Fighting Fantasy Competitions

There have been a number of Fighting Fantasy Competitions throughout the history of Fighting Fantasy.

Warlock of Firetop Mountain Competition

In 1982, with the release of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, came a bookmark advertising the great Warlock of Firetop Mountain Competition, also known as the Dragon Competition. The first prize was "The largest fantasy figure ever produced". This was also known as the "Dragon Competition" due to the prize that awaited the winner.

Entry Requirements

To enter the competition one had to draw the complete labyrinth of "dangerous dark passages and dank rooms beneath Firetop Mountain". Apart from the accuracy of the drawing winners were to be judged on presentation and decoration of their maps.

The Prizes

• The first prize was "The largest fantasy figure ever produced". This was the 2ft long Imperial Dragon, created and painted in full colour by world famous designer twins, Michael Perry and Alan Perry for Citadel Miniatures. The winner of the competition would be receiving the first ever one of these Imperial Dragons produced, and was to be presented with a special certificate of authenticity. The Dragon was also later known as the "Chicken Dragon" because it was literally the size of a small chicken. With a wingspan of two feet, a length of two feet and a height of one foot, it was one of the largest items ever made by Citadel Miniatures, and certainly the largest at the time (1982). It was a gravity casting and the moulds didn't last.
• Runners up: 100 Games Workshop fantasy games.

Entries were to be sent to "Dragon Competition", Children's Marketing Department, Penguin Books Limited, by second post on January 14 1983. Winners were to have been informed by February 4th 1983 and a list of winning entries was to be made available on February 11th 1983.

F.F. Bookmarks Competition

Main article: F.F. Bookmarks Competition

This was also known as the Fighting Fantasy Competition of the Century. Every new Fighting Fantasy book published in October and November 1986 contained a FF Collectors Bookmark. The books were as follows:

• OCTOBER - Masks of Mayhem, Titan - The Fighting Fantasy World, The Riddling Reaver
• NOVEMBER - Creature of Havoc, Helmquest

It is interesting to note that only two of the above were pure gamebooks and one of the books above, Helmquest, was not in fact a Fighting Fantasy publication but was a Fantasy Questbook.

The bookmarks in fact detailed two competitions to test "all your skill and ingenuity."

Casket of Souls Competition

When the book was published there was a competition whereby once the reader had defeated "the dread Bone Demon by uncovering the spell hidden in [the] pages [of the book]" the reader could send their answer on a postcard to "Department Sallazar" at Penguin Books. The winner of the competition would win the original golden Casket of Souls model, hand sculpted by Citadel Miniatures directly from the artwork of Iain McCaig. An added incentive to enter was that "EVERYONE who enters this fabulous competition will receive Iain McCaig's exclusive 'Amarillia - The Final Chapter' fantasy poster, absolutely FREE and only available with Casket of Souls.". The competition was only open to residents of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the closing date was 14th February 1988.

Warlock Competitions

Throughout the course of its thirteen issues, Warlock magazine ran a number of competitions. Those listed here are one which had a prize.

• Issue #1: Write your own short adventure and win £100 (5 runners-up of £20 each). Winner Paul Struth had his adventure The Dervish Stone published in issue 4.
• Issue #2: Write your own comic of no more than 20 frames and win £100 (5 runners-up of £20 each). Winner Ian McDonald had his printed in issue 4 (along with runner-up Robert Dene's entry) and the comic would become a regular item till it end with issue 10.
• Issue #3: Crossword. Winner receives £10 and was won by Paul Dyason.
• Issue #4: Create your own trick or trap. Winner receives £20 (5 runners-up of £10 each). Winner Kiran Ghanekar had his printed in issue 6 (along with 5 runners-up). A second competition was to write your own single frame comic and win £20 (5 runners-up of £10 each). Winner Spencer Chapman had his printed in issue 6 (along with 5 runners-up).
• Issue #5: Crossword. Winner receives £10 and was won by Paul Ackerley.
• Issue #6: Create your own maze. Winner receives the game Talisman along with an expansion set for it and a Fighting Fantasy gamebook of the winner's choice signed by either Ian Livingstone or Steve Jackson and 3 runners-up win a signed gamebook. Winner Darren Webb had his printed in issue 8 (along with runner David Johnston's maze).
• Issue #7: Draw what The Warlock looks like. Winner receives a six-issue subscription to Warlock. A selection of entries were published in issue 9, with winner Alexis Panayiotou's printed in issue 10 as part of the interview with John Blanche who "interpreted" the picture to make the cover art for issue 10.
• Issue #10: Work out the name of a Fighting Fantasy villain by answering 11 questions. The two first place winners receive a set of 21 gamebooks signed by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. 30 second prizes of signed copies of Trial of Champions. 50 runner-up prizes of posters and T-shirt transfers. Winners were Mark Selby and Keran Harriman. One of the second place winners was David A. Holt.

Night of the Necromancer Competition

Prior to the publication of the gamebook Night of the Necromancer a competition was announced on September 15th 2009, in which one reader could make an appearance in an illustration for the adventure. The entry requirement was "a photograph of yourself looking frightened out of your wits whilst holding a copy of Stormslayer" along with a completed entry form. This photo would be used as the basis of an illustration within the gamebook. The closing date was 14th November 2009. The winner was announced on January 14th, 2010 as being Nicki Gray.