Vijayanagara and the Power of Playtesting
I recently got my copy of Vijayanagara: The Deccan Empires of Medieval India from GMT Games. It’s a three-player wargame where each player will play as either the Delhi Sultanate, the Bahmani Kingdom, or the Vijayanagara Empire, interacting with event cards and navigating a menu of various actions, all in order to be the one to complete their unique win condition first. It’s really a helluva game, and COIN fans should absolutely check it out. But I don't bring this up today as a review, but because this game’s arrival is something to truly celebrate.
Vijayanagara is the first game with my name in the rulebook.
Now, don’t think I’m now part of the publisher or a designer and have been hiding it all this time: I was merely a playtester. But I wanted to take some time to celebrate the art of playtesting, and why I think everyone in the hobby should participate in them when they can.
First, a bit of background of how I found the opportunity. GMT Games has their long-running COIN Series. In the twelve years since its inception, there’s fifteen titles released or in development, with one spin-off title released and several expansions for previous titles. The series is one of the publisher’s most popular, and they have had tons and tons of pitches and submissions for titles over the years.
However, both because of the huge popularity of the series, as well as how the system has changed over time, GMT Games decided to move some of the proposed titles into their own series of games: The Irregular Conflict Series. This way, the COIN Series doesn’t have more than roughly one release a year, and it can allow the designers of these games to tweak the system in larger, more meaningful ways without the COIN Series itself becoming diluted over time.
Vijayanagara was the first title in this series. I was a part of the GMT Games’ COIN Discord Server when the announcement was made, and I remember the fervor for the idea, especially within this server where up-and-coming designers put their work out there for playtesting and development. Being able to get more “COIN-like” games published is a great thing, and the Irregular Conflict Series is how it would be accomplished.
In my mind, the way that this series would take off was if the first game of the series was a knockout, so I became drawn to it. At first, I wasn’t really sure if I would like the game: I don’t particularly love titles that are so restrictive with their player count; I don’t like when there’s a forced 2-vs-1 dynamic in a game; and I didn’t know anything about the game’s setting, which isn’t inherently a turnoff, but not knowing certainly didn’t help. However, after one simple play, I knew I was hooked.
Besides the gameplay being unbelievably engaging, I was hooked by the entire process of playtesting. In those early days, there was so much direct communication with the designers Matieu and Saverio (“Sav”). Even after my first play I was able to ask questions about the game, both to ensure we had the rules correct, but also ask intentions about the design. It was the first time in my life that I had an open dialog with the designers of a game, more or less an open dialog while the game was still being designed.
With each passing game I got to play or host, my relationship with the designers grew. I was able to ask deeper and deeper questions about the design, being able to ask about both hyper specific details, but also bigger, hairier questions about why entire systems even existed. While large parts of the game are now as they were then, Sav and Matieu were open to all kinds of feedback about the game. They were excited about the Irregular Conflict Series and were enthused about the fact that nothing about their game had to exist simply to fit a mold. Each system was designed with purpose, and no fat exists in this game.
I got to be integral with discussions about a particularly clunky part of the end game. No one was really satisfied with where it was at, and being able to ideate with those two for hours on end was one of the most enlightening experiences I’ve ever had in the hobby. There’s nothing like hearing two passionate, intelligent designers dissect their own work in such honest ways while also hearing feedback from someone as inexperienced as me.
Playtesting this game was really one of the most special times I’ve had within this hobby. Being able to show this special game off to new people and collect feedback was fun, of course, but being able to present that information directly to the designers was what really sealed the deal here. I will never forget the four hours spent playing and discussing the game with Matieu and Sav. It’s truly one of the most special gaming memories for me.
So why did I take the time to tell you all this? Frankly, I think everyone should be involved in playtesting. There’s so many board games out there, and there’s always more to come. More and more games are being designed each and every day, and each one of these games needs playtesters. Take some time out of your day to playtest a new game. There’s nothing quite like being able to see a game change and grow over time, and if you’re lucky like I am, you could even work with the designers directly.
If you want some more guidance on how to get into playtesting, send us an email! We’d love to point you into a specific direction for your taste. However, here’s a generic piece of advice: find the online community for some of your favorite games. Love Lacerda games? There’s an entire Discord (run by Eagle-Gryphon Games) around his released and upcoming titles. There’s also one for Wehrlegig and Leder Games. The opportunity to playtest is always there, if you’re willing to look.
Take a chance. Play something new. Be a part of this hobby in a new way. You won’t regret it.
