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)

Pete Knifton

We were deeply saddened to learn yesterday that Pete Knifton had died.

Pete was known to Fighting Fantasy fans for illustrating Keith Martin's Tower of Destruction, and Siege of Sardath, by Keith P. Phillips. And while he may not have contributed artwork to as many adventures as some artists, his style was unique and he had many fans among the FF faithful.

Before contributing to the Fighting Fantasy series, he had provided artwork for Games Workshop’s Blood Bowl game, helping to give it its distinctive look.

“Marc Gascoigne suggested I send in samples to Penguin,” Knifton explained when he was interviewed for YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks. “Subsequently I drew two. The editors were lovely and very encouraging. I did the best work I could in the time available. I aimed to do one illo a day. Sometimes the pictures took longer. I was fond of the picture of the ice zombies.”

Ice Ghosts, by Pete Knifton. 

Night Demon, by Pete Knifton.

Xanthic Horror, by Pete Knifton.

“FF had a great effect on my career in terms of kudos. They were very popular, and people were interested that I had been a contributor. You had to be spot on with the details in FF. They were respectable illustration jobs!”

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Pete's family and friends, and fans, at this very difficult time.

Sir Ian Livingstone to attend Lucca Comics & Games 2025

Sir Ian Livingstone will be attending the Lucca Comics & Games festival in Italy, which is on from Wednesday 29th October - Sunday 2nd November 2025.

This year, attendees will also be able to enjoy FORGING THE MYTH: Art & Artifacts from the Workshop, an exhibition that tells the story of the company founded by Steve Jackson and Sir Ian, and that changed pop culture forever.

The exhibition will be held from 18th October 18th - 2nd November 2025, at the Palazzo Guinigi. There you will be able to see original paintings by John Blanche, Geoff Taylor, Jim Burns, Stephen Tappin, John Sibbick, Paul Bonner, Gary Chalk, Karl Kopinski, and Iain McCaig, who will also be attending the games fair. There will even be some personal items of Sir Ian's on display.

Sir Ian Livingstone to attend San Diego Comic-Con Málaga

Sir Ian Livingstone will be attending San Diego Comic-Con Málaga as a special guest, from Thursday 25th - Sunday 28th September 2025.

From the legendary gamebooks that shaped the imaginations of generations to the founding of Games Workshop and the birth of Warhammer, Sir Ian Livingstone's legacy is an essential part of fantasy and gaming culture.

A writer, designer, and pioneer, Sir Ian has been at the forefront of fantasy, role-playing, and video games for decades. His Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, that invited choice-making and exploration into worlds filled with danger and wonder, inspired millions of young people around the world.

Sir Ian will be interviewed on stage in Auditorium 3 at 3:00pm on Thursday 25th September 2025. To find out more about his appearance at San Diego Comic-Con Málaga, click this link.

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.

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.

Happy 50th Birthday, Dungeons & Dragons!

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the creation of Dungeons & Dragons, by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

It is not an exaggeration to say that without Dungeons & Dragons there would be no Fighting Fantasy gamebooks either.

Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone were sharing a flat in Shepherd’s Bush with another friend, John Peake, when the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons was published in 1974, and their lives changed for ever.

They had heard about D&D through fanzines, although they did not actually get hold of a copy of their own until 1975. Jackson once described the arrival of D&D as “manna from heaven”. It was the game they had been waiting for.

Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone with Dungeons & Dragons in 1976.

(© Ian Livingstone, 2024)

Overwhelmed by the possibilities such role-playing games offered imaginative individuals, Jackson, Livingstone and Peake decided to start their own business. In February 1975 Games Workshop was established. Later that year they secured the exclusive European distribution rights for Dungeons & Dragons. Games Workshop started slowly but became a huge success over time, expanding from a bedroom mail order company to become a major retailer and publisher of wargames and RPGs.

You can read about those early years of the company in Dice Men: The Origin Story of Games Workshop, by Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson.

Gary Gygax, Don Turnbull, Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson in 1979.

(© Ian Livingstone, 2024)

Meanwhile, Geraldine Cooke has taken over Penguin Books' ailing science fiction, fantasy and horror list. Cooke’s best friend Geoff John, an avid Dungeons & Dragons player of several years' standing, told her all about Games Workshop. He told her to ring Jackson and Livingstone and see if they could turn the game, or something like it, into a book.

As a direct result of Cooke’s interest in Games Workshop, Penguin Books took a stand at Games Day 1979 (Games Day being the annual retail and gaming event established by Jackson and Livingstone in the same year they co-founded Games Workshop) ostensibly to promote a new book called Playing Politics.

Fired by a combination of entrepreneurial bravado and youthful enthusiasm, Jackson and Livingstone agreed to work up a proposal and outline for a book about the growing fantasy role-playing hobby. The book was intended to be a 'How to' manual of role-playing, but the synopsis they submitted was for a simple solo RPG, presented within the pages of a book. A gamebook. The rest, as they say, is history...

Coming full circle, there are now Dungeons & Dragons gamebooks, but they are not on the same level as your favourite Fighting Fantasy adventures. But without D&D you wouldn't be reading this blog post today.

So, Happy Birthday, Dungeons & Dragons! Here's to the next 50 years!

Sir Ian Livingstone attending Dragonmeet 2023

Tomorrow, Saturday 2nd December 2023, Sir Ian Livingstone will be attending Dragonmeet at the Novotel Hammersmith in West London.

At 9:30am he will be presenting the inaugural Ian Livingstone Prize for Innovations in Games, so that the shortlisted entries and the winner can then demonstrate their awards on their stands. The winner has been chosen from a long list of entries by Sir Ian and represents the Innovation that he feels most benefits games and gaming that year.

You will then find Sir Ian at Stand 6 in the Lower Trade Hall, which opens at 10:00am, where he will have some copies of the hardback editions of Shadow of the Giants and Dice Men on sale.

Click to enlarge.

At 12:00pm Sir Ian will be on the panel for What Board Games Mean to Me.

Why are board games so important to so many of us, and why have they become so popular? Inspired by the new book of the same name from Aconyte, games expert James Wallis is joined by a panel of games industry experts and enthusiasts, including Sir Ian Livingstone and Matt Forbeck, to explore the many ways in which games have shaped all our lives

Click to enlarge.

Sir Ian will be attending until 2:00pm, at which point he has to leave. However, before then he will be happy to chat with fans and sign their books.

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.

Happy Gary Gygax Day!

27 July is Gary Gygax Day. Observed on Gygax's birthday, it is an opportunity for fans pay tribute to the father of the modern RPG.

Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone first met Gary Gygax when Games Workshop and TSR were just starting out. Gary Gygax happened to see one of the free copies of Owl & Weasel, Games Workshop's first magazine. Seeking outlets for his new game, he wrote to the budding entrepreneurs, and told them about his product. Intrigued, Livingstone and Jackson gave him a call and ordered six copies of Dungeons & Dragons. (They would have ordered more, but Gygax only had six copies to sell.)

Jackson and Livingstone thought they were negotiating with a new, successful and innovative games company, selling products all over the States. Gygax thought he was dealing with a top UK games distribution company. The truth was, it was one guy in his flat selling some stuff to a couple of other guys in their flat. As Livingstone put it to Gygax some years later, it was basically two role-players role-playing at being businessmen. 

Gary Gygax, Don Turnbull, Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson in 1979.

The three remained good friends until Gygax passed away in 2008. When Wizard Books republished Temple of Terror in 2004, Ian Livingstone wrote a new dedication for the book:

For Gary Gygax, the pioneer of fantasy role-playing games.

You can read more about Jackson and Livingstone's interactions with Gary Gygax in Dice Men: The Origin Story of Games Workshop.

Today, also marks six years since Nomad Games released Fighting Fantasy Legends on Steam. Right now you can buy the Fighting Fantasy - Collection Bundle (which includes Fighting Fantasy Legends and the Deathtrap Dungeon Trilogy) at a saving of 15%. To purchase this bundle, either click this link or the image below.

Russ Nicholson - The Passing of a Legend

We were very sorry to hear of the passing of Russ Nicholson last Wednesday, after a short illness, and know that many who read this will be feeling just as bereft as we are.

'Legend' is a word that is over-used these days, but it certainly applies when talking about the man who brought the first Fighting Fantasy gamebook to life. The Warlock of Firetop Mountain was the readers' introduction to the world of FF and it was Russ's illustrations as much as the text that drew children into the deadly dungeon that was the Warlock's lair.

Russ's work also set a high benchmark for others to follow. Oft imitated but never surpassed, when Russ took his pen for a walk across the page he conjured inriguing characters, hideous monsters, whole armies, and entire worlds from the nib. To see him work was like watching a wizard practising his craft; he waved his wand and visceral scenes of action and adventure were brought forth upon the page in ink.

Steve, Russ and Ian at Fighting Fantasy Fest 3 in 2019.

Ian Livingstone said, "I first had the pleasure to work with Russ during the early years of Games Workshop. His wonderfully atmospheric illustrations filled the pages of White Dwarf. I fondly remember working with him when he illustrated the cards in Workshop’s Warlock game published in 1980, and later Eye of the Dragon, the solo adventure which I wrote for Dicing with Dragons. Most famously, Russ illustrated the first edition of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, his iconic pen and ink illustrations setting the standard for future Fighting Fantasy gamebooks. Russ was an amazing man with an incredible talent, and he left an incredible legacy. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him."

Steve Jackson added, "This is dreadful news. Russ was the founding father of the black and white art which became so important as one of the features of FF. Sadly, his adventure has ended here. Gone but not forgotten. Our condolences to the Nicholson family.”

Those of you who have read Secrets of Salamonis may have noticed a personal tribute to Russ by Steve. One of the lead characters in the book is named Ruznik Ulsson in his honour.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time, and all those who were inspired by his incredible work.

Zagor the Warlock, by Russ Nicholson.

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?

Dice Men signing at Forbidden Planet

On Friday evening, Sir Ian Livingstone visited the Forbidden Planet Megastore in London to sign many, many copies of his new book Dice Men: The Origin Story of Games Workshop, which is currently a No.1 Bestseller on Amazon.

Dice Men: The Origin Story of Games Workshop

The queue of eager gaming fans waiting to meet their idol.

Sir Ian signing.

So many, many books...

Some other books snuck into the signing as well.

Dice Men: The Origin Story of Games Workshop

Piles and piles of pre-orders...

Sir Ian with his new book.

If you came along and picked up a copy of Dice Men: The Origin Story of Games Workshop, thank you. And don't forget Sir Ian will be signing at Forbidden Planet Newcastle on Wednesday 16th November from 17:00 - 18:30.

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.

The Dice Men are coming!

Dice Men: The Origin Story of Games Workshop is set to be published by Unbound on 10th November. 

If you fortunate enough to attend Iain McCaig's talk at Fighting Fantasy Fest 4, you will already know that the artist of City of Thieves and Deathtrap Dungeon redrew his original design for the first Games Workshop plastic bag for the cover of the book.

If you backed the book on Unbound, you will be pleased to hear that yesterday Steve Jackson and Sir Ian Livingstone spent the day signing 1,600 backer copies! In fact, you can still pledge your support here.

Dice Men Cover Reveal!

The cover for DICE MEN: The Origin Story of Games Workshop has been released by publishers Unbound, and it's another classic in the making.

The cover features FF fan favourite Iain McCaig's artwork for the original Games Workshop carrier bag.

The book tells the story of the first 10 years of the global games company, Games Workshop, and the struggles faced by Steve Jackson, Sir Ian Livingstone and John Peake at the time.

The book currently has 1538 supporters through Unbound, the crowdfunding publisher, and there's still time to lend your support, before DICE MEN: The Origin Story of Games Workshop is published this autumn.

In other news, did you see Sir Ian Livingstone on BBC 1's The Apprentice last night? In case you missed it, you can catch it again here, on iPlayer, if you are in the UK.