The Wicked Wizard of Oz ends one week today!

At 1.00pm GMT one week from today, The Wicked Wizard of Oz reaches the end of its run, on Monday 3rd Oztober.

Will it fund? Who knows. What I do know is that currently over £200 needs to be pledged every day until the end of the Kickstarter's run otherwise it most definitely won't happen.

So if you think a grimdark gamebook inspired by L. Frank Baum's children's classic could be your thing, or if you know of someone else you would enjoy it, then check out the Kickstarter project page and spread the word!

Thank you.

Happy Birthday, Mr Wells!

Today marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of the British Father of Science Fiction, Herbert George Wells. Wells is, of course, most well known, in the modern era, for his novels The Time Machine (1895) and The War of the Worlds (1898).

Wells' original stories have been adapted time and time again, and have inspired countless other tales, including my own. I have an idea for a spin-off from The War of the Worlds that I would like to start work on in the next year or two, but The Time Machine has already massively influenced an already published work of mine - or should I say works?

What started off as a fun idea for a one-off short story expanding the world of Pax Britannia, back in 2008, ended up becoming the core element of trio of Ulysses Quicksilver novels - Dark Side (2010), Anno Frankenstein (2011) and Time's Arrow (2012). I hadn't realised just how much The Time Machine had influenced Anno Frakenstein in particular until I re-watched the 2002 movie version recently, as I introduced it to my children for the first time.

My Wellsian celebrations will continue today with Jeff Wayne's musical version of The War of the Worlds on today's playlist, and possibly a viewing of the 2005 movie adaptation later this evening.

If you happen to be the Woking area today, watch the skies!

The Wicked Wizard of Oz is halfway there!

The Wicked Wizard of Oz has been running for 5 days now and is 53% funded on Kickstarter.

If you know of anyone who might enjoy a choose your path-style adventure gamebook inspired by The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with dieselpunk stylings, let them know about it, because Kickstarters only succeed when people help to spread the word.

Here endeth today's lesson. Thank you.

The Wicked Wizard of Oz is now live on Kickstarter!

The Wicked Wizard of Oz Kickstarter is now live on Kickstarter!



The Wicked Wizard of Oz is a nightmarish solo-RPG gamebook inspired by The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, but with a dark Dieselpunk twist. The book is written by Jonathan Green and illustrated by Kev Crossley, the team behind Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland.

 

Play as Dorothy...

The Scarecrow... 

The Tin Woodman...

And the Lion...

Or even play as the Wicked Witch of the West herself!

So check out the rewards, tell all your friends about the project, and pledge your support today.

The Wicked Wizard of Oz

At 1.00pm tomorrow (Saturday 3rd September) The Wicked Wizard of Oz launches on Kickstarter.

There are a number of rewards that are limited in number, which offer gamebook fans some rather special opportunities.

Steampunk goes Dieselpunk!

In two days' time, THE WICKED WIZARD OF OZ launches on Kickstarter.

In THE WICKED WIZARD OF OZ you step into Dorothy’s silver shoes and become the hero of the story, taking on the role of either Dorothy Gale herself, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, or the Lion. You decide which path to take, which risks to brave, and even which of the strange inhabitants of Oz, you will meet along the way, to engage in battle.

Success is by no means certain and you may well fail to complete the adventure at your first attempt. However, with experience, skill, and maybe even a little luck, each new attempt should bring you closer to your ultimate goal.

THE WICKED WIZARD OF OZ will be illustrated by Kev Crossley, a very talented artist already known to fans of ALICE'S NIGHTMARE IN WONDERLAND, who is moving away from Alice's Steampunk aesthetic to more of a Dieselpunk look for this book.

Dorothy Gale reimagined by Kev Crossley

Kev's character designs and penmanship are remarkable, and we are very lucky - and thrilled! - to have him joining us on our journey to the Marvellous Land of Oz! Just check out these sketches for the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, and the Lion.

In addition, the first 20 people who pledge to receive a physical copy of the THE WICKED WIZARD OF OZ at the DOROTHY reward level or above (so not including the WIZARD orSCRAPS level rewards, unless they are selected as add-ons) will receive a pair of Emerald City-style, green-tinted, Dieselpunk goggles!

They're what everyone's wearing in the Emerald City these days!

So put 1.00pm on Saturday 3rd September in your diary, and maybe I'll see you, somewhere over the rainbow...