The new issue is out! I was waiting this one in particular because there are interviews to Italian wargame champions about the past year, so there is an interview to me too, like the Anticamente championship winner. These are standard questions and each one answer about a championship. Here we go:

Have long have you been wargaming and what other games do you play, or have you played, in tournaments?
I played with toy soldiers as a child, and still do as a grown-up, albeit in a different way. My first three-dimensional wargaming was with WH40k, but I didn’t like the rules or the tournament circuit and almost stopped playing. Then I discovered another wargamer, DBA and historical wargaming. I also play boardgames.

How many tournaments did you play in 2010?
I have played too many: DBA, SDS and Anticamente. The problem is the preparation and travelling, and three rules-sets become difficult to do. And you have so little time to play anything else.

Which army gave you most this year?
Teutonic Knights, also from an aesthetic point of view. They are very heavy and force you to play an aggressive game. I also used them to win the decisive game in the Championship against my opponent who used the Mongols.

What advice would you give to people who are thinking about plaling in tournaments, especially those who play “your” rules?
Anticamente is a recent set of rules and all of its tactical possibilities haven’t been found yet, especially with the use of light troops, so it’ll be fun to explore it more. And the organisers make it even easier by lending you armies that you can try before you buy.

So, until here there is my intervention, and on the magazine you can find other 6 people who speak about their championship. But you can find articles and photos on this bilingual Italian magazine about wargames. There is a scenario for Song of Drums and Shakos too. Look here to know more. Buy it now at only 8 euros, p&p incl. On the next issue there will be another thing wrote by me…

Do you remember Anticamente? Well, I infected with blog-mania the famous man from Bologna who is behind the “viaduct project” too. So you can have more news and things from Anticamente surfing at https://www.tridentebologna.it/blog-english

This is only an image. If you can’t read well the small characters, is best to read the blog in full format… 😉

I was thinking in these days about the cups I have got on the upper shelf of one bookcases of mine. I have got other prizes for my miniature battles but the cups are 5. And 4 of these are from Bologna. A very strange thing! The best cup of my life was this one from 3/4 years ago, my first cup. I cannot forget that moment.

I found I’m the seventh on the standing of the 2010 Italian wargamers league! It is a league organized by FIW (Italian Wargame Federation). You can find more here about this thing, even if every circuit works alone and it isn’t organized by this federation. And on the next issue of Dadi & Piombo magazine there will be a mini interview about me like wargamer.

Well, I’m number 7 of all tournament men of Italy, and this one was my worst year… The events of life sometime are very strange…

It’s time to cook! Oh, no, it’s time to put some weight on the arches to straighten them. You can see the result here.

Too much weight and the arches could open wide. Beware of this!

Here you can see three pieces of the viaduct with the printed surface on the upper part. This can strengthen the polystyrene brick.

And here the first piece with the printed sides. The work goes on…

It’s time to attach some paper with bricks pictured! The first pieces are those under the arches. On the pictures you cannot say the differences between the printed bricks and the coloured edges. I think it is almost the same at strict distance.

The horror, the horror! The arches are warped! The glue and the paper deformed the form of the arches!

You can see the arch without the paper attached (with the straight pillars) and the arch with the paper (with a cleft).

But our master of polystyrene found the solution! He put a thickness made of polystyrene, with the regular distance between the pillars, under the arches, so the fold of the pillar is pushed at the right form. After he attached the paper with bricks on the point of contact of the sections of the viaduct. The surface stress of this paper and glue, combined with the thickness, put the pillars in the right position. You have to wait the stabilization of the piece and after you have the job done.

Finally I have got the chief of Axis. For Allies you have to wait. I’m building an army for VBCW but nothing is ready. I hope in the following months we will have more light to make finishing touches on a lot of miniatures. I have got almost 50 pieces (or are they more) that wait this process and their place on the fields of battle. I look at the pile of lead to paint and I think there is too much work to do. But I need some reinforcements. I’m waiting to know what to do for Salute. In the meantime I wrote a long wish list…

Exactly 67 years ago Torre Astura was part of the seaside where Allies landed. This was the landing known as landing of Anzio and Nettunia (now Nettuno). Italian forces fought among their German comrades to defend their land from invaders. I wear the Battaglione Azzurro uniform, Italian paratroopers. Main Italian forces were Barbarigo and Nembo.

Here, even with my chap Renato on a captured jeep, among the dunes of this historical beach. On the background you can see Torre Astura, a fortress built on an ancient Roman villa.

A lot of people dressed like Americans are present.

This is an organized group. It is quite easy to interpret Americans, you can find dresses and stuff. Our Italian uniforms are made by mother and wife and not bought in a shop.

Sophisticated accessories and a great cure in particulars. Here you can see radio equipment and a firethrower.

Today is a raining and freezing day. It is January, you know. Snow is on mountains at the end of the valley. We use trucks to go around. Without covers. A real war experience.

There are a lot of vehicles, jeeps and kübelwagens at most, and a delicious little Fiat car.

We move ourself in a convoy form among the street near the seaside. Astonished people cheers us. Even bitches along the way cheers us.

Other people at the HQ. There are some Germans, especially paratroopers, with a smart medic officer. Only an English present, but with a great mimetic uniform.

There are other events today and tomorrow but I’m busy with work. The landing go on. Only 60 km to Rome, but served 5 months to cover them. Our Axis troops were just not so weak…

The new issue is out. This is the Italian magazine about wargame with miniatures. It is bilingual, so you can read it even if you don’t know Italian but only English.

In this issue you can find an interesting article about Crusader and Foundry gladiators and how they are historically adequate or not, with notes about the real typologies of gladiators.

This issue is one of the best in the last times. You can find more here.