Archive for 2012

Armoured watch tower

Most of our 3D games are bi-dimensional. You play with miniatures, that you chose with attention and painted with skill, but at the end it results as some sort of boardgame without squares for the movement. Why? Because there isn’t an adequate scene, all is limited to a flat ground with some sparse ruins around. All the fight is horizontal, bounded to the flat ground. But this is not like the real world. If you have got miniatures in a 3D world you have to fight even in vertical. Yep, it is difficult, because we have rigid pieces of lead on a base and not flexible characters. Think only to stairs and how it is impossible to place a miniature on them. But we must to do something, develop our scenarios even with a vertical prospect.

I’m building my personal little town for my little boys, Flyton. I don’t want the same flat setting, I want something more creative. So, among other things, I bought this armoured watch tower from Quantum Gothic. It is thought to support a futuristic or better a WH40k scenario, but it fits good even to my intents, because it is designed as a steel bar with a metal sentry-box, a representation good for 20th or 21th century scenarios too.

The resin pieces are solid and well made. The price is reasonably, so now I have my armoured watch tower for Flyton. Painted by blue, a dark colour, good for Britain and urban construct, I suppose.

Take a look at Quantum Gothic range, it is very good. Oh, pity! Now the website is under re-construction!

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Playmobil Arena

If you don’t have the time to build your personal arena, if you have the money to buy it, if you think that resin is a bad idea, you can always buy a ready made arena of coloured plastic. You can buy a Playmobil arena.

On this blog I find this arena used for 28mm gladiators. The aspect is good and the proportions are reasonable too. Its cross section dimension is 33 inches. And it comes from a garage sale, so it was more cheap to him. After its usage by children, now it can be used by children with an adult aspect.

It is sold at about 150 US$. You can looking for it on e-Bay, Amazon or you can buy direct from Playmobil. They have got an e-commerce website and this article is still available. I look on the UK localisation and this is the address for the item.

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Playing cards: gladiators

I had got for the 2010 Christmas these playing cards based on gladiators. Well illustrated (even if retiarii didn’t fight against thraeces, and other inaccuracies), they are part of a series of publications by Lo Scarabeo. They are specialised in thematic playing cards for collectors and tarots. You can find their products here. So while I’m playing with traditional games with cards, I can say I’m playing with gladiators… Well, I don’t know poker, so it is better to play with miniatures instead. And with my Ferrum et Gloria indeed!
Under here you can recognise Charon, the Etruscan god of the underworld with his peculiar hammer (on the header of this blog there is my Charon miniature!), and the “game” with Phersu that I showed in another post.

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Happy new year!

In this moment of the year we count the passed years and think to future years. This is also the moment to set our projects for the new year. Here I only speak on things related to this hobby even if there are other (and sometimes more important) things in my mind…

Let’s start with the projects of the past year:

– Ferrum et Gloria:
to complete the rules with all typology of fighters; full testing of the rules; to put ‘em on paper; painting of a lot of fighters; building of a huge arena.
Undone!
I’m studying fencing styles from books and reenactors to add realism. I revised the rules with new ideas but now I have got only a lot of gladiators ready and other almost painted. No rules and arena obviously. I’m putting my efforts to give life to this project. I want it ready quickly, it is a three year old project now!

-Flyton:
building of the city and playing with it (with Flyin’ Lead I suppose); it is the space for VBCW, civil war among Daleks, Superheroes, Chtulhu rising, violent penguins, and so on…
Undone!
Flyton is empty. The viaduct is still missing. I hope I build the city this year. In MDF I suppose.

-Anticamente:
to win more games I can; to built two armies, Republican Roman & Punic scum with their friends.
Almost done!
I played in tournaments but I hadn’t the great results of the first year. A Roman army is in the painting process. I don’t know if I will buy another army in short terms.

-DBA:
to participate to some tournaments, but only in my region.
Done!
DBA is still my favourite ruleset. I entered in three competitions and we organised a great tournament in Canino.

-SDS:
to compose two squads with a high killing factor; painting of all the pieces.
Almost done!
I didn’t play SDS games or tournaments in 2011. But now I have all my soldiers painted.

-Ganeshas:
to test with Sergio and Andrea the new rules about Napoleonics, Space Battles and Giant Monsters.
Done!
I almost played only playtesting games for Ganesha Games, and in Lucca I participated at the Ganesha demonstration stand. And a lot of the new games have some ideas from me inside. Napoleonics and Giant Monsters are out, Space Battle have to wait better moments.

-Miniatures:
I have a backlog to fill up, a lot of paint to spread on my lead friends, I don’t want to have so many unfinished pieces, even if more reinforcement will arrive during the year.
Done!
The lead mountain is now just a hill. The backlog is now affordable. I’m very happy!

And these were the hypothetical projects for the late 2011 to 2012:

-Zen Garden:
a 6mm Japanese skirmish inside a zen garden!
Done!
Now it is a real game from Ganesha, but in 10mm. In February it will be out for all in a limited version all handmade.

-WWII tanks:
a battleground in 15mm with German and Soviet tanks around.
Undone!
I don’t know what to do. Maybe I will change for a smaller scale (1:285) because of the higher cost of 15mm pieces and the great details of the smaller ones. This year Sergio from SDS will put out his tank game, but I’m not so sure it is what I want.

-Big battle with ancients:
I have some hundreds of Late Roman 28mm, almost all painted, they want to fight!
Undone!
They are ready to fight but no plan to play were done. Other things to play with…

-Hoplites:
a game with 28mm in hoplite formation, without boring yourself, it can be possible?
Done!
Now it is called Song of Spear and Shield and it is a game created by Andrea but with my inputs and ideas. Paolo Blasi participated with other seminal ideas. It is still in playtesting. Out in 2012.

-Street demonstration:
cops against angry people, with my rules.
Undone!
I impose myself to don’t start another ruleset developing process because I have to work on Ferrum et Gloria!

New projects for the future from my sick mind to add to the old projects:

-Temple:
I want an Etruscan temple as scene for Song of Spear and Shield and I have got columns and schemes for the building. Statues are on arrival.

-Song of Void and Stars:
A naval game set among stars from Ganesha Games. I want to play a naval and I want space vessels, but the rules are still to be entirely playtested, as I said before. I read them but more work have to be done.

-Play:
I play only for playtests or tournaments! I want to play more!!!
Some days ago I saw these words on a public building built in fascist era. They say: “It is necessary to win, it is more necessary to fight”. My motto for 2012!
Well, with these type of propaganda words we lost a war, so what must I do?

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