Playtesting at Mepacon

Running Break My Game at Mepacon 50

Mepacon is one of my favorite mid-sized local conventions ever. We’ve been going for over 15 years now! Mepacon 50 was held April 17-19 in the Lehigh Valley, Pa. It happens twice a year and is filled with so many games, you may not know where to start. To learn more about the con, check out their website https://mepacon.com.

For the third time now, I’ve run the Break My Game playtesting section. If you don’t know about Break My Game, learn about them at https://www.breakmygame.com. We set up four tables for the weekend for game designers to sign up and bring their games for playtesting.

By the Numbers

Let’s cover a few of the numbers. We had 11 two-hour slots for the entire weekend. Seven were sold out with only the late night and Sunday slots left unfilled. We had nine designers sign up. That was over 50 hours of playtesting in a three-day span.

Overall, it was a positive experience for the designers, but a few things make this different from other playtesting events.

One, the people attending are regular gamers. In some cases, a few might be designers who sit down, but the majority of people looking to play a game are not. This provides both pros and cons. While you might not get the in-depth analysis a fellow designer can offer, you do get a fresh perspective from potential consumers which I think is invaluable.

Two, Break My Game isn’t the only thing there. Mepacon has so many opportunities: board games, LARPs, RPGs, miniatures, even an egg hunt this time. There are a lot of things competing for players’ attention. Designers need to be willing to attract players into their games. It’s not the built-in audience one can find at other playtesting events. This can make it difficult for less outgoing designers.

Three, these conventions have a great mix of games at various stages of development. The schedule play generally includes only published games, but doesn’t always. There are also vendors that have nearly finished, about to crowdfund, or ready for sale games too. It’s important to me to make sure that the playtesting section stays true to its intent: games that need constructive criticism and feedback to grow. Attendees can also be confused by the blurred lines between these different stages of games.

Four, it’s still young. While Break My Game has been going on for years in many places, this is only the third convention for Mepacon. That’s less than two years old. It’s still in its infancy and going through some growing pains. I have a lot to learn about what works best for this setting and will only learn that through trial and error.

My experience

I got to playtest Van Life Challenge by Gray Dog Games (https://www.graydoggames.com/). I competed against fellow players by traveling around the country, trying out some wild regional foods, and telling my TV viewers all about it. We had fun telling some food stories (which earned me some extra points). My favorite part was learning some of the foods. Pennsylvania had perogies, which is one of my personal favorites.

Community Cats

I also had the chance to run a few games of Community Cats with players. It’s my solo game where people take on the role of a cat rescuer trying to keep the population of stray cats in their neighborhood to a sustainable level. One playtester said she would have bought it if it was available. I take that as a positive sign that the game is nearly complete.

Until Next Time

Special shout out to my volunteers: Ryan, Will, and Jacob. I honestly would not have been able to do it without you. Thank you for organizing the tables, attracting players, and jumping into the game when needed.

If this sounds like a fun experience to you, the next Mepacon is November 13-15. Whether you’re a designer looking to test your next game or a player looking to give feedback on new designs, I hope to see you at a table.