There are many ways of playtesting Fandex and Homebrew units, these are the methods my group employs. They are far from perfect but they work for us.
The first thing we do when trying out an new unit is to never let the creator use the unit in the initial games. This has the effect of keeping over the top unit design to a bare minimum. If you play against your homebrew unit and feel that it is unfair or unbalanced it usually is. It has kept everyone's heads firmly in balanced unit design.
The second thing we do is actually playtest the living heck outta the units. For every ten games we re-evaluate the unit, from points to stats; making every effort to keep things fair and balanced. This is done by the playtesting group as a whole. Then we playtest the unit some more!
The third thing we do once we have plenty of playtesting done is put the unit up for a vote to end playtesting. If it passes the vote we add it to our unofficial units binder.
The fourth and final step we take if the project is more than a single unit is to send it out to our friends out of the area for playtesting. Now that I have GiF I will be putting all of the new units we create up for open playtesting to the Blog community at large on top of our out of the area friends.
So for example the Soul Reapers mini-dex project is going into its fourth month of open playtesting and we are getting great feedback. I appreciate all the fantastic input, good or bad.
The final thing I want to mention is to have a thick skin, you are going to get harsh feedback. It does not mean that what you are doing is bad, some people just don't 'get it.' Don't scrap a project because you get negative feedback, just look at what you are doing and make sure you are presenting it correctly. So be open to all feedback take the good with the bad and learn from the experience.
I think you hit the nail on the head Jim, you need to have a very thick skin when you create alternate rules. People are very touchy about the sanctity of "their game," so if you touch those rules be prepared for feedback that can be beyond harsh.....
ReplyDelete....good to see you are up and running my friend!
That is a great idea re: letting others, apart fromn the creator, use the new unit in testing. I'll have to try that one day with the project I'm working on!
ReplyDeleteNow, if I only I can convince one of my fellow players to play guard (he's a dedicated Marine player)...
Thanks guys. I am still struggling with a few computer issues, but am back to regular posting.
ReplyDeleteThese methods of playtesting work fantastic with our group, but may not be suited to everyone.
Menzies, try offering to play a special game or give him some sort of concession or advantage in another game for helping you out.
-Jim
Reading this article made me smile. The first unit I designed was an Iron Snakes "Phalanx" rule. I convinced my friend to field the Iron Snakes against me. The rules were so balanced that in the end neither of us had a handful of models left on the table.
ReplyDeleteOh what I wouldn't give to go back those days of quick success...
Again, great ideas Jim! Will try that out once my project is near the playtesting period. Thanks again. :)
ReplyDeleteAtrotos, thanks, I too miss the days of quick success in rules development. I have found that I over think things as I get older. Simple is better or basically, "less is more!"
ReplyDeleteNo problem Menzies!
-Jim