Start with only the pieces you need
The fastest setup is usually the smallest one. Add only the entities required for the question you want the playtest to answer.
That keeps setup time down and makes it easier for players to understand what matters.
Build from your game inventory
Open the game workspace, then add pieces from the game into the current table.
Common setup patterns are:
- one stack for a draw pile
- a few tiles already in each player's area
- shared tokens in a visible supply
- spaces or annotations that explain where pieces belong
Prefer clarity over completeness
If a piece will not matter in the current session, leave it out. You can always add more later, but extra pieces create noise immediately.