How do you playtest?

Making
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Last weekend I decided to playtest an unfinished adventure module project to check that it was built properly and it made sense. I had a very good sensation, at least in terms of realizing what things went well or not, and I am inclined to think that it need some substantial changes.

But now I have some general questions about playtesting and I am interested in your ideas and opinions.

  • What do you look for, explicitly, when playtesting?
  • How do you know if what you have made up to that moment needs big changes, small changes or it needs remaking?
  • Do you have a specific process for recording and applying the results of the playtest?
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For me, when I am playtesting an adventure module, I am constantly thinking about the GM as the user. Yes you need to think about if the combat encounters are balanced and fair enough in most cases, but I think if your adventure has an old-school mindset its more important that it is meeting the GM’s needs. I try to run the adventure myself the first time, looking for the holes I forgot, and then if I am super lucky I will observe another GM running the adventure. I usually only get to do that of bigger projects where I have the time and a friend who is willing.

To your second question and third questions, I think it’s more art than science. So I don’t have any formal recording process, I make notes along the way on top of the layout when something is off. I also try and gather feedback from the players at the end. Things they found too confusing or didn’t like. But take their responses with a grain of salt. its all stuff to weight against your own creative goals.

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** What do you look for, explicitly, when playtesting?**

first run thru, I just want a VIBES CHECK. is this thing even fun? that is the whole point, and nothing to lose sight of at any point. but damn, if an adventure isn’t fun at first go around, run by the person that wrote it, something big is off.

then i’ll rewrite the whole thing for public facing. here is when I start doing the mental playtests.. like, what would players/GMs do here? specific things I look for is still general.

is there a clear sense of what this adventure is? do the players feel like they know what they are doing? how do they FEEL when going through it. then you check to see if this all aligns with your goals.

what are the bits that worked best, and what worked least well? edit edit edit! lean into the good stuff, ditch the bad stuff!

then I make changes and send off for a different GM. i ask the same questions, then if things are off, I change both other player AND the GM facing material to suit.

then I will run it again myself in what is very close to the FINAL FORMAT. and here I will run it with a different group. and maybe do lil micro runs with close friends/family to nail down specific encounters.

then, when its at final format, i’ll at least TRY to get someone entirely removed from the creation process to playtest it. just for minor changes, information design kinda feedback.

** How do you know if what you have made up to that moment needs big changes, small changes or it needs remaking? **

HARDER THAN YOU THINK. adventures land VERY DIFFERENTLY with different groups. the CURRENT THING I am working on, we have had 5 different groups run it so far, and damn if everything went vastly differently each time.

so, my specific answer here is: make changes till things go smoother AND it maintains its core feeling. you will have to guess as to the extent of the change (sometimes a seemingly small tweak accomplishes BIG THINGS, and sometimes you just keep a concept around that should have been in the trash right away).

trick is that if you iterate things a lot, you can make these judgments. the less playtesting, the harder it is to make changes.

** Do you have a specific process for recording and applying the results of the playtest? **

depends on the stage. early on I play it by ear. for other GMs I will make a list of questions and concerns. then when I get back to GMing, I will take that work and see if I “solved” it for my own playthrus.

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To answer your three questions directly:

  • I’m generally paying attention to whether the module/system is being helpful as I run things. With that in mind, I can just kinda note the flaws that cause trouble for me as I do my usual prep and play. From my last playtest, I realized that I was having trouble conveying the vibe of the setting to my players, and then traced that back to my prep + system not giving me any tips in conveying tone or setting at the table. I guess I kinda treat it like I’m a GM running someone else’s stuff, and then critique stuff from that perspective.

  • Not really sure how to answer this question, because I think it mostly comes down to vibes! If something feels like it just didn’t work at all, or if it felt like some fundamental aspect of it caused problems at the table, then I’ll make big changes.

  • Just GM notes. I prep with a Google Sheet, and so I just make notes in a separate sheet/tab. For application, I just go down the list of notes, and then write down tasks in my larger todo list if I judge that some change needs to be made.

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