Fighting Fantasy Fest 6

One week ago, Fighting Fantasy Fest 6 took over the University of West London in Ealing.

A host of guests, exhibitors, traders, and adventurers spent the day celebrating all things Fighting Fantasy and gamebook-related.

Our Guests of Honour were FF co-creator and author Sir Ian Livingstone and artist Karl Kopinski, who were joined on the day by special guest editors Gerladine Cooke and Philippa Dickinson.

Sir Ian Livingstone and Karl Kopinski signing for fans.

Philippa Dickinson, Sir Ian Livingstone, and Geraldine Cooke.

Fans were delighted to get their hands on the new collector's hardback editions of City of Thieves and Tomb of the Golden Skull.

The queue to buy Sir Ian's new hardbacks.

The day was chock full of talks and panels, and we were delighted that so many creators - artists Malcolm Barter, Alan Langford, Tony Hough, and Rob Ball, as well as authors Marc Gascoigne, Peter Darvill-Evans, and Jonathan Green - overseas publishers and FF licensees were able to join us too.

The World of Fighting Fantasy panel with
Marc Gascoigne, Alex Ballingall, Florent Haro, and Morten Gottschalck.

Artists, from foreground to background:
Malcolm Barter, Tony Hough, and Alan Langford.

A huge thank you must go to Lord Azzur's City Guard - James, Stuart, Pete, Sally, Simon, Lyndsey, Julian, Scott, Jake, Mattie, and Ariana - who made sure everything ran smoothly, but the biggest thank you is reserved for all the adventuerers - both young and old - who attended. But a special mention should go to Hamad and Layla who were attending FFF6 on the second day of their honeymoon!

Newlyweds Hamad and Layla.

You can watch FF author and historian Jonathan Green's review of the day here...

The night before FFF6, the now traditional charity You Are The Beer-o Pub Puiz took place at The Forester in West Ealing, which raised an astonishing £1,200 for Guide Dogs UK in memory of FF artists Pete Knifton, who passed away last year.

The winning team!

Attendees received a collectible programme and autograph book, lanyard, and golden dice. There are a few of these items left over so, if you would like one of them, follow this link.

City of Thieves and Tomb of the Golden Skull Hardbacks Out Now!

If you have been excitedly awaiting the release of the new collector's hardbacks of Sir Ian Livingstone's City of Thieves and Tomb of the Golden Skull, they are both available now, from online retailers such as Amazon and Blackwell's.

A deluxe foiled hardback with the original iconic cover
by acclaimed artist Ian McCaig.

Are YOU brave enough to walk the dangerous, dark alleyways of Port Blacksand?

You must travel to the dark tower of demonic sorcerer Zanbar Bone, to put an end to his reign of terror. But you'll have to make it past the bloodthirsty thieves and creeping creatures of the night who lurk in Port Blacksand first... Step up, hero, it's time to fight!

A deluxe collector's edition for the iconic Fighting Fantasy series
illustrated by Karl Kopinski.

Allansia is under threat from Valmorka the Spider Demon and her army of Plague Spiders. In a race against time, YOU must journey across Arantis and face grave danger to find the legendary Dragonblade and a lost artefact to defeat her.

Are you brave enough to face the terrifying Spider Demon?

MAY YOUR STAMINA NEVER FAIL!

"A new way of telling stories and in many ways the birth of modern gaming, these books captured the imaginations of a generation of kids - it's great to think that a new generation are going to be similarly captivated."

~ bestselling author Charlie Higson

Fighting Fantasy Fest 6 - Saturday 5th September 2026

Lord Azzur and his City Guard are preparing for an influx of people to Port Blacksand, as Fighting Fantasy Fest 6 takes place on Saturday 5th September 2026, at the University of West London in Ealing.

Doors open at 9:00am!

Our Guests of Honour are Sir Ian Livingstone and ace artist Karl Kopinski. We will be celebrating the publication of the latest Fighting Fantasy gamebook, Tomb of the Golden Skull, as well as the release of an exclusive hardback edition of City of Thieves!

  

We also have a plethora of artists, authors, editors, traders, and exhibitors joining us - not to mention a host of enthusiastic adventurers!

If you have yet to buy your ticket, there's still time! But, if you already have secured your spot already, you will find some helpful information for the day below.

May your STAMINA never fail!

Click to enlarge.

Fighting Fantasy Fest 6 Official Merchandise on sale now!

Are you excited for Fighting Fantasy Fest 6? Have you got your ticket yet?

If you are coming along, you are going to want to be sporting on of this year's official FFF6 T-shirts. First there is the classic FFF logo with the date of the event on the front.

And then there is this year's unique offering 'Welcome to Port Blacksand' featuring Iain McCaig's drawing of the City Guard challenging you at the gates of the City of Thieves, with the date of the event across the shoulders on the back.

And the best thing is, YOU get to choose the colour you want.

There are also hoddies, tote bags, badges, magnets, and mugs available - so why not check out the official FFF6 merch store today?

Fighting Fantasy Book News

New Fighting Fantasy hardback titles are like London buses - none come for ages then two come at once! In exciting news, Sir Ian Livingstone has announced the upcoming release of two titles:

TOMB OF THE GOLDEN SKULL - Hardback Collector's Edition – signed and numbered 1-400 limited edition with a new map of Allansia by Leo Hartas printed on the reverse of the dust jacket will be released on 5^th September at Fighting Fantasy Fest 6 being held at the University of West London.

CITY OF THIEVES - Hardback Edition – will be released on 10^th September. Signed un-numbered copies can be pre-ordered from Blackwell’s. A limited number of advance copies will be available at Fighting Fantasy Fest 6.

TOMB OF THE GOLDEN SKULL - Paperback Edition – will be released on 27^th August and can be pre-ordered from all good bookshops. Copies will be available at Fighting Fantasy Fest 6.

City of Thieves collector's hardback

Sir Ian Livingstone's seminal Fighting Fantasy gamebook City of Thieves is returning this summer in an exclusive collector's edition.

Limited to only 2,000 copies, the City of Thieves limited edition hardback will feature the original cover art and internal illustrations by Iain McCaig, ‘The History of Port Blacksand’ by Marc Gascoigne, Leo Hartas's 2017 update of his map of Allansia, and László Kupe's map of Port Blacksand.

Attendees of Fighting Fantasy Fest 6 will be among the first people who will be able to buy a copy and get it signed at the same time.

Are you ready to return to the City of Thieves?

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.

Sir Ian Livingstone at the UK Games Expo 2026

From Friday 29th May - Sunday 31st May 2026, Sir Ian Livingstone will be attending the UK Games Expo at the NEC on the outskirts of Birmingham. You will find him on Stand 2-359, along with FF alumni Marc Gascoigne* and Jonathan Green.

Sir Ian is also taking part in two events.

2.30pm-3.30pm on Friday, 29th May, Main Stage, Hall 1:  Life is a Game

Ian will give an entertaining and visual account of his struggles as an entrepreneur in the 1970s when he and Steve Jackson founded Games Workshop and launched Dungeons & Dragons and Warhammer in Europe. He will tell the origin story of the multi-million-selling Fighting Fantasy gamebook series from its launch in 1982 with The Warlock of Firetop Mountain up to the present day with the announcement of a new title written by Ian coming out at Fighting Fantasy Fest 6.

2.00pm-3.30pm on Saturday, 30th May, Toute Suite: City of Thieves play through with John Robertson

Take the journey to Port Blacksand and help Ian lure a comedian to his doom for charity! 

(This sold out almost immediately, hence it is no longer shown on the UK Games Expo website.)

* Saturday only.

Sir Ian Livingstone to attend Comic Con Portugal 2026

Sir Ian Livingstone will be in Santa Maria da Feira on 25th April, to attend Comic Con Portugarl 2026. To find out more, follow this link.

Portuguese publisher Porto Editora reissued the Fighting Fantasy collection in Portugal in 2025, where it is historically known as Aventuras Fantásticas. The first reissued titles, O Feiticeiro da Montanha de Fogo and A Masmorra Inferna, are already available in bookstores, with A Cidade dos Ladrões joining them this year.

Fighting Fantasy LIVE at UK Games Expo 2026!

Sir Ian Livingstone will be bringing Fighting Fantasy LIVE back to the UK Games Expo in 2026!

Join Sir Ian and John Robertson for a live playthrough of the seminal Fighting Fantasy gamebook City of Thieves, on Saturday 30th May, from 2-3:30pm.

Tickets are on sale now, and proceeds from sales will go to support the UKGE 2026 charities. To find out more and book your ticket, click this link.

More Maps

Qatlas have recently released two new licensed solution maps of a pair of classic Fighting Fantasy adventures - The Forest of Doom and City of Thieves.

You can purchase these maps, along with the other ones that have already been released, here. And you can read about why László Arpad, the man behind the maps, chose an isometric view for his FF masterpieces here.

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.