What it is
Open a game and choose Design Journal. It is the record of your design's whole life: every version you have tested, every run against it, and how the numbers moved from one version to the next.
You do not have to do anything to build it. Every session you run writes itself in.
Versions
A version is a table configuration you played against. The journal groups every run by its version and lists them newest first, so the version you are testing this week is at the top.
Each version shows:
- how many runs it got, and over what dates
- how many playtesters sat at the table
- average players per run
- average fun, clarity, pace, and balance scores, with the change against the version before it
- the spread of final scores, lowest to highest
- what share of playtesters said they would play it again
The change against the previous version is the point of the page. It is the answer to "did that change help?" It is always measured against the version that came before it in the design's life, whichever end of the list that version is shown at.
Naming a version
Every version starts out named after the date it was first played, like August 24, 2026. Double-click that name and type whatever you want: "Second printing rules", "After the trade nerf", "Protospiel build". It is your journal.
Renaming a version renames it everywhere it appears, and every later run against that same version inherits the name. Press Enter or choose Save to keep the new name, or press Escape or choose Cancel to leave it alone.
The name belongs to the journal, not to the table configuration, so renaming still works on an old version whose configuration you have since replaced.
Notes
Each version has its own notes. This is the part that makes it a journal rather than a log: what you changed, what you were trying to fix, and whether it worked.
Type into the box under a version and choose Add Note. Notes show who wrote them and when, can be edited later (an edited note says so), and can be deleted.
Notes are per version, so the reasoning sits next to the scores it explains. Notes taken during a session are different: those live on the run, in the session notebook.
Runs
Each version lists its own runs, newest first. Open one to see its outcome, the survey answers, the session notes, and its marked moments.
There is no separate list of every run. A run is always shown under the version it was played against, because that is the only context in which its numbers mean anything.
The filters at the top of the page still apply. Narrow by date, player count, or outcome and the versions and their runs narrow with them.
Marked moments keep a picture
To mark a moment, open the Session Notebook during play and press Mark Moment. The tags appear straight away. Pick one, write the note, and send it. You can also write the note first and press Mark Moment after, in which case picking the tag finishes it immediately.
Either way the button stays lit while you are marking, showing the tag you picked. A note sent without going through Mark Moment is an ordinary session note, not a marked moment.
When someone marks a moment during a session, Playtest Parlor also keeps a small picture of the table at that instant, felt and pieces and all. The picture appears with the note in the journal. Click it to see it full size.
This matters because replays are kept for 30 days and the journal is kept for the life of the design. A year later the replay is gone, but the note and the picture of the table are still there.
It stays yours
The Design Journal is readable by anyone who can edit the game, whether you pay by session credits or by subscription. It stays fully readable if you pause your subscription or let it lapse. Your design's evidence does not go behind a door.
Export
Export CSV on the journal page gives you the survey responses for the runs currently shown, so you can take the raw numbers anywhere.