A Convention Playtest Guide for New RPG Designers
A convention playtest is a concentrated opportunity to discover how real players understand, use and enjoy a new role-playing game. In a busy venue, strangers bring varied experience, expectations and play styles to the table, revealing problems that a regular home group may have learned to work around.
Events such as High Level Games Convention showed how tabletop sessions, live-action role-play, workshops and designer conversations can support collaborative storytelling. For Australian creators travelling to a convention in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Adelaide, careful preparation turns a short session into meaningful design research rather than a rushed demonstration.
| Playtest format | Best for measuring | Typical session length | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guided one-shot | Core rules and first impressions | 2–3 hours | The designer explains too much |
| Character-creation test | Setting, options and player agency | 60–120 minutes | Creation takes the entire session |
| Scenario stress test | Pacing, conflict and edge cases | 3–4 hours | Players focus on one unusual outcome |
| Open demo table | Accessibility and immediate appeal | 30–90 minutes | Feedback is brief and inconsistent |
| LARP or live scene | Physical interaction and immersion | 1–3 hours | Tabletop assumptions do not transfer cleanly |
Define the Question Before You Pack
A useful convention session has a specific purpose. You might be testing whether new players understand the resolution mechanic, whether character creation produces distinct concepts, or whether the first adventure gives players meaningful choices. Trying to assess every rule at once creates noisy feedback and leaves you unsure which observations matter.
Write one primary research question and two secondary questions. For example, the primary question might be, “Can players resolve a risky action without prompting?” Secondary questions could address whether the consequences feel fair and whether players remember the fictional stakes after the roll. This focus also helps you choose which rules to include in a convention-ready version.
Prepare a small, playable slice rather than bringing the entire manuscript. A complete campaign setting may be exciting to read, but a convention table needs a clear opening situation, pre-generated characters, essential reference material and an ending point. If the game depends on a long-term mystery, test one reveal or decision that communicates its central appeal.
Think of a playtest as a research session with a game attached. Decide in advance what evidence would support a change. “Players seemed confused” is less useful than “four of six players asked who could act first” or “nobody used the resource intended to encourage teamwork.” Concrete observations make revision easier once the convention is over.
Build a Table That Welcomes Strangers
Convention players are not a single audience. One participant may have years of Dungeons & Dragons experience, another may know live-action role-play, and someone else may be trying tabletop gaming for the first time. Explain the premise, tone, safety expectations and basic activity before asking people to commit to a seat.
Use plain language on character sheets and handouts. Keep the first decision close to the fiction: choosing whether to investigate, negotiate or escape is often more engaging than beginning with a page of modifiers. Give each pre-generated character a goal, a useful ability and one relationship that creates an immediate reason to participate.
Accessibility is part of good design, not an optional courtesy. Offer large-print materials, readable contrast, alternatives to public performance and a way to pass on a scene. At a large hotel convention, noise from nearby rooms, exhibitors and social spaces can make verbal instructions difficult to follow, so repeat key information in writing and check that everyone can hear.
Australian conventions also have practical considerations. Players may have travelled from different time zones, particularly between Perth, Melbourne and Sydney, and public transport delays can affect scheduled sessions. Allow a brief settling-in period, avoid assuming everyone understands local gaming shorthand, and be clear about whether payments, venue costs or merchandise prices include GST.
Prepare Materials for Fast Learning
A convention kit should reduce the distance between sitting down and making a meaningful choice. Include a one-page rules summary, a setting snapshot, an example of the core mechanic and a short glossary for unfamiliar terms. Colour-coded tokens, cards or reference strips can help players track information without repeatedly consulting the rulebook.
Run the adventure aloud before the event. Notice where you stop to search for a rule, where an explanation becomes abstract, and where players need information that is missing from the handout. A timed rehearsal with people who did not design the game is especially valuable because they will expose assumptions embedded in your language.
Design an observation sheet with space for player quotes, moments of hesitation, rules that were ignored and emotional responses. Do not try to write every word while facilitating. A co-facilitator can track timing and behaviour, while you concentrate on the table. If you are alone, mark quick symbols during play and write fuller notes immediately after the session.
For ideas about teaching structure and scenario preparation, the adventure module workshop offers a useful convention-based reference point. A strong teaching sequence generally moves from explanation, to a low-risk example, to a decision whose outcome demonstrates why the rule exists.
Facilitate Without Taking Over
The designer’s enthusiasm can easily dominate a playtest. Players need room to interpret the setting, make mistakes and discover the game’s possibilities. Explain only what they need for the next decision, then observe. If you immediately correct every unexpected action, you may be testing your instructions rather than the design.
When someone asks a rules question, first ask what they think should happen. Their answer shows how the mechanic reads from the player side. You can then apply the rule, make a temporary ruling or record the uncertainty for later. Avoid defending the intended design during play; an unclear rule remains unclear even when its author can explain it perfectly.
Track pacing as carefully as mechanics. Note when energy rises, when conversation stalls and how long character creation or conflict resolution takes. A session advertised as three hours may effectively have two hours once introductions, venue movement and late arrivals are included. The marathon-session perspective in this Game Master interview is valuable for understanding endurance, breaks and facilitator workload, even when your own demo is much shorter.
End with a clear debrief rather than an unstructured request for opinions. Ask what players believed the game was about, which choice felt most interesting, where they felt lost and what they would want to do next. These questions reveal the experience they actually had, not the one you intended to provide.
Turn Feedback Into Design Decisions
Collect feedback while the experience is fresh, but separate observation from interpretation. “Nobody selected the healer” is an observation. “The healer is boring” is an interpretation that requires investigation. Ask why the option was overlooked: perhaps its text was unclear, the scenario did not reward support actions, or players preferred more direct control.
Use a simple post-session system to sort notes into categories such as comprehension, pacing, agency, tone, accessibility and enjoyment. Compare comments across groups rather than changing a rule because of one dramatic reaction. A convention offers a valuable range of players, yet a single table can still be shaped by its particular mix of personalities and prior experience.
Independent creators often benefit from seeing how other designers present unfinished work. Reports on indie designer showcases demonstrate the value of exposing original systems to a community before they are fully polished. Treat feedback as evidence for the next experiment, not as a verdict on your ability.
Use these practices to make the next revision more focused:
- Record the session’s primary research question at the top of your notes.
- Mark moments of confusion before explaining what the rule was meant to do.
- Ask every player for one memorable moment and one point of friction.
- Compare feedback from beginners and experienced role-players separately.
- Revise the smallest rule or handout that could address the observed problem.
- Schedule another short test before rewriting the entire game.
The Australian market rewards designers who understand both local community habits and practical constraints. A prototype may travel from a Melbourne play group to a Sydney convention, an online session in Brisbane and a regional event near Adelaide before it finds its final form. Keep versions dated, record which changes were tested, and preserve useful material rather than treating every discarded idea as wasted effort.
The strongest convention playtest is not the one in which players praise every mechanic. It is the one that shows you what they understood, what they ignored, where they became invested and what must change. Prepare a focused slice, make the table welcoming, observe with discipline and let evidence guide the next draft. What a designer should remember is simple: test the experience players actually have, then design from what you learn.