NEW AMIGA BOOK: Bootblock Rebels - The Hidden Stars of the Amiga Underground

[Marcio D.]

Book title:  Bootblock Rebels - The Hidden Stars of the Amiga Underground - Stories from the Amiga Cracking Scene.

Author:  Steen Jessen.

Pages:  200+

Physical Format:
- Hardcover.
- A4 size (210mm x 297mm).
- Offset color print on 115g G-Print paper.

Digital version available:  Yes.


Please visit the following page:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bitman/bootblock-rebels


From the author:
"I’ve launched a Kickstarter for a book about the Commodore Amiga cracking scene, covering the early years (1985), the peak era (1990-1993), and the decline of the active scene around 1996."


Key Topics Covered:

- The origins of Amiga cracking: First pioneers and groups.

- The rise of elite groups and zero-day releases.

- Major cracking groups, their members and how they worked.

- Hierarchy of a cracking group: Suppliers, Crackers, BBS Operators, Swappers.

- How original games were acquired and leaked.

- The BBS underground: modem-based distribution.

- Race to release: Get your crack out first or get nuked.

- Interviews with legendary crackers and sysops.

- The hidden economy of cracking: funding, calling cards, and BBS profits.

- Rivalries and wars between major groups.

- The evolution of crack intros.

- Cracking tools, methods, and techniques.

- The biggest cracks and infamous game releases.

- Copy protections and how they were defeated.

- Busting operations: police raids, F.A.S.T., and legal consequences.

- Game publishers’ response: Their view on the Amiga scene.

- Games modified by crackers: Fixes, built-in errors, and hidden messages.

- Almost everything there is to know about Amiga cracking.


More Information:

- 70% of the manuscript is already complete - only final details and layout remain.

- Steen is an experienced IT project manager; he has successfully run numerous complex projects.

- Steen has been the maintainer of www.BigBookOfAmigaHardware.com since 2013, demonstrating his dedication to the Amiga community.

- Steen is a scene member, not a journalist.  This will be reflected in the book's authentic, insider perspective.


Watch Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qkb0jH6dTOY

[Marcio D.]

Amiga Bill recommends Bootblock Rebels:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKsqHjSRzyk



Bootblock Rebels has been selected by Kickstarter as a Project We Love.





Support the campaign:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bitman/bootblock-rebels

[Marcio D.]

The campaign has reached 100% funding based on €22,000 pledged!  Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen.

New pledges are being accepted until March 15, 2026 so please contribute to get your own copy of the book:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bitman/bootblock-rebels


The author has introduced two stretch goals:

€24,000 - Galahad chapter
The planned section on tools, methods, and copy protections will be expanded into a full extra chapter added to the book.  It will be written by Galahad, a long-time Amiga programmer known for game enhancements and deep technical insight - and it will include screenshots and real examples.

€30,000 - Amiga intro
When the book is ready, an Amiga “game intro” will be released.  The intro is built from an original intro source most sceners will recognize, a classic used in many "game intros".  It will include a greetings scroller with backer names.  It will be added to YouTube & uploaded to the major demoscene repositories.