Before starting this review of La Fuga di Velia, I want to thank the author, Atropo Kelevra and Officina Meningi for providing us with this magnificent box set. It was available for free on the Officina Meningi website or at fairs (with a minimum spend of €20), and now we hope for a reprint.
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Velia Titta (Roma, 12 gennaio 1890 – Roma, 5 giugno 1938)
The Reference Events
La Fuga di Velia is a tabletop escape room. It is not the classic RPG, but it is an experience that teaches us history through the game; or at least a very important (and far too little taken into consideration) part of it.
Velia Titta was a great woman, poet, novelist, known mainly for having been the wife of Giacomo Matteotti, an Italian socialist. Her life was certainly not easy, but the most unfair thing was that it was completely overshadowed by that of her husband.
Velia was a strong woman; the choice to marry such a prominent man in Italian politics at the time was not easy, but it was a conscious one. To demonstrate this, a few months after the wedding he wrote a letter to his life partner including the words:
Ma tu non voler essere audace; hai dei nemici
Velia Titta
She is defined as “the woman who challenged Mussolini”. In fact, after the kidnapping and killing of her husband, she did not stop investigating and went to meet with the head of government to request the return of the body. She also wanted to respect her husband’s last wishes to be buried in Fratta Polesine, her town of origin. In this journey she firmly refused any protection, stating that she wanted to maintain as much distance as possible from fascism.
Review of La Fuga di Velia: the Contents of the Box
The box set contains all the material to play: two decks of cards, three maps and 4 pawns with supports. The maps are of the cities of Fratta Polesine and Rovigo and the latter’s station.
Instead the two decks have the task of guiding you in the game and are illustrated in detail. Some cards, in addition to representing objects, places, and characters, act as actual rules. They tell you which side to start reading the deck from, which crossroads the game can take and the possible game over.
There are some cards that, however, caught my attention the most. Some are dedicated to Velia’s relationships, such as the one relating to her husband.
An Aesthetic that Leaves Its Mark
When you look at the closed box set for the first time, it may make you believe that the authors have aimed for a very simple aesthetic; the interlocking of lines with such clear colours is in perfect contrast with the contents.
The three maps are characterized by bright and lively colours, leaving space for decks of cards. Each location is assigned a number to be easily recognisable. They are not approximate maps: the details and precision allow us to immerse ourselves perfectly in the game environments.
The pawns are equally valuable, as well as prove fundamental for the progress of the game. They have a small blue plastic base that supports them and allows them to be moved around the maps. They are meticulously and delightfully illustrated in watercolour by the artist Andrea Longhi.
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Review of the Mechanics of La Fuga di Velia
The mechanics for playing La Fuga di Velia are really simple. The objective of this tabletop escape room is to solve puzzles and continue through the story. In particular, we deal with the events following the protagonist’s meeting with Mussolini, i.e. the moment in which she began to be followed by the squadristi.
The game is essentially divided into three parts, which are in turn divided into phases. During the first part, you have to explore a home environment and collect objects. Then you move into the city and the difficulties increase. In the third part, puzzles are solved to arrive at the final solution.
Three of the pawns represent the squadristi, and when all three are placed, the game ends least desirably.
Everything is explained directly on the back of the cards; there is no real rule book.
The game lasts about 90 minutes and can be played both alone and with multiple people (sharing the progression choices on the cards).
La Fuga di Velia: the Author’s Words
During the Play 2024 event, held from 17 to 19 May in Modena, we had the pleasure of attending a speech by the author of La Fuga di Velia: Atropo Kelevra. Also present were the entire Officina Meningi team, Maria Volpato (director of the State Archives of Rovigo) and Marianna Volpin (director of the State Archives of Livorno and reference archivist in Rovigo during the creation of the game).
The intervention basically had two purposes: to present the game and to make people understand the importance of this and other products in creating historical awareness. First of all, they explained in detail all the creation phases, from design to the choice of mechanics to use. They later talked about the impact this game had, also brought to some schools by teachers who were impressed by it.
Conclusions of the Review of La Fuga di Velia
La Fuga di Velia is proof that novelties and original ideas can play an important role in the world of TTRPGs. This game, in addition to entertaining, manages to give importance to a story that often does not receive due attention.
It is a high-quality product on every front, from the artistic to the historical. The collaboration of several professionals in the sector has made a fundamental contribution to the success of this product. I want to recommend this game to younger people, to learn about a historical fact often forgotten in school books. But I extend the advice to everyone because it is a story that can enrich anyone’s cultural background.
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