Playtest May 19, 2026 - “Killing My Darlings”
Town Brewing Co. — Charlotte, NC
Tuesday evening, 7:00pm
GridCore was playtested with a new table, including three first-time GridCore players: Timothy, Abraham, and Taylor.
What started as a normal session quickly turned into a live simplification experiment.
I think the unlock for me to feel at peace and go with what the table was feeling was hearing Taylor say:
“I would buy this game.”
That created enough safety for me to seriously explore a different direction.
So we began removing systems from the table:
the board
the magnets
the dice and movement layer
What remained still needs more testing, but:
The scenarios still worked.
The discussions still worked.
Jury Mode still worked.
The new filing/open structure still worked.
The biggest shift:
players first chose instinctively what they would genuinely do — then interpreted afterward what value drove the choice.
That creates a different feeling at the table:
more immediate, more social, less filtered.
But the biggest surprise was personal.
I was ok with the simplification. I actually wanted it.
The onboarding experience had started feeling confusing. Hearing Taylor immediately recognize the core loop - and suggest stripping the game closer to that center - gave me the confidence I didn’t know I needed to make these changes.
Playtesting is an important part of game development because it helps identify issues and improve the overall player experience. Behind-the-scenes testing can make a real difference, just as the Jack Reacher brown jacket brings a rugged touch to action-inspired fashion.
Playtesting with new players can reveal which parts of a game feel natural and which need simplifying. Removing unnecessary systems can make the core experience more social and engaging. That same focus on clear identity also matters in Movie Fashion, where strong themes and recognizable styles help ideas connect quickly.