Warhammer Wednesday: Herald of Oblivion is back on Steam!

A new Warhammer Classics event has kicked off on Steam and one of the games available as part of this franchise sale is Legacy of Dorn: Herald of Oblivion, Tin Man Games' adaptation of my Warhammer 40,000 Path to Victory gamebook*.

As the news piece on Warhammer-Community.com puts it, "The Warhammer Classics celebration invites nostalgic fans to revisit formative experiences, while opening the door for a new generation to discover the games that helped shape Warhammer’s enduring presence in PC gaming."

Legacy of Dorn: Herald of Oblivion - a vast, choice-based digital gamebook set within the Warhammer 40,000 universe in which you are a Space Marine - was Tin Man Games' first foray into the worlds of Warhammer, and was supposed to be the first in a trilogy of digital gamebooks.

YOU are a veteran Space Marine of the Imperial Fists Chapter. Equipped with powerful Terminator armour and armed with the deadliest weapons that the Adeptus Astartes wield, you are a symbol of the Emperor's might. Trapped aboard the space hulk Herald of Oblivion, and the only survivor of your squad, you must fight your way through the aliens and heretics that infest the star vessel and find a way to escape the horror and return to your Chapter.

Until 20th April 2026, you can download the complete game for just £3.97! So, in the Primarch's name, what are you waiting for?

* Which was first published in 2012 - 14 years ago!

Warhammer Wednesday: Humble Warhammer Bundle 2020

The Age of the Imperium is at hand in Humble Bundle's newest bundle!

Guide mankind (or their foes) in games like Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Collection, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III, and Blood Bowl 2 Legendary. Plus, your purchase will support SpecialEffect and a charity of your choice!

One of the games that comes as part of the most basic level is my very own Legacy of Dorn: Herald of Oblivion, so this is probably your very last chance to get hold of Tin Man Games' app adaptation of my Path to Victory gamebook.

US$204 WORTH OF AWESOME STUFF PAY £1 OR MORE

So don't delay - download the Humble Warhammer Bundle 2020 today!

Warhammer Wednesday: Herald of Oblivion

With the news from Games Workshop being all about New Warhammer 40K lately, this Warhammer Wednesday I would like to draw your attention to Tin Man Games' adaptation of my Path to Victory gamebook Herald of Oblivion.

If you haven't played Herald of Oblivion yet, you will find the links to download it for the platform of your choice here. I also have it on good authority that the iOS and Steam iterations will be on sale at a knockdown price from tomorrow (Thursday 4 June 2020).

Warhammer Wednesday: Herald of Oblivion

While the world is in lockdown, and Warhammer stores remain closed around the globe, Games Workshop have been pushing digital products that don't need to be packed up and posted out to eager fans desperate so hat they can still pursue their hobby during these very interesting times.

This week the focus has fallen on must-play Warhammer mobile games, and I am delighted to report that Tin Man Games' adaptation of my Path to Victory gamebook Herald of Oblivion is one of the four highlighted.

If you haven't played Herald of Oblivion yet, you will find the links to download it for the platform of your choice here.

Warhammer Wednesday: Herald of Oblivion discount!

I can't quite believe it's three years since my Warhammer 40,000 gamebook Herald of Oblivion was released on Steam by Tin Man Games, but there you go.

If you've not yet tried it for yourself, now is the perfect time to pick up the game, as it is currently 50% off at the Steam store. So if you like the sound of a vast choice-based digital gamebook set within the Warhammer 40,000 universe where you are a Space Marine, then check it out now.

For Dorn!

Space Invaders turns 40

Space Invaders has turned 40. Possibly the most iconic arcade game of all time, it was first released in 1978, and in the years since has gone on to influence the entirety of culture. Its consequences have been felt not only in games, but across various media, including speculative fiction.

It was certainly an influence on the creation of the short story anthology GAME OVER that I edited, and that came out in 2015, even if no-one actually wrote a story about an alien invasion for the book.

GAME OVER is still available in both processed tree carcass format and as a collection of zeroes and ones, and can be purchased here.

Download Bloodbones for free with Fighting Fantasy Classics

As of today, Wednesday 6th June, Fighting Fantasy Classics is available on Steam, ready to be downloaded to you computer.

Ready your sword, pack your provisions and prepare to embark upon quests in which YOU are the hero! Choose what happens at every turn of the page with Fighting Fantasy Classics – text-based role-playing adventures remastered.

The game is a free-to-play download for all Steam users, with every player receiving one full-length gamebook for free with their download - my very own swashbuckling pirate adventure Bloodbones!

Bloodbones sees you take on the role of a traveller seeking vengeance against the powerful Pirate Lord Cinnabar. The dread Captain raided your village and murdered your family many moons ago, and YOU have journeyed to the Port of Crabs to hunt him down and have your revenge.

Written by Yours Truly, the original gamebook is notorious for being the 'lost' Fighting Fantasy title*. Despite being written for publication by Puffin Books, it eventually say the light of day in 2006, when it was published by Wizard Books. And now Bloodbones is making its triumphant return as part of the Fighting Fantasy Classics library.

There are currently seven other classic Fighting Fantasy gamebooks available for purchase, including The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, The Citadel of Chaos, The Forest of Doom, City of Thieves, Deathtrap Dungeon, Island of the Lizard King, and Caverns of the Snow Witch, all of which are currently 25% off!

So don't delay, pick up Fighting Fantasy Classics today! And may your STAMINA never fail!

* You can read more about the mystery surrounding Bloodbones in YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks.

Gamebook Friday: Temple of the Spider God on SALE now!

Over the last few months, I have been writing an adventure set on a remote, tropical island. But a few years ago I wrote an entirely different adventure that reaches its climax on a remote, tropical island.

So, while you're waiting for NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters! to see print later this year, why not pick up a copy of Temple of the Spider God? And there really is no better time to do so than now, since it is one of the titles included in Tin Man Games' Humble Bundle Spring Sale.

To find out more, simply click this link. And watch out for the spiders!

Gamebook Friday: Fighting Fantasy Classics

After a number of months in development, Tin Man Games have finally released the much anticipated Fighting Fantasy Classics, which is now available to download from the App Store.

Fighting Fantasy Classics is a brand new library app for iOS that will also be released on Android and PC/Mac very soon. The app will ultimately collect together many of your favourite Fighting Fantasy gamebooks from the 1980s until now!

The app is free to download and the Tin Man has very generously included the app of my pirate-themed adventure Bloodbones for FREE.

Other FF game apps, such as The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, The Citadel of Chaos, City of Thieves, The Forest of Doom, Caverns of the Snow Witch, and Island of the Lizard King, are available to buy for just $1.99USD for a limited time!

There are plenty more releases to look forward to as well, including Deathtrap Dungeon, Freeway Fighter, Sword of the Samurai, Trial of Champions, Temple of Terror, and many more. Tin Man Games will also be re-releasing House of Hell, Starship Traveller, Appointment with F.E.A.R. and Blood of the Zombies in this new/old format!

To find out more, simply follow this link to the Tin Man Games blog.



Talking of pirate-themed gamebooks, I am currently writing a certain Captain James Hook's introductory scenes for my third ACE Gamebook, NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters!

Warhammer Wednesday: Skulls for the Skull Throne!

As part of the Skulls for the Skull Throne festival of Warhammer gaming on Steam, Tin Man Games have added a new Khorne Mode to Legacy of Dorn: Herald of Oblivion!

If you're tired of the green cogitator console, now you can turn it red!

The Tin Minions have also added a Servo-Skull cursor for your clicking delights!

You can download the game for you PC here.

Gamebook Friday: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain

It's some time since I worked with Neil Rennison to re-imagine Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone's classic Fighting Fantasy adventure gamebook The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, so it is very satisfying to actually have a moment to sit down and play the game, and discover screens like this...

Or this...

The game looks great! Russ Nicholson's original artwork has been given a touch of colour...

And the whole experience of exploring Firetop Mountain is now enjoyed in three dimensions...

Even the combat system has been given an overhaul...

If you've yet to experience the wonders of Tin Man Games' adaptation of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, you can pick up a copy here (with the game coming to iOS platforms next year).

Warlock Wednesday: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain released today!

Today is the day that fans of Fighting Fantasy have been waiting for, for a long time! Today is the day that The Warlock of Firetop Mountain is released on Steam.



This is particularly exciting for me, as I was one of the team who helped redesign Firetop Mountain. :-)

Short Story Saturday: Game Over

GAME OVER came out last year and has received some very positive reviews, including this one:

Short story collections are problematic .Too loose thematically and there may be only one or two works of interest. Too tight and every story can be a carbon copy.

Game Over neatly overcomes these difficulties and easily takes its place among the high scores. It does this due to editor Jonathan Green being brave enough to collect together stories and authors which in turn are brave enough to push the boundaries of the stated subject of computer games and produce stories which are relevant to this without being constrained by it.

All the stories are excellent and involving. It Was Beauty by Gav Thorpe pulls your heart strings when you least expect it and Simon Bestwick's The Face Of The Deep scored a total bull's eye with me perfectly evoking my memories of the game which inspired it while taking it in directions you wouldn't have imagined previously.

Most of all it made me remember that when I played these games ,when I hastily reached in my pocket for more coins and eagerly pressed chunky start buttons 90% of what took place while playing was in my imagination.

Buy this book!

You can pick up a copy of GAME OVER for yourself here.

Thought for the Day

"Everyone who's ever taken a shower has an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference."

~ Nolan Bushnell, co-founder of Atari

Short Story Saturday: Halloween Thrills - SHARKPUNK and GAME OVER

If you're looking for some chilling reads this Halloween you could do a lot worse than to check out these two titles...

As one reviewer has said of SHARKPUNK, "Once you bite, you’ll be hooked."

And James Lovegrove in the Financial Times described GAME OVER as "An anthology with byte."

You can buy both books direct from the publisher Snowbooks.

And also coming very soon from Snowbooks is Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland, the title of which tells you all you need to know really.

Short Story Saturday: "An anthology with byte" - GAME OVER reviewed in the Financial Times

I am very pleased to be able to report that GAME OVER, my second anthology as editor, has been reviewed by James Lovegrove in the Financial Times.

"The theme is classic arcade games, which will appeal to anyone with fond memories of spending countless 10p pieces on Space Invaders, Pac-Man and the like. The authors Green has selected, though not household names, are respected in their fields or notable up-and-comers, and their stories delve beneath the clunky graphics to find paranoia, madness, murder and ghosts."

To read the rest of the review, click this link.

To pick up a copy of GAME OVER, click this link.

Steampunk Thursday: Top 10 Best Steampunk Games...

Allegedly. I mean, Fable III doesn't even appear on the list!

Warhammer Wednesday: Total War-Hammer

Tie-in Tuesday: PIXELS vs GAME OVER

Well I've finally been to see PIXELS, the Adam Sandler movie inspired by this awesome short film...



PIXELS works on a basic level - there are some great set pieces, particularly the Pac-Man chase - but it demonstrates the kind of sexism that gives gamers a bad name, there are some really crude, misjudged jokes - Serena Williams, you're better than this! Martha Stewart might not be, but you are, Serena - and Josh Gad's sole purpose in the movie appears to be to scream in the most irritating manner for most of the time he's on screen. In a nutshell, somebody really should have hired a writer to work on the script.

Right at the end of the movie, the words 'GAME OVER' flash up on the screen, at which point my son turned to me and said, "Great product placement!"

The good news is that GAME OVER, the horror anthology inspired by classic arcade games - the launch date of which was brought forward to coincide with the release of PIXELS - is still available for your Kindle for a Hall of Fame High-Score Table-busting £1.19. And, as is so often the case, the book is considerably better than the movie.

Short Story Saturday: SHARKPUNK and GAME OVER

This time last year I had never had anything published that I had edited and compiled before: now there are two books out that I have nurtured and helped bring into being along with a host of very talented writers.

SHARKPUNK may have come out in May, but it received another glowing review this week, over on ZeroSignalMagazine.com. As the reviewer says, "Once you bite, you’ll be hooked."

GAME OVER is also starting to make an impact and I'm hoping to receive some official reviews soon. But what's so impressive about GAME OVER, I think, is that we put the book together, from scratch, in less than 5 months!

You can buy both books direct from the publisher Snowbooks.