Archive for January, 2014

My new computer

After more than 10 years I decommissioned my old computer. Now I want to introduce you to my new computer: CPU I5-4570, Motherboard ASUS Z87, 16GB Kingston DDR III, Samsung SSD 840 EVO 250GB + WD Green 2TB. It is a real killing machine! After a couple of weeks for configurations, backup and program installing, now I’m ready to restart with the Ferrum et Gloria works.

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Lucca C&G 2013: Ganesha Games

The last post on Lucca Comics & Games 2013. Always in the Miniature Island but regarding only our space as Ganesha Games.

We had some new realisations: BattleSworn, Samurai Robots Battle Royale, Of Gods And Mortals, Non Andare Nel Bosco D’Inverno. Song of Shadows and Dust was still only in digital format.

Andrea presented his last games with a double scenario, so he could play with monsters and robots or with gods or gambling warriors.

This is my table. On the left the debut of my small arena for Ferrum et Gloria. On the right the demonstration game with Zen Garden in its best and last White Edition.

At the end I sold all the copies. Here the empty space after the last box was sold. I’m happy of what I obtain with this game. I met a lot of people and some of them now is playing with my game. I must start to think on something new to bring at convention. Maybe I will develop an easy version of Ferrum et Gloria for casual players.

An official photo of the presentation of Of Gods And Mortals by Osprey in the conference hall of the Games pavilion.

Andrea after he was awarded with the prize called Premio Conan for the 2013. It stand out the best Italian personality for wargame world.

With this photo you can note the differences between my camera (the bottom photo) and a professional one (the upper photo). Add the unstable hand of Andrea and you can obtain a blurred photo of me at the end after 4 days of fair. Ready for another Lucca in 2014!

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Lucca C&G 2013: miniature island

I reported only something of what happened in the days of Lucca C&G. Too much things to do and to see. And now more than two months are distant from this event. However I hope I showed you what this huge fair means. So you could be here for the 2014 edition. Now it is time to concentrate on our specific area of interests: wargame.

We were inside the Games pavilion, in an area called Miniature Island. Around us there were some miniature related stands, than demonstration tables (where I was), and in the inside the painters area.

This a horse & musket wargame by our room mate in the hotel. I give him a couple of precious earplugs to survive to Andrea snoring.

A simple Napoleonic game by Narciso, now in the Clan Conan, veterans of demonstration games in Lucca.

Their huge playable scenario: Iwo Jima! Inside the Suribachi some tunnels are dug. To simulate the terrain they used huge amounts of coffee grounds! And all was assembled in the small living room of Narciso. That smelled of coffee, indeed.

Unofficial Games Workshop Warhammer 40000 demonstration battle. A nice group of alcoholic chaps ran these trenches and 4 days of fighting.

The magnificent trio: Sartori, Torriani, Sfiligoi. Presently they are the pillars of Italy regarding wargame rules. Their work is recognised outside our national and linguistic borders.

Losi, the martyr of last year Andrea snoring. This year he slept in another hotel. Co-author of the modern version of the Torriani’s wargame engine. In the fair he dressed as a Taleban or a private contractor. No, he is not totally mad. : )

The action in the streets of Iraq.

I feel the need of some concrete walls like these ones for my games…

A complete view of the set.

The new wargame by Torriani’s team is setted in Western period.

The painters area. He is Nano Nefasto (ill-omened dwarf), a professional painter from Brescia. On the left the Ludica team.

Luciano at work, illustrating how to paint miniatures.

Some of the pieces in the painting contest called Trofeo Grog.

Private collection by one of the painters.

The Blood Bowl gladiator squad by Auricchio grow convention after convention, year after year…

Always miniature sculpted by Auricchio: a 15mm Hastings range. Yes, 15mm, not 28mm!!!

Sculpting contest, always for Trofeo Grog: some gladiators.

My left thumb and a WWII US marine by Seven Samurai sculpting team.

1-48 Combat is back as 1-48 Tactic. This is a miniature for the game with his twin in a smaller scale.

We were a very large team in that mess. Some faces were the same of the previous years, some are new. Every evening we took a dinner together in various restaurants, the only moment when we could chat. We are part of a community, we are wargame players.

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Lucca C&G 2013: cosplay

Paradisiac opportunities for photographs and lovers of beautiful girls: cosplay. I like the costumes but I have to admit that I love beautiful girls too. It is a matter of nature, it is harder than my will. However, every costume is photographed a lot of times, cosplayers take photos of other cosplayers, it is a general costume show.

If it is true that male photographers love girls in costume, it is alike true that female photographers love males in costume.

There is a plaza where cosplayers meet themselves. If you want to see them here it is the place where only you have the wrong dress.

Someone remains hours along a wall so people can take a photo of theme.

I always wonder of wings and how to move with them in the streets.

Cosplay walk is on the walls. But usually they don’t put themselves on the floor.

Someone took an holiday…

Ambassadors of an ancient cult…

Genial costume from Conan by Miyazaki!

Another try of the same costume.

Akira and his motobike. A costume with a customized bike! Behind, a stroller…

Men dressed like a girl are always fun. And with a beard you can be funnier.

A costume with a lamppost included.

And this one is the stage where musical shows and the cosplayers contest were held. 1600 people were inscribed to participate to the contest… lots more were walking around in the fair.

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Lucca C&G 2013: statuettes

If you want to find something to put on your desk or bookshelf, Lucca C&G is the best place. You only need money and space.

To start something from USA, some Marvel characters form the Planet Hulk storyline I think.

The main current is obviously the Japan one. Gashapons are the more common gadgets around.

Another kind of gadget are statuettes. They are not at bargain prices but they are very beautiful and bigger than gashapons. And with sexy elements. A lot of. Follow a gallery.

Evangelion is a famous anime and its female characters are now established erotic iconic characters for otaku. Rei Ayanami with her blue hair is so loved that is a common view among cosplayers and statuettes.

A collection of statuettes of Rei!

In a swimsuit.

Over the erotic, there is porno! Moreover there is a bondage part in it. A classic representation of Rei is wounded and bandaged.

All this sex in the visual elements means so scarce sex in real life. It is only a matter of mind.

Pillowcases for pillows to hug. Same matter. But vendors thought to censure them in strategic points with some pieces of paper… Decency…

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Lucca C&G 2013: mecha modelling

Inside the Japan Palace there is the NKGC modelling competition. You have saw the little Gundam models exposition but there is even this section with lots of interesting models. This is the Yamato from space.

Ma.K. are always a must for modellers.

The best in the futuristic race contest.

Kallamity is the label under Luca Zampirolo makes its mecha art and resin models. Here while its signing with a sketch one small portfolio that I bought.

A Kallamity’s Garbaldy in the model contest. It is a Zion inspired model.

To end this mecha in Lucca post, some good classics from Japan.

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Lucca C&G 2013: Japan palace

Since the explosion of the fair in the streets of Lucca (before it was inside an indoor sports arena, then with some pavilions added out of it) we have a palace dedicated to Japan stuff. It is called Japan Palace and this is the queue to enter in it!

Thanks to organisation I had a staff pass so I could enter quickly. Inside, on courtyards and two storeys, various stands related to Japan in various ways. Here a view at the 9 o’clock in the morning, at the opening. After It was almost impossible to walk.

A well known vendor specialised in kwai dresses.

More traditional stuff, but with a sexy touch. Japanese people love Italy, Italians love Japan.

Kokeshi. They are very cute.

Traditional Japanese curtains but with cats instead of humans.

Japanese sexuality is more complex than Italian and Occidental ones. They seem as perverts to us.

However these paintings are very beautiful. Next year we will have something different for this place because of overcrowding. Maybe there will be even a Japan district…

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Lucca C&G 2013: walk around

Let’s start again with Lucca Comics and Games report! Yeah, I know: all this was two months and half ago. But it is still interesting according to me. To restart we can begin with a photo of the evening before the fair, the stands set up.

Then a view on the public crowding that was for the 4 days after.

The fair was mainly held inside pavilions around the city of Lucca. A map and a printed guide (or an app for tablets) was needed to find all the numerous places where something was. You had to show your ticket every time you entered a pavilion.

Someone could share one ticket with a friend, to see the fair one a the time. Very hard, especially for some larger areas! Some are free areas, like cosplay and music ones or live roleplay pavilion. So you could live the fair for a day without paying at all. A lot of things to see around.

A couple of churches were used as exposition area or as auditorium, like this one.

Cinema was present too, especially for anime or sci-fi films. Guess which preview was held in Lucca…

Instead only a teaser for the new Godzilla flick. Look carefully: Godzilla is the monster behind Andrea, it is not Andrea’s new career as actor…

When stands and pavilion were not enough: temporary stores! Some were empty for the economical crisis, others were converted only for those days. A sign said: “we will return as usual after the fair”.

This one is the biggest pavilion, the games pavilion! We were inside this one at the other end. Look carefully, it is composed by two large tents, a double structure.

An inside look. A bit crowded. Think, we lived in this mess for 4 days!

Outside the pavilion there is this traditional illegal market. Magic cards at most. The walls of Lucca on the right part. And on the walls other pavilions. In the bottom the stage for cosplay contest and for music spectacles.

Lucca was initially only “Comics” and a few of people. After some years they thought to add another area, the “Games” one. At that times this meant few tables and stands more. 20 years after, in the 2013, the fair is exploded so games are not so crucial but part of a great mess. And the Games pavilion is huge.

As usual no photo of comics in my reports. Sorry, but I am attracted by unusual things while shooting photos. Like this one, a 3D advert for books about zombies.

Last year that was a exhibition on Diabolik. This character is an institution in Italy. Today you can have even its umbrella…

Some originals could be found in the fair. These ones are from the States. I like Ashley Wood very much but these are doodles sold as precious things. 100 US dollars for something that he drew in 10 minutes with a marker pen is too much.

An usual feature was the presence of vendors with gadgets. A very coloured view.

Sometime instead of common gadgets there is something more creative and handcrafted as these puppets.

What remains after 4 days. Boxes on the way for home. However it seems that business went very well for vendors, better than the previous year.

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