playtesting

Ahem... (now's my chance, when all the big boots are out at Gencon!)

Steven, welcome to the Forge. Are you aware that this is a tabletop roleplaying site? Like Dungeons & Dragons, except we concentrate on independent, creator-owned games? These are all games that are played around a table with friends, using only pens and paper and some imagination. I'm asking just to be sure that we're talking about the same kind of roleplaying here.

Assuming we are, here's how you get to playtest:
1) Find a game in development. There's plenty of those at our indie design forum most of the time.
2) Find some friends to play with. Don't waste anybody's time if you can't actually get a group together to play.
3) Contact the designer of the game you want to test and tell him that you're interested in the project and want to playtest the game. The great majority of designers will at this point make you their best friend, because playtesters are one of the scarcest resources for most of us.

The key is, of course, that you won't have much fun if you don't like the game you have to test. That's why you should first pinpoint one of those. Here, I'll give you a hint: The Iron Game Chef contest just ended, and there's lots of entirely untested games to be played there. Any of those designers will be glad if you test their game, I'm sure. Just click on that link and download any games that match your preferences. Be sure to write about your playtest to the designer, or tell about it here at the Forge.