Rise of the Ancients

21/01/2024

Another planned title - which essentially will be an origins story for Rise of the Ancients:

21/01/2024

I'm hoping to complete Rise of the Ancients Book 3: Grimmour in 2024, but before that The Watcher At the Gates should appear, an adventure with a completely different character, that takes place elsewhere in the world of Umatta, during book 2. The protagonist will also appear in Book 3.

26/09/2023

18/09/2023

https://analoggamestudies.org/2023/09/studying-gamebooks-a-framework-for-analysis/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=studying-gamebooks-a-framework-for-analysis&fbclid=IwAR2-Xn3rQMgSb2d5CZhEO5SzRXsKacUpDP5TEolOyRXgUwcjMlfFM-YEH90

Marco Arnaudo Studying Gamebooks: A Framework for Analysis September 17, 2023 Marco Arnaudo The gamebook is a genre of analog interactive fiction that originated in the US and in the UK in the 1970s and expanded internationally to produce thousands of works and sell millions of copies in the 1980s a...

17/06/2023

Update: I still need to finish off The Watcher At the Gates, which is a separate character adventure that takes place between books 1 and 2, and while work is underway on book 3, I've also been working on a Rise of the Ancients origins story, a sci-fi romp, temporarily titled Trappist-1c.

09/05/2023

There will be a bit of a return to form for the Sunsmith in Bk3: Grimmour. Personality traits and vices that were somewhat suppressed in Bk2 will resurface strongly at the outset, getting our protagonist into all sorts of troublesome scrapes. It's hard work being a hero!

27/04/2023

I may have been quiet lately, but Bk 3 is in the works, I'll be chipping away at it... Viking vibes 👍

01/02/2023

I've been quiet for a little while, but rest assured - I'm pulling together ideas for Book 3: Grimmour. In the meanwhile, if you have read book 2 and feel suitably motivated to do so, please do me the kind service of leaning an Amazon review (you don't have to have bought it form Amazon, but you do need an Amazon account):

The ancient gods are awakening. Having slain the vile monster known as Bruidd, you are now drawn to the Southern Land of Ramun, by rumours that another ancient god, the fire serpent Queen - Ashpherron, might be released from her aeons long imprisonment. You must first journey to Neshara, to hire ...

11/01/2023

Had to steal this one:

19/12/2022

So, Ashpherron seems to be selling quite well and it's release has also reignited a bit of interest in Bruidd. You may well be reading either one or both over the festive period. If you do, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. It will help potential readers to know what they're investing their time and money into.

27/11/2022

With ROTA Bk 2: Ashpherron now making its way around the World... what's next? Book 3: Grimmour is in the planning stages, but I can say that it will be terrifying and gruesome. Much more likely to appear before that is The Watcher at the Gates... a different type of adventure with a different protagonist, set in the world of ROTA, and taking place at the same time as events in Bk 2. It will be a bit shorter but a lot of fun.

05/11/2022

Hi all,
Just wanted everyone to know that my new gamebook Rise of the Ancients Book 2: Ashpherron is out now.

I have 100 copies available, signed or dedicated, with a handwritten postcard, a numbered postcard, bookmark, and 4 custom dice (although I have pre-orders for around 60, so it will be first come first served). The books will be arriving with me on Tuesday.

These are £24 including p+p in the UK and £32 including p+p (or equivalent currency) for rest of the world.

If you just want the book itself, it is available on Amazon in paperback for £17.99
Amazon.co.uk - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rise-Ancients-Book2-Graham-Wilson/dp/B0B9QM986M/ref=sr_1_1?crid=MMCEG2PEBLSH&keywords=rise+ancients+ashpherron&qid=1667376592&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjA2IiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&s=books&sprefix=rise+ancients+ashpherron%2Cstripbooks%2C87&sr=1-1
Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Ancients-Book2-Graham-Wilson/dp/B0B9QM986M/ref=sr_1_1?crid=MMCEG2PEBLSH&keywords=rise+ancients+ashpherron&qid=1667376592&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjA2IiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&s=books&sprefix=rise+ancients+ashpherron%2Cstripbooks%2C87&sr=1-1
Amazon.ca - https://www.amazon.ca/Rise-Ancients-Book2-Graham-Wilson/dp/B0B9QM986M/ref=sr_1_1?crid=MMCEG2PEBLSH&keywords=rise+ancients+ashpherron&qid=1667376592&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjA2IiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&s=books&sprefix=rise+ancients+ashpherron%2Cstripbooks%2C87&sr=1-1

Or as a hyperlinked pdf file from Drive thru RPG
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/414387/Rise-of-the-Ancients-Book-2-Ashpherron

ROTA Book 1: Bruidd, if you missed it, is available here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08NWWYHP7?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

Or, as a hyperlinked pdf file, here:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/337042/Rise-of-the-Ancients-Book-1-Bruidd

Visit the Rise of the Ancients Website here - https://riseoftheancients.wixsite.com/rota
ROTA page here - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100042406463910

02/11/2022

How does ROTA Bk 2 stack up against Bk 1 - don't ask me, ask the playtesters:

31/10/2022

Hi all, I will be offering out a set of items for Rise of the Ancients Book 2: Ashpherron, comprising:
• A paperback copy of the book (694 pages – signed or dedicated)
• 4 custom Ashpherron dice
• 1 postcard with cover art and with a personalised message
• 1 postcard of Ashpherron (signed and numbered)
• 1 bookmark
This will be strictly limited to 100 sets.
The UK cost will be £24 and for the rest of the world £32.
Please let me know if you would like to reserve a set. I will be ordering the books tomorrow and I already have the other items in hand.

25/10/2022

The final proof is here... one more read through and it will be good to go

22/10/2022

The dice are here:

14/10/2022

With the release of ROTA Bk2: Ashpherron not far off now, I've been working on The Watcher at the Gates - in which you are tasked with defending the gates across a mountain pass, through the winter and against an attempted invasion. This story parallels events in Ashpherron. The weather will play a pivotal role in WATG, sometime helping, sometimes hindering. I have therefore created this simple weather wheel to help determine this:

12/10/2022

Here is the image of Ashpherron that will appear on the red marbled dice I have ordered to accompany ROTA Bk2. Courtesy of Cameron Claase:

09/10/2022

Rise of the Ancients Bk2: Ashpherron should be on it's way soon - the cover is very nearly complete and looking good. There will be 100 sets of dice, postcards and bookmark available, as soon as I can put them together. In the meantime I have been working on The Watcher At the Gates, which features events that take place at the same time as Ashpherron. It's coming along quite well - different in many ways, but starring a protagonist who will appear in ROTA Bk3: Grimmour. This book should be about 350 sections, so a bit smaller, and hopefully in time for Christmas. It's going to be action packed.

26/09/2022

ROTA Bk 2: Ashpherron follows the Hero's Journey, Bk 1: Bruidd did as well. It was never really my intention with either, and to be fair I have slightly subverted it in Bk 2. Anyway - it's a tried and tested formula, so I'm okay with that.

17/09/2022

I'm just waiting on completion of the cover art for Book 2, which is very near now. In the meantime, check out this pre-release review by Andy Redfern who gave it a play through:

The first ROTA book was one I greatly anticipated. Despite it being a debut, it was written with the craft and authority of a seasoned Author, and one who clearly knew, and loved, gamebooks. It's fair to say the story, mechanics and sheer size gave me pause for thought as to how Graham could follow it up, would book 2 be as good, or disappoint?

I'll clear the worries immediately. This is every bit as epic, well-constructed and brilliant as the debut, in some ways even better, and without doubt one of the highlights of the gamebook world in 2022.

For anyone who's not read the original (buy it), this introduces you to your character and gives a brief backstory within its opening that gives newcomers just enough to understand what’s happening without ruining anything should they dip their toes into the original story, whilst ensuring fans aren't left re-reading stuff when they'd rather get to the new. The mechanics are much the same as the first, with enough stats to feel more RPG-esq than most gamebooks but never becoming a danger to paper in how much you need to keep track! You get to keep the sword you receive in the first book, and as in that, every five victories in combat give you the chance to level up. You also possess some abilities like one that enables you to turn back time slightly, which reduces frustration but also for me, reduces the urge to cheat. All-in-all, it doesn't take long to understand, but gives a lot of scope to make your character yours, and is far deeper than the majority of gamebooks.

For full transparency, I was fortunate to playtest a downloaded version of this book, and haven't seen the physical, but from what I gather it'll be the same dimensions as the original, and I'd suggest playing it on one's lap as the first was a huge, and rather heavy, tome during long plays. What I find really interesting, is that the book feels bigger to read than it is, if that's possible. There's a Tardis-like element to its construction. At 750 numbered sections there's a lot of choice, with enough writing to bring depth to many of those, but without even feeling like a novel. The story seems to have ideal pause points where, should you die, you could restart from those rather than the beginning (and I'd recommend doing so, as it's a gamebook that will take HOURS to get through.) They're not explicitly labelled as such, but they feel like natural places in the story where I'd put a post-it note should my character snuff-it, or to return to if I wished to take a break.

Combat and encounters are frequent and thrilling. I felt the same way about the original but here's my chance to state that ROTA has one of my favourite combat mechanics in any gamebook, it's deep, rich, and rewarding, and I wish more authors would take this level of care and pride in making fights fun!

I love the fact that your main character isn't the typical hero trope. He's a bit of a rogue and has been steered into saving the world when he'd rather be spending his coin in the local Tavern. I think perhaps some female readers may struggle to connect to a male hero, and one of the things I love about say, Fighting Fantasy, is the fact that irrespective of who YOU are in life, your character is whoever you want them to be, but the hero here is such a nuanced and complex individual, who feels real, so that I honestly think anyone who isn't willing to give them a fair play is missing out.

The story continues from the original, and sees you venture away from the city to defeat another God. As with the first, you'll meet a large variety of individuals who are all extremely well written, and along with loads of choice and combat, are puzzles and even mini-games to play. It never feels shoehorned and always keeps the story flowing. There's a sense of place, of being, and the atmosphere is at times genuinely palpable. I suffer from Tinnitus which means that I struggle to read books in the quiet of night. I found myself forgetting the unfortunate sound in my head as I was so absorbed in this. It's deeper and, sometimes, darker than the average gamebook, and there are the occasional moments that younger readers may not find suitable, but then again, I'm left constantly surprised with what younger readers are doing these days. It's a more mature adventure but doesn't exclude anyone. Does that make sense?

My only real gripe, and it's not really even that, is that we don't have artwork to match the adventure. I think hand-drawn illustrations by a commissioned Artist would really boost this even further, but the artwork included does a decent job, it's divisive as some images are more modern (or just detailed) than others but they all help bring the book to life and I'm certainly not criticising their inclusion, just more of a personal observation, but don't let this dampen your need to buy what is easily one of the highlights of the gamebook year, and another essential adventure!
Thank you to Graham for giving me the chance to read and play this, I'm eternally grateful, and perhaps the biggest problem now is the agonising wait for book 3, which already has me even more excited. If each book carries on like this, it'll be a series that will earn its place in the pantheon of gamebook greats. Brilliant stuff.

21/08/2022

While it's out for play-testing, I've got myself a proof copy (temp cover) to check the formatting and do my own proof-reading. Early October targeted for release.

12/08/2022

ROTA 2: Ashpherron is now out for play-testing and proof-reading, while I lay out the internal art. You should know that a considerable effort has gone into devising unique ways of perishing for this book, so you might be pleased to learn that 53 of the 750 sections are dedicated to describing unique ways of dying, other than your standard death in combat or starvation.

01/08/2022

Finally, after a year and a half, the first draft of Rise of the Ancients Book2: Ashpherron, is complete. It has taken a lot of effort, but can now move into the proofing and play-testing phase. The cover is in development and the internal artwork is all done, so I will keep you updated as it progresses. In terms of word count, it is very close to Book 1.