Cardboard And Coffee Games

Hi all,

Last call for bookings for the Playtest Zone at this year’s Tabletop Scotland.

Tabletop Scotland is now just over a week away.
We already have 17 different games being playtested in the Playtest Zone across the weekend, but we still have some limited space for any last minute bookings.

The Playtest Zone will be active from 10am to 5.30pm on Saturday and from 10am - 3.30pm on Sunday.
We currently have the following spaces remaining:

SATURDAY:
90 minutes: 10am - 11.30am (2 spaces)

SUNDAY
90 minutes: 10am - 11.30am (4 spaces)
90 minutes: 12noon - 1.30am (3 spaces)
or
3 hours: 10am - 1pm (3 spaces)

The earlier you book, the more chance you have of your required space still being available, so book now.

You’ll find the link to the details and the submission page in the comments.
Or search for ‘Tabletop Scotland’ in your browser, find the website, and click the ‘Play’ tab, followed by the ‘Playtest Zone’ option.

Tabletop Scotland in 2024 will be held in Edinburgh, from Friday 6th to Sunday 8th September.

If you have any questions about the Playtest Zone, you can email me at [email protected].

Hi all,

I’m hosting the Playtest Zone at Tabletop Scotland again this year.

Are you designing a board game or a card game?

Playtesting is the fastest way to make your game better.

The Playtest Zone at Tabletop Scotland is open for submissions.
Book a slot and you will be able to playtest your game on either the Saturday or the Sunday.

The Playtest Zone will be active from 10am to 5.30pm on Saturday and from 10am - 3.30pm on Sunday.
As you can see from the image, the slots are filling up, especially on the Saturday.
But we still have plenty of space for more games.

If you’ve never playtested at a Convention before we’ll walk you though it with further emails as the Convention approaches, so book your slot now to secure your preferred timeslot.

You’ll find links to the details and the submission page in the comments.
Or search for ‘Tabletop Scotland’ in your browser, find the website, and click the ‘Play’ tab, followed by the ‘Playtest Zone’ option.

Tabletop Scotland in 2024 will be held in Edinburgh, from Friday 6th to Sunday 8th September.

If you have any questions about the Playtest Zone, you can email me at [email protected].

Hi all,

It's that time of the year again!
I’m the host of this year’s Playtest Zone at Tabletop Scotland.

Are you designing a board game or card game?
Then Tabletop Scotland is the perfect place to playtest your game.

I’ve been the host of the Playtest Zone for the past 2 years, this will be my 3rd year.
It doesn’t matter whether you’ve playtested in public before or not, we’ll give you all the information you need to make your playtest session a success.

Book now, turn up on the day at your reserved slot time, and we’ll ask players to sit down at your table to playtest your game.

We’ve found that the Tabletop Scotland attendees are more than happy to try games that are in development. It doesn’t matter if they are early stage games or almost finished, all of the designers in previous years have had loads of valuable feedback that’s really helped then push their games on to the next stage.

We have 90-minute slots or 3-hour slots available on both the Saturday and the Sunday (with 15-minutes before and after to setup and pack away, so the full time is for playtesting).

Booking is through the Tabletop Scotland website using the links in the chat.

Last year we had 14 different games on the playtest tables - many of them from people that had never playtested outside of their family and friends before. If this is you - it can feel nerve-wracking to take this step, but once the first group of players sit down at your table, it’s exciting.

You don’t need art or for the game to look like a finished game - the players will be advised that it is a game in development. You’ll get feedback on the game itself, not on how good it looks.

So take that step and book a playtest slot at Tabletop Scotland.

You’ll find the details here together with the submission page (also in the chat):
https://tabletopscotland.co.uk/play/playtest-zone-2024/

Or go to the Tabletop Scotland website, click the ‘Play’ tab, followed by the ‘Playtest Zone’ tab.

The Playtest Zone is starting to fill up - early Saturday afternoon in particular is already almost fully booked, so book now to secure your preferred timeslot.

If you have any questions, email me at [email protected].

And you’ll get more details about Tabletop Scotland here (and also in the chat):
https://tabletopscotland.co.uk

Tabletop Scotland in 2024 is at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh and the playtest zone will be available on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th September.

Hi all,

A final reminder about the Playtest Zone at Tabletop Scotland, which I'll be hosting again this year.

We have a full programme of games in development being playtested by their designers at this year’s event.
The Saturday slots are all booked up but we still have a few slots available for games on the Sunday.

If you are designing a tabletop game and are looking for playtesters, now is the time to book your slot.
There are less than 2 weeks to go until Tabletop Scotland.

You can book a 90-minute slot or (if any remain) a 3-hour slot.
On the day, you will be allocated a table with some chairs and given some time before and after your slot to setup and then pack away your game.

This is your chance to get some fresh eyes on your game.

You can get more information here:
https://tabletopscotland.co.uk/play-games/playtest-zone-2/

The booking form is here:
https://tabletopscotland.co.uk/contact-us/playtest-entry/

Or you can go to the Tabletop Scotland Website, Play tab, and choose Playtest Zone.

if you have any questions, message me at
[email protected]

Book now and join the 12 varied games we already have in this year’s playtest zone.

Hi all,

One day I'll start posting about my own stuff again.
But not today 😄.

Today it's all about you.

Once again I'll be hosting the Tabletop Scotland Playtest Zone on 26th or 27th August in Perth this year.

If you are designing your own prototype game then playtesting at Tabletop Scotland is exactly what you need.
More details here:
https://tabletopscotland.co.uk/play-games/playtest-zone-2/

The slots are filling up.
There are only a couple of slots left on the Saturday.
The Sunday still has a number of slots still available.
Book your slot now to be sure to get a time that suits you:
https://tabletopscotland.co.uk/contact-us/playtest-entry/

Or click the ‘Play’ tab, followed by the ‘Playtest Zone’ option on the Tabletop Scotland website.

Playtesting is a vital part of game design. If you’ve never playtested at a Convention before, don’t worry - we’ll walk you through everything you need to know with further emails as the Convention approaches.

If you have any questions, email me at [email protected].

Tabletop Scotland:
https://tabletopscotland.co.uk

Hi all,

I’m going to be hosting this year’s Playtest Zone at Tabletop Scotland in Perth near the end of August. The submission page is now open.

You’ll find the details here:�
https://tabletopscotland.co.uk/play-games/playtest-zone-2/

And the submission page here:
https://tabletopscotland.co.uk/contact-us/playtest-entry/

Or click the ‘Play’ tab, followed by the ‘Playtest Zone’ option on the Tabletop Scotland website.

Last year throughout the Saturday we had 8 different games across the 4 tables. Players were keen to try something new, something not yet fully finished, something that very few other people had played before, and the first players turned up 45 minutes before the zone was officially open. From there the players never stopped turning up until the zone drew to a close later in the afternoon. It was a busy day and I think all designers agreed that it was a worthwhile and valuable experience.

This year the Playtest Zone will run on both the Saturday and Sunday from 10am - 3.30pm. If you are designing a game then your game can be there. All you need to do is fill in the submission form to book a slot.

We’ve already taken some bookings, so book now to secure your preferred timeslot.

If you have any questions, email me at [email protected].
And you’ll get more details about Tabletop Scotland here: https://tabletopscotland.co.uk/

Hi all,

My final post about the Playtest Zone at Tabletop Scotland. If you are going on Saturday then consider spending a small bit of time playtesting one of a variety of games in development at the Playtest Zone.

Saturday only - playtest a game at Tabletop Scotland!

Have you every played a game where you think “that bit doesn’t work”, or “it’s too fiddly”, or “it would have been better if they’d done this…”?

The Tabletop Scotland Playtest Zone gives you the chance to say that to the Designer. They are actively looking for comments like these.

All day Saturday there will be a variety of games at the 4 tables of the Playtest Zone that are still being designed and developed. Their Designers need your help to take the games to the next level.

To be a Playtester all you need to do is take a look round the 4 tables, find a game that you like the sound of, sit down and be taught how to play by the Designer, and then let them know if something doesn’t feel right about the gameplay. All of your feedback is useful. All of your favourite games have gone through this process with players just like you.

Many of the Playtest Zone games from previous Tabletop Scotland have gone on to Kickstarter success. Comments from players like you helped to make that happen. Now you can be part of the journey of this year’s batch of Playtest Zone games and know that you played the game before it was published and helped shape its final form.

The Playtest Zone is between the Open Play area and the Event Zone of the Strathearn / Bowling hall. Games start at 10am and continue until 5.30pm with the current schedule shown in this post’s image and briefly outlined below.

The Playtest Zone is where games come to life.

SCHEDULE
—————-
10am - 5pm: Grave Disorder
A tile laying, exploration and monster building game.

10am - 11.30am: Penguin Paths
Aimed at families and younger players - draft tiles to create paths and move to scoring areas of your own board.

10am - 11.30am: Cartolan - Trade Winds
Sail your Adventurers out on expeditions, riding the winds to earn rewards by completing the world map and establish trade routes.

12pm - 1.30pm: Race For The Title
A 1-4 player deckbuilding football card game.

12pm - 1.30pm: TO BE CONFIRMED: Die of the Dead (released 2021) expansion

12pm - 3.30pm: Dare To Dungeon (placeholder title)
A dungeon quest to steal every piece of loot that hasn't been nailed down!

2pm - 5pm: Glory Hunters
Semi-cooperative, deck building monster hunting game for 2 - 4 players.

4pm - 5.30pm: Quantum Ur
A Race game for two players to battle each other to victory.

Hi all,

There are less than 3 weeks to go until Tabletop Scotland in Perth - it’s on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th August.

ARE YOU DESIGNING A TABLETOP GAME?
There are still a few playtest slots available in the Playtest Zone on the Saturday at Tabletop Scotland. If you want one you need to book now.

WHY PLAYTEST AT TABLETOP SCOTLAND?
Tabletop Scotland gives you an opportunity to playtest with new people with a fresh outlook on your game, fresh suggestions, and fresh comments and feedback. It could help identify issues or spark the idea that pushes your game on to the next level.

DO I NEED A FINISHED GAME?
No. The playtest zone is for games that are still in development. They may be early stages or later stages prototypes, but they are all still coming together as games and being playtested to find problems, or clunky bits of gameplay, or to fine-tune the design.

DO I NEED ART?
You don’t need to spend money on art to playtest at Tabletop Scotland. Clarity is more important than art at this stage, and if your graphics support your gameplay and make it easier for players to understand how to play your game then that will be good enough. If you need them, there are online sites that allow free use of icons for playtesting.

I HAVEN’T PLAYTESTED AT A CONVENTION BEFORE. WHAT HAPPENS?
Follow the Tabletop Scotland links below to book your slot.
The booking form asks for some information that you may not have (for example, a website) - if you don’t have it, miss it out.
There are a few tables at each time slot.
Once I receive your booking, I’ll reply confirming the time slot.
On the day, turn up at the Playtest Zone and I’ll be there to show you to your table.
That table is yours for the allotted time, so set up your game and get ready for players.

HOW DO I BOOK?
A slot can be pre-booked through the Tabletop Scotland website (https://tabletopscotland.co.uk). Either choose the Play tab, followed by Playtest Zone, or click the following direct links:

Info: https://tabletopscotland.co.uk/play-games/playtest-zone-2/
Booking form: https://tabletopscotland.co.uk/contact-us/playtest-entry/

All games need lots of playtesting. Take advantage of the playtest tables at Tabletop Scotland to find out a bit more about how your game plays. Book now.

Hi all,

It's been a while since I've posted anything, but I'm still continuing to work on games behind the scenes.

This year, I’m helping out on the Playtest Zone at Tabletop Scotland.

The Playtest Zone is open to Tabletop Game Designers and has a limited number of 90-minute and 3-hour playtest slots available for pre-booking. All slots are on the Saturday 27th August and start at 10am.

This is an opportunity to get your prototype game in front of a different set of players from your usual playtest crowd and to get some additional feedback on your game design.

Pre-book your slot through the Tabletop Scotland website (https://tabletopscotland.co.uk). Either choose the Play tab, followed by Playtest Zone, or click the following links:

Info: https://tabletopscotland.co.uk/play-games/playtest-zone-2/
Booking form: https://tabletopscotland.co.uk/contact-us/playtest-entry/

Your entry will end up with me and I’ll confirm your booking based on the playtest slots remaining at that time.

Note that you will need an attendee ticket for the Saturday to gain entry to Tabletop Scotland, and for the 3-hour slots a donation to the Tabletop Scotland Charity Partner is also required - the link is on the playtest zone booking form.

Please pass on this information to any of your friends who are designing a game.
Spaces are limited. There are less than 7 weeks to go. Book now to secure your preferred slot. 😊