Playtest Quest IV: Building the Arsenal
Session time: 2-3 Hours
In this session, we’ll take the core mechanics and initial card designs you created and expand them into a more comprehensive set for your playtest. The goal is to have a a few starter decks to test your mechanics thoroughly.
Determine the Number of Card Designs
First, decide how many card designs you will need for the playtest. It’s okay to include 3 or 4 copies of the same card in a deck. You ended the last session with around 10-15 unique designs. For this session, aim to double that number to reach your final card count for your Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
Expand Factions and Mechanics
Next, think about the other factions and mechanics you’ll need to introduce. Now, broaden your scope:
- Introduce additional factions with unique mechanics and flavor.
- Ensure each faction feels distinct
Depending on your design goals, you may want to spend more time developing either the flavor or the mechanics. If your goal is to immerse players in a richly detailed world, focus on creating evocative card names, flavor text, and thematic abilities. If your goal is to innovate with gameplay, prioritize developing unique mechanics and ensuring they work well together.
Create the Cards
Don’t worry about final art or design details. Your primary focus should be on functionality. Create enough cards to represent all the factions and mechanics you want to test.
You can work in either digital or physical formats at this stage, whichever is easiest for you. The goal is to have all the cards ready for testing, so don’t spend too much time perfecting the artwork or card design.
Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Design Additional Cards: Aim for a total of 20-30 unique card designs.
- Print or Create Proxies: Make simple, functional versions of these cards. This can be hand-drawn proxies, printed text cards, or digital placeholders.
Take a break after this session. You’re one step closer to testing with players!