The latest playtest of Outlive Outdead was a resounding success! What does that mean? Three things:
- We found some rules that need fixing but nothing major.
- The core of the game is fundamentally sound.
- Most importantly, the players had a blast!
After playtests, we collect data from our players using a survey. Of course we listen when they talk to us, but anonymous surveys are more professional and reliable. Here is what we’ve learned about our new game:
- The overall experience of playing Outlive Outdead gets 4.5 out of 5 (4.5/5) stars.
- Playing a human character or a zombie character receives 4/5 stars.
- The rules as a whole gets 3.7/5 stars.
- The player vs. player element and the karma system both receive 4.2/5 stars.
- Motivations and plot points receive 4.5/5 stars.
As you can see, even the playtest version of the game is earning positive reviews. There are some areas, however, that need fixing. Some feel it’s too hard for human characters to die, but the biggest concern was miniatures. In our playtest version, we had a distance mechanic that, upon play, would really benefit from minis, mapping, or something beyond the GM scribbling on a sheet of paper. We have plans to fix this and will discuss it here real soon.
But for now, more playtesting! We’ll be running Outlive Outdead at the EN World Chicago Gameday 31 (Mt. Prostpect, Illinois) on Saturday, March 17th for a whole day of gaming fun. Then we’ll be running what’s likely to be our final playtest at COD Con 17 (Glen Ellyn, Illinois) on Friday, April 20th.
If you are interested in playtesting our game, please contact us at wjmacguffin at gmail dot com and we can send you all of the materials needed to run the game. Playtesters will of course receive proper recognition in the final product!