Some years ago someone realised a beautiful graphic work about the walls of a Roman arena. A trapdoor was added as special entrance for animals and gladiators. These walls look almost real, with a 3D effect, even if they resemble more the external of an arena than the inside walls. Through the Brabantini Yahoo group, a pdf file with these image was available to download. You could print it on paper, cut it to the wanted shape, glue it to card. Then your arena for miniatures was ready.

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.

A new kickstarter by Ganesha Games! Ops, I’m wrong, it is by Crossover Miniatures, an old mate of Ganesha Games. He produces 28mm superheroes miniatures and now he is realising another subject: aliens. They are small Greys and other are of insectoid kind. Moreover there are some human military squads that fight aliens.

Why are we speaking about Ganesha Games? Because together with the miniatures there are rules to play with them, that uses “Song of” engine applied to modern combat. So it is easy to learn if you know other games. Added to the engine you find specific features for the scenario and hidden alien movement with “ghost counters”. Campaign rules are supplied for longer games. To play you can use even other miniatures, because the game is not based only for this miniature line but you can use what you want. As in every Gamesha Games game.

The project has reached the money amount to start. Now it is time to pledge for more. It ends Sat, May 30. To know more go to:
U.F.O. Squad: Alien Invasion Minis and Skirmish Rules

Each year the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design (AAGAD), presents the Origins Awards at the Origins Game Fair in June. The purpose of the Origins Awards is to reward excellence in game design. The Top 5 products in each category, as determined by the Academy Jury, are announced after the GAMA Trade Show in March. The Top 5 nominees are voted on by all members of the Academy. The Academy vote determines the winner of the Origins Award. The Top 5 products are also voted on by attendees of the Origins Game Fair for a chance to win the Fan Favorite award in each category. The winners are announced at the Origins Awards ceremony during Origins in June.

Do you know what and who is nominated in the category of:
Best Miniature Figure Rules?

□ Battletech: Alpha Strike Companion, edited by Catalyst Game Labs, designed by Ray Arrastia & Herbert A. Beas II

□ A Fistful of Kung Fu, edited by Osprey Publishing, designed by Andrea Sfiligoi

□ Golem Arcana, edited by Harebrained Schemes, designed by Jordan Weisman, Mike Mulvihill & Brian Poel

□ Marvel HeroClix: Guardians of the Galaxy Starter Set, edited by WizKids Games, designed by WizKids Games

□ Warhammer 40000, edited by Games Workshop, designed by Games Workshop Design Studio

And now always Hellana 2015 but with a view on Ganesha Games stuff. We had three tables. The first one with a Fightin’ Fungi preview. Miniatures aren’t the kickstarter ones, they are still in sculpting phase. Delivery is scheduled for June. Some items was sold by Andrea here.
The other table was about a new game with Old West rules. This project is based on SBH mechanics and is written in Italian language. So Andrea have to translate it in English before publication. Seeing the late about Ferrum et Gloria in English, I don’t know when we will see it.

This one is my table. Always the custom Playmobil arena. And an introductive Provocator scenario. I have to do something new for next events. On the left some Italian copies of the rules, and gladiator miniatures.

Inside the arena a preview of the two 75mm gladiator miniatures painted by Simoncini. I am trying to propose a gladiator fight with bigger pieces, using these two. A combat pair of a secutor versus a retiarius. I must build some kind of arena and measure sticks for the fight. However they are very fragile, so maybe I can’t transport them around for wargame conventions.

During the day I mastered a couple of demonstration games. It’s hard to follow two players. The game is not so easy for children, even if Simoncini play it with his child, and the child win always. In the other play, father versus son, the son was more brilliant with rules, but had very bad dice.

Among my perpetual arenas proposal I want to show you something a little different, an arena for Squigs, in other words a fantasy biped creature composed of a head with a big mouth full of sharp teeth. We are in the GW’s Warhammer world, and these wild things are some kind of pets for Orks. Imagine a sort of all red and weird Warner Bros’ Tasmanian Devil.

However, I am showing to you this arena because it is particularly well done. And you can follow here the realisation from the initial draw to the final stage, passing through every phase. It could be very inspiring for your things, even from a technical view.

Some images about this arena. A mix of fantasy and science fiction for the rough Orks’ architecture.

When I was a child I didn’t know Airfix or other brands for plastic soldiers. I only knew Atlantic. English speaking people can read on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_%28company%29 a brief summary of what Atlantic meant.

Atlantic was producing its ranges in two scales. A that time I was collecting the range of ancient soldiers in the big format. They had got on the box an historical profile of the period. My mum bought them because they could develop an attention for history at school. A lot of years after I graduated at university in something as ancient history and culture, indeed. A gladiator miniature range was available by them too. Well, during those days a Colosseum was produced by Atlantic for 1:72 plastic miniatures. It was very expensive for my child finances, so I could watch it just on comic advisements. Now it is a luxury toy for adults that were children in ’70s. It is very beautiful, a model thought to be a real scaled Colosseum. You can view on this video as it is.

The new gladiatorial set by Kaustic Plastik. In the box one body, two helms, two shield and various weapons. So you can build one gladiator of a kind but you have pieces to build two more. You need another two bodies or you can change equipment to the present body when you want to do it. Quality is great and real metal is used for weapons and helms. Real metal is another thing rather than coloured plastic. My only concern are long necks, typical in 1/6 action figure to accommodate changing heads: helms are fitted too high so neck and shoulder protection is ineffective. However,… a must have! This Kaustic Plastik improves over time. Limited series, obviously.

Myrmillo

Thraex with sica supina

Thraex with spiculum. It isn’t an hoplomachus, but this is a common mistake. Hoplomachi are myrmillones with a more rhomboid shield and an helm with sides with a pronounced vertical shape.