How is playtesting going these days?

[Marti S]

I was just wondering how poeple are managing to playtest things now or over the past year? Before the event which shall not be named I had planned to get in touch with some local game shops/cafes to see if they wanted to do various stages of playtesting but then this hasn’t been possible and still isn’t really.

So just looking for when people have done, or what they might do in the future with regard to playtesting?

[Taylor Ruiz]

Hey Marti,
This is an interesting question. I run a work lunch games group and that’s where I’ve done the majority of my play tests for my one bigger game. So I was planning on doing more of that, but working from home squashed that.
I did look into TTS and started down that path, but I honestly did not want to sit in front of my computer anymore than I had to. So I haven’t playtested in quite awhile. I’d be curious if anyone else is in the same boat.

[Thomas Newman]

Hey Taylor & Marti,
I’ve been doing TTS playtests for the past year, and it’s worked out really well. I do spend a lot of time on my computer (refurbished ‘09 MacBook Pro, so not the fastest processor) updating components on component studio and then uploading them to TTS, but I’ve also been able to make multiple broad changes to my game without having to shell out for physical prototypes. So there’s definitely a pro and con. I also have spent a lot of my design time fine-tuning the game’s graphic design, which I know is not how a lot of designers work. If you’re not working on the graphic design too much, there will still be the initial work of setting up the components, but after that it shouldn’t be too bad.
For what it’s worth, I did make a physical prototype of my game last year to play with close family, and I found that most if not all of the feedback I was getting from TTS playtests translated to the real game and couldn’t just be chalked up to the TTS user experience. So I’d say TTS is a reliable playtest platform in that sense.

[Taylor Ruiz]

Thomas, thanks for weighing in. I’m glad you had good success with TTS and that it translated well to the tabletop!

[Thomas Newman]

Thanks Taylor! I hope you’re able to do more in-person playtests now that life is getting somewhat back to normal. If you ever decide to go the TTS route and have any questions, feel free to reach out!

[Tanner Simmons]

Hi Marti!

I’ve found that ideating game ideas quickly through Tabletop Simulator and then bringing it to various playtesting groups online has been a great way to get snappy feedback on my projects. It obviously doesn’t have the same exact cadence as an in person test, but for nailing down mechanics and very rigid systems in a game, I think it’s incredibly helpful to leverage TTS while everyone is still hanging out at home. Even once the pandemic is over, I’m still planning on attending weekly online meetups since my workflow has gotten so efficient using it.