Processing
Last week, the entire Some Untitled crew convened at the BWI Marriott for the 2026 Unpub conference. The con highlights designers whose games are in a functional state but need playtesting. We had previously brought an older version of Rescue to Unpub in 2025, but for 2026, we were primarily approaching the convention to build interest in the game.
The whole Some Untitled Collective together at last
We felt really confident about the game heading into the convention, and many of the changes we wanted to show off this year were a direct result of feedback we received at last year’s Unpub. Little did we know that the game would get a significant update at 1 AM in the hotel lobby, using a black-and-white printer, safety scissors, and some double-sided tape.
What We Heard at UnPub
Every game at Unpub includes a feedback form where players can rate various aspects of the game, such as player interaction and ease of learning, on a scale of 1-5(5 being positive). Additionally, open-ended feedback can be submitted with the ratings to provide additional context on what worked well or poorly.
Playtesting Rescue at Unpub 2026
Some of the feedback challenged intentional design choices, such as minimal amounts of direct player interaction. And some of it affirmed changes that we had already been considering. The three biggest and most repeated pieces of feedback we received last year were:
Scoring could be streamlined
The game's conclusion didn't fit the vibe
Adoption events feel out of balance
Each of these ultimately led to direct changes that significantly improved the game's flow, making it more streamlined and beginner-friendly.
Thankfully, the “fix” for each of these pain points required pretty minimal changes. Updates to the adoption event conditions helped bring a better balance. Removing scores on every dog simplified end-game calculations. Changing the endgame rules helped ensure all players have an equal number of turns, giving everyone an opportunity to “finish” their rescue before scoring.
What we found really interesting across both 2025 and 2026 was the consistent feedback that players felt about foster families. We all felt strongly about keeping foster families in the game for their strong thematic connection, but couldn’t nail down how to fix them.
Late Night Design Sessions
Earlier in Rescue’s life, we introduced the concept of foster families; this was a location for dogs to go if players exceeded their hand limit. During playtesting at last year’s Unpub, we felt pretty bullish about keeping the foster families in the game. They were a nice thematic inclusion and solved an issue of what to do with cards(dogs) when you had to discard them.
Over the past year, though, other adjustments to the game led us to remove a hand limit, which in turn removes the problem of discarding cards(dogs). Since the thematic inclusion of fosters was so nice, we kept them in the game and kept trying to adjust them to feel perfect. Even with those adjustments, we continued to hear feedback about the fosters and the lack of drive players felt to interact with them.
All of this culminated in a conversation about how we can simplify the core gameplay. Some Untitled member, Chris Claiborne, had the idea to overhaul how we refer to the different areas players interact with, ultimately removing fosters from the game as they exist today. To test this, we wanted to update the game for our final playtest block on Sunday.
Daniel and Chris discussing gameplay changes
After lots of discussion, we started working on the update at 11 PM Saturday night. We ended up creating an updated printable version of the game and assembled a mock production line to meticulously cut out the scoring and ability text that needed updating. After lots of double-sided tape, 2 hours of our time, and Jessee designing net-new cards that needed to be hand-colored, we had an updated version of the game ready for testing.
Design and color pencil work by Jessee Fish
The updated deck was far from perfect, but it gave us the chance to try out an idea we had all been discussing with an impartial crowd. Our plays with the updated deck gave us even more insight into tweaks the game needs, and it felt right as soon as we tried it. This was one of those moments for the game that we’ll likely look back on once it’s gone to production as a critical turning point.
Looking Back a Year Later
The feedback we received at UnPub gave us a clearer picture of what the game needed to become. Some of those changes were obvious. Some took months to figure out. And some we're still refining as we get closer to the Kickstarter.
If you're working on your own game and heading to a convention or public playtest, here's my advice: bring a notebook, stay open, and don't take anything personally. Write down everything, even the feedback that feels off-base. Patterns will emerge later. Give yourself permission to test quick fixes overnight. You might waste some paper and lose some sleep, but you'll learn faster than if you wait until you're back home.
Want to see more from our time at Unpub? Take a peek at this BTS video from Some Untitled member, Kelly Perry.
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