Archive for November, 2014

Song of Drums & Tomahawks

The boom of a flintlock musket, a cloud of acrid black powder, and the drumming of feet as they rush towards the fallen foe. A knife is unsheathed, and with a few quick movements, the enemy’s bloody scalp is ripped free. Warfare in the Eastern Woodlands of America was one of raids, ambushes and sudden violent encounters. These are the skirmishes that Song of Drums and Tomahawks seeks to recreate. The French & Indian War is the most well-known conflict of this period, but these rules cover from the time of the European arrival until the mid-1800s. Players will generally control less than a dozen figures in multiplayer games, perhaps more in one-on-one contests. The fast-paced play, the tense decision making using simple, easy-to-learn rules, will lead to many fun and gripping games.

This book includes:
•All rules needed to play.
•Historical background detailing the Native American tribes and their Europeans foes (and sometimes allies).
•A map showing the locations of the major Native American tribes.
•Timeline covering the major and minor wars from European arrival in North America until the 2nd Seminole War.
•Army lists for the Native Americans, as well as the French & British.
•Complete list of Traits to individualize your troops and reflect the various fighting styles of tribal warriors, European soldiers, or frontiersmen.
•Suggestions on how to set up games and scenarios.
•Detailed description of warfare in this period.

You can buy it here as pdf or here as paperback.

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Lucca C&G 2014: Ganesha Games [part9]

The last part of 9. So, after some aspects of Lucca C&G, now I’m going to speak about our small experience as Ganesha Games.
This year the available space was very small, only a large table divided in three parts. Andrea presented a small set-up with super-heroes for Power Legion. And another one with the same factory scenario but for Harder Than Steel.

Andrea games, in this small space in the huge space of the fair, were almost invisible. So I changed the cloth with the black side. Over, my large arena. Yellow on black, as bees, something more visible.
However in Crazy Factory vendor stand, a better set-up was ready for Harder Than Steel. So some demonstration games were played there. They will sell a custom edition of the rules for their sci-fi universe. They are miniature makers and a full miniature range is in development to be played with these rules. All will be ready for Lucca 2015. We are developing this since Lucca 2013, when we met these people and had the idea to work together. Lucca is even a meeting of creative people to build something new.

Andrea almost lost his voice after only a day. For his dead time I suggested to draw some sketches for upcoming Fighing Fungi miniature kickstarter.
I presented the printed copies of Ferrum et Gloria, my gladiatorial rules. Ready at last! One of the best things that you can live is when people appreciate your work. Here a mother explain to her children what were gladiators.

After 5 days, I and Andrea with official Lucca C&G caps. This is the end of the fair. Another great and good experience. We will remember these moments. Then on the road to home. We reached Terni at the 4 of the morning. Than a brief sleep, the train to Rome, home at the 5 of the afternoon. Ready for the next time.

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After the overview of Lucca C&G, now it is time to something more nearer to what we were doing in the fair. This is the wargame area, a drop in the ocean among so many things to see and do. Our macro-area is called Miniature Island. This is a partial view with our stand in the back (note the blue banner on the wall). I took this photo the afternoon of the day before the opening. Stands were still in set-up.

Our friends of Clan Conan were giving the last touches to their 3 scenarios. They are used for free playing with simple rules.

The director of Lucca C&G was involved with the set-up of his miniatures display. The day before of the event, the maker of this 400000 people madness was thinking about his miniatures! Saturday night, the day of 100000 tickets and another 100000 people around for free events, he was together with us for a dinner with wargamers.

This was the game with ancients by Clan Conan. They were using simple rules but the same set-up was utilised for some presentation of the new Centuria rules by Massimo Torriani, the winner of Conan prize 2014.

The Vietnam game. Look to the lady interested to wargames. The other game was about modern combat in Middle East, managed and build by my friend Narciso.

Big participation game with WH40k. The last year they were more vicious, indeed.

Inside Miniature Island there was our area called 3D Authors (Autori 3D): on the right, Massimo Torriani (Centuria) and Valentino Del Castello (Wild West Chronicles); in the half, I (Ferrum et Gloria) and Andrea (Power Legion and Harder Than Steel); on the left, Lorenzo Sartori and Marco Guarnieri (Lords and Servants); on the extreme left, another stand together with us by Gainsworth publishing company.


Italeri model makers, other Lucca comrades of us, on the left of this photo. A young couple watch what we are doing with our little soldiers.

Our area is the opportunity to test wargames by leading wargame authors of Italy. And to chat with them about wargame. It is even the situation to interact with people that don’t attend to wargame conventions and that discover this world for the first time.

Another area of Miniature island is the painters space. You can meet miniature painters that teach their art. Here my friend Luciano Molina.

Nano Nefasto is one of the top painters in Italy. Since last year I’m thinking to spend a lot of money for his art.

A sculpting contest. We are thinking to hiring Paolo Fabiani (on the first photo) for some future Kickstarter project. He is currently working with various miniature companies. Paolo and Nano Nefasto discovered in Lucca that they are working on the same miniatures for an international company: the former sculpt the miniatures, the ladder paint them.


And here one of our convivial dinner after the show, a group of wargamers that like to live their hobby (or work) with other people.

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Lucca C&G 2014: Lego [part7]

Nowadays Lego is more common among fairs and modelling conventions. Marketing, films and adult fans made this. We had in Lucca C&G a stand with a free construction zone in Games pavilion and a couple of exhibitions around, with a large area in Family Palace, the ancient palace dedicated by Lucca C&G to children activities.

This year theme was “Star Wars”, or I think it was because you could find a lot related to Star Wars around. However in the fair an entire pavilion was for “Star Wars” with another one only for its reenactors.

Minifigs are ideal for wargame. As this one. Planet of ice battle.

If you are a professional collector you can enlist a full army of Imperial minifigs. Here there are 816 soldiers with some special troops, officials and rebels added.



Ewoks as they were filmed…

And now more Church of Gundam.

Space Shuttle and astronauts. A vintage image due to dismiss.

A slice of Genova city.

A Lego city, from kits and personal creations.

A piece of the huge “Games of Thrones” diorama. Maybe you can play with it, due to the huge availability of minifigs ready for a wargame.

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Lucca C&G 2014: more robots [part6]

More robots in Lucca C&G: exhibitions and action figures for sale.

Patlabor. Waiting for the revamp following the live action version in 2015.

Biped tank.

A must: Ma.K.s

A knight robot with lots of mechanical parts.

A Luca Zampriolo’s creation. This year he was a Lucca C&G official guest.


Godzilla in a church exhibition. Yes, Godzilla in the house of God…

Gamera too.

And the Captain Harlock’s ship.

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Inside this edition of Lucca C&G you could find around a lot of things related to Gundam and its world: exhibitions, clubs, vendors.

Inside a church the official Italian club and an exhibition.

The Gundam cockpit in life size.

Gundam shorts on rotation on church altar. Can we think about the existence of a Church of Gundam? Taking in consideration all the dedication of fans, so many years after its debut on TV screens in Italy, surely I can say so.

Some new models for sale. In the original story there were only few kinds of mobile suits. Now it seems that in a one year war there were a lot of models and variations that we couldn’t suspect at all.



I don’t understand limited editions with strange materials and look like this transparent model.

A huge mobile suit by Zion. No bookshelf is big enough for this one.


More canonic models in this exhibition.

Zaku in various scales. For the size look at the child behind the glass.

A bigger Zaku. Look at the size of the screen at his feet.

It is a wargame. A scenario to play with small models.

Newer models from one of the Gundam series. Zion side. They are very beautiful. A great mecha design.

Anti-tank sniper from Federation.

Gundam cosplay. The Italian club is growing faster.

Gundam made by Lego.

A Zaku dance. It should be a ritual of this Church of Gundam.

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These fairs are an opportunity to watch what is around in the world about a peculiar kind of action figures from Japan: sexy and half naked manga girls with big boobs. Let’s start with a mouse-girl inside emmenthal cheese.

A pretty action figure with a girl on a toilet. Great on your bookshelf.

Big boobs.

More big boobs. An an ass.

A sexy female nurse. With big boobs. And something in her hand.

A girl with only a shirt. Under the shirt: boobs.

Bunny with normal boobs and robots.

Yes. More boobs.

Girls. And boobs.

Extremely big boobs. It is become boring.

And to end all this, more statuettes with half-naked girl, but in an European style.

Next time more religious things…

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Lucca C&G 2014: cosplay [part3]

If you are used to naked young women undressed as comics, videogames and anime characters, this is your post. But if you want to watch them you have to go on Istagram or Flickr because I hadn’t the time to take photos around. Yes, it is so sad…

Do you remember him? He is mr. Lo(s/d)i, the man that splept on the loo floor at Lucca 2012 because of Andrea habit to snoring like a train. After the shock he enlisted in Imperial Army.

A smart move because in the Imperial Army you can find these Sororitas.

On the left old style Imperial armour style, on the right a newer one.

However there were amazing cosplayers around. I took this photo while I was returning from food vendor that was optimally managed by local Red Cross. (Yes, to eat you needed a Red Cross service!) Just a moment and again in the Games pavilion crowd.

Here there are two cosplayers and a person with a real dress. Guess who was he among the three?

This is the “Gli Orti di Via Elisa” restaurant staff, our preferred restaurant in Lucca. Every year during Lucca C&G they work in costume! This time they were following the Assassin Creed theme: ‘700 in France. Very dedicated people!

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