Cosa Bolle in Pentola ? #1 – Angelo Porazzi

29 Novembre 2005 0

Here we are!

This is the first of (I hope) a long series of quick interview with Italian’s designers, editors and publishers. Cosa Bolle in Pentola means What is boiling in the pot and, obviously, is about projects for the future.

I would like to start from Angelo Porazzi because is both a dear friend and also on the edge in designing and publishing games from at least 10 years!

[Liga] Hi Angelo, can you provide us a short introduction of yourself ?

[Angelo]”A short introduction of myself” … I will!
First of all let me say thank to you Liga and to all gamers that communicate games and help gaming world’s grooving.
I Just enjoy create and illustrate my games, some friend call me a “game artist” due I just realize them for joy of creation: for my own pleasure and the pleasure of my gamer friends allover the world.
I’m dad of three baby girls that are now my former playtest group, together with the many gamer friends that meet me at the numerous gaming conventions and fairs where I am invited and hosted.
I use to photo-report most of them on my website www.warangel.it that is now a real photo album where gamers may found pictures, names and feelings of latest years of rising ItalianLuding World.
My first game Warangel was awarded in four different fairs and cons in 2000, it is still played and requested by gamers that suggested lots of the
races in the game (comprising now 100 races). Latest National Championship held in ModCon was a real meeting of friends that enjoy play together this
“always new” game. On 2002 Warangel Card Game was first Italian game created and illustrated by same author to be picked up by Hasbro Italy for National Distribution. Latest games PeaceBowl and TATATA! were premiered at Essen and picked up by authors such as Seyfarth and Friese, you can see them and many other friends on “Angelo Porazzi Essen 05 Photo Report” published on
SpielBox Online, a real honour for me.

[Liga] Cosa bolle in pentola ?

[Angelo] I am now in production of 2006 brand new game: WrestAngel.
It is an idea of my daughter, Alessia, to celebrate 10 years of Warangel.
Next year Warangel will have 10 years from its first edition of 1996.
That hot summer of 1996, when Alessia was only two years old, I saw Warangel available for the first time in a shop at the seaside, where our family was
on holidays.
My legs trembled and I could never imagine at that time the impressive feedback of gamers for that self production, published in collectible issues.
On 2000 I wished to gift that game a boxed edition and it was an incredible success: we reached now the fifth re-edition.
On its 10th birthday I wish to gift characters of the game a brand new environment.
On 2004 I realized PeaceBowl, the PeaceArena, where warriors of Warangel universo meet in a MAD mood – four way football, mixing their races, to know
each other and defeat the war.
On 2006 we have WrestAngel a new fantasy-sport where teams of two warriors face each other in a very simple but interactive way. Gamers love a lot the
“modulable board” of TATATA! that allow a differnt numbers of players.
Also In WrestAngel, Ring-Cards allow to create always new rings to host a different number of Teams and have a perfect balancement. Here you can
interpretate your favourite warriors screaming their “War-Cries” when attacking, bluffing your attack that could be a simple close combat
fighting, a Special Action, a Fly from the Rope… Defender do not know the attack and must try to guess it defending in many different ways, just
counter attacking, avoiding, or trying to move on the ring. Lot of interactions in this game, that allows to have very intensive, fast paced, funny game.
The very first prototype of WrestAngel was played in ModCon 2005: you can see a picture on BGG WrestAngel page.
It is going on print right now.

[Liga] That’s sounds great! I hope to tray and play it soon! And what about the future ?

[Angelo] As I answered to kind Tom Vasel that interviewed me (and corrected the numbers of mistakes in my bad English:))
I like to concentrate my energies on the project I am working on now.
I do things step by step, I just enjoy and respect what I am doing: don’t know what I will like in the future.
I can say I never expected a such friendly feedback from gamers living in so different countries in the world.
WrestAngel was translated in English by many “gamers friends” translators that offered themselves to help me in this project, same happened for German translation. To me is the best thing in this part of my work: to have feedback, ideas, suggestions, directly from gamers. About races, concepts, innovations that I put together illustrating them and balancing them.
Some dear friends compare me to a good quarterback that put together the energies of faithful teammates, realizing good goals.
As long I will have dear friends that enjoy to realize game with me, helping from the most different and distant places of this crazy world, I’ll be there, due I really enjoy create and illustrate games, realize good ideas.

[Liga] And finally, which are the 10 games you like to play most ?

[Angelo] The game that illuminated me years ago was Zargo’s Lords of dear friend Marco Donadoni. I wrote this thanks on Warangel 2000 rulebook.
I also had a flash when playing Kings and Things and BloodBowl.
The games I perhaps played most in my youth were Subbuteo and Space Crusade.
Of recent games I appreciate Dungeon and Dragons BoardGame that is perfect for my daughters who love to create like me characters, illustrate rooms,
invent stories. We also like to play Formula De’ that is maybe the light game with the best illustration boards I know.
Of German Style Games the one I liked most is Princes of Florence due the theme is very well felt in the game; about abstracts I like the so simple, so deep GO.
And the games I love to play most are prototypes, mine and of my gamer friends: I like a lot to see a game starting from an idea, then see it
grooving in a brainstorming of ideas, illustrate it, see it keeping its own form, identity and “soul” under my eyes, step by step. Realize ideas. This
is the game i love the most!

Ciao and thanks to Liga and to all real game communicators allover the world.
All the best to you and to this new project. See you in next Con, I’ll be there!
Angelo Porazzi

[Liga] Thank to you Angelo. See you in the next con and I hope soon you could give me a copy of WrestAngel to preview! And, obviously, Good Play!

Next week I’ll go to interview Roberto di Meglio

© 2005 Andrea Liga Ligabue

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