London DAYTIME playtest (Friday Fortnightly)
Details
Newcomers:
By coming, you will be helping to improve the next generation of boardgames. Playtesting can be very different to playing a published game but we hope you will find the experience even more rewarding and mentally stimulating.
We have 3 'slots'. 11am-12:30pm, 1:00-2:30pm, 3:00-4:30pm. You can come to just one or two of the slots if you wish. If you arrive before the start of a new slot, that will let you join in easiest.
In the breaks, we might visit the cafe, eat packed lunch, get to know each other, or fiddle with phones.
The venue opens at 10am and by coming at that time, you will help us secure tables. We will normally socialise until we start at 11am.
If you can, let us know when you are able to come and which game(s) are of most interest. The day before the event, we will make a provisional schedule.
There is a system of 'meta-rules' and points, but you can ignore this if you do not envisage bringing your own designs often/ever.
Other things you may want to know:
- You do not need to bring anything.
- You can bring a packed lunch/snacks to eat.
- There is a cafe at the bottom, where you can grab a sandwich.
- On Fridays, there is also market of street food just outside.
- If you have any questions/queries/anxieties/comments/concerns, please write below!
- Royal Festival Hall is open 10am-11pm every day. Often we need to move at 5pm. Sometimes, we meet earlier or stay later than the official end to chat.
The system, summarised:
Taking time to test others' designs and sharing your plans helps these playtests run smoothly. Failing to turn up, or only playing your own designs are both potential issues. Points are given/deducted for various behaviours and - when there is not enough time to playtest everything that everyone wants to bring - designers will be prioritised based on their points.
To check the current 'scores', check here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Pwmsp4LDnF-OEg45rXCdSh5e84U2VV2D5xSS7Y1ECSk/edit#gid=0
In a nutshell, please give details of your attendance/games you will bring by 11:59 on Wednesday night.
If possible, there will be a provisional schedule on Thursday morning.
People are given points for playtesting other folk's games. More points are awarded if you can let us know your attendance ahead of time.
Points are spent/deducted if you fail to turn up after saying you would, and whenever you playtest a game that you proposed.
For full comprehensive rules, check here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tthOLH6jY0uo4JtLvC4m67-Zg_-jHQLwTKGDP1ICqiQ/edit?usp=sharing (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Pwmsp4LDnF-OEg45rXCdSh5e84U2VV2D5xSS7Y1ECSk/edit#gid=0)
Feel free to ask any questions, or talk about any of the games you will bring/are looking forward to/played at the event in the comments below.