Wednesday, March 18

Need More Playtesters

I'm looking for blind playtesters again, this time for a quick filler card game I'm considering publishing. It's a very short game with some similarities to 6 Nimmt!/Category 5, it will accommodate 3-6 players, probably 10+ and takes about ten minutes to play. I'm looking for six more playtesters, four in the US/Canada and two in Europe (the UK is already covered I'm afraid).

What's in it for you?

  • You get a prototype copy of the game
  • You get your name in the rules as a playtester
  • You're entitled to a 50% discount on the finished product, if I publish it

What do you have to do?

  • Play the game a lot with your game groups
  • Make a note of: who played, whether they've played before, who won, play time
  • Provide feedback on the game (including suggested rule changes)
  • Provide feedback on the rules - how can I improve the clarity and completeness
  • Suggest a name for the game and provide feedback on the theme

How do you sign up? Leave a note in the comments to this post stating which country you live in and why you'd make an excellent playtester. I'll pick the lucky recipients at the end of this week.

20 comments:

xthrees said...

Well, I'm one of those lucky Belgian fries-devourer so I live in Belgium :)
Why I would be an excellent playtester? I have no other hobbies besides boardgaming? I love to support the smaller firms? I have all your games? :-) Euh, I would name my first child Jax? Or Jaxy if it was a girl? :-)

Seriously: I also have other hobbies :)

Olav Müller said...

I'd be happy to help out. I have two regular game groups of around 6 players each who would love to try out new games.

BTW, we are from Germany.

Capoeirista said...

I'm happy to volunteer. I live in Switzerland and have a regular gaming group which meets twice per week. We have a wide variety of player types/levels and are always happy to try new games.

Anonymous said...

Living in the US I've had the opportunity to lead playtests for a few other game companies over the years and have a group of gamers who are always excited to assist in the testing of prospective games. This newest game sounds like I will be able to playtest with a wide range of people who I play games with frequently.

Thank you for giving this opportunity. Rob

Anonymous said...

I would be interested. I host a college group every Friday and we play a large number of fillers or entry level games in the afternoon. As well, since it plays a large number of players, I would likely try it during Friday lunch with my colleagues when we get together to eat lunch and play some easier filler type games. They love Tanz der Hornochsen so it might work well. Both groups are pretty diverse in gaming experience from novice game to experienced. Of course, there is also the Grand Rapids group which meets regularly as well of which I am a part.

USA

simonjh said...

Jackson, I would be delighted to help. I play games in the Washington DC area with a lot of experienced gamers and game designers, including the authors of Twilight Struggle and 1960. They would no doubt be able to offer some good comments.

gdog said...

would love to playtest your game. We have a group of nearly 20-25 gamers of all ages and experience levels. We have not yet playtested games but it is something we would love to do. We play 2-3 times a week so there would be ample time to play. From the US

Jelloshots said...

Hi Jackson,

Thanks for the invitation. I'm a US player with a mature gaming group that would be interested in playtesting. We've never done it before, but we have a large group that meets regularly and has pretty varied interests across both game type and weight spectra. We played a German friend's copy of 6 Nimmt! before, and it went over quite well, so I'm curious to see if your game can do the same.

Anonymous said...

Hey Jackson,

I need a discount for your games ;) so pick me.

Seriously, what does prototype entail? If it's requires printing and cutting on my side, I probably can't do it justice.

But, if the prototype is in a playable format, then I'd be very interested in it.

I have a weekly game group of 6-12 and am a semi-participating member of another weekly gaming group of 12-25.

What's the timeframe? I'll also be at a gaming convention in June if the play testing will still be going on then.

I can add an American Perspective for input.

Happy Gaming,

Mike
aka Guantanamo

Adam d'Ynris said...

From Canada, QUébec.

Why I can be a good playtester? I play in family (kids of 10 and 13) and qith group gaming each time that I can. I participe too in French convention gaming in Quebec.

I'm a blogger about boardgame on 2 blog.
www.adamdynris.blogspot.com
and
www.ntplsm.net

And I think I'm very up to date about boardgaming and news on the subject.

I'm french guy but I'll send you comment in English ;-)

Jackson Pope said...

Mike,

The prototype will be ugly (my prototype 'art') but fully assembled.

Cheers,

Jack

Pinebars said...

I'm definitely interested. I live in the US in a college dorm and have between 3-6 people I usually game with, but for a short game I could probably get any number of random individuals to play.

Unknown said...

Hmmm...doesn't look like my previous comment took. Apologies if it did and this is a double.

In US, happy to help. I have a semi-regular group of youngish players and a more mature, experienced weekly group that I've been trying fruitlessly to support for the past month. As an aspiring designer, I at least know what I'd be looking for in a playtest.

Bruce said...

Jackson,

I would love to playtest this game. I am in the U.S. and play weekly (sometimes twice a week) with a bunch of late 30/early 40 year olds. We play light to medium heavy games and often enjoy the quick fillers.

Cheers,

Bruce Bridges

Anonymous said...

Hello - I would love to help you out with some play testing. My groups let me bring all the games so it'll be easy to get them to play. You know me... Always looking for new games to play. If you need someone from sunny So Cal let me know.

Bobby Doran

Anonymous said...

Would love to help - located in Western Australia

1. Regular gamer with 2 weekly home groups (and I tell them what we're playing!)

2. Founder and Pres. of the West Australian Boardgaming Assoc. (60+ monthly attendance)

3. Currently teaching game design at 2 WA Universities. (Playtesting experience for students = awesome!)

4. Australian Playtesters! How exotic!

5. I'm a local - originally from St. Albans (which is just around the corner really!)


cheers
Stew

Unknown said...

I have two game groups I play with. One is strictly gamers from 2-7 players. The other is family style 2-5 players (wife and co-workers). Let me know if you our assistance.

Anonymous said...

I'd love to participate in the playtesting!

I've got a weekly gaming group in central North Carolina with an average of around 10-16 people each session. We've done playtesting for a couple of other games (which are still pending publication), and we play a wide variety of modern board and card games.

I also have a boardgame blog where I blather on about what I'm playing and such. (www.gamerchris.com)

James Mathe said...

Try using the new http://www.PlayTesters.Net to help join designers and players together.

Good luck!
James
http://www.rpgshop.com

Jackson Pope said...

And the winners are (judged by my arcane set of criteria):

Europe:
Olav Mueller
Capoeirista

North America:
Larry
Rob Fosnaugh
Mike aka Guantanamo
Adam d'Ynris

Congratulations. Please can you all email me your address and I'll get a copy in the post to you.

Cheers,

Jack