This is partly a propos of Balbinus' "actual play problems" thread, partly of what's on my mind right now.

I've been asked twice now to join the playtest for Traveller 5th edition. I'm dreading this for seveal reasons--I'm not a number cruncher or a canon guru, it's based in part on T4 which I have no experience with, some of the older playtest files I saw were boring, and I have not a lot of time for it.

That said, I love ole Marc Miller as others love Gygax or Stafford, and I'd like to help out if I can.

But since I've never even playtested a game I wonder how to go about it. It seems to me the thing to do--and at the same time the only real expertise I can bring to the table--would be to, like, actually play the game. Because I don't think the gearheads and canon gurus on the playtest are doing that. Seriously, if you know the Traveller online scene, not playing is par for the course.

Begging the question: What do you look out for when playtesting not just any game, but specifically a medium-crunch task resolution scifi game like Traveller?

I can think of very little and only unsystematically:

1. Handling time, handling time, handling time

2. Ready availability of mundane yet important skills

3. If you fail your vacc suit roll, you shouldn't die immediately

4. Easy referenceability of core book rules in play

5.-100.

Playtested for some Talislanta and D6 stuff before so here's my two cents on the subject.

Actually the less of a canon guru you are the better.  You may spot problems that everybody over looks.  The guys who have all the info commited to memory aren't going to notice that certian things aren't there.  Or they won't notice they aren't explained in a manner that is understandable to somebody who doesn't know the history of certain events.

Do stuff.  Get active with the characters.  Have them jump, leap, shoot, operate things, etc.  Look for system glitches that don't quite work or where they forgot something.

Go by the book.  Don't fudge the rules, don't bend things, don't alter stuff.  Do it straight down the row.

We spotted missing prices and descriptions that were given on character templates.  So make sure you watch for things like that.  Things like this get overlooked from time to time.

Finally, keep a log of the game.  Everybody keep a log of the game.  A sheet of paper to keep notes on, problems, thoughts, etc.  Then have a full out discussion over all this information at the end of a session and compile it into one final list.

That's all I got.

Playtesting is what in software development they call "beta testing." Basically you play the game to try to break it. Push the rules to their limit. Find a loophole in the rules and ride a mecha with a laser-katana-chainsaw through it.

"Alpha testing" should pick up obvious omissions and mistakes, like there being no "stealth" skill in the list, or "see Table 21 on page 103", and there's no Table 21. "Beta testing" should pick up things which are only obvious in play, like the strange combinations munchkins come up with.

Roleplaying game playtesting differs from software beta testing in that they generally want to know about the feel of the game, too - how it feels in play. For example, they might have wanted combat to be quick and deadly, but you discover in play that it's slow and attritional. Or they might have wanted it to be all angsty-thespy-I-am-a-beast-oh-no, but you discover that it's more like k3w1-pw0rz-excellent!

Being a playtester means trying to break the system, and telling them how you did it, and telling them how things played out in the session. The reports you give will be basically just like talking with a gamer buddy about the game you just had. "That was good because... that was fucked up because..." and so on.

It's not very complicated, it's just talking about your game session like everyone does