The hard part of playtesting a game prototype isn’t the playing. It’s the testing.
(If the playing is the hard part, you’re either suffering some serious hardware issues, or need some new playtesters. “Dice are for rolling, Doug, not for eating.”)
But what are we testing? Ah, that’s the question that separates a productive playtest from the other kind. Rather than judge the game as a whole, consider each sub-system of the game individually. Ponder the resource system apart from the conflict system. Reflect upon the card-drawing step separate from the monkey-punching step. Meditate on the turn order itself. And for each of these elements, ask yourself:
- What is the purpose?
- Is it fulfilling that purpose in play?
- How can it do so better?
It’s this last question that’s the real stickler. That’s where you have to consider each of the variables in the system. Are players spending too long moving when they have six movement points? Does the supply of bananas run out too quickly when they pick three a turn? Are three colors of bananas enough? Does that work for six players?
The key is to be prepared. Before the playtest, identify the element and their variables. Armed with this knowledge, it’s much faster and easier to identify the parts of the game that are stinking up the room.
Trust me on this. I’ve gone in unprepared more times than I care to admit, the stink-search is as frustrating as it is time-consuming.
Any other playtesting tips I’ve overlooked? Share ’em with the class, and we’ll all be a little bit smarter.
