Gamebook Friday: ACE Gamebooks Christmas Shopping

If you're looking for Christmas gifts for the gamebook fan in your life, or an RPG to play with your gaming group or family this festive season, then ACE Gamebooks has got you covered.

As well as buying ACE Gamebooks online - on Amazon or through DriveThruRPG - you can also buy signed copies direct from the author.

And when it comes to roleplaying games, there are the Christmas-themed 'Twas and The Box of Delights RPGs, or the Beowulf-inspired Heorot. To find out more, simply click the appropriate cover below.

World Octopus Day

Anyone who has read my work for a while, particularly my gamebooks, will know that I have a bit of a thing for cephalopods.

I have always been fascinated by these highly intelligent, boneless mollusks, starting with legends of giant squid. In fact, I even have a print of a giant cephalopod on my wall. I based this image from my map of Neverland on the self-same print.

The Terrorsquid, by Jonathan Green.

I should warn you that there are minor spoilers ahead...

There is a Giant Octopus in Bloodbones, the Abyssal Horror in Stormslayer shares some features with a giant cephalopod, there's the Terrorsquid in NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters!, and a Kraken in Beowulf Beastslayer.

Giant Octopus, by Tony Hough.

One of my books - Doctor Who: Night of the Kraken - even has a cephalopod in the title. And there are squid or octopus-like creatures in 'TWAS - The Krampus Night Before Christmas, Dracula - Curse of the Vampire, and RONIN 47. And that's just the gamebooks.

Giant Squid vs. Ghost Whale, by Neil Googe.

Something very much like a giant squid gets a fair bit of screen time in the second Ulysses Quicksilver Pax Britannia novel Leviathan Rising, and there is a fantastic illustration of a Kraken in Heorot - Roleplaying in the World of Beowulf Beastslayer.

Kraken, by Heraldo Mussolini.

Will there be octopuses and giant squid in future books? Undoubtedly!

Gamebook Friday: GM's Day Sale 2025

The GM's Day Sale is still on over on DriveThruRPG, and will be over the weekend. So, now is a good time to take advantage of the discounts on offer and grab those ACE Gamebooks and ACE Gamebooks Roleplay products you've been meaning to get hold of.

The Box of Delights - The Roleplaying Game - Just £12.00 for the PDF

A rules-lite RPG for 2-6 Players, plus a Gamesmaster, inspired by John Masefield's Christmas classic. Designed to be picked up and played with minimal preparation, it nonetheless includes a well-developed character creation system, as well as rules for combat and magic. It is ideal for a festive gaming session with an established group, or as an alternative to the family games usually played at Christmastime.

HEOROT – Roleplaying in the World of Beowulf Beastslayer - £12.40 for the PDF

A rules-lite RPG for 2-7 Players, inspired by the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf, Viking legends, Norse mythology, and the Icelandic sagas. Players take on the role of noble heroes and their brave companions, who are guided through their adventure by the Skald. There are three different ways to enjoy the game, but all involve an element of storytelling, for it is through telling tall tales of their heroic deeds that players increase their Wyrd, which in turn gives them the ability to perform heroic feats during their adventures that would otherwise be beyond the capabilities of mortal men. Designed to be picked up and played with minimal preparation, Heorot nonetheless includes a well-developed character creation system, as well as rules for combat, and a random adventure generator. It is ideal for both an established gaming group and as a way of introducing new players to the fantastical world of roleplaying games.

’TWAS – The Roleplaying Game Before Christmas - Just £3.00!

A rules-lite RPG for 2-7 Players, inspired by the legends and literature of Christmas. Designed to be picked up and played with minimal preparation, it nonetheless includes a well-developed character creation system, as well as rules for combat and magic. It is ideal for a festive gaming session with an established group, or as an alternative to the games usually played on Christmas Day.

Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland, and other ACE Gamebooks for just £4.75 each!

Have you ever wondered what would have happened if Alice hadn’t drunk from the bottle labelled ‘Drink Me’, or if she hadn’t joined the Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse for tea? Well now you can find out. In Alice’s Nightmare in Wonderland, YOU decide which route Alice should take, which perils to risk, and which of Wonderland’s strange denizens to fight. But be warned – whether Alice succeeds in her quest or meets a dire end as the nightmare escalates will be down to the choices YOU make. Are you ready to go back down the rabbit-hole?

You Are The Hero Bundle of Holding Quick Deal Offer

Live now is the YOU ARE THE HERO Bundle of Holding.

For a limited time, this YOU ARE THE HERO Quick Deal presents the 40th anniversary edition of YOU ARE THE HERO plus seven interactive ACE Gamebooks, and the Heorot RPG.

Part history, part celebration, YOU ARE THE HERO chronicles four decades of the Fighting Fantasy phenomenon, written by Yours Truly (author of eight Fighting Fantasy gamebooks), this revised, updated, and lavishly illustrated tome will appeal to anyone who ever whiled away a washed-out summer holiday with only two dice and a pencil for company.

The YOU ARE THE HERO Quick Deal is live until 11:00pm PST on Tuesday 4th March 2025.

The Box of Delights - The Roleplaying Game

The Box of Delights - The Roleplaying Game is available at long last from ACE Gamebooks Roleplay via DriveThruRPG, just in time for the 40th anniversary of BBC TV's seminal dramatization of John Masefield's Christmas classic.

The book is in full colour and features Tony Hough's incredible illustrations throughout. At the moment, only the PDF is available, but print copies will be available in the New Year.

With the release of The Box of Delights - The Roleplaying Game, I now have just one Kickstarter outstanding - Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come - which will be released next year.

It was touch and go for a while whether I would actually be able to complete The Box of Delights RPG; it was originally going to be a supplement for the 'TWAS RPG, and when I decided it would be a self-contained RPG, I did not expect it to be as long as 'TWAS or Heorot. However, it has ended up being longer than either!

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“And now, Master Harker, of Seekings,” the old man said, “now that the Wolves are Running… perhaps you would do something to stop their Bite?” 

When Kay Harker returns home from boarding school for the Christmas holidays he meets a mysterious Punch and Judy Man, and finds himself mixed up in the battle to possess a magical Box. This curious artefact allows its owner to shrink, fly swiftly, travel into the past, and experience all the wonders that are contained within the Box itself.

Having been entrusted with the Box by the Punch and Judy Man, Kay finds himself being hunted by the wizard Abner Brown and his gang of clerics-cum-jewel thieves. But Abner does not only covet the Box – he also seeks to stop Tatchester Cathedral celebrating its 1,000th Christmas Midnight Mass.

It is up to Kay and his companions, the Jones children, along with various otherworldly allies, to thwart Abner Brown’s plans and stop him acquiring the Box of Delights and with it, power beyond imagining.

The Box of Delights - The Roleplaying Game is a rules-lite RPG for 2-6 Players, plus a Gamesmaster, inspired by John Masefield's Christmas classic, and licensed from the John Masefield Estate.

Designed to be picked up and played with minimal preparation, it nonetheless includes a well-developed character creation system, as well as rules for combat and magic. It is ideal for a festive gaming session with an established group, or as an alternative to the family games usually played at Christmastime.

But Time and Tide and Buttered Eggs wait for no man. So, grab your dice and playing cards, and prepare for adventure, for the Wolves are Running!

"As a lifelong roleplayer I was genuinely interested to read an RPG based on The Box of Delights… Jon Green has done an excellent job capturing the spirit of the piece in a tight, narrative framework that emphasizes storytelling and keeps the mechanics simple enough to be enjoyed by any age."

Devin Stanfield, Kay Harker in the 1984 BBC Television adaptation of The Box of Delights

Experience the Classics as you have never experienced them before!

Gamebook Friday: Dragonmeet 2024

I will be at Dragonmeet on Saturday 30 November 2024, where I will be joining Sir Ian Livingstone on the Fighting Fantasy stand in the Upper Trade Hall (indicated by the small blue tent under the ACE Gamebooks logo on the map below).

Click on the map to enlarge it.

I will have copies of YOU ARE THE HERO: An Interactive History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks to sell, and Sir Ian will have copies of MAGIC REALMS: The Art of Fighting Fantasy that we worked on together, both of which were published earlier this year.

I will also have some phsyical copies of the 'TWAS and HEOROT RPGs with me, so do come along and check them out. Maybe I'll see you there.

Gamebook Friday: Jonathan Green to attend Dragonmeet 2024

I must apologise for the lack of Gamebook Friday updates recently. I have in fact been very busy working on multiple gamebook projects, but I still can't say very much about them. However, there will hopefully be at least one announcement at Dragonmeet this year.

I will be attending Dragonmeet on Saturday 30 November 2024, where I will be joining Sir Ian Livingstone on the Fighting Fantasy stand in the Upper Trade Hall (marked in blue on the map below).

I will have copies of YOU ARE THE HERO: An Interactive History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks to sell, and Sir Ian will have copies of MAGIC REALMS: The Art of Fighting Fantasy that we worked on together, both of which were published earlier this year.

I will also have some phsyical copies of the 'TWAS and HEOROT RPGs with me, so do come along and check them out. Maybe I'll see you there.

Gamebook Friday: Spooky Season Sale Now On!

The ACE Gamebooks Spooky Season Sale is on now, over on DriveThruRPG. The PDFs of all the ACE Gamebooks and RPGs are on sale for just 99p each until the end of the month.

So, if there's a title missing from your collection, or you fancy giving the 'TWAS RPG or Heorot a go, now is the perfect time to complete your collection.

Gamebook Friday: 5th Anniversary Hardbacks on sale now!

Incredibly, 2024 marks the 5th anniversary of the publication of both Beowulf Beastslayer and 'TWAS - The Krampus Night Before Christmas. The hardbacks of these books have been out of print for a while, so to mark the occasion, new editions have been published. They have green covers (rather than red) and other modifications, making them ideal for collectors and fans of beautiful gamebooks as well.

In the case of Beowulf Beastslayer, the endpapers feature Rian Magee's map of Midgard that he created for the Heorot RPG, and in the case of 'TWAS, Tony Hough's full-page illustrations are now in colour, rather than greyscale.

Each hardback comes with an exclusive double-sided bookmark, and the books have been signed and individually numbered as well. To buy one, simply click on the appropriate PayPal button below.

The prices below include post and packing within the UK. If you are based overseas and would like to buy a book, please email info@jonathangreenauthor.com rather than using the PayPal buttons below.

Beowulf Beastslayer (£40)

5th anniversary hardback edition of the fourth ACE Gamebook, individually numbered and signed by the author.

Includes Midgard map endpapers, high quality paper, bonus chapter featuring designer's notes and artist's sketches, and an exclusive, collectible bookmark.

500 sections in length.

'TWAS - The Krampus Night Before Christmas (£40)

5th anniversary hardback edition of the fifth ACE Gamebook, individually numbered and signed by the author.

Includes red endpapers, high quality paper, 13 colour plates, bonus chapter featuring designer's notes and artist's sketches, and an exclusive, collectible bookmark.

500 sections in length.

Gamebook Friday: Review of the Year - 2023

2023 has been a busy year, for various reasons, in no small part because we moved house - again! - although hopefully we are now settled for the foreseeable. Another reason is because we got a dog.

His name is Conker and he's a one year-old Cavapoo.

I have never owned a dog before and wasn't particularly keen on getting one. However, my son found an apt meme online that goes along the lines of, 'There is no love like that between a grumpy, middle-aged man and the pet he said he didn't want.'

Therefore, this year will probably go down in my memory as the Year of the Dog, but in terms of writing, it has definitely been the Year of Aconyte Books. I started 2023 by writing my first Marvel gamebook for Aconyte - Moon Knight: Age of Anubis - and I've ended it putting the finishing touches to my first Arkham Horror gamebook, The Darkness Over Arkham.

I have only actually had two books published in the UK this year - the aforementioned Moon Knight: Age of Anubis and the second ACE Gamebooks Roleplay RPG Heorot - but I've actually written five. However, eight different overseas editions of my ACE Gamebooks have been published this year and three of my Fighting Fantasy gamebooks.

Sadly, this year, we lost Russ Nicholson, whose illustrations for The Warlock of Firetop Mountain helped set me on the path to becoming a gamebook author, and with whom I am immensely proud to have collaborated on the fourth ACE Gamebook Beowulf Beastslayer.

Russ's illustrations also appear in the Heorot RPG.

In 2023 I attended the UK Games Expo and Dragonmeet, as usual, and a couple of events local to me here in Taunton. I will certainly be attending the UK Games Expo again in 2024 but also hope to visit some other events outside of the UK.

I have plenty of writing plans for 2024 as well, including launching the Kickstarter campaign for the next ACE Gamebook, Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come.

But first, I need to put several projects to bed, not least of which is YOU ARE THE HERO: An Interactive History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks. YOU ARE THE HERO will be published later this year, as will Magic Realms: The Art of Fighting Fantasy.

And we also have Fighting Fantasy Fest 5 to look forward to in 2024.

Before I go, if you haven't signed up to my author newsletter, you can do so here, and I'll see you again in the New Year!

Gamebook Friday: ACE, Box, Anubis, and Shakespeare

We're just two and a half weeks away from Christmas and I, for one, haven't started my Christmas shopping yet.

If you have yet to do your Christmas shopping, have you considered buying someone on your present list a digital ACE Gamebooks or ACE Gamebooks Roleplay product this year?

Right now I have a sale on over on DriveThruRPG. You can buy a complete RPG - 'TWAS, one of its supplements, or Heorot - for just £5, while my ACE Gamebooks are just £2 each.

I am also currently running a crowdfunding campaign, over on Gamefound, to pay for more of Tony Hough's amazing artwork for The Box of Delights - The Roleplaying Game. 

But if you're looking for a physical gift to pop in someone's stocking, or put under the tree, how about my new Marvel: Multiverse Missions gamebook Moon Knight: Age of Anubis?

Looking ahead to the New Year, in 2024 I will be crowdfunding the eighth ACE Gamebook, Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu: What Dreams May Come. To sign up to be notified of developments, follow this link.