Play 2011: New Releases & Demo Games

On March 26-27, 2011 the Italian city of Modena will host PLAY: The Games Festival, the largest Italian gaming event and one that differs from festivals like Lucca Comics & Games in that the main focus is on games and the playing of those games. With more than 270 gaming events and 100+ tables dedicated to open gaming, PLAY is the ideal place for gamers who want to sample the new Nuremberg releases, in addition to getting a look at what will be released in the future.

Here's a rundown of the Italian publishers that will present new and upcoming releases at PLAY:

• Angelo Porazzi Games will present Assist, a new game designed by Porazzi and Marco Donadoni.

• In addition to previewing Winter Tales and Sake & Samurai, Albe Pavo will present a demo copy of MUNERA: Ars Dimicandi, an expansion for MUNERA: Familia Gladiatoria that can be downloaded for free. Here's an overview of this expansion:

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MUNERA: Ars Dimicandi is focused on fighting and gives to each lanista a new way to manage the duels of his champions. It also offers a new approach to the managerial system, promoting a more accurate managerial planning of the game.

• Asterion Press will show off the Italian versions of 7 Wonders and Tikal 2 and will perhaps have preview copies of expansions for 7 Wonders and Dixit.

• Ghenos Games will have copies of the newly released Pamplona: Viva San Fermin!.

• Giochi Uniti will bring Cargo Noir from Days of Wonder and Italian editions of several games, including Battles of Westeros, Water Lily, A Games of Thrones LCG, The Lord of the Rings LCG and Egizia.

• After launching its first roleplaying game – Project H.O.P.E. – the publishing house Limana Umanita Edizioni will take on the challenge of designing card games with War of Wonders, a living card game based on the characters in Project H.O.P.E. An overview:

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1941: the Second World War is at its climax and the Axis powers dominate Europe with their armies and their Meta-Humans, superheroes created in the Third Reich's laboratories by mutation chambers. The Free World might seem doomed, but...

There's still hope. A Polish Hebrew scientist who was forced to work in Nazi labs escapes to Great Britain and creates the first mutation chambers for the Allies. Thanks to him, the Allies now have a chance to stop the Nazi tide. It's time to combat for freedom, it's time for the War of Wonders.

War of Wonders is a living card game for two players who will take control of two factions: Allies and Axis. Every faction must gain victory points by accomplishing missions of three kinds: Combat, Intelligence and Sabotage. To reach their targets, players must develop their facilities and use them to create and recruit Meta-Humans to unleash in battle. With accurate planning you can build a powerful army of superheroes, or with fast raids you can try to achieve a sudden victory.

War of Wonders will be previewed at PLAY and available from March 30, 2011.

• NG International will present, after a long wait, Letters from Whitechapel and Magestorm. Piero Cioni will attend PLAY, presenting demo copies of expansions for both Magestorm and Dakota.

• Red Glove will preview Ristorante Italia.

• Scribabs will show a preview version of 011 with designer Marco Valtriani on hand for the event.

But this is only the tip of the iceberg as most publishers, big and small, will attend PLAY with new games, demos, previews and prototypes. Most Italian game designers will be present, including Andrea Angiolino, Leo Colovini, Emanuele Ornella, Paolo Mori and Piero Cioni.

Finally, at the Club TreEmme booth two preview copies of Ankh-Moropork, the new Martin Wallace game due out for Spiel 2011, will be available for play.