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I thought I'd open this post so Dungeon Masters can share what steps they took to enhance their players' experience with the playtest material.  This is a post for House Rules that proved useful, material from previous editions you may have introduced, or even intelligent adjucating that allowed your players to think more freely.  (Or any other relevant information).

I'd like to start with the Opportunity Attack issue.  Pretty fast, we discovered we absolutely hated the lack of opportunity attacks, so we tacked on 3.5 or 4e's AoO mechanic.  (One per round, or 1 per each other creature's turn, either worked).  This made a point of frontline/backline tactical mechanics.

We also created an encounter-based spell slot for each of the casters.  They could choose a single first-level spell to prepare into a 'once per encounter' spell slot.  This was for a bit more stretch and relaxation in the 15-minute workday.

I'd love other input from any other DMs who've done similar things for their players.     

@Zhandra - taking your idea, our Wizard encounter-slotted Sleep, which made it infinitely more useful despite being limited to 10 hit points.  Worked great!

@OleOneEye - Did you create any monsters for the encounter chart, or use the adventure/bestiary for most of the monsters?  I ask, because I'm curious if anyone else is looking through the monsters for commonalities for monster creation basics.  So far, it seems incredibly simple to design monsters, especially not needing to make up powers for them anymore when you start from scratch. 

There is much better map of the caverns of chaos floating around, its nice clear and in colour.

I encouraged more adaptability with the spell use so Ray Of Frost could be used to target the Ogres weapon but it counted as disadvantage attack (not sure though as it might be better with a called shot -4 like in the old 2E games). The result being the ogres club needed to be unstuck with a strength check or the ogre attacks with something else (in the game the ogre attacked with something else).

Definitely looking to bring in some spells that can be memorised as Encounter spell, not many spells and the lower level ones like level 1 or 2.

I'm also inclined to input a lighter level of advantage\disadvantage, so flanking get +2. Back attacks get advantage so facing makes a difference, this works well in TOTM so if the fighter is facing off with the fighter, the rogue then tumbles past the enemy and into his rear to strike for advantage and get a backstab in.

Give creatures style attacks, like the ogre or giant effectively pushing or sliding the player with it's attack and even a knock prone(with a failed balance save by the player).

Modifiers to reactions depending on Race and Background. So a Dwarf gets a +2 to reactions with dwarves, +1 with gnomes and a -2 to elves (obviously this one defines that the dwarves and elves don't get on as per Lord Of The Rings).
If a character is a Knight or noble background then they get a +2 reaction with nobles, likewise a farmer would get on well with small towns peasant's. A zealot might get bonus's to reactions with his own faith but minus with other faiths and maybe disadvantage with an opposing faith (so a god of war gets +2 reaction bonus with his own faith but a -1 to most faiths but a -2 against pacifist faiths).

However at present I'm merely playtesting as is with lots of improvisation being encouraged.

@therion666

We used a very rough guideline of called shots from Pathfinder, augmenting the penalties to within reason, and one of the very first playtests had our Wizard using a called shot to target a creature's hands instead of feet.  Since it reduces all mobility when it hits feet, we let it prevent the creature from taking an action that round, if it involved its arms.  The attack roll for the wizard was at -2, I believe.

We also put in facing (so thus our flanking works slightly differently than normal).  Back gives advantage (much like you), but you cannot gain flanking on a creature if you're in his facing.  Since he's not dividing his attention to the others, only to his front, then those in front receive no benefit of 'distraction.'  Just what we like to run with, of course.

We actually have a Reaction Score we use in every edition;  Its 10 + your charisma score + miscellaneous modifiers as you've described.  It doesn't have many mechanics to it, but we use it for DMs to better articulate a comparison between people during a first impression situation.

The style attacks are absolutely nice.  We included a similar mechanic in just our critical hits.  We roll damage instead of maximum on a critical hit, but add an effect (since none of us like not rolling damage, ever lol).  Slashing weapons inflict bleed (1 for light, 2 for one-handed, 3 for two-handed), Piercing weapons cause pain (next attack has disadvantage), and bludgeoning weapons require the defender to make a Balance check or fall prone.  (Balance being applied with strength, Dexterity, or Con).

Thanks for the post; I love seeing others like-minded to our playstyle out there!

@JKLawrence

We actually use percentile on a natural 1.  First, it always provokes an opportunity attack.  Secondly, after that is resolved, the player rolls 1d100.  If its over 50, they drop the held item or some other calamity, if its under 50, there is no further penalty.  Just a simplified failure chart from 2e, honestly lol.             

I hope if anything that they offer the complication rules as examples of the suggested improvisations available but that they are suggestions and not cast in stone, that way helping to prevent solid rules from allowing DM perception or that prefer too many complications.
Maybe the complication could be a module for the system?

There were no attacks of opportunity until 3rd ed. One option that i've seen in a D20 variant is a feat will allow attacks of opportunities or even it could be a fighter capability or fighter feat (Combat Awareness or something).