Intro

INTRODUCTION
In August 1982 The Warlock of Firetop Mountain by Steve Jackson & Ian
Livingstone was published. It was a new type of book; a book that was a
cross between a fantasy adventure novel and a role-playing game; a book
which drew the reader into the adventure in a way that previous fantasy
tales had never done, for the hero of this book WAS the reader. Faced with
an ever-changing scenario, the reader was constantly forced to make
decisions – which way to turn, which doors to open, when to fight, when to
run and when to use the numerous magical items that he found on his
travels. There were monsters to battle, tricks and traps to overcome and
problems to solve. In addition, the whole adventure was something of a
puzzle which would take many attempts to solve.

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain became a sensation. It sold out of its first
print run of 20,()00 copies in a matter of weeks. Subsequent printings sold
out even more quickly. The two sequels, The Citadel of Chaos and The
Forest of Doom were eagerly awaited. When they were published in March
1983, sales were such that these three Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks (as the
series became known) occupied the top three places in the Sunday Times
children’s book charts for several weeks.

The rest is history. The series (including the numerous offshoots like
Sorcery!, Fighting Fantasy – the Role-Playing Game, Clash of the Princes,
Dungeoneer, Out of the Pit, Titan and of course this Fighting Fantasy
Poster Book) comprises over fifty titles. Fighting Fantasy Books have been
licensed to 15 countries around the world including most of Europe,
America, Japan and even Iceland! Worldwide sales have exceeded 12
million books.

This Fighting Fantasy Poster Book, however, is a celebration of the lesser-

known heroes of the Fighting Fantasy series; the men whose images have
brought Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone’s adventures to life through their
vivid portrayal of fantastic worlds and fantastic creatures; men whose
contributions to the success of the series must not be overlooked. Every
publisher knows the importance of a book cover in creating interest in its
content. In the case of the FF Books, Steve & Ian personally vet every book
cover – and all the internal illustrations – to ensure the artistic standards of
the series are maintained. Over the years they have come to know many of
the artists personally.

The covers which appear in this book include many of Steve and Ian’s
personal favourites from the series. The artists’ names will be familiar to
many readers as their work has appeared on posters, role-playing games,
jigsaws, computer games and even in films. They are masters of their craft
and rank among the all-time greats of fantasy art.

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Intro

INTRODUCTION FROM STEVE JACKSON & IAN LIVINGSTONE

We are very fortunate in the UK to have worked with some of the world’s
finest fantasy and science fiction artists. They are visionaries who delve
deep into their own imaginations and emerge with startling images of
fantastic lands and beings. And they have the professional techniques to
reproduce these images on canvas. Unfortunately, it’s just not possible to get
a Shape Changer to pose for you in your studio whilst you draw it! So these
images must come straight from the artist’s imagination.

Their skills are awesome. One can stare at their pictures for hours
wondering at their fertile imaginations, their attention to detail and their
abilities to physically create such images in such a lifelike manner.

When the Fighting Fantasy series came into being we asked only two
indulgences of our publishers. The first was that we should be able to choose
our own subject matter. Puffin agreed to this. The second was that we
could choose our own artists and give our own cover briefs.

Now this one was a little harder to swallow. Covers play a vital role in the
sale of books and thus cover design is really the publisher’s domain.
Reluctantly. they agreed and we were given the freedom to approach some of
the best artists of the genre and commission them for our covers.

We would be the first to admit that book covers affect the popularity of
books. We have been very pleased at the way the FF series has developed an
‘image’ (i.e. certain high standards of cover art) and it is interesting to note
that in countries where these standards have not been maintained – the FF
publishers concerned commissioned their own cover art – the series has done
very poorly. This was the case in Holland and Israel, for example, but in
countries where the UK covers were used, the story has been entirely
different and the FF series duplicated its UK success.

Thus, the distinguished artists featured in this book can rightfully claim to
play a vital role in the ongoing success story of the FF series. It is a fitting
tribute to them that this book finally be published in celebration of their
work. We would like to thank all the artists concerned for their
contributions to the series.

May their STAMINA never fail.

Steve Jackson Ian Livingstone

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THE WARLOCK OF FIRETOP MOUNTAIN

ILLUSTRATION BY PETER JONES

Peter’s original illustration for the first book in the series was
remarkable in that space was left for the title across the middle
(rather than across the top) of the cover! No doubt this was one
of the features which distinguished it. Peter, however, was never
entirely happy with the original cover, showing the Warlock Zagor
as a typically old man, conjuring a dragon from a crystal ball. He
got his chance to change it when Games Workshop published The
Warlock of Firetop Mountain boardgame and commissioned a
new cover. Peter re-painted the scene using Russ Nicholson’s
illustration of a younger Zagor as a model. This new piece was
subsequently used by Puffin on a re-vamped version of the FF
book cover and is reproduced here.

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TALISMAN OF DEATH
ILLUSTRATION BY PETER JONES

Death sits astride a whinnying horse taunting adventurers with

his Talisman on this cover of one of the most popular – and one of
the most horrific – books in the series. The fate of the world of
Orb lies in the hands of the brave adventurer who can destroy the
Talisman before it is captured by Death’s minions. Peter Jones’s
sinister image is reminiscent of Frank Frazetta’s Death Dealer but
is alive with a terrifying foreboding.

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APPOINTMENT WITH F.E.A.R.

ILLUSTRATION BY BRIAN BOLLAND

For this cover, Fighting Fantasy was privileged to obtain the

services of Britain’s best comic artist, Brian Bolland. Brian
became famous as illustrator of Judge Dredd in 2000AD and has
since gone on to work for DC Comics in America. His most
famous recent work was The Killing Joke, a Batman graphic
novel which portrayed the superhero as an angry and bitter
character more along the lines of the Batman movie. Thus it was
fitting that he should do the cover for FF’s only superhero
adventure. In this illustration he masterfully depicts the book’s
super-villain, Vladimir Utoshki, a.k.a. the Titanium Cyborg.

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CREATURE OF HAVOC
ILLUSTRATION BY IAN MILLER

This, perhaps the most difficult of all the FF adventures, is

unique in that the reader plays the role of a monster rather than a
hero. He begins by knowing nothing of who or what he is or what
his aim is. He cannot even understand the language of the
humans and other creatures he meets. But as he blunders around
Zharradan Marr’s dungeon, he learns more about himself. Ian
Miller, master of pen-and-ink fine detail, depicts Zharradan Marr
here sitting at his desk aboard The Galleykeep. In fact this
illustration was originally intended to be of Darramouss, master
of Zharradan Marr’s dungeon but when the cover arrived, it was
such a strong image that Steve Jackson changed the text to make it
Zharradan Marr himself.

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HOUSE OF HELL
ILLUSTRATION BY IAN MILLER

All the elements of the classic horror movie are in this adventure.
The car that breaks down in the middle of nowhere. The sinister
butler. Black Magic rituals. Vampires. And all set in an eerie
mansion which burns to the ground at the end. Ian Miller’s
distinctive style captures the atmosphere perfectly. His
illustrations are created meticulously in pen-and-ink. Look
carefully and marvel at the tremendous attention to detail in the
trees and the fabric of the house. After the pen-and-ink ‘skeleton’
of the picture has been completed, the colours are applied. The
result is a dark atmospheric piece which seems to bristle with evil.
A masterpiece.

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DUNGEONEER ADVANCED FF
ILLUSTRATION BY JOHN SIBBICK

John Sibbick’s work in the series first appeared on Masks of

Mayhem (FF23) but Dungeoneer is by far his best piece. It
depicts an enraged horned demon emerging from a fiery pit to
take on three human adventurers in a battle to the death. The
drama of the moment is captured impeccably. The demon seems
almost to be bursting out of the 2-dimensional constraints of the
book cover! And John’s attention to details such as the texture of
the demon’s scaly skin seems to bring the scene to life. John is
probably best known for his work on the Warhammer fantasy
role-playing games. Dungeoneer – Advanced Fighting Fantasy is
a complete role-playing game based on the FF world and game
system.

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FANGS OF FURY
ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID GALLAGHER

David Gallagher is a more recent artistic recruit to the Fighting

Fantasy series, having served a short but ongoing apprenticeship
with Games Workshop. He has a ‘classic’ fantasy style and uses
the effects of colour and light well. In this cover, depicting a
savage Orc warrior named Kragaar who has dropped down from
a tree on the back of a huge two-headed serpent, David’s GW
influence can be seen as the creature’s head is given a mohican
crop.

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STEALER OF SOULS
ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID GALLAGHER

Another fine cover by David Gallagher, this time depicting

Mordraneth, the grim Stealer of Souls himself, taunting you with
a magical energy-fire. Mordraneth’s face can almost, but not
quite, be seen and David has cleverly painted some of his minions
as shadowy phantoms around him. Notice the demon-like
spectres around the edge of the picture which are not at all
obvious at first glance.

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THE FOREST OF DOOM

ILLUSTRATION BY IAIN McCAIG

Ian Livingstone firmly believes Iain McCaig to be the best

watercolour fantasy artist in Britain. Ian and Iain have worked
on many projects together over the last 10 years and Ian is one of
Iain’s biggest fans! It started with commissions for covers for
White Dwarf magazine and then game box covers for Games
Workshop when Ian used to be involved with the production side as
well as the creative side of those early projects.

Not surprisingly, Ian asked Iain to illustrate his first solo Fighting
Fantasy Gamebook, The Forest of Doom, which was published in
1983. The subject of the cover is the gruesome Shape Changer
which appears in its illusory state as a harmless creature. It then
metamorphoses into its violent beast form to attack the unwary
adventurer. Here Iain brilliantly illustrates the Shape Changer as
it changes form, capturing both its movement and aggression
against a very colourful forest background.

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CITY OF THIEVES
ILLUSTRATION BY IAIN McCAIG

The combined talents of Ian Livingstone and Iain McCaig proved

very popular with readers of The Forest of Doom and so the two of
them were soon working together again on City of Thieves which
was published later in 1983. Iain’s ultra-realistic style on this
cover seems to make the skeletal head of the dreaded Zanbar
Bone come alive. The piercing look that Iain manages to achieve
in Zanbar Bone’s eye is almost disturbing and other fine detail
such as the rat hanging from his neck is quite brilliant. The
background of the painting shows the gate to the notorious Port
Blacksand, where most of the adventure takes place along the
dark and twisted streets. There is no mistaking the foreboding air
that surrounds Port Blacksand to worry an adventurer who
knows that the place cannot he avoided. The malevolent
atmosphere was further created inside the book as a result of
Iain’s superb black and white illustrations.

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DEATHTRAP DUNGEON
ILLUSTRATION BY IAIN McCAIG

Following straight on the heels of City of Thieves came another

Ian Livingstone / Iain McCaig collaboration, Deathtrap Dungeon,
one of the most popular of all Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks. It
was first published in 1984 and was the archetypal classic
dungeon adventure. Down in the horror-filled rooms and
passageways of the dungeon, hideous creatures awaited the
foolhardy adventurers during their ordeal of the Trial of
Champions. One of those creatures is the loathsome Bloodbeast
which is featured on the cover. Here it is seen surfacing from its
stinking pool of slime and again Iain shows his skill in painting
eyes, and the Bloodbeast is not short of a few of those. Iain also
drew the fantastic black and white illustrations to accompany the
text and these were considered to be even better than the ones in
City of Thieves . Ian and Iain then did Island of the Lizard King
(FF7) together which was to be their last project before
embarking on their three-year venture, Casket of Souls. No
doubt the two will work together on many books in the future.
Their next scheduled project is Ian’s FF novel, Shadowmaster,
and Iain has surpassed even his own previous high standards in
painting the cover.

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TEMPLE OF TERROR
ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS ACHILLEOS

As with Iain McCaig, Ian Livingstone first started to work with

Chris Achilleos on game box covers for Games Workshop and
covers for White Dwarf magazine. It wasn’t until 1985, however,
with the publication of Temple of Terror, that they worked
together on a Fighting Fantasy Gamebook. Such was the
enthusiasm that Ian had for Chris and Iain’s work that he
dedicated Temple of Terror to them for ‘making fantasy a reality’.
The cover of Temple of Terror is realistic, as are all FF covers, in
that the art is believable and not comic. The creature is a Serpent
Guard, a vicious killer, which adventurers encounter at the gates
of the lost city of Vatos after a nightmare journey across the
Desert of Skulls. Chris captures the moment superbly with his
amazing painting.

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ARMIES OF DEATH
ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS ACHILLEOS

After Temple of Terror Chris painted several covers for Warlock,

the Fighting Fantasy magazine, but it was not until 1988 that
Chris got together again with Ian to work on a Fighting Fantasy
Gamebook. Armies of Death, as the name implies, is a gamebook
with many bloody battles and Chris was asked to paint one of the
final and bloodiest scenes. The world of Allansia is under threat
from a Shadow Demon whose terrifying undead soldiers carve a
trail of destruction through the land. An army must be raised to
stop him and the result is a climactic battle. Chris Achilleos’s
cover painting highlights the crucial moment in the battle when
forces of evil are winning, led on by the Hobgoblin standard
bearer. Although the cover is much admired, it was nearly
rejected because it was considered almost too bloodthirsty.

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TITAN THE FF WORLD

ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS ACHILLEOS

As the gamebooks grew in number, so did the world of Fighting

Fantasy. New monsters, characters, places and legends were
being constantly created. It became increasingly obvious that the
whole world needed to be chronicled from its creation and early
civilisations, through its devastating wars, to the present-day
delicate balance between Good and Chaos. It was decided that
two volumes should be published and that Chris Achilleos should
paint both covers. Out of the Pit appeared first and this
described all the Fighting Fantasy monsters. Titan was first
published in 1986 and contained detailed descriptions and maps
of Titan’s three main continents, Allansia, the Old World and
Khul. Chris’s painting shows the drama of the final battle of the
War of Wizards, the Siege of Carsepolis. The battle commenced
with hordes of Goblins attacking the city with siege engines. Later
in the battle Dragons are sent to attack the main gate. The city
was finally saved by the timely arrival of Dwarfs from Fangthane
and Elves from Darkwood Forest.

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DAGGERS OF DARKNESS
ILLUSTRATION BY LES EDWARDS

A group of science fiction and fantasy artists represented by the

Young Artists agency became heavily involved in painting Fighting
Fantasy Gamebook covers, notably Les Edwards, Jim Burns,
Terry Oakes, Ian Miller and Alan Craddock. For Daggers of
Darkness Les Edwards painted Beshbalik, notorious leader of a
horde of bandit scavengers, known as Beshbalik’s Marauders,
charging across a shallow river mounted on two Fangtigers. He is
commanding his vicious Grypfalcon to attack another startled
adventurer on the road to Sharrabbas, the capital of the wild and
ancient land of Kazan. The painting is full of drama, which is the
hallmark of Les’s style.

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