If you’re under the age of 30, it’s possible you might not know the name Fighting Fantasy or even what a ‘gamebook‘ is – but you should. Firstly because they’re a unique, excellent kind of fun, somewhere between a fantasy novel and a solo tabletop RPG. And, secondly, because the people still making them tend to be towering tabletop figures – in this case, a literal Knight, dubbed by Princess Anne of Great Britain, and one of the guys who started Games Workshop.
Besides co-founding the company that created Warhammer, and having his shoulders royally tapped with a sword, Sir Ian Livingstone has written dozens upon dozens of these dice-rolling adventure books since 1982. And he’s just announced a brand new one with cover (an internal) art from Karl Kopinski, one of the best Warhammer and Magic: The Gathering artists ever.
Tomb of the Golden Skull is arriving August 27, and it’s already up on Amazon to preorder in the UK. According to its creator, the book is full of NPCs the player can interact with – though trusting any of them will be tricky. It also explores a new region in the Fighting Fantasy world of Titan: the mysterious Arantis.
We asked Livingstone a little more about the book and what’s kept his love for the series alive and well across so many years.
“Fighting Fantasy has survived the test of time and is a passion project for me, very much close to my heart. I’m very proud of the fantasy world we have created,” he says, then adds, “Every time I finish writing a new book I think that could be the last one, but inevitably I start thinking of new plot ideas a few days later.”
The author says his method for planning and writing a Fighting Fantasy book hasn’t altered much over the decades. “Other than replacing my fountain pen with a computer and a Word Doc, I have not changed my method of writing at all.”
“I stick to my analogue way of constructing a flow chart on the fly, as I write, for event and record-keeping – and to keep track of all the choices that are generated in the adventure.”
As well as the regular version arriving in August, hardback copies of the book are coming later, on September 10. Alongside this release comes a new, hardback edition of City of Thieves, a true classic Fighting Fantasy gamebook from 1983. Staff writer Matt Bassil remembers this one being absolutely devious (though he was a foolish child at the time)
Ian Livingstone’s words suggest that Tomb of the Golden Skull may not be so brutal. He calls it “challenging but not too difficult for novices to win through”.
Let us know your favorite Fighting Fantasy gamebooks over at the Wargamer Discord. I always liked Creature of Havoc – it was fun to start the game as the terrifying monster, instead of constantly getting stomped by them in other books.
Source: Wargamer
