Tabi or not tabi

This is one of Bob Harvey's original pictures for the classic '80s ninja action gamebook series Way of the Tiger. All of Bob's pictures are being repainted in full colour by Megara Entertainment's team of talented artists, ensuring that the new hardcover copies of the books currently being offered on Kickstarter should be truly gorgeous collector's editions.

I'm just going to take this opportunity to explain a little about why Fabled Lands LLP has licensed to Megara the right to run this Kickstarter. We know that Megara will do a fantastic job of editing the books, commissioning new full-color artwork, and producing fine hardcover editions that diehard collectors will cherish forever. There's a win-win in this deal, because Fabled Lands LLP then gets to use the edited text and the artwork to publish our own paperback versions of the books next year. Collectors will want the limited edition hardcovers, and that's what the Kickstarter is for, but a successful campaign now (as it is shaping up to be) is also an enabler for the series to continue.

I think that's worth mentioning because some Kickstarter comments have fulminated about Fabled Lands LLP "limiting" the Kickstarter. Well, OK, that's the problem with the internet. Nobody even takes a deep breath and counts to ten, much less actually troubling to find out the facts of a case. But just so you know: Fabled Lands LLP are not putting limits on the Kickstarter. FL controls the print, ebook and app publishing rights and, thanks to this deal with Megara, will be able to release paperback and app editions of WOTT books 1-6 next year. The paperbacks will likely be around the same price as the Critical IF books. So if you can't afford the hardback edition: don't get mad. Just hang in there. I had to wait five years for the end of Breaking Bad, you know.

(Fabled Lands LLP doesn't have the publishing rights to the prequel or books 7 onwards, though, so if you want those I guess you're going to have to take a hammer to the piggy bank.)

The WOTT campaign only runs until the end of this month, then it'll vanish like a ninja in a cornfield. Or indeed a ninja anywhere, I guess, since that's pretty much the job description. If you're still on the fence, then (a) I hope it's more comfortable than the fence in the picture and (b) you ought to take a look at Megara's site, as I'm sure the goodies on show will convince you to pledge a few mon.

Incidentally, the authors (Mark Smith and Jamie Thomson) have been trying for quite some time to get in touch with Bob Harvey, but he too has vanished without trace. If you know where he is, please ask him to email Jamie at the address in the sidebar. Arigatou gozaimasu.