Plan:
We need several playtesting sessions. Even so, each playtesting is also useful to look at the holistic experience of the game I want to set up certain sessions with special focuses to help us to know where to put special attention, where to start with the feedback and who to invite without demanding too much time each time from everyone.
I will prepare a feedback questionnaire for each of these sessions that can be answered in the group or individually and plan for some “aftermath talk” for each session.
August:
play test in team (online) > focuse: basic functions
Playtest with team (offline) > Focuse: flow and feeling
playtest with invited players from outside the team > focuse: fun and playability + conversation
open mechanics playtest (advertise in facebook boardgame groups) > focuse: playability, mechnics
open conversation playtest (advertise on platform, topical intrested groups) > focuse how play leads to conversation.
Questions:
Gameplay:
What would you at this point consider the optimal size for a group to play the game?
Is there already an estimate of how long a session would last?
Versions:
@owen, do I understand correctly that the plan for the digital version also includes the use of printed cards? This would take away the advantage of being able to play with anyone at any time without having to organise the cards.
How far along is the online version? Currently, I am assuming that we will use the offline version for playtesting the gameplay itself with some adjustments to be able to play via zoom? Am I correct in this assumption? The online version has lots of aspects unrelated to the gameplay that also need to be tested and I think not all of it should be done simultaneously.
Material:
Is there already a print-ready pdf with the card prototypes for the test games or not? If not, is it already someones responsibility to set that up? If not, should I set this up?
Can we use the illustrations for the witness project for this as well? if yes, where can I find them for evt. prototype cards or flyers. Are we working with a graphic designer for this in the long run?
is this running under the scifi econ brand and should be branded such? Would there be other logos that would need to be included in the material like Nesta etc?
Workspace:
Where should the posting related to the cardgame happen? in scifi eco or in NGi, in open or closed posts?
TITEL OF THE GAME?
what is the title of the game if already decided?
Scheduling:
If that would work for you I would prefer to schedule the playtest after 18:00. This enables people to participate after work and my husband can take care of the baby if necessary. I would propose Thursday the 5th or Friday the 6th at 18:00 for the first team playtest (Nadia, Maria, Ivan, Yudhanjaya, Owen, Navin, Alberto are the core cardgame team, correct? (taken from the team list on the concept document)) please answer here if that would work for you.
For the next test, I would like to include a wider part of the edgeryders team, at the beginning of next week and then I will start scheduling and advertising more and more open playtest. To do so I will for example post in boardgame development groups on Facebook. It could be good to post the invitation to the playtests together with the ambassador calls.
The plan is to have an online version that works with the cards by allowing the user to scan the cards played. Each card will have a QR code printed on them to make this possible. The purpose of the online version is to:
document the game flow
provide players with a framework for gameplay (making it easier to play without reading instructions)
transcribe user input (for policy choices)
keep score and give players an overview at the end of the game.
How far along is the online version? Currently, I am assuming that we will use the offline version for playtesting the gameplay itself with some adjustments to be able to play via zoom? Am I correct in this assumption? The online version has lots of aspects unrelated to the gameplay that also need to be tested and I think not all of it should be done simultaneously.
It is still in the planning stage, although I believe there has been enough on that end to start development. I would like to keep the first version as simple as possible.
This means:
creating the UI for gameplay
writing the game mechanics
implementing the card scanning
automating the documentation of each game (cards played, user pitches)
storing this data either on the Edgeryders Discourse platform or in a separate database.
I would like to consult @matthias on the implementation of the above, if he is available for a brief chat here or can join us on Friday. After this I think we can have a prototype working in the next month.
To follow up @MariaEuler - I would prioritise the offline gameplay tests - the reason is this will heavily inform how the web version should work. It’s important (on my end) to observe the mechanics of the game first hand before funnelling users through a UI that might not be well suited in the end.
