Archive for September, 2013

DBA: Kadesh aftermath

My mates and I have organised the local DBA tournaments of the national championship since 2004. I was 9 years younger at the time. I can see myself year after year on the photos of these tournaments. Giovanni, the child in the photo, was just born when I started to play DBA.

This time we played in Solo Giochi shop at the north of Rome. It is far from my house so I stayed here only for two tournaments. It is a weird thing: I have an history miniatures shop in my city and I never “use” it. However the owner was very kind: the left over money that we raised for prizes was donated by him as gift certificate for shop items.

The usual group photo. Trophies and medals for few, smiles for everyone.

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DBA in Rome: Kadesh

I’m just returned from Portugal! A full report will follow before or later, but now we will have a DBA tournament in Rome:

Tomorrow, the 21th of September, our club Legio Palatina, together with DBA Italia organisation, will hold a tournament based on the situation around the Kadesh battle. More informations on the specific website:
https://www.legiopalatina.it/kadesh/index.htm

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Secret games

I’m not capable to play with something other than Ganesha Games’ new projects because I haven’t the time to do more. Andrea is very happy about our dedication to the cause to better rules for better wargames. The Roman playtest team (me, Diego and Diego the other) did a lot of trips to Terni but this time Andrea came to Rome in the ARSM club. Sometimes I can’t speak about what I played because they are games that have to be secret. It is not a matter of secret service: publication dates are so far that it is better to not speak about them or contracts are signed to maintain the silence. So here no details and no specific photos. The 1st of September we played 3 matches with this new game. It was fun and credible, and we pinpointed some weak elements to improve the set. You could play with it in 2015?

This morning I’m leaving for a full week holiday to Lisbon, the first one not related to miniature games since time. A full report when I return, but a DBA tournament in Rome will take my attention the 21th of this month. Where is my luggage? I have to go!

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Narnia Fumetto 8

Narnia is not only a matter of chronicles. It is the old name of a city exactly in Italy geographical centre. It is a beautiful little town on a hill and inside walls, with a distinct medieval appearance, and now it is called Narni. Fun fact: the coat of arms of the town is not a lion but a red griffon!

This is the 8th edition of Narni Fumetto, a nice convention about comics. And this one is the access to the town council inside a ancient stone building raised on the more ancient Roman forum of the town. In the atrium there was the games section of the convention.

I stayed two days with Andrea to playtest some new rules, to assist
him with free game session, to visit the town and the convention. In the background a well and along the wall some volumetric food measures carved in stone.

We tested some new ideas for BattleSworn future supplements. I think that it is better to work on the rules that Andrea have to complete, but in the meantime more games are in our minds.
In the background our friends of “La locanda dei giullari”, a live roleplay group. Very gorgeous girls inside!

On the table, to assist our creative efforts, another weird soft drink that resemble a more famous one: the Ben Cola!

Archery is another passion for Andrea. He diverted attention from games to assist people using his long bow.

The main comics area was inside a deconsacrated church now a cultural centre. You could find vendors, authors and some presentation.

A weird view. An altar transformed in a comic vendor stand. And some iconic images from cinema and comics are superimposed on saints on the walls.

The church is huge. Frescos remains on columns and cellars.

Accidentally blasphemy! The central figure is watching a comic on the upper shelf on the left. A Totem comic magazine with a sex scene just on the cover.

More accidentally blasphemy! A Crucifixion scene and on the left a soft sex scene on a comic named “the wait”.

There was another vendors space for comics and some games in another pavilion along the road. Wonderful food at bargain prices was sold at the convention and in shops in the town centre.

Cosplay is a vital component of comic conventions of the last 15 years. But I was amazed of the large wings of this chap. Not very handy to have a walk along the narrow streets of this town.

Sparkling colours add a tone to the white stone walls of the town.

Photo sessions around the town for cosplayers. Here they can use an unique location for their costumes.

A cosplay contest was held inside a theatre built in 1856 among medieval buildings. A real gem! Pity, I didn’t take a photo of the inside.

Gundam is always a classic. There is a young man inside. An heavy costume, movement is very demanding with it.

Well, two relaxing days while living a little but international comic convention. And more holidays will follow in the next days…

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Nickstarter: Of Gods And Mortals

North Star, miniature producer and vendor, have started another Nickstater. It is a program to build pre-orders for miniature lines useful for new Osprey wargame rules. It gives free figures, discounts and free postage. If they manage to raise certain target amounts of money, they will release either free figures or new models into the design schedule. This time they are making sets of licensed figures for Of Gods And Mortals by Andrea Sfiligoi. When the game is released in October 2013, they will have eight box sets to accompany the rule book. These will be four different gods, and four different legends sets. This will give you the myth content of pantheons inside the book. If the rules and miniatures manage to get the attention they deserve, there will be more figures and additional army lists available. Maybe Osprey could even be convinced to give us a full supplement for OGAM. I am involved in this project (I am one of the playtesters) and I hope you like it!

To know more on this project or to pledge, go to the OGAM Nickstarter page:
https://nstarmagazine.com/OF_GODS_AND_MORTALS.htm

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Final monster

Another Ganesha Games’ playtest time in Terni. Andrea hosted us in his home for a day. The last part of Summer is full of meeting opportunities to play with the latest games by Andrea and Sergio. And to drink uncommon soft drinks. And a bottle of traditional Italian lemon syrup “Tassoni”. Add to them cheap snacks and a dinner in a Chinese restaurant and you can obtain an idea about our cholesterol levels.

This time we playtested the last scenario of the boardgame, the fight of the survivors against the final monster. As a videogame. After a lot of efforts and scenarios our heroes found the last obstacle to their liberty. A challenge that they resolved shrewdly. Some tweaks are necessary to this game to resolve some aspects, but the core mechanics are validated.

More time available, so some BattleSworn games were played. The game is published so it was not a real playtest, only a way to run in the rules with more people. Now is available the printed version on Amazon (CreateSpace) here: https://www.createspace.com/4413049

Narciso reached us later for more fun. Other playtest meetings are scheduled in the near future. Photos and reports will follow…

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