Turn to 5,000!

After almost 10 years on Twitter, today @fightingfantasy claimed its 5,000th soul for the Warlock!

To mark this momentous occasion, we are running a brief competition. Simply 'Like' and 'Retweet' the tweet below, and you will be entered into a draw to win an Adventurer's Backpack from Fighting Fantasy Fest 1, back in 2014, and a T-shirt from Fighting Fantasy Fest 2 in 2017.

The competition closes at 12:00pm (noon) GMT on Tuesday 26th March 2019. The winner will be notified via Twitter after the draw has been made.

Are you ready to Test your Luck?

Russ Nicholson to attend Fighting Fantasy Fest 3!

We are delighted to report that legendary gamebook illustrator Russ Nicholson will be attending Fighting Fantasy Fest 3 in August!*

This means that the original creative team behind The Warlock of Firetop Mountain will be reunited at the event, as Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone are Guests of Honour on the day too.

Russ Nicholson's iconic dragon from The Warlock of Firetop Mountain.

Russ will be joining fellow artists Duncan Smith, Malcolm Barter, Alan Langford, Tony Hough, Pete Knifton, and Robert Ball. Intercept Studios will also be in attendance, selling prints of Terry Oakes' painted Fighting Fantasy cover art.

Terry Oakes's painting of the Spiked Maiden from the cover art for the Fighting Fantasy gamebook Beneath Nightmare Castle.

There is lots more planned for the day, which we will be revealing in the coming weeks and months, but to make sure you don't miss out, you can secure your place at this historic event by purchasing your ticket here.

* All guests appear health and work commitments permitting.

The Female of the Species

One of the great things about Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks is that the hero’s gender is never specified, because the person reading the book is the hero – YOU! As a result, over the years the adventures have proved just as popular with girls as with boys.

And at a time when we are being made more and more aware of how important it is to have equal representation within works of fiction, it is interesting to note that Fighting Fantasy paved the way years ago, with all manner of female characters appearing in the adventures.

While some of those characters have been allies, like Hakasan Za from The Port of Peril, or damsels in distress, like the Elf in Deathtrap Dungeon or the wretched young nurse in House of Hell, because these are Fighting Fantasy gamebooks we're talking about, more often than not they have been among the most fearsome antagonists set against the adventurer.

So here is a list of some of our favourite FF femmes fatales!

1) The Serpent Queen, from City of Thieves.

2) Lady Lucretia, Balthus Dire's wife, from The Citadel of Chaos.

3) The Catwoman, from The Forest of Doom.

4) Mordana, the Woman of the House, from House of Hell.

5) 'Poison' Ivy, from Deathtrap Dungeon.

6) Sylvia Frost, a.k.a. "The Ice Queen", from Appointment with F.E.A.R.

7) The Cave Woman, from Island of the Lizard King.

8) Alianna the Witch, from Sorcery! 1: The Shamutanti Hills.

9) Ulrakaah, Queen of Darkness and Mother of Monsters, from The Gates of Death.

Fighting Fantasy Fest 3, featuring John Robertson's The Dark Room - Tickets on sale now!

This summer Fighting Fantasy Fest is returning to the University of West London, in Ealing, for the third dedicated Fighting Fantasy convention. The event will feature Guests of Honour Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, as well as a host of other writers and artists who have all worked on the series over the years.

Fighting Fantasy Fest 3 will feature talks, gaming sessions, signings, a Fighting Fantasy exhibition, and a selection of traders. Food and drink will be available on the day from an on-site cafe and bar. A range of exclusive merchandise will also be on sale at Fighting Fantasy Fest 3.

Over the coming weeks and months we will be revealing the names of still more guests who will be joining us for the event, as well as some special announcements that you are not going to want to miss if you are a fan of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks!

Please note that entry to the event will only be by pre-purchased ticket. To purchase your ticket simply follow this link.

Price of entry includes a collectible programme and autograph book, as well as entry to all talks and a special performance of John Robertson's The Dark Room. If you are not familiar with The Dark Room experience, then read on...

YOU AWAKE TO FIND YOURSELF IN A DARK ROOM! You, the audience, are trapped in an interactive, retro gaming nightmare; choose an option, find the way out, and escape The Dark Room! If you succeed, you’ll take home £1000... but if you fail YOU WILL DIE! For you are not alone in The Dark Room; the merciless overlord of improv, John Robertson, is here to guide you through an hour of expertly crafted chaos and anarchy. And in the end, eeeeeverybody plays!

A) Find the Light Switch?

B) Go North?

C) Abandon Hope?

‘NOT TO BE MISSED’ – The Guardian

★★★★★ ‘The Dark Room is utterly unique, it’s hard to describe the magic and joyful

surprises awaiting you within without utterly scaring you off.’ - The Skinny

★★★★★ ‘You must see this show’ – British Comedy Guide

★★★★★  ‘You have to see the Dark Room at least once in your life’ – The Scottish Sun

★★★★ ‘Great fun, nostalgic, but also a fresh angle for comedy’ – Den of Geek

★★★★ ‘Genuinely, irresistibly dangerous’ - The Stage