The Steam Highwayman series is our gamebook Book Club read for May 2026
Steam Highwayman
Finishing up Season 1 of the 100 Endings Book Club is Steam Highwaman by Martin Barnabas Noutch. These are our May 2026 reads, so join us on the 100 Endings & Rand Roll Discord.
Steam Highwayman is an open-world gamebook series set in alternative steam-age Britain. You are riding about on your velosteam (steam motorbike), but where you go and how you do it is up to you. Rob from the rich and give to the poor, get involved with the guilds, help ferment the revolution, hobnob with the powerful, explore the pubs, trade with a boat on the Thames, get your own workshop or a mix of all these!
You can start in any of the three available books, as difficulty doesn't change among them. You can move between the books and back again, or stay in just one. Steam Highwayman's mechanics are built on the framework of Fabled Lands, but without the instadeaths. It's still possible to die, but friendships and connections can save you, and in the epilogue there's a scoring system for how much your Steam Highwayman is remembered.
There's an interview with author Martin to find out more.
Ways to play Steam Highwayman
Steam Highway is most commonly played using the physical books. One on it's own is enough (but get all 3 if you're a fan of open-world gamebooks). The author, is doing an offer for the first 3 books for £45 + Shipping. You also get three large maps (which you don't need, but they're probably nice to have!
Each book has enough going on for many hours of play. Smog and Ambuscade is a decent size but not overwhelming. Highways and Holloways has a couple of larger settlements and mix of places to explore and rob. The Reeking Metropolis is very different, being in city of London. Politics, guilds, parliament, underworld and options that don't involve stealing from people.
There is a digital version on mobile by Cubus Game. But it's not a great option as there are many bugs. (But it might be the only option if getting the physical books is hard).
There are larger plotlines to follow, or they can be completely ignored! It's very much a game where you can play it how you want!
Finishing Up
Feel free to join us on the Rand Roll Discord or at the Gamebooks subreddit.
