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]

Whew!!

In that case, I must be conveying the point pretty well.

One of the things I've done to keep the reader in the right mindset (text-wise) is to have sidebars narrated by a.....well, I'll just cut and paste a few snippets.


>>>>>>>>>>>BEGIN SIDEBAR<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Cynthia Sez:
To spice up the game a bit, I decided to use my Handy-Dandy Alternate Universe Transporter Doohickey (TM), travel to Cartoon World and find a cartoon character to add some insight.  I was after a brave protagonist with fists of steel.  Or perhaps a vile villain who craves nothing more than world domination.

Instead, I got stuck with Kargorr.

Kargorr is a down on his luck wanna-be conquerer who hasn't had a gig since Galactic Heroes was cancelled back in 1985 (after a dreadful six-episode run, no less).  I couldn't help but feel sorry for him, so I convinced him to come back to our world and work for me.

Who knows----maybe he'll prove to be entertaining if nothing else.  But, be prepared:  he likes to shout the word, "Bah!" an awful lot.  It tends to get rather annoying, but he works cheap.
>>>>>>>>>>>END SIDEBAR<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<



(((From the Character Creation Chapter:)))

Tagline
Now that your concept has been approved by the GM, you'll need to write up a tagline.

The tagline is nothing more than a fancy way to say, "a single sentence that sums your character up".  By giving your character a tagline, people will be able to quickly get a grasp of what your character is all about.  

Look at these examples of taglines that describe existing cartoon characters.

* "Adventurous kid with a knack for finding trouble"
* "Hooded despot who runs his terrorist organization with an iron fist"
* "Short-Tempered barbarian"
* "American-Indian lawman of the 24th century"
* "Skeletal sorcerer whose evil knows no bounds"
* "Phantomlike super hero who fights for justice in the cosmos"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>BEGIN SIDEBAR<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Kargorr Sez:
In her total incompetence, that blasted writer neglected to give the tagline for the greatest mastermind of them all---me!!  If you want something done correctly, you must inevitably do it yourself.  And that's precisely what I've done:

"Completely superior conquerer who is absolutely infallible, indestructable, cunning, ingenius, awesome and downright wicked, unlike any other in the history of our existance!"
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>END SIDEBAR<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<


(((From the section on Comic Relief Characters:)))

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>BEGIN SIDEBAR<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Kargorr Sez:
Does anyone even like these half-witted comic relief characters??  Back where I come from, the so-called heroes had this utterly annoying pip-squeak named, Ziggle.

Ziggle was this furry bear-like monstrosity who giggled like a buffoon.  And he giggled a lot!  Not just occasionally, mind you, but almost constantly!  Bah!!  Anyone who giggles that much deserves nothing more than a spiked club to his head!  

I always wanted to pants and beat the little runt, but I never got the chance!  And to make matters worse, one time Ziggle accidently knocked a stone boulder on top of me and......

Nevermind.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>END SIDEBAR<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<


(((From the section on "After-Show Messages---"knowing is half the battle", for example:)))

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>BEGIN SIDEBAR<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Kargorr Sez:
The writers should've let me do these ridiculous spots!

I could see it now:  Little Jimmy is playing near the road.  I walk up, looking quite majestic I might add, and say, "Jimmy, don't play near the road.....play in the road!!  Trust me---playing dodge-car is oodles of fun!!!"

Hahaha!  Damn, I love me!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>END SIDEBAR<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

[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)