[Power and Influence] Playtesters needed

[Andrew Cooper]

Many moons ago I wrote down some rules to a game I called Balance of Power.  It was my first real shot at game design and it was an interesting exercise, at least to me.  I fiddled with it some and then, as is my normal modus operandi, I put the project on the back burner and moved to something else that caught my attention.    You can find the original project here.  In recent months I've come back to the project and made some major modifications to it.  I've collected all the changes into an Alpha Playtest Document and posted it on my website.  I'm now looking for outside playtesters for the game.

Here's a brief blurb about the game...

Do you like stories of power and intrigue?  Does political wheeling and dealing get you stoked?  Then the game Power and Influence is right up your alley.  It is a game that takes place in any setting where social politics is informally or formally practiced.  The game revolves around the spending and gaining of Influence and Power (both in-game currencies) within various Spheres of Conflict to accomplish player goals.  Within the game cooperation and competition are equally important and affiliation with different Factions can make or break a player's plans.

Power and Influence is played completely with tokens and has no dice or randomizing mechanic at all.  It uses a conflict resolution system around a karma mechanic.  The system at a very basic level resembles that of PACE, a game by Fred Hicks.

I have included on my website a Feedback document for use when doing play reports.  It lists the 5 major questions I'm focusing on during this round of playtesting.  While all feedback is appreciated, these questions are my priority at this point in the design process.

I also have a deal for the playtesters.  Any group that plays at least 2 complete sessions and fills out the Playtest document for me will be included in the credits when the game is actually published.  In addition, I will put that group in a random drawing.  At the end of the Alpha round of playtesting, I will pick a group out of the pot/hat/pool.  I will then purchase for that group up to $50 worth of product from the Indie Press Revolution site.  The group leader (ie the person who filled out the form and then dialogued with me) will determine what items are purchased and where they are sent.  While this isn't a huge amount, I do want to show my appreciation in a tangible way.   I anticipate the Alpha round of playtesting to take about 3 months, give or take a month.

I would like to remind those who download the rules and attempt to use them, this is the Alpha Playtest.  I know the rules aren't complete yet, the writing isn't polished, and the information isn't well organized yet.  In short, the game probably is still deep in the promising (I hope) but sucks stage.  It's a playtest document.  It'll get better, I promise.