Playtest March 11, 2026

Anna Smith
Mar 18
1 min read

Updated: Mar 22

GridCore was playtested at the Game Designers of NC #Charlotte Meet at Divine Barrel Brewery with five players using Rulebook v7.

Session date: March 11, 2026. Players: Nate, John, Chris, Cam, Bryan.

Players moved through the turn structure without confusion:

Ready → Choose → Reveal → Grid Responds

They also navigated OnGrid movement, the OffGrid Spiral, and Jury Mode correctly.

The scenario cards generated discussion, and a memorable moment - the reader made a funny sound for a flashlight switching on. Players interpreted situations differently and made their case for why certain actions represented values like fairness, humor, and curiosity.

Jury Mode was used by four of the five players. This table changed voting to simultaneous secret ballots instead of open discussion - a much needed improvement.

The magnet-based Tension Spiral was well received. Players enjoyed placing magnets and watching them interact. Magnet crashes triggered GridCards, but the possible outcomes created more confusion than player agency - no player triggered crashes intentionally or strategically.

Movement on the board was understood and used correctly, including choosing between one or two dice and using portals.

Improvements identified:

• clarified the rule for tied Jury votes

• Changed Jury Mode voting to simultaneous secret ballots instead of open discussion

• add a reminder to return Signal sticks after scoring

• consider assigning starting spaces

• introduce the endgame reveal earlier during explanation

• GridCards were not used as leverage - need to monitor this more closely

This session used three scenarios and produced useful signals for the next iteration of the prototype.