When it comes to game design there is one little word that makes all the difference and it isn't "please". That word has its place too, but in game design the word that makes the most difference is "playtest". Playtest! Playtest! Playtest! The importance of playtesting when developing a game cannot be understated. Playtest with your friends, playtest with strangers, playtest and try out weird strategies, playtest and try and break your game, run blind playtests, playtest your manual, and when you think you finally have a polished little gem of a game, playtest it some more.
There is only one way to take your wonderful vision of fun and make it a reality and that is to put it through the wringer. Each playtest will allow you to chip off a corner here, polish a rough spot there, clarify some ambiguity, and simplify a complication. There have been many times we have talked about an idea, thought it was super awesome, thrown together a prototype and played the game to find out just how far from done our idea was. I have to strain my mind to think of a time when a playtest didn't yield at least some minor polish or change to a design. This is even true of designs that have been under development for a very long time.
So pull out that prototype and play it! Be ready to take notes. Be ready to hear criticism. Be ready to flip your design upside down, turn it inside out, and put it back together again. If you do you may be on your way to greatness. If you don't beware, because when you release your game into the wild, it is going to have to stand on its own two feet. Don't send it when it is just learning to walk. Wait until you know it can run!
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