Archive for 2010

Japanese market

This is Christmas time, or better, it is gift time! Here in Roma there are a lot of Christmas markets without soul, always the same stuff, all is equal on every counter.
There is a traditional market in Piazza Navona too, also knew abroad, but every year I ask to myself why it is so boring. Apart from the Christmas decorations, the other things are poor toys and sad caravan games from amusement parks. And the atmosphere is tired. The only fun element is when someone sells, undisturbed under police eyes, prohibited articles as illegal firecrackers or danger toys.
Since a couple of years there is a Japanese market in Rome too.

This market runs for only a day every three months. It was started by two brothers from Japan who have opened a shop. It collects young vendors with the passion of Japan and obviously some of them are from Japan. You can find Japanese items as bento or gashapoon, but there are even things made here with a Japan feel in them. Italians love Japan and its culture, as Japanese love Italy and its culture.

There is second hand stuff or articles privately bought by mail in Japan.

You can find articles to decorate your room, and handcrafted stuff at most. Even handcrafted jewels for girls.

A joy are these items decorated like cakes, with chocolate and whipped cream. I had hungry after I saw them. Fortunately there was a stand with some Japanese food. I ate a sweet with beans cream as in Doreamon animes.

There were cosplayers too. Every occasion is good to be dressed like a manga! And there was stuff for Gothic Lolitas too. Apparently not so Japanese, but you have to remember that this culture is from Japan.

I bought some gifts for my female friends. I think I return here the next market.

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Happy model

Always in Seraphicum istitute, the place where these conventions about rail transport modelling are setted. This one is Happy Model and the other one is Interscambio, but I cannot see the difference, there are the same vendors in the same places! This time I’m with Paolo, while Renato’s car is out of order so he remained at home.

I bought a railway crane and a car for a project of mine in 28mm. Paolo bought a camion in N gauge for his Meka. There were a lot of things, but train collectors are used to high prices and we are not. Even the scale is against us, you cannot find some of useful for 28 or 15mm. In the future I will write a post about scales…

For the joy of your eyes I took some pictures of a large train circuit. I let one’s eye dwell upon the diorama scenes around the tracks: camps, bridges, river. Think about this stuff on your game terrain…

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A dice & a helm

After the heavy rain, now the hot and a clear sky. Here you cannot see the sky but you can taste the atmosphere. We are near the Exposition Palace, in the Umbertine (last years of ‘800) part of the city. Almost all the pics you can see in this blog are took with my new camera, a camera bounded with my new smartphone. This picture was took with free hand, I only press the button. In other times I couldn’t do these things!

In the last weeks I didn’t go for a walk because of bad weather. This afternoon (and evening) instead I met one friend of mine. She is pretty, isn’t she? We went around even in the bookstore of the palace. She gifted me two funny things: one big soft dice (I think we use it for dice fighting in a future game reunion of my mates at my home) and a pencil with a metal Traex helm (there is a griffon on the crest, so the traex has got a sica supina as sword) on the top. Thank you!

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+ libri + liberi + veganriot

+ libri + liberi

+ Libri + Liberi (more books more freedom) is a manifestation about books from small publishers. They are almost 6-7 years that this manifestation is holding in Rome. It is an occasion to know publishers out of their regional borders (there is always a interesting Sardinian presence, but they aren’t the only ones) and buy a pile of book that you cannot easily find in bookshops. And for publishers an occasion to meet readers and know the tendency of the market. This is the first time with a section on ebooks. The world is changing…

+ libri + liberi

I spent half of the day with my friend Franci (she is pretty, isn’t she?) along the shelves. I bought a book with photos of Gladiator relieves and one about an Italian medieval treatise on sword fighting. I even added two small books on the underground Pitagoric temple in Rome and on Costantine’s arch.

+ libri + liberi

This building was intended for the universal exposition of Rome in 1942 (EUR1942). Wrong year to organise something. It maintains the architectural style of Fascism together with the later ’50 style.

veganriot

In the evening there was another presentation (with buffet) of a book on vegan recipes written by two friends of mine: Paolo e Alessandra, just married a year ago!

veganriot

Some food before hungry devastated all! All you can eat for only 10 euros. And the evening went on chatting with friends.

veganriot

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Sixtyone sixtyfive

sixtyone sixtyfive

Sergio Laliscia’s new rule set is out. It is about American Civil War but with some modifications it is utilizable even for Napoleonic period. This Summer we tried the rules with Sergio and we had fun with our English vs French. What I can say? Well, it seems to me like a SDS game with less pieces that move free around and more compact formations that fire and react together. So, it is a skirmish game but with the feel of a larger scale game. Try it!

sixtyone sixtyfive

sixtyone sixtyfive

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Anticamente (in the ancient times)

paolo is studing

A couple of word on Anticamente. This is a project of a crazy man from Bologna, the tortellini & mortadella country.
When he was a child he was always sawing an hexagon on the top of the house door and thought: “this can mean something”. A lot of year after he created a game based on hexagons, or rather a game based on areas instead of measurement. So you haven’t inch or cm to measure, you have got an area with a limit of troops that it can contain, and with troops in battle array along a direction of the six on the angles of the hexagon. An interesting approach for a new type of game without rulers.

snow

This man is crazy, and I told you this. Well, he without thinking about his wife and two little children began to produce hexagons at home to sell it to other people lightened on the way to the hexagon. Now he has got an industrial (!) production of polystyrene hexagonal bricks to permit you build your terrain, with flock to bring it to life. He is a maniac, so he built terrific things with his hobby knife…

late romans

He still had money in his pockets so dilapidated it in 10mm soldiers, charging a sculptor to make various ranges of lead men (and horses and elephants). With good results indeed (even if in the upper photo you can see only Pendraken pieces). But now his house is full of lead and polystyrene.

blisters

Here you can see something brought to sell at the tournament before all were sold out! Blisters about the new Roman & Celt ranges and some hexagon pillars.

armylists

And this is a preview: the new army lists for Anticamente, based on a system of composed cards. Very beautiful and smart!

two chaps

These aren’t two alcohol addicted but (on the left) Fabio, the man of hexagons, and (on the right) Bizzio, the graphic designer of the ruleset, while they were eating in Rome.

If you want to know more this is the website: https://www.tridentebologna.it
In the near future there will be the free rules in English language.

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Someone don’t believe in me. I have got the fifth position in DBA European championship and now I’m the Italian champion of Anticamente. It is not all by chance.

Italian champion of Anticamente

My mate Fabio created this rule set and I was interested from the first times. I corrected one of the rough first versions but I hadn’t time to do more (this situation is a recurrent thing!). I tried it in Agliana convention of the last year and in 2010 I participate in the first tournament of Anticamente instead of playing in the DBA one. A game (Teutonics vs Mongols) with Simoncini brought me a definitive victory and the first position in the tournament. My first time in the first position after 6 years of tournaments!

Italian champion of Anticamente

The results: https://www.tridentebologna.it/Hellana2010_I.php

Italian champion of Anticamente

Agliana was set in Winter, this time was Summer, the 3rd of July, my birthday! I went around Modena in a huge place managed by a group of boys and girls. I believed I could do a good play strong of my past, but the day went very bad. The first game was delirious: I died without moving; wrong army, wrong battle array. Not a happy birthday. Only a cake offered by Fabio tempered the big delusion.

Italian champion of Anticamente

The results: https://www.tridentebologna.it/Dadi&Sudore2010_I.php

Italian champion of Anticamente

Autumn, but a weather like Winter. The last of the three stage for this year. Not my birthday but my name day! Strange thing: I had the same shirt I wore in Agliana. I don’t like it. So I have pictures of me with an ugly shirt and cups. If I knew my future results I would dressed like a model in a fashion magazine.

First game with late Romans. I placed my troops in the wrong place. With more courage I could do something, instead I fight only with a bunch of guys. The others remained blocked behind the front line. I lost but not so much.

Italian champion of Anticamente

Next game, against Bizzio, the virtual Italian champion and one of the people with more games on his shoulders. I thought: “I will lost with infamy”.

I wanted the Teutonics and he wanted the Mongols. The battle was set. The forces of good with their white suits vs a pile of waste.

Italian champion of Anticamente

The only thing he must did was all but not 1. He wanted to cry or to make seppuku. Very desperate…

Italian champion of Anticamente

This was a human being before a wrong throw of dice.

Italian champion of Anticamente

I was very, but really very, happy. What you can see here is nothing. This pic was took by Bizzio so I didn’t want to be pitiless towards him.

Italian champion of Anticamente

This is the final aspect of the battle. The forces of good ground the scum of Mongolia. No story for Bizzio, his army was no more. 40 to 0 the result.

Italian champion of Anticamente

The last game was against Prof. Mariani, a school director now in retirement. He panicked with his Gauls against my Romans. He don’t know well the rule set, but my forces acted like a hammer. 40 to 0, again.

Italian champion of Anticamente

My mates here won the third and the second place. The ancient Legio Palatina club (but now Legio Palatina + Ronin Clan) won another day!

Italian champion of Anticamente

First! The results: https://www.tridentebologna.it/Roma2010_I.php

Italian champion of Anticamente

And with the sum of the year I did a total of 163 points, 58+11+94. First again and another cup! You can see where my eyes went. To Bizzio. He is not so happy for this thing because he thought to win and came from Bologna for this. So I’m happy for me, but sad for him. But this is only a game, and another tournament means another challenge from 0 points. This time the glory was for me, after a year full of bad results and last positions, this victory is gold!
The 2010 results: https://www.tridentebologna.it/anticamentetournament_I.php

Italian champion of Anticamente

I want to thank Fabio for all his efforts to bring this game to life and for his availability. Thanks to Bizzio too for his contribution to the game and his sympathy.

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Miles Gloriosus club

I pass my last weekend in this club in Rome. A weekend with two tournaments: Fire & Glory and Anticamente, with some added in.

miles gloriosus club

It is in a new location, near ARSM club. This zone is full of lead people! Miles Gloriosus changed residence from an opposite side of the city. I visited the old residence, very gracious but with a low height of the cellar. This one is better, bigger, a lot bigger (and even with two bathrooms)! You have a large amount of space for everything. It is the underground storey of a building, so you can understand the dimensions. I don’t believe a thing so organised could be in a city like Rome, because we are very individualistic and a common effort is only a dream.

miles gloriosus club

Here you can see the two rooms. More space is on the right in the upper photo, and on the left in the photo below (another row of tables), where a warehouse is behind the mimetic net too.

miles gloriosus club

There is even a canteen, with a fridge, stoves and microwave oven. Some people volunteered for the lunch (very cheap, only 5 euros!). A coffee machine is always available to make your own drink.

miles gloriosus club

It is a old club, almost 20 years old, and now contains the remains of other split up clubs. Miles Gloriosus is the bigger club in Rome for activities and spaces. Here if you want to know more and visit it when you come in the area: https://www.milesgloriosus.it

miles gloriosus club

There was a scenario about Vietnam. I took this picture. 20mm. Delicious stuff.

miles gloriosus club

Well, all were very good, all people were gentle, but there is this bad factor: an evil gate! The club is accessed by the door in (1) and the place is all along that wall. If you have the key (2) of the garage is all simple, otherwise you can use the house phone (3) but it is out of order. So you must telephone with your mobile phone to someone inside. The problem is the method to open the gate. There is a keyhole to open it in the courtyard on the right of (4) but you must have a key. And where is the key? And the key seems not to be simple to use. And the rain fell in these days. There is even a remote control for the gate, but it is more difficult to find and to use than the key. Another thing. Take attention to the photocell (5) if you don’t want to close too early the gate! I hope they resolve this thing. But our passion is greater than a stupid gate!

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