‘Magic Realms: The Art Of Fighting Fantasy’- Artbook Chronicles 40 Years Of An Early Solo RPG
Celebrating more than forty years of adventures where YOU are the hero, Magic Realms: The Art of Fighting Fantasy is crowdfunding now.
Fighting Fantasy was one of the earliest examples of what you might consider a solo RPG. Existing somewhere between a Choose Your Own Adventure book and a straight-up pen-and-paper RPG, Fighting Fantasy appealed to an audience of people wanting to play RPGs but not having the time or the group, as well as to people who were tired of being told to turn to page 83 after making an entirely reasonable decision that resulted in them dying ignominiously in some alien wasteland.
What made Fighting Fantasy stand out was the dice engine included in each story. You didn’t just make a choice; you made a choice, and you rolled dice to see how you did. With three stats: stamina, skill, and luck, a handful of trusty d6s, and whatever items you happened to find, you got out there and lived or died by them.
As co-designer Ian Livingstone once said:
“Fighting Fantasy gamebooks empower the reader, who felt the anxiety or joy of being fantasy heroes themselves – they lived or died by their decisions. And if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.”
And now, looking back over more than forty years, a single gorgeous art book, Magic Realms: The Art of Fighting Fantasy, wants to immerse you in that world once again.
Magic Realms: The Art of Fighting Fantasy – Crowdfunding Now
As you might have gathered from the title, Magic Realms: The Art of Fighting Fantasy is a retrospective on the artwork of the world of Fighting Fantasy. And it’s not hard to see why you’d want to look back. This is some of the greatest of 80’s and 90’s fantasy art:
The Art of Fighting Fantasy is a book which celebrates the incredible art of the brilliant and highly respected fantasy and science fiction artists who, over the years, worked with the Fighting Fantasy authors to bring their interactive adventures to life. Written by Fighting Fantasy co-creator Ian Livingstone and Fighting Fantasy historian Jonathan Green, The Art of Fighting Fantasy is a who’s who of fantasy art.
With artwork from a number of fantasy greats, like Chris Achilleos, Robert Ball, Malcolm Barter, Tazio Bettin, Brian Bolland, John Blanche, Jim Burns, Les Edwards, David Gallagher, Mel Grant, Leo Hartas, Tony Hough, Karl Kopinski, Alan Langford, Terry Oakes, Iain McCaig, Mike McCarthy, Martin McKenna, Ian Miller, Russ Nicholson, John Sibbick, Duncan Smith, Greg Staples, Gary Ward and Edward Crosby, this book is a collector’s dream.
But The Art of Fighting Fantasy has more than just illustrations from the last four decades. Alongside the illustrations, you’ll find commentary and inside perspectives from the artists of these pieces. All of which can be yours, thanks to an incredible campaign on Unbound.
An adventure in which YOU become the hero!
