Playtest October 8

The October session brought new faces, a returning player, and a lot of pulse energy back to the table.

Table · Morgan, Kes, and Chris

Chris returned for a second playtest (always the best sign!) and said what makes GridCore unique is how you learn about people’s perspectives—especially among strangers. He reminded me that the table discussion is the best part of the game.

Morgan challenged the “Slowest Elevator Ever” scenario—his take that small-talk courage includes eliciting a response was spot-on and is now in the next update. He also noticed the randomness of board movement, a pattern noticed in earlier tests. Still thinking about how to balance that.

Kes observed that a lot of thinking happens, calling out the game’s cognitive load. That feedback sparked my push to simplify flow and let more instinct and pulse energy lead. She liked the visuals, and tactile feel of the coins and tokens.

Later, I heard from Bobby (at the Potions & Pixels industry night) who urged me to keep the magnet spiral—because the game needs to pulse. So, it stays. I’m refining how it works, keeping chaos but smoothing the rhythm. And by the way Bobby wrote a book about video game design! You can order it on Amazon.

Key Adjustments

• Updated the Slowest Elevator Ever action for better clarity and humor.

• Retained the magnet spiral, tuning it for smoother gameplay.

• Streamlined rule flow to reduce mental load and enhance instinct-based play.