Archive for the ‘ reenactment ’ Category

Play 2018: overview

Now I’m in Lucca Comics & Games. A report will follow. But on this photo I was behind the candy store on the left. After two years I was in Modena Play again.

Every edition is better than before. This convention is the best for boardgames, and games in general, in Italy. You can came here to play with new proposal from editors. The modelling area is growing as the miniatures one. For children a pavilion was built. Other areas were for roleplay and 2D wargame. In the open there was space for food, beverages, music and cosplay. I think I will be here for all next editions. In this post a photographic overview of the fair. More next days.















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Roma Gioca 2016

Every year we can have our Roman wargame convention in spite of logistic problems. In the 2016 we were guest in locals under a large technical school. We had a lot of tables with Gothic Wars, zombies, WWII, Star Wars, Gundam and other delicacies. As Ganesha Games we propose Rogue Stars and Faustus Furius.


















As addendum some reenactors showed us Viking and Medieval times.




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Shingle – dec 2016

Why to play with something high only 15, 20 or 28 millimetres? You can have real uniforms and gears of war at bargain prices. The only thing to do is to frequent one of the fairs on the theme. This one is in Aprilia.







After we went to Piana delle Orme to visit their military shop. So we could spice up our wardrobe.



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Militaria Ergife spring 2016

Among other things I’m a militaria collector too. I focus on WWII Folgore items to act as reenactor for Folgore historical group. There are a lot of militaria shows and this is the bigger and nearer in my area.

Here some items of a friend of mine. Some are materials founded with a metal-detector.

Another view of the fair. Collectors are buyers too. And lots efforts are made to buy something and then sell it for a better or newer thing. You can make a profession of it, but I think the main goal is to reach real pieces of history in your hand. Prices are generally important so every trade is not a simple one. I even found a lot of interesting books, but I applied the formula “or all or none”. So I postpone purchasing to a late time, when I will have more money than now.

Daggers and medals: memories of past killings.

A desert kubelwagon it is always a pleasant view.

And now a couple of customised 1/6 action figures on Folgore theme.


To close, some young models with a standard of a fascist feminine group and helmets from another age. I think that they don’t know what these things were. A photo was took at every stand. They were advertising a power drink and their model school, I suppose. And more beautiful girls with high heels were in the fair. So you had to decide what to watch, or military items or something else. A difficult choice, indeed.

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Modena Play 2016

After 5 years I’m in Modena Play again. A lot of things changed in my life but some are always the same.

Here I’m with an anthology of adventures for roleplay game Kata Kumbas on Savage Worlds game engine. I’m one of the 8 authors. Out just for Modena Play. Read and play in an medieval Italy where Brancaleone da Norcia rode.

Modena Play is the annual appointment for boardgames and roleplays in Italy. Furthermore you can find card games, 2D wargames, 3D wargames, videogames, reenactment and cosplay. Players illustrate games so you can play with it freely after few minutes. And in these two days you could play even 20 games if you are an hardcore player.

While I was walking around I was approached by two chaps who were playing around. It is so simple to find mates to play here. So we formed a temporary player group of 3 people to play with what we could find around. This was a game about the management of Roman provinces.

Another game that we played was about the training to be a knight.

Sometimes there is someone that do it bigger.

Card games can be designed for adolescents with hormone storms. Like this one with an ass as advert. More sexy poses inside…

The ritual auction for games. Gems and garbage mixed in a crowded and fun moment.

I met Paolo in the fair! Now he is full involved with videogames as profession. Here he was in a play-by-play together with a mate of his. Good luck! ; )

A more traditional game than games on videos: a foosball table, but a very small one.

A more traditional game than foosball: wooden tops. Bigger ones were made on request with a lathe. Cool!

A more traditional game than top: war!!!

I found this book in the reenactment part of the fair on fighting with armour in ‘500. He is the curator of the modern edition of an ancient work. I bought Fluxx Cthulhu, MDF terraces for a new gladiatorial arena and 35 vallejo colours too.

After 5 years I could eat tigelle again, a kind of soft bread made with lard filled with a mix of lard and parmesan cheese. Available only in Modena. A long wait…

Here can view people who eat and the corridor between the two main pavilions. Moreover there were the upper storey, another pavilion and a tensile structure.

Unexpectedly you could find a lot of cosplayers around. A stage was setted for them. Every opportunity is good to show your costume. Even during the play of games.

And now some of the best cosplays that I picked from an unofficial photographic report of the event:



Next time Modena Play and wargaming!

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Battle of Tolentino 1815-2015

200 years ago, at the start of May, the Battle of Tolentino took place. Neapolitans versus Austrian, at the end of Napoleonic age, one month and half before the last act of Waterloo.
So for the celebration we went to this city to participate with our Ganesha Games stand in the model and wargame area. We were three days inside the castle (Castello della Rancia) where the battle was. A sort of mini-convention together with some friends of us, organised by the great local Marchigiano wargame club, ASM – Civitanova Marche.
Meanwhile around the castle a lot of reenactors camped and recreate some phases of the two days battle, as you can see on videos taken by Diego.

We were among cavalry charges, rifle volleys, cannons smoke and rumble. My only regret is that all was so realistic that I wanted to see some blood! This was the largest reenactment event that I ever see. At Waterloo this year there will be all this but ten times more. Awesome.

For what concern us, our area contributed at the event with wargame proposals on Napoleonic themes. As this luxury scenario by Bizio and company, a Song of Drums and Shakos skirmish combat. He is a great demonstrator and he made all this for entertain young people with wargame. In the photos you can see Diego too. He is not so young in aspect but young as mind…

And now some personal news. My photos are a little bad because I took them with my old phone camera. Here the glass and touch of my new smartphone. The accident was during Poggio Rusco event due to scarce knowing of my uniform possibilities… Now, after a 150 euro fixing up, it is as new. However during these days I had a series of unfortunate events: toothache, stomach-ache, bed bugs infestation at home, problems for the refurbishment of the new home, and more! I hope in better moments.

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Po River WWII Museum

Near Poggio Rusco, town where was the annual gathering of Italian paratroopers, there is the Po River WWII Museum at Felonica. After our duty we visited it. In this zone there was one of the last events of war, the withdraw of German forces with the passage of Po river, towards Alps. So a lot of materials were found and now they are exposed here thanks to volunteers work. Some things were hidden in mud, others were utilised by local people for civilian uses: military jackets as working suits, antiaircraft gun barrels as poles, Panther wheel as part of an agriculture machine.

German stuff. Note the photos that a fighter held in his pocket inside personal documents: one with the girl that wanted to marry, one with the girl that sold her services.

English stuff. Sten machinegun after mud.

United States stuff. The gangsters machinegun.

Italian stuff at the service of King George VI. A mix of Italian & English stuff for a member of “F” Recce Squadron.

Parachute, MAB and helmet for Operation Herring.

There are more interesting things inside the museum, as rare German uniforms or parts of a destroyed bomber. This is only a rapid review of what is available. It is not near usual tourist routes but it worth a visit.
To know more go to https://www.museofelonica.it

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Poggio Rusco 70 years after

Numbers that build anniversaries. 2015 less 70 years is 1945, the last year of WWII. So 70 years ago, in those same days, 19-23 April, the Operation Herring was accomplished by Italian paratroopers of the Kingdom of Italy. Paratroopers formations after the 8th of September split in two parts, one for Allies and one for Axis. Moreover in the South of Italy they regrouped in “F” (Folgore) Recce Squadron under English Army and Gruppo Combattimento Folgore under Italian Army. This operation was an airborne combat drop behind German lines. If you want to know more start with Wikipedia article here.

As member of Italian Paratroopers Historical Group, I participated to the annual gathering of Italian paratroopers, this time located in Poggio Rusco, one of the places touched by Operation Herring. Around was still evident the earthquake damage of May 2012. 3 years ago, another anniversary. In the countryside some houses demolished by earthquake or by time. Unwittingly following an alternative route with Google Maps on the smartphone, we passed through green fields in the flat Po valley, along narrow river banks, among water birds, in a place divided in three administrative regions. Very evocative.

My duty was as military picket to Paratrooper Association labarum, dressed as a member of Nembo Parachute Regiment, section of Folgore Combat Group. Parade along town ways, then gathering at the local stadium. Discharged and local people, for welcome addresses, speeches and remembrances. Soldiers of Folgore in service were striking. At the end a paratrooper drop, obviously.

Our reenactment group in the stadium, together with a paratrooper veteran, but of opposed side to what represent our historical uniforms. After the war, the two parts of paratroopers reconciled. So it is not a problem. As says the unofficial newsletter of Folgore in this post: https://www.congedatifolgore.com/it/poggio-rusco-una-foto-vale-piu-di-un-articolo/. Ah, photos are from this website.

The day before there was an homage to war memorial. Same uniform but with the jumpsuit. Another temperature level and extreme wind. There was a twinning with a French city too. And convivial meals and time together with friends. On the next post a visit to a museum near this place.

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