Handycon - Best Playtesting Ever
Last weekend was my first time at a Handycon event (number 16, as it turned out), and I don’t think I’ve been to a better event for playtesting. The timing was excellent as I plan to take the games I was testing to UKGE this year, and I had a chance to test and fix a few things before I start reaching out to publishers and submitting them for the Expo’s speed dating event.
I turned up on Friday at 8.30 am to set up my playtest area; I’d purchased playtest space for Friday and Saturday, planning to make Sunday my day off to play someone else’s games. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I certainly didn’t think I’d run tests non-stop for the next twelve hours nor that I’d manage another ten hours of solid testing the next day! Not only that, but the testing was all good, with players eager to try anything and giving great feedback and thoughtful suggestions. So what made the experience so great? Here are my five key takeaways on what made the playtesting so good:
Prime Position. We had an area slap-bang in the middle of the event. We weren’t stuck in a side room or tucked away in a corner but in a good-sized hallway directly outside the main hall. Also importantly, we weren’t in the main hall where noise would make teaching people new concepts even more difficult.
Timing. Playtest tables were purchased (very reasonably) for an entire day. Ideally, playtests should focus on the area you’re testing, and you should try to test just that area, but as I needed to check the ramp and overall length of my game, a short window would mean only one or two tests would be possible.
Encouragement. The bold ‘Players Wanted’ boards were used not just for testing but also for general gaming, and the overall atmosphere of the whole event was one of welcoming players and making it easy for people to join games. They also had a sticker collecting scheme for each playtest someone took part in that motivated people to engage with the testers. Collecting four stickers (taking part in four playtests) got you entry into a draw for a free ticket to a future event.
The People. I meet wonderful people at every gaming event I go to, and Handycon was no exception, but from a playtesting point of view, I’ve not seen attendees so eager to try out games or so kind and thoughtful about their feedback. While I’d like to think my games were so good and my welcome so warm that I was generating this difference, speaking to other designers, it was obvious that this was something about the attitude of the attendees. I even had people asking to play my games on Sunday, and I got in a good few tests then.
I tested four games at the event.
Path to Olympus. This was my main test, and I ran it at least a dozen times. It’s a deck and tableau area control game about earning enough glory to become a god. I was testing for length and ramp (the game is meant to speed up as you become more powerful) and some balancing of monsters vs offerings. Overall, I got a lot of good feedback on the UI and made some changes that corrected imbalances.
Star Paws. A game you can play without a table about battling cats in space. Managed to get a few games in. I discovered a couple of edge cases that I need to fix and managed to forget the end game trigger (its been a long time since I’ve tested this); when one person is out, the game ends, which avoids one player sitting out for a long time, something that happened as we played on to last man standing.
Temple Tiles. Inspired by a popular tile-laying game and the adventures of a popular archaeologist, I was told in no uncertain terms that describing it this way was a bold claim. Fortunately, the game seemed to hold its own, with the individual who challenged me requesting to play it again on Sunday. No major learnings from the four tests I ran.
Pick Up Plunder. Pirates seek to recover their treasure before whoever stole their maps gets to it. This is a game I designed for my five-year-old, and I didn’t really expect to get it out, but there were an unexpected number of younger gamers, so this got several outings. I’m noticing a trend in this game that players haven’t picked up on yet, and I’m unsure if it’s a feature or a failing, so I need to test this further.
Thank you to the organisers of Handcon and to all the attendees who made it such a wonderful event. If you played any of my games over the weekend, I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate your time and feedback. If you missed a chance to tell me anything or new thoughts have percolated since the event, you can find a link to my feedback page here.
Now, I just need to figure out how to attend the next one…
