Sir Ian Livingstone on BBC Radio 4 Extra

You can hear Fighting Fantasy co-creator and co-founder of the Games Workshop Sir Ian Livingstone chatting to Toby Hadoke on BBC Radio 4 Extra this Saturday, 22nd February 2025, at 4:00pm.

Sir Ian will be sharing how he and Steve Jackson helped bring Dungeons and Dragons to the UK. He also be talking about his work in video games, launching titles like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Hitman when he was chairman of Eidos PLC.

To find out more, click this link, and don't forget to put the date in your diary.

Fighting Fantasy - Solo Adventure Gamebooks - Back in the US!

The Steve Jackson Games' Kickstarter for the new US editions of the Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks is now live!

In 1982, Games Workshop co-founders Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson co-created Fighting Fantasy, a series of solo adventure books that would revolutionize the genre.

Combining gripping narratives with dice rolls and other tabletop RPG mechanics, Fighting Fantasy captivated readers, becoming a worldwide hit. Now this multi-million-selling book series returns to print in the United States for the first time in over two decades.

Steve Jackson Games – helmed by the American game designer Steve Jackson (no relation) – is working closely with Sir Ian Livingstone to deliver an amazing Fighting Fantasy experience to the United States.

Sir Ian’s thoughts on this collaborative effort show the enthusiasm both sides of the pond have for this project:

The Fighting Fantasy books have delighted fans for decades. What makes these versions special?

• The original art! When possible, SJ Games are using the original black-and-white artwork for the interiors – most of which hasn’t been available in over a decade!
• Designed for readability! The original Fighting Fantasy books were smaller mass-market paperbacks. They were perfect to sneak into your lunch bag at school, but these new versions are designed to make leaping into a hero’s life easier than ever, with larger print and enhanced formatting that makes reading a joy.
• Available in the States! No longer do you need to order overseas or via online auction sites.
• Designed as a set! These editions will look great on your shelf, with a unified design, numbered spines, and evocative art. If you’re a longtime fan, these are the versions you wish you had when you were younger! And if you’re new to Fighting Fantasy excitement, these books will be a gateway to worlds beyond imagination.

Rewards include the five-book set (cheaper than the books will cost when they come to retail), and a special retailer pledge.

To find out more, click this link. The Kickstarter will run until ???

Fighting Fantasy returns to Kickstarter soon!

As reported last year, Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks are returning to the United States later this year, courtesy of Steve Jackson Games.

The American Steve Jackson (Scorpion Swamp, Demons of the Deep, Robot Commando) has teamed up with the British Steve Jackson and Sir Ian Livingstone, to bring the premier gamebook series back for US readers. The choices and challenges are the ones you may remember, but each book has been crafted to be friendly to readers old and new, making it as easy as possible to pick up and play.

Sign up now to be the first to begin your adventures when the Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign goes live. This campaign will offer five bestselling books – The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, The Citadel of Chaos, The Forest of Doom, City of Thieves, and Deathtrap Dungeon - and will include exclusive options that will only be printed to meet the demands of this campaign.

Whether you've been a fan for years or have never faced the fearsome Bloodbeast before, there's never been a better time to embark on a quest that is part story and part game, in which YOU are the Hero!

Fighting Fantasy Adventures Update

There is exciting news from Wallace Designs in Australia. Fighting Fantasy Adventures, the solo and co-op adventure game based on the iconic Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks, has gone to press.

All the necessary files have been sent to the printer and they will now create a sample for the designers to carry out their final checks. Once that has been done, the game will move to production. 

This means that hopefully everything will be ready before the end of April. Taking into account the time required to ship the product from the factory and then for fulfilment to take place, it looks like the game will be ready roughly six months later than originally planned. However, given how much the scope of the project changed in terms of art, this delay is both understandable and will be worth it.

The boxed game of Fighting Fantasy Adventures will also include the Journal - a 32 page booklet containing lots of game art and room for your notes. It will also contain a brief history of Fighting Fantasy, as well as the history of how Fighting Fantasy Adventures came to be, and all of the character stories that have been published during the Gamefound campaign. 

To find out more, click this link.