Playtesting Question

[Samothdm]

Hope this is the proper area to ask this question...

I'm working on some ideas for potential future publication in the d20 arena, and I'm wondering how you all go about getting playtesters for your material? I DM a group of six players, but I don't think that we'd be the best group to playtest the material. Over half of the group are "newbies" and since I'm the one writing the material I don't know that I'd be the best non-partial judge of game balance and relevance.

I'd appreciate any suggestions you can offer.

Thanks in advance.

 

[astralpwka]

Anything I write I use with my game group. One of the other players DM's all the time in a second group, so he uses the material with them too.

 

[Justin Bacon]

I'm working on some ideas for potential future publication in the d20 arena, and I'm wondering how you all go about getting playtesters for your material? I DM a group of six players, but I don't think that we'd be the best group to playtest the material. Over half of the group are "newbies" and since I'm the one writing the material I don't know that I'd be the best non-partial judge of game balance and relevance.

Playtest the stuff with your group first, that'll help you spot any big, obvious problems.

Next, post an ad for playtesters. A forum like this one is generally a good place to do so. You'll probably garner more interest if the material is already attached to a publisher, but if you've got a good pitch you should be able to attract some interest in any case. (And if you don't have a good pitch you may want to rethink the whole "potential future publication" angle of things.)

Justin Bacon
triad3204@aol.com

 

[drnuncheon]

While I can't promise an actual playtest, I'd be happy to do a 'blind read' of the module to tell you what does or doesn't make sense to someone who hasn't been working on it.

J

 

[malladin]

word of warning

Almost every instance of dealing with playtesters from outside of my own friends has been unsuccessful.

Mostly people just take a free copy of your work and never bother to get back to you.

Sometimes you get back criticism that is just a flaming, rather than including anything constructive (and when youget positive feedback from other playtesters this can be very confusing, especially when the product is released and gets good reviews, too).

You also run the risk of having your work podted to some download site (although I have not had this happen yet to me, to my knowledge).

I wold suggest that your best efforts are spent trying to broaden your roleplaying contacts, don't just give the stuff to the group you run yourself, get some friends to run games for other players (excluding yourself) and see what they come back with.

Also, a note on newbies - having some newbie playtesters can provide you with some wonderful insights that can be missed by more experienced players (although you do need the experienced players, too).

On a final note, make sure your playtesters are intelligent and prefferably professional people. In my regular group of playtesters I have two teachers, a quality assurance professional (particularly useful for an attention to detail) and the person who developed a system for public housing schemes that is now used throughout Australia.

cheerio,

Ben, Malladin's Gate Press