for the creature and an even more pleasing discovery within the creatures innards.
Given that this was written for a younger audience, I still didn’t manage to complete it first go, I got captured once and didn’t have an essential item to complete the quest second time round. Though it isnt Deathtrap Dungeon or Crypt Of The Sorcerer, its above average and shows the series still has it’s flair for any gamebook fans.
My final four weeks in England before I depart for pastures new with Victoria and Cassia. So excited! Today I applied for a job at the cinema there although the applications are not assessed until nearer the end of the month. If successful life will slip into place so perfectly. The Fighting Fantasy Fest 2 is also approaching which is being held in Ealing. Will be nice to see everybody one more time before heading out. Nothing compares to being reunited with my partner and baby girl, I’m gonna do my very best to give them a good life. I cant believe my neighbour is going to be an actual distillery. Check out the prices of these posh whiskys they sell!
It’s true, even Fighting Fantasy is having a set of audio dramas produced. These will probably make great listening for the kids at bedtime or even on long car rides. On the Fighting Fantasy Audio Drama page on Facebook they say:
“The first release is in September 2017 and is titled: ‘The Warlock of Firetop Mountain: The Hero’s Quest’.”
Violet Addison adds, “It’s official. Production is now complete on our first full-cast audio drama! “The Warlock of Firetop Mountain: The Hero’s Quest” is coming soon…”
“The process of manufacturing the CDs is now underway. We already have lots of padded envelopes to send them out in!”
Once again, exciting times ahead for the fans of Fighting Fantasy.
The Fighting Fantasy world is continuing to strike out with a brand new competition to all budding fantasy artists. To celebrate the relaunch of this iconic gamebook series tomorrow, a #competition is being held to re-imagine one of Russ Nicholson’s groundbreaking illustrations from The Warlock Of Firetop Mountain. CLICK HERE for the official page about the competition .
The Guv himself, Mr Ian Livingstone has been hard at work signing 500 hardback copies of the brand new adventure, Port Of Peril ready for sending out to all avid fans.
Ian Livingstone signing hardback copies of Port Of Peril. He’s running out of ink.
This week I couldn’t have been luckier in the world of Fighting Fantasy. Last week I discovered I had pride of place in the You Are The Hero part 2 backers page. Saturday I was lucky enough to aquire a free copy of Ian Livingstone’s latest adventure Port Of Peril. Today I’m thrilled to inform that I have won a free NomadGames Fighting Fantasy Legends pack on android and a signed FF book. Jammy Jam or what? Would love to thank NomadGames for the wonderful prize and hope to see them at the Fighting Fantasy Fest in Ealing if they’ll be there.
Enter the Jam!
So today my copy of You Are The Hero part 2 arrived much to my excitement and delight…and then I woke up. Got you reading though right? There are still several weeks to go before SnowBooks get these sent out to Jonathan Green and I’m picking mine up at Fighting Fantasy Fest 2 anyway. But I’m sure we will be able to expect a lot of interesting articles especially what never quite made it to YATH one, and stories behind all other related FF ventures over the past three years, from comics to book and apps to video games. Here’s the promotional video.
Nomad games have done a terrific job on Fighting Fantasy Legends and you can purchase all three games – The Warlock Of Firetop Mountain, Citadel of Chaos and City Of Thieves – on both Steam and the Android market for around £5-£7. Great value.
So Mr Lain and I are on a Fighting Fantasy book hunt today. We have managed to discover early releases of Scholastics Forest Of Doom and Citadel Of Chaos. There has been a lost of disappointment in old school fans of series where art is concerned, me included. Some redeeming news is that the artwork in the two aforementioned books is so similar to the originals it seems the new artist has drawn over them in his own style. While this will appease a few, it may annoy the purists. You will doubtlessly see what I mean when the Facebook group errupts into debate again.
Gark from Citadel Of Chaos reimagined
JamsPlace - Literally Immersive Gamebooks 
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