As with editing, playtesting can be a challenge. You’ve got everything ready: Your game is in a word doc, it’s been edited, and you’re feeling confident. So, how does one do playtesting?
In my opinion, there are three “versions” of playtesting:
You can play your game.
Your friends can play your game.
You can source strangers to play your game.
So, let’s look at each of these options.
First stop should always be: Play your own game. Even though you’ve written it and edited it multiple times already, and you know this game and its mechanics better than anyone else… You should step away from it for a day or two, then sit down and read it over and see how the flow of rules and instructions work. If you’re able to play it through to completion without any challenges: Great! Sometimes, playing your own game will reveal flaws in the flow of how you introduce mechanics, so take your time and be objective (the hardest part, truly).
Now, Option Two: Get your friends to play your game. Hopefully, you have some folks in your life who also enjoy TTRPGs. If so, entice them with the idea of playing a brand new game that their very best friend in the whole world wrote! Or maybe snacks! I find that homemade cookies usually work best.
If your friends don’t play TTRPGs, this could be an excellent opportunity to introduce them! Especially if they’ve heard of or played something like Pathfinder or Dungeons & Dragons in the past, but never played any indie games.
Option Three is the one that is likely the most challenging for a lot of folks: Getting strangers to play your game. It can be hard to find people, though in the end there are options such as social media that can be helpful. There are large communities of TTRPG players on sites like BlueSky and Mastodon that would likely jump at the chance to be part of a playtesting group. Another place to look is Itch.io: You can use the Community forums to make a help wanted post, and request playtesters.
Truly, I believe that the hardest part about playtesting is getting feedback. When you’ve poured hours into designing a game, it can be really challenging to hear when it’s not perfect. One thing to remember is that the folks who are playtesting your game genuinely want it to be the best it possibly can be. All of their suggestions come from a place of love that’s focused around that goal. So don’t be too harsh when they have suggestions…
And don’t be too hard on yourself! Just like any other writing project, no game is perfect on the first draft. There will be revisions, there will be changes, and that’s okay. Keep working on it, and be sure to ask for more feedback as you go. Remember that with every game you create, your skills will get better and better, so keep going!
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