Words by David C. Obenour
Scorching heat. An unforgiving land. A hand dealt in life with even less quarter afforded them from the wealth of landowners and power of the federales.
While the romanticized vision of Brazil’s dust-coated cangaceiros conjures notions of spaghetti western freedom fighters and righteous vigilantes from the pages of paperbacks, the brutal reality brought its own dimensions. For everything the Sertão hinterland limited or denied to those brave, foolhardy, or desperate enough to inhabit it, it also offered a land without control, to escape the established and enforced realities.
Working alongside a number of enthusiasts, experts, and the Brazilian Embassy of Rome, Alessandro Lanzuisi of Ergo Ludo Editions and illustrator, Emiliano Mammurcari were able to capture the wild world of Cangaceiros.
Off Shelf: Exploring the fascinating history and real people behind Brazil’s “Sertão” region, the idea for Cangaceiros as a game is credited to Marco Vassallo. Can you tell us more about who they are and how they brought this idea to you?
Alessandro Lanzuisi: The idea for the game came from a dear friend, Marco Vassallo, who was enthusiastic about the history of the cangaceiros and that region of Brazil. I also knew those places and characters because in Italian popular culture they had been the protagonists of some comic stories by Hugo Pratt and a famous Italian character in the 70s and 80s, Mister No. Those fascinating stories had stuck with both Marco and me. As adults, my friend continued to nurture that passion by reading books and researching that historical period. I asked Marco to write a synopsis of how he envisioned the game and the elements that, according to him, were essential to recreate those atmospheres.
OS: I imagine there are no shortage of suggestions offered for games, so what was it about Vassallo’s idea that excited you to pursue it?
AL: The idea of bringing to life, as a board game, such a unique world. Rich in unique characters, harsh and challenging, full of dangers like the heat, hostile terrain, escapes, the struggle for survival, violence, and the sense of being surrounded – all that players had to feel – fascinated me. I envisioned it like a Quentin Tarantino movie!
Moreover, it represented a challenge to create a game that, while reminiscent of the Western epic of North America in some respects, used a setting that had never been explored in the gaming world. Once we accepted the challenge, our developer and game author, Daniele Ursini, suggested contacting Roberto Pestrin as the game’s author because he believed he was suitable for successfully undertaking the task. That suggestion turned out to be spot on! Pestrin came in the project right away, being captivated and fascinated by the stories of these Sertão bandits as soon as he had time to delve into them. I can only say that their stories are so incredible that a game could be devised for each one of them.
OS: How did you select Emiliano Mammucari for the project? What about their art felt right for this game?
AL: Almost by chance, I came across some covers that Emiliano Mammucari had created for a modern version of the Mister No character, still quite famous in Italy, whose stories are set in Brazil. His pictorial technique, so modern and classic at the same time, the expressiveness of his characters, and the impactful coloring immediately made me believe that he was the right illustrator for the game. Emiliano has the ability to make characters act, always wanting to give his best, accepting new challenges. He had never illustrated board games before! Endowed with a fresh and modern style, he seemed perfect for Cangaceiros. And, I must say, he was!
Emiliano Mammucari: I am a cartoonist, coming from the world of comics, and I am used to thinking about drawing in terms of storytelling. To try to stage the emotions of the characters, rather than describe. So, I thought I could use this attitude of mine to offer the game an unusual, as dynamic as possible, perspective. Working on Cangaceiros I discovered that board game illustration is a diverse and complex discipline, made up of countless schools, styles, dynamics, and the Ergo Ludo team did an excellent job of introducing me to this world.
OS: Can you talk about some of the source materials used for creating the art of Cangaceiros?
AL: After completing the game development, one of the first needs was to provide Emiliano with all the necessary documentation to faithfully reproduce protagonists, surroundings, costumes, weapons, and objects, without being pedantic but always with the aesthetic attention that a board game requires. Marco Vassallo provided us with a series of photographs of the original cangaceiros, some very clear and “readable,” others more challenging because they were less or poorly photographed at the time – we’re talking about the first twenty, thirty years of the 20th century!
I want to emphasize that the twenty cangaceiros in the game correspond to their historical counterparts, excepted by Milian, who is a tribute to the actor Tomas Milian, the protagonist of a “spaghetti western” titled, “O Cangaceiro.” The other 19 actually existed, and Mammucari portrayed them perfectly in their attitudes and characters, filtering them through his artistic sensitivity.
Other important sources were some Brazilian videos that filmed real clothes, weapons, and objects directly from museums dedicated to that historical period and social phenomenon, as well as those comics I referred to.
Finally, and most importantly, essential materials regarding coins, rare photos, even of villages and territories, were provided by the Embassy of Brazil in Rome, with the crucial support of Marta De Carvalho and Marta Santanché. With their enthusiasm, they contaminated the entire embassy! As a result, the Brazilian embassy organized an exhibition and an event dedicated to the Cangaceiros game. A genuinely exciting experience for all of us, complete with live music reproducing the most famous songs of the cangaceiros, one of which is mentioned as the “soundtrack” of the game.
EM: Alessandro provided me with a vast amount of material, a database of photos and character profiles, uniforms, settings. To these, I added my own research, such as the weapons that were used or the way they were carried, but almost all the documentation work had already been done and it’s the first time this has happened to me!
OS: Can you talk about creating the game’s one mythic character, Milian?
EM: I am a big fan of Spaghetti Westerns, the films made in Italy that, unlike American movies, portrayed characters much closer to Greek Theater or Goldoni, than to John Ford. During the 60s, hundreds were produced; obviously, not all are good, but some titles stand out in the crowd, like those featuring this bizarre Cuban-born actor as the protagonist. As a child, my father had me work as an extra in some films, and one of my earliest memories, I must have been three years old, is of this big man, an actor, with the red and black striped shirt and the foreign accent, who greeted me with a little pat on the cheek. Obviously, the actor was Tomas Milian! So, since he had also made a film about the cangaceiros, I thought it would be nice to pay tribute to him.
OS: What were some of your other favorite illustrations for Cangaceiros? What about them spoke to you?
EM: Probably the illustrations of female characters, like Dadá. From the photos, there’s a sweetness in their gaze that we wouldn’t expect from someone leading such a harsh life. There is an incredible world behind those faces.
OS: Beyond the source material, what sort of art direction did you provide Emiliano? Did anything about his art surprise you from what you had expected?
AL: We had given some parameters to adhere to: the sense of heat and aridity that the terrain had to emanate. So, warm colors, between yellow and orange. An aggressive but not excessively violent style, almost to remind that in the end it is still a game. To soften the harshness of certain events.
Above all, we gave many indications about the game board, which by necessity had to be a partial abstraction. The board was the most complex element to create, depicted as it is from a bird’s-eye view and with all the graphic elements it had to include.
EM: The most challenging part was creating the game board because besides drawing, there’s a need for planning: every part of the illustration must serve the game. And then… it was really huge too!
AL: Another indication was for the cover, which we wanted to be epic and cinematic. It was the cover that surprised us the most: Emiliano had made two versions, a warm one – the one published – and one at sunset, with cooler colors. Both stunning, leaving us in awe! It was very difficult to choose which one to eliminate… He naturally also suggested some solutions, like the red background for the characters, which is also a tribute to the video game Red Dead Redemption.
EM: I wanted to find an original key; I didn’t want it to look like a western. There was already a strong aesthetic to rely on: the reds of the desert, the infinite spaces of the Sertão. And, in contrast, the vibrant colors worn by the Cangaceiros. I just exaggerated it a little.
OS: Related to the art, was there any input for Emiliano – either before or after – from cultural consultant, Marta De Carvalho or historical consultant, Marco Vassallo?
AL: Marco Vassallo was crucial for the historical cangaceiros: he provided a rich file of photos and characteristics, historical and personality notes for each individual cangaceiro. In fact, he provided many more historical characters, but we had to make a necessary choice.
Thanks to Marta De Carvalho, all of us involved in the project could access the library of the Embassy of Brazil, rich in images and historical knowledge. She was also precious in revealing correct Portuguese terms to use, such as for events that we held in the original language for all versions of the game.
OS: You mentioned before that the game was celebrated with an event hosted by the Brazilian Embassy in Rome. What do you think this level of recognition does for games as objects of playable art and history?
EM: More events like this should be organized. Also, because the game is a medium of great fascination, which has numbers and evocative power, and is ready to take all the spaces it deserves.
AL: The event at the Embassy of Brazil in Rome was almost the natural conclusion of a journey that saw everyone involved in the project excited: from the publisher to the author, from the developers to the graphic designers, to the ambassador and the cultural attachés of Brazil. The exhibition of the game’s drawings inside the embassy was on display for a month, becoming the most visited among the various exhibitions hosted there. I strongly believe that the game is also a cultural product that can be a kind of bridge between entertainment and the desire to learn, to stimulate curiosity, providing “popular” cultural dissemination, like other forms of expression.
The event at the embassy was also an occasion for the meeting of two cultures that mutually respect each other. Thanks to the commitment, passion, and love for the history that we wanted to reproduce in the form of a game, the satisfactions then come. I am sure that the game needs to reach certain areas, stepping out of the circle of enthusiasts or industry fairs for a while to explore new, adjacent territories.
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