On 10 October 2026, the Siracusa Urban Centre hosted "Generazione Insieme", a tabletop and role-playing game evening organised by the Italian Red Cross of Siracusa, in collaboration with Siracusa Città Educativa, Siracusa Urban Centre and the Municipality of Siracusa.
The initiative is the first event of a larger project designed to involve young people aged 16 to 30 in the region through opportunities for gathering, sharing and fun. young people aged 16 to 30 in the region through opportunities for gathering, sharing and fun.
At the evening, attendees included La Tana dei Goblins in Siracusa, who provided numerous board games, and GdRealms, with several tables dedicated to one-shot campaigns set in the Warhammer universe. WarhammerWe at Kotaworld.it brought along Domenico Perez, independent developer who has been working on his first board game for about two years: Mystic Legends.
Mystic Legends: the first external test
Mystic Legends is a card game of the battle genre that combines card combat with a character evolution system. card game of the battle type that combines the card battle and a character evolution system character evolutionFor the project, the event marked a key milestone: the first opportunity to test the game against players outside the development team.
Testing a game still in development means checking whether the rules are understandable, whether the mechanics work, whether matches have appropriate length, and whether game strategies are balanced. Comparing the game with people who are unfamiliar with the project also helps identify issues that the developer themselves might have overlooked.
Thanks to the collaboration with GdRealms, we were able to organise for Mystic Legends , a first-level playtest with four participants, all of whom had significant experience with card and role-playing games.
Each participant rated a score from 1 to 10 on five aspects: fun, clarity, duration, balance and replayability.
Here are the averages obtained:Entertainment: 7.75/10 Clarity: 7/10 Duration: 4.75/10 Balance: 8.5/10 Replayability: 7.5/10 |
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The first impression is encouraging, especially for the balance of mechanics and the fun, which gather the best ratings. Even playability achieves a positive average, suggesting a promising potential for future matches. Clarity, however, reaches full pass, leaving room for possible improvements in understanding certain dynamics. first impression is encouraging especially for the balance of the mechanics and the fun, which gather the best reviews. Also the replayability obtains a positive average, suggesting a promising potential for future matches. Clarity reaches instead the full passing grade, leaving room for possible improvements in understanding certain mechanics.
The lowest figure is the duration, which warrants closer examination to determine whether matches are too long or whether the overall pace needs some tweaking.
Among the explicit observations collected it has been suggested that the statistics reported on the cards should be made clearer and that images generated by artificial intelligence should be replaced in the final edition. explicit observations collected, it has been suggested to make clearer statistics reported on the cards and of replace the images generated by artificial intelligence in the final edition. Concrete suggestions that can help the developer refine both the game’s readability and its visual identity.
Of course, four evaluations represent a limited initial sample and don't allow for definitive conclusions. They are, however, a useful starting point for identifying priorities, making potential adjustments, and verifying results through further playtesting sessions.
An objective achieved, despite low participation
Unfortunately, overall attendance at the event was limited, partly due to communication issues that failed to adequately promote the event. These issues reduced the chances of reaching a wider audience, but they do not diminish the value of the initiative. .
For us at Kotaworld.it, the main objective has been achieved — we’ve given an independent developer a concrete opportunity to test their project and we’ve brought a different experience to the event, the discovery of something new and the importance of a critical approach to gaming itself.
For years we’ve been pushing our campaign to promote independent projects, from video games to role-playing and board games, striving to give space to those who work with passion on new ideas. promotion of independent projects, from video games to role-playing and board games, aiming to give a platform to those who work with passion on new ideas.
Participating in "Generation Insiemehas allowed us to continue this commitment in a context that combines the appreciation of creativity with the opportunity to create moments of gathering and leisure for young people. celebration of creativity the opportunity to create moments of connection and leisure for young peopleFor years we’ve been campaigning to promote independent projects, from video games to role-playing and board games, striving to give space to those who work with passion on new ideas. Participating in “Generazione Insieme” has allowed us to continue this commitment within a context that combines the celebration of creativity with the opportunity to create moments of gathering and leisure for young people.
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The balance of our experience is therefore positive. We hope this first meeting marks the beginning of a lasting collaboration with the Italian Red Cross of Siracusa and the other involved organisations, contributing to future meetings and the growth of a project dedicated to the young people of the area.
Why do we gather around a table not just to share cards, dice and pieces: we exchange ideas, build relationships and discover new possibilities.
