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Post by CharlesX on Sept 6, 2024 9:47:03 GMT
Lol Wildy this list practically puts the roughly 10 books (some of them non-FF books) I'll be taking to shame, though I'm not quite so keen on getting artists signatures, don't have some of my old FF (I kept the higher classics, some of which are by Steve Jackson), and have several gamebooks on ebook\app. Also that's a number to carry around, makes me wonder if you will be carrying a stuffed bag everywhere and\or whether you'll have a bud who'll be helping you?
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Wildy
Wanderer
Posts: 52
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by Wildy on Sept 6, 2024 10:08:06 GMT
Lol Wildy this list practically puts the roughly 10 books (some of them non-FF books) I'll be taking to shame, though I'm not quite so keen on getting artists signatures, don't have some of my old FF (I kept the higher classics, some of which are by Steve Jackson), and have several gamebooks on ebook\app. Also that's a number to carry around, makes me wonder if you will be carrying a stuffed bag everywhere and\or whether you'll have a bud who'll be helping you? I'll have a big backpack (with all books wrapped in bubble wraps and in correct order to present) so that's how you'll recognize me Sadly no bud, I've asked everyone around me but none of my friends/colleagues know that Fighting Fantasy even exists!
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Post by bloodbeasthandler on Sept 6, 2024 19:31:16 GMT
I drove in and parked somewhere last time, but now I will be clobbered by the pleb tax, given I will be using fewer of the planet's resources by not buying a Tesla with a battery life shorter than Mungo but apparently that's evil. Am wondering if I park up at Slough and train it in. Any insider tips for that sort of thing? Amersham is already on the underground network and I think outside of the ULEZ zone?
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Post by vastariner on Sept 6, 2024 19:55:42 GMT
I drove in and parked somewhere last time, but now I will be clobbered by the pleb tax, given I will be using fewer of the planet's resources by not buying a Tesla with a battery life shorter than Mungo but apparently that's evil. Am wondering if I park up at Slough and train it in. Any insider tips for that sort of thing? Amersham is already on the underground network and I think outside of the ULEZ zone? Surprisingly tricky from Amersham, involves doubling back at one point. Slough shares the mainline train with Ealing Broadway.
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Post by misomiso on Sept 6, 2024 20:49:06 GMT
See you guys tomorrow! I will have a greyish baseball hat on!
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Post by scouserob on Sept 7, 2024 8:42:25 GMT
I hope all who are attending today have a great time. 😎👍🏻 Looking forward to any reports, photos and anecdotes that can be shared.
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Wildy
Wanderer
Posts: 52
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by Wildy on Sept 7, 2024 12:13:20 GMT
I hope all who are attending today have a great time. 😎👍🏻 Looking forward to any reports, photos and anecdotes that can be shared. Many people, took me 15 minutes just to find the reception. My carefully planned schedule for signings went out the window as basically everyone was there for book signings in the middle. Managed to speak japanese with Paul Mason and get the latest hardcover version of Dungeon on Blood Island, not many remaining… Going to read it while queuing. Lots of queuing! It’s a shame that we can’t attend the talks and queue at the same time. It’s fun though, many nice people! Also many people with grey hats!
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Post by misomiso on Sept 7, 2024 16:38:46 GMT
Great times guys
:-)
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Post by CharlesX on Sept 8, 2024 6:29:48 GMT
I hope all who are attending today have a great time. 😎👍🏻 Looking forward to any reports, photos and anecdotes that can be shared. Many people, took me 15 minutes just to find the reception. My carefully planned schedule for signings went out the window as basically everyone was there for book signings in the middle. Managed to speak japanese with Paul Mason and get the latest hardcover version of Dungeon on Blood Island, not many remaining… Going to read it while queuing. Lots of queuing! It’s a shame that we can’t attend the talks and queue at the same time. It’s fun though, many nice people! Also many people with grey hats! I regret not getting the hardcover. The paperback has a soft, flimsy cover that seems to require constant maintenance. I wonder whether they will sell a hardcover at FF6 . As far as anecdotes go, I had a conversation with Jon Green about Gates Of Death, asking just how he was involved in it. He remarked it "wasn't well-received", but when pressed about his involvement he said he was the Editor, Charlie Higson wrote it, and he wouldn't elaborate (pleaded the fifth, his words) beyond. I'm now wondering if the extent of Green's involvement was exaggerated, given how many continuity errors and other faults there were in a series where Editor's involvement is typically little more than cosmetic.
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Post by andrewwright on Sept 8, 2024 7:51:17 GMT
Had a great chat with Paul Mason and the Almighty Mudworm among many others. Marc Gascoigne was good value, but all the stories he told me over a pint he then repeated in his talk! :-)
Paul Mason was pleased to see the official Mudworm stat-scores in Return to the Pit have a juvenile rice-field stage of SKILL 6 STAMINA 6, but he didn't realise Ian Livingstone had appropriated it for Mudworm Swamp (necessitating further adult and sub-adult stages of reskinning/retconning). :-)
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Post by Bifford on Sept 8, 2024 20:30:49 GMT
I had a great time. I regret not getting photos with Dave Morris and Jamie Thompson, but I've been on a charity stream with them so there is that, and I did get their signatures in two Fabled Lands books. Did any of you come speak to me? I've no idea (except Andrew of course).
Attachments:
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Post by vastariner on Sept 8, 2024 21:40:22 GMT
I don't think I got to speak to ANYone on the forum, was busy in the sessions or queuing or buying stuff (albeit not in the auction, prices were too strong for me), other than of course sleepyscholar. But it was a bloody great time anyway.
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kieran
Baron
Posts: 2,547
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by kieran on Sept 9, 2024 9:26:55 GMT
I had a great time. I regret not getting photos with Dave Morris and Jamie Thompson, but I've been on a charity stream with them so there is that, and I did get their signatures in two Fabled Lands books. Did any of you come speak to me? I've no idea (except Andrew of course).
Tony Hough has an odd signature!
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Post by sleepyscholar on Sept 9, 2024 16:22:08 GMT
I had a great time. I regret not getting photos with Dave Morris and Jamie Thompson, but I've been on a charity stream with them so there is that, and I did get their signatures in two Fabled Lands books. Did any of you come speak to me? I've no idea (except Andrew of course).
Tony Hough has an odd signature! Listen, after you've written your name 100 times everyone has an odd signature!
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sylas
Baron
"Don't just adventure for treasure; treasure the adventure!"
Posts: 1,744
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy, Way of the Tiger
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Post by sylas on Sept 9, 2024 21:02:25 GMT
Tony Hough has an odd signature! Listen, after you've written your name 100 times everyone has an odd signature! I'm expecting yours to include a drawing of a Bird of Prodigious Size some time in the near future.
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Post by sleepyscholar on Sept 10, 2024 4:37:49 GMT
Listen, after you've written your name 100 times everyone has an odd signature! I'm expecting yours to include a drawing of a Bird of Prodigious Size some time in the near future. My art skills are amply demonstrated by what my cover brief for Black Vein Prophecy produced. I can't believe that this time I failed the obvious: which was to bring one or more of my 印鑑 (my identity seals) and use them instead. I do have a couple with my name in roman letters, though perhaps it's better if I don't use the official one used on the contract for my house.
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Post by sleepyscholar on Sept 10, 2024 4:41:35 GMT
Oh, and I would like to apologise to anyone who came to our panel. I'm not sure how the whole thing degenerated into a reminiscence of the latter years of Games Workshop in London. With quarter of an hour left I nudged Marc that he might consider taking questions, but he still somehow went back to the Games Workshop stuff. Funny that he got asked about some goof in a Livingstone book, after I'd primed him to be ready for a barrage of mudworm-related barracking.
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Post by vastariner on Sept 10, 2024 16:11:50 GMT
I think the mudworm one is now baked into the price...like going "a-haaaa!" at Steve Coogan.
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Post by bloodbeasthandler on Sept 10, 2024 17:55:09 GMT
The algorithm on Youtube seems to be being unkind to the livestream of FFF5. I eventually found it not with the Youtube search bar but with a normal search engine. Haven't watched any of it yet, but intend to. (Edit: The Channel is 'Zagor the Warlock' and the title is 'Fighting Fantasy Fest 5 Live Stream') www.youtube.com/live/uOeuYUPDMq0
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Wildy
Wanderer
Posts: 52
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by Wildy on Sept 11, 2024 13:55:52 GMT
The algorithm on Youtube seems to be being unkind to the livestream of FFF5. I eventually found it not with the Youtube search bar but with a normal search engine. Haven't watched any of it yet, but intend to. (Edit: The Channel is 'Zagor the Warlock' and the title is 'Fighting Fantasy Fest 5 Live Stream') www.youtube.com/live/uOeuYUPDMq0Thank you so much for sharing! I could see all the talks I missed and even if I couldn't see the art, I could listen to Iain's, which I really regret missing (but I wanted my books signed!). It was really a great festival, the talks I went to (The Riddling Rivers to Deathtrap Dungeon LIVE) were super fun, it was nice chatting with random people. Very dangerous to look at the traders and try to resist temptations to buy some new gamebooks and other red velvety stuff. Also just walking in the UK and taking the tube is an experience in itself (much safer than the Dungeon on Blood Island). By the way, what a bloody rip-off for tourists! 7£ one way ticket if you buy at the machine but if you use the contactless way it's just 2£? My secret wish for FFF6 would be to have some new authors and artists who would join as well, even if I read somewhere that some authors don't want to do anything with FF now. It's a shame (or maybe they were too busy) to not have any of the "scholastic era" authors/artists again. Fresh blood is always nice!
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Post by blueswift on Sept 11, 2024 23:57:54 GMT
Oh, and I would like to apologise to anyone who came to our panel. I'm not sure how the whole thing degenerated into a reminiscence of the latter years of Games Workshop in London. With quarter of an hour left I nudged Marc that he might consider taking questions, but he still somehow went back to the Games Workshop stuff. Funny that he got asked about some goof in a Livingstone book, after I'd primed him to be ready for a barrage of mudworm-related barracking. 'Twas I that asked the Livingstone book question. It was about why a birdman has a skill of 12 in Caverns of the Snow Witch. I didn't ask Marc about the mudworm despite my temptation since he's likely been asked about it a multitude of times. Didn't want to create a bad experience for him even though I was curious about that mudworm. Before your panel with Marc and the others, I met Sir Ian and he was kind enough to sign my Snow Witch book. Sir Livingstone had no reaction when I told him that Caverns is my favourite FF. Furthermore, when Sir Ian was standing at the front of the room during one of the talks, poor Redswift was granted no recognition at all but he did mention Mungo and Throm! So it doesn't seem like Caverns is even on Sir Livingstone's radar. So that's why I reserved that question about the book for Marc, hoping that Marc would know. Long shot for sure but I think Sir Ian wrote something really special with that book so I'm always happy to chat about that one. My inquiry to Marc during the panel managed to elicit a couple of laughs in the audience so there's hope that it wasn't too eccentric an inquiry. Much to his credit, Marc chatted with me after the panel. He treated me well and we had a good conversation.
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Post by sleepyscholar on Sept 12, 2024 1:06:26 GMT
Oh, and I would like to apologise to anyone who came to our panel. I'm not sure how the whole thing degenerated into a reminiscence of the latter years of Games Workshop in London. With quarter of an hour left I nudged Marc that he might consider taking questions, but he still somehow went back to the Games Workshop stuff. Funny that he got asked about some goof in a Livingstone book, after I'd primed him to be ready for a barrage of mudworm-related barracking. 'Twas I that asked the Livingstone book question. It was about why a birdman has a skill of 12 in Caverns of the Snow Witch. I didn't ask Marc about the mudworm despite my temptation since he's likely been asked about it a multitude of times. Didn't want to create a bad experience for him even though I was curious about that mudworm. Before your panel with Marc and the others, I met Sir Ian and he was kind enough to sign my Snow Witch book. Sir Livingstone had no reaction when I told him that Caverns is my favourite FF. Furthermore, when Sir Ian was standing at the front of the room during one of the talks, poor Redswift was granted no recognition at all but he did mention Mungo and Throm! So it doesn't seem like Caverns is even on Sir Livingstone's radar. So that's why I reserved that question about the book for Marc, hoping that Marc would know. Long shot for sure but I think Sir Ian wrote something really special with that book so I'm always happy to chat about that one. My inquiry to Marc during the panel managed to elicit a couple of laughs in the audience so there's hope that it wasn't too eccentric an inquiry. Much to his credit, Marc chatted with me after the panel. He treated me well and we had a good conversation. I was wondering who actually wrote Caverns. It wasn't Marc, obviously. Carl Sargent? In fact Marc hasn't been asked about the mudworm hundreds of times. When I primed him about it in email, he didn't know what I was on about. And he absolutely wouldn't know about a detail from a book he didn't write or edit. But despite his abrasive nature, Marco can be a lovely fellow. Get him on the topic of music and you will not find a more knowledgeable nor generous person. I had lunch with Jon Green and others on Sunday, and it reminded me how Jon was basically Marco's protege in his early career.
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Post by misomiso on Sept 12, 2024 8:24:58 GMT
I meant to ask at the fest - did any of you know Carl Sargent?
I didn't realise but he wrote a lot of iconic DnD adventures, but then seemed to drop of the radar and turn to the occult. Do any of you know what happened to him?
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Wildy
Wanderer
Posts: 52
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy
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Post by Wildy on Sept 12, 2024 9:09:54 GMT
I meant to ask at the fest - did any of you know Carl Sargent? I didn't realise but he wrote a lot of iconic DnD adventures, but then seemed to drop of the radar and turn to the occult. Do any of you know what happened to him? There is an excellent article in Fighting Fantazine issue 17 regarding Carl’s story, page 90.
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Post by blueswift on Sept 12, 2024 22:12:23 GMT
I was wondering who actually wrote Caverns. It wasn't Marc, obviously. Carl Sargent? It was Sir Ian who wrote Caverns of the Snow Witch. That's why I was surprised when Sir Ian seemed indifferent to my vaunted praise for it. To call it my favourite out of a book series that has over 70 entries is quite a compliment but his attention was arrested by the fact that my copy was an ex-library book.
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Post by blueswift on Sept 12, 2024 22:19:16 GMT
I meant to ask at the fest - did any of you know Carl Sargent? I didn't realise but he wrote a lot of iconic DnD adventures, but then seemed to drop of the radar and turn to the occult. Do any of you know what happened to him? There is an excellent article in Fighting Fantazine issue 17 regarding Carl’s story, page 90. At FF5, I spoke with someone who worked with Carl. They interacted with him at the Fighting Fantasy 10-year anniversary event. Their experience with Carl was that he was high-strung and emotional though also a pleasant chap. I owe a big percentage of my passion for Fighting Fantasy to Carl so I was thrilled to meet someone that knew him.
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sylas
Baron
"Don't just adventure for treasure; treasure the adventure!"
Posts: 1,744
Favourite Gamebook Series: Fighting Fantasy, Way of the Tiger
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Post by sylas on Sept 12, 2024 22:29:25 GMT
A lot of authors and artists can seem indifferent to the praises of their fans especially when items not as popular turn out to be the fan's favourites. They can respect the praise but they may not agree on the same lines. Maybe they are not a huge fan of the item themselves or simply feel they have much better items available. I remember praising some of the covers from the Scholastic series to Robert Ball but he didn't even respond. He just nodded signed the book and dealt with the next person. Even the exuberant Jamie Thomson didn't react much when I brought out a Falcon for him to sign as I had only recently got into the compelling series. He kinda dismissed it as just another old project he did and I was going to ask if there was going to be any reprints of it. From his reaction, I guess not.
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Post by vastariner on Sept 12, 2024 23:02:41 GMT
Funnily enough the point came up when I was chatting to Iain McCaig (namedropping) - that he obviously knew Star Wars would be a big part of his life as Star Wars is a big thing, but freelancers can never predict when and if a one-off project catches fire with people's emotions to the extent that they still burn 40 years on. Especially if it is an artist like McCaig for whom FF is one bit of a much bigger artistic life.
I did mention to Jamie how much I loved Omens & Auguries, and his reaction suggested he loved doing that too...
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Post by sleepyscholar on Sept 13, 2024 2:03:32 GMT
I was wondering who actually wrote Caverns. It wasn't Marc, obviously. Carl Sargent? It was Sir Ian who wrote Caverns of the Snow Witch. That's why I was surprised when Sir Ian seemed indifferent to my vaunted praise for it. To call it my favourite out of a book series that has over 70 entries is quite a compliment but his attention was arrested by the fact that my copy was an ex-library book. No, I know who's credited with it. I was asking who really wrote it. Incidentally, since it was an ex-library book, Ian wouldn't have got any money from it, so are you surprised that that bothered him?
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Post by sleepyscholar on Sept 13, 2024 2:06:28 GMT
A lot of authors and artists can seem indifferent to the praises of their fans especially when items not as popular turn out to be the fan's favourites. They can respect the praise but they may not agree on the same lines. Maybe they are not a huge fan of the item themselves or simply feel they have much better items available. I remember praising some of the covers from the Scholastic series to Robert Ball but he didn't even respond. He just nodded signed the book and dealt with the next person. Even the exuberant Jamie Thomson didn't react much when I brought out a Falcon for him to sign as I had only recently got into the compelling series. He kinda dismissed it as just another old project he did and I was going to ask if there was going to be any reprints of it. From his reaction, I guess not. Bear in mind, as I think Jamie alluded to during his talk, he's had a really rough couple of years.
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