Drums & Shakos

Drums & Shakos Large Battles available in pdf

2012-01-22T18:46:00.002+01:00

As title suggests... :)

DSLB is now available in pdf on the Ganesha Games website

www.ganeshagames.net

Finally we did it!

Hope you'll enjoy the game

Done!......

2012-01-13T11:41:00.003+01:00

I reviewed the final English version of DS LB, and passed to Andrea the last (few) corrections.
Now it is just a question of putting all pieces together and the game should be released.
I WON'T say when this time :)

SDS in Colorado

2012-01-11T16:08:00.002+01:00

An interesting link to Dan's blog, showing how to get a lot of people involved in multi-player SDS.
Dan is about to organize a campaign, and after that a Tournament.

Great job, Dan!

http://laststanddan.blogspot.com/search/label/Song%20of%20Drums%20and%20Shakos

This evening...

2012-01-10T17:10:00.003+01:00

...I'll make a final check on the English text, then I should give Andrea the green light for the release. A few more adjustments and we should be ready.

OK we're late...

2012-01-04T22:20:00.003+01:00

The pagesetting of the English version is requiring more time than anticipated. Andrea has to shift all illustrations, as English is about 20% shorter than Italian. But we are almost there....
Please bear with us.

DS LB English version

2011-12-30T15:09:00.002+01:00

Andrea is working on the pagesetting of the English version, and we should release it in the next few days....

I take the opportunity to wish you all a Happy and Wealthy year 2012 full of gaming and... Victories!
Sergio

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T08:32:00.002+01:00

Merry Christmas to all readers of this blog, and a quick update: we should be able to release the pdf english version of Drums and shakos Large Battles within the end of the year.

SDS Tournament Rules translated

2011-12-20T14:35:00.004+01:00

I just finished the translation of the Tournament Rules for Song of Drums & Shakos.
The current version (3.0) comes from 2 years of gaming here in Italy and over 200 games played.
A word of warning: the game plays differently in Tournament due to these rules.
Every player needs 2 squads, one from the French pool and one from the Allied pool. Only historically consistent clashes are allowed. Squad composition has some constraints, originating from few killer squads that appeared during the 2010 Italian National Championship.
The rules are based on 4 rounds swiss style tourneys and the pairing off is regulated so that you always play against a historical enemy.
Organizers are kindly requested to contact me if they need some support.
The rules will be edited shortly and then will be available in some form (pdf download from the Gamesha website?). I'll let you know...

SDS in New Zealand

2011-12-17T07:36:00.002+01:00

For those of you that who are not members of the Song of Blades Yahoo group, I'm happy to announce that during the 2012 Battlecry convention, Auckland NZ Feb 18 - 19, there will be a SDS demo table run by Robert.
Quite a bit far from here, but God knows how much I'd like to be there....
Leave a comment or drop me an email if you want to know more.

Let's retry

2011-12-16T14:28:00.002+01:00

The first small print run of DS LB went wrong. The book is nice but there was a mistake in the pages order. Second print run today, we could have some copies in the evening...
Let's keep fingers crossed.

First printed copies of DS LB

2011-12-15T18:06:00.001+01:00

This evening I'll see the first printed copie of DS LB, straight from the printshop.
Very excited about that...

Editing of the English version is ongoing, and we hope to have a first draft very soon.

Nuovo Forum in Italiano su SDS (ed altro)

2011-12-13T14:27:00.004+01:00

Rispondendo alle diverse richieste che mi sono giunte recentemente per un Forum su SDS in italiano, ho deciso di creare un gruppo yahoo apposito.
Ho diramato già qualche invito, ma chiedo a tutti voi di postare un commento qui se vi volete iscrivere, oppure potete iscrivervi direttamente: cercate tra i Gruppi Yahoo

drums_shakosITA

Cerco anche volontari amministratori che mi possano coadiuvare nel compito.
Il forum dovrebbe servire per far circolare meglio le informazioni sul gioco (in realtà SUI GIOCHI dato che riguarderà tutti i miei giochi Ganesha), condividere battle report, foto di miniature e quant'altro....

In response to several requests I received recently for an Italian language forum about SDS and other historical Ganesha Games, I created a yahoo group in italian. Interested players can post a comment here or drop me an email...

Drums & Shakos Large Battles out during week-end

2011-12-09T21:35:00.006+01:00

The Italian version of Drums & Shakos Large Battles will be available in pdf during the week end. English version is going for editing and proofreading right now and hopefully will be available the week before Christmas.
42 pages in full color, with 4 scenarios included, ready-to-play Divisions of the 6 Major Countries, and an Appendix to play your Battle up to multi-Corps level.
More than 3 years of work, hundred of playtest hours, to give you a brand new set of rules for a different gaming experience. Innovative system of combat and Victory determination, where every single inch of battleground counts.
Hope you'll enjoy it!

DS LB update

2011-12-03T06:29:00.002+01:00

The Italian version is at the finishing state of pagesetting (Andrea is doing a great job), and I am completing the draft of the English translation (4 pages left). Today we have another meeting for deciding the final details, and I hope to have the (Italian) printed version and pdf for Christmas.
English version should follow, but editing and proofreading could take some time.

Drums and Shakos Large Battles will be the first full color historical game by Ganesha (with an ink saving pdf version) and many of my miniatures will be displayed in the pictures. It required some 3 years of work and is by far the longest project I ever made.

100 !!!

2011-11-23T12:02:00.001+01:00

100 Followers reached.
I'm proud and sincerely grateful to all of you...

THANKS

Flashing Steel at Magna con Phersu

2011-11-23T11:14:00.007+01:00

While waiting for the pics of the SDS Tournament and of my demo table of Drums & Shakos Large Battles, here are a couple of pics I made. Above and below, two (dark, sorry) images of the demo table Andrea set up, presenting his new Flashing Steel game rules.

The scenario was a pirate boarding action, while a corsair ship was loading some goods from a wharf. The wonderful ships are from Ainsty Casting. A lot of people tried (and liked) the game and its specific features (such as the Swashbuckling rule). For more information, visit the Ganesha Games website (click on the link on the right).

Last 2011 SDS Tournament results

2011-11-23T10:53:00.004+01:00

Last sunday the last SDS tournament for 2011 was held during the CON Magna con Phersu in Perugia, and here are the final standings:

1. Filippo Simoncini Firenze (BRAVO PIPPO!!)
2. Marco Gasbarri Arezzo
3. Alessandro Salini Arezzo
4. David Casagrande Arezzo
5. Max Salvagnini Firenze
6. Alessio Bozza Perugia
7. Stefano Alano Perugia
8. Roberto Bagna La Spezia
9. Claudio Bartolucci Viterbo
10. Sandro Mariani Roma

Being the last tourney, we have also the final standings of the National SDS Championship, which is as follows:
1. Marco Gasbarri points 51 SDS National Champion
2. Alessandro Salini points 40
3. Maurizio Cisotto points 28
... followed by about 20 other players.

My congratulations to Marco, who won the second title in a row and a special thanks to all SDS players who took part in the 6 Tournament held this year.
As already announced, I won't personally organize tournament anymore (maybe just one in my hometown) leaving the organization to individual clubs. If your club is interested, please send me a request and a proposed date/period and I will answer immediately.
The 2012 calendar should be ready for end of january 2012 at the latest, so your requests should come to my within this year.
Pics of the event will follow....

SDS Tournament Update

2011-11-11T08:32:00.003+01:00

Everything is ready for the last 2011 Tournament of SDS in Perugia.
The tourney will crown the Italian Champion for the current year: the competition is between Marco Gasbarri (42 points) and Alessandro Salini (34 points) both from Arezzo, as the third in line is too many points behind (Maurizio Cisotto, 28 points).
Alessandro will have - however - a hard nut to crack: he should win (12 points) and hope that Marco won't get at least 4 points...
There is still place for some other participants, just drop me an e-mail if you want to be in (sergio.laliscia@yahoo.com as usual).

During the MAGNA CON PHERSU convention I will also demo Drums & Shakos Large Battle, my new, Divisional level game whose premiere was in Lucca Games 2 weeks ago.

All gamers in Central Italy should not miss the opportunity to visit this convention which is growing year after year in Perugia. The location is also new: this year we'll be hosted by the "Città della Domenica" which was the first amusement park in Italy as far as I know (I remember going there with my family when I was a child - many, many years ago :).

Hope to see you all there!

2011 last SDS Tournament in Perugia

2011-11-06T11:29:00.003+01:00

The Tournament will take place on sunday november 20th within the CON Magna con Phersu in Perugia. As usual, it will be on four rounds swiss style, with ruleset 3.0 and we'll start at 9.30 AM.
The "double 6" rule and the Territory Control rules will be in effect.
Participation fee 7 euro as usual.
For any information please contact me by e-mail (sergio.laliscia@yahoo.com)

Back from Lucca Games

2011-11-05T16:48:00.008+01:00

Hello everybody,

back from Lucca (and after a terrible working week), here are some pics of my demo table of Drums & Shakos Large Battle and .... a special visit to Ganesha Games space.
Five days of chaotic convention, 160.000 visitors and serious troubles for eating, moving, talking and even going to the toilet, make me think that maybe this was my last participation as a guest to this oversized convention. Anyway, I received many friends and players to my table, explained the rules to many gamers, and the feedback is really positive. The new combat system and victory conditions were appreciated for their uniqueness and - even I could not play an entire battle due to time and space (and confusion) restrictions - all the people who stopped by went away waiting for the release of DS LB.
And this should happen very soon for the italian version (end of november) and immediately after for the english one. I was very proud of my new trees (you can see some of them above) and of my new roads and cultivated fields. All hand made before the con :)
And (below) here is the Special Guest who came to visit us: a "real" Prussian Leib Hussar with his wonderful costume!

Leaving for Lucca Games 2011

2011-10-27T17:43:00.002+02:00

Tomorrow morning at about 5 o'clock.....
The scenario for the World Premiere of Drums & Shakos Large Battle is ready: a British Division will face a French Division somewhere in Spain.
It will be the "first time ever" of my new, hand-made trees and my new hedges (as seen in Colors Newbury...).
I'll bring along my brand new video camera.... who knows?

Large Battle update

2011-10-24T10:30:00.003+02:00

Rules................. finished.
Army lists for pick-up games........... finished.
I have to choose some Scenarios (from the many playtest sessions we made) and then translate everything.
I'll be ready to present the Italian version at Lucca Games at the end of this week (oct. 28/nov.1st).

Arezzo Tournament results

2011-10-24T08:32:00.005+02:00

Here are the results of yesterday's Tournament in Arezzo.
This was the first official SDS Tournament with the new (3.0) rules, already tested during the Tuscany Open Day some time ago. Even if I was not there, Marco said there were no problems and they finished as usual around 5.30 PM.
1° Salini Alessandro 2081 pts
2° Gasbarri Marco 2046 pts
3° Tognozzi Andrea 907 pts
4° Frosini Simone 871 pts
5° Bartolucci Carlo 710 pts
6° Bagna Roberto 536 pts
7° Simoncini Filippo 522 pts
8° Gasbarri Giovanni 227 pts

Next (and last) 2011 tourney in Perugia during the Convention MAGNA CON PHERSU next november 20th.
For the title of Italian Champion, the struggle is now restricted to Marco Gasbarri (2010 Winner) and Alessandro Salini from the same Club (Compagnia della Chimera from Arezzo).

I am almost there.... (DS LB)

2011-10-13T15:29:00.002+02:00

One chapter to write, one to be finished....
Next playest of the Very Large Battle (3 Corps per side) tomorrow evening.

Flashing Steel released!

2011-10-06T18:04:00.003+02:00

The new Ganesha Skirmish Game of Swashbuckling Adventures is now available in pdf format.
For more info (and to buy it) go to:

www.ganeshagames.net

then click on Pirates/Musketeers link on the left of the page...

Enjoy!!

An update on Drums & Shakos Large Battles

2011-10-05T17:06:00.002+02:00

My silence did not mean I was not progressing with the game......
In fact, I'm devoting all my evenings (and weekends) to finish DS LB, and I must say I'm really close.
I can therefore anticipate that - in the Appendix - there will be rules and conversion tables to play DSLB (where you play with a Division per side) at Army level (multi-Corps).
Hope this is good news for many of you.
When DS LB will be released (very soon I promise), you'll be able to play napoleonics from squad (SDS) to Army level, with the same core rules (or engine).

For your information , next versions in the pipeline are Battalion level SDS and Seven Years War at Corps level, this last game probably with a brand new engine....

Any comment will be highly appreciated

A fantastic Spanish village

2011-09-23T11:18:00.001+02:00

Look at this:

http://mattsgamepage.blogspot.com/2011/09/napoleonic-skirmish-using-songs-of.html

Thank you Matt, you did a great job...

DS LB playtest last saturday

2011-09-19T16:37:00.009+02:00

This time Diego and Massimo came from Rome with another friend (Federico), and we all played a fictional Scenario set in the Peninsula: British and Portuguese Vs. French. Federico had never played a "Song" game before so he started from zero - and this was a good challenge for the rules. We explained the rules to him before starting, and he was given the Portuguese Brigade, Diego played with the British Brigade + Reserve, while on the opposite side Massimo and me played with a French Brigade each. Above, the battlefield as seen from the French side.
The Allies deployed first along a line of hills, then we deployed our Division which had the order to attack the enemy position and clear the hills. An easy task, considering the superiority in numbers of the French forces.... Above: Massimo's first brigade after our first initiative (turn) with the Portuguese Brigade just in front.
The other side of the battlefield with my Brigade attacking the hill defended by the British Brigade. As you can see, there is no supporting Artillery (my battery was silenced by the effective fire of the Royal Artillery) and I had to pay dearly for this lack...
A nice picture (thanks Massimo!) of our Reserve battery, just unlimbered to cover at least a part of the battlefront in he centre.
Diego adjusting his defence line just behind the slope (very British) recalling a Battalion of Guards from the Reserve and limbering up his artillery in danger, waiting for my unfortunate attack on the right wing.
The "All or nothing" moment: while a Battalion of Lègére attacks and almost breaks the British first line (far right), the French Battalion in the centre does not move, and the one on the left (foreground) falls back a bit due to artillery fire. My attack faltering, and having reached the Divisional Breakpoint, the battle was over and we were defeated.
Total playing time was slightly over 4 hours, but with a full explanation of the rules to Federico (above, right). No major hurdles remain, just small details which are in my opinion not so important to re-write something. The whole system, combat rules and modifiers are quickly learnt even by players totally new to the game (as was Federico) and we never looked at the QRS during the game. That's very encouragung from my point of view....

DS Large Battles (last?) playtest next saturday

2011-09-14T10:55:00.002+02:00

Next saturday Diego, Massimo and another friend from Rome will come to Terni for a (last?) playtest of Drums and Shakos Large Battles.
If everything goes smoothly, I hope to start translating the rules into English (this time I wrote in Italian) and start collecting images and pics immediately afterwards.
Pics and comments on monday..... :)

Back from UK

2011-09-12T11:29:00.002+02:00

I had an exciting week-end in Newbury (UK) attending the 2-days Convention "Colours": a sort of Paradise for all wargamers, and a Nightmare for all wargamers' wallets...
Waiting for some pictures of the event (Antonio was the Official photographer), below you can see a very well known site: being there we could not resist and shortly visited Stonehenge. It was really a mystic experience.....

Colours and 70K!!

2011-09-07T09:29:00.004+02:00

I'll be at Colours (Newbury) next week-end and it will be my pleasure to meet anyone passing by.
A two days full immersion in games is what I need now, and I'm curious to see one of the biggest Conventions in the UK.

70.000 page views is another important milestone for the blog, and I want to thank all of you!!

DS LB playtest session in Rome

2011-08-25T08:19:00.010+02:00

Last week Diego and Massimo met at Diego's Club for another playtest of DS Large Battles. Diego brought his plastic 20mm (Bavarians Vs. Prussians) and prepared a scenario, adding some special rules (the Bavarians had to defend a Depot which was worth 1 point for the overall Victory). He also adjusted the battalions size according to their frontage in cm.: he used 3 bases for the Bavarians and 4 for the Prussians to reflect their number. This is accounted for in the rules, and shows - I think -their flexibility. Above the battlefield at start from the Prussian side.
A close-up on the Bavarian Dragoons charging a Landwehr battalion. As I said, Diego elected to have all Prussian battalions as "Big" (4 bases in his arrangement) and also to have cavalry regiments made of 3 bases, for a question of frontage.
A view from the Prussian right of the battlefield: you can see the 3-bases-Bavarian battalions (with skirmishers deployed in front) and the 4-bases-Prussians, all in line formation (with the exception of the Prussians on the left side which are in attack column). The markers on the table are for the Disorder level. And.... oops! one of the Prussian battalions seems to have advanced too much....
Having repulsed the Bavarian attack, the Prussians try to bring some artillery up for the counterstroke, supported by Landwehr cavalry (Lancers). The frontage of artillery batteries in DSLB should be twice an infantry base and I like to put 2 guns and 3-5 crew on each base for visual effect. Diego has his Prussian artillery with a single gun, but the frontage is correct, so it's OK.
The hill on the opposite site of the battlefield, from the Bavarian position. The Prussians are trying to climb up to attack, but only one battalion (right) succeeded in negotiating the slope. In this pic, you can see the Bavarian artillery battery based as I like (i.e. 2 guns, same frontage). The Bavarian ChevauLegere are in reserve, ready to fill gaps.
The Battle ended with a Bavarian victory, and Massimo (above) commanding the Prussian was defeated. (Note the poster on the wall behind him....).
Diego - who won with his Bavarians - made a great job building the scenario and hosting the playtest in his Club. Even more important, he sent me several pages of hints and questions that will be useful for the final trimming of the rules.

I'm back!

2011-08-23T09:09:00.003+02:00

Still not 100% combat ready, but I'm here.

Leaving for vacation

2011-08-11T16:48:00.003+02:00

Tomorrow I'll leave for a week vacation to Greece.
A week of reading, sea and sun in a small island (11x4 Km!) is just what I needed.
Wherever you are, keep playing!

More pics from last playtest session

2011-08-09T15:14:00.010+02:00

The French attack on the Spanish left Brigade: a Battalion of Rgt. Hibernia (right) and one of the Walloon Guards (left) under heavy attack from French Line and Light Infantry. Both Artillery batteries support the fight. The wooden blocks are the only markers on the table: they represent Disorder level (0 to 3) and are color coded - green, yellow, red,.... dead.
A view from the Spanish line: Artillery firing at long range to repel the French attack. The limber is just behind the 2 guns representing the Battery, Spanish infantry is deployed in line.
A Peasant Militia battalion in march column is hold in reserve with a Battalion of Voluntarios: they will see little action in battle. Their Militia status does not allow them to deploy in line, nor to form square. The Spanish CinC (right) is giving orders.
Just about to start the battle: Diego (left) and Alessandro (right) commanded the French Division, Marco (extreme right) did the same for the Spaniards, first with Massimo (taking the pic) and then with me. The table is a standard 120x180cm.
My Spanish brigade deployed before the fight: 2 line Regts in line (and my - still limbered - battery in the middle) with 1 Militia and 1 line Battalions in reserve (march column). Our classic 3 measurement sticks (long, medium and short) are ready for use. The Brigadier is in the middle of the formation, with his Rating written in the small adhesive white clip under the base.
A view of the French 1st Bde during the early stages of the battle. The Light (Legere) Regt. on the left is deployed in Attack Column, with its 2 Skirmishers deployed. The Line Battalion behind is in March Column, and the single Skirmish is not deployed. The 3 activation dice where in French flag colors :)
I played with the right Brigade in the second battle and made a big mistake allowing the French attackers (a Veteran Brigade well commanded by an "Active" general) to come uphill without too much interference. Once they were uphill, my Brigade was cut in pieces before a charge of my Pavia Dragoons could stop them. The Battle was almost lost at that time, and during our initiative we could only hope to come to a draw in order to drag play on... but we did not succeed and the French won.

A tight gaming day

2011-08-08T10:22:00.005+02:00

Yesterday, Marco, Alessandro, Diego and Massimo came to visit me for a playtest of DS Large Battles. It was a nice occasion to meet the guys from Arezzo again, after so many SDS Tournaments during the past 2 years. While Diego and Massimo can be considered expert players of the game (Diego is my main playtester and his contribution has always been very valuable for me), Alessandro and Marco actually never played this game, even if they are very good SDS players (Marco won last year Italian Championship). Above, French 2nd Brigate deployed for battle.
I prepared a scenario set in Spain in 1809, where a bigger Spanish division had to face a Veteran French Division somewhere in north-eastern part of the Country. The number of troops was voluntarily unbalanced, but - as can be expected - the Leadership of the Spanish Division was poor and their big reserve difficult to employ. Above, you can see the Spanish 1st Brigade, with a first line made of a Line Battalion and a Battalion of Reg. Hibernia (Irish) and a second line made of 2 Battalions of Walloon Guards. A gun battery is deployed in the centre.
We played 1 battle in the morning and 1 in the afternoon (2 and 3 hours respectively) trying out some small variants of the rules to trim the playing time. Both times the Spaniards lost, but the second time it was a very close thing.....

The Poll is closed

2011-08-01T11:42:00.002+02:00

Thanks to all readers (32) who voted.

The poll shows without any doubt that a playing time from 1.5 to 3 hours is what the readers of this blog prefer (68%).
15% can play up to 4 hours and just 12% more than that.
1 voter have very limited time (1 hour).

Therefore, for my Large Battle game I think we are exactly on target (2,5 to 3 hours).
I am happy about this also because I launched a thread on TMP asking more or less the same question. It came out that many players (mostly American) have few opportunities to play, but when they do they prefer to play for 4-5 hours and they have space enough also to leave a battle for a following session.
Any comments are welcome...

More books

2011-08-01T11:34:00.003+02:00

Ordered (and received)

P. Hofschroerer's - Waterloo 1815: a German Victory
P. Hofschroerer's - Battles of Quatre Bras and Ligny
J. Gills' - 1809 Thunder on the Danube vol.2 (to complete the trilogy)

After finishing Lieven's Russia against Napoleon, I started reading The Spanish Ulcer by D. Gates. Just a couple of chapters read, very interesting........

The more I read, the more I want to depict somehow the last 2-5 days before a battle, with a sort of pre-battle sequence.....

A great reading experience

2011-07-29T12:19:00.003+02:00

Just finished to read (I should say devour) Dominic Lieven's "Russia against Napoleon".
A great book: over 400 pages that you cannot stop reading, where the author mixes God's views with worm's views i.e. from ther highly strategical to the single soldier's memories and first hand accounts. Lieven's book shows the Russian Campaign of 1812 (and the following Campaigns of 1813/14) from the Russian point of view, thanks to an enormous amount of sources. The overall picture is therefore much different from what we were accustomed to read about 1812.
The "General Winter's Victory" is much shrinked in Lieven's view and the very detailed analisys of the whole system of recrutiting, victualling and logistics shows how it was Russia - first of all - to win against the bigger Army ever risen until then.
Strongly suggested.
For italian readers: the book has been published in Italy too, but with another title (La tragedia di Napoleone in Russia - Mondadori).

Some updates

2011-07-28T11:08:00.006+02:00

While the poll is going on (thank you to all who voted), I had some very busy day at work, travelling up and down Italy by car. My gaming table is ready for the (third) battle of Retschow, waiting for an opponent (DS Large Battle). Last friday we had a very nice evening at the club: the guys wanted to play something for "pure fun", so I prepared a scenario set in Haiti 1803, where 3 French squads had to inspect a farmhouse after some rumors spread about rebel kidnapping Monsieur Albaine and his family. When French captain Leroux arrived with his men, they discovered a strange looking man with a round hat who started playing a drum...
Soon after a horde of zombies entered the table from 3 sides, surrounding the French soldiers.
I did not tell my friends about this and - more important - they did not know how to kill the zombies... It was really a lot of fun. For this scenario I made 2 palm trees (you can see them in the above pic) and a "colonial style" farmhouse with a small portico in front.

A pic of the final stage of the battle (above) with hand to hand combat raging in front of the house and near the pumpkin field. We used a mix of rules (SDS and Fear & Faith), but zombies were too few. Next time (this friday) we'll change something.

A new poll!

2011-07-21T15:10:00.003+02:00

Well, I've been thinking about a new poll for some weeks now, and here it is.
I kindly ask all of you to vote, as it is very important for me to know.
This poll will be about playing time. In other words, how much does a single of your gaming sessions last.
To vote, scroll this page till the end ...

Please give me your feedback!

Books, books, books....

2011-07-19T17:42:00.003+02:00

Just received 5 books I bought:

Russia against Napoleon - Dominic Lieven
The Spanish ulcer - David Gates
With Eagles to Glory - John H. Gill
1809 thunder on the Danube, voll.1 and 3 - John H. Gill

I think I could sell my TV on EBay....

Experimental pictures....

2011-07-19T16:24:00.005+02:00

Last week my friend Giuseppe came to my lab for some shooting (with his professional camera), so I prepared a small "scenery" with the resources I have.
Before he came, I made some pics with my smartphone and here is one of them.

Then he made some 100 proof pictures trying the different conditions of light, exposure and focus, and below is one of my favourite pics... (click to enlarge)

Other pics from saturday's game

2011-07-18T11:14:00.005+02:00

Three more pics from last saturday playtest with Diego. My gaming room with the prepared scenario of Retschow. Above the Allied side of the table with the Divisions Mueller (Mecklemburg + Prussians) and Gen. Jonkoepping Swedish Division near the village of Ivendorf. Below, the French Division of Gen. Loison, with its first Brigade on the left (near the village of Retschow) and the second Brigade (Lallemand) on the right.
The brown line in the middle of the table is the only "line" remaining visible on the table, but it is not necessary anymore: I've done the greeen-yellow-red stick you can see in the upper side of the pic to measure enemy penetration in your own lines.
Below, a view of the Allied starting positions from the French side.
Gen. von Vegesack Reserve (Prussian Hussars and a Battery) is visible on the centre table edge.

Another playtest for DS LB

2011-07-18T08:10:00.009+02:00

Last saturday, Diego came from Rome with Massimo for another playtest of Drums & Shakos Large Battles. While we played in my gaming room, Andrea and Massimo did the same in another room with SSS (Song of Spear and Shield). I used again the scenario set up for the previous playtest with Antonio and based on the small battle of Retschow (august 1813, Nothern Germany): a Franco-Danish Division against an Allied Division made of 1 Swedish brigade and a brigade from Mecklemburg. Above, a French Battalion in march column during the early stages of the Battle.
Being the second time I play this scenario I wanted to compare both the outcome and the playing time, as I'm trying to get a game finished in 2,5 hours. Diego already knew the rules, so this was a good possibility to verify my assumptions. Above, march columns of the Allied side, with undeployed skirmishers following their parent battalions.
The Brigade Disruption rule worked well: after some maneuvering, Diego launched his attack (he was playing the French) on my right wing. My Swedish brigade - after a fierce fighting - slowly gave way, and I sent in the Leib-Battalion (in the picture above road marching in column), but to no avail: my losses mounting, I tried to form a second line on a hill, but a fresh "Legere" battalion came out of a wood and hammered my Indelta battalion almost routing it.
That was the end chapter: my Division reached the Break Point and I could do nothing in my subsequent initiative. Playing time was exactly 2.58 hours. Still a bit too much for me, but Diego keeps saying that a game like this is OK in 3 hours or less. If possible, I'd like to play a third time the same scenario (score is now 1:1 between Franco-Danish and Allies) with another minor adjustment that could bring game time down to the 150 minutes I am pursuing....

Two DS Large Battles playtest sessions

2011-07-14T16:33:00.005+02:00

This evening another playtest session of Drums & Shakos Large Battles will take place in my gaming room. I prepared a scenario loosely based on the (small) battle of Retschow (28 august 1813) and I'll play with my friend Antonio. I like this battle because - notwithstanding the lack of info and the sources that sometimes contradict themselves - there is a wide variety of troops within the 2 opposing Divisions: the French (Loison, from XIII Corps) have some Danish batallions and artillery, and the Allied (von Vegesack) division is made half by Swedes and half by Mecklemburgers, with a Prussian Hussar regiment also involved. We'll play the scenario this evening and again next saturday with Diego and Massimo coming from Rome for the purpose.
With 15-16 units per side, this should be the default scale of a battle for DS LB, with 20 units being the max for 2 players. My aim is to have such a battle over in 2,5 hours.

Stay tuned for the report!

Saturday wargaming in Latina (SYW)

2011-07-11T12:24:00.007+02:00

Last saturday my friend Antonio and me went to Latina after an invitation from Gualtiero Grassucci, author of the rules "A la Guerre". Gualtiero and his friend Massimo prepared a wonderful scenario (Bergen, 13 april 1759) and we played the whole morning, learning the rules as we went (we just quickly read them the week before). Above, a pic of the battlefield from the Prussian position.
We went to Latina for different reasons: Antonio - who is starting right now his new range in 6mm AWI and SYW - wanted to see the nice collection of Gualtiero and try the game with the great advantage of the author explaining the rules. My aim was to play a SYW battle with a nice ruleset, and learn how some of the period tactics could be reflected in a game. In the pic above, the wooded hill around Vilbel, on the French left.
I must say we were both very satisfied from the trip. Gualtiero and Massimo were extremely kind to spend one entire morning hosting us, and very patient with our low knowledge of the rules. I played with Gualtiero with the Prussians and Massimo shared his French forces with Antonio. Above, the fortified town of Bergen and the cultivated fields surrounding it attacked by my brave Hanoverians...
In all, a very nice trip. A big thank to Gualtiero and to his "A la Guerre" rules!

SDS Open Day in Tuscany

2011-07-05T14:24:00.007+02:00

A very nice initiative of the Club "Falchi del Mugello" was to organize an Open Day (SDS Tournament not valid for the Italian or FIW Championship) for Tuscany players only. A sort of unofficial Regional Championship to be played in one day (4 rounds as usual). Andrea Tognozzi kindly offered his house garden to host the games AND a Barbecue break for lunch :))
Participants to the Open Day from left: Leo, Andrea, Ale, Max, Giovanni, Marco, Filippo (with his son I guess) and Roberto. Giovanni is Marco's son and gained the second position (after his father) in the tourney: really a good start!
And finally, Andrea's father preparing lunch: I suspect this was the REAL reason for the meeting :) more pics on Filippo and WASP blogs (see links)
Great job guys!!!!

Another (full) gaming week-end

2011-07-05T12:37:00.006+02:00

After last week end playtest of Drums & Shakos Large Battles (with Diego, Andrea and Massimo chez moi), we felt the need to try immediately the new rules I made, so Diego came again to Terni from Rome on saturday to play another battle.
The results were beyond my best expectations, and now the Large Battle rules need just some minor adjustment and details.
I am very proud of my new combat system (different from that of SDS) and of the action/reaction sequence, which gives the game a different feel from usual Song games.
Unfortunately, I made no pics (I was too busy taking notes :).

Sunday july 3rd, Diego, Massimo, Paolo and Andrea went to playtest Song of Spear and Shield in Canino (Viterbo) where Narciso lives.
From left: Diego, Andrea, Massimo, Paolo and Narciso. SSS is the large skirmish Ancient ruleset that Andrea is finalizing right now. It should be released soon.

Another event that took place on Sunday was the Open SDS Tuscany Tournament in Agliana.
The event was organised by the club "Falchi del Mugello" from Florence in the garden of Andrea's house, with a BIG barbecue between games. More about this soon......

Cheers

Drums&Shakos Large Battles last sunday

2011-06-29T09:09:00.011+02:00

Thanks to Diego and Massimo from Rome, last sunday was an intense playtest day for D&S Large Battles. I prepared a small size battle, with a Division for each side - French Vs. Austrian. As usual, they arrived around 10 AM, we started playing and Andrea joined us soon after.
We had a (long) break for lunch - just an enormous greek salad, as the temperature was around 35° C - then completed the playtest game. Before leaving, I briefly explained Steel Juggernauts to them, but that was clearly not their cup of tea..... :)
French infantry 7th Reg. de Ligne advances towards the enemy in line, while 3rd Lègere tries to go up the hill to avoid the artillery fire. Infantry Battalions are 4 bases and all have a Quality and Combat values (as in all Song games).
Diego and me during the final stages of the battle, which raged mainly on the French right. Massimo took all the pictures (I was too busy thinking) and I thank him for that.

The test results are OK: the game flows very well, the QRS is almost unnecessary (after 1-2 fights players manage all modifiers without looking at the tables), just 1 marker on the table (Disorder level) and there is a quick resolution of contacts, even if divided into Approach and Contact.
No Morale test, no casualty removal, no set play Sequence.

Diego, Andrea and Massimo helped me in fine tuning the Victory Conditions, that I wanted to depend on two factors: possession of the battlefield and losses. I think we reached a balanced solution: when you reach the Breakpoint of your Division, you have lost. What brings you down to the Breakpoint are losses, but also enemy units within your half of the table.
A fruitful day :)

What's going on

2011-06-28T16:16:00.003+02:00

In the last couple of weeks, I've been busy playtesting both games I'd like to release in september: Steel Juggernauts and Drums & Shakos Large Battles.
Both are in their very final stage so..... let's keep fingers crossed for a future release.

For what concerns painting, I finished my box of plastic 28mm Prussian Landwehr and completed (finally!) both my mounted and dismounted Perry Dragoons.
I'm having troubles painting smaller scales: my eyes get tired very soon, and painting in the evening (what I usually do) is almost impossible. Therefore, my tons of 15mm will remain unpainted - for the moment.

2nd SDS Tournament in Spilamberto, MO

2011-06-20T08:37:00.011+02:00

Yesterday, 4th SDS 2011 tournament in Spilamberto (Modena). As last year, the guys organizing "Dadi & Sudore" invited us to share their fantastic (and air-conditioned) gaming space. Lots of people, many tournaments, lots of games. We had 10 participants for SDS from Arezzo, Firenze, La Spezia and Pavia. We started at 10 AM and everything was over at 4.30 PM.
Above a picture of our tables (which I spray-painted on friday :).
4th round: the final match between Marco Gasbarri (right) and Maurizio Cisotto (left). This was the game that gave the final Victory to Marco, after a couple of Tourneys dominated by Maurizio and the guys from Pavia.
Third place to Filippo Simoncini from Firenze (above), who succeeded in drawing both games against Maurizio and Marco.

Above, me and Alessandro Salini (second place) from Arezzo. Alessandro is now 4th in the National Championship after Marco, Maurizio and Antonio Pietra (5th yesterday).

And finally (above) Marco Gasbarri, winner of the Tournament and leading the National Championship with 33 points followed by Maurizio Cisotto with 28.
We had a good time, and during the lunch break discussed all together the new version of the Tournament Rules (3.0). We agreed to try them at the next Tournament in Arezzo (probably early september, date to be decided soon).

Steel Juggernauts update

2011-06-13T17:12:00.003+02:00

Just received 21 new tanks for SJ.
Time to try some larger scenarios (I'll try to post some pics soon).
Playtesting is going on.... stay tuned!

SDS Large Battles coming soon?

2011-06-12T12:26:00.001+02:00

During the week end I wrote a new Command & Control system for SDS LB and also new Victory Conditions. We tried them this morning with Andrea and he liked 'em.
I think I am so close to release a final Playtest version.... :) At last!!

SDS Tournament in Spilamberto, MO

2011-06-09T17:16:00.005+02:00

Sunday june 19th the fourth SDS tourney of 2011 will take place in Spilamberto (Modena) within the CON "Dadi e Sudore".
All interested players are kindly requested to enlist sending me an e-mail.
As usual, 4 round swiss style, starting time 0930, estimated end at 1730. The Tourney is also valid for the Italian FIW League.
Registration fee 7 euro, prizes for the 3 best classified.
Tournament Rules version 2.2.4

Join us in Spilamberto!

Colours, Newbury, september 2011

2011-06-08T16:26:00.003+02:00

I am planning to visit Colours in Newbury (UK) next september.
Is any of you going to attend it? If so, it would be nice to meet there, and even better if an SDS or 61-65 scenario will be organised.

SDS Tournament Rules

2011-05-26T09:20:00.006+02:00

Some of you are maybe wondering why the translation of the Tournament rules is not out yet.
The reason is that - since a couple of months - I am completely rewriting the squad composition and terrain making rules.
After 2 years and many (Official and Unofficial) tournaments, I realized that the "choose whatever you want within the 400 points" principle is wrong.
Wrong on the historical point of view, wrong because allows too many tricks that kill the game, wrong because the last games I witnessed looked boring.
When I designed SDS I envisaged a game full of movement, of coup de theatre, of heroic actions ("my Officer draws his sword and attacks your Grenadiers!!"). Competitive gaming is much different - and I am not blaming anyone, to be clear.

Therefore, with the help of many proficient SDS players, I started to collect opinions, ideas and proposals: and the results are now at hand.
Please bear in mind that any modification I make on the Tournament Rules should NOT heavily affect the normal Rules, as we don't want to have 2 different sets out.

As a general anticipation, the new Tournament rules ask you to choose in advance which type of squad you want to build (Line, Light or Cavalry) and 250 of your 400 points must be of that type. The other 150 point can be chosen among the SPECIAL selections, which include Heavy Cavalry, Grenadiers/Guards and the like.
The terrain generation rules will reflect your basic choice (if you have a Light squad you'll want many woods on the table... :) and will give you (and your opponent) options.
Finally (drums beating....) when your soldiers are fired upon, you'll always add 2 to your die roll - no matter what your C is. This is the only real change to the pick-up games rules, but for competitive play I decided to listen to the many voices of players telling me that "a bullet is always a bullet, no matter what head it hits"...

The die is cast.

SJ sneak preview

2011-05-24T09:12:00.007+02:00

Yesterday evening we had another session of playtesting for Steel Juggernauts. I set up a very basic table (just a couple of woods and hills) and voluntarily prepared an unbalanced scenario with three T34 Vs. three StuG III. Even if we did not finish the game (we talk a lot, discuss rules, swiftly change subject and then come back to the game) the outcome would have been in line with my expectations.
The game seems OK, it is quick and bloody and offers more than a challenge to players.
Optional rules will allow for more "complex" style of play, but the basic rules flow in the way I want. More 15mm tanks are coming.... :)

An old project coming to life

2011-05-23T12:38:00.004+02:00

While driving back from S. Marino last week, Andrea and me talked about a 2008 project of a game I designed in 2002 while I was living in Bologna. The game is a simple WW II tank combat at platoon level. In Bologna, we played with it an entire winter at the Club, and I remember I painted some 30 tanks in 1/72 scale. Now that WW II gaming has a larger audience, thanks to games like Flames of War and the like, and 15mm tanks are at hand in great quantity and assortment, we decided to revive the 2008 project of releasing it.
At that time, we took the rules as they were and sent them out to 3-4 playtest teams, but then we were busy with other games and did not follow up.
Now we'll do it.
Since a week, I am re writing the rules (simplifying here and there some concepts and using the experience made with other Ganesha Games) and testing the changes with Andrea and some other friends. The aim is to release the game at the end of summer this year.

STEEL JUGGERNAUTS (that's the name of the game) will be completely different from other Ganesha games, and will be one of a series of games Andrea, me, and other authors will propose to our audience. All fast-play, easy to learn games with some innovative game mechanics.
I hope you'll enjoy it....

Dadi.com in S. Marino (2)

2011-05-20T09:23:00.008+02:00

As I wrote in my previous post, I had a table where I made some demo of 6165 ACW (saturday), and 6165 Napoleonic (should I call it 9915?:). For the latter, I chose a scenario set just before Talavera, with British/Spanish Vs. French. The Spanish had to protect a farm with a squad and 4 skirmishers (I used dismounted Hussars for the purpose) while 2 British squads hurried up as reinforcements. The Allied player had also a small squad of 5 Guerrillas (you can see them in the above picture) which could appear anytime in the Allied turn from a building or from the wood (below, right) with 3 free actions. Needless to say, the Guerrillas caused many troubles to the French player even if - as I already knew from the playtest - they were a one shot weapon.
All demos were very balanced, always ending with narrow victories for one side or the other.
The game plays well in the Napoleonic version: all I have to do is write some rules for the Cavalry, which must be different from that of the ACW.
Time to enlarge my squads to play 99-15 with 100 pieces!!
(That's why I bought a box of Perry Prussian plastics..... :)
Once again after Modena I used my new 90x90 terrain from Baueda (www.baueda.com), which solved all my problems of transportation.

Dadi.com in San Marino (1)

2011-05-19T14:43:00.012+02:00

As you probably know, Dadi.com this year was held in the Republic of San Marino from 14th to 15th may.
Andrea and me where there with a couple of tables, where I demoed 6165 (both in ACW and Napoleonic version) and Andrea playtested the last version of Song of Spears and Shields (the Ancient large skirmish game from Ganesha soon to be published).
In this post however I want to show you an amazing table created by 2 of our fans: Massimo Masini (above, left) and Fabrizio Passatempi (above, right), who organized a participation game based on a SDS scenario in Spain. Above, a view of the table, built from scratch by Massimo.
To be fully portable, the table has two big wooden boxes that - once the table is assembled - are used as drawers and as support for two dice towers (one per side). Below you can see the legs.
The 90x90 cm. gaming table was also very nice, with 3 scratch built houses and a lot of trees..

A close up view on the French squad entering the table. The mission objective for the frogs was to capture some livestock (with or without the permission of the spanish owners). The lobsters (and their Portuguese allies) had to stop them. Fabrizio designed the scenario.
A view from a different angle. You can appreciate the quality of the buildings (wood and balsa) made by Massimo.
A close up on the dice tower, a very useful add-on for such a crowded table....
As it was predictable, Massimo and Fabrizio won the prize for the best scenario, and here they proudly show their medal. BTW, the table was always busy during the 2 days of the show, and many people tried SDS. Great job mates!

Tolentino Battlefield

2011-05-17T11:19:00.013+02:00

During the week end of the 14th and 15th of may I went to Tolentino for the biannual reenactment of the Battle between the Neapolitan Army of Joaquim Murat and the Austrian Army led by General Bianchi (2-4 may 1815). I spent 2 days in those wonderful places, visiting the main sites of the Battlefield and taking part to the events organized by the Association "Tolentino 815". I had a great time.... Above, the Neapolitan "2° Cavalleggeri" parades in front of us, with the Austrian troops in the background (they were from Czech Republic).
Members of the 59th Demi Brigade (reenactors from Marengo, left), Cacciatori Bresciani (centre, in green uniforms) and French Artillerymen (right). Some Vivandieres here and there....
A 4 pdr. (French) gun manhandled into position by the crew (from Germany).
The French Infantry Camp (above) and the King Murat himself (below) parading with his Chief of Staff and soldiers from the 5th Regiment (Real Calabria). Austrian artillerymen and Landwher/Jaeger infantry just behind.

Arezzo Tournament Postponed

2011-05-16T11:37:00.002+02:00

Importante!
Il Torneo di SDS di Arezzo (domenica 22 maggio) è stato posposto a data da destinarsi dopo l'Estate. Insieme agli organizzatori, stiamo cercando una data adatta nei mesi di settembre/ottobre.
Vi terremo informati sia attraverso e-mail sia tramite questo blog.

Important!
The SDS Tournament in Arezzo (sunday, may 22nd) has been posponed to next Autumn.
We'll keep you posted via e-mail and this blog.

Tolentino preview

2011-05-16T09:37:00.002+02:00

Just a pic of me in Tolentino battlefield (may 1815: Neapolitans Vs. Austrians) with a 4 pdr. french gun. More pics soon...

Still here...

2011-05-16T09:33:00.002+02:00

I had many problems with my PC in the last weeks, and I was unable to post.
This is just to say I'm still here and (probably) my tech problems have been solved.
There are many news to post - from my visit to Tolentino Battlefield to the Con Dadi.com in S. Marino - and I'll try to do it as soon as I can.
Thank you for following me
Sergio

Long silence

2011-04-14T12:44:00.005+02:00

Almost 2 weeks without posting: my (real) job is keeping me too busy.
At the moment, I am trying and studying several other Napoleonic rulesets, and in the few hours left I'm playing a campaign with my fellow gamers at the club.
May however will be a busy gaming month: on 7th-8th I'll go to Tolentino, for the re-enactment of the 1815 battle between King Joachim Murat's Neapolitans and the Austrians; the week after I'll be in S. Marino for the 2011 edition of Dadi.com, where I'll demo 61-65 both in the ACW and Napoleonic version. Finally, on may 22nd there will be the 4th SDS Tournament in Arezzo.

Pics from Milan Tournament (March 20th)

2011-03-30T12:18:00.010+02:00

Thanks to the friends of X Legio Gemina (organizers of the Tournament) I can show you some pics. They are all close up on the miniatures, so we can appreciate the painting quality. Above, three French Voltigeurs firing from behind a wall.
Some French Light Infantry in a sort of column, about to turn around the corner of a building.
Not 100% sure about the nationality of those guys above..... suggestions? (Voltigeurs of the Polish Vistula Legion?).
A French Line Infantry Officer ordering the Drummer to beat the "Pas de charge"..
A clash between Russian Pavlov and Grenadiers against..... Italian Light Infantry (or Provisional Croatians?).
And finally a Group of Austrian Grenadiers. Thank you for sharing X Legio!

Modena last sunday

2011-03-29T12:54:00.002+02:00

This is me, proudly showing my "Staff" t-shirt....
It's a proof I was there (someone was in doubt :).....

First time ever of my new terrain from Baueda!

2011-03-28T10:55:00.008+02:00

In Modena I used for the first time in a Convention my new 90x90 terrain made by Baueda (www.baueda.com). I must thank Claudio for the fantastic job done: all players who passed by stopped to ask me about the terrain!
The terrain is made of textile, with some sort of flexible material on top. Then it is hand painted and flocked to a very realistic level of finishing. And you can fold it without problems!
So now, instead of bringing along a 90x90 wooden table (space and weight!) I just have to carry a 100cm. tube with me...

More pics from PLAY2011 Modena

2011-03-28T10:20:00.009+02:00

I must say I was positively impressed by the event. PLAY is just at its second edition, but it's very promising IMO.. The 4 themed pavillions were for computer games, boardgames, CCG and miniatures (something quite familiar for Origins visitors) and were all big and full of people.
Above, a table from the miniatures hall with a game in progress organised by Association "Miles Gloriosus" from Rome ("Avanti Savoia!" 15mm rules for the Italian Independence Wars).
The boardgame hall (above) was really crowded. Even if I don't know the exact dimensions, I think this hall was no smaller than the one at Origins.
In the Miniatures hall there were a lot of astonishing tables: the one above was for WH40K...
And this is "our" side of the event: above and below, 2 pics of a Napoleonic demo table staged by Antonino DeBartolo in 28mm. with his own "Convention rules".
6mm were also represented: below a big Eylau scenario (using Polemos rules) with a printed map. Very basic, but super quick to assemble... :)
The Tournament Area was made of more than 100 tables (66 for the Wargames Olympics section only). On saturday and sunday there were competitions of many games: Impetus, OWW II, Shako, Field of Glory, DBA, SDS and many others I can't remember. In all, a positive experience that I hope to repeat next year. Maybe - and that is probably the only down side - with some specialised exhibitors, really missing in the miniature hall...

PLAY2011: SDS tournament results

2011-03-28T09:38:00.004+02:00

While collecting all the pics we made, here are the results of the SDS Tourney held on saturday:

1. Maurizio CISOTTO
2. Marco GASBARRI
3. Antonio PIETRA
4. Alessandro SALINI
5. Max SALVAGNINI
6. Massimo GAFFURI
7. Andrea TOGNOZZI
8. Filippo SIMONCINI
9. Carlo BANDINI
10. Sandro MARIANI
11. Roberto BAGNA
12. JOLLY player

With these results, Maurizio Cisotto from Pavia becomes the new Leader of the Italian SDS Championship (24 points), with Antonio Pietra following (22) and Marco Gasbarri third (21).
Next tournament will be in Arezzo, on May 22nd...

Last call for Wargames Olympics Tourney in Modena

2011-03-23T10:21:00.002+01:00

The 3rd SDS Tournament will take place next saturday (march 26th) in Modena, within the Convention PLAY2011. I invite all players who are still in doubt to take a decision and let me know immediately, as tables are running out...

Il terzo Torneo di SDS si svolgerà a Modena durante la Fiera PLAY2011 il prossimo sabato 26 marzo. Invito tutti i giocatori che ancora non l'avessero fatto a comunicarmi la loro partecipazione immediatamente, dato che i posti sono limitati...

Pics of the Event in Trezzo d'Adda (march 20th)

2011-03-22T10:16:00.014+01:00

I just received many pics from the friends of the Association "Ludus in Fabula". They were taken last sunday during an event organised to celebrate the 150th birthday of Italy (1861-2011) in Trezzo d'Adda, near Milan.
SDS was used to play some different scenarios connected with Italian Wars of Independence and Garibaldi's expedition to Sicily ("The Thousand"). Above, the Bersaglieri entering the breech of Porta Pia in Rome (September 20th, 1870).
Some Bourbons during a scenario set in 1860, fighting Garibaldi's "Red Shirts"..

Giuseppe Garibaldi in danger......
A group of Red Shirts climbing a hill to attack Bourbon positions.
Pontifical Zouaves trying to stop the Bersaglieri at Porta Pia.
Pontifical Dragoons waiting for a charge (also in Porta Pia Scenario).
And finally, the Bersaglieri entering the breech at Porta Pia, the event that gave Italy its Capital: Rome. Many thanks again to Massimo, Marco, Enrico, Andrea and the boys and girls from Ludus in Fabula Association and congratulations for the wonderful event.

Milan Tournament Results

2011-03-21T17:55:00.005+01:00

Here are the final standings of the Tournament held yesterday in Milan, and organized by X Legio Gemina (thank you guys!). In the list you have Name, primary Army, points and matches won...

1. Antonio Pietra Russians points 1714 (3 won)
2. Maurizio Cisotto Austrians points 1217 (2 won)
3. Cristian Parmigiani French points 1193 (2 won)
4. Massimo Gaffuri Russians points 973 (1 won)
5. Roberto Berto French points 953 (1 won)
6. Fabrizio Tasca French points 918 (1 won )
7. Antonio Ciocca Russians points 874 (1 won)
8. Stefano Breviglieri British points 682 (1 won)

Antonio Pietra is the leader of the National SDS Championship after 2 Tourneys.
Congrats Antonio!

New playtest session for SDS Large Battles

2011-03-21T09:52:00.007+01:00

Yesterday we had a playtest session of SDS Large Battles, to try the new Brigade Morale Rules. Diego and Massimo came from Rome to play with me and Andrea. It was a fruitful (and fun) gaming sunday, starting at about 11 AM and finishing around 7 PM.
I prepared a scenario for the battle of Tolentino (may 1815) between the Neapolitan Army of Murat and the Austrian Army led by Gen. Count Bianchi di Casalanza. Above, a view of the starting set up from the Neapolitan's line..
A view from the Austrian side of the table, while I explain some of the latest rules.
The Neapolitans attacked on the first day with a Division (Gen. D'Ambrosio) and added another one - and part of the Guard - on the second day (Gen. Lechi). Historically, the outcome on the field was a draw, but Murat received some very bad news at the end of the second day's fighting - some of them were actually false - and decided to withdraw.
Another pic with Diego, just before starting the game. We played 8 full turns, frequently stopping for checking if this of that rule was OK, looking for possible alternatives and so on. No decisive result was achieved, even if my Austrian Left Wing Brigade (Gen. Senitzer) routed one of D'Ambrosio brigades. Murat did not even commit his Guard... It has to be said that I designed the Battle as a 2 days event, so the second day has to be played.
A close up on the King of Naples and one of his Aid de Camp.
I am fully satisfied with the results of the playtest: I think now we could have a solid brigade morale rule, and I made several other minor adjustments.
More about this soon...

Official date for Arezzo Tournament

2011-03-07T08:51:00.002+01:00

This year's SDS Tournament in Arezzo will take place as last year in Fumettopoli shop on may 22nd, 2011.
Marco and Alessandro are organizing the tourney, whose theme will be:
"1814: la Patrie en Danger"
i.e. only squads from France, Austria, Russia and Prussia will be allowed.
More information soon...

Giocatori in Sardegna?

2011-03-03T17:42:00.002+01:00

Questa è una richiesta per trovare dei giocatori di SDS in Sardegna (zona Olbia).
Commentando questo post vi potrò mettere in contatto con un potenziale avversario.
Fatevi vivi!

This is a post to find players in Sardinia (near Olbia). If you post a comment, I'll put you in contact with a potential opponent.

Event in Trezzo d'Adda (Milan)

2011-03-03T14:35:00.004+01:00

Domenica 2o marzo si svolgerà a Trezzo d'Adda (MI) con inizio alle 14.30, un evento presso il Castello Visconteo in occasione delle commemorazioni del 150° dell'Unità d'Italia.
L'Associazione "Ludus in Tabula" organizzerà due tavoli di SDS: uno scontro tra Garibaldini e Borbonici ed un altro tra Pontifici e Bersaglieri, liberamente ispirato alla presa di Porta Pia.
Gli adattamenti di SDS sono a cura dei ragazzi dell'Associazione, che ringrazio personalmente.
Se siete in zona (e non partecipate al torneo di Milano) fate una salto a Trezzo!
Pubblicheremo le foto qui subito dopo l'evento...

Sunday, march 20th in Trezzo d'Adda (near Milan) the Association "Ludus in tabula" will organize 2 tables of SDS adapted for the Italian Wars of Independence (1848-1866). The event will be located in the Visconti Castle and is organised to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy (1861-2011).

New dates for Tournaments in Italy

2011-02-28T12:57:00.001+01:00

Please take a look at the side column, as there are a couple of new dates/periods for the Tourneys of Arezzo and Spilamberto.

Russian Opolchenija from Filippo

2011-02-15T10:48:00.007+01:00

Just before leaving for a 2 days business trip to London, another great work from Filippo: a squad of Russian Opolchenjia. Above, the commander and priest/standard bearer (a modified figure from Mirliton Miniatures).
The first half-squad...
And the second half-squad (with colpacks).
The complete Opolchenija squad: Steve Barber and Front Rank miniatures.
Thanks Filippo!

Pics from Jatachenje Con (Serbia)

2011-02-07T22:11:00.007+01:00

A couple of pics sent by Alex from Serbia: SDS was played at Jatachenje Con last week. Above, Alex (left) teaching the rules to his opponent, who has an alternative way of using measuring sticks... :)

And here is the last phase of the battle, with French Cavalry charging into the village. Thanks to Alex for sharing. More pics and a battle rep can be found at:
http://battreps.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post.html

Pics from Owl Con (Houston, TX)

2011-02-02T11:59:00.006+01:00

Here are some pics from a demo game at Owl Con in Houston, TX. They were sent by Willy Schweis and show a fight in an abandoneed village within a wood... Above, the terrain before the battle.
French Voltigeurs attacking a ruined house guarded by some Rifles... and the same Voltigeurs (below) trying to break in. Thank you for sharing Willy!
For more pics:
http://tacticalminiaturesgaming.blogspot.com/2011/02/sds-at-owl-con.html

What's going on in my Lab

2011-01-31T14:43:00.004+01:00

After a quite long period without posting (real-life job and other small problems kept me away from the blog) I just wanted to quickly describe what I'm doing right now on the GAMING side...

1) SDS Large Battles: going on with playtesting. The game works well, I'm just not satisfied with the Brigade and Divisional Morale rules. I know the result I want to achieve, but the mechanics are still to be refined...

2) Drums & Shakos Battalion level: this is something I've been thinking over since when 61-65 was released. If I succeed in creating these rules, players can go from squad fighting to large engagements with the same core rules. I wrote some basics, thinking in 15mm terms. A French battalion could be something around 24 bases (with 3 miniatures each), with single Company Commanders and the Chef de Battaillon with his Command Group.... More about this (I hope) soon.

3) Simple Campaign rules with no Referee. This is a game designed to play a Campaign in 3-4 sessions in double-blind. Battles are fought on the miniatures table, but the real focus is on the Strategic Management of your forces. First playtest of the Alpha version last week: great fun!

Please give me your opinions and as usual... stay tuned!

An interview with Marco (Italian SDS Champion)

2011-01-21T15:31:00.004+01:00

Pushed by some interest perceived from this blog and private emails, I asked Marco Gasbarri (Italian SDS and FIW Champion) to briefly describe his style of play and strategy.
Here is what he wrote:

"Squad composition is surely the most important thing, and should be carefully planned according to your playing style. Being an aggressive player, I usually prefer Elite squads.
An example could be the following (Italian) squad I often use:

1 Italian Infantry Officer (54), 1 Italian drummer (16), 5 Italian Guard Velites (165) and 3 French Young Guards (165) for a Total of 400 points

Every turn I try to activate the Young Guards first (and that should not be a problem considering their Q) trying to keep them in cover, better if in a wood.
Then, I move forward the group of Velites, using any possible cover and keeping them always in command. The Officer must always be screened by the drummer.
After a couple of turns, I move the Young Guards in the area where the enemy Command group is deployed: the idea i sto engage the enemy in a close firefight with the Velites (C3), thus allowing the Young Guards to attack the enemy Officer or Standard Bearer.

When the YG attack, never let them alone, but follow them closely with the rest of the soldiers. Otherwise they would probably be killed in no time. This all out attack may expose your Officer, but it is a risk you have to take. A squad like this can win also without a Leader, but only if the enemy has been previously weakened.

Wrapping up:

Use cover
Protect your Officer
When you decide to attack, do it with all available soldiers
Enemy Officer and Standard Bearer are your priority targets
and – clearly – keep your musket loaded!

Good dice to everybody! Marco Gasbarri

Pics from Carpi Tournament

2011-01-18T09:24:00.009+01:00

As promised, here are some pics from sunday's Tournament in Carpi. It was held within the CON GiocaCarpi and above you can see a view of the hall from our table.
First round of the Tourney: Antonio from Pavia (left) and Andrea from Firenze (right) in the early stages of their battle.
Those two strange-looking guys are Roberto from La Spezia (left, you have seen many of his painting works in this blog) and Alessandro from Arezzo.
Fourth round: Roberto (left) and Maurizio from Pavia (Maurizio is the European DBA Champion) immediately after deploying their troops.
Prize time: 3rd classified Max Salvagnini from Firenze. (the "red" guy with the microphone is me).
2nd: Alessandro Salini from Arezzo (the 2 guys behind the glass are looking at us like we were Aliens...)
The WAU: (Winner As Usual) Marco Gasbarri from Arezzo.
2010 SDS Italian and FIW Champion, Marco started this new year with another victory. We are thinking to give him some money NOT to take part, or maybe a 2000 points handicap.....
Behind me the Ganesha Table with (extreme right) a pile of freshly printed copies of 61-65 in italian ;-)

Carpi Tournament Results

2011-01-17T08:42:00.004+01:00

It was quite a Tour de Force yesterday for the Tournament in Carpi: wake up at 5:00 AM, 4 hours drive in the fog and we arrived in Carpi just in time. After the competition, back in the car for another 4 hours drive and home at 9:00 PM.
The Tournament was hosted by the CON "Gioca Carpi" and there were at least 3 other competitions ongoing (WH40K, Blood Bowl, Schutzengruppe). We had just 10 players this time, but considering the season - and the weather - that was ok I guess. Tourney started a bit late but we were able to close it on time (as usual at 5.00 PM).

The results just confirmed what happened in 2010: Arezzo caput mundi with first and second place, and 2010 SDS Italian Champion Marco Gasbarri won again (his score is now almost incredible: 19 W and 1 L), followed by Alessandro Salini (also from Arezzo) and Max Salvagnini (from Firenze). More about this (with pics) soon....

Last call for Tournament in Carpi (sunday)

2011-01-14T09:01:00.002+01:00

The first 2011 SDS Tourney will take place next sunday in Carpi (Modena), within the CON Gioca Carpi. All players interested in taking part should send me an e-mail to me: we still have some places left. As for last year, the formula will be the usual 4 rounds swiss style, and there will be prizes for the winner, second and third classified. Participation fee is 7 euro.
We'll play with Tournament Rules version 2.3.3, which seem to be the one I'll keep as official from now on (with the exception of minor details). Tournament will start at 10:00 and everything should be over around 5:00 PM, as usual.
SDS Tournaments are valid for the FIW (Italian Wargames Federation) Championship, and we are very proud that last year's SDS Champion (Marco Gasbarri) also won the Italian FIW title.

For info on the Convention
www.giocacarpi.com (italian language only, I fear...)

Pics from SDS Big Battle

2011-01-13T09:09:00.011+01:00

As promised, here are the pics of the second (and last) session of our Big Battle for the Castle, loosely inspired to the attack at Hougoumont. For this purpose, I scratch built a big house (above) and we used all the French and British 28mm we have. Unfortunately, I have lost the pics from the 1st session...
The early moves: a couple of heroic Frenchmen succeed in breaking the big gate, but a sort of execution squad is waiting for them just behind, and they are mowed down....
I did not take part continuously to the battle, so from time to time I took pictures of the situation: above, a squad with 2 ladders lead by a mounted officer tries to reinforce the soldiers already on the wall.
The same from another point of view. Brits inside have all discharged weapons, but they will be able to repulse the French attack soon.
Some views from the inside of the house. I enjoyed myself very much building all furniture (here a bookshelf, an armchair and a picture on the wall :)
The different floors were connected by stairs (above, on the extreme right) and all windows had glasses (plastic sheet) that the soldiers had to break in order to fire through.
The dining room with a fireplace, table and chairs, store cupboard and a picture (and 2 Rifles ready for fire).
Finally, the bedroom (the bed's sheets are made of real tissue...). Who won? That has not been determined exactly. However, the British still had the control of the Castle and - even if they sustained a number of losses - they could have still resisted some turns.
The French launched some 14 squads to the assault, and more than half of them were eliminated (in game terms). The main purpose of the meeting was to enjoy ourselves, trying a big assault and using my "new house"...
The whole group after the end of the Battle: from left Andrea, Vera, Marco, Paolo, Antonio and Marco (Carlo just behind the house, on his knees)

Second SDS Big Battle session

2011-01-06T07:43:00.007+01:00

2011 gaming activity will start tomorrow evening with the second part of the SDS Big Battle we started before Christmas. We took some pictures of the first session, but they got lost in the warp somewhere (surely I did something wrong)...
During the first session, the French attack at the Palace was quite costly in term of losses, but squad after squad are coming up through the woods and one of them (my Grenadiers) reached the wall on the left side of the Palace, putting 2 ladders in place. Isolated French soldiers reached the big gate, and are now struck there trying to break it, but I think they'll need the help of the 4 Sappers that are still inside the woods with the French Commander.
During the week end I should be able to post the conclusion of this battle and some pics...

Happy 2011!

2011-01-01T08:58:00.003+01:00

I wish all readers of this blog a 2011 full of health, success and a lot of gaming.
This will be the year for further increasing the GG Historical product line with new games at skirmish level (up to 15 figures), company level (up to 100 figures) and bigger...... :)
I hope you'll follow us as you did since the very beginning.
Thank you for your support

Sergio

Sharpe and his Rifles

2010-12-26T07:54:00.006+01:00

Once again, Filippo surprises me with a wonderful painting job and a conversion. Above and below, Lt. Sharpe leading his men forward...
Sgt. Patrick Harper (below). Filippo made it converting from some plastic models (Perry, I guess), adding his curly hair, the chevrons on the right arm and the multi-barrelled gun.
He just picked up the shako of a French Voltigeur, and he's showing it to his Lieutenant.
The full "movie" squad: Hagman; Harris, Perkins, Harper and Sharpe.
"King George commands and we obey, over the hills and far away..........."

Neapolitans!

2010-12-24T11:59:00.008+01:00

A selection of pics sent by Filippo from Florence. This is his brand new squad of Neapolitans Velites of the Guard, all 28mm Steve Barber Models. Above, two Velites (front/rear view).
The Guard Velites NCO in his resplendant uniform (Murat really liked this kind of uniforms). All facings are amaranth, a color that the King was very fond of....
The Drummer...
The Officer, with a picture of a wonderful 54 mm that Filippo took as a painting guide.
And finally the whole Guard Velites Squad. As usual, great job Filo!!

SDS Big Battle tonight

2010-12-23T08:35:00.002+01:00

The "castle" is almost finished, and this evening the Battle shall begin!
I must say I enjoyed myself very much in building the house. There is still some work to be done, but I like the result. I'll have to adapt some rules for this particular scenario, and set some kind of victory conditions. Anyway, it will be an opportunity to meet before Christmas (we should be around 7 people) and drink some Spumante while eating Panettone.
I'll take note of everything and possibly make a Scenario out of it. Stay tuned for pics and a battle rep !

Building time

2010-12-20T08:33:00.003+01:00

Together with my friends we decided to stage a SDS Big Battle for thursday, dec. 23rd in my lab.
It will be a participation scenario, loosely based on the French attack at Hougoumont, where a couple of players will play with the British inside a big house/castle and all others will command one or more French squads, trying to break through. As the attack will be very difficult due to heavy cover of the defender, there will be virtually no limit to the number of French squads attacking, but just 2-3 at a time. In this way people can come, take command of a squad, play 1-2 hours and then go, or keep playing...

For this reason I started building a BIG house (actually half of it, so that it is possible to move figures inside) with all the scratch material I have in the Lab. There will be also a high wall surrounding a part of the house corner (like in Hougoumont) from where the defenders will shoot at the approaching enemies. More about about this (and pics) soon...

Pics from MAG CON (Texas)

2010-12-15T07:57:00.007+01:00

As I announced in a previous post, in the first week-end of December the MAG CON Convention took place near Houston, TX and SDS was played in a couple of tables. Above and below 2 pics of Dale's hand-made wooden soldiers (http://wooden-warriors.blogspot.com) in a classic French Vs. British scenario.
A close-up of the French squad, with a British Cavalryman. Dale uses scratch materials (the muskets are toothpicks!) to create his wonderful 42mm soldiers.
Another scenario was made using Kelly's 28mm miniatures (from Willy's blog - http://tacticalminiaturesgaming.blogspot.com).
British Rifles of the 95th take possession of some ruins. Many thanks to Dale, Kelly and Willy for their work and pics!

I'm back

2010-12-10T11:36:00.003+01:00

...from a business trip that lasted a day more than expected. I was blocked in Paris by a snow storm that forced all passengers to spend one night in airport, and only yesterday I managed to come back via Madrid, but only very late in the evening.
I apologize to all people writing emails to me in these three days as I could answer just this morning or late yesterday night.

Pics of a great wargaming saturday (2)

2010-12-05T15:18:00.008+01:00

More pics from yesterday's game chez Alessandro. In the previous 2 posts the description of the battle...
Some unexpected event took place (from left, me, Fabio and Max).
Max explaining to us his "Cavalry up and down" tactics, while I open a bottle (Alessandro on the right).A close view on the French advance on the right. Pics from Andrea.
See the following two post for more..

Pics of a great wargaming saturday (1)

2010-12-05T12:12:00.015+01:00

Here they are! Thanks to Filippo for sending them, and in particular for the last 2 pics :))
Above, the initial setup of the British Forces (with a Dutch-Belgian unit added).
Three French squads (Marco's) advancing on the left: the first in line with a couple of skirmishers in front, followed by a double line and a column. The Officer carefully watches the deployment of his troops.
A Scottish squad in double line checking the advance of a French squad in line (and 2 Rifles going for cover behind a fence in front of the house).
A full view of the battlefield. It was a 120x180cm table, with some wooded areas and some buildings. And ...no, beer, plastic glasses and the big panettone cake were not part of the terrain :)
Another view of the British right during the early stages of the game. Max is shuffling activation cards..
On a last, desperate and unsuccessful effort to save the day, French Dragoons charge a reduced British squad. The redcoats will break, but a point-blank volley from the other squad on the right will then rout the eroic Dragoons...
And finally.... the interlude I told you about in my previous post.... Nothing to add, really nice job Filippo! (the contest was won by the British Officer, and the epilogue was as follows :)

A great wargaming saturday

2010-12-05T07:31:00.003+01:00

Yesterday Andrea and me went to Arezzo to meet some friends and to play a company level Napoleonic battle with 61-65 rules. We agreed to bring all French and British miniatures 28mm figures we have and field as many squads we could.
In the end we had 8 infantry and 1 cavalry squad per side, making room for 6 players with 3 squads each. Alessandro, Marco and Andrea played the French side, and Max, Fabio and Filippo played the Brits. We used the Multi player Battle rules of 61-65 and I made some tweaking of the rules to adapt the game for napoleonics.
I started explaining the rules at 12.30 (they are all experienced SDS players) and the game ended with a (tight) British victory at 17.30 (lunch included). As it is usual in these circumstances (and it's a pleasure in my opinion) a lot of chatting and joking went on during the game, including a funny interlude when a Vivandiere entered the game and 2 Officers (one French and 1 British) made a charme contest for her :)
All in all, a 5 hours game with so many forces on the table, lunch and a complete overview of the game are really satisfactory in my opinion, and the game went on without any problem.
Andrea took some pics of the game and as soon as he'll send them to me I'll post them here.
The guys called the game "99-15" following the pattern we used for 61-65.

61-65 Italian version available

2010-12-02T09:36:00.003+01:00

La versione italiana di 61-65 è disponibile in pdf su www.ganeshagames.net
Per le copie stampate bisognerà attendere ancora un paio di settimane.

The Italian version of 61-65 ia available in pdf. Printed copies will be ready in a couple of weeks.