Journeys Through Magnamund

Closing your eyes, you cast your mind into the infinite possibility of what ifs. A swirl of faces swims in your mind, some famliar, some new. Making sense of it all proves difficult, showing that retelling the story already told is no easy feat. One thing remains certain: in all versions there was but a small beacon of hope and the threat of eternal darkness if that light went out. For the dark do...

You come to the top of the rise and settle your back against a bare pine. The lands you came from are shrouded in mist yet a map exists in your heart of the journey you have taken so far, the twenty or so milestones you have passed to make it here, not to mention the many side quests. As you reflect, new thoughts come to you, dark secrets of the Pentad. The mists grow cold. You shiver, and summon...

It took 20 adventures and just as many dead Darklords to finally make Naar curse. August and Jonathan do not deliberate on what the swear word was, instead choosing to use this episode to delve into greater mysteries of the universe. For the first time, we go into details about the Planes of Light, unveil how Naar got a hold of the Moonstone, and reveal what Naar's equivalent to the Sommerswer...

Cast your mind back to a time when gamebooks and Lone Wolf were selling in the millions of copies. In this time, Hugo award winner John Grant/Paul Barnett was given the task of turning the Lone Wolf franchise into a novelized series. What emerged from this was an entirely new take on the Lone Wolf experience, both diversive and innovative. Today, August, Jonathan, and Shane dive into the first boo...

The penultimate book in the series, Light of the Kai, is due out this spring. And so the podcast welcomes for the first time Ben Devere and Vincent Lazarri, co-authors of books 29-32, to discuss this finale, the writing of it, and what fans can expect. Consider this a preview of Book 32! For those who want to limit spoilers, we broke the conversation down into three sections, each with an increasi...

August and Jonathan's final words about Rockstarn contain spoilers for characters and events that occur in the latter half of the video game, while providing answers that a sequel never got to. But these are not just our last words -- Joe Dever's voice ends this game, and while it isn't the final tale that he got to tell in Magnamund, this was his final narration.

With a total of four Acts, each broken into multiple chapters, the Lone Wolf video game has too much to offer to cover in a single episode. In August and Jonathan's follow up episode, you will explore what makes Drakkarim swole, learn about the Kai fighting style, dive deeper into Shianti machinations, discover what Pure Bronin is (and why you shouldn't make a mace out of it like Jonathan...

In 2013, Joe Dever realized his dream of turning Lone Wolf into an epic video game experience. Far from the primitive trappings of earlier attempts, Blood on the Snow would incorporate the latest gaming innovations of its time and full 3D models to present Magnamund as never before. For this adventure, new lore would be written, lore which today Jonathan and August explore. Find out all about the...

The episode you didn't know you needed and a topic that stretches across the entire history of Lone Wolf, starting back in 1984 as a co-release with the very first books in the series. From the ZX Spectrum to the Nintendo Switch, August and Jonathan trace the eclectic and often tumultuous history of Lone Wolf video games. Learn what ended Hutchinson Games, discover what parts of Mirror of Deat...

We asked you if there was anything you wanted to know that you felt had been missed in the podcast so far. And you said... yes! And then sent us more than a hundred questions. In this episode, August and Jonathan tackle as many as they can, breaking them down into the categories of Joe Lore, Kai Lord Lore, Other Lore, Gamebook writing, and extras that don't fit anywhere else. Learn what system...

Hungry for more Journeys Through Magnamund? Hungry like... the wolf? Setting aside 80's pop references, August and Jonathan tackle one of Lone Wolf's stranger adventures, a chase across an alien world for a shape-shifting foe, culminating in one of the biggest reveals of the original series. Such an odd adventure comes with lots of lore. Learn who Naar likes better, the Manoyd or the Drakk...

Dragons sneak their way into many a fantasy world and Magnamund is no different. Though the final dragon saw its final sunrise many ages ago, an army of them now marches towards the Kai Monastery. And yet, August and Jonathan seem to talk about everything except Dragons, with the discussion leading them instead to examine equine abuse, fallen princelings, promotions of Sommlending captains, and a...

A newly illustrated map of Northern Magnamund, one hundred and fifty illustrations on cards, two hundred and fifteen miniatures, and a war where you decide who wins: the Freeland Alliance or the Darklords. These are the components that make up VENGEANCE OF THE KAI, the first board game that will be released by Holmgard Press' new game division. Even if you are not traditionally a board gamer,...

Don your wizard's robes and grab your potions for this episode where Jonathan and August dive into the magic of Magnamund, taking seventeen different forms of magic practiced in Magnamund and comparing them to see which is the most powerful. Along the way, learn lore about each type of magic as well as how magic in general works within Magnamund. Secrets are shared and questions are answered:...

Many associate Lone Wolf with Gary Chalk's iconic art, as it was this art that launched the series and provided the lens through which we discovered Magnamund for the first time. Just as incredible, however, is the art of Brian Williams, who portrayed Magnamund for over ten years, from books 9 through 28. Today August and Jonathan honor Williams by examining the incredible evolution of his art as...

Joe Devere created a world so malleable it has rarely seen an equal in fantasy. Today discover three brand new stories exploring genres that have never been explored before in the world of Lone Wolf and yet which feel right at home among its other epic tales. Newcomer to Lone Wolf, author Harley Truslove (they/them), shares The Forge of Shadows, set in the realm of Steam Punk and told from the per...

What's that you hear? Is it the drumbeat of approaching doom or the bitter groan of ice cracking? You'll find both within the foreboding wastes of Ixia, for here lies the Deathlord, an enigmatic figure in the history of Magnamund. Never fear: Jonathan and August come to tear back the veil on long-kept secrets! Learn the never-before-known origins of the Deathlord, find out who the Ixians were, and...

Come and put on your growliest voice and follow Jonathan, August, and Oscar deep into the bowels of the Oubliette, a hitherto unexplored and unsurvived area of Castle Death. with Oscar setting the scene and August guiding the action, it is up to Jonathan to make the right choices to escape. Will he be able to make it out with his heart still beating, or will his blood quench the thirst of a wander...

Joe once said that Magnamund would go on as long as stories were being told in it. Today, we prove his legacy lives on with ten more stories from fans, collected in the wonderful second volume of the Anthology! Shane Walsh Smith (editor of the anthology) joins August and Jonathan to discuss these works and believe us -- they dive into some lore that fans have long awaited! These stories tease answ...

A fan requested episode! You asked for it and so we made it happen -- an episode featuring current Lone Wolf illustrator, Richard "Nerdgore" Sampson! Rich joins August and Jonathan for a dive into how Rich got started with Lone Wolf, his approach to the artwork, and some of what makes Magnamund exciting to visualize.

In the legacy of Lone Wolf is there any legacy as vast as Vashna's? Join Jonathan and August for one of their favorite books in the entire series, which they tackle with glee! Among other things, hear the origins of demons, discover what character was one of Joe's favorites, be taught some Magnamund curse words by August, and finally learn whether Shamath's riddle was a cruel joke all along!

Don't be afraid of the Darke: August and Jonathan will be the Capt. Prarg to your Lone Wolf and lead you through the complicated lore which forms the backdrop of this Grandmaster adventure! Even more so than any episode prior, history is important to the Darke Crusade and so we dive into the origins of the Drakkarim, the Lencian army who has long fought them, and the Doomstones of Agarash!

Why, you might ask, is a special unexpected episode being released out of our normal schedule? Well, over one hundred submissions were received when Holmgard Press put out the call for a short story anthology. Now, anthology editor and curator Shane Walsh-Smith once again joins August and Jonathan on the podcast, to share insight into the anthology process and give teasers about all of the stories...

August and Jonathan are extremely excited to be able to do an episode focused on two major players in the Lone Wolf saga: Kai Lord Autumn Snow and her creator, Martin Charbonneau. Today in this early release episode, learn the story of how what started as fan fiction became Lone Wolf legend and was labeled as canon by Joe Dever himself. Discover the tragic tale of its first publication, a tale tha...

Return to the "World of Lone Wolf series" with our second podcast dedicated to Grey Star's desperate and strange quest! Racing against the minions of Shasarak the Wytch-King and the terror of Desolation Valley, our fledgling would-be-wizard must make his way to the Daziarn and seek out the Moonstone before all is lost! Join Jonathan and August for an in-depth analysis of this exciting book and lea...