Amiga Retro Brisbane
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Marcio D. on February 09, 2026, 06:48:45 pm
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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 (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 (http://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
(https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/048/079/810/21c590577493f26562bc46822b32b87c_original.png?fit=scale-down&origin=ugc&q=100&v=1738795683&width=680&sig=r6sncpNWizSuzsi%2FTUfmNYMPxhyOkyWY%2BIPGd%2F4U1cM%3D)
(https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/052/432/627/0263de6ffc454c18637f0b6ce59771f3_original.jpg?fit=scale-down&origin=ugc&q=92&v=1769982227&width=680&sig=FM67O%2FZcB5VESsZ5%2FQ28OwQvta0rKngAY82AVcDzGws%3D)
(https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/052/432/637/40182a1b15ed894ce992ef1185716162_original.jpg?fit=scale-down&origin=ugc&q=92&v=1769982297&width=680&sig=XR5ovbuRuPVmsSxdYlKEj%2Fl%2Fe6nay0v1LJcf76%2Bo28E%3D)
(https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/003/251/435/fcaf72041bc6f543e2cb60f917b36d69_original.png?fit=scale-down&origin=ugc&q=100&v=1423388158&width=680&sig=oKnyuGQsFWT3tPjxp1O1W%2FDZYwTR0P6Xf0CUMM78a14%3D)
(https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/052/432/642/4a3e313c5064f187a8df2e45637cbff0_original.jpg?fit=scale-down&origin=ugc&q=92&v=1769982342&width=680&sig=z0K%2Fr4yalX2CUxTAYgmm%2BdEIh9tblNYcDtnuhXSL1b4%3D)
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Amiga Bill recommends Bootblock Rebels:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKsqHjSRzyk
Bootblock Rebels has been selected by Kickstarter as a Project We Love.
(https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/052/549/683/a5f805c8523d673d20438763bd8cfa41_original.png?fit=scale-down&origin=ugc&q=100&v=1770728790&width=700&sig=4QKDsJ6zVQnsT34YN64EPA9MgV9b7s%2BEPK3xO8w%2Ffj4%3D)
Support the campaign:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bitman/bootblock-rebels (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bitman/bootblock-rebels)
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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.