The good, the bad and the ugly, I'm coming out with my hands up.

Today's playtest went OK all things considered.
They got diplomacy.
They got research.
Combat (revised) worked (when the ships got in range).
For such a complex game they seemed pretty able to play it (they disagreed with some things but...).
For reasons of familiarity and (I think) inheritance from other games "spend at the end" became practically an article of faith for us.
They want to get, invest campaign.
Fair enough that's an easy fix.
The species traits, in the brief, and recently added, will work with some adjustment.
A combination of playtest slippage and bad luck bled into late production and things went a bit pear-shaped pulling it all together in the end.
But they got a game which they played and I think at least 2 of them rather enjoyed (at least if they could let go of the spend at the start thing).
One thing that worked with gameplay was using the looming deadline to simplify game-play and quash late-emerging ideas.
Perhaps if we could have seen the looming deadline from a production point of view we could have compromised on the card backing and given ourselves a bit of slack.
However, if the printing and room access on Tuesday evening had not complicated things I think we could have delivered on everything from a production pov with Wednesday morning for pick-ups not production.
Reflection. Another name for hindsight?
Speaking of reflection...
I could have applied myself to the more stable elements of the rule-book earlier. In truth, I was out of my comfort zone and invoked rule flux as an excuse to do anything else (play-testing, cutting and pasting and making dinky little boxes) rather than writing the rules.
I had a vision of us handing the box over intact and them setting up and playing. In which case the boxes may have had something to add. Also they were a kind of occupational therapy. Something I could do an feel I was making a contribution.
As it turned out, giving them the game all set up and keeping the rule book from them was probably the kindest way to manage the situation for all parties.
I'll be interested to see the final feedback.
So a few minor tweaks and revisions and we can put his game to bed.
If it doesn't lie quietly I may have to get a pillow and .....