Dragonmeet 2012 and Fighting Fantasy's 30th Anniversary

So yesterday I attended Dragonmeet 2012, with my two noise familiars in tow for the first time. (The two of them discovered the wonders of dice, so that kept them quiet, as did the demonstrations games.)

I wasn't really there as a guest this year, although that didn't stop me signing copies of my various Fighting Fantasy gamebooks at the Warlock's table, along with Messrs Jackson and Livingstone.

There were many highlights - including catching up with various gaming acquaintances, such as James Wallis and Raplh Horsley, and meeting enthusiastic fans like Oliver - and here are just a few more of them...

I met Michael J Ward briefly, he of DestinyQuest fame. He sold out of all the stock he brought with him, so a very successful Dragonmeet for DestinyQuest. (Michael was also kind enough to refer to me as a 'Gaming Legend' and 'Godfather of the Modern Gamebook Format'.) 

Graham Bottley (of Arion Games and AFF 2nd edition) showing Steve Jackson the latest AFF products. 

 The Warlock (Jamie Fry) works his magic.

 Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone signing books for their fans.

 Ian was promoting Blood of the Zombies in particular.

 The queue for the Jackson & Livingstone signing really did wind right around the hall!

 Stuart Lloyd - FF blogger and gamebook fan - chats with Ian Livingstone.

 Tony Hough (FF artist) also dropped by to say hello.

 Artist Andy Hepworth at the Art Show. (Andy illustrated my Warhammer short story The Nagenhof Bell, and it was a pleasure to meet him at long last.)

 A demonstration game of Dobble (a great game for all the family), which kept my minions occupied while I made the most of the opportunity to network.

Without doubt, the biggest highlight of the day was the Fighting Fantasy 30th Anniversary seminar with Steve and Ian. Neil Rennison (the Tin Man's flesh avatar) was in attendance, as was FF blogger Stuart Lloyd, and FF artist Tony Hough.

At the end of their talk, Ian invited me to stage (to a round of polite applause) to announce my next FF project for the first time. This is something I've been working on for a while, ever since I wrote my piece about FF's 30th anniversary for SFX Magazine.

I'm planning on writing a comprehensive history of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, from the early days of Games Workshop right through to the latest Tin Man Games digital versions. I have interviewed all manner of artists, authors, editors and fans of the series, and I hope to fund the project via Kickstarter.

There are still a few details to iron out, but I hope to launch the Kickstarter within the week, and you can be sure I will plug it to death on my blog, so watch this space...