John Blanche (1948-2026)

We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of fantasy art legend John Blanche a few days ago, and our thoughts are with his family, friends, colleagues and fans at this time.

It was John's artistic vision that determined the direction of the many worlds of Warhammer for decades. His work was 'grimdark' given form and the incredible iconography of those settings stemmed from his incredible art.

But, of course, to Fighting Fantasy fans, it was John who gave Steve Jackson's Sorcery! series its distinctive look, setting it apart from the rest of the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, with his otherworldly illustration style.

That said, John also illustrated the two-player FF adventure, Clash of the Princes, and provided artwork for Warlock Magazine too, including two stunning covers, while his painting of Kharé - the eponymous Cityport of Traps - appeared on the inside cover of Titan: The Fighting Fantasy World.

When Magic Realms: The Art of Fighting Fantasy was published, he quite rightly had a whole chapter dedicated to his work.

John was a true visionary and the diverse creations of his febrile imagination not only helped define the look of fantasy art and gaming for an entire generation, it set the standard that so many others still aspire to.

He will be deeply missed, but his unique vision will live on.

John Blanche
(1948-2026)

Fighting Fantasy at the UK Games Expo 2026

This weekend - Friday 29th May through to Sunday 31st May 2026 - the UK Games Expo is celebrating its 20th anniversary - and Fighting Fantasy gamebooks have been along for much of that ride, as can be seen in the Expo Museum.

Sir Ian Livingstone is in attendance against this year - on Stand 2-359 in Hall 2 - as is FF historian Jonathan Green, and brand manager Marc Gascoigne*.

Sir Ian will be taking part in a number of events across the weekend:

2:30pm - 3:30pm on Friday, 29th May - Main Stage, Hall 1: Life is a Game talk

11:30am - 12.30pn on Saturday, 29th May - Main Stage, Hall 1: 20 Years of Gaming panel with Luke Gygax and Steve Jackson (US)

2:00pm - 3.30pm on Saturday, 30th May - Toute Suite: City of Thieves playthrough with John Robertson

You will also be able to pick up copies of Magic Realms, Dice Men, and even a few copies of the hardback edition of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain - all from Stand 2-359.

If you are attending the UK Games Expo this weekend, stop by and say hello, and may your STAMINA never fail!

* Please note that Marc Gascoigne will be attending on the Saturday only.

Fighting Fantasy and All Rolled Up at the UK Games Expo 2026

All Rolled Up are delighted to announce a new line of officially licensed Fighting Fantasy gaming accessories that will be on sale at the UK Games Expo 2026. These include...

Coasters...

Messenger bags...

Mugs...

and Beer Steins!

There are also dice and, of course, ARU's legendary All Rolled Up that can hold all the dice, pens, counters, game cards and more for your tabletop, or gamebook, needs in a sturdy, hand-crafted roll.

Visit All Rolled Up at the UK Games Expo at Stand 3-627 in Hall 3 and then stop by Stand 2-359 in Hall 2 to meet the legend that is Sir Ian Livingstone himself.

Starship Traveller - Turn to 400!

Starship Traveller was recently published in Danish, by Faraos Cigarer, with a new translation by Morten Gottschalck.

However, Morten didn't just translate the Steve Jackson-penned adventure - he also added 60 sections to the adventure to take the total count up to 400. Here's Morten to tell you more about it...