Secret Passages #4: An Old School RPG and Oldhammer Magazine

Rediscover releases you might have overlooked, gain a deeper appreciation for your go-to games, and read the real story of the hobby from the crusty old grognards who were actually there. 

Nostalgia guaranteed.

Secret Passages is a 72-page zine packed with all-new interviews, essays, and illustrations from some of the best writers and artists in the scene. Inside the mutagen-powered fourth issue, you’ll find Warhammer 40,000’s first foray into live-action, the origin of SLA Industries, Dungeons & Dragons’ first campaign setting, Britain’s 1980s paperback RPG boom, a long-overdue reappraisal of Gorkamorka, and so much more. 

We're also paying tribute to the late, great John Blanche with a standalone zine packed with new articles, artwork, and essays covering his contributions to the worlds of Fighting Fantasy and Games Workshop, and featuring a foreword from the incomparable Ian Miller.

Tell It to the Judge
Words by James Hoare | Art by Dharu Ghazi

In 1974, Dungeons & Dragons conjured a whole new hobby out of thin air. Two years later, Judges Guild turned it on its head. Co-founder Bill Owen recalls the creative genius of Bob Bledsaw and the birth of D&D’s first published campaign setting.

Words by David Chilvers | Art by Andrew Meijers

Under pressure to deliver a big box blockbuster for Christmas 1998, Games Workshop rushed out the ill-fated Gorkamorka, an anarchic game of greenskinned road rage for scratchbuild speedfreaks. Is it time to give it another chance?

Words by James Hoare | Art by Dark Wizard

Was the live-action Warhammer 40,000 footage screened at Games Day ‘94 a Hollywood pitch, the cut scenes for a cursed first-person shooter, or a promotional stunt for the embryonic Black Library? Maybe all three…

Words by Julian Callan | Art by Lukasz Kowalzcuk

Ireland’s venerable Prince August are not only keeping the faith when it comes to lead casting, but have been bringing The Lord of the Rings to the gaming table since 1988. Like Durin’s Folk, they punch well above their weight.

Och ‘n’ Load
Words by James Hoare | Art by Setia Adhi

With its surreal setting, brooding art, and more than a hint of 2000 AD’s biting satire, SLA Industries is a true cult classic. Nightfall Games co-founder Jared Earl takes us back to 1993 to reveal how the dystopian world of Mort could only have been born in a Glasgow tenement.

The Tomes They Were A-Changin’
Words by James Wallis | Art by NerdGore

The success of Fighting Fantasy in the 1980s spawned an unexpected cottage industry in paperback RPGs, bringing the hobby to the high street at pocket-money prices. It was a short-lived phenomenon, but one with outsized influence on the British scene.

The Italian Job
Words by Ciro Alessandro Sacco | Art by Tom Chippendale

While Dungeons & Dragons hit the Anglosphere like a meteor, Europe lagged behind. Until the arrival of International Team. This Italian outlier blended business innovation, tabletop design ambition, and the sheer cool of the European comics scene.

Words by Benjamin Berget | Art by Huargo

Huargo is one of an elite group of artists entrusted with embellishing classic gamebooks with their own defiantly old-school illustrations, starting with J.H. Brennan’s GrailQuest and continuing with Steve Jackson’s Sorcery! He explains why following in the footsteps of the late John Blanche brings everything full circle.

The main event is, of course, the zine itself: a papery bundle of surprise and wonderment coming from a place of love. We love print but recognise that cost, clutter, and convenience are all factors, so a digital copy is also available.

Grind our hit points down to 0, and we’ll also drop the following items:

A Tribute to John Blanche

This standalone 40+ page A5 zine celebrates the life and legacy of the legendary John Blanche. Inside you’ll find articles and artwork on his contributions to Fighting Fantasy and Games Workshop, real-world influences that defined grimdark, and some of the beautifully baroque miniatures from his collection.

Four Issue Subscription

Available in print or PDF form. You’ll receive Secret Passages #4 plus the next three issues when they become available.

Limited Edition Art Bundle

You’ll receive two A5 square prints on 300 gsm 100% recycled and sustainably sourced paper by two incredible artists, plus a set of six shiny holographic stickers inspired by Warhammer 40,000 and illustrated by Dark Wizard.

The first print is Dark Wizard’s Terminator taking on the Tyranids, and the second is Lukas Kowalczuk’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Clan Eshin cover art.

I subscribed during an earlier Kickstarter. What do I do here?

You don’t have to do anything other than spread the word. Your copy of #4 is already guaranteed. 

If you’d like to receive the art bundle and/or A Tribute to John Blanche, we have a secret link that lets you back the Kickstarter for only those specific rewards. We've shared this via our newsletter, as well as updates on the previous Kickstarter, but if you missed those, just shoot us a message.

I missed Secret Passages #1, #2, and/or #3. Can I still get them? 

Don’t worry, we‘ve made the first three issues available as add-ons.

I'm a retailer or distro, and I’d like to stock Secret Passages #4. Can I?

You can! We‘ll tailor the wholesale price to the amount of stock you want to take and your location to make sure you get a price that works for you. Message us to discuss, and we’ll create a custom reward for you.

Where else can I find Secret Passages?

For updates on the progress of this and future issues, you can follow us on Instagram, Kofi, and BlueSky, or sign up for our email newsletter. 

Can I write or draw for a future issue?

Yes please! Please email us at secretpassagesrpgzine@gmail.com. All published articles and artwork are paid, as they should be.

What is the timeline for fulfilment?

We hope to have fulfilment wrapped by Christmas 2022

How does shipping work?

Shipping will be added when your pledge is collected. It’ll be £2-3 for the UK and £7-9 for everywhere else. I estimate shipping to the Republic of Ireland will be £10-£15, including import charges. 

If you subscribe, you pay a flat £8 for the UK and £20 for everywhere else, and save a bucket in the long run. 

Digital copies will be fulfilled via DriveThruRPG.

Unfortunately, we cannot fulfil physical rewards to the remainder of the EU at this time. We hope this changes in future campaigns.