<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Games by Manuel Correia]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[http://gamesbymanuel.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[Manuel Correia]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://gamesbymanuel.com/author/gr9yfox/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[Playtest update &#8211; pirate&nbsp;ties]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://footstepgames.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/p1010401.jpg"><img loading="lazy" data-attachment-id="145" data-permalink="https://gamesbymanuel.com/2011/09/08/playtest-update-pirate-ties/p1010401/" data-orig-file="https://footstepgames.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/p1010401.jpg" data-orig-size="992,558" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;DMC-LX5&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1315432851&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;5.1&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.05&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}" data-image-title="P1010401" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://footstepgames.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/p1010401.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://footstepgames.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/p1010401.jpg?w=992" class="size-full wp-image-145 alignnone" title="P1010401" alt="" src="https://footstepgames.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/p1010401.jpg?w=500&#038;h=281" width="500" height="281" srcset="https://footstepgames.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/p1010401.jpg?w=500&amp;h=281 500w, https://footstepgames.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/p1010401.jpg?w=150&amp;h=84 150w, https://footstepgames.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/p1010401.jpg?w=300&amp;h=169 300w, https://footstepgames.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/p1010401.jpg?w=768&amp;h=432 768w, https://footstepgames.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/p1010401.jpg 992w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a></p>
<p>Yesterday&#8217;s playtest had two neat surprises:</p>
<ol>
<li>The game is balanced now</li>
<li>I won at my own game for the first time</li>
</ol>
<p>I finally reached the fine balance I was looking for. I took notes about the problems I noticed in this session, but they were only about solving the several types of ties that can happen mostly at the start of a game. I won&#8217;t change the player boards for the next sessions, this version seems like a winner so I&#8217;ll play it until it breaks.</p>
<p>Speaking of winner, I finally won! It took 12 play sessions  but I did it. That&#8217;s how you know the game isn&#8217;t rigged &#8211; though now you can argue I&#8217;ve been changing my game so that I can finally win.</p>
<p>Also, if you&#8217;re hanging around Lisbon check out <a href="http://www.motelx.org/">MOTELx</a>! Besides the horror flicks there will be a Horror-themed Boardgames and Roleplay session from 19h to 5h from Saturday through Sunday. Come by Cinema São Jorge and give your brain a workout! All the cool kids are doing it.</p>
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