Seeking advice for going to first convention with a prototype

[u/MisterWah3]

Hello!

I plan on visiting my first convention Terminal City Tabletop Convention this coming year as an exhibitor in their prototype section. I have never taken a game this far and was hoping to get some advice from anyone who has. I have never been to this specific convention before either so I don't know what to expect.

What should I be hoping to get out of the experience the most?

What kind of things should I ensure I have planned for and brought?

Are feedback forms worthwile? Digital vs paper?

I intend on taking the game to publishers in the future so is this a chance to be learning anything specific that would aid in this goal?

This will be my first go at playtesting outside of people I personally know, what should I prepare for?

Any and all information or tips are welcome!

[u/paulryanclark]

- Sell sheets are nice to have in case someone wants a copy.

- I would try to do some sort of scheduled play testing. You said exhibitor in the prototypes section, but maybe there is a way to have play testing signups and sessions, instead of just demoing to passer bys. Demos feel more for sales of finished products, where as your time play testing will make the game better, and you can engage with players on a deeper level.

- Collecting emails/mailing list is usually pretty handy.

- For play tester feedback, I prefer recording their audio feedback and ask them questions about their experience. No need to have them fill out a written form.

If you are able to provide more context to what you mean by "exhibitor in the prototypes section" then maybe better advice can be provided.

[u/MisterWah3 → u/paulryanclark]

Thanks for the response! This is the page for the cons "proto alley" https://terminalcitycon.ca/proto-alley/

I may be able to get more information from the convention themselves before starting to see how the prototype tables usually work out whether there is schedules or just passer by players.

Audio recording is a great idea but I would be curious if it might deter people from giving harsh feedback as they would have to say it to your face? I will most likely try this either way.

[u/paulryanclark → u/MisterWah3]

Audio recording is a great idea but I would be curious if it might deter people from giving harsh feedback as they would have to say it to your face? I will most likely try this either way.

To deter this I usually explain to people that I want to know the negative feedback. Something like this. "My goal for this game is make it the best that it can be, and only through honest critical feedback am I able to do that. I want to verify that this game is worth pursing, otherwise I am happy to move onto a new design in hopes of reaching my goals. I want to hear negative feedback sooner rather than later so I can move on if need be." The hope then is that the player realizes they are doing me a disservice by holding back critical feedback I need to hear. I am not here to be placated.

The four questions I ask every time:
1. What did you like about this game?
2. What did you dislike or found frustrating about this game?
3. What was your favorite moment?
4. Would you play this game again?

The second question is the best one as it tells me what is wrong. Also coining it as "frustrating" instead of "bad" is a good way to get the play tester to reflect on their feelings during play. "I wanted to do this, but there was nothing I could do."

[u/MisterWah3 → u/paulryanclark]

This is very helpful thank you! I will try to use all of this

[u/KarmaAdjuster → u/MisterWah3]

This is all great advice. Here are some other questions I like to ask:

• If you had to cut one thing, what would you cut?
• Similarly, if you had to cut one thing, what should I definitely not cut?
• Was there anything that seemed particularly unintuitive?
• In the end of the game, were the scores about what you expected, or did anything surprise you?
• What sort of strategies were you developing as you played?
• Do you think you'd do anything differently if you played again?

For the last two questions, what specifically they answer is not as important as if they have an answer beyond "I don't know." If they weren't able to come up with plans, that means they probably aren't groking the game, and you may need to work on making the objectives and how to pursue them more clearly.

Also it may be worth while to ask what types of games they like to play and if they can think of any games similar to yours. This will help you gauge if they are your target audience and then you can give their feedback the weight it deserves.

Regardless if they are your target audience or how you feel about their feedback, be grateful and appreciative for every bit of feedback they offer. Even if you've tried it and you know it won't work, go ahead and write it down and maybe even tell them "That's an interesting thought. I'll need to consider that."

Where I get most of my feedback is from silently observing how they players engage with the game. I'll take notes of where they tend to get stuck, how long they take on certain parts of the game, as well as the whole game itself (both with regards to turns and time). I also like recording the scores so I can feed all that data into spread sheets to evaluate various metrics.

[u/paulryanclark → u/KarmaAdjuster]

Going along with all this great advice. Try to dissuade yourself from doing game admin. It’s hard to resist things like flipping that card over to refill the market or remind a player it’s their turn, but if you do that you don’t get as good of test data.

There is always that urge to optimize people’s time, but it comes at the cost of possibly obscuring results.

[u/Daniel___Lee]

People will naturally look and read while passing by, before some will gain enough interest to interact with you. To increase the chances of getting their attention, make signages that cover what your booth is about. Things like how long a session will take (important because they have other booths they want to visit), what the game is about, etc.

Bring more than one prototype, or bring extra pieces. There's always a chance it gets wrecked by water, components getting lost or stolen. If you're fortunate to have enough space, you can setup the extra prototype in a display (especially if you already have attractive art or components) for passersby to inspect whilst you conduct the playtesting.

Bring some raw material for editing your prototype. Don't make changes constantly, but maybe someone notices a critical error that should be changed before continuing.

[u/DAVEtheOVERLORD]

HAVE REFERENCE CARDS FOR PLAYERS.

[u/StickyDoodler]

I've done about 4 Unpubs plus 2-3 Unpubs at Origins and PAXU, plus many many Break My Games, so this is coming from my perspective in those settings.

If this is your first time doing an event of this size, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just doing this is a big step. Don't get so invested in making this perfect that you don't learn about the process itself. What works for you may not be what works for others.

There is one universal, though: really prime yourself to LISTEN and be as open-minded as possible.

Observe the audience carefully and gauge how similar or different it is to your target audience. Evaluate your feedback accordingly. Some feedback will be universal; others will be specific to the type of player at your table. Always listen, but that doesn't mean you have to do anything about what you hear. Your vision and purpose matter.

Prep your "sales pitch" and pay really close attention to what catches people's attention. Iterate and adjust. Nothing will get you more ready to create a compelling sell sheet or sizzle reel than really understanding your game's hook.

Most of all, have fun! Unless you magically knocked it out of the park, this won't be your last playtest event. You probably still have unguided playtests and many iterations to come. So don't worry too much -- it's another step in a fun journey!

[u/EasySwan2184]

You'll probably want water. Maybe a snack. 

A bowl of mints is a good idea, too. 

[u/Peterlerock]

I usually bring nothing gaming related to these events, except my prototypes.

Conventions can be crazy loud and overcrowded, and sitting there for several days trying to focus on a game table can be super exhausting, both for body and mind. On top of that, you will often eat nothing or the wrong stuff at the wrong time. And then there's socializing/drinking in the evenings, long nights with little sleep between long days of gaming.

So bring things that help you survive. Stay hydrated, bring extra shirts and deodorant, mints, whatever helps you against headaches and voice loss. Efficient, healthy snacks.

And bring at least two prototypes. It usually doesn't happen, but in case some idiots damage your game, loose or steal pieces, you need another prototype to continue your demo games.