Archive for November, 2016

Empoli Games 2016: second part

After an overview of what was around, in this post close-ups on miniatures in Empoli Games.

A kit for a temple in 1/72 scale. I have to do something just like this in 28mm. One year or another.

Always in 1/72 scale, some gods.

Why I need a temple? To put decency to a terrain with this kind of troops. Large amounts of ancients…

Skirmish with Japanese people. By a comrade of military service times, then a wargamer.

I know little about this epoch but something as this one let me a desire to know more.

Masses and a terrain like a military map. Large scale wargame at its best.

MDF changes wargames terrains. Far West with a lot of wood as it seems to was.

Building a Ratte. A lot of plastic instead of steel.

Beautiful and dirty Shermans on sale. I must build one for the Battle of Rome.

A scene from the war in Africa. With Folgore artillery.

WWI and treches.

Russians want to conquest a Lidl store (on the top at centre in the photo)

Italian tanks in Italy.

A lot of Germans and a Stuka above.

More of the same war but in a colder place.

To end, a bunch of Orks.

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Empoli Games 2016: first part

A day-off after Romics, then a train to Terni (1st class because of scarce availability of trains due to a strike, one of many), and a 3 hours trip to Empoli, for the Tuscany wargame event of Autumn. This city is in the middle of Italy so many wargames can come here. Two days, so I will do two posts.

This was the Ganesha table and stand. It seems strange but there is still someone that doesn’t know Song of Blades and Heroes. So Andrea show it again and again.

I’m was there with my last production, the Italian translation of Faustus Furius. The book was ready, even the chariots were ready, but as terrain I had to do still something. This is only a temporary squared circus. I was working on something better for Lucca.

A view of the large hall. Many tables around, the vendors along walls.

At the main entrance a boardgame space for people of younger age than us old grognards.

Someone still play with WH40k. Beautiful miniatures and terrain. I don’t speak about the rules.

Another view but on the other side.

Flames of War tournament, the game where tanks are parked all together. Is it a game on parking war?

Aster with its huge stand with supplies for wargamers.

The new job of a mate from DBA tournaments years. He now runs a game shop.

Other people from DBA, now with a table organised by my provider and occasional painter.

Impetus system and Sartori.

Modern naval battles by this dedicated wargame group that wrote Admiral rules.

Wings of War on a large table.

And a WOW WWII hack to improve manoeuvres by altimeters.

And during this mess, Rava was painting a Garibaldino.

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Romics fall 2016: cosplay

As I said before, a big component of Romics is cosplay. I took some photos from their Istagram channel. I was too lazy to take photos, and more girls were around the other days. Bodypainting produced some interesting costumes too. Enjoy this little gallery.






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Romics fall 2016: diabolik

Romics is not the place for exhibitions or talks about comics and authors, it is more focused on cosplay and gadgets. But this time there were really great exhibits. And the best was this one on Diabolik. I was amazed.

Different reprints of the first number.

Some modifications on the pages between different editions.

The same sequence in three versions. The last one is the modern work of Palumbo, one of cartoonists that I prefer more.

Always Palumbo, in successive phases of a cover.

Homages by some crucial authors to Diabolik.

What I will read in the future. Palumbo’ sketches for the new second season of DK series.

A room with models of Diabolik’s car.

Every model is inspired by comic stories. Often the car has got some tricks to support the escape of the thief. A real evil genius. He is the king of terror.

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Romics fall 2016: statuettes

What was I saying? Oh, yes, gadgets. While I sipped a bottle of mango bubble tea (weird Asian food is usually sold in comic fairs), I could walk around to immortalise some statuettes. Here some of them for you.






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Romics fall 2016: overview

At this time of the year you could think that now is the turn of Lucca C&G. I’m a more than a month late with reports, so Lucca C&G is for another time. Here there are a series of 4 posts about the Roman comic convention at the start of October instead.

The fair is for 4 days and to avoid crowds we visited it the first day. However Saturday and Sunday we were in Empoli. But that is another future post.

Andrea was at this table for a couple of hours. He was present as adviser for the upcoming class about game writing.

The other two mates with me and Andrea, ready to spend money on silly things. Just like me.

This edition was the biggest of its history with 5 pavilions and a lot of stands more. We stayed an entire day to see all.

Around there were a lot of gadgets, stuffed animals, statuettes, t-shirts, contact lens for cosplayers, and all you can think that is related to comics. And comics inside all this were the less part.

However I like cute things.

The last gadget sensation: a Marvel door mat!

Three thematic posts will follow…

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Rogue Stars preorder

Mario Sisters played it in Lucca C&G and liked it very much. You can now preorder a signed paperback copy directly by Andrea, the author. Buying from Andrea means that you support his efforts to create games, because he can earn a living with direct selling. He will ship it at the start of December.
Go to this page: https://www.ganeshagames.net/product_info.php?cPath=1_58&products_id=309&language=en

Rogue Stars is a character-based science fiction skirmish wargame, where players command crews of bounty hunters, space pirates, merchants, prospectors, smugglers, mercenary outfits, planetary police and other such shady factions from the fringes of galactic civilisation. Crews can vary in size, typically from four to six, and the character and crew creation systems allow for practically any concept to be built. Detailed environmental rules that include options for flora, fauna, gravity, dangerous terrain and atmosphere, and scenario design rules that ensure that missions are varied and demand adaptation and cunning on the parts of the combatants, make practically any encounter possible. Run contraband tech to rebel fighters on an ocean world while hunted by an alien kill-team or hunt down a research vessel and fight zero-gravity boarding actions in the cold depths of space – whatever you can imagine, you can do.

Free markers and blank characters cards are downloadable here:
https://www.ganeshagames.net/product_info.php?cPath=1_58&products_id=311

In the meantime the new game by Nic Wright (Faustus Furius, Songs of Shadows and Dust, Irregular Wars), the long awaited expansion for Galleys and Galleons: Fayre Winds & Foul Tides.

New special rules – 51 new special rules to further customise your fleets, including traitorous captains, mutinous crews, indirect fire and ironclads.

New terrain – The seas just got more dangerous with a range of new terrain features including icebergs, volcanoes and assorted native islanders.

Advanced rules for flyers – Take the fight to the skies with advanced flying rules and new types of flyers, from Da Vinci inspired ornithopters and lace-pulp airships, to dragons, gryphons and flying carpets.

Magic – The tides of magic cause additional waves on the tabletop with new rules for shipborne sorcerers and magical creatures. Seven schools of magic give a range of unique spells and other magical abilities with which to destroy your foes (and confound your friends).

You can buy here: https://www.ganeshagames.net/product_info.php?cPath=1_25&products_id=308

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Weekend with bunnies

I’m returned from Lucca. Still alive, almost. New adventures are waiting us, but now it is better to narrate the old ones. As this long weekend with Andrea in Rome. The time to do something related to miniatures and something different.

In spare time we dedicated our efforts in playtesting for Ganesha Games. Now I have got a real 180×120 table to use over my kitchen table. The test was so even for the new table.

The Friday night we had a presentation of the new edition of the class on game writing. Together with Andrea another Andrea, of Wing of War fame.

We were in a museum of modern art where once a month they organise Macro Games Night. Inside the museum restaurant, people can eat, and then play with boardgames and wargames. A great suggestive location, a terrace in the middle of building built at the start of 1900. Young people everywhere, a lot of games. I haven’t photos of that night, pity.

The day after, in the first afternoon we played a game of Rogue Stars with the restaurant owners. We used one of the tables for buffet. Note dishes and cutlery under it.

The Saturday night we tasted in a new shop near my house a Chinese delicatessen: bubble tea. It is really weird, but I can taste it here instead to go to Taiwan. So I save a lot of money.

And Sunday was the day for a fair about bunnies. Their owners have an occasion to meet and to present real field to their little friends.

How to test your bunny with a high hurdles if bunnies are not interested in high hurdles?

To end, a photo of a really nice chap.

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