Pm Retrospective Playtest Session

Playtest Session Skill

"Separate playtest phase enables context reset and focused Game Designer validation."

IMPORTANT FOR EVENT-DRIVEN MODE: Use native Read/Write tools for all message operations. Messages are stored as JSON files in .claude/session/messages/.

When to Use This Skill

Use when:

• currentTask.status === "retrospective_synthesized"
• Worker retrospective is complete and committed
• Ready to validate implementation through Game Designer playtest
• Before PRD refinement phase

Quick Start

// Phase 1: Request Playtest
// Check currentTask.status from prd.json using Read tool
// If status is "retrospective_synthesized":

// Write to: .claude/session/messages/gamedesigner/cmd/{timestamp}.json
{
  "id": "msg-playtest-{timestamp}",
  "from": "pm",
  "to": "gamedesigner",
  "type": "playtest_session_request",
  "payload": {
    "taskId": "{taskId}",
    "taskTitle": "{taskTitle}",
    "retrospectiveComplete": true,
    "context": "Retrospective synthesis complete, validate implementation through playtest",
    "focus": "all",
    "gddReference": "docs/design/gdd.md"
  },
  "timestamp": "{ISO-8601-UTC}"
}

// Then use Edit tool to set status to "playtest_phase"
// Exit for context reset

// Phase 2: Process Playtest Report (on wake-up)
// Use Glob to check for messages: Glob(".claude/session/messages/pm/msg-*.json")
// Read each message using Read tool
// Look for type "playtest_session_report"

State Flow

retrospective_synthesized → playtest_phase → playtest_complete

Decision Framework

Progressive Guide

Level 1: Send Playtest Request

After worker retrospective synthesis is complete:

// Write to: .claude/session/messages/gamedesigner/cmd/{timestamp}.json
{
  "id": "msg-playtest-{timestamp}",
  "from": "pm",
  "to": "gamedesigner",
  "type": "playtest_session_request",
  "payload": {
    "taskId": "{taskId}",
    "taskTitle": "{taskTitle}",
    "retrospectiveComplete": true,
    "context": "Retrospective synthesis complete, validate implementation through playtest",
    "focus": "all",
    "gddReference": "docs/design/gdd.md"
  },
  "timestamp": "{ISO-8601-UTC}"
}

Then use Edit tool to update prd.json: set currentTask.status = "playtest_phase" Exit for context reset.

Level 2: Process Playtest Report

When Game Designer sends playtest_session_report:

# Check for playtest_session_report message
# Use Glob: Glob(".claude/session/messages/pm/msg-*.json")
# Read each message using Read tool
# Look for type "playtest_session_report"

# Verify mandatory fields: playwrightUsed=true, visionMcpUsed=true

# If validation failed:
# Write to .claude/session/messages/gamedesigner/cmd/{timestamp}.json:
{
  "id": "msg-playtest-reject-{timestamp}",
  "from": "pm",
  "to": "gamedesigner",
  "type": "question",
  "payload": {
    "question": "Playtest must use Playwright MCP and Vision MCP. Please re-run playtest."
  },
  "timestamp": "{ISO-8601-UTC}"
}
# Exit and wait for new playtest

# If validation passed:
# Review findings, screenshots, GDD compliance
# If issues found: create tasks using Edit tool on prd.json
# If recommendations: update PRD using Edit tool
# Commit PRD changes: git add prd.json && git commit -m "..."

# Use Edit tool to set status to "playtest_complete"
# Exit for context reset

Message Types

playtest_session_request (PM → Game Designer)

{
  "id": "msg-playtest-session-{timestamp}",
  "from": "pm",
  "to": "gamedesigner",
  "type": "playtest_session_request",
  "payload": {
    "taskId": "feat-001",
    "taskTitle": "Completed task title",
    "retrospectiveComplete": true,
    "context": "Retrospective synthesis complete, validate implementation through playtest",
    "focus": "all",
    "gddReference": "docs/design/gdd.md"
  },
  "timestamp": "{ISO-8601-UTC}"
}

playtest_session_report (Game Designer → PM)

{
  "id": "msg-playtest-report-{timestamp}",
  "from": "gamedesigner",
  "to": "pm",
  "type": "playtest_session_report",
  "payload": {
    "taskId": "feat-001",
    "screenshots": [
      "playtest-feat-001-start.png",
      "playtest-feat-001-during.png",
      "playtest-feat-001-end.png"
    ],
    "playwrightUsed": true,
    "visionMcpUsed": true,
    "findings": "Gameplay mechanics working as expected, visual polish needs improvement",
    "gddCompliance": "pass",
    "issues": [],
    "recommendations": []
  },
  "timestamp": "{ISO-8601-UTC}"
}

Anti-Patterns

❌ DON'T:

• Skip playtest session and go directly to PRD refinement
• Accept playtest without verifying Playwright MCP was used
• Accept playtest without verifying Vision MCP was used
• Forget to commit PRD changes if issues were found
• Skip updating PRD with playtest findings

✅ DO:

• Always request playtest after retrospective synthesis
• Verify playwrightUsed: true in playtest report
• Verify visionMcpUsed: true in playtest report
• Commit PRD changes if issues were found
• Update PRD with playtest findings and recommendations
• Exit after each step for context reset

Checklist

Before sending playtest request:

• Worker retrospective is complete
• Retrospective synthesis is committed
• Current task status is retrospective_synthesized

After receiving playtest report:

• Playwright MCP was used (playwrightUsed: true)
• Vision MCP was used (visionMcpUsed: true)
• At least 3 screenshots included
• GDD compliance status is documented
• PRD updated if issues found
• PRD changes committed (if applicable)
• Status set to playtest_complete
• Exited for context reset

Post-Playtest

After playtest is complete:

1. Set currentTask.status = "playtest_complete"
2. Proceed to PRD refinement phase
3. Use pm-prd-organization skill to extract/update tasks
4. Send prd_analysis_request to Game Designer

Reference

• pm-retrospective-facilitation — Worker retrospective phase
• pm-organization-prd-reorganization — PRD refinement phase
• shared-messaging — Message protocol