Vampifan's Views 08 Dadi e Piombo

In my last editorial, posted just before Christmas of 2010, I mentioned a secret project that I was working on and I rather cryptically called it "the Italian Job." Now, I can reveal just what that project is. I have had an article published in the prestigious Italian wargaming magazine, Dadi e Piombo. Dadi e Piombo stands for Dice and Lead. The article, you won't be at all surprised to learn, is a primer into the world of 28mm scale zombie miniature collecting, gaming and a brief look at zombie literature and films. I've printed the front cover of the mag and the first page of my article to the left of here to give you a flavour of what to expect. The magazine is printed quarterly and is in full colour throughout, printed on very high quality paper.
I will admit, that until I was contacted by Lorenzo Sartori, the editor, I had never heard of the magazine. But, then again, that is hardly surprising as it is outside of my sphere of interests. Lorenzo contacted me late last year, having seen my size comparison photos of zombie miniatures on my blog, and asked me if I'd like to contribute an article to his magazine. I immediately said yes and so our collaboration begun. Lorenzo chose a number of photos from my blogsite that he wanted to use - stuff from some of my batreps and all of the size comparison photos. I typed in a new article for him, which was approved after a few minor changes.

I then eagerly awaited the publication of the magazine. A week or so ago I was contacted by Lorenzo to say that the mag was ready and that I could have up to seven free copies. This was very gratefully accepted by me. Yesterday, the parcel of magazines arrived. My immediate reaction upon seeing my article in print was one of immense pride. It is very rare to see your work in print and I feel very lucky that this is the second time it has happened to me (the first time being with me illustrating the vampire anthology Darkling, I Listen.)
In addition to my intro on collecting zombie figures, Lorenzo has included a very simple set of rules that he has devised for a zombie skirmish game, which is illustrated with more photos of mine from some of my zombie batreps. So that gives you another reason to be interested in this magazine.
I am the wrong person to give an unbiased opinion of the content of this issue because of my involvement but even so, the over-riding impression I have of the magazine is one of respect for its high quality. This is no cheap fly-by-night fanzine but a very serious and noteworthy wargaming magazine. The fact that it is printed in English and Italian can only help boost its sales, seeing as English is such a popular language spoken all across Europe. Also, the fact that this is issue 44, meaning it has been going for eleven years, surely indicates how popular it must be.
When Lorenzo offered me the opportunity of receiving seven copies of the magazine it really thrilled me as I knew what I wanted to do with the extra copies. I'd like to offer five of them up for grabs to anyone who'd like a copy. Obviously, to be fair, this has to be done on a first come, first served basis. If you genuinely want a free copy (yes, it will be free, and I'll pay the postage) just e-mail me at vampifan@talktalk.net with your name and address and I'll send you a copy. This offer is open to overseas followers, not just those residing in the UK.
For those of you who aren't among the lucky first five, here are the web addresses where the magazine can be bought -
In the UK contact www.caliverbooks.com
In the USA contact www.onmilitarymatters.com
In Germany and Austria contact woreanshop@aol.com or www.worean.eu
In Spain contact www.atlanticajuegos.com
In Italy contact www.dadiepiombo.com
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Lorenzo for the chance to spread the word about why zombies are cool and for the copies of the magazine he sent me. Lorenzo, if you're reading this, you have my heartfelt thanks!
Normal service will be resumed with my next post, in which I will, hopefully, be reviewing a bunch of 28mm scale zombies by Recreational Conflict, a company whom I've never mentioned before.