Issue #12 - Published!

Issue #12 is now available for download from the site: www.fightingfantazine.co.uk
104 pages of gamebook goodness. As usual, feedback is appreciated!

The Geography of Kharé - Sneak Peek

One of the most iconic Fighting Fantasy locations of all, Port Blacksand in northwest Allansia, was featured in numerous Fighting Fantasy gamebooks and novels, and was described and mapped in detail in Titan – The Fighting Fantasy World and also in the original Advanced Fighting Fantasy series. This is in stark contrast to another emblematic Fighting Fantasy city, which was described in only one book and which was never mapped in the original Puffin publications of the franchise – Kharé, Cityport of Traps in Kakhabad in the Old World.

     First visited in the second volume of the Sorcery! series, Fighting Fantasy never returned to this vermin-infested settlement (other than in new role-playing versions of the same adventure), and a map of it never appeared in any gamebook or in Titan. However, there is a mass of information regarding the layout of the city in the Sorcery! series and there are some interesting hints on one particular area in the full-colour illustration of the city in Titan. Furthermore, two very different maps of the city have appeared more recently, in the Myriador d20 module Kharé – Cityport of Traps and in the new Advanced Fighting Fantasy campaign Crown of Kings by Arion Games. What can we learn about the geography of Kharé from these sources and are there any problems with reconciling all the various pieces of evidence in trying to come up with a definitive picture of the layout of the city? That’s what this article aims to find out, so join us as we return to explore Fighting Fantasy’s enigmatic heart of darkness – travellers beware!

Choose Your Own Documentary™ - Sneak Peek

Issue #12 also features an interview with Nathan Penlington about his Choose Your Own Adventure-based interactive performance:

You’ve created a live, interactive performance using the format of the Choose Your Own Adventure books. Can you bring me up to date with how far you’ve got with your show? 

So we’ve made this very awkward documentary, which has become something greater than perhaps we first expected it to be. It started off as an experiment and now it’s taken on a life of its own. There are currently over 1500 possible paths, but it could well expand. There are certain narratives that we’ve opened up that we could go on to explore in the future. I could be making the show for the rest of my life.

Hooked on Classics - Sneak Peek

Issue #12 features an interview with Robin Waterfield, covering his Fighting Fantasy gamebooks:

Were you involved at all in the launch of the Fighting Fantasy novels series in 1989, and what do you think of this step away from gamebooks for Fighting Fantasy?

I was involved in the sense that people asked me whether I thought it was a good idea – and whether I wanted to write one! I did think it was a good idea, and I did want to write one, but I got overtaken with other work: I was in the middle of my second, and last, stretch in the Penguin office, as a commissioning editor this time. I can’t remember what the plot was; my hero was a dwarf, though.

In Print - Part 4

With copies of issue 11 in printed form winging their way out the door, I've updated the website with PayPal buttons to make ordering a copy easier!

http://www.fightingfantazine.co.uk

In Print - Part 3

Copies of a printed version of issue #11 are now available for order. Costs are (for 1 issue):

Australia     NZ$23
Asia            NZ$30
UK/US/Europe & everywhere else   NZ$31

Payment is via PayPal. Pay to alexballingallnz@gmail.com and don't forget to included the postal address where you would like the magazine sent.

If you want to order more than one copy, get in touch with me about postage costs.

Coming Soon - Issue 12 Cover

I've been a bit remiss in posting, with the only excuse that things have been very busy. Hopefully a nice surprise next week! In the meantime, here is the cover for the forthcoming issue #12 with cover at by Angela Salamaliki. Hope to have the issue out before the end of August, so watch this blog for more teasers.

In Print - Part 2

Time for an update in the print situation!

We reached the 20 physical copies wanted to go ahead with an order (@ US$17 per issue).

I've found local printer (here in NZ) who can do 20 copies for US$17 per issue...

BUT! If I order 50 copies they'll drop to US$11 per issue and if I order 100 copies it drops even further to $US9!!

All would need P&P added to the cost to cover packaging & postage.

So I need expressions of interest to gauge whether or not I should risk a print run of 50 or even 100 copies. Get in touch other wise it won't happen!

Forum

A new forum for the magazine and gamebooks in general can be found here:

http://fightingfantazine.proboards.com

In Print

We've been investigating the possibility of print copies of the magazine.

Here's how it breaks down. The magazine will be offered via print-on-demand website MagCloud. This means that if you buy an issue it'll cost you approx. US$23 plus postage and packaging.

That said, as the publishers we can do a bulk order of at least 20 copies of an issue which would result in a price of US$17 (plus P&P).

So the plan is (with issue #11 being a trial run):

When a new issue is released (or a back issue made ready for printing) we'll ask for people who'd like to join the bulk order at the cheaper price (with a deadline to joining). After that bulk order, anybody wanting a copy will have to order it via MagCloud for the higher price.

As we've said, issue #11 will be a trial run to see if the bulk order idea actually works. If YOU want in on a cheaper copy, you need to email us with your postal details (where you want your copy sent) and once we've 20+ copies wanted we'll place the order and let everyone know via email what the costs are. If you want in, send your details to us: editor at fightingfantazine dot co dot uk

Issue #11 - Published!

Issue #11 is now available for download from the site: www.fightingfantazine.co.uk
104 pages of gamebook goodness. As usual, feedback is appreciated!

Pieces of Masonry - Sneak Peek

Issue #11 features the second half of the interview with Paul Mason, covering his Fighting Fantasy gamebooks:

Your first adventures were set on mainland Allansia, yet you moved to the Isles of the Dawn for this and your next book. What prompted this exploration?

The map. And, as mentioned above, the impatience with the status quo. The desire to go somewhere different, try to do something a little different. Blaze our own trail. With other writers, it took them out of Fighting Fantasy and into other series. With me... oh yeah, Robin of Sherwood and the (never-published) Virtual Reality gamebook. Looking back, though, I think it’s more valuable to do something a little out-there in a mainstream series like Fighting Fantasy, than to pick up one’s toys and leave for a smaller playground.

Everything I Need to Know I Learnt from Playing Fighting Fantasy RPG Adventures - Sneak Peek

Time for another peek. This time it comes from Ed Jolley's "Everything I Need to Know I Learnt from Reading Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks" series of articles which covers the various RPG adventures...

The Curse of Kallamehr

The moment the adventurers reach the top of Rangor Tower, they see the Riddling Reaver pushing Baron Bluestone over the edge. Regardless of whether they rushed up there as quickly as possible, tried to hurry but got delayed, or even wasted time attempting to interrogate a corpse, trying to open the puzzle box or solving the half-dozen riddles contained within it, they arrive just in time to see the Baron thrown to his death. It’s almost as if the Reaver deliberately delayed the fatal shove until he had a suitable audience. Then again, if he had orchestrated the killing like that, you’d expect him to follow it up with a sub-Schwarzenegger pun about the Baron being an over-the-top character or dropping in on his subjects, so maybe the writers just favoured spectacle over realism.

Moral: Timing is an important aspect of comedy – even for tasteless and unpleasant jokes.

Coming Soon - Issue 11 Cover

Time to unveil the cover of issue 11 (the artwork of which featured in miniature in issue #10 and currently graces the magazine twitter account). Put together by the very talented Michael Wolmarans (who also illustrates the mini adventure in this issue), you can expect to hear more about the issue as we head towards publication (currently planned for the end of April).

Still Alive!

Hi all,

just a quick line from myself to let the interweb know that the magazine is still a going concern. In fact, issue #11 is getting on to 3/4 done and I still aim to have it out late March/early April if everything goes according to plan. Will post the cover and contents soonish!