The Warlock of Firetop Mountain Challenge

Gameblast24

This will be the 9th time I've participated in Gameblast. You can read about my previous events here.

This year GameBlast24 takes place over the weekend of 23rd-25th February 2024.

SpecialEffect are a UK-based charity who use video games and technology to enhance the quality of life of people with physical disabilities. From modified gaming controllers to eye-control systems, every system we provide is personalised. Sometimes that might mean adding voice control or a chin joystick. Or we might get the drill and soldering iron out to adapt the button positions on an existing controller!
You can read more about Special Effect here.

What is GameBlast?

GameBlast is the UK’s biggest annual charity gaming marathon weekend in aid of SpecialEffect. It’s the perfect way to help change the lives of disabled gamers and have a blast at the same time! Many of you will take on a gaming marathon, but if speed runs, table top games, or virtual pub quizzes are your thing, then welcome aboard! We use your GameBlast donations to help gamers with physical disabilities by finding out what they want to play, exactly what they need to play it, and then making that a reality.

GameBlast wants you!
GameBlast is open to anyone who wants participate.

GameBlast participants typically challenge themselves to complete some gaming objective over a 24 hour period and ideally this is streamed.
This doesn't have to be a single 24 hour event, it can be broken up in any way you see fit.
Challenges do not need to be related to video games, Any kind of game will do. In fact anything you do raise money will do.
If gaming isn't your thing, feel free to do anything you want to raise money.

Find out about GameBlast here.

The Challenge

'Armed with two dice, a pencil and a eraser, you can set off on a perilous quest to find the Warlock's Treasure.'

So was the introductory blurb to the first Fighting Fantasy book and the beginnings of a series that would produce over fifty books as well as countless related games across multiple media.

Originally, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain was a 400 paragraph choose your own adventure style gamebook, over the years it has been translated into numerous computer and video games, board games and even into a table top RPG a couple of times.

Armed with two dice...

Off to a good start.

Starship Traveller was the first FF book I played.

Recently (OK - about 10 years ago!) Arion Games published a 2nd edition of Advanced Fighting Fantasy, the TTRPG that, years ago was inspired by the gamebooks. Later a TTRPG version of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain was also published.

And that's the challenge: Will the players be able to complete the TTRPG version of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain in 24 hours?
We'll just have to wait and see!

The entire event will be streamed over 2 12-hour sessions on Twitch.
Session 1 will be 1000-2200 on Saturday 24th February 2023.
Session 2 will be 1000-2200 on Sunday 25th February 2023.

You'll be able to watch on my Twitch Stream.

Donations

If you want to donate, it can be done through my Just Giving page.

1st March 2024

The final update for GameBlast24.

At the time of writing, The team has raised £1,050 and GameBlast24 has in total raised a total of £160,000.

Our heroes, 'Tinkerton Bumbleburke', 'Gwen', 'Antonidas 'The Magician Extraordinaire'' and 'Berta' made it through to the start of Act Three of 'The Warlock of Firetop Mountain'. That Act Two was a big one!

Thanks for Tim and Charlotte for hosting and also thanks to Jack and Tom for playing.
If you watched any part of the stream; I hope you enjoyed it.
If you made a donation; thank you very much.

Here are links to videos of the weekend's streams.

Below is the gallery of photos I took during GameBlast24.