Mystara at the GIOCAPADOVA Convention

Overlord Executive

Overlord is a gaming association founded in 1986 with the goal to promote and spread “smart” games.

For almost thirty years, it has welcomed newcomers and fans of role-playing games, tabletop, simulation, and strategy games.

Every Friday evening Overlord's members gather in their headquarters, situated in Padua, to play one of the titles available in the association’s extensive store of games or to try out new games proposed by members.

For information: www.overlord.it and http://www.facebook.com/circolooverlord

Over the first weekend of September 2015, Overlord will present the 26th annual GIOCAPADOVA. This long-running event hosts tournaments, gaming tables, and special events free both for experts and anyone who wants to enter the world of tabletop, simulation, and strategy gaming.

Therefore we hope to be seeing you Saturday and Sunday, the fifth and sixth of September, amid the picturesque setting of Ex Fornace Carotta in Padua. The former brickworks, beautifully restored into a multi-purpose event center, is located near Padua’s historic center.

The 2015 GIOCAPADOVA convention will host a special space dedicated to Mystara.

Genesis of the Italia Mystara Group and the Mystara Convention at GIOCAPADOVA

by Giuliano Michelon¹

During recent years the increasing widespread use of social networks, applied to the RPG world, has enabled thousands of D&D fans, including the Mystara game setting, to contact one another and create an actual network.

While this was possible in the past, through newsletters and bulletin boards, there is no doubt that social media, with its real-time immediacy, besides wide and increasing diffusion on mobile platforms such as smartphones and tablets, has contributed to the sharp increase in popularity of gaming related networks. Thus, in a few short years, online groups and web pages dedicated to every aspect of RPGs have been created. Many RPG authors have quickly realized the potential these avenues can provide in terms of communicating and consolidating the bond uniting people everywhere, even perfect strangers, through a shared passion.

Bruce Heard, who among them can be considered one of the creative founders of the classic D&D setting of Mystara, has launched one of the most influential and popular groups: Mystara Reborn.

Joining Mystara Reborn led me to understand the dedication and fervor of Italian fans at every level, supporting and expanding the Mystara setting, which has been bereft of official support for far too long. The idea of creating a Facebook group for Italian fans of Mystara was therefore a natural progression, with the result being a high level of participation from the Italian members in the main forum. Mystara Italy, in just a few short months from its conception, has already attracted over a hundred fans.

This September, the group will celebrate its first anniversary. Therefore it seemed to me a great opportunity to be able to create, within GiocaPadova 2015, a special affair to celebrate this upcoming event. The idea was met with great enthusiasm by group members, and fresh ideas were added to mine outlining what could be done. Besides throwing a simple party or reunion, we’ll be hosting more events resembling a Mini-Con focused on Mystara.

I will run at least one adventure at the event as often as possible, allowing all interested gamers to participate, and perhaps later join the group. I know others are thinking about running adventures, so stay tuned for more information; and if you are a DM willing to run a Mystara game at the convention, feel free to contact me on the Italia Mystara Facebook Group!