COACH'S CORNER: Play Testing

One very important aspect of gaming is play testing. And being fans of Dreadball we are really in luck. Jake at Quirkworthy has allow the community the opportunity to try out the beta versions of the upcoming teams. Not only that, be he has asked for play testing and feedback on them. This is a wonderful reflection on what Mantic wants to be--a gaming company that is trying to interact with their community.

With these host of teams to play test, what do you think is the best way to carry that out? A lot depends on the size of your DB group and the time you have available (especially as the play test period is rather short). We have three solid players in my area, three more casual but very interested players, and about 3 more just casual players. I think that I am only going to be able to rely on myself and on other player to get together, and probably only once. So, that probably means two, maybe three games. Here is the way I plan on doing the play testing:

• I always want to play the new team against the Corporate team. Reason being, they are the zero point on the number line that all other teams are either a positive or negative towards. And, they have honestly remained a solid team throughout all four seasons so far.
• I think to save time, which will be in short supply, I think we should play the set stats teams (ie not the Mutants and not the Mechanites).
• I will let my opponent chose which new team to test out first. Then I will make the second choice and play it.
• Who I would like to play: 
• First choice, the Fran-Taar Philosophers, theTsudochan team. I love the backstory, the looks,  and the mechanics of this team. I have looked forward to these guys since the moment I saw them. They are the reason I did the maximizer for Season Six on the Kickstarter. Plus, they look both balanced and fun from the get-go.
• If my opponent want to try them, then I will try out the Glambek Ghosts, the Ada Lorana team. I also was drawn to the look of these guys, but unlike the Tsudochan, they look terribly broken. I want to see if my gut feeling is right.
• Third choice, if we get a third game, the Crystallans.
• Take notes via audio recording to keep the disturbance to a minimum.
• Report my findings to the Quirkworthy blog (and the DB Fanatics FB group).

Here's hoping I actually can get out to play test before the period for input is over!