Playtest locally

Once your table is laid out and your rules are wired, you can play the game for real. Runner's Local Play export is free and produces a ZIP file containing everything your game needs: the table, every component, the card images, and the automated rules. Nothing is uploaded anywhere, so you can export as often as you like while iterating.

Playtesting happens inside Tabletop Simulator, the sandbox tabletop app on Steam. The Tabletop Deployer companion app makes installation painless: it takes your exported ZIP and installs it into the right place on your computer, so the game shows up ready to load. Without the Deployer you can still install the export by hand, but the app removes the fiddly part.

When you load the game, you will see the table exactly as you built it in the workbench. The host clicks Start Game, the setup mechanics run (shuffles, initial deals, role assignment), and the phase button walks players through each turn. Because the rules run themselves, the first thing to test is often whether the flow you configured actually matches the game in your head. It is normal to bounce between playing and editing several times in one session.

Treat your first solo session as a systems check, not a playtest. Deal through a few turns alone, confirm the right cards land in the right zones, and make sure the game can end. Then bring in real players. Digital playtesting shines for remote groups: anyone with the game installed can sit at your table from anywhere.