Hallo:) I Introduce myself for the Gamers from France that do not know me well. After Years of PhotoReports on my website, (see how many only on 2007!), mostly about Cons in Italy that invite me and Essen in Germany, 2008 starts with an unaspected and lovely partecipation to Games Festival in Cannes. I am now member of Organization Staff of Ludica, Festival of Games at FORUM Milano, 21-23 november 2008. They kindly host me for this journey where I did my best introducing them many Authors, Designers, Publishers, Organizators, mostly from France of course, some from Italy like Scribabs and Ghenos and from other countries. Thanks to the partecipations and experience in 12 years in this luding world I have as game designer, illustrator of games and communicator. With my style of course, but seems it works;).

Being dad of three daughters, I was very well impressed by organization in general and by the plenty of spaces dedicated to children. Hope we will see more and more spaces like these also in Italy. Is good think to Gamers but even better is think to NEW gamers! They are the future!

One example of the attention dedicated in Cannes to young gamers, was the plenty of scenarios that you can find around the Festival, starting from entrances. In the main one was built a fantastic Gladiator Arena for children, complete with Tigers!

Another nice thing you can live in Cannes is the Festival Off. A night encounter of Playtesters, Authors, Gamers, that is very useful to show games, protoypes and meet interested people. Here I showed my last BOL dedicated to children, a game where you can CREATE rules inside the game! Explain your variant to other players: if majority votes yes, let's play your idea!

Another game that was played A LOT (also "live" in the Festival OFF!) was ULTIMATE, the boardgame dedicated to Ultimate Frisbee. Here Johann Roussel scores after an incredibly fighted match against Alexis Evremidis.

It was nice to meet thank to this BoardGame so many real Ultimate players, from France and also from Washington USA. Here you see Francois Haffner, a very nice and friendly Gamer, who appreciated ULTIMATE enough to take his own copy. Glad you like the disk! :) See his nice website about games: jeuxsoc.free.fr

Ahhhrgh!!! What the ...HellDorado. HellDorado, a wonderfull indeed miniature, skirmish, game with a fantastic infernal ambientation...

"You are a Myth". Told me Umberto Francia, vice president of GRVItalia that met me right outside the of Festival the first night. And I know him just for his name:) Next day, he was so kind to introduce me the President of GRVItalia and of Federgiochi: Riccardo Zerbo. Both gentle, educate, competent and propositive persons. It's always a pleasure for me to introduce this kind of persons to the Director of Ludica Robert de Monquit.

After this hystorical brainstorming, let's have fun around the games at the Festival Off in the Night. Robert want to play again the old multiawarded Warangel and so we did. Around the Table Riccardo, Sabrine di Trani professional game translater, Elena, Umberto, Robert and Luciano.

The satisfied faces of the two winners, Robert and Luciano who leaded the Dwarves against the DragonWomen leaded by Elena and Sabrine. In this case you see the woodenblocks painted in black and pink. As you can see in the page Create YOUR Warangel, now you can choose and request any Race you like already mounted on painted woodenblocks. And see and choose the maps you like representing real sectors of Earth: France, Italy, Japan, USA... fight where you like, but please... fight in boardgames;)

I have different nice memories of my first Cannes Festival: one of the best was the interest and respect I felt from the encounter with Christoph Finas. He showed really interested in old Warangel that he didn't knew and played all times he was free from his booth. It is a real pleasure to meet people like you and your collegue Antoine Riot.

Here is a close up of Christophe Ghosts' Army who played an excellent match against the huge Templars. Here is the signature of Christophe on the wooden box of his wonderfull Astoria, the game he created and distributes and gifted me: "To Angelo Craftwer of Worlds thanks for your creations, hope to see you soon - Christophe Finas." What to say: everyone speaks with the facts he produces. It is a little miracle that Games have the gift to put in contact persons like this.

CANNES 2008

Festival International of Games

"Souvenir" PhotoReport by Angelo Porazzi

Linked on TRICTRAC thank to Kind Monsieur Phal, Linked on http://jeuxsoc.free.fr/ thank to kind Francois Haffner, see these friends in next pictures;)

Sorry for my bad English: I can understand French but not able to write in proper French. So I use my Italian English Espanol Esperanto (Esperiamo che mi capiscono): I see with pleasure that the communication among people is not a problem of language. It's a matter of education and reciprocal opening. People who want to understand each other can communicate in different languages and meet and create things as well:)

One example of this opening with a simple "Bonjour" with a smile, was Timotee Leroy of Yactalea. I was just seeing the wonderful artworks like for example Mana, designed by his dad Claude. Timotee expalined me this elegant game realized in leather and showed me with our mixed language Italian-French-English the children Game Le Poux of Boelinger I met and played in prototype years ago in Italian IDEAG. Now you see it realized in first and last picture of the PhotoReport:)

Another Creator of Games that saw me watching his frogs and kindly asked me "do you want to play?" Is the veteran Morin. To arrive at his age still with the energy and semplicity to host people at his table, Moms, Kids, playing his home made games, is a great show. Honour to this man.

Here is Serge Bouquet. Robert introduced this man to me as "Angelo Porazzi in France". Serge was very kind illustrating me all his activities with his HomeMade Games. Of Course I appreciate his way due to the fact that in Italy I am ideator and coordinator of Area Autoproduzione that gathers together many Italian Authors. An Idea that is now requested and hosted in many Italian Cons and Fairs and in next Ludica Festival Milano. Hope Serge and Morin will join us: it would be a pleasure. You can meet Serge and all his activities at www.jeux-alveole.com

A very special moment was the lunch at the bar of the Festival, where first Cyril met me, then guys from Repos Games, then Monsieur Phal of www.trictrac.net . I was happy to introduce him to the Director of Ludica Milano Festival Robert de Monquit : being both French I hope they will find the best way to communicate each other:)! They both have great means to communicate and help the luding world.

To me was an honour to see Cyril Demaegd of Ystari Games, I met at Essen 2007 and then in Cannes Bar;), sit down and take a nice try to Ultimate. Here he is on the left. I want to say Thank you to Hichan of Matagot who was so kind to offer me one of his tables at his booth, for some demos of my games. All really kind and friendly people: I'll do the best to host you if you'll want o partecipate at our Festival in Milano.

Here we are at Cyril tables with the nice and coloured Yspahan he produced with his YstariGames. Cyril signed the copy of Amytis (of which is the author), he gift me, with these words:" To my Italian Cousin Angelo", due he has relatives from Italy:) I appreciate a lot his way to live, speak with gentleness and quietness. You see when you have in front a person happy of his life and of his works.

The beautiful view from hour residence on the sea of Cannes. What a lovely sight. And energy from the sea, and the air, and the sun... and the games... And the food... OMMMMMM....

After a funny match at LovePigs, after ULTIMATE played both LIVE at the Fetsival Off and in the BoardGame, together with these Spanish friends and Cesco Reale, here we met Sandra Sardà organizer of FIRAJOCJOC in Tona: find info and meet these lovely friends at www.firadeljoc.cat.

Back in Milano I want to take a picture of the many Souvenir Games I collected in Cannes07, mostly Gifts of other Authors-Publishers friends. Les Poux and Mana from Timothee-Iactalea, Amytis and Ispanha from kind Cyril-Ystari, Dame Bleue from Serge-Alveole, The Star Wars battleships gifted by Leonydas Vesperini-Thermopyles, and the incredibly beautiful Astoria in the lavoured woodenbox, from Christopher Finas-RoleetStrategie.

Thanks to all the real people that give me the energy to go on in this strange, incredible, luding world. If you have the luck to have the same fun I have, maybe we will meet year after year, after year...;)

After 12 years of Gaming World this was my first Cannes and I am quite shure it won't be the last...I Loved this weekend, spent with many friends from many countries. Speaking so different languages but with a sole unique language: the language of our Games.

To the next!

Angelo Porazzi