Thursday, 5 January 2012

Weaving an eBook World - Sneak Peek

Issue #8 features an interview with Chris Sterling of Worldweaver about their adaptions of the gamebooks for the Kindle:

How much input do Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone have in your adaptions?
Both Steve and Ian took a keen interest in the adaptations, and we worked very closely to get the combat and map just right. It took six months to perfect the gamebook engine, which can now be used on the entire series by only changing graphics and data files. The publishing team at Amazon were great too, championing the games as a useful improvement to a popular series.

Issue #8 is hopefully due out at the end of the month!

Tuesday, 3 January 2012

Coming Soon - Issue 8

Welcome to the first blog post of 2012, the anniversary year. There is a lot of anticipation in the wind since Ian Livingstone made it known he was definitely writing a new Fighting Fantasy adventure for the 30th anniversary of the range. Meanwhile, issue 8 (I can't quite believe it either, 8!) of the Fantazine is coming together. I'm still aiming for a late January release. In the meantime, here is a list of contents to whet your appetites:
  • The mini adventure Vengeance at Midnight by Alexander Ballingall
  • A new mini AFF adventure, The Tower of Credos by Graham Bottley
  • An interview with Ross Brierley, one of the team behind the Laughing Jackal PSP versions of the gamebooks
  • An interview with Chris Sterling, one of the team behind the Worldweaver Kindle versions of the gamebooks
  • An interview with Jamie Fry, the new Warlock in charge of the official website
  • Part 2 of Aida Rintarou's comic adventure The Book in Which You are the Hero
  • Chapter 4 of "Aelous Raven and the Wrath of the Sea-Witch" by Ian Brocklehurst
  • Part 6 of "Everything I Need to Know I Learnt from Reading Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks" by Ed Jolley
  • More gamebooks news with "Omens & Auguries" from Guillermo Parades
  • "The Arcane Archive" reviews the GA tale Temple of the Spider God
  • Dan Satherley's column looks for a win with Appointment with F.E.A.R.
  • Finally, Jamie Fry continues his exploration of the world of FF collecting

Wednesday, 30 November 2011

Tempting Talismans - Sneak Peek

Issue #8 features an interview with Ross Brierley of Laughing Jackal about their adaptions of the gamebooks for the PlayStation:

How familiar were you with Fighting Fantasy before this undertaking?
As a kid I used to play a lot of Dungeons & Dragons and HeroQuest so when my cousin gave me a game that I could play on my own and not have to wait until other like minded people were available, it was amazing. From then on I was hooked, and I remember playing through loads of gamebooks from several series, including a lot of books from the Fighting Fantasy series.

Issue #8 is out in January!

Sunday, 9 October 2011

Contributor Spotlight - Jamie Fry


This entry is the first in an irregular series highlighting the people behind the material for the magazine. We kick off with Jamie Fry...

Jamie is a long-established part of online Fighting Fantasy and the man in charge of the website Fighting Fantasy Collector. This made him the natural choice for a column on collecting for the magazine when the team were casting about for ideas for material. As part of his interesting in collecting Fighting Fantasy-related paraphernalia he developed the "Collector's Guide" (a listing of every known Fighting Fantasy collectable). Other items of interest to fans can be found on his eBay site. He can be found on The Unofficial Fighting Fantasy Forum! as "Unclebundle".

He seems to be a natural choice as ambassador thanks to his love of the game book series and his rapport with Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. This has recently led to him becoming the new "Warlock" of the official website and we wish him well with his endeavors to get the site up-to-date and relevant once more.

Jamie will be interviewed in issue #8 (due out January 2012).

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Issue #7 - Published!

Issue #7 is now available for download from the the new site: http://fightingfantazine.co.uk/

104 pages of Fighting Fantasy goodness. Feedback appreciated. (Printing password: fanta).

Saturday, 3 September 2011

Queen of Shades - Sneak Peek

Here's a sneak peek at the art and text of the mini adventure for issue #7:
In their place stands a tall, slender woman, glowing in the darkness like a candle flame. The goddess of justice looks at you sadly.
This is Queen of Shades by Paul Struth and illustrated by myself:
It should have been an adventure like any other; an ancient tomb, a forgotten treasure and a band of brave souls willing to risk their lives in pursuit of fame and fortune. Now, a day after your successful return to Kharé, the notorious cityport of traps, two of your fellow adventurers lie dead – will YOU be the next victim of the curse?

Monday, 29 August 2011

The Site!

In a short update (the next post should hopefully be one announcing the arrival of the next issue), I can announce that the website for the magazine has now shifted to a new URL (please update your bookmarks and links):

www.fightingfantazine.co.uk

Wednesday, 10 August 2011

Coming Soon - Issue 7 Cover


Here's the cover for issue #7, which I hope to be able to release at the beginning of September (in time for the 2nd birthday of the magazine).

Friday, 15 July 2011

Coming Soon - Issue 7

Apart from the current lack of an artist to illustrate the mini adventure (if either you or someone you know might be able to help with this problem by volunteering to do the black and white artwork please contact me), the rest of issue #7 is well on the way to being completed. So what can be found in the next issue?

  • The mini adventure Queen of Shades by Paul Struth
  • AFF competition winner, The Curse of Meraki by Stuart Lloyd
  • An interview with Paul Struth, winner of the 1984 Warlock magazine competition to have an adventure published in the magazine (The Dervish Stone in issue #4)
  • An interview with Graeme Davis, author of Midnight Rogue
  • "The Fact of Fiction": Seas of Blood is examined by Warren McGuire
  • Chapter 3 of "Aelous Raven and the Wrath of the Sea-Witch" by Ian Brocklehurst
  • Part 5 of "Everything I Need to Know I Learnt from Reading Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks" by Ed Jolley
  • More news with "Omens & Auguries" from Guillermo Parades
  • Two monsters in "Out of the Pit" by Andrew Wright
  • Adrian Young's "Chronicle of Heroes" covers A Darkness Over Kaad
  • "The Arcane Archive" reviews Advanced Fighting Fantasy – The Roleplaying Game, Out of the Pit, and Titan
  • Dan Satherley's column looks for a win with Island of the Lizard King
  • Finally, Jamie Fry continues his exploration of the world of FF collecting
How soon this issue surfaces will probably depend on how soon I can find someone to illustrate the mini adventure and how quickly they can deliver the art.

Tuesday, 5 July 2011

AFF Competition Winner - Sneak Peek

I can now announce the winner of the AFF competition launched in issue #6. First place, as judged by AFF writer Graham Bottley is The Curse of Meraki by Stuart Lloyd. Here's a sneak peek at what the adventure entails:
It’s been a week since you have left the cesspit of Port Blacksand and pickings are slim. After a month of traipsing across the Pagan Plains to guard a caravan of merchants on their journey to the deadly port, you want some adventure. However, you a bit too much adventure in Blacksand after one of you spilt a flagon of ale all over one of the city’s master assassins. Two minutes later, you were sprinting through the streets with a dozen highly trained killers close behind you. You got to the south gate, only to be stopped by the troll guards demanding a fishday tax. Too desperate to argue, you hand over most your money to avoid the sharp blades of the Assassins’ Guild. You have just arrived to the small fishing village of Meraki, eager for a hot meal and a comfortable bed. However, you can see that something is wrong. The villagers look sad and downtrodden. No one looks you in the eye as you walk through the streets to the market square. You get to an inn and ask the keeper for some food and drink. He serves it without a word. While you are eating your dinner, an old but well kempt and muscular man approaches you. ‘Good evening. My name is Grask. I am the headman of this village and we need your help. I will offer you a free bed for the next few nights and some gold if you can solve our woes. I fear that there is a curse upon our little village and now an innocent woman’s life hangs in the balance...
Graham plans to host other entries on the official AFF website given the quality of the competition entries (as long as the entrants agree to this). So even though they won't appear in the magazine, they will hopefully be available to play in addition to the winner's tale. Congratulations to all who entered, may your STAMINA never fail!