Meet the creators

James Gill (writer) and James Isaacs (artist) are longtime friends and the co-creators of the upcoming gamebook Legion of the Necromancer. In this edited Q&A, they discuss how the project came about, their creative process and why they’re launching it on Kickstarter.

Origins of the Project

James Gill: Marketing legend Simon Sinek says you should always start with “why” – not how or what. So, let’s start with why. When we first talked about this project (back before Christmas last year), why did you want to do it?

James Isaacs: [Laughs] Don’t get a big head over this, but honestly, it was because I’d be doing it with you. We geek out about a lot of things – music, films, all sorts of stuff – and we hit this sweet spot of shared fantasy geekdom when we realised we both loved those old-school gamebooks, the choose-your-own-adventure style books. Then it was like a lightbulb moment: wait a minute, you’re a writer and I’m an artist/designer… what else do we need? We kind of looked at each other and said, “Why don’t we just make one?” At that point, we needed no further impetus. It felt like it was meant to be, so we just went for it.

Hammerforge Chronicles founder, artist James Isaacs

James Gill: Same here. For me, if you love something, there’s a part of you that wants to make that thing. I love music, so I ended up DJing and playing in a band. I’ve always loved those gamebooks – in fact, in the last few years I’ve been revisiting and recollecting all the old Fighting Fantasy books I had as a kid. After reading a bunch of them, I didn’t want to just sit and read one, I wanted to create one. So when you and I had that conversation before Christmas, it just seemed screamingly obvious that we should team up and do it. The chance to collaborate with you again – since we don’t work together anymore – in a perfect writer/artist combo was a no-brainer. Once you said yes, I was triply excited to do it.

James Isaacs: Also, I think making our own book might put a stop to your insane eBay addiction of buying vintage Fighting Fantasy books! Just looking at the shelf behind you, I see a lot of those green spines up there.

James Gill: [Grins] Yeah… guilty.

James Isaacs: At some point, you probably thought, “Look, I could spend my entire life savings buying all these books, or I could just make my own.” So I’m glad you agreed to make one instead!

What Is Legion of the Necromancer?

James Gill: Big question: how would you describe Legion of the Necromancer? In other words, what is this book we’re creating?

James Isaacs: To me, it’s like when we agreed to do our own gamebook, we decided not to go super niche on the first try. Instead of doing something wildly experimental or offbeat in terms of fantasy genre, I wanted our first book to feel classic – like a greatest hits of everything I loved about the original gamebooks. So Legion of the Necromancer has a little bit of everything: problem solving, cool monsters, intense fights, a great story, an epic villain – all that good stuff. It’s a proper love letter to those original books. By doing that on our first go, we got our heads in the game, so to speak. Now, when we move on to a second or third book, we can start pushing into crazier ideas. But this first one is that “proper classic” that establishes our foundation. I think it works so well because it is a greatest-hits approach to why we loved the originals.

James Gill: I’d add that you could almost call this the 52nd book of the Fighting Fantasy series. In other words, it follows the familiar structures and format of the classic Fighting Fantasy gamebooks – it’s 400 numbered paragraphs, you create a character with stats, you roll dice for combat and so on. It feels like one of those originals. But at the same time, we’ve introduced our own universe, our own lore and monsters that never appeared in the old series. So it’s familiar, but it’s also got fresh twists. And of course, all the artwork is yours, in your particular style, which gives it a unique visual identity. My hope is that it’s something familiar enough that fans can jump right in and feel at home, but it always has something new around the corner. It’s like the way humans build on what came before: we’ve taken that classic format and added to it and improved it in our own way. Familiar but fresh, I guess. (I should put that on my business card!)

Hammerforge Chronicles founder and writer, James Gill

Who Is This Book For?

James Gill: Who do you think this book is for? Who’s the audience?

James Isaacs: Obviously it’s for people like us – folks who loved those books back in the day. We’ve already heard from some people in that camp. For example, a lot of those original fans are now adults who might have kids of their own. Parents often want to share the things they loved with their kids – whether it’s sports, music, or, in this case, the world of fantasy gamebooks. So there’s that nostalgic adult audience and potentially their children. But beyond that, we’re in a real renaissance for fantasy and tabletop gaming right now. There’s a huge new community around things like Dungeons & Dragons, the show Critical Role, etc. So I feel like there’s also a whole new generation of fantasy fans who may have never experienced a gamebook like this and would really enjoy it.

James Gill: In the mid-1980s when The Warlock of Firetop Mountain and those books came out, it was mostly kids around 9–12 reading them. You wouldn’t find a bunch of grey-haired adults saying “This is amazing!” back then. But now those kids are the grey-haired adults – and they still love it and they’re introducing it to the next generation. So it really has broad appeal, which is awesome.

And I have to say, one thing I found really cool about what happened at Ollie’s school is that the kids were playing the book together as a group. When I was a kid, I’d play a gamebook solo – sit in my room and immerse myself. But these kids turned it into a shared experience: one would read, they’d all deliberate and debate what decision to make next, almost like a mini role-playing session. It became a sort of D&D-lite group adventure. They did that all on their own, organically. I never envisioned a group playthrough, but it’s brilliant. It actually gives us ideas for the future – like maybe we can include elements that encourage cooperative play or discussion in future books. And frankly, kids are the best playtesters because they have no filter; they’ll tell you exactly what they think, for better or worse! [Laughs] It’s a double-edged sword, but we welcome that feedback.

What Can Readers Expect?

James Gill: So, in a nutshell, what can people expect from Legion of the Necromancer?

James Isaacs: They can expect to dive right in and feel that comforting sense of nostalgia – almost like putting on a comfy pair of old jeans and finding a £20 note in the pocket. It’s got everything that was great about those classic gamebooks of the ‘70s and ‘80s: the excitement, the branching paths, the challenges, the sense of adventure. But at the same time, we’ve given it a modern twist. We’re tipping our hat to the old masters, absolutely, but we’re also bringing in some fresh ideas and updated sensibilities. There are a few modern gameplay trends and community-oriented elements we’re thinking about (especially for future projects) that weren’t part of the old books. So I’d say readers will feel at home with the format and the style, but also energized by the fact that we’ve brought the genre forward a bit. It’s both a revival and an evolution.

James Gill: I’d emphasise the surprises. Because we’ve made it feel so familiar and classic, that actually sets the stage for surprises to have a bigger impact. You’ll be going along thinking, “Yes, I know how this works – roll dice, fight a monster, choose left or right,” and then we throw something at you that the old books never did. We’ve layered in new kinds of twists, challenges and lore. So even if you’re a veteran of gamebooks, you’re going to find fresh things to make you smile (or scream). We’ve basically built on the old template – humans always try to improve on the previous iteration – and hopefully we’ve added enough new spice to pleasantly surprise even the hardcore fans.

(At this point in the conversation, James Isaacs takes over, asking some questions, focusing on the story and creative process.)

Story and Tone

James Isaacs: Let’s talk about the story and setting a bit. Legion of the Necromancer is set in the world of Alrathia. What influenced the tone and themes of that world?

James Gill: From the outset, we agreed we wanted a classic fantasy feel – very Tolkienesque. So Alrathia is a sort of medieval fantasy universe with orcs, dwarves, wizards, goblins, all those familiar elements. The core story is a timeless fantasy setup: an evil necromancer is trying to raise an army of the dead to conquer the land and the hero (that’s you, the reader) has to stop him. Those are the themes – good versus evil, a land in peril, a quest to defeat a malevolent force.

Where it gets our spin is in the tone. I’m a big fan of horror and dark sci-fi and I really love it when those blend with fantasy. If you looked at our bookshelves, you’d see plenty of Lovecraft and Stephen King next to the Tolkien and Feist. So I injected a bit more of a horror vibe into the world. It’s not gory or anything, but I aimed for it to be a little more terrifying in parts – a bit more nail-biting and atmospheric than some of the old gamebooks. There are moments that I hope will feel creepy or claustrophobic in that delicious horror way.

We definitely slipped some Lovecraftian elements in there. You and I are both huge H.P. Lovecraft fans and I couldn’t resist adding a touch of that cosmic horror flavour – ancient unspeakable entities, a creeping gibbous moon in the night sky, nameless eldritch creatures stirring in the dark. Some fantasy purists might say, “Hey, you can’t have Norse mythology (like Valhalla references) or Lovecraftian monsters in a Tolkienesque world,” but to that I’d say: we’re the creators and we’ll do what we think is cool! In fact, one of our beta readers pointed out, “This dwarf mentioned Valhalla – isn’t that mixing mythologies?” And my response is basically: yes it is and we’re fine with that. We’re a bit punk rock in that sense – we’re not afraid to mash up influences because we think it makes a better, more interesting world.

James Isaacs: That makes a lot of sense – and it explains why at one point you asked me to draw something that was basically a Cthulhu-esque creature to include in the book! [Laughs] Your Lovecraft love affair made its way in.

James Gill: Guilty as charged. But hey, I think it adds a cool flavor to the book.

Writing a Gamebook

James Isaacs: Let’s get into the writing process. You had the broad story idea (an undead army, an evil necromancer) and you ran with it. What kind of story did you want to tell and how did you make it work in a branching, non-linear format? That must have been challenging.

James Gill: It was a challenge, yes, but one I enjoyed. First off, credit where it’s due: the original germ of the story – the necromancer raising an undead legion – was your idea and I loved it immediately. It’s such a classic setup that promises lots of fun encounters. Now, writing a branching narrative is very different from writing a straight novel. But I had a bit of a head start because, as a kid, I was obsessed with mapping out the Fighting Fantasy books. My dad is a builder, so he had these big A1 blueprint sheets around. I’d take one, flip it over and literally draw a flowchart map of the book as I played. My friend (also named James, funny enough) and I would even trade books along with our homemade maps. So I got to see the underlying structure of those gamebooks.

When it came time to write ours, I thought a lot about that structure. I even replayed a few old favourites, like City of Thieves, to refresh myself on how they’re put together. You realise each gamebook has its own shape – some are more linear, some are more open-world, etc. For Legion of the Necromancer, I kind of broke the story into four acts or regions: there’s a journey through the countryside, then some caverns/forest, then a big tower (where the necromancer is) as the finale, for example. Mapping it out in chunks helped keep it from becoming a chaotic tangle. I literally drew a sort of network diagram to plan the branching paths and ensure that it was manageable and fun – with enough choices and loops, but not impossible to navigate.

James Isaacs: So you actually visualised the whole book’s flow on paper?

James Gill: Oh, absolutely. I had to, just to stay sane! [Laughs] Writing 400 sections that interconnect is a very visual exercise. And remember, I know you’ve written some sci-fi novels before – I have them on my shelf, signed copies and everything – so you’re no stranger to writing fiction. Did you approach writing this book like writing a novel, or more like designing a game?

James Gill: I approached it first and foremost as writing fiction. I’ve written and published a few straight-up novels and short stories, so that’s my comfort zone. To me, the gamebook format was just a different structure to pour a story into. I’m actually curious how the original Fighting Fantasy authors, like Steve Jackson or Ian Livingstone, would answer this question, but for me, I wasn’t thinking in terms of game mechanics first. I was thinking about plot, atmosphere, characters – all the things you consider in a novel. The branching and the game bits (dice rolls, stats, etc.) were like the skeleton that holds the story together, but the flesh of it is still a narrative that should be immersive.

In practice, writing a gamebook felt like writing a bunch of mini-scenes or vignettes that all connect. It’s more fragmented than writing a novel – you’re writing out of order, jumping between different plot threads – but each section still needs good description and maybe some dialogue or a fun event. I think I naturally slipped into the tone of the old books from reading so many recently, but I layered more detail in. In fact, James, you probably noticed when laying it out: a lot of our paragraphs are longer and more detailed than the ones in the classic books. That wasn’t a deliberate decision at first; it’s just my writing style coming through. I wanted to paint a clear picture of each scenario, so I might take a few extra sentences than, say, Steve Jackson did in 1983. So in that sense, it is a bit more novelistic in style – more prose, a little more world-building and flavor in each section. But moment-to-moment, the feeling for the reader is still that you’re playing a game. You make choices, you roll dice, you face consequences. The story is what you experience by playing.

James Isaacs: You mentioned the horror influence earlier. Your bookshelf at home is full of fantasy and horror – I see Neil Gaiman, Raymond E. Feist and Stephen King. Were there any specific influences for the horror aspect of this book?

James Gill: I drew on a few. Some of the old Fighting Fantasy books did have horror elements (like House of Hell was straight horror and even Creature of Havoc had a dark tone), but I wanted to push that a bit more. I’m a big Stephen King fan in terms of how he builds suspense and the psychological side of horror. Also, a lot of King’s work has that secret supernatural element lurking under everyday life, which I love. And of course, Lovecraft, as we discussed – the cosmic horror, the sense of ancient, unknowable evil. I tried to weave in that claustrophobic, creeping dread in some scenes. You know, dark forests under a gibbous moon, eldritch tentacled things stirring in the murk – that kind of vibe. Not everywhere, but enough to keep you on edge.

James Isaacs: I definitely picked up on that. Some sections genuinely gave me chills when I read them! Now, you blasted through writing this manuscript incredibly fast. You were so motivated – I think before I had even finished the first few illustrations, you had a complete first draft of the book. During that frenzied writing period, did you ever hit a wall or have doubts? Was there any moment where you thought, “This isn’t working, maybe I should scrap it and start over”?

James Gill: Honestly, not this time. That kind of surprised me, because in most long writing projects I do hit a point of self-doubt or burnout. You know how it is – you suddenly feel like, “Is this any good? Should I even continue?” But with this project, it was pure enjoyment from start to finish. I think part of it is our working styles: you’re a bit of a perfectionist (in a good way) and I’m more of a “get it 85% right and keep moving” kind of guy. So I kept up the momentum. More importantly, the format of a gamebook naturally kept me motivated. Writing 400 sections is oddly satisfying because each section is like a mini-achievement. Every time I finished a paragraph, I could tick off a number. It’s like opening another door on an advent calendar – there’s a clear sense of progress. With a traditional novel, you can be 30,000 words in and still not see the light at the end of the tunnel, which can be discouraging. Here, I always knew exactly how far along I was.

And whenever I felt a lull, I’d think of a new cool encounter or a new twist to throw in and that would energise me. Towards the end, I realised I had a few sections left unwritten and instead of that feeling like a chore, I thought, “Great, I get to invent a couple more fun moments or a new creature.” Plus, collaborating with you was motivating – I’d write something and get excited thinking, “I can’t wait to see how James draws this!” So no, I never seriously thought about chucking it or starting over. It was a blast to write from day one. If anything, I’ve gotten addicted; I’ve already written a whole draft of a second book in the time it took you to draw one illustration! [Laughs] But we can talk about that later.

James Isaacs: That’s true – you drink one coffee and suddenly you’ve written an entire sequel! But I love that we have that dynamic, because we definitely push each other. It’s like iron sharpening iron. Whenever one of us created something, it fired up the other to top it or match it.

Visual Style and Illustration

James Gill: Let’s switch over to the visuals. From the start, did you have a particular visual vision for the book? How did you approach the illustration style and did it evolve as you went along?

James Isaacs: From our very first conversation about the project, we were both geeking out over the classic fantasy art of the ‘70s and ‘80s. We each have our favourite illustrators from the old Fighting Fantasy series. For me, the big one is Russ Nicholson – he’s the OG who illustrated The Warlock of Firetop Mountain and many others. His style defined the look of gamebooks for me: super detailed black-and-white ink drawings, full of energy and atmosphere. I also love artists like Iain McCaig, John Blanche and others who worked on those books, as well as people like Alan Lee (from the Lord of the Rings illustrated editions) and even poster artists like Tom Jung (who did the 1978 animated Lord of the Rings movie poster). I had that poster on my bedroom wall as a kid – until it got replaced by a Skid Row poster in my teens, but that’s another story! The point is, I drew inspiration from that era of fantasy art.

So when it came to illustrating Legion of the Necromancer, I knew I wanted to do it old-school. That meant traditional pen and ink on paper – no digital illustrations. I actually went out and got proper ink pens, brushes, quills, nice heavy paper – the works. It was a bit of a personal challenge to myself, because in my day job (graphic design) a lot is digital these days. I thought, let’s do this like I’m 12 years old again, sketching dragons in the margins of my notebooks. And it was so much fun! It felt very authentic to the spirit of the project.

Style-wise, I aimed to capture the feeling of those classic gamebook illustrations without directly copying any one artist. Inevitably, my style is influenced by theirs – lots of cross-hatching, strong lines, contrast, that sort of thing. The very first illustration I tackled was a troll coming out from under a bridge (a scene in our book). I remember showing you that one. You loved it – you were like, “This is fantastic!” Meanwhile, I was happy with it but immediately saw a hundred things I wanted to improve. Typical artist mentality, right? As I continued drawing more illustrations, I tried to learn and refine my technique with each one. Every time I finished a piece, I took stock of what worked well and what didn’t and I’d apply those lessons to the next one.

I’d say the style did evolve over the course of creating about 40 illustrations. For example, early on I was using pretty bold lines and straightforward cross-hatching. Later, I started incorporating a pointillist technique – lots of tiny dots and stippling to create texture and gradation. You can see that especially in the illustration of the Necromancer himself – I did that one later and there’s this sort of smoky effect achieved with dot work. That technique was inspired by some of the old artists (I think Bob Harvey used a lot of stippling, for instance). By the final few illustrations, I felt like I had really hit a stride with the style.

Overall, I think the art in the book feels cohesive, even though my technique tightened up over time. If you put the first and last drawings side by side, I can see differences in confidence and line work, but hopefully, to the reade,r it all just looks like one unified world. And I’m actually excited to carry this forward into the next book – I levelled up artistically doing this and I can’t wait to push it even further.

James Gill: How did you balance making it your own style versus paying homage to those classic illustrators? Because it’s one thing to love their work, but you also want the art to have your signature on it.

James Isaacs: It’s a fine line. I definitely started in the mindset of “What would a Russ Nicholson piece look like for this scene?” or “How would Fighting Fantasy artwork approach this?” But I wasn’t trying to directly copy anyone’s work, just the general style. As I went on, my own artistic voice naturally came through more and more. I think by the end, if you know me, you can tell it’s my drawing – there are certain flourishes or character designs that are very me. It’s kind of like a band influenced by classic rock eventually writing their own songs – the influence is there, but it becomes its own thing.

One thing I consciously tried to do was vary the compositions and perspectives. The classic gamebook art has a certain look, but I wanted to ensure we weren’t just doing straight-on character portraits every time. So I threw in landscapes, close-ups of objects, dynamic action scenes – changed up the angles and framing. That’s both to keep the reader engaged and to put my own spin on it.

Illustration Challenges and Collaboration

James Gill: What was the biggest challenge in illustrating a nonlinear, interactive book like this? You also handled the book’s graphic design and layout, which is complex for a gamebook.

James Isaacs: Yeah, designing a gamebook is a whole different beast compared to a normal novel or a magazine (which is my background). The biggest challenge was that the book’s content is modular. Each page has to function on its own because readers might flip around out of order and crucially, the text can’t just flow continuously from page to page like a novel. We had to avoid situations where a paragraph spills over onto the next page in an awkward way, or an illustration appears pages away from the section it corresponds to.

So I essentially had to design the layout in a way that each page is self-contained. If paragraph 150 and paragraph 151 end up on the same page in the final layout, that’s fine, but if I edit something in 150, I can’t let it push 151 onto another page where it doesn’t belong, right? It was like solving a big puzzle. We knew certain big illustrations had to face specific text sections (for example, if there’s a full-page illustration of a monster, it should be next to the encounter with that monster). Those were our anchor points. Around those, I flowed the text and used smaller graphics to fill gaps.

That leads to the little “kicker” illustrations I created. These are small drawings – like a skull, a sword, a potion bottle, decorative borders, etc. – that we could insert to fill whitespace or to space out the text perfectly. If a page was only half-filled by text, I’d slot in a larger kicker illustration to take up the rest of the page. If a page was nearly full of text, maybe just a tiny icon or flourish. This way, we maintained a consistent look without text suddenly jumping pages.

I have a bunch of these filler drawings on my desk – tiny ink sketches that might seem throwaway but were lifesavers in layout. They kept every page looking intentional and prevented any domino effect when text length changed. Designing a book this way is time-consuming. I won’t lie, it took a lot of trial and error to lock everything in place. And remember, we were doing this on top of our regular jobs and life responsibilities. So another challenge was just time management and endurance. We’ve been working on this project for quite a while (many months of nights and weekends), but because we’re so passionate about it, it never felt like a slog. It was our labour of love. Now that we’re done and holding a near-finished prototype in hand, all those late nights were worth it.

James Gill: You say “done,” but I’ll add the caveat that we have about a dozen beta copies out in the wild with trusted readers and we’re incorporating their feedback as we speak. They’ve caught typos, suggested tweaks to the rules and balance, that sort of thing. We are absolutely serious about making this as polished as possible for the final release. But yes, the heavy lifting of writing, drawing and designing is done – we’re in the tweaking phase.

I also want to highlight how much fun the collaborative side of the illustration process has been. I’d send you a section of text and say, “We need an illustration for this.” We made a big list of possible illustrations and usually I’d ask, “Which one do you feel like drawing next?” You’d pick one and then ask me for a brief. Those were some of my favourite moments: I’d get to dream up some crazy creature or scene and describe it to you – like “Okay, picture this: a towering wraith-like figure, kind of like a banshee, with long claws, looming over a terrified adventurer in a dark swamp.” And then, like clockwork, a day or two late,r you’d ping me on WhatsApp with an ink sketch that was exactly what I had in mind (or even cooler). It was like Christmas every time I got one of your drawing updates.

James Isaacs: [Laughs] I started joking that it was like a fantasy fast-food drive-thru: you’d place an order for a monster and I’d say “Coming right up!” But in reality, there was a lot of back-and-forth to get things right. Typically, I’d do a pencil sketch and send you a photo of it first, to make sure it matched your vision. There were times you’d say, “Oh, that’s cool, but can we make it even scarier?” or “Could you tweak this detail?” For example, maybe the creature’s pose wasn’t menacing enough, or a detail of the armour was off – whatever it was, I valued that feedback. I’d revise the sketch until we both felt it was spot-on and only then would I commit to the final inked drawing.

That collaboration meant the illustrations often turned out better than either of us had initially imagined. Two minds on one image can elevate it. And it was a fun, organic process – it never felt like you were micromanaging or I was being precious about my art. It was just teamwork. I think that’s partly because we’re friends and have worked together before, so there’s a level of trust and ease in communication. You could say, “Hmm, not quite there,” and I wouldn’t take it personally; I’d just hit the drawing board again (literally). And when you loved something, I knew it immediately, which felt great and kept me energised.

James Gill: It was smooth teamwork. And you’re right – sometimes you drew something that surpassed what was in my head. There were cases where I didn’t describe much at all, yet you created an image that made me go, “Whoa, that’s perfect – I didn’t even realise it could look that good!” It’s incredibly satisfying as a writer to see your ideas visualised so vividly.

Favorite Illustrations

James Gill: You’ve done dozens of illustrations for this book – do you have a favourite piece or two? Like, if you could frame one and hang it on your wall, which would you choose?

James Isaacs: Oh man, that’s tough. It’s like choosing a favourite song from an album. I have a few that I’m particularly proud of, for different reasons.

One that comes to mind is the giant octopus attack – there’s a scene where our hero is wading through a flooded dungeon and this octopus creature lunges out of the water. I love that illustration partly because of the little story behind it. We had this funny discussion about what kind of boots the hero should be wearing – you even sent me references from an archaeological site of medieval leather boots. I remember actually using my wife’s leather boots as a live reference; I had her boots on the floo,r and I sketched how a pair of boots would look from above, half-submerged in water. Then I pulled up a National Geographic photo of an octopus to get the tentacle details right. So that drawing combines all these real-world reference points – a bit of history, a bit of natural science – into a fantasy scene. It ended up dynamic, with the tentacles, the splashing water, the sense of movement. I was happy with that one.

Another favourite is what we call the wraith – this tall, gaunt undead creature with an eerie, elongated face and tattered robes. It’s the one looming over a grave, kind of wailing into the night. I remember you gave me minimal direction beyond “maybe we should have a banshee-like thing.” So I just let loose on it. It’s a pure horror image and I think it turned out genuinely creepy. There’s a malevolent energy in that drawing that I like. It’s the kind of picture 12-year-old me would’ve stared at for hours, you know? “Whoa, cool and scary!”

I also have a soft spot for the knight in the dungeon – it’s a quieter illustration, but it shows a defeated knight slumped against a cell wall with this dejected posture. There’s something almost poignant about it. I experimented a lot with the lighting in that one, using cross-hatching and shadows to make it feel like a dim, torch-lit scene. It’s not a big action moment; it’s a mood piece. But I think it adds emotional depth, showing that not everything in the book is just fighting monsters – there are somber moments too.

So yeah, those three: the octopus attack for the action and technique, the wraith for the horror vibe and the sad knight for the atmosphere.

James Gill: Great choices. I love all of those too. The octopus scene is such a cool action snapshot – it feels like a movie still. The wraith genuinely gave me goosebumps when I first saw it; it’s like something out of my nightmares (in a good way!). And the knight in the dungeon is quietly powerful – it makes you curious about his backstory, how he ended up there.

If I can throw in a couple of my personal favourites: I adore the illustration of the demonic door knockers – the one with the two grotesque faces on the door. There’s no character in it, no combat, it’s just an object – but the craftsmanship of that drawing is astounding. The wood grain on the door, the sinister expressions on the knockers, the shadows… It’s pure classic fantasy art. It looks like it could be in one of the old Fighting Fantasy books, yet it’s also uniquely yours. Another one I must mention is what we call the Balrog scene – our homage to the Balrog from The Lord of the Rings. It’s this huge fiery demon with a whip and our hero is tiny in the foreground, facing it. The sense of scale and the way you drew the flames and the looming darkness is just epic. And of course, I have to mention the Lovecraftian swamp creature (my tentacled “Cthulhu” cameo, haha). That one just makes me happy because it’s so monstrous and weird – it’s like a cross between an octopus and a swamp thing and it shows that horror side we talked about.

James Isaacs: I’m glad you like those! The door knockers were a fun little detail – it’s actually a good example of varying the visuals. Not every illustration needed to be a big monster or fight scene. Sometimes, a spooky inanimate object can set the tone. And the Balrog-like demon – yeah, that was me living out my childhood dream of drawing a Balrog. The Lord of the Rings was a huge influence on both of us, so slipping in that reference felt right.

What’s cool is that even though a lot of these things are familiar – a wraith, a Balrog, a tentacled horror – we put them together in our way. It’s like we remixed all our favourite fantasy tropes into a new album and each track (each illustration) has its vibe. There’s variety: some images are straight-up high fantasy, some are gothic horror, some are action-adventure. But they all harmonise to tell the story of our book.

James Gill: Very well said – a remix of the classics. We wear our influences on our sleeves and I think that’s a good thing. It’s like music: even if you create something new, it’s built on the genres and artists you love. In our case, we embraced that. If people see a bit of Tolkien or a bit of Lovecraft or D&D in our work, that’s great – it means we’ve captured the essence of what we intended, then given it our twist.

Launching on Kickstarter

James Gill: Let’s talk about the Kickstarter. Why are we bringing Legion of the Necromancer to Kickstarter instead of going a more traditional route?

James Isaacs: The biggest reason is the community aspect. As I got involved in various fantasy and RPG communities over the years, I noticed how passionate and engaged people are. Whether it’s fans of old gamebooks, Dungeons & Dragons players, or people who watch Critical Role, there’s this huge groundswell of enthusiasm. And importantly, these communities love being involved in the creation process. Kickstarter is perfect for that because it’s not just a store, it’s a platform where backers feel like they’re part of the project’s journey.

By using Kickstarter, we’re essentially saying: “Come join our adventure from day one.” People can pledge support and, in return, get not just the book but also perks and a behind-the-scenes look at how it comes together. We’ve been very transparent that this is our first book under our own banner, so it’s the ideal time for early supporters to hop on board and help shape things. Their feedback will continue to be super valuable.

Also, Kickstarter allows us to offer cool rewards at different pledge levels. Some examples: we plan to put every backer’s name in the book’s acknowledgements as a thank-you (so your name will literally be in print if you support us). We have higher tiers where you might get a set of art prints of my illustrations, or even an original sketch. We even talked about doing a limited number of hand-drawn bookplates or personalised messages – stuff that makes the finished package extra special for the fans. This kind of bespoke experience is only feasible with crowdfunding.

There’s also the practical side: funding. Printing a high-quality book, especially if we’re doing a fancy hardcover edition, requires an upfront investment. Kickstarter gives us the means to fund that without compromising on quality. We want to use nice paper, include lots of artwork, maybe have a foil-embossed cover on the deluxe edition – all the bells and whistles. The Kickstarter funds will go directly into making the product the best it can be (and fulfilling those rewards, of course). So it’s a combination of building a community and securing the resources to produce something awesome.

James Gill: Right. For me, it’s about ambition and quality. We didn’t want to just make a run-of-the-mill paperback and call it a day. We have ideas for really cool editions and extras. By going to Kickstarter, if enough people are as excited about this as we are, we can afford to do things like a luxury hardback edition – we’re talking a foil-stamped cover, maybe even a faux-leather “spellbook” kind of feel, ribbon bookmark, the works. I’m a sucker for beautiful books and I want Legion of the Necromancer to be something you’re proud to have on your shelf.

We’ll still have a regular paperback edition with the full game and story (and trust me, that will look great too – full-colour cover art and all). And we’ll offer a digital edition for people who prefer reading/playing on a tablet or just want a searchable reference. So there’s a range for every preference and budget.

Another big advantage of Kickstarter is the stretch goals. If we’re lucky enough to exceed our base funding goal, we can then unlock extra content or goodies for everyone. For example, maybe we could add a bonus mini-adventure in the book, or a downloadable soundtrack, or upgrade components (like thicker cardstock for the character sheet, or adding more illustrations). We have a lot of ideas and the community can even suggest what they’d like to see as stretch goals. It makes the whole campaign interactive.

And as you said, it allows people to feel involved. Backers will get updates from us, behind-the-scenes looks at the process, maybe even input on a few things. It’s a two-way street rather than just us putting a product out there.

On a personal note, we’re effectively starting our publishing imprint here – Hammerforge Chronicles (not to be confused with any RPG system; it’s just the name we chose for our banner). Legion of the Necromancer will be the first title under that imprint. We have plans for more books if this one does well. So by backing this, you’re not only getting one book, you’re helping kick off what could become a whole series of gamebooks. We’ve even got a second book draft in the works (I may have mentioned my over-caffeinated writing spree earlier… wink). It’s in a totally different setting – we haven’t announced details, but let’s just say it might venture beyond traditional fantasy. We’d love to explore other genres, whether it’s cyberpunk, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi, etc., using the gamebook format. And Kickstarter is a great proving ground for that kind of creativity. If the audience is there, we’ll run with it.

James Isaacs: We’re brimming with ideas. And we plan to listen to the community on what they want next. Maybe after this campaign, we’ll poll our backers: “What kind of adventure would you like to see in the future?” We have our passions, sure, but we’re making these books for the fans as much as for ourselves. So I’m excited to get that feedback.

I also want to mention: at higher pledge tiers, we’re doing things like signed copies and even original art. For example, we’re thinking of offering a tier where I draw a unique sketch in the front of your hardcover. That’s a one-of-a-kind thing that you can only get by being a top backer. It’s our way of saying thank you for going the extra mile.

So really, Kickstarter brings together everything we want: community involvement, funding for quality and a way to make the release an event, not just a transaction.

James Gill: If you’re reading this and you’re on the fence, one easy way to support us is to just hit the “Follow” button on our Kickstarter page. That way, you’ll get updates and you can see how we’re doing. And if you decide to pledge, you can do so at any level you’re comfortable with. Even a small pledge (even £1) helps momentum and shows there’s interest. Of course, we’d love for you to grab the book, because we think you’ll enjoy it – but we appreciate all support, big or small.

For those who do want the book, we’ve put together some bundle options. For example, there’s a tier for the paperback, a tier for the deluxe hardcover and bundles that include both (one to play, one to collect!) plus extras. We’re making sure that, regardless of the tier, you’re getting great value and something special.

And as James mentioned, this is just the start. We envision a line of Pathfinder Chronicles gamebooks. So by backing us now, you’re essentially coming along on a journey that (fingers crossed) will lead to many more adventures down the road. We’re extremely excited to build that with our backer community.

About the Creators

James Isaacs: Maybe we should share a bit about ourselves – who the heck are James and James? [Laughs] We’re not celebrities or big-name game designers, so why are we the guys to make this book? Perhaps knowing our background might be interesting to folks.

James Gill: Great idea. So, fun fact: we’ve been friends and collaborators for a long time – going on two decades. We met while working at a magazine. Back in the early 2000s, we both worked at Metal Hammer magazine in London (which, for those who don’t know, is a monthly magazine about heavy metal music). James here was the Art Director – he started in 2001 and eventually was the one designing those crazy magazine covers and layouts with rock stars and skulls and all that. I joined a few years later, around 2005, as a writer/editor. I was editing the website, writing feature articles, doing interviews with bands and even dabbling in the podcast/radio side of things.

James and James with the Metal Hammer crew, way back in the mists of time...

We bonded pretty quickly because, aside from both loving metal, we also realised we shared an interest in a lot of “geek” culture – fantasy novels, horror movies, comic books and video games. We’d go to the pub after work and end up talking about the latest Game of Thrones book or reminiscing about Fighting Fantasy games from our childhood. So the seeds of this current project were planted a long time ago, in a way!

One of the coolest things we did together back then was co-host the Metal Hammer radio show on a station called TotalRock. Neither of us had done radio presenting before, but we figured, why not? Every week, after we put the magazine to bed, we’d head to the studio and be DJs for two hours – playing metal tunes, cracking jokes and interviewing the occasional band that dropped by. It was so much fun and it taught us how well we click as a creative duo. It was like, he’s the visual guy, I’m the verbal guy, but on the radio we both had to talk, of course and it just worked seamlessly (at least we thought so!). We didn’t have a huge audience – we used to joke that maybe a dozen people were listening online – but we had a blast.

We stayed in touch even after we eventually left the magazine (media jobs, you know – people move around). But we’d often meet up at gigs or catch a movie. And inevitably, we’d be like, “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if we did xyz creative project together?” We had a lot of those hypothetical ideas over beers throughout the years. Most stayed as fun what-ifs – until now.

James Isaacs: Exactly. We’ve both had these parallel paths: I went deeper into design and illustration, working on various magazines and creative projects; you went into writing, marketing and publishing your own sci-fi stories. So between us, we kind of had all the skills needed to make a book; we just never pulled the trigger on it. But the friendship was always there and the mutual respect for each other’s work was always there.

A little anecdote: One of my earliest memories of James (Gill) at the office – I’d been at Metal Hammer a few years when he joined. I walked into the break room one day and caught him, um, rescuing a piece of carrot cake from the trash can. [Laughs] Someone had tossed nearly a whole slice of cake and he wasn’t about to let that go to waste. I was like, “Did you just take cake out of the bin?” He looked at me deadpan and said, “Who throws away good cake?!” That’s when I knew we’d get along – he was a resourceful guy with a sense of humour. (Though I did tease him about that mercilessly – like anytime there were leftovers or anything, I’d be like “Hey Gill, there’s half a sandwich here, want me to throw it in the bin for you first?”)

We also found out we both enjoy not taking things too seriously. For instance, at a fancy industry listening party for a new Nine Inch Nails album, we were supposed to be all professional, but when a track with a dancey beat came on, James started busting out this little dance in the corner. It was hilarious and awesome – he doesn’t care if it’s a room full of stoic industry folks, he’s feeling the music. That kind of spirit defined our friendship: work hard, but have fun doing it and don’t worry about looking silly.

Fast forward to now – we’re a bit older (wiser, maybe?) and that idea of “let’s do a project together” finally solidified into Legion of the Necromancer. It’s like coming full circle: two metalhead nerds who loved gamebooks now actually making one of their own.

James Gill: I love those memories. And I’m glad you told the cake story, so I didn’t have to! The short version of all this for our readers is: we’re two genuinely good friends who have complementary skill sets and we’ve been wanting to collaborate for ages. We’ve done magazines, we’ve done radio and now we’re doing a gamebook – which is a dream project for both of us. We’re pouring all our enthusiasm into it. We may not have big famous names, but we have a lot of experience entertaining people (through writing, art, design, etc.) and a lifelong passion for this genre. We hope that reassures folks that Legion of the Necromancer is in good hands.

Why Back This Project?

James Gill: To wrap up, if someone’s still wondering “Why should I back this Kickstarter?”, what would you tell them?

James Isaacs: I’d say, because you’re going to get something made with genuine love and passion. We are fans making a book for fans. This isn’t a cynical corporate product; it’s a personal project that we truly believe in. I honestly think that shows in the final work – the story, the art, the design – it all has that extra spark because we cared deeply about every detail.

If you loved gamebooks back in the day, this will scratch that itch and give you something new. If you’ve never tried a gamebook before, this is a perfect starting point because we designed it to be accessible and exciting for newcomers, too. It’s the kind of book that you can play through multiple times and have a different experience each time. There’s real replay value. Maybe you’ll take a completely different path on your second run and see tons of content you missed the first time. That’s something a normal book can’t offer.

Also, by backing, you’re not just buying a book – you’re joining us on this journey. You’ll get updates, you’ll see some behind-the-scenes stuff, you’ll essentially become part of the Legion (to borrow our title). For example, we’ve had beta readers give feedback that already made the book better. As a backer, your thoughts and support could influence things we do in future instalments. There’s a community aspect.

On a more tactile note: the rewards are going to be awesome. The paperback will be great, but that hardcover edition we’re planning could end up being a real collector’s item. Imagine having a beautifully crafted fantasy gamebook, signed by the creators, with exclusive art prints and maybe your name in the credits – that’s pretty special. I get excited just thinking of delivering that to people.

Finally, this is “Day One,” as we keep saying. By backing Legion of the Necromancer, you’re helping launch a series that could bring a lot more cool books into the world. You’re essentially a patron of the arts here – helping two creators live out a dream and share it with everyone.

James Gill: I’ll add to that from my perspective: you should back this because it’s going to be fun! At the end of the day, we’re making an entertainment product. We want you to be thrilled when you play it. We’ve packed it with tough choices, devious puzzles, fierce battles and yes – a few deadly traps (we have to stay true to tradition, there are ways to die horribly if you choose wrong!). It’s not so hard that it’s unfair, but it will challenge you. Remember the feeling of not knowing what’s around the next corner in a dungeon? We want to recreate that in the pages of this book.

One of our hardcore gamer friends tested the book and he was actively trying to “break” it – looking for exploits, overpowered combos, loopholes. And he had a blast, because he didn’t find anything game-breaking, but he did find it challenging. His reaction was, “Wow, you really made me work for that victory!” To me, that’s a sign we struck the right balance. It’s not going to be a cakewalk where you breeze through in an hour. It’s a journey and when you finally beat it, you’ll feel like you earned it.

In terms of the experience, I genuinely believe you’ll get three products in one: it’s a game (with dice and stats and victory/defeat outcomes), it’s a novel (with a rich story and world) and it’s an art book (with a ton of illustrations to feast your eyes on). The value for the price is really high considering all that.

And since James already covered the heartfelt stuff about passion and community (which I 100% echo), let me be a bit more straightforward: if projects like this aren’t supported, they won’t happen. We’re two creators without a big company behind us. Kickstarter is how we can bring this to life. So if you want to see new, original gamebooks out in the world – and maybe if you want to show publishers that hey, this genre has a demand and deserves attention – backing this project sends that message.

James Isaacs: Well said. And I want to directly thank anyone who does decide to back us. It’s not lost on us that without backers, this would just remain an idea between two friends. With backers, it becomes a reality that lots of people can enjoy. We’re ready to deliver an awesome book and hopefully many more after it.

James Gill: So, to anyone reading, we truly hope you’ll join us. We’ve set up some great rewards, we’ve got the book essentially finished and ready to print and we’re pumped to get it into your hands. Even if you just pledge for a digital copy or chip in a small amount to show support, we appreciate it. And if you go for one of the higher tiers, we’ll make sure you get your money’s worth with cool extras and our eternal gratitude.

Thank you for checking out Legion of the Necromancer. We can’t wait for you to experience this adventure for yourself and we’re excited to have you as part of the journey. Now, let’s raise this undead legion… of backers! (Sorry, I had to slip in one pun.) Cheers!