How to playtest a board game (and get useful feedback)
Playtest in stages: alone to check the game works, with friends to check it's fun, then blind with strangers who learn from the rulebook while you stay silent. Watch what players do more than what they say, change one thing at a time, and ask specific questions afterward, such as which turn was the most interesting and when they felt they had no good choice.
Playtesting is how a game gets good. The trick is testing the right thing at the right stage, and learning to watch rather than defend.
The four stages
| Stage | Who | You are checking |
|---|---|---|
| Solo | You, playing every seat | Does it work? Does it end? Can anyone get stuck? |
| Friends | People who will be kind | Is it fun? Where does it drag? |
| Strangers, taught | Game-night regulars | Do people who owe you nothing want to play again? |
| Blind | Strangers with only the rulebook | Can the game exist without you? |
Don’t skip ahead. Blind testing a game that breaks in turn three wastes everyone’s evening.
Running a session
Before. Decide what you are testing today: a new scoring rule, a shorter setup, three new cards. Have a notebook and a way to record scores and game length.
During. Teach as little as you can, then stop talking. Watch for:
- Silence and phone checks. Where the game drags.
- Analysis paralysis. Someone thinking for a long time often means too many equal options, or none that look good.
- “Wait, can I…?” Each question is a hole in the rules, or a move the game wants to allow.
- Laughter, groans and table talk. Those are the moments the game is working.
After. Ask open, specific questions. Vague ones (“Did you like it?”) get polite answers.
- What was the most interesting decision you made?
- When did you feel you had no good choice?
- Was there a moment you knew you couldn’t win? When?
- What would you change first?
- Would you play again right now?
Write down what people did, not only what they said. Players are great at spotting problems and usually bad at prescribing fixes.
Changing the game between tests
Change one thing at a time where you can, and keep a version number on every card and rule sheet. When a change makes the game worse, you can roll it back. Keep a log: date, version, players, length, winner, what you changed and why.
Blind playtesting
Hand over the box and rulebook and say only, “Pretend I’m not here.” Sit back and take notes. Do not help, even when they go wrong. Afterward, every mistake they made is either a rule to rewrite or a sign the game should work the way they played it.
Finding playtesters
- Game nights at local game stores. Ask the store first, bring a short game, and be ready to put it away if nobody bites. In Utah, We Geek Together hosts game nights in Sandy and Provo where designers are welcome.
- Conventions. Many have designer playtest halls or “protospiel” and “Unpub” style events just for prototypes.
- Designer groups. Local game design meetups trade tests: you play theirs, they play yours.
- Online. Tabletop Simulator, Tabletopia and Screentop let you test with people anywhere. It is slower to set up, but good for blind tests.
Signs you’re nearly done
- Strangers learn it from the rulebook with few questions.
- Different players win with different strategies.
- People ask to play again, or ask where to buy it.
That last one is the one that matters. When it starts happening, it’s time to look at art and printing costs.
Questions people ask
What is a blind playtest?
A session where players learn the game only from the rulebook and components, without the designer explaining or answering questions. It shows whether the rules work without you.
How many playtests does a board game need?
There is no fixed number. Small card games often go through dozens of sessions; bigger games, hundreds. Keep testing until strangers can learn it from the rules and new sessions stop turning up problems.
Where can I find playtesters?
Game nights at local game stores, conventions with designer or protospiel events, local game design groups, the BoardGameGeek design forums, and online tabletop platforms such as Tabletop Simulator, Tabletopia and Screentop.
Should playtesters sign an NDA?
Almost never. Ideas and mechanics are hard to protect, and very few people want to steal an unpublished game. Asking for an NDA puts off playtesters and publishers.