Holidays are an heavy duty so less news on the blog. However I promised to myself that this year I had to spend less time on the blog because I need time to write rules for Ferrum et Gloria. Well, this year I published 86 posts instead of 88. Target achieved…
Some brief news. In a month I visited my fiancée, spent a lot of money in a couple of fairs in Rome (books and food), walked around a lot, ate like a pig during Christmas, worked at my bureaucratic job, wrote an article for Dadi & Piombo about gladiators (out in April). And I took this photo at another playtest for Song of Spear and Shield. The rules are still blurred as this photo. Every time Andrea is not happy enough with the rules, but even this time he think that he found the right way. Instead for my photos I’m thinking about a new camera at the start of 2015.

Do you remember where I took this photo? I was in the Ancient History museum in Trieste this May. And this is a bas relief with Pontiarii.

While we are preparing the English translation for Ferrum et Gloria, something new is on the arena sands. I’m laying down and playtesting new kinds of gladiators for the second book. This time I have better player sheets and rules summaries from the book. More stylish and handy than notes made with simple wordprocessing.

Pontiarii is a peculiar combat set between retiarii and contraretiarii utilising a bridge. Who hold the bridge win the fight. You can throw stones from the top of the bridge. And all is more three-dimensional because gladiators can fight from top to down or from down to top. And the bridge is a peculiar terrain. A lot of situations that were clarified during the test.

In the same session we had a combat between velites. Other situations, other rules. And more things to play with gladiators.

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.

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.

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.

I’m back from the official presentation of Ferrum et Gloria. I was in Lucca, you know. I’m tired, very tired. So a full report only in the next weeks. In the meantime I present you the Ferrum et Gloria website, the resource to understand better what are these wargame rules. The website is in English language but the rules are in Italian. The translation will be ready and sold for Christmas, I hope. Ask Andrea to be quick!

Ferrum et Gloria, the website

An expedition of the Ganesha Games team (I and Andrea) towards Rufina, a wargame convention on the hills at the east of Firenze. Inside a villa.

Our vendor stand.

My display game.

This is my biscuits tin arena with cork walls. Small but very beautiful. And with a little of drama added.

On the right side of the villa the open area for wargames.

From Macerata this scenario with Englishmen versus Indians.

Fight on the sands to determine the right name of God.

Italians in Africa to build an empire.

The theme of Salute 2015: Agincourt.

A radio controlled tank in 1/6 scale.

A model of Italians in Africa in 1942. During this convention there was even a modelling show.

A diorama with Russians.

Naval modelling.

A beautiful German ship.

A german submarine with interiors. Have you ever watched Das Boot?

With Autumn, Romics came. This is the second annual edition of the Roman convention about comics and cosplay, with games added. We haven’t a table because people is not interested in wargame but cards games as Magic. Sometimes you can spot Warhammer. Cultural issues are not contemplated, all is about comics and gadgets vendors. Cosplay is the only thing that provides huge hordes of people (more than 100000 presences?) in this far land outside Rome. But to be free from the crowd we visited the fair only the first day, Thursday, so we couldn’t see lots of naked girl around.

Japan is worshipped in every form. Here one of stands with Japanese blades (but made in China and sold though San Marino state). At the end a ramen shop. However this Romics edition will be remembered as the one with 28 people intoxicated by rotten sushi sold in the fair.

A vendor specialised in coloured wigs. Yes, we are in a comics fair…

“Mommy, I want the RedSkull bust!”. And the vendor eats a panino with roasted pork (porchetta).

Some toys prototypes. Ma.K.s!

This time was present the local 1/6 action figures maker called Kaustic Plastik.

A new gladiator set in the box was presented as preview.

Their 1/6 real metal helm collection. I bought the secutor one and one of the legionary types.

And now another kind of action figures. Big breasts here.

Other fine imports from Japan.

And if you don’t understand, more Japan porn for you…

We met our friends of Elara, sci-fi editors. And after we visited the film area, where we viewed a trailer of the upcoming Doreamon film. It is like the anime but in 3D. I want to watch it!

In the late afternoon, under a raining sky, we proceeded toward the Ikea near my house to buy a new large bookcase for Andrea’s miniatures.