Sir Ian Livingstone is at the UK Games Expo

Sir Ian Livingstone is attending the UK Games Expo on Saturday 31st May and Sunday 1st June 2025.

He will be selling hardback copies of The Dungeon on Blood Island and Magic Realms at Stand 2-359.

On Saturday 31st May, from 2:00pm Sir Ian will be signing Fighting Fantasy Adventures with Martin Wallace at Stand 3A-460, before heading to the Main Stage in Hall 4 at 3:00pm to be interviewed about his 50 Years in Games by John Robertson of The Dark Room fame.

Sir Ian Livingstone interviewed by John Robertson at the UK Games Expo

On Saturday 31st May at the UK Games Expo, Sir Ian Livingstone will be interviewed by John Robertson (of Dark Room fame) about his 50 Years in Games.

Sir Ian Livingstone and John Robertson at the UK Games Expo.

The interview will take place on the Main Stage in Hall 2.

To find out what else is happening at the UK Games Expo this year, follow this link.

Scott Mackay's Fighting Fantasy Maps

Scott Mackay has made a name for himself with his hand-drawn and painted solution maps of classic Fighting Fantasy gamebooks.

The Warlock's goblins recently dragged Scott into the tunnels beneath Firetop Mountain to be interrogated about his work.

The Warlock: What was your first experience of Fighting Fantasy?

Scott Mackay: I first discovered Fighting Fantasy in 1984 in my local Woolworths (of all places)! I saw the cover for Island of the Lizard King and picked it up and was intrigued by the numbered passages. Loved it from the first attempt at saving Mungo (RIP!). I then bought all the previous books eventually and the new books as they were released.

Scott Mackay with two of his Fighting Fantasy solution maps.

TW: Which is your favourite FF gamebook?

SM: Ohh tough one... can I pick a short list of four? I'll go for my first book Island of the Lizard King - I loved the open world feel to it and the amazing Alan Langford illustrations. I'll then go for two city-based ones - City of Thieves and Kharé - Cityport of Traps. I always liked the city adventures and these two are my favourites. The closed-in feel to the streets, all the shops, the encounters - so much life to them! Finally, I'll go for Creature of Havoc - hard as nails and no idea what to do/who/what you are at the start... and I never completed it!

TW: Did any of the FF artists inspire you as an artist?

SM: I've got to say that the quality of the illustrations throughout all the Fighting Fantasy books I read was always amazing and added so much to the books. My favourite illustrators from the books were Alan Langford, Iain McCaig, Russ Nicholson and the illustrators for Caverns of the Snow Witch, Gary Ward and Edward Crosby. It's very likely that some of the illustrations from these artists got me into art initially as I so admired them during my formative years. I took art at school but eventually decided to go down a different path for further education/work. I finally came back to art a number of years ago and now you'll find me with a pencil or a paintbrush most evenings.

TW: Are there any adventures in particular for which you would like to produce a solution map?

SM: I've recently started to work on maps for the Sorcery! series. I've been looking forward to getting to Sorcery! for a while now, and the four books should prove a worthy challenge. I'm also looking forward to getting to Trial of Champions and Return to Firetop Mountain, to see how they compare to their 'parent' books. Finally, I'm also hoping to produce a map for Creature of Havoc, as I never finished this book back in the day.

A sneak peek at Scott's new Sorcery! map.

TW: If you were transported to the worlds of FF and dropped into an adventure with one of your maps, which one would you like it to be?

SM: I'll have to go for my first book and the last map I recently completed - Island of the Lizard King. I'd like to think that my map is the map you're handed by the islander in the game. As I said previously, the open world feeling to it, the great illustrations from Alan Langford and the fact it was my first Fighting Fantasy book make it the one I would most like to be 'dropped' into. Also, I would make sure to save Mungo!

You will be pleased to hear that Scott has now been released from Firetop Mountain so that he can continue to work on his Sorcery! maps.

You will find all the FF solution maps he has produced so far here.

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.

"YOU are the hero!" with Sir Ian Livingstone

On Monday 7th October 2024, Sir Ian Livingstone, co-creator of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, will be taking part in a webinar with debut author, Iqbal Hussain.

He will be discussing his life, writing process, inspirations, as well as his latest FF adventure, The Dungeon on Blood Island, and Unbound’s new book Magic Realms, a celebration of the iconic artwork in Fighting Fantasy.

The webinar will take place from 7:00-8:00pm BST (GMT+1) and you can reserve your free spot here.

In other FF news, or rather AFF news, the crowdfunding campaign for the Advanced Fighting Fantasy board game Dark Dungeons, launches on Kickstarter on Tuesday 1st October 2024. To find out more and register your interest, click here.

Steve Jackson in conversation with Jordan Sorcery

Steve Jackson was recently interviewed by Jordan Sorcery for his YouTube channel.

In case you missed it, Sir Ian Livingstone was also interviewed for the same channel back in January.

Sir Ian Livingstone: A Life of Gaming

Sir Ian Livingstone was recently interviewed by Mira Manga for her YouTube channel. They talked about inspiring American authors and science fiction movies, as well as where the creative muse comes from.

Sir Ian also showed Mira an original 1975, boxed and shrinkwrapped Dungeons & Dragons, and the flowchart map for one of his Fighting Fantasy gamebooks.

To watch the interview yourself, click on the image below.

International Gamebook Day 2023

International Gamebook Day 2023 is taking place tomorrow, on Saturday 14 October, and Fighting Fantasy co-creator Sir Ian Livingstone will be the Guest of Honour!

Sir Ian's interview will go live at 7:00pm BST and the whole schedule for the day can be viewed here.

In other news, Sir Ian is in Paris today, Friday 13 October, signing copies of the French language edition of Dice Men at the French Wargame Café from 6:00-8:30pm, and at the Folies d'Encre bookstore in Montreuil from 11:00am-1:00pm on Saturday 14 October.

On This Day In History

40 years ago today, BBC South East at Six explored the magical world of Dungeons & Dragons, with the help of Games Workshop founders Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. The clip also features Fighting Fantasy author Peter Darvill-Evans!

#OnThisDay 1983: BBC South East at Six explored the magical world of Dungeons & Dragons, with the help of Games Workshop founders Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. pic.twitter.com/dxuhI5k2pe

— BBC Archive (@BBCArchive) October 6, 2023

To read more about the early days of Games Workshop, check out Dice Men, by Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson.

International Gamebook Day 2023

International Gamebook Day is taking place on Saturday 14 October 2023 and Guest of Honour will be Fighting Fantasy's very own Sir Ian Livingstone.

This year International Gamebook Day has a Halloween horror theme and so Sir Ian will be discussing Blood of the Zombies*, the Fighting Fantasy adventure he wrote to celebrate the series' 30th anniversary.

Make sure you follow the IGBD 2023 Facebook page to keep up to date with developments, such as when Sir Ian's interview will be broadcast on the day.

* Which is 11 years old this year!

The Dice Man Cometh

Sir Ian Livingstone was recently interviewed for the Digitiser channel on YouTube. During the course of the interview, which starts at 20:00, Sir Ian talks Mr Biffo through the history of Games Workshop, Fighting Fantasy, and Tomb Raider.

Tazio Bettin's Art of Darkness

Tazio Bettin is the Italian artist who had the honour of illustrating Steve Jackson's 40th anniversary Fighting Fantasy adventure Secrets of Salamonis. His star is certainly in the ascendant, as he has also produced Warhammer 40,000 book covers for Games Workshop and is a regular contributor to British anthology comic 2000AD.

Tazio was recently interviewed about his work, including Secrets of Salamonis, by Wyrd Science Magazine, and you can read the interview here.

*What decade even is this? The 2020s or the 1980s?

Forthcoming Sir Ian Livingstone Forbidden Planet signings

Sir Ian Livingstone will be signing copies of his new book Dice Men: The Origin Story Of Games Workshop at Forbidden Planet London on Friday 11th November 2022 from 17:00 - 18:30, and at Forbidden Planet Newcastle on Wednesday 16th November from 17:00 - 18:30.

It never seems like the right time to start a business.

The idea to start our own company first cropped up during one of our many ‘beer and a board game’ sessions after work at our flat.

And when Steve began writing reviews of board games for Games & Puzzles magazine, we all got even more interested in the idea. So, one day, we did. It was January 1975.

Since then, Games Workshop has grown into a cornerstone of the UK gaming industry. From the launch of Dungeons and Dragons from the back of a van, to creating the Fighting Fantasy series, co-founders Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson tell their remarkable story for the first time.

An initial order of only six copies was enough for Games Workshop to secure exclusive rights to sell Dungeons and Dragons in the whole of Europe. Hobbyists themselves, Steve and Ian’s passion for the game soon spread and in 1977 they opened the first Games Workshop store. They went on to become bestselling authors and created an entirely new genre of interactive stories.

Dice Men is more than just the story of an iconic shop which has changed gaming for ever, it’s an insight into the birth of an industry.

Games Workshop has grown from its humble beginnings to become a global company listed on the London Stock Exchange, a FTSE 250 company with a market capitalisation of more than £3.5 billion.

Dice Men is the story of the rollercoaster early years.

Sir Ian was recently interviewed about his new book Dice Men for the BBC's World Business Report, which you can watch here from 21 minutes 30 seconds in.

Fighting Fantasy Fest 4 Talks

Eleven days ago, almost 400 Fighting Fantasy fans descended on the University of West London to celebrate 40 years of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain at Fighting Fantasy Fest 4, with Sir Ian Livingstone, Steve Jackson, and a host of other creators, including authors, artists, editors and filmmakers.

If you were unable to attend in person, you might have been been able to watch the talks that took place on the day via the FFF4 Live Stream. But it you didn't, or you would like to enjoy them all over again, you can do so by visiting the Fighting Fantasy Fest 4 page on www.fightingfantasy.com.

Thank you to everyone who did attend, or joined us via the live stream, and we'll see you again in 2024 for Fighting Fantasy Fest 5!

Fighting Fantasy at the UK Games Expo 2022

Unfortunately, following a recent operation, Sir Ian Livingstone is no longer able to attend the UK Games Expo this year. However, fortunately, Olly McNeil - of Steve Jackson's House of Hell LIVE! fame - has agreed to step in for the Friday night live reading of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, and help guide the audience, and The Dark Room star John Robertson, to a successful outcome or an untimely death.

2022 marks the 40th Anniversary of the publication of this groundbreaking interactive adventure gamebook. The player takes the role of an adventurer travelling to find the treasure of a powerful Warlock hidden deep within Firetop Mountain. People from a nearby village advise that the treasure is stored in a chest with two locks, and that the keys are guarded by various creatures within the dungeons. The player must then navigate the dungeons beneath Firetop Mountain, battle monsters and attempt to locate the keys.

You can also read an interview with Sir Ian Livingstone if you pick up a copy of the UK Games Expo programme at the event.

Forthcoming Events

As you can imagine, with 2022 being The Year of Fighting Fantasy, there are a number of events taking place this year at which FF will have a significant presence.

Kicking things off is the Scottish Book Trust's online book tour...

Scottish Book Trust ~ Friday 28 January 2022

Sir Ian Livingstone will be interviewed as part of the Scottish Book Trust's Scottish Friendly Children's Book Tour that is taking place online. The event is suitable for both Primary and Secondary Schools, and to find out how to apply for a place, follow this link.

LarpCon 2022 ~ Friday 4 - Sunday 6 March 2022

LarpCon is an annual event that has been running since 2011. This year's event will be celebrating 40 years of Fighting Fantasy, and lucky attendees will receive a Lucky pencil! To find out more, click here.

UK Games Expo 2022 ~ Friday 3 - Sunday 5 June 2022

Fighting Fantasy will be attending the UK Games Expo again, later this year, where Sir Ian Livingstone will be a guest. To book your ticket for the UK's largest gaming convention, follow this link.

International Gamebook Day 2022 ~ Saturday 27 August 2022

This year, International Gamebook Day will take place on the actual 40th anniversary of the publication of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain. You can sign up to be notified as more details are released here.

Fighting Fantasy Fest 4 ~ Saturday 3 September 2022

It's the event you've all been waiting for! Fighting Fantasy Fest will be returning to the University of West London in FF's 40th anniversary year, featuring Guests of Honour, Steve Jackson and Sir Ian Livingstone, as well as a host of other FF authors and artists.

More information regarding sales and booking a trader's table will be released soon, so watch this space!

Ian Livingstone interviewed at Gamerhub

A new interview with gaming legend Ian Livingstone* has been published over on Gamerhub.

“My career has had four main parts to it, each very different. Firstly launching Games Workshop and White Dwarf then moving onto writing the “Fighting Fantasy” Gamebooks with Steve Jackson. I then got into video games and was involved in launching “Tomb Raider”. Lastly working in education with the Livingstone Academy which gives students the skills they need for the 21st century. It’s all distinct but I think it’s impossible to choose which one gives me the most enjoyment because I still enjoy them all.”

To read the interview in its entirety, turn to 400.

* Who turned 72 on 29 December 2021.

Fighting Fantasy on The GROGNARD Files

Just in case you don't already know, The GROGNARD Files is a podcast about table-top RPGs from back in the day and today.

Recently, Fighting Fantasy co-creator Ian Livingstone and Fighting Fantasy historian Jonathan Green were interviewed by Dirk the Dice about the world's premier gamebook series for the podcast. To listen to the 3-part episode, click on the images below.

Pandaemonium Miniatures' Legendary Fighting Fantasy Figures

If you follow @fightingfantasy on Twitter, you may have already seen Pandaemonium Miniatures' painted Fighting Fantasy Legends models, as produced by Atlantis Miniatures.

The Warlock used his scrying sphere to track down the painter and then summoned him to the depths of Firetop Mountain to find out more...

The Warlock: Who are you, where are you from, and what is it you do for a living?

Paul Cooke: My name is Paul Cooke, I'm from Bristol and I am self employed, splitting my time between commissioned miniature painting and scenery building, and tutoring English at GCSE and A Level.

TW: How long have you been painting miniatures?

PC: I started painting miniatures (badly!) when I was about 13 with my HeroQuest set (I'm actually currently in the process of stripping, repairing and repainting my original set!), I've had a few gaps, and prior to returning to the hobby four years ago I hadn't painted a figure for approximately six years. [Paul turns 45 on 22nd October. Happy Birthday! ~ The Warlock]

TW: What was your first exposure to Fighting Fantasy? Do you have any favourite titles in the series?

PC: I think when I was 11 or 12 I played my first gamebook and it happened to be The Warlock of Firetop Mountain - that's still a standout because it's so challenging. I also love Deathtrap Dungeon, The Forest of Doom, City of Thieves and the Sorcery! series in particular. It was the whole package really; the interactivity and feeling like you were really in that world, drawing out my maps as I went and then making a neat version on completion, and gazing at the amazing artwork. I still have my collection, and I've also been enjoying the various PC game versions.

I remember my local Waterstones held a design competition when I was around 14 to create your own monster with stats etc. I got a lovely letter explaining that, as it happened, I was a bit older than most other participants so they didn't feel it was fair to give me a prize, but they did send me all of the display posters from the event, which I was more than happy with! So they were so influential and were definitely my way into the world of wargaming and role-play, along with HeroQuest of course. So you can imagine my reaction when I was approached to paint this set!

TW: How did you feel when you discovered that Atlantis Miniatures would be producing the Fighting Fantasy Legends range?

PC: Very excited - I'm familiar with Atlantis and I really enjoyed painting one of the Trolls for my Frostgrave games so I knew they'd be fantastic - but also torn as I had to make a tricky decision about which miniature to get! The design of each miniature is so well done and evocative of the original artwork.

TW: Which pledge level did you select?

PC: I backed at the single figure level, as that's what I could budget for at the time, and had to make the difficult choice between the Shapechanger and the Bloodbeast. In the end I went for the Shapechanger; the cover art was always a favourite and it's such a good match to Ian McCaig's original watercolour.

TW: Is there a particular process you follow when you paint a Fighting Fantasy mini?

PC: So far I have been referring to the cover art to aim to match details and colours as much as I can. As I'm lucky enough to be painting this set for Ian Livingstone, it's invaluable that he can give me guidance on colour choices for those which are based on the internal black and white artwork, and I can consult with him on any tweaks or changes. In general I am using a range of techniques including the 'traditional' basecoat/shade wash/highlight method, wet blending, and some airbrush work.

For larger figures such as the Shapechanger and Bloodbeast I've found it best to paint them in their separate pieces, and for all of them I'm painting the bases separately as they are very nicely detailed in their own right. It's important to note that as these are resin miniatures I've made sure to wash them in soapy water and carefully scrape away any flash and mould lines before priming.

TW: Are there any particular challenges to painting an FF mini? Is there anything you found particularly hard, or anything you're especially proud of?

PC: I think as above, knowing how to prepare resin figures is important. A wash in soapy water and a gentle scrub with an old toothbrush will remove the traces of the release agent from the casting process - if this isn't done the primer won't adhere and indeed can completely flake off. Dry-fitting the pieces is a very good idea, although these are really well designed from that perspective, and in most cases the pieces 'plug' together in a fairly intuitive way. Looking over the figures to check for mould lines and flash is also vital - I found it is very thin and feathery, so a gentle scrape with a new scalpel blade is all that's really needed. I use superglue for assembly, and in some cases I've drilled and pinned parts together for a stronger join.

Honestly, I have been so impressed by the quality of these miniatures; Altantis produce lovely work anyway, but these are definitely up there with their best. In terms of painting, they all have their own challenges - most recently I was finding the yellow flame-like edging on the robes of the Archmage of Mampang really tricky - yellow can be a pain anyway, but it is a very fine edging, probably only 1.2mm thick. Basecoating with pink really helps with yellows and oranges, otherwise it's hard to get it to sit evenly, but even with this method it took a few attempts. So far the one I'm most pleased with is the Bloodbeast.

TW: Do you have a favourite miniature from the range?

PC: Again, it's a tossup between the Shapechanger and the Bloodbeast, and I can't really decide! Having painted both now, I still like them equally.

TW: Are there any other FF characters or monsters you would like to see turned into miniatures?

PC: I think a rendition of the cover of Freeway Fighter would be great. Admittedly, that would be much more of a diorama in its own right, with the car and characters. I also think Zanbar Bone, although he already has a 28mm miniature, is definitely worthy of being turned into a larger scale bust to match the original Ian McCaig cover of City of Thieves. The Iain Miller cover of House of Hell is another contender!

TW: Are you planning on creating any FF dioramas using the minis?

PC: For this set, I don't know. Ian might have that in mind for display purposes; these are being painted in time for the 40th anniversary of the publication of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain in August 2022. For my own Shapechanger.. .that's got me thinking. It would be good to do a scene to emulate the cover art, maybe incorporating some forced perspective to get a sense of peering into the depths of the forest behind the monster.

Rebel Planet: The Graphic Novel - Mark Lain Interview

Rebel Planet: The Graphic Novel, written by Mark Lain and illustrated by Gary Mayes, has only been running for a week on Kickstarter but it is already more than half way towards its funding goal.

The Warlock decided that it was time to find out more about the project and so summoned Mark Lain to the dungeons beneath Firetop Mountain to interrogate him... Sorry! To interview him.

The Warlock: What inspired you to turn Rebel Planet into a graphic novel? 

Mark Lain: It’s the only sci-fi FF that really has a fully-developed “world” and the concepts in it are still very contemporary and relevant. The sheer variety of the environments of the planets you visit gives a lot of scope for showing the different experiences and challenges faced by the Player’s character. Plus the Arcadians are a brilliantly designed set of species and Gary’s art really beings the whole package to life.

TW: What can fans of the original gamebook expect from the graphic novel?

ML: Something faithful to the gamebook but not a slavish rendition of the true path. There needs to be peril and moments of potential failure, so some of the areas that you should avoid on the true path are here too, to make it more than just an easy ride to success. This is meant to be a mission against the odds. Also, there will be some surprises.

For example, some parts of the gamebook have been substituted for aspects from the computer game adaptation, particularly in places where I personally thought the computer version handled things better or more logically. There are some essential details for the Prologue too that are missing from the gamebook so I’ve added in some material of my own, but nothing that will contradict of offend – it’s purely to complete and fill gaps.

TW: What will readers who have never heard of Fighting Fantasy get from this adaptation?

ML: For these readers, it’s a cracking sci-fi yarn. Because of how the plot plays out, the reader has no requirement to know anything about the gamebook or FF in general. Indeed, the plot will be a total surprise for non-FF readers. At the end of the day, this is a science fiction graphic novel.

TW: What has it been like to work with Gary Mayes?

ML: So far it’s been great. He is full of enthusiasm for the project and is very open to my ideas and suggestions. We have been discussing this collaboration for over a year now, and I’m really happy at how keen he is. He is the artist who will bring my words to life so a passion for the material is vital. His love of sci-fi and knowledge of the genre makes my job of explaining concepts and tropes much easier as he just gets what I’m referring to straight away, and he’s a consummate professional.

TW: Are there any other FF books you would like to give the graphic novel treatment?

ML: Well, without giving too much away, there is an open ending designed to segue into a sequel, but obviously this first book needs to hit the right notes so we actually get a sequel (and all the necessary permissions of course)! But I’m not going to say which book it is that the ending leads to – people will have to read the Rebel Planet GN to find that out.