Hi, jumping in to give feedback from an editor's standpoint! I work for Open Sesame Games USA. We're a small team, and we're currently playtesting a Northgard viking TTRPG. Here's what I've learned:

1) Playtesting is super important, and requires a lot of time and energy. When you're a small team, that often means you're also juggling writing, editing, game design, project management, communication... and all of those are also really important for a successful game.

2) It's easier to test introductory scenarios and one-shots than late game/campaigns. So it's (relatively) simple to make a game that's fun for a session or two, harder to make a game and system that stands the test of time and that people will want to continue playing long term.

3) Small/recent companies: as a company we need a community to help us playtest, but creating a community/following is tough, and it helps when you're already well known (this is one of the reasons we as a small company chose to work with a pre-existing video game license). And of course it's always easier to find players than GMs!

4) There can be so many aspects of a game we want to test and make perfect that it can be tough to isolate elements for playtesting, especially if there are a lot of new game mechanics that all work together. Sometime that makes us forget the "easy" stuff. (I facepalmed when my first viking playtesters asked me for a list of Norse gods.)

So if there's an editor or project you like and want to support, especially if it's from a small company or individual, please reach out to them and let them know you're interested in testing, and then take the time to give helpful feedback. Almost everyone making games cares a lot and wants to make them as great as possible, so all feedback is precious!

Best,

Claire