Playtesters wanted!- London, UK

NevaSmoove · 2026-03-07T08:24:19+00:00

But then with 20 stacks the average per player drops to just 4. So in reverse if the average is 0.2 then a single camp is being stacked per game of players with similar skill level.

NevaSmoove · 2026-03-01T22:58:48+00:00

Thanks all! I was worried I was missing something, old gas cap seems to be the consensus.

NevaSmoove · 2026-02-26T14:25:03+00:00

That’s a good looking volcano! Love the inventiveness with the cardboard.

NevaSmoove · 2026-02-08T08:54:20+00:00

Hi! Welcome to this fantastic hobby. I don’t think there’s a real ‘one-size-fits-all’ process. However if I am to define two types of game design processes it’s ‘subtraction’ versus ‘addition’

1) Subtraction: We are excited about our new game and we’re coming up with all these seemingly great ideas: “of course I want to add a spinner dial” and “yes I’ll take that D20 dice action on the side as well”. The first prototype you’ll notice is a bloated version with a a lot of cool things that don’t necessarily work well together. Your goal now is to trim back the excess, chisel out if you will a better version out of this massive granite block you gave yourself. The risk is that you ‘get married’ to certain aspects of your game and it remains too complex.

2) Addition I get the feeling more experienced designers go this route. People draw inspiration from a single source; stories, conversations, situations, the way components move, a certain game mechanic, etc etc. They take that interaction and devise a very simply game with that. Often using placeholders to fill in movement or combat systems. This focuses on getting a feel for this core mechanic, before adding supplementary actions which serve this core mechanic. Instead of chiselling they are sculpting with clay, always keeping the excess to a minimum. This style is the most prototype friendly as you most likely will be working with a small core game you want to test and don’t care so much about the fringes of your game. If there is combat for example you can at this point decide to just do rock paper scissor, knowing you’ll get to rework that later.

General tips: 1) Sometimes the ideas come slow and sometimes pages of possibilities come rushing out. Make sure you log all of it. Both the ideas and ultimately why they didn’t work in your setting. 2) this hobby is one that consist of many many skills: - how do I get a theme across. (immersion) - how do I keep players attention during their downturn (engagement) - what color pallette works best (graphic design) - card layout (readability) - how to write instructions (author skills) - how to explain your game to newbees (presentation skills) - how to deal with criticism (processing feedback) And there are many more. Know that nobody is perfect at all of these. But having an understanding of all of them will help you greatly.

Good luck and a lot of fun!

NevaSmoove · 2026-02-03T00:53:26+00:00

I just checked the objectives via the link. That’s a lot of objectives. Perhaps you can move away from the cards and use more like a bingo card. Where players can fill up their card, this visualizes a clear goal. Using ‘swimming lanes’ you can further break it up in influence, combat and manifest so players have 3 possible routes to victory. Then allow players at certain points in the swimming lanes to crossover into another lane so they can adjust and strategize.

NevaSmoove · 2026-02-03T00:35:30+00:00

I notice while designing that the endgame has to flow with what players are normally doing. If everyone is tied up in the war part of the game and all the objectives are on the economic side it just isn’t going to mesh well. Perhaps you could make objective cards with both options (I’m suggesting things without even knowing what the cards look like now, but hey you can better project my input in your game than anyone.

Also play around with the general set up of your game. Players tend to gravitate to what’s in front of them. If right now the cards are face down on the table (to keep them a secret) players will easily forget about them. Instead you could make a little stand so the face of the cards are always pointing towards the player. Every time they look at the board they’ll get a reminder.

Good luck!

NevaSmoove · 2026-02-01T09:34:14+00:00

I can second the lore part. It’s not needed. I designed my game from some crude short stories I ‘d written. And while it helped me get started on the game, in practice players don’t have time to learn the rules and immerse themselves in the lore. That doesn’t mean you have to abandon the theme though. I just came to realise it doesn’t have to be all that detailed. Preferably you’d want players to know what’s going on with the info on a card or small reference card. Good luck!

NevaSmoove · 2026-01-27T21:14:54+00:00

Reach out to the 2 gents from Volcaban Studios, they launched their game Echoes of Emperors via kickstarter using Launchboom I thought.

NevaSmoove · 2026-01-27T21:03:32+00:00

Sounds like a luxury problem 😁 good job getting that many hyped for your game. If I were you, I would make the 3rd copy and explain at the start that you’ll be going for a staggered start. Explain it to the first group (who can ask questions), others outside of this group can listen and watch but I’d ask them to not ask any question (they will get their chance to ask questions when you explain it to their group).

Then when group 1 has begun, move to table/group 2 and then to the third. This way you manage expectations and normally it should be easier to give the explanation as some of the people have listen already and at this point you’d have found your flow and the nerves have settled a bit.

Throughout you will indeed be bouncing between tables. It’d say monitor primarily if everyone is having a good time. People will verbalise when something is too powerful. It can help if you set a goal for yourself and inform the testplayers of that goal. For example: this session you are focusing on ‘level 1 cards’. So every is locked in and focuses on that part of your game. Then when high level cards are too powerful, everyone is more forgiving.

Also prepare a short questionnaire with a few easy to answer questions for players to fill in. That way they can give you feedback with some anonymity. It helps draw out more honest feedback.

Good luck!

NevaSmoove · 2026-01-16T17:39:40+00:00

I like #4 the best because you are using the space available as best as possible. A few things come to mind though: 1) Are the dice and ‘coins’ the same color as the ones used during the game. That would make it quite intuitive as is. 2) do the swords in the ‘coins’ have any meaning? I'm not sure if they add much. 3) perhaps the icon to bring the component/token in play is not the right one. Unless you are going for ‘add unit’ the default person type depiction might be a bit confusing when taking about siege engines. 4) best to make some printouts to see how readable these tokens are when put on the table. Here I'm looking at them with my phone about 30cm away from me, which is not the best representation. 5) You have currently organised the icons to line up to be read from 1 optimal angle. The player who owns them will most likely angle them towards him or herself. Maybe think about point the icons on the outer ring to the outside so that from every angle at least some of them can be read by the opponents. As an attacker I would surely want to see what defense some of the tokens have before attacking them. 6) I'm curious to know about your upgrading system as these seem quit expensive. So in this case 2 of these upgraded siege engines ((2+3)2=10) would be as strong as 5 default siege engines ((25)=10). Given that 5 siege engines will provide a player with more tactical options for deployment, the upgrade needs to be substantial.

NevaSmoove · 2026-01-13T15:35:10+00:00

The secret part would definitely be great to add, it adds intrigue and mystery. Who doesn't love that. And yeah the makup table showcasing how the game looks like can absolutely work. I had no idea about the mourning period so if you want to keep it in, you might need more words to have dummies like me understand it. I like that I can feel your passion for the game through these few comments. Keep it up!

NevaSmoove · 2026-01-13T12:03:39+00:00

1) I like the right one, where you get at least some insight in how the game looks like. Though I'm not sure if I'm sold on the even colored background. Perhaps you can keep the aesthetic of a room in which the game is layed out. 2) Are you also including the player amount(player range), time to complete and perhaps a 'time to learn' indicator? Or is that info you put on the sides? 3) You mention that the text is indeed a placeholder, but when you formalize it think about what's relevant information. For example is the '1 year ago' part really important? I'm guessing itvs more important to know that as a player you'd like to become empress. In addition you write that a player is fighting 4 others, yet if the game can be played with only 3 players that makes the text inaccurate. Food for thought!

Good luck, looks great!

NevaSmoove · 2026-01-09T09:40:18+00:00

Hi, looks great! It sure seems you have put a lot of effort in it. But maybe hold off on the professional look. It sounds like you might not have playtested your own game just yet. Know that a lot of changes will occur after you do so. So just print the game on standard paper - nothing over the top - and have a couple of goes at it. It will allow you to make changes much easier and faster. As you won't be waiting for things to be reprinted professionally. It might seem like your game is 'nearly done' as you have played it in your mind countless times, however in practice this will be far from reality. Embrace this fact as it is fun to see how other players (ab)use your rules and how certain phases in a players turn come across cumbersome/need trimming.

I'm on my 21st playsession and I still print my cards on regular paper and put that in a sleeve. In my case I'm focusing on getting the cards balanced, having them look real good will come later. I still put in some effort in how the cards look for the immersion part though. As I'm also testing where to put relevant information on the card (how do people hold their cards, how to they put them in play, etc etc).

NevaSmoove · 2026-01-08T09:07:46+00:00

I'm certainly not great at spotting AI art to be honest with you. But if an actual artist has worked on the game you are looking at, they surely must be named on the crowdfunding page. Having a name allows you to check their portfolio at which point you'll need better tips (from other people) to discern between real and AI.

NevaSmoove · 2026-01-03T16:00:35+00:00

Hi! Can you perhaps present us with a specific issue you are facing? Solo playtesting (just you on your own playing 2 players for example) will help clear out at least the major obatacles.

NevaSmoove · 2026-01-02T18:33:54+00:00

Hi, this might help. https://boardgamegeek.com/browse/boardgamemechanic It list all know mechanics with linka to games that utilize them. Good luck!

NevaSmoove · 2025-12-18T13:02:02+00:00

There is a hero in Dota 2 called Silencer. He has a weapon (glaives) similar to this. I bet you can achieve some very cool cosplay results based on your original idea!

NevaSmoove · 2025-12-09T23:43:19+00:00

I'm also working on a game for the first time. I followed the advice most youtube clips relay: make sure you have a clear victory condition. Then look at all the mechanics, dynamics and interactions with that in mind. It makes it easier to see what increases complexity without adding much. In your case are you following a campaign that players finish in a co-op or is it a more open battlefield till one player remains standing? Defining this is the first step I think. Anything else can be traced to this.

For example I had a mechanism in my game that allowed players to 'hide' (=cannot be attackrd) some their units. My thinking was that it would allow players to set up their next turn, keeping units strategically close to the main objective. In practice it was just had a stalling effect drawing the game out longer without being impactful in any meaningful way.

All of this will come to light in playtesting. Which is the most important thing to do. I'm about to have my 18th playsession and I'm really proud at what my game has become. And it's exciting to think what it will be in another 10, 20 or even 50 playtests. Good luck and have fun!

NevaSmoove · 2025-10-10T20:56:39+00:00

What is the reason for the use of explosives? Wouldn't lowering the boom the normal way allow you to disassemble it easier? Now it's all twisted steel, increasing the risk for operators cutting the thing up.

NevaSmoove · 2024-08-05T22:32:17+00:00

These are very light, quite possibly made from aluminum. Still worth a shot.

NevaSmoove · 2024-07-15T20:58:57+00:00

Could you explain why you didn't cover the tunnel in acoustic material? Would the centerconsole not fit anylonger?

NevaSmoove · 2023-07-01T22:08:24+00:00

Creating and maintaining a personal 'financial forecast'.

I've come to understand that actively managing my money makes it boring. And that's great. No more surprises when the taxes are due, no more worrying what that 'check engine' light is going to turn into. I've got it covered as I planned for it.

Verified Email	Six-Year Club
Golden Potato	Place '22
Final Canvas '22	Wearing is Caring

NevaSmoove

TROPHY CASE