Marc Gascoigne
Encyclopedia
Marc Gascoigne is a British author and editor.
He is the editor, author or co-author of more than fifty books and gaming related titles, notably various Fighting Fantasy
gamebooks, Shadowrun
novels and adventures, Earthdawn
novels and adventures, the original Games Workshop
Judge Dredd roleplaying game
, and material for Paranoia
, Call of Cthulhu
and many others listed below.
, and created the background for Dark Future
, ported onto the car-based boardgame after the cancellation of an original cyberpunk
-themed roleplaying game.
Although he worked on the popular children's series Fighting Fantasy as an editor, he only ever published one gamebook as author which was called Battleblade Warrior. It was number 31 of 59 in the original series and was released in early 1988.
After ten years as a freelance editor, including time on Puffin's Fighting Fantasy
gamebook series, he returned to the Nottingham-based company in 1997 to help establish the Black Library
fiction imprint. Starting as editor he became publisher and overall manager of the BL Publishing
family of imprints, that during a time also included Black Industries
and Solaris Books
.
He left this post at the end of March 2008 when Games Workshop downsized its staff. It was announced on 11th Sept 2008 that he had joined HarperCollins
to create a new science fiction & fantasy imprint to be called Angry Robot.
Angry Robot was acquired by Osprey Publishing
in September 2010. In October 2011, Gascoigne won the World Fantasy Special Award (Professional) for Angry Robot, presented at the World Fantasy Convention in San Diego, California.
He is the editor, author or co-author of more than fifty books and gaming related titles, notably various Fighting Fantasy
Fighting Fantasy
Fighting Fantasy is a series of single-player fantasy roleplay gamebooks created by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. The first volumes in the series were published by Puffin in 1982, with the rights to the franchise eventually being purchased by Wizard Books in 2002...
gamebooks, Shadowrun
Shadowrun
Shadowrun is a role-playing game set in a near-future fictional universe in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy and crime, with occasional elements of conspiracy fiction, horror, and detective fiction.The original game has spawned...
novels and adventures, Earthdawn
Earthdawn
Earthdawn is a fantasy role-playing game, originally produced by FASA in 1993. In 1999 it was licensed to Living Room Games, which produced the Second Edition...
novels and adventures, the original Games Workshop
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
Judge Dredd roleplaying game
Judge Dredd (role-playing game)
Judge Dredd has been the inspiration for two role-playing game systems. These games are based on the fictional world of the Judge Dredd series from the British comic 2000AD. The first was published under license by Games Workshop in the 1980s and used a rules system created specifically for the...
, and material for Paranoia
Paranoia
Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
, Call of Cthulhu
Call of Cthulhu (role-playing game)
Call of Cthulhu is a horror fiction role-playing game based on H. P. Lovecraft's story of the same name and the associated Cthulhu Mythos.The game, often abbreviated as CoC, is published by Chaosium.-Setting:...
and many others listed below.
Biography
Gascoigne was the developer or editor of several of GW's classic boardgames in the mid-1980s, including the first two editions of Blood BowlBlood Bowl
Blood Bowl is a Fantasy Football game created by Jervis Johnson for the British games company Games Workshop as a parody of American Football. The game was first released in 1987 and has been re-released in new editions since...
, and created the background for Dark Future
Dark Future
Dark Future is a 1988 miniature wargame by Games Workshop. It is set in an alternate reality where the United States—and indeed the rest of the world—is falling apart. Society is going to ruins, and the natural laws of physics are breaking down...
, ported onto the car-based boardgame after the cancellation of an original cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
-themed roleplaying game.
Although he worked on the popular children's series Fighting Fantasy as an editor, he only ever published one gamebook as author which was called Battleblade Warrior. It was number 31 of 59 in the original series and was released in early 1988.
After ten years as a freelance editor, including time on Puffin's Fighting Fantasy
Fighting Fantasy
Fighting Fantasy is a series of single-player fantasy roleplay gamebooks created by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. The first volumes in the series were published by Puffin in 1982, with the rights to the franchise eventually being purchased by Wizard Books in 2002...
gamebook series, he returned to the Nottingham-based company in 1997 to help establish the Black Library
Black Library
The Black Library is a division of Games Workshop which is devoted to publishing novels and audiobooks set in the Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes...
fiction imprint. Starting as editor he became publisher and overall manager of the BL Publishing
BL Publishing
BL Publishing is a division of Games Workshop, and is split into three sections:* The Black Library publishes novels, art books, background books and graphic novels set in the Warhammer Fantasy world and the Warhammer 40,000 universe....
family of imprints, that during a time also included Black Industries
Black Industries
Black Industries was the role-playing game imprint of BL Publishing, the publishing arm of Games Workshop. It was announced on January 28, 2008 that it would cease operations after its products currently scheduled for release are published....
and Solaris Books
Solaris Books
Solaris Books is an imprint which focuses on publishing science fiction, fantasy and dark fantasy novels and anthologies. The range includes titles by both established and new authors...
.
He left this post at the end of March 2008 when Games Workshop downsized its staff. It was announced on 11th Sept 2008 that he had joined HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
to create a new science fiction & fantasy imprint to be called Angry Robot.
Angry Robot was acquired by Osprey Publishing
Osprey Publishing
Osprey Publishing is an Oxford-based publishing company specializing in military history. Predominantly an illustrated publisher, many of their books contain full-colour artwork plates, maps and photographs, and the company produces over a dozen ongoing series, each focusing on a specific aspect of...
in September 2010. In October 2011, Gascoigne won the World Fantasy Special Award (Professional) for Angry Robot, presented at the World Fantasy Convention in San Diego, California.
Fighting Fantasy
- Out of the Pit (PuffinPuffin BooksPuffin Books is the children's imprint of British publishers Penguin Books. Since the 1960s it has been the largest publisher of children's books in the UK and much of the English-speaking world.-Early history:...
1985, monster book, author but credited as editor) - Titan: the Fighting Fantasy World (Puffin 1986, world guide, author but credited as editor)
- #31: Battleblade Warrior (Puffin 1988, gamebook)
- Advanced Fighting Fantasy: Dungeoneer (Puffin 1989, rpg rules, with Pete Tamlyn)
- Advanced Fighting Fantasy: Blacksand! (Puffin 1990, rpg rules, with Pete Tamlyn)
- Demonstealer (Puffin 1991, novel)
- The Fighting Fantasy 10th Anniversary Yearbook (Puffin 1992, compiler)
- Shadowmaster (Puffin 1992, novel, with Ian LivingstoneIan LivingstoneIan Livingstone OBE is an English fantasy author and entrepreneur. He is a co-writer of the first Fighting Fantasy gamebook, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, and co-founder of Games Workshop....
) - Advanced Fighting Fantasy: Allansia (Puffin 1994, rpg rules, with Pete Tamlyn)
Shadowrun
- #8: Streets of Blood (Roc 1993, with Carl SargentCarl SargentCarl L. Sargent is a British author of several roleplaying game-based products and novels.-Early career:...
) - #14: Nosferatu (Roc 1994, with Carl Sargent)
- #20: Black Madonna (Roc 1996, with Carl Sargent)
Warhammer 40,000
- Into the Maelstrom (Black Library 1999, editor, with Andy Jones)
- Dark Imperium (Black Library 2001, editor, with Andy Jones)
- Eternal War (Black Library 2001, graphic novel, editor, with Christian Dunn)
- Status: Deadzone (Black Library 2000, editor, with Andy Jones)
- Words of Blood (Black Library 2002, editor, with Christian Dunn)
- Crucible of War (Black Library 2003, editor, with Christian Dunn)
- Eternal Damnation (Black Library 2003, graphic novel, editor, with Christian Dunn)
- What Price Victory (Black Library 2004, editor, with Christian Dunn)
- Bringers of Death (Black Library 2005, editor, with Christian Dunn)
- Flames of War (Black Library 2005, graphic novel, editor, with Christian Dunn)
- Let the Galaxy Burn (Black Library 2006, editor, with Christian Dunn)
- The Art of Warhammer 40,000 (Black Library 2006, compiler, with Matt Ralphs)
- Tales of the Dark Millennium (Black Library 2006, editor, with Christian Dunn)
Warhammer
- Realm of Chaos (Black Library 2000, editor, with Andy Jones)
- Lords of Valour (Black Library 2001, editor, with Andy Jones)
- Way of the Dead (Black Library 2003, editor, with Christian Dunn)
- Swords of the Empire (Black Library 2004, editor, with Christian Dunn)
- The Call of Chaos (Black Library 2004, graphic novel, editor, with Christian Dunn)
- The Cold Hand of Betrayal (Black Library 2006, editor, with Christian Dunn)
- Tales of the Old World (Black Library 2007, editor, with Christian Dunn)
- The Art of Warhammer (Black Library 2007, compiler, with Nick Kyme)
- Invasion! (Black Library 2007, editor, with Christian Dunn)
Other fiction
- Sonic the Hedgehog novels (with Carl SargentCarl SargentCarl L. Sargent is a British author of several roleplaying game-based products and novels.-Early career:...
& James WallisJames WallisJames Wallis may refer to:*James Wallis , writer, games designer and publisher*James Wallis , New Zealand politician*Jim Wallis, Christian writer and activist*Jimmy Wallis, English field hockey player...
, as “Martin Adams”):- Sonic in the Fourth Dimension (VirginVirgin BooksVirgin Books is a United Kingdom book publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Enterprises, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company.-History:...
1993) - Robotnik’s Laboratory (Virgin 1993)
- Sonic & the Silicon Warriors (Virgin 1993)
- Castle Robotnik (Virgin 1994)
- Sonic in the Fourth Dimension (Virgin
- Sonic the Hedgehog gamebooks (with Jonathan GreenJonathan GreenJonathan Green can refer to:*Jonathan Green , freelance writer of fantasy and science fiction*Jonathan Green , journalist and author*Jonathan Green , , naval surgeon, dermatologist...
):- #5: Theme Park Panic (Puffin 1995)
- #6: Stormin’ Sonic (Puffin 1996)
- Others
- Ren & Stimpy’s Happy Happy! Joy Joy! Book (Puffin 1994, with James Wallis)
- The Bill: Killjoys (Puffin 1997)
- The Bill: Never Too Young (Puffin 1997)
Roleplaying games
- Judge DreddJudge DreddJudge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
Roleplaying Game- The Judge Dredd Roleplaying Game (Games Workshop 1985, with Rick Priestley)
- The Judge Dredd RPG Companion (Games Workshop 1987, compiler)
- ShadowrunShadowrunShadowrun is a role-playing game set in a near-future fictional universe in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy and crime, with occasional elements of conspiracy fiction, horror, and detective fiction.The original game has spawned...
- London and Great Britain (Fasa 1991, Shadowrun sourcebook, with Carl Sargent)
- Tir na nÓg (Fasa 1993, Shadowrun sourcebook, with Carl Sargent)
- Celtic Double Cross (Fasa 1993, Shadowrun adventure, with Carl Sargent)
- Prime Runners (Fasa 1994, Shadowrun sourcebook, with Carl Sargent)
- EarthdawnEarthdawnEarthdawn is a fantasy role-playing game, originally produced by FASA in 1993. In 1999 it was licensed to Living Room Games, which produced the Second Edition...
- Skypoint & Vivane (Fasa 1995, Earthdawn sourcebook, with Carl Sargent)
As contributor
- Blood BowlBlood BowlBlood Bowl is a Fantasy Football game created by Jervis Johnson for the British games company Games Workshop as a parody of American Football. The game was first released in 1987 and has been re-released in new editions since...
1st & 2nd editions (Games Workshop 1986 &1988) - Blood Bowl: Death Zone (Games Workshop 1987)
- Blood Bowl: Star Players (Games Workshop 1989
- Chainsaw Warrior (Games Workshop 1986)
- The Crash Course Manual (West End 1989, ParanoiaParanoiaParanoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
sourcebook) - Green & Pleasant Land (Games Workshop 1987, Call of CthulhuCall of Cthulhu (role-playing game)Call of Cthulhu is a horror fiction role-playing game based on H. P. Lovecraft's story of the same name and the associated Cthulhu Mythos.The game, often abbreviated as CoC, is published by Chaosium.-Setting:...
UK sourcebook) - Hobby Games: The 100 Best (Green Ronin 2007)
- Family Games: The 100 Best (Green Ronin 2010)
Non-fiction
- Pog Off! (Puffin 1995)
- You Can Surf the Net (Puffin 1996, revised US edition 1997)
- The UFO Investigator’s Handbook (Puffin 1996)
- The Ghost Investigator’s Handbook (Puffin 1997)
- The Dinosaur Investigator’s Handbook (Puffin 1997)
Magazines
- DragonLords (1980–present, rpg fanzine, with Ian MarshIan MarshIan Marsh is a British writer and editor. He graduated in 1983 from the University of Surrey, Guildford, with an honours degree in Materials Technology ....
& Mike Lewis) - White DwarfWhite dwarfA white dwarf, also called a degenerate dwarf, is a small star composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. They are very dense; a white dwarf's mass is comparable to that of the Sun and its volume is comparable to that of the Earth. Its faint luminosity comes from the emission of stored...
(1984–1987, various editorial roles) - WarlockWarlock (magazine)Warlock was a British magazine published by Penguin Books and game manufacturer Games Workshop between 1983 and 1986. The primary focus of the magazine was fantasy, with emphasis on the Fighting Fantasy adventure gamebook series.-Publication history:...
(1985–1986, contributor then editor) - Inferno! (1997–2005, assistant editor/designer, then editor, then publisher)
- Warhammer Monthly/Warhammer Comic (1998–2004, as Inferno!)