Playtest: the test table manual
Playtest is a separate app for testing your game: you start a test round for a released version, write a call, schedule sessions, approve the people who apply, and the feedback gathers on one page of the round. There is no public board, no likes and no comments: it is a quiet workshop, and only the people you send the link to see the call.
This manual is for two kinds of reader. The game’s creator uses the Hosting side to start rounds and read the feedback. The tester arrives on the call link, applies, plays, and fills in the questionnaire at the end.
If you are starting as a creator, read Rounds: it walks you from the first round to starting recruiting.
What a round is
A round is the testing of one released version of a game. It has a name, a call (title, a short pitch, what you want to learn, the state of the game), sessions (when the testers play) and a feedback form (what they get after a session). The round’s state is Draft, Recruiting, Running (recruiting stopped) or Closed.
A game can have several rounds, for example one per version. You can put the rounds side by side on Compare rounds.
The session
A session is when the testers play. There are three kinds: online at a set time, online any time in a window, and an in-person meeting with a venue. Details: Sessions.
The tester
A tester can be a player signed in with an account (Discord or Google), or a guest who gives only a first name. At the first test the tester gives an age group and an experience level, and is not asked again in later rounds. A guest cannot join a confidential (NDA) round. Details: Applying as a tester.
The pages
| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Rounds | The Hosting home, the New test round wizard, the round page: overview and call |
| Sessions | Adding an online or in-person session, the calendar |
| Testers | Approving and declining applicants, filtering |
| Feedback | The incoming answers, marking as handled, CSV, comparing rounds |
| Applying as a tester | The call page, guest sign-in, the first-test profile, the NDA |
| Session and feedback form | The tester’s session page and filling in the feedback |
Good to know
- A call is never listed publicly. Whoever gets the link (on an invited round, the personal link) sees it.
- A confidential round shows a stranger less. Until the NDA is accepted only the round’s name, title and pitch show.
- Feedback belongs to one session. If a tester sends again for the same session, the new answers replace the old ones; there are never two records.