Archive for August, 2013

100 dice and sleep

Another day in Terni for playtesting. This time alone, because Diego had a bad time with family. Sad.
However I played a match with Andrea, playtesting for the second time a new game by Sergio, a game system where you use a dice pool to act. Andrea writes games very better than he plays them, so I could easily obtain a great victory: at the start he put too many forces behind the front line and there was a gap in the middle of the deployment. Then I fell asleep… Sergio in the aftermath insulted me for this. He reminded my past victories in tournaments, whereas during this game I had fear to move every single piece. Sorry chaps, I’m tired because I sleep only 6 hours a day and moreover with this heat my pressure is fatally low. However it is all my fault… The game is good, it is a fast and easy game system, always revolutionary as all Sergio’s games. But if you are a moron… However I suggested some crucial marketing ideas about the publishing of the game.

In the afternoon, after the dinner, more sleep for me… And a playtest about our boardgame campaign. I skipped a couple or more of matches so I refound my playing characters with more experience and weapons. This time it was a run towards the final goal. I had a better performance and fought hard. Only an error at the last killed a character of mine. Pity! The next stage is the final battle with a magic monster, only a matter of naked violence.
Next time the 24th of August, with more people and more games. And a big cup of coffee…

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Female armours

Today is Ferragosto time again! This day is dedicated to holidays at sea and pig out with really heavy food, sometimes dangerously deadly for the extreme temperatures of the day.

Bikini is the dress for girls during these days. And I have to confess that I saw the last Star Trek film only after I saw this picture. I don’t mind about pointed ears, this is better. The right advertising campaign, I believe.

Always on the girl dressing, I wish to speak about female armour. How we know it from comics and films it is obviously useless. But crucial if they want to have a male public who read comics and watch films. Yes, these female armours are unreal, but even females that wield a sword is an inconceivable thing. Please, turn off your political correctness and enjoy the spectacle.
And now a fun video about the protective capabilities of a female armour!

For a more deep debate on this topic go here.

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BattleSworn – bid for victory

BattleSworn is a simple set of rules for fantasy skirmish actions. Using a handful of miniatures in any scale and six-sided dice, two players can bring a game to a conclusion in around one hour. Table size is irrelevant. Distances are determined by terrain and by the position of enemies: no inches, no centimetres, no measuring sticks.

BattleSworn is not your typical “I go, you go” system. The ebb-and-flow of initiative is represented by a bidding mechanic. Players bid for initiative and reveal their bids at the same time. The lowest bidder acts first, with as many characters as the number of his bid. The highest bidder reacts with as many characters as the difference between bids.

Combat uses the same mechanic. Combatants roll a number of dice equal to the amount bid. Lower bids are resolved before higher bids. This forces players to take decisions: do I attack fast, sacrificing accuracy and power for speed, or do I let my opponent go first to hit him later with a harder blow?

Character profiles are not encumbered with detailed statistics. They are defined by 14 classes (Fighter, Shooter, Sniper, Tank, Brute, Leader, Rogue, Warmage, Sorcerer, Healer, Cavalry, Flyer, Arquebusier, Rabble) each with its special traits.This allows you to play with minimal preparation.

BattleSworn includes two sample scenarios, a mini-bestiary, 28 sample forces, 15 spells, guidelines to adapt the rules to other genres, and 11 pages of play examples and FAQs.

This is a stand-alone game. No other purchases are necessary.

40 full-color pages, including table of contents, cover, play sheet and a one-page play summary.

Pdf version available for only 8$ on Ganesha Games website.

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TerranScapes arena

Resin, a lot of heavy resin. This arena is a pretty anonymous and huge ring with few decorative elements that felts a lack of stairs and terraces. The exterior part reminds me of the railway buttresses (maybe the maker utilised some sheets for railway modelling to cast it). The interiors are more Medieval oriented. From this description it is clear that I do not like this arena so much? However, it is still a impressive-looking arena. You can find it here.

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After four years since I started to work on it, I have got the complete text in Italian of the first part of my Ferrum et Gloria gladiator rules!!! Now the editing work will start with the help of Andrea. After, he will translate the text in English language. In the meantime, during the spare time, I will start to write the second part. Some things are ready some are not. I have to playtest some ideas about chariots and beasts. A lot of work in progress, but another step ahead.

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1/6 Gladiators: School of Pompeii 1

Some news about Kaustic Plastik with a new gladiator wave. This time they are going to realise 3 gladiators dresses and weapons for a “School of Pompeii” set. You obtain the pieces to mount a complete figure and the spare pieces to partially dress two more figures. It is called set number 1. Could we expect a number 2 and a number 3? The quality is higher than previous, with better faces and new armours. In the meantime they had realised some beautiful imperial legionaries, so after hard work some lessons were learned to arrive to this new production. The set is based on the classic match Myrmillones versus Retiarii.

A secutor! This is my preferred gladiator kind. I like the big close helm with only two holes for the eyes. Pity, the figure neck is too much high, so the helm don’t cover it and the part of the shoulder near it. Another regret is the shield, a little too small and with upper acute angles. The net could tangle on them, so a shield with upper rounded angles was better. However for an overall verdict on this figure I can say that it is very good. Extremely very good.

A scissor! This secutor version is peculiar with the arbelas instead of the large shield. A metallic armour was needed to protect the body from fucina deep shots. But a mail shirt can be dangerous when points penetrate in the rings that constitute it. So maybe was better a plate armour. But the mail shirt is more flexible for a better fighting. And under it a protective padded cloth could stop the points.

The best retiarius in 1/6 format. It is very similar to that previously made with the Totti’s face but a better head make the difference.

So after this realise we can find a lot of gladiators kinds to build our schola. But remind, these are very expensive limited editions – for example this set is realised in only 400 copies – so you have to be hurry. This set is available starting July in Asia, August in USA, September in Europe.

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