How To Playtest?

[Drawmack]

This is a question for all of the publishers and authors out there.

What do you find is the bast way to playtest?

For the adventures I have written (all of which are being polished for submission except one which will be published but I can't devulge specific info yet) I have done whole module testing. This means that some of the things in the modules were not even encountered by the PCs. I am currently working on an article that introduces some new monster templates and a PrC.

My question is what do others find to be the best means of playtesting these things.

Granted a module should be tested through in real live play. But what about the other things.

I have been thinking about doing ''clean room'' testing. By this I mean I pull whatever I want to test out and just run a small test of that piece.

For example: To test a monster template I would just run 3-4 encounters against that monster and see how they panned out making necessary adjustments between them.

I was wondering how others handle playtesting.

 

[tensen]

You specified a monster template.... in that case you need to apply that same template to a variety of different creatures and try each of them as an encounter.


Adventures are probably the easiest to playtest. This by running multiple parties through of various streangths and see the results. But most often by sending through extremely devious players to do their best to break the system... and possibly redesign to compensate if it seems likely someone else might do the same thing in a normal campaign. There is nothing so dangerous as sending through another game designer... one who is trained to use their creativity in the worst possible way.

As for clean room testing... always try and provide several rooms of encounters before dealing with a new creature. Otherwise you won't be able to tell how a party that might be weakened by the previous battles might perform. Many parties do not heal to full strength between combats. So your mid-range Limb Render might be reasonably tough to a uninjured party, but decimate the party.

Clarification: Since I had to go and use the decimate word. In the cast of even a 5 person party... that means only 1/2 of one will remain... hope you had a half-elf or half-orc in the party... or else you might have one now <grins>

 

[TheAuldGrump]

You specified a monster template.... in that case you need to apply that same template to a variety of different creatures and try each of them as an encounter.


Adventures are probably the easiest to playtest. This by running multiple parties through of various streangths and see the results. But most often by sending through extremely devious players to do their best to break the system... and possibly redesign to compensate if it seems likely someone else might do the same thing in a normal campaign. There is nothing so dangerous as sending through another game designer... one who is trained to use their creativity in the worst possible way.

As for clean room testing... always try and provide several rooms of encounters before dealing with a new creature. Otherwise you won't be able to tell how a party that might be weakened by the previous battles might perform. Many parties do not heal to full strength between combats. So your mid-range Limb Render might be reasonably tough to a uninjured party, but decimate the party.

Clarification: Since I had to go and use the decimate word. In the cast of even a 5 person party... that means only 1/2 of one will remain... hope you had a half-elf or half-orc in the party... or else you might have one now <grins>

Ummm, sorry, feel the need to clarify the clarification.

To decimate means to kill one out of ten, in this case only half killing one member of the party, leaving four and an elf or an orc... or possibly a quarterling

*EDIT* Oh, and to stay on topic, always have a cold test with someone running the encounter who has not played in said encounter. People who know how something is supposed to go don't always notice holes that might otherwise be obvious.

The Auld Grump

 

[tensen]

To decimate means to kill one out of ten, in this case only half killing one member of the party, leaving four and an elf or an orc... or possibly a quarterling

Doh. I think I need coffee... I began a regular rant on the misuse of terms and I reversed the reading. I left 1/10 alive, instead of killing 1/10. Maybe that is why my players fear the roman legion even more

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Doh. I think I need coffee... I began a regular rant on the misuse of terms and I reversed the reading. I left 1/10 alive, instead of killing 1/10. Maybe that is why my players fear the roman legion even more

'Course, no matter how you cut it, to have a single, short word for killing one out of ten peple is pretty damned scary....

The Auld Grump, and did they not fear the Legion then would we give them reason to....

 

[Drawmack]

I understand the weakened party concept. I was going to just artificially weaken the characters. This way I can do things like oh this ability nerfs the creature but what happens without that ability. Allows me more control over the tests, maybe being a software engineer and a game designer isn't a good mix but anyway.