How To Run Digital Playtests

One of the best things about the tabletop hobby is the moments it creates in person with friends. The challenge this can create during design and development is finding enough people who haven’t played your game to gauge the first impression.

Thankfully, there are many online playtesting groups that use sites like Screentop.gg or applications like Tabletop Simulator. These tools allow designers to create an online version of their game to start maximizing playtesting and exposure, while implementing fixes faster than their physical counterparts.

Why Move Rescue Into Digital Playtests?

We first tried testing Rescue online out of a desire to share it with friends who don’t live locally. Digital playtests gave us the flexibility to reach more players across different time zones. It also made iteration easier; we could update a card in the database, export new assets from Component Studio, and have the game updated in a matter of minutes rather than hours.

Digital playtests complement in-person sessions; they don't replace them. There's no substitute for watching people interact with the game to see if there are any repeated friction points that could be improved the teach or with additional components. But digital tests let us cast a wider net, test more frequently, and reach players who try to bend your game to its limits.

Choosing Your Platform

We’ve played many games using both Screentop.gg and Tabletop Simulator. Screentop is browser-based, accessible, and has a low learning curve. TTS offers more physics simulation and visual polish, but requires everyone to own it on Steam. For Rescue, we prioritized accessibility. Screentop won out for most playtests because players could join with a link, no downloads required.

Replicating Rescue in Screentop

After landing on Screentop as our platform of choice, we needed to build out the game in a digital space. One of the immediate challenges we encountered was the reality that new players would need to learn not only how to play Rescue, but how to use Screentop as well. Thankfully, the platform allows designers to effectively create “zones” or player areas that help visually communicate where dogs are supposed to go. In the end, it was a trade-off between what needed to be taught: we could rely on the visual design of the Screentop version to communicate basic game concepts, in exchange for needing to teach players how to navigate the digital tabletop.

We were able to utilize the same files we already export for our print and play version, dog cards, Foster Families, and Adoption Events from Component Studio. For Rescue, we needed to create different decks of cards which was accomplished by creating a card "component” and uploading our files, Screentop handles the creation of each unique card based on your base component.

Finding and Inviting Players

Initially, we tested out the digital version with friends who lived out of state and had been wanting to play the game. During this time, we wanted to dial in the length of the game, and these online playtests were critical in trimming the game length. Eventually, we introduced the game to communities like Break My Game to start getting an understanding of what in Rescue was truly busted.

BMG is an online community of game designers who playtest prototypes to help highlight what aspects of the game need polishing or balancing. In the case of Rescue, it helped us discover abilities and scoring conditions that were out of balance, leading to a playstyle in conflict with the intended design. Groups like Break My Game are fantastic resources for designers to get deep, actionable feedback on their games.

Facilitating a Virtual Playtest

We used Discord for voice chat and had players run their own view of the table since Screentop. A quick teach of the Screentop basics took five minutes. We explained the goal: running a successful rescue with packs, Foster, and Adoption Events, and focused on what choices felt like rather than every edge case.

When we have enough players it’s great to stay in the role of observer, allowing us to focus on the decisions players are making rather than playing the game ourselves. We would step in to clarify rules when needed, but let confusion surface naturally so we could see where the game lost people and how they tried to resolve it. We took notes on friction from both the game and the platform so we could improve the experience for our next playtest.

During debrief, we asked the same set of questions we would in person: what felt satisfying, what felt fiddly, what felt bad?

Closing Reflections

Digital playtests revealed where Rescue needed clearer communication and rebalancing. They also confirmed that the core; arranging dogs into packs and adoption events resonated with players.

If you're designing a game, try a low-friction digital version. It doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to let players focus on your game instead of the tools.

Curious to try out Rescue yourself? We’re hosting a couple of upcoming playtest sessions online, on April 8th and April 15th. If you’d like to get in on the fun, sign up via the link below!

Be sure to give us a follow on Instagram for in person playtest opportunities and more unhinged dog content.