40 Years of The Crown of Kings

2025 marks 40 years since the publication of The Crown of Kings, the final volume of Steve Jackson's seminal gamebook miniseries, Sorcery!

The conclusion of the Sorcery! series starts with the Analander climbing through the Xamen Peaks to reach the Mampang Fortress, and then battle their way through the Archmage’s lair. The Crown of Kings came in at a whopping 800 references (a record yet to be broken by any other Fighting Fantasy gamebook) and was as epic an adventure as any Sorcery! fan could have hoped for. It also featured one of the most memorable (and clever) denouements of any adventure ever published, not to mention encounters with a god-headed Hydra and entire societies of birdmen and she-satyrs.

The God-headed Hydra, by John Blanche.

When pressed on the subject of which of the gamebooks he has written are his favourites, Jackson cites two: “Warlock because it was the first. And Sorcery! because it was the most complex. Creating a four-part adventure in which your actions in Book 2 might affect your choices in Book 4 was a real challenge.”

All four volumes are in print again in the UK, courtesy of Scholastic Books. And all four volumes are also now available in Portuguese, from Brazilian publisher Jambô Editora, including The Crown of Kings, which had previously been available in Brazil.

Rather like the recent Danish editions of the Sorcery! series, the Brazilian ones also come with a unique slipcase.

The Brazilian Sorcery! quartet.

The Danish Sorcery! quartet, plus Spell Book.

 

Sir Ian Livingstone to attend the Lisbon Book Fair on Saturday

Good news, Portuguese Fighting Fantasy fans!

Sir Ian Livingstone will be attending the Lisbon Book Fair on Saturday 7th June 2025 as part of the relaunch of Fighting Fantasy in Portugal by Porto Editora.

Sir Ian will be signing copies of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain and Deathtrap Dungeon at 6:00pm at the Porto Editora/Bertrand Editora booth.

Tu Es O Heroi!

The new Portuguese editions of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
and Deathtrap Dungeon.

Talking of events, it was great to see so many FF fans at the UK Games Expo last weekend. Click here to see some photos taken at the Fighting Fantasy stand during the course of the three-day event.

Martin Wallace and Sir Ian Livingstone with
Fighting Fantasy Adventures, at the UK Games Expo 2025.

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.

All Rolled Up and Fighting Fantasy at the UK Games Expo 2025

It gives the Warlock great pleasure to announce that All Rolled Up, makers of all manner of gaming accessories, have renewed their lience to produce Fighting Fantasy branded goods. And some of these will be on sale for the first time at the UK Games Expo starting today!

Items on offer includes play mats...

...and new dice tray designs.

And check out the Hero's Companion that is in development!

You will find All Rolled Up at Stand 3-633, while the Fighting Fantasy team will be at Stand 2-359 in Hall 2, but please note that Sir Ian Livingstone will only be attending on Saturday 31st May and Sunday 1st June. 

Fighting Fantasy - Stand 2-359

Special Guests Steve Jackson (US) and Sir Ian Livingstone attending the UK Games Expo 2025

The American-born game designer, and some time Fighting Fantasy gamebook author, Steve Jackson is one of the Special Guests attending the UK Games Expo, as is Sir Ian Livingstone.

During the weekend, Steve will be meeting with Sir Ian at the Fighting Fantasy stand (Stand 2-359) to discuss the release of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks by Steve Jackson Games in the US.

Ulisses Spiele demoing Fighting Fantasy Quest

Paul Toderas from Ulisses Spiele will be demoing the company's new Fighting Fantasy Quest - The Warlock of Firetop Mountain board game at the UK Games Expo this year.

So why not stop by the Fighting Fantasy stand (Stand 2-359) and try it out for yourself?

Sir Ian Livingstone signing Fighting Fantasy Adventures at the UK Games Expo

Sir Ian Livingstone will signing copies of Fighting Fantasy Adventures with Martin Wallace at 2:00pm on Saturday 31st May 2025 at the UK Games Expo, at the Wallace Design stand (Stand 3A-460).

Please note that this version of Fighting Fantasy Adventures is the retail version, which will be on sale at the UK Games Expo, and not the version backers of the crowdfunding campaign will receive.

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.

Sir Ian Livingstone signing at the UK Games Expo 2025

Sir Ian Livingstone will be attending the UK Games Expo on Saturday 31st May and Sunday 1st June (but not Friday 30th May).

He will be signing copies of the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks (including The Dungeon on Blood Island), Dice Men: The Origin Story of Games Workshop, and Magic Realms: The Art of Fighting Fantasy (with co-author Jonathan Green), at Stand 2-359 in Hall 2.

Fighting Fantasy at the UK Games Expo 2025

Fighting Fantasy will have a significant presence at the UK Games Expo this year. The event is on from Friday 30th May - Sunday 1st June 2025 at the NEC, just outside Birmingham, and you will find the Fighting Fantasy crew at Stand 2-359 in Hall 2.

Fighting Fantasy - Stand 2-359

As you can see from the plan of Hall 2, Sir Ian Livingstone will be in attendance, as will FF author and historian Jonathan Green, who collaborated on Magic Realms: The Art of Fighting Fantasy. However, please note that Sir Ian will only be attending on the Saturday and the Sunday, while Jonathan will be there for all three days.

In other exciting news, another of the Special Guests attending the event is the American-born games designer Steve Jackson - author of Scorpion Swamp, Demons of the Deep and Robot Commando, and the man who will be bringing Fighting Fantasy back to the US later this year. Talking of which, the first five books are now available to pre-order from Steve Jackson Games.

Others in attendance at the UK Games Expo include representatives of Martin Wallace Games, who are currently putting the finishing touches to Fighting Fantasy Adventures, All Rolled Up, who are going to be selling the first in an extended range of FF-themed products, Dan Jack of Blue Giant Studios, who produce the official Fighting Fantasy Legends miniatures range, and Oscar Carlquist of Sound Realms, publishers of the updated Steve Jackson's F.I.S.T. audio adventure.

Joining Sir Ian and Jonathan on the Fighting Fantasy stand will be Paul Toderas from Germany games company Ulisses Spiele. He will be demoing the company's new Fighting Fantasy Quest - The Warlock of Firetop Mountain board game, so why not stop by Stand 2-359 and try it out yourself?

Lastly, Sir Ian will be giving a talk about his 50 Years in Games, on Saturday 31st May, from 3:00-4:00pm, on Stage B in Hall 4.

If you are going to the UK Games Expo this year, may your STAMINA never fail!

40 years of Ian Livingstone's Temple of Terror

Sir Ian Livingstone's 8th Fighting Fantasy gamebook, Temple of Terror, was published 40 years ago this year.

The majority of the adventure takes place in the waterless wastes of the ominously-named Desert of Skulls. The book begins with the wizard Yaztromo (who first appeared in The Forest of Doom) hiring the hero to thwart the plans of the sorcerer Malbordus, the so-called ‘Storm Child’. The evil sorcerer’s power is reaching its zenith, and all he needs to lead his army of conquest across Allansia are five Dragon artefacts which lie hidden within the lost city of Vatos.

Vatos was named after a small beach resort in Corfu where Livingstone had holidayed more than once, hence it being used as the name of a lost city swallowed by sand. As well as its desert setting, the book is particularly memorable for its introduction of the lethal Messenger of Death.

Temple of Terror was the only FF gamebook to be illustrated by Bill Houston. The cover was painted by ’80s fantasy art legend Chris Achilleos, the second time he contributed a cover to the main series (after Space Assassin).

“I was dealing with Ian,” Achilleos recalled in 2014, “and he called me and said, ‘I’m going to leave it to you to design me the creature for this new book I’m writing. I’m going to tell you the scene and you come up with the creature, because you probably don’t need guidance on this from someone like me.’ And I said, ‘That sounds great, yeah. Then you can describe it from my painting.’

“It was a guardian of this gate, and it was a desert scene – a city half buried under sand – so I designed this creature that lies in wait, buried under the sand... It was something I’d seen in a wildlife programme, these desert snakes that hide in the sand and just have their eyes out and then they pounce on you. So I imagined the same creature sort of lying in wait for someone to try and pass the gate. I drew that and he was delighted with it. In fact, he bought the original from me.”

You can find out more about Chris Achilleos' contributions to the Fighting Fantasy series in Magic Realms: The Art of Fighting Fantasy, by Sir Ian Livingstone and FF author and historian Jonathan Green.

Temple of Terror has yet to be republished by Scholastic Books, but who knows what the future might bring? And what of Steve Jackson Games' plans for the series in the US? Could Temple of Terror be among those adventures slated for a release Stateside?

You'll just have to wait and see...

Temple of Terror is on Fighting Fantasy Classics on Steam

Fighting Fantasy Quest - The Warlock of Firetop Mountain

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, the iconic Fighting Fantasy gamebook that launched a thousand quests, is set to return in a thrilling cooperative and competitive board game for 1–4 players developed by Ulisses Spiele.

Brave adventurers will delve into the twisting tunnels, death-trap chambers, and monster-haunted halls of Firetop Mountain, seeking the Warlock’s hoarded treasure - and the truth behind the legend. But danger waits at every turn: ferocious creatures, devious puzzles, and the Warlock’s dark magic threaten death.

Will you work together to survive or fall to the dangers of the mountain?

Old-school dungeon crawling, reborn. Simple but never easy.

Fighting Fantasy Quest combines the experience of old-school dungeon crawling, hair-raising twists and turns and myriad challenges with a new and elegant rules system, that allows for much more variety and deeper tactics. There is no handholding here, but rich rewards for those who master the mountain's dangers - though not everyone will live to tell their tale.

Don't worry, brave adventurer, in this game, death is not the end - merely the price you pay for your next journey.

Ulisses Spiele will be demoing Fighting Fantasy Quest - The Warlock of Firetop Mountain at the Fighting Fantasy stand (Stand 2-359) at the UK Games Expo, from Friday 30th May - Sunday 1st June 2025.

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.

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.