Playtesting

[Cynthia Celeste Miller]

We're pretty far into the playtesting process for Cartoon Action Hour, but I'm a total perfectionist.

I want to make sure the playtesters are hitting all the right nooks and crannies to make the game the best it can possibly be.

So, I ask if you all have any tips for me to get the most out of the playtesters.  This is my first real attempt at coordinating playtesting (aside from a much easier playtest run for Broken Earth), so I haven't much experience in this area.

Thanks a bunch.

---Cynthia

[hardcoremoose]

Hey Cynthia,

Honestly, I wouldn't do anything too special for your playtesters.  Assuming your text is pretty much the way you want it, I'd give it to them and make sure they've each read it.  If the text isn't up to snuff, prepare a one sheet or something that hits the salient points of the game.  And then I'd let them go to it, with a minimum of coaching from you.

For your part, I'd pay very, very careful attention to the results of actual game play.  Are they hitting the nooks and crannies the way you had hoped?  If not, you need to find a way to convey that in your text.

The playtest is where you'll see if the players "get it" or not.  You're the author.  They're the critics.  Their actual play is the criticism.  If they don't play the game the way you want them to, you need to find a way to fix that - in your text.

And yeah, you want to make sure they're having fun and that the mechanics work, but that goes unsaid.  :smile:

- Scott  

[ This Message was edited by: hardcoremoose on 2001-12-29 15:11 ]

[Cynthia Celeste Miller]

[hardcoremoose]

Yeah, it looks like you've got everything nailed down.  Really, I'd just sit back and watch the players play the game.  This is the time for fine tuning, and their actions will tell you what needs to be tweaked.

CAH looks cool as hell.

- Scott

[Jack Spencer Jr]

You know, it's interesting how important the tone of the text is to a game.  I often say the Tunnels & Trolls is one of the better written games I've ever read because of the whimsical tone the author assumes.  He's having fun writing the game, so it makes you feel like it'd be fun to play the game.

Cynthia is illustrating this yet again with CAH.

But this is a topic that deserve another thread.

[Ron Edwards]

Hey,

It took me a little while, but I finally found http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16">this thread in this forum, in which I listed my concerns about playtesting.

Best,
Ron

(Edited: I messed up the link, apparently; fixed it now)