Do the Arm Twist!

Interesting topic, Gil! I certainly don't have anything like Joe's 3 groups, but I have had good success with finding playtesters in my regular game group. Not sure if it will help, but here's my experience...

My feeling is that you should avoid these people like the plague. You want people who are willing to playtest just for the sake and enjoyment of the playtesting process. It's not always easy to find such people, but you must make it clear that you're doing this for fun, that you have a game that you think we'll be fun to play and you'd like them to give it a try. Anyone who wants to know "what's in it for me?" is not someone who you should waste your time on. You need people who are going to look past the imperfections in the game and try to identify the good points. I've had playtesters who focused almost exclusively on the negative parts of the game. You need to hear that stuff, but people who have no interest in trying to help make your game better are going to be very discouraging to you, and ultimately, not very helpful.

Basically, my "playtesting group", such as it is, is an offshoot of the gaming group I regularly attend. At one point, I had designed a game, and asked whether anyone wanted to play it. They obliged, and liked it. I've playtested a few designs with them since then, and they've generally been very helpful and positive. One of the keys, for me, is not acting desparate, or pushy. I try to practice a "casual indifference" as to whether my game comes out on the table or not. That's also self-serving -- if my game doesn't get tested at a session, I don't want to not be able to enjoy whatever games are played, nor do I want to "guilt" people into testing!

Our game group has expanded a little of late, and so, I think, has the quality of my designs. So, I've felt a little more comfortable being a little more "pushy". Basically, when I have a game that's ready, I send out an email to the group saying "Hey, I've got a new game that I'd like to playtest. Here is a quick description. I'll bring it this week, if anyone's interested." I've never failed to get the game on the table with this method. I think this is partially a credit to my group -- they are very nice, and very willing to try stuff out. It also helps that there are enough people in the group to have 2 or 3 games running simultaneously. That way, the people who want to playtest can, and the people who don't can play other things without running the risk of "offending" me. Again, this is very important. Initially, playtesters will be your friends doing you a favor, but to sustain long term interest, you need to identify which are just helping you out out of courtesy, and which are truly interested in playtesting. And, you need to respect both camps. If someone doesn't like playtesting, that is perfectly valid.

I found another local playtesting group just by someone posting a note on the BoardGameDesign Yahoo! group, and you might try something similar. Not sure where you're at geographically, but you might find local folks, or at least folks within a few hours' drive, who'd be willing to get together to playtest. I think this is a good thing because it's a chance to interact with other designers, and since the focus is clearly on playtesting, there's no guilt or anxiety about "Do people really want to test this, or are they just being nice?" On the other hand, the nice thing about testing with your regular group is that its a known quantity. When I playtest with my friends, I already have a good idea what they like/dislike, and I can filter their comments through that. Playtesting with people you don't know is important, but I think is better further down the road when the design has crystallized somewhat; making sweeping changes at the suggestion of someone you've never met is not a good idea, in my opinion.

And sometimes, good playtesters will just come out of the woodwork. I was scheduling a playtest session for one of my games, and a friend who I invited said "I can't make it, but talk to this guy, he might be interested". I had only met this other guy once before, but he came, liked the game, and has now become one of the most committed and involved members of that game project. So, every now and again you'll get an awesome playtester like that without even trying. But in general, I think you just have to start with your friends, and slowly and patiently develop them as playtesters. If you build a reputation for quality games with them, they'll be increasingly willing to make themselves available to playtest. And when they ask for your games without you suggesting them, you know you've got a winner on your hands!

Not sure if this helps at all...

-Jeff

I'll echo Jeff's thoughts - I'd stay clear of anyone who believes that playtesting only matters when it leads to a game that makes money isn't someone I'd want playtesting my games.

Thanks! You don't want to know how many different tries it took for me to get a post out. (I've been reading sporadically for a few months.)

...which, I should note, are one and the same as the groups I play published games with. I should say, the casual attitude is really twoards _publication_, moreso than toward game design - I enjoy the game design process so much that I put a lot of time & effort into it. The end goal is just "a game I enjoy" rather than publication.

I think I've brought prototypes to nearly every gaming I've done the past three or four years, and I often will suggest a playing a prototype. If there are objections or hesitency, I'll drop the idea immediately.

What's harder to find are really good playtesters. This is why as my designs become more polished, I take them to new groups - I want to get additional opinions, and increase the chances of getting good playtesters (both those I know and those I don't).

Joe

This sounds like a theme for a game. Collect tokens representing playtesters. The first person to get X playtesters gets their game published and wins.

Jason

I joined in with Scurra's play group last Summer when he had 2 regulars and 1 semi-regular but have known David for several years through playing Magic at London based tournaments, hence knew he was a games designer from the prototypes of card games he showed me. Since I've been living in London myself for the past 2 years I have easy access to his weekly games testing sessions, thus I drifted away from the Magic booster drafts and felt inspired to create my own games for the playtest group :)

So having a presence at related groups (gaming/art/social clubs) is a good start as the more people you know the more likely it is you may inspire someone to take a look and join in :)

Best of luck,
Dave.