Physical prototype of Captain’s Gambit.
While we were developing Captain’s Gambit, we mostly used physical paper prototypes to playtest our game. Initially, this was really useful for sketching out what we wanted the game to be and how we wanted it to play. It was also great for events and conventions since having a copy of the game that people can touch is a great way to generate hype and feedback. But about halfway through our Kickstarter Campaign, we ran into a significant setback: COVID-19.
Due to current social distancing guidelines, it’s basically impossible to run in-person playtests anymore. This was a huge problem for us, especially since we had just unlocked a bunch of extra stretch goal content that needed to be tested ASAP. How are you supposed to playtest a board game if you can’t meet up with people anymore? Enter Tabletop Simulator.
Digital prototype of Captain’s Gambit in Tabletop Simulator.
If you’ve never used it before, Tabletop Simulator is basically exactly what it sounds like. It’s a platform to creating and playing tabletop games online. Shortly after our campaign ended, we started running playtests on our Discord server using a digital version of Captain’s Gambit we created ourselves. This was perfect because it let us finish our playtesting on time while keeping engaged with our growing community.
Now that manufacturing for Captain’s Gambit is almost complete, we’ve started development on a few more unannounced games. So far, we’ve done almost all of the playtesting and development for these games through Tabletop Simulator. And it’s been awesome! Here are some of the advantages of using Tabletop Simulator for developing your board game:
I wonder what this game is…
It’s Cheaper For You. Each time we wanted to print a new version of Captain’s Gambit we had to spend anywhere from $10-$50 on printing and shipping. But with Tabletop Simulator, we just have to upload some new files and it’s good to go. After the initial cost of buying it on Steam (~$20), you don’t have to pay anything else.
It’s Way Faster To Make Changes. Notice a typo on a physical prototype? Now you need to wait until your next printing to fix it. Notice a typo on Tabletop Simulator? You can fix it in a few minutes by uploading a new file. This faster turnaround lets us be really receptive to feedback and make changes constantly.
It’s Easier To Find Players. A huge part of this is our awesome Discord community, but on average it’s way easier to organize a group of people for a game when no one has to go anywhere. You can also easily run games with people in different cities or different countries when normally you’re limited to only the people who are nearby.
To be fair, Tabletop Simulator isn’t perfect. There are a few drawbacks to using it compared to physical playtesting:
It’s More Expensive For Others. In order to use Tabletop Simulator, you have to buy Tabletop Simulator. While this is pretty obvious, it means that people can’t play your game for free like they would at a convention. Though I believe that Tabletop Simulator is absolutely worth the money, this does provide a barrier for anyone who can’t afford it.
You Can’t Test Everything. In terms of gameplay, you can basically test everything in Tabletop Simulator. But when it comes to things like how the components feel or if text is legible, it’s a bit trickier. Because of this, I think our current plan is to iron out all the mechanics on Tabletop Simulator and then do physical testing for usability and tactile game feel later on.
You Can’t See Your Players. A big part of playtesting is watching your players and assessing their body language to see when they feel happy, bored, frustrated, etc. While you can do this to some extent online with video calls, there’s a bit of a disconnect which makes it easy to miss little cues you could have caught in-person.
With all this in mind, I think it’s likely too far to say that Tabletop Simulator will fully replace in-person playtesting. But as a playtesting supplement, Tabletop Simulator is an amazing tool. Especially during the pandemic, having a cheap and safe way to playtest has been invaluable. Whether you’re a brand new game designer or a long-term veteran, I highly recommend giving it a try on your next game. Maybe you’ll like it more than in-person playtesting…or maybe it’ll help tide you over until we can all meet up again.