Crypt of the Sorcerer - coming soon!

Coming soon to the Fighting Fantasy Classics library, from Tin Man Games, is Sir Ian Livingstone's legendary FF adventure, Crypt of the Sorcerer.

An ancient evil is stirring!

The long-dead sorcerer Razaak has been re-awoken and is poised to fulfil his promise of death and tyranny. The Forces of Chaos are at large across Allansia and it seems that they are all pitted against YOU! For it is up to you to battle against the odds - to find the only weapon to which Razaak is vulnerable, to arm yourself with protections against his awesome powers, and to face him in his lair, the Crypt of the Sorcerer!

Descend into one of the most punishing dungeons in Allansia with Crypt of the Sorcerer, a legendary Fighting Fantasy adventure by series co-creator Ian Livingstone!

First published in 1987, Crypt of the Sorcerer has earned its reputation as one of the most challenging and deadly gamebooks in the entire Fighting Fantasy series. With its dark, oppressive atmosphere, brutal encounters, and iconic villains, this book is not for the faint of heart.

You must take up arms against the resurrected sorcerer Razaak – a being of pure evil whose return threatens to plunge the world into eternal darkness. Armed with only your courage, your sword, and a handful of enchanted relics, can you survive the sorcerer’s devious traps, ruthless minions, and the final confrontation with death itself?

Whether you're a seasoned veteran eager to face one of the toughest trials Fighting Fantasy has to offer, or a brave newcomer ready to test your mettle, Crypt of the Sorcerer delivers a merciless and unforgettable experience.

FEATURES

• Les Edwards' original front cover from the 1987 Puffin edition!
• Amazing original black and white line artwork by John Sibbick.
• A new difficulty setting to make things a little easier if needed and a special ‘Free Read’ mode to explore the book with no restrictions.
• Built-in mapping system tracks your progress across playthroughs – perfect for planning your next run (or brutal demise).
• Unlimited bookmarks let you retry difficult sections as often as you like.
• Automated Adventure Sheet that handles all your stats, inventory, and key decisions – so you can focus on surviving!

40 years of Ian Livingstone's Temple of Terror

Sir Ian Livingstone's 8th Fighting Fantasy gamebook, Temple of Terror, was published 40 years ago this year.

The majority of the adventure takes place in the waterless wastes of the ominously-named Desert of Skulls. The book begins with the wizard Yaztromo (who first appeared in The Forest of Doom) hiring the hero to thwart the plans of the sorcerer Malbordus, the so-called ‘Storm Child’. The evil sorcerer’s power is reaching its zenith, and all he needs to lead his army of conquest across Allansia are five Dragon artefacts which lie hidden within the lost city of Vatos.

Vatos was named after a small beach resort in Corfu where Livingstone had holidayed more than once, hence it being used as the name of a lost city swallowed by sand. As well as its desert setting, the book is particularly memorable for its introduction of the lethal Messenger of Death.

Temple of Terror was the only FF gamebook to be illustrated by Bill Houston. The cover was painted by ’80s fantasy art legend Chris Achilleos, the second time he contributed a cover to the main series (after Space Assassin).

“I was dealing with Ian,” Achilleos recalled in 2014, “and he called me and said, ‘I’m going to leave it to you to design me the creature for this new book I’m writing. I’m going to tell you the scene and you come up with the creature, because you probably don’t need guidance on this from someone like me.’ And I said, ‘That sounds great, yeah. Then you can describe it from my painting.’

“It was a guardian of this gate, and it was a desert scene – a city half buried under sand – so I designed this creature that lies in wait, buried under the sand... It was something I’d seen in a wildlife programme, these desert snakes that hide in the sand and just have their eyes out and then they pounce on you. So I imagined the same creature sort of lying in wait for someone to try and pass the gate. I drew that and he was delighted with it. In fact, he bought the original from me.”

You can find out more about Chris Achilleos' contributions to the Fighting Fantasy series in Magic Realms: The Art of Fighting Fantasy, by Sir Ian Livingstone and FF author and historian Jonathan Green.

Temple of Terror has yet to be republished by Scholastic Books, but who knows what the future might bring? And what of Steve Jackson Games' plans for the series in the US? Could Temple of Terror be among those adventures slated for a release Stateside?

You'll just have to wait and see...

Temple of Terror is on Fighting Fantasy Classics on Steam

Fighting Fantasy Classics - Eye of the Dragon

Sir Ian Livingstone's 14th Fighting Fanasy gamebook, Eye of the Dragon, is now available as part of the Fighting Fantasy Classics app from Tin Man Games.

In a tavern in Fang, a mysterious stranger offers YOU the chance to find the Golden Dragon, perhaps the most valuable treasure in all of Allansia. But it is hidden in a labyrinth beneath Darkwood Forest and is guarded by the most violent creatures and deadly traps.

To begin your quest YOU must drink a life-threatening potion, and to succeed, you must find maps, clues, artifacts, magic items, jewels and an imprisoned dwarf.

Step into a world of peril and legend with Eye of the Dragon - a must-have for any Fighting Fantasy fan! Originally published in 2005 during the celebrated Wizard Books revival, Eye of the Dragon marked the triumphant return of the series after a brief hiatus. This gripping dungeon-crawling adventure is a true standout, penned by Fighting Fantasy co-creator Ian Livingstone himself.

Based on a mini-adventure first introduced in his iconic book Dicing with Dragons, Eye of the Dragon delivers everything fans love: deadly traps, fearsome monsters, and unexpected twists. You'll encounter familiar faces from across the Fighting Fantasy universe - some returning from earlier gamebooks, others with ties to legendary figures from the broader fantasy world. Whether you're a seasoned adventurer or a newcomer to the series, this book is a thrilling journey you won't want to miss.

FEATURES

• Original artwork by Martin McKenna. Make the gamebook as easy or hard as you like and even turn on a special 'Free Read' mode to play the book like an old-school cheater!
• Map feature makes it easy to keep track of everywhere you have explored during current and previous playthroughs.
• Unlimited Bookmarks allow you to revisit difficult sections as many times as desired.
• Automated Adventure Sheet that keeps track of your stats, inventory and knowledge gained during your journey.

To download Eye of the Dragon and start playing today, click this link.

Fighting Fantasy Classics coming to Steam Deck

Fans of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks who also use Steam Deck, will be excited to hear that Tin Man Games' Fighting Fantasy Classics adaptations are coming to the platform soon.

Steam Deck is a great platform for handheld gaming and it is a perfect fit for FF adventures, which were some of the very first on-the-go games for Gen Xers back in the 1980s.

The Tin Man team are currently adding in controller support as well as updating Fighting Fantasy Classics' save system to allow for multiple save slots per book. They are also adding in cloud saving.

A new build will be released soon and there will also be an announcement in the next few weeks regarding new FF titles coming to the FFC library!

The Tin Man himself, Neil Rennison, teasing some possible future FFC titles.

Armies of Death comes to Steam

Armies of Death, Sir Ian Livingstone's 11th Fighting Fantasy gamebook, and the direct sequel to Trial of Champions, has been reborn as the latest release for Tin Man Games' Fighting Fantasy Classics line.

Brand-new artwork has been commissioned from digital artist Joshua Wright for the ad-app-tation and you can see how his initial roughs were transformed into the final art here.

Giant Spider

Calacorm

Dwarf and Shape Changer

As well as new art, the gameplay has been given an upgrade. New features include:

• New army management system to manage your troop numbers along with mass-battle combat between opposing armies.
• Make the gamebook as easy or hard as you like and even turn on a special 'Free Read' mode to play the book like an old-school cheater!
• Map feature makes it easy to keep track of everywhere you have explored during current and previous playthroughs.
• Unlimited Bookmarks allow you to revisit difficult sections as many times as desired.
• Automated Adventure Sheet that keeps track of your stats, inventory and knowledge gained during your journey.

Can YOU defeat the nightmare army of the undead?

Agglax the Shadow Demon is amassing an army of undead warriors to conquer Allansia.

Setting off from Fang with over two hundred veteran fighters, YOU journey east to meet the enemy. But the Shadow Demon is not of this world and special powers are needed to destroy him. The longer you spend searching for these powers the stronger he will be.

Log on to Steam and download Armies of Death today!

Armies of Death is coming to Fighting Fantasy Classics!

Tin Man Games recently announced that the next much-loved Fighting Fantasy gamebook to be added to the Fighting Fantasy Classics library will be Sir Ian Livingstone's Armies of Death.

And today, the Warlock can exclusively reveal the cover art for the game, which features a new logo as well as Chris Achilleos's original cover painting.

New artwork has been produced for the game by Joshua Wright. How many of these encounters do you recognise from the Armies of Death gamebook?

Armies of Death will be released on Steam in a few months' time and it will be the first of three gamebooks to be added to the Fighting Fantasy Classics  roster in 2024.

Keeping checking the official Fighting Fantasy blog to be kept up to date regarding these exciting new developments for Tin Man Games' Fighting Fantasy Classics.

Starship Traveller - published on this day 40 years ago!

Starship Traveller by Steve Jackson was published 40 years ago today on 1 September 1983.

Having only written one fantasy gamebook by himself, why was it that Jackson abandoned an alternative Tolkien-esque past for a gleaming, rocket-fuelled future?

“I liked to try new things out,” says Jackson. “Sorcery! had a new magic system, Starship Traveller was the first SF adventure.”

Set in the distant future, Starship Traveller (FF4) had the hero become the commander of the eponymous starship and its crew. After his interstellar vessel is sucked through a black hole into an unknown quadrant of space, the hero has to search the local star systems for the coordinates to another black hole and the way home.

As well as keeping a track of his own attributes, the reader had to keep a note of the attributes of his officers. Starship Traveller also added the stats WEAPONS STRENGTH and SHIELDS so that the reader could re-enact battles between spacecraft.

Jackson: “I was a big Star Trek fan. Always preferred it to Doctor Who. Mr Spock was my hero. I liked the episodes where Kirk & Co landed on a planet where they encountered alien races and philosophies. Never liked the deep space battle episodes. Starship Traveller was unashamedly based on Star Trek. And the long dedication was a listing of the entire Games Workshop staff as it was at the time. Some of the GW department heads appeared in the adventure too. ‘Bran-Sell’ was a reference to Bryan Ansell, who ran the Citadel division and later became GW Managing Director. There was a race called the Dar-Villians; a reference to GW’s Sales Manager Peter Darvill-Evans. Fioral was Albie Fiore, who ran the Production Dept. And lots more.”

Both the cover artwork and the internal illustrations were by Peter Andrew Jones, a first and last for the Fighting Fantasy series.

Many years later, Tin Man Games turned Starship Traveller into an app, commissioning new full-colour artwork for the adventure in the process.

While the gamebook was reissued by Wizard Books, Scholastic UK have yet to publish the adventure. So, watch this space...

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.

Are you ready to become a Superhero Sleuth?

Available now from Tin Man Games on Steam is Steve Jackson's '80s comicbook-inspired classic, Appointment with F.E.A.R.!

Tin Man first adapted the 17th Fighting Fantasy gamebook nine years ago, but this time around it's a more authentic FF experience, featuring all the powers and fights as they originally appeared, and maintaining the storylines to each of the four powers exactly as they flowed in the original adventure. Even though this has meant a complete re-coding of the gamebook, it means players can now revisit Titan City and join the wacky supervillains that are hell-bent on taking over the world!

To download Appointment with F.E.A.R. for Fighting Fantasy Classics from Steam, click this link.

Are YOU ready to raise an army?

Ian Livingstone's Armies of Death is coming to Tin Man Games' Fighting Fantasy Classics library!

Can YOU defeat the nightmare army of the undead? Agglax the Shadow Demon is amassing an army of undead warriors to conquer Allansia. Setting off from Fang with over two hundred veteran fighters, YOU journey east to meet the enemy. But the Shadow Demon is not of this world and special powers are needed to destroy him. The longer you spend searching for these powers the stronger he will be.

One of three incoming additions to the Fighting Fantasy Classics library, Armies of Death is a direct sequel to Sir Ian Livingstone's second Deathtrap Dungeon-set adventure, Trial of the Champions.

Having survived the deadly dungeon and claimed the prize of 20,000 Gold Pieces, YOU must raise an army using your newly won fortune to save Allansia from the Shadow Demon's invading army.

Agglax the Shadow Demon, by Nik Williams.

Armies of Death uses a new combat system that allows your troops to fight against multiple opponents, as you take the battle to Agglax. The digital adaptation will feature new interior illustrations but you will doubtless be pleased to hear that Tin Man Games have secured the rights to use the original cover artwork by Chris Achilléos, who sadly passed away last year. 

Keep your eyes peeled for more announcements before the end of the year!

Tin Man Games Summer Sale now on!

Tin Man Games, the makers of the Fighting Fantasy Classics app and associated adaptations of classic Fighting Fantasy adventures, are currently running a Summer Sale on Steam.

To celebrate 40 years of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, why not download the fantasy solo RPG that combines unique, simultaneous turn-based combat with a journey that changes based on each figurine you take into the mountain? There really couldn't be a better time, as The Warlock of Firetop Mountain is currently on sale at a whopping 80% off!

Get on the road with Freeway Fighter

The latest release from Tin Man Games, for their Fighting Fantasy Classics app, is Sir Ian Livingstone's Freeway Fighter - surely the most suitable FF gamebook to add to their library in this year of all years!

You can download the app now for your PC, Mac, Android and iOS device. Check out Steam, Google Play, and the App Store now.

Deathtrap House of Dungeon Hell!

Publisher Tin Man Games is having a sale on Steam and, as a result, both Steve Jackson's House of Hell and Sir Ian Livingstone's Deathtrap Dungeon are currently available for only £1.15 each!

If you've not tried the Tin Man Games Fighting Fantasy adaptations yet, you are in for a treat!

You can make the gamebooks as easy or hard as you like and even turn on a special 'Free Read' mode to play the book like an old-school cheater, while Unlimited Bookmarks allow you to revisit difficult sections as many times as you like.

A map feature makes it easy to keep track of everywhere you have explored during current and previous playthroughs, and an Automated Adventure Sheet keeps track of your stats, inventory, and any knowledge gained during your journey. 

Deathtrap Dungeon features original artwork by Iain McCaig, which is all viewable through a collectable artwork gallery, while House of Hell has a specially composed, atmospheric score and sound effects.