National Massachusetts Day - The Arkham Horror Invesitgators Gamebooks

Today it National Massachusetts Day. The Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebooks I have written to date are all set within Massachusetts. So why not click on the covers below and check one out today?

Gamebook Friday: JG at Play Bologna

I will be attending PLAY: Festival del Gioco in Bologna this weekend. I will be arriving in Italy on Friday and hope to be able to pop in briefly that evening. However, I will be at the event all day Saturday, signing books at the Raven Distribution stand as well as taking part in these two events:

4pm - The Lone Wolf Award

5pm - Green's Mind: Descent Into Horror

I will also be at the Raven Distribtion stand on Sunday, signing books - specifically the new Italian editions of The Darkness Over Arkham and Neverland: Here Be Monsters! - although I hope to get the chance to have a look at Bologna as well.

So, if you're going to be at PLAY: Festival del Gioco, do stop the Raven Distribution stand and say, "Ciao!"

Gamebook Friday: L'Oscurità su Arkham

This arrived at my home today...

L'Oscurità su Arkham (published by Vincent Books*) is the Italian language edition of the first Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook, The Darkness Over Arkham, and a very nice hardback it is too.

It also means that The Darkness Over Arkham is now available in four different languages - English, Spanish, Hungarian, and Italian.

As you can see, L'Oscurità su Arkham varies from the other editions in that is has new cover art. And while the book does not feature any full page illustrations, Vincent Books have commissioned some adventure-specific fillers, including the ones shown below.

Recently, I was interviewed by Riccardo Scaringi for the Il Gioco In Tavolo podcast. During the course of our discussion we talked about Fighting Fantasy as well as exploring the world of Arkham Horror through gamebooks, which you can watch below.

Make sure you pop back tomorrow, because it will be new book day - again!

* Who have also published Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland and The Wicked Wizard of Oz in Italian.

Tie-in Tuesday: Arkham Horror Investigators

With the release of The Kingsport Metamorphosis, the official Arkham Horror website has shared the downloadable Investigator character sheets for the Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebooks series.

Remember, the USP of this series is that you can play through any adventure as any Investigator.

So, those currently available to download from ArkhamHorror.com are...

The Kingsport Metamorphosis
Jacqueline Fine, the Psychic
Lucius Galloway, the Dreamer
Lola Hayes, the Actress

The Tides of Innsmouth
Silas Marsh, the Sailor
Kōhaku Narukami, the Folklorist
Marion Tavares, the Trawler

The Darkness Over Arkham
Agnes Baker, the Waitress
Nathaniel Cho, the Boxer
Rex Murphy, the Reporter

Bonus Investigators
George Barnaby, the Lawyer
Stella Clarke, the Letter Carrier
Skids O'Toole, the Ex-Con
Amanda Sharpe, the Student
Sister Mary, the Nun (released to mark the publication of The Kingsport Metamorphosis)

These are the 14 Investigators available to download from ArkhamHorror.com.

However, there are two more Investigators available - Jenny Barnes the Dilettante, and Joe Diamond the Private Investigator - whose character sheets can be found in the graphic novel The Terror at the End of Time.

So, I think you will agree, the Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebooks offer endless replayability, and any Investigators that might be released in the future will also be compatible with any existing adventure in the series.

How's that for variety?

The Kingsport Metamorphosis - new Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook out now!

New book day! The Kingsport Metamorphosis, my third Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook, is published today by Aconyte Books.

As with the other books in the series, The Kingsport Metamorphosis includes three Investigators with whom you can play through the adventure*. They are...

Jacqueline Fine
The Psychic

When Jacqueline's supernatural senses pull her towards the fog-bound streets of Kingsport, with a peculiar letter in her hand, she understands that she has no choice but to follow where they lead.

Lola Hayes
The Actress

When a letter arrives from one Elijah Harcourt inviting Lola to visit his home in Kingsport, she decides it might be nice to have a break from performing. But, as she comes to the coast, she can’t help wondering if she is about to take on the most important role of her life.

Lucius Galloway
The Poet

The mists of Kingsport have haunted Lucius's work since before he ever set foot in the town. Now he walks its alleyways, and if the truth of his visions awaits him here, he will meet it, whether it brings triumph or ruin.

Featuring another fantastic cover by Joshua Cairós, The Kingsport Metamorphosis is a classic country house murder mystery... only it isn't!

To find out more, pick up your copy of The Kingsport Metamorphosis today!

In other news, the Italian edition of The Darkness Over Arkham - L'Oscurità su Arkham - the first Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook, is out now from Vincent Books.

* Although you can play as any Investigator whose stats have been published in another Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook or online.

Gamebook Friday: The Tides of Innsmouth reviewed on Cosmic Circus

After reviewing The Darkness Over Arkham last year, Cosmic Circus is back with a review of The Tides of Innsmouth.

Having given The Darkness Over Arkham a sterling 8 out of 10, The Tides of Innsmouth hasn't fared quite so well, having been given a score of 7 out of 10. But that's still very respectable as far as I'm concerned.

"This isn’t the first choose-your-own-adventure game book from Aconyte I’ve reviewed. It isn’t even the first one written by Jonathan Green. I enjoy how these books draw you in by being more involved than just “pick a number”. There are, of course, many different paths to choose from, but dice rolls, items acquired, and character attributes affect your options. This turns a simple book into a game and makes it more engaging."

To read the whole review, click here. To buy The Tides of Innsmouth, click here.

Gamebook Friday: Forthcoming Livestreams

For those who might be interested, I will be taking part in a couple of livestreams over the next few days.

On Sunday 15th June at 7:00pm, I will be joining Jordan Sorcery for a live playthrough of The Tides of Innsmouth. You can join the chat here to help decide what our Investigator does as they visit the sleepy seaside town of Innsmouth.

And then on Wednesday 18th June at 7:00pm, I will be chatting to Mathiew and Mark on the French YouTube channel Rôliste TV about my work in the gamebook genre. We will be discussing the history of Fighting Fantasy, adapting classics like Dracula, and my recent forays into the world of Arkham Horror.

Gamebook Friday: Drácula, la maldición del vampiro

I realise it's been four weeks since I last posted on here, so apologies for the radio silence. Part of the problem is that I've been busy, but also managed to have a brief holiday. But another part of the problem is that while I've been busy working on gamebook projects, I've either not any significant news to pass on, or I'm sitting on significant news that I can't talk about yet.

However, there is one piece of news that I can now share, and that is... Dracula: Curse of the Vampire is coming to Spain, courtesy of Celaeno Books.

Celaeno Books has now announced the Verkami crowdfunding campaign that will fund production of the book, along with a German gamebook called 1888, Who is Jack the Ripper, by M H Steinmetz, and originally published by my German publisher Mantikore-Verlag.

To find out more about this gruesome gothic twosome, click this link.

Another piece of news I can share is that Raven Distribution announced that they will be publishing the Italian language edition of my first Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook The Darkness Over Arkham during PLAY Bologna 2025.

Gamebook Friday: The Prince of Darkness Over Arkham

I have two pieces of gamebook news for you this week. The first is that Sound Realms' audio adaptation of the sixth ACE Gamebook Dracula: Curse of the Vampire is coming to Backerkit on 1May 2025. You can check out a sample of the audio below, and register your interest in the crowdfunding campaign here.

The second piece of news is that my first Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook, The Darkness Over Arkham, is now available from Chameleon Comix in Hungarian.

Cover Reveal - The Tides of Innsmouth

Yesterday, at Dragonmeet, Aconyte Books revealed the cover for my second Arkham Horror Investigators Gambook, The Tides of Innsmouth. And here it is...

The cover art is by Joshua Cairós, with cover design by Nick Tyler. Joshua also provided the cover art for The Darkness Over Arkham, and The Tides of Innsmouth follows the same pattern of having a location and one of the Investigators featured in the adventure, appearing inside the cutout of a gribbly monster that may make an appearance too.

I love this cover for all sorts of reasons, but many of those would count as spoilers, so I'll just say that the clouded moon being the monster's eye is definitely one of them.

One of the cool things that Aconyte Books were giving away on their stand was a mock-up of The Arkham Advertiser newspaper.

This in-world artefact includes an advert for The Darkness Over Arkham, among other books, and another that ties in directly to The Tides of Innsmouth. So, make of that what you will..

The Tides of Innsmouth will be published in April 2025.

Gamebook Friday: The Tides of Innsmouth

This week, Fantasy Flight Games and Aconyte Books announced the title of the second Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook that will be published next spring.

As with the first Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook, The Darkness Over Arkham, the book includes profiles for three new Investigators - Silas Marsh the Sailor, Kōhaku Narukami the Folklorist, and Marion Taveres the Trawler.

However, you can also play as any of the Investigators from the first book, the three bonus Investigators currently available from the Aconyte Books website, or even as Jenny Barnes the Dilettante or Joe Diamond the Private Investigator, who appear in the back matter of the Arkham Horror comic book The Terror at the End of Time #1.

That means you can currently play as one of 11 unique Investigators. Not bad, eh?

You can expect a cover reveal and more information about the adventure towards the end of the month. However, as part of Arkham Nights this week, a brief snippet of me talking about the book was played into the livestream of Unfathomable - From the Abyss on Halloween. (You'll find me at 00:04:44.)

Cthulhu Wednesday: La Oscuridad Sobre Arkham

Available now from Minotauro is La Oscuridad Sobre Arkham, the Spanish language edition of The Darkness Over Arkham. 

If you are an Iberophile, or you have a Spanish-speaking friend who you think might enjoy trying to solve a murder mystery in Lovecraft's Arkham, you will find links to buy the book here.

And of course, you can pick up the English language version via Aconyte Books.

Gamebook Wednesday: Upcoming Livestreams

Ken Boyter will be conducting a live playthrough of The Darkness Over Arkham this evening, Wednesday 28th August 2024, at 6:30pm BST on the EdraTales Twitch channel.

And tomorrow night, Thursday 29th August 2024, at 9:30pm BST, Julian Sparrow will be playing through Secrets of Salamonis, the 40th anniversary Fighting Fantasy gamebook I co-wrote with Steve Jackson, on the Babel_17 Twitch channel.

Gamebook Friday: The Terror at the End of Time

Out now from Dark Horse Comics and Fantasy Flight Games is the first Arkham Horror Comic, The Terror at the End of Time.

Written by Eisner-nominated master of horror Cullen Bunn - with art by Andrea Mutti, colours by Valerio Alloro, letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, and wrapped in a cover by Rafael Albuquerque - The Terror at the End of Time tells the story of adventuring socialite Jenny Barnes and her search for her missing sister Izzie. She is aided in this task by private investigator Joe Diamond, but eldritch horrors await them in the town of Arkham, Massachusetts.

The reason I mention this is because printed in the back of the comic are Character Sheets for the two Investigators featured in the strip. This means you can now play through my Arkham Horror gamebook, The Darkness Over Arkham, as either Jenny Barnes or Joe Diamond, bringing the total number of Investigators available to date to eight!

The Darkness Over Arkham at GenCon 2024

GenCon starts in Indiannapolis today, Thursday 1 August 2024, and runs until Sunday 4 August, and Aconyte Books are there. As a result, The Darkness Over Arkham is also for sale at GenCon so, if you're going, why not check it out and say hello to the Aconyte team?

This year at GenCon, the first Arkham Horror comic will be available for the first time from Dark Horse Comics, just ahead of its official release. Arkham Horror: The Terror at the End of Time #1 is written by Eisner-nominated master of horror Cullen Bunn and drawn by Andrea Mutti, with colours by Valerio Alloro, letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, and a cover by Rafael Albuquerque.

I hope to be able to share some more news about The Terror at the End of Time soon.

Gamebook Friday: La Oscuridad Sobre Arkham

The paperback edition of The Darkness Over Arkham, the first Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook, was released in the UK just last week, but it will be out in Spanish, courtesy of Ediciones Minotauro, this September.

There are some other overseas editions of The Darkness Over Arkham in the works, and I will let you know more once all the appropriate Is have been dotted, and the relevant Ts crossed.

In other news, Jambô Editora have recently released the 40th anniversary Fighting Fantasy adventures Shadow of the Giants and Secrets of Salamonis. They have also reprinted the Portuguese language editions of Howl of the Werewolf and Bloodbones.

So, with three ACE Gamebooks now available in Brazil as well, my takeover of the South American gamebook market is proceeding apace...

The Darkness Over Arkham released in the UK today

The Darkness Over Arkham, the first Arkham Horror Investigators Gamebook, is published as a paperback in the UK today, courtesy of Aconyte Books.

When a renowned professor is found dead, it’s up to the Investigators of Arkham to discover what occult horrors were behind his fate. Pick your path, Investigator, and collect allies along the way to hunt down his killer before they strike again. However, Arkham is full of mysteries, with many wishing to keep the truth buried, and who are hungry to usher in a new era full of death and darkness to devour the world you know it. Can you stop them before it is too late?

The book includes profiles for three Investigators - Agnes Baker the Waitress, Nathaniel Cho the Boxer, and Rex Murphy the Reporter. There are also three more Investigators available as downloads from the Aconyte Books' website - Stella Clark the Letter Carrier, Amanda Sharpe the Student, and Skids O'Toole the Ex-Con. All of them can be used to tackle the adventure contained within The Darkness Over Arkham.

When the book was launched in the US, Jordan Sorcery and I did a live readthrough of part of the adventure which can you watch below.

If you have read The Darkness Over Arkham, please do post a review on Amazon. Unfortunately, when the book was first released, it received some 1-star ratings with no accompanying reviews*, which has really skewed the book's aggregated score. We could do with some more balanced reviews, and fairer ratings, to help rectify that situation. In anticipation, thank you for your support.

* Something which I think shouldn't be allowed.

Gamebook Friday: The Darkness Over the UK Games Expo

Does that sound like a clickbait-y post title or what?

I can't believe it's been a week since my book signing at the Aconyte Books stand at the UK Games Expo 2024. 

As well as signing copies of Moon Knight: Age of Anubis, I also signed 40 copies of The Darkness Over Arkham, which was the first time the first Arkham Horror Investigators Handbook has been available to buy in the UK. The paperback isn't officially published here until 18 July 2024, although you can pick up the eBook now.

Signing books is a serious business!

The final signed copy ended up as the prize in a giveaway competition, although I don't know who actually won it.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to buy a copy. They had all sold out by Saturday lunchtime and so the Aconyte team armed me with postcards and bookmarks featuring the different characters' stats* to give away to interested parties.

Welcome to Arkham, The Darkness Over Arkham, and a UK Games Expo award!

Congratulations must also go to the Aconyte team, but especially graphic designer and layout guy Nick, for winning the Best Gaming Novelty category in the UK Games Expo Awards for the in-world background book Welcome to Arkham: An Illustrated Guide for Visitors. It has already proved an invaluable resource for me when plotting my Arkham-set adventures.

Nick and Jack of Aconyte Books accepting the award for Best Gaming Novelty.

On the subject of gamebooks at the UK Games Expo, I was delighted to be given a copy of Secrets of Salamonis in Danish by Morten, who later interviewed me for a Danish gaming podcast. I will, of course, share a link when it goes live. ;-)

The Danish edition of Secrets of Salamonis.

* Rather like the ACE Gamebooks bookmarks.