thread: 2011-02-17 : Ben Lehman: Playtesting: Stop
On 2011-02-17, stefoid wrote:
I think the value of playtesting is inversely proportional to the RPG experience of the designer.
Im a good computer/boardgame designer and I write great mechanics and have nifty ideas, but my couple of RPG attempts have sucked on ice because my experience with what different groups of people do at the table and why, is limited. I got immense value out of a very early playtest that was a complete disaster. An experienced RPG designer wouldnt have made all the blunders and uncritical assumptions I made in the first place, so they wouldnt have got that value.
So if youre a newbie at RPG design, like me, dont heed Ben's advice—playtest the shit out of that thing ASAP, it'll be a real eye opener. (dont use a drill)
