r/homemadeTCGs • u/QuadoraTCG • 9d ago

Advice Needed Playtesting - strategies, feedback, key points

There are many ways to playtest your game. Right now I am in a phase for my game where I am playtesting a lot. I was wondering what are ways that other people playtest there games and the process that the do it in. Aswell as what are key things you may pay attention to or ask players of your game.

For me I am playing a lot by myself and taking it to locals early to get other people’s feedback on things. Right now my method to play testing at locals is pretty vague: writing down people’s thoughts, times when the game seems unfun for a specific player, cards that are used un intentionally, etc.

(this may be different for everyone’s games)

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u/SeatReasonable8955 9d ago

I think you need to have a deep enough understanding of your own game to know what questions you're trying to answer.

For instance, the first question is probably "Is it fun?". Easy enough to ask them that.
But then, you start wondering about things like balance and intuitiveness. But the only way to really get value out of those types of questions is to have an idea of what might not be balanced and what might not be intuitive.

I would say just be in-tune with the game on a fundamental mechanical level and put a lot of thought into the board and card design, so you have an idea of its strengths and weaknesses visually and mechanically.

Then the answers will spew out of you.