Return to Firetop Mountain with Fighting Fantasy Classics!

Zagor lives! Dare YOU return to Firetop Mountain?

Ten years have passed since the evil Warlock of Firetop Mountain was defeated. His treasure was plundered. His reign of terror was ended. His name became a warning whispered across Allansia.

But dark sorcery does not die so easily.

Zagor has returned from the dead, more powerful, more twisted, and more determined than ever to wreak revenge upon Allansia. Now, some brave adventurer must journey once more to the most infamous dungeon in Fighting Fantasy history, brave the wild lands beyond, enter the mountain, and face the resurrected Warlock in his lair.

That brave adventurer is YOU!

Return to Firetop Mountain is Ian Livingstone’s thrilling sequel to the original Fighting Fantasy classic, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain. First published as the landmark 50th book in the original series, this adventure takes you back to where the legend began, but don’t expect old memories to save you. The mountain has changed. Its horrors have multiplied. Its master is waiting.

Before you even reach Firetop Mountain, you must travel through the perilous lands of northern Allansia, seeking aid, clues, weapons, and magical knowledge. Along the way you may encounter the wizard Yaztromo, cross dangerous rivers, wander through deadly forests, and meet a cast of strange allies, treacherous rogues, and monstrous foes.

Once inside the mountain, every choice could bring you closer to victory, or to a sudden and grisly end. Goblins, trolls, undead warriors, mutant beasts, vampires, traps, riddles, and dark magic stand between you and your final confrontation with Zagor himself.

This is not just a return. This is revenge.

FEATURES

• Face the resurrected Zagor, one of the greatest villains in Fighting Fantasy canon.
• Includes the classic cover art by Les Edwards.
• Features original interior illustrations by the late, great Martin McKenna.
• Built-in mapping system tracks your progress across playthroughs, helping you explore the deadly routes to and through Firetop Mountain.
• Unlimited bookmarks let you retry difficult sections as often as you like.
• Automated Adventure Sheet handles your stats, inventory, combat, and key decisions, so you can focus on surviving the mountain.

Will you defeat Zagor once and for all? Or will Firetop Mountain claim another victim?

Return to Firetop Mountain... again!

Arriving in just a few weeks' time on Steam, courtesy of Tin Man Games, is Ian Livingstone's Return to Firetop Mountain.

Years have passed since Zagor the Warlock fell, but the shadows never truly left Firetop Mountain. Evil stirs once more within its depths, and the labyrinth you thought you knew has changed. New dangers, twisted passages, and deadly secrets await those brave (or foolish) enough to enter again.

Tin Man Games' digital edition will feature the original striking cover art by Les Edwards, alongside atmospheric interior illustrations by the late, great Martin McKenna, bringing every dark corridor and monstrous encounter vividly to life.

So sharpen your sword, steady your nerves, and get ready to take that first step into the darkness once more.

The mountain is waiting...

New Fighting Fantasy Products from All Rolled Up

All Rolled Up have released a new range of Fighting Fantasy products, including play mats, dice trays, dice bags, mugs, coasters, messenger bags, and the titular All Rolled Up. All items feature classic pieces of FF art by the likes of Iain McCaig, Martin McKenna, John Sibbick, and Leo Hartas.

These products are available for a limited time, so make sure you fill your adventurer's backpack before it's too late.

Fighting Fantasy Classics - Eye of the Dragon

Sir Ian Livingstone's 14th Fighting Fanasy gamebook, Eye of the Dragon, is now available as part of the Fighting Fantasy Classics app from Tin Man Games.

In a tavern in Fang, a mysterious stranger offers YOU the chance to find the Golden Dragon, perhaps the most valuable treasure in all of Allansia. But it is hidden in a labyrinth beneath Darkwood Forest and is guarded by the most violent creatures and deadly traps.

To begin your quest YOU must drink a life-threatening potion, and to succeed, you must find maps, clues, artifacts, magic items, jewels and an imprisoned dwarf.

Step into a world of peril and legend with Eye of the Dragon - a must-have for any Fighting Fantasy fan! Originally published in 2005 during the celebrated Wizard Books revival, Eye of the Dragon marked the triumphant return of the series after a brief hiatus. This gripping dungeon-crawling adventure is a true standout, penned by Fighting Fantasy co-creator Ian Livingstone himself.

Based on a mini-adventure first introduced in his iconic book Dicing with Dragons, Eye of the Dragon delivers everything fans love: deadly traps, fearsome monsters, and unexpected twists. You'll encounter familiar faces from across the Fighting Fantasy universe - some returning from earlier gamebooks, others with ties to legendary figures from the broader fantasy world. Whether you're a seasoned adventurer or a newcomer to the series, this book is a thrilling journey you won't want to miss.

FEATURES

• Original artwork by Martin McKenna. Make the gamebook as easy or hard as you like and even turn on a special 'Free Read' mode to play the book like an old-school cheater!
• Map feature makes it easy to keep track of everywhere you have explored during current and previous playthroughs.
• Unlimited Bookmarks allow you to revisit difficult sections as many times as desired.
• Automated Adventure Sheet that keeps track of your stats, inventory and knowledge gained during your journey.

To download Eye of the Dragon and start playing today, click this link.

Steve Jackson Games' Kickstarter is into the final 24 hours!

The Fighting Fantasy - Solo Adventure Gamebooks - Back In Print! Kickstarter is now into its final 24 hours and is closing in on the $300,000 mark!

Don't forget, the slipcase edition is only going to be available through this Kickstarter.

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain that comes as part of this set will now feature a classic piece of Martin McKenna art. (For more about this, check out the latest Kickstarter update.)

Blast from the Past! Vault of the Vampire

Published in 1989, Vault of the Vampire was the 38th gamebook in the Fighting Fantasy series. Written by the late Carl Sargent, under the name Keith Martin, and illustrated by the late Martin McKenna, FF's riff on Dracula is a bona fide classic of interactive horror fiction.

Interestingly, despite blood-suckers appearing on a regular basis throughout the previous thirty-seven titles, up until this point no one prince of the night had taken centre stage and become the Big Bad to be dealt with at the climax of an adventure.

Keith Martin rectified this by transporting the reader to Titan's version of Transylvania, set within the mountainous Old World realm of Mauristatia, replete with wolves howling at the moon, creepy forests, a headless coachman, and a sinister, bat-haunted castle.

The plot is also just what you would want from a story called Vault of the Vampire...

Can you put an end to Count Heydrich's evil reign of terror?

YOU are a hardy adventurer and have journeyed to the icy mountains of Mauristatia in search of great wealth and fortune... but what you find there makes your blood run cold.

You discover by chance the terrible secret of the local villagers. Can YOU free them from the evil tyranny of the bloodthirsty Count, or will you too succumb to a horrifying fate?

Two dice, a pencil and an eraser are all you need. YOU decide which paths to take, which dangers to risk and which foes to fight!

Les Edwards painted the cover for the book: “Vault of the Vampire turned out to be one of those classic images. I can’t say why exactly. It’s just one of those cases where everything works the way that was intended. It’s a pretty traditional Vampire but maybe that’s part of its strength. It’s a simple and dramatic image and very direct. It was a big influence on Vampire paintings that I did subsequently.”

Martin McKenna, who was still only eighteen at the time, turned his hand to producing some very Hammer Horror-esque images for the book’s internal illustrations that have stood up to the test of time very well.

 

A blood-soaked sequel followed in 1995, entitled Revenge of the Vampire. This was the only occasion a direct sequel to a gamebook was written by an author other than the series’ co-creators Jackson and Livingstone.

Revenge of the Vampire (FF58) was Keith Martin’s seventh contribution to the Fighting Fantasy gamebook series. In the story, Count Reiner Heydrich returns from the dead once more to stalk the Old World in search of fresh blood and new slaves. It is up to the hero (who is not the same hero as featured in Vault of the Vampire) to put an end to him once and for all.

Count Heydrich, Vampire, is back from the dead!

A half-forgotten evil has arisen from the grave to stalk the Old World in search of fresh blood and new victims to enslave. Count Reiner Heydrich, undead Vampire Lord, is ancient beyond the reckoning of mortals. This time, however, there is someone on his trail, a brave hero who is determined that he shall not succeed in his evil plans. That someone is YOU!

As well as being written by Keith Martin, author of Vault of the Vampire, once again Les Edwards painted the stunning cover image while Martin McKenna came up trumps with the internals.

Blast from the Past! Spellbreaker

Spellbreaker (FF53) was published 28 years ago this week, while its author, Jonathan Green, was still studying at university.

The story begins with the hero inadvertently enabling Nazek (another Warlock) to steal the Black Grimoire from its guardians at Rassin Abbey in the Old World kingdom of Ruddlestone. To make amends, the hero sets out to track down the villain in order to stop him from opening the legendary Casket of Shadows, and releasing the evil imprisoned within.

Art – both exterior and interior – was provided by Alan Langford. It was the first and last time the artist painted a cover for the series, despite having illustrated five FF adventures before Spellbreaker.

“They just asked me to do it,” says Langford, “which was rather nice, because you get paid rather more for cover art than you do for your inside work.” The image was produced using predominantly watercolours. “I used a little bit of permanent white gouache as well, which is my normal technique for watercolour.”

The Devilworm, which was inspired by the legend of the Lambton Worm.

One of the internal pen and ink illustrations provided by Alan Langford.

(© Alan Langford, 1993)

However, when Wizard Books republished the adventure in 2007, Martin McKenna was commissioned to produce a new piece of cover art, which was done digitally. (Green had been keen to have McKenna illustrate one of his FF adventures ever since being commissioned to write Spellbreaker, back in 1992.)

Despite being incredibly difficult to complete fairly, Spellbreaker still has its fans among the Fighting Fantasy community.

Did you know...?

It was John Sibbick’s image of a dragon attacking a band of adventurers, determined to steal its treasure hoard, that appeared on the front cover of Dungeoneer, that inspired Green to write Spellbreaker in the first place, because he thought the forward-facing dragon was actually a demon!

Martin McKenna (1969-2020)

We were deeply saddened yesterday to learn of the passing of fan-favourite Fighting Fantasy artist Martin McKenna, at the beginning of September.

If there is one artist who encapsulates the way the art of the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks developed over the years, in terms of tone as well as subject matter, it has to be Martin McKenna. He illustrated 12 FF gamebooks in total, and ended up producing covers for 18 of them in their various different editions.

He also produced the wraparound cover art for Jonathan Green's YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks. When interviewed for the book, he didn't attribute his success to one big break:

“It was probably more like a lot of little breaks. Really early stuff like meeting Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone in ‘86 was helpful. They liked the fanzine work which had included a Fighting Fantasy spoof, and they recommended a submission to Warlock magazine. Coincidentally Marc Gascoigne had seen my fanzine stuff and liked it, and he was then editor of Warlock. Most importantly, an invitation came from John Blanche, then art director at Games Workshop, to produce work for him. John’s initial contact came as a result of me entering an art competition featured in the Citadel Journal. Instead of the hoped-for prize of a two quid postal order, I got a letter from John expressing interest in my stuff. This led to my very first paying commission: illustrations for an Out of the Pit article in Warlock. So a bunch of things came together in the very beginning. And one way or another they've continued to do so ever since.”

Daggers of Darkness was the first Fighting Fantasy adventure to feature Martin's artwork, after he was commissioned to illustrate the book when he was aged just 17 years-old, and still at school!

Illustrations from Daggers of Darkness.

He soon became the go to guy for horror-themed titles, illustrating not only Vault of the Vampire and Revenge of the Vampire, but also Dead of Night, Legend of the Shadow Warriors, Moonrunner, Curse of the Mummy, Howl of the Werewolf and Night of the Necromancer.

Illustrations from Vault of the Vampire.

Illustrations from Dead of Night.

Illustrations from Legend of the Shadow Warriors.

Illustrations from Moonrunner.

Illustrations from Revenge of the Vampire.

Illustrations from Curse of the Mummy.

Illustrations from Howl of the Werewolf.

Illustrations from Night of the Necromancer.

Over the years Martin's style matured and developed, as he moved from drawing with a fine pen and ink on paper to working digitally, which allowed him to draw fine white lines on black, as well as vice versa. This, coupled with modern printing techniques, meant that his more recent illustrations are some of the most detailed ever to appear in Fighting Fantasy gamebooks.

Martin's first cover for a Fighting Fantasy gamebook did not appear until the last title in the Puffin Books' run - that of Curse of the Mummy. Produced using traditional media, Martin would later touch it up digitally for the Wizard Books re-release of the title.

The cover for Curse of the Mummy, by Martin McKenna.

Ian Livingstone's later Puffin FF gamebooks were all illustrated by Martin McKenna, as was the first new Fighting Fantasy adventure published by Wizard Books, Eye of the Dragon. Indeed, Martin's work most recently appeared in the new edition of Ian Livingstone's Return to Firetop Mountain, introducing his art to a new generation of Fighting Fantasy fans, who will now be able to appreciate how great a loss his passing is to older FF fans.

Illustrations from Return to Firetop Mountain.

Illustrations from Legend of Zagor.

Illustrations from Eye of the Dragon.

On hearing of Martin's passing, Ian Livingstone put into words what no doubt everyone is thinking at this time: "Absolutely shocking and a tragic loss of life."

Steve Jackson had this to say: "Martin will always be remembered as one of the principal and most prolific of the Fighting Fantasy artists."

He will be truly missed, and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this very difficult time.

In memory of

Martin McKenna

1969-2020

Those who knew what a genuinely kind person Martin was wanted to do something to honour his memory and so are in the process of setting up a charity in his name, which will help disadvantaged children gain access to arts programs.

If you feel able to help, and would like to make your own small donation in Martin's name, you can do so here. 

And if you find yourself in need of somebody to talk to during these difficult times, do not hesitate to pick up the phone and speak to someone.