More miniatures in Lucca Games pavilion.

Here my mate Narciso that is dazed watching some greens by a miniatures sculptors stand. He wish to produce some miniatures too. If you remember, Narciso is the man that last year sculpted my pagodas for Zen Garden.

Same stand, part of the display case. I fell in love with that sort of cyber-spider. Only a green for now.

An absolute preview! The first pieces of a new range by Cosimo Auricchio. They are dwarf gladiators for Blood Bowl. I have instantly reserved a set for me… On the background the new legionaries range.

In the Miniature Island there was a painting competition called Grog. Really stunning pieces, but I’m more a wargamer than a modeller so I utilise less detailed miniatures to play. Their painting is excessive. Yes, envy is a bad thing…

More little things not painted with flat colours and detailed with “wonder wash” technique like mine…

A waste of sci-fi tanks at unreal little distance each other: a huge WH40k scenario.

The Calcio Storico Fiorentino (Florence historical football) is an ancestor of modern football and rugby, and it is still played nowadays. It is a very strong violent kind of football. Some years ago the authorities prohibited the annual match because it was the opportunity to settle a score among criminals and hotheads. Just like the Slapshot flick, the players forget the ball and start a brawl! People from Firenze are very proud of their traditions. This is the miniature game by Castle Arts.

Another queue to enter to Lucca Games pavilion. It is more easy to be on the other side of the fence… You can even see some of the young staff volunteers, in blue sweatshirt, that allowed all this for free.

The Miniature Island is the space that Lucca give for free to the wargame miniature world. It is managed by Lorenzo Sartori, the editor of Dadi & Piombo (dices and lead) magazine. He printed a special and free issue to show to common people what we do. When I saw some interest in people towards our little world, I distributed the magazine.

This year we had some demonstration tables with Deus Vult (the new game by FireForge for medieval warfare), Operation Squad (WWII and modern skirmish combat), À La Guerre (XVII-XVIII warfare), FOW (WH40K with Panzers, ah ah!), Bolt Action (WWII skirmish), Infinity (cyber-skirmish). Obviously there was Ganesha Games too.

This is the modern version for Operation Squad, in an Iraq scenario. Losi (or Lodi, I don’t remember, ah ah) set up this interesting ambush fight. This man is a really martyr because he slept in a hotel room shared with me and Andrea. The last night, due to the usual violent snoring by mister Sfiligoi, he chose to slept in the loo on the floor!

Iraq fighters. Losi is one of the authors of Operation Squad Modern. He is working on a Vietnam version too!

Chip ‘n’ Dale at the Miniature Island! In the background the Mirliton miniature stand. This year there were more miniature vendors as Steel Model (with Warlord staff), Kabuki, Cosimo Auricchio, Greebo, Miniature Mania and Chasseurs. On the right the painters zone. Our Miniature Island, the demonstration area, is the support to these vendors, our space exists because them pay for their stands.

Inside a luxury area you could find some painters at work. The aim was to show that painting is not impossible. So the artists explained how to paint and some special techniques.

Oh, I was forgetting the Impetus demonstration table with these gorgeous Byzantine!

And this is the Clan Conan, the first year with my friend Narciso of Legio Palatina club. He is the chap with the beer. These chaps were running three demonstration tables for common people and children. Simpler or exemplar games to access to this world.

Near us two demonstration tables with WH40K. It is an anniversary for this game. I started to play with miniatures when the second edition was out, but I read White Dwarf at Rogue Trader times. A lot of time ago…

This is our Miniature Island team at dinner time. We had a lot of fun! And we hope to have converted some people to our little world.

This year the Ganesha Games team was composed by me and Andrea. We were in the Miniatures Island managing a demonstration table.

Every day Andrea chose a different game to show to the public. This one is Song of Blades and Heroes II. He was showing to people that you can play with just a bunch of miniatures and it isn’t necessary to buy tons of minis from a multinational game company.

My duty in the fair was to show the Ganesha Games concepts and rules to promote wargames with miniatures. I had my games side by side with Andrea’s games. Other tables were running their demonstrations at only few cm from us. But I was so busy that I barely glance at them!

Another game showed was a preview of the upcoming Samurai Robots Battle Royale. Tomorrow I will meet Andrea at my home for another playtest.

Some people had the opportunity to give a try to Of Gods And Mortals, that will be published by Osprey the next year. Sorry, I didn’t take a photo of it. You can only see a leaflet with its cover. Instead here again Go Nagai’s creations.

I sold all the Zen Garden copies that I brought with me to the fair. Girls are genetically attracted by my little beautiful garden. I demonstrated or explained this game to enthusiastic and curious people. The best selling was to an operator for autistic boys and girls. He told me that autistics have a lack of interest in larger and complex things but they pay special attention to details. My game, with its small and delimited elements, can be useful to create a play moment to communicate with these kind of people.
Now I have got only three copies for Ludica convention. They are the lasts of the 30 made. I’m thinking about a Zen Garden II for the 2013, but only in 15 copies. I prepared a demo version of Ferrum et Gloria too.

Gualtiero Grassucci was in Lucca with his “À la guerre” rules. And he was there even to take a prize for his activity as “wargame promoter” at school. Yes, he is really a promoter: while I was around in the fair, he explained my game to a father and son. He mastered a game without my help!

This is the last photo took to my gladiator arena. In the night between Saturday and Sunday someone stolen it! I leave it on the table after the fair closure of Saturday. They could steal miniatures or other more precious things, but only my arena was missing. I presume that a cleaner saw a box (the arena!) and threw it away… It is sad to be criticized in this way…

Here we go! This is the begin of my full reportage about Lucca Comics & Games. I’m a bit late but I had to choose among lots of photos so I spend time doing it. Moreover I’m very busy these days and another big convention (Ludica Roma) is on arrival. Let’s go.

This is the queue of the first day to enter in the Lucca Games pavilion. The entry is at the tent at the end. There were a lot of pavilions in Lucca, even an ancient palace, because the fair is shared on various places. Everyone with its queue. 180000 paying people in 4 days.

A partial view of the rear side of the Lucca Games pavilion, the biggest pavilion in the fair, among the huge Lucca medieval fortified walls. These walls are all around the city constituting a park in the form of a ring.

An empty corridor between stands at the end of a day.

The same corridor, almost at the same position, during the day.

A larger area where you could breath.

A typical gadgets vendor stand at the end of a day. I haven’t photos of comics stands because there were too many people and you could take photos with only heads and no comics.

Some vendors were cosplayers too. At the restaurants in the city you could see cosplay waitresses! This city gone mad when it is Lucca C&G time!

A new computer headphone for my friend Paolo. Only 100 euro.

A wall with information about people caught in a zombie emergency. Messages to search loved ones…

Fantasy and sci-fi book area. A real one throne made of swords was available to take photos. “Sword Throne” (il trono di spade) is the Italian name for “A Game of Thrones”.

The traditional illegal market inside Lucca Games area. Yes, illegal is legal in Italy… In the background, on the walls, you can see the cosplay area pavilions with the stage for cosplay competition and music concerts.

Paintings made during the fair to sell them in a public charity auction.

A great backpack! Imperial Stormtroopers eat Jedi Knights scum for breakfast!

The Citadel is the fair armoury area. A couple of small pavilions where you can buy your sword and your medieval dress.

These people from Germany had got lots of useful steel objects…

Real swordsmanship. Two handed swords. They are studying each other.

Now the action!

An art installation around Lucca.

We all think that Lucca is a rainy city because we visit it always around the first of November for the fair. Year after year we remember the rain that drench us, the yellow leafs, the moats full of gurgle water, the blue clouds defined in the sky. Even this year we could have the same physical feeling. It is so romantic, and so wet indeed.

After 5 days in Lucca Comics & Games I needed some sleep. I was among thousands of staff people and 180000 paying people. I worked heavy at the Ganesha stand but I succeeded to take almost 250 photos, so you have to wait a little to watch a full report in thematic posts on this web. However now I’m offering you some official videos to understand what is this fair. Enjoy!