Stefan Barkow
Stefan Barkow
@sbarkow.bsky.social
A how-to-play video for my upcoming game Hard Drive, highlighting how easy to learn yet deep this race game is.

Simple: "Roll 3 dice, assign them to move down the course," but Hacks, Mods, Drifts, and more elevate that simple gameplay into a challenging and exciting race! youtu.be/0zoh0XZO3Bk?...
Hard Drive: How to play
YouTube video by Galen's Games
youtu.be
February 2, 2026 at 3:37 PM
The latest prototype of my hacking/racing game HARD DRIVE, launching soon on Kickstarter from @galens-games.bsky.social.
January 27, 2026 at 2:39 PM
Reposted by Stefan Barkow
I've got a bundle going on at itch! $3 for all my games and stuff!
itch.io/s/175176/win...
Also, grab yourself the totally free micro-choose-your-own-adventure! ajstichter.itch.io/a-brochure-i...
Winter Sale 2025 by Adam Stichter
A bundle by Adam Stichter, $3.00 for 4 games
itch.io
December 19, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Big news! The Kickstarter preview page for my game HARD DRIVE is now up! w00t!

Hard Drive, my 'analog game of digital racing,' is an easy to learn, 20 minute, 1-2 player racing game. Players can hack the course & use plugins in clever ways to get ahead.

Go check it out & click 'Notify Me' now!
Coming soon: Galen's Games Mint Tin Series 2
4 new Mint Tin Games and expansions for Series 1!
www.kickstarter.com
December 3, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Reposted by Stefan Barkow
52 Duels is now LIVE on Kickstarter!

⚔️ Unique Heroes
🧙‍♀️1-2 players head to head
❤️ Play with a standard deck of cards

www.kickstarter.com/projects/pos...
December 2, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Reposted by Stefan Barkow
No matter who we are or where we come from, on this special day board gamers around the country have one thing in common: we all brought way too many games home for Thanksgiving.
November 27, 2025 at 8:12 PM
I just backed Stop Krampus! ...and save Christmas!

This is by my friend Chris Stone, and it's a nice entry-level/easy to learn co-op kids and families can play together. And it's print and play so you'll have it right away and can play at family gatherings! www.kickstarter.com/projects/125...
Stop Krampus! ...and save Christmas!
A Christmas one-vs-many print-and-play game for 1-6 elves vs. Krampus.
www.kickstarter.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Reposted by Stefan Barkow
#Crownfell is an asymmetric, abstract, 2-player strategy card game that is live on @thegamecrafter.bsky.social!

No stretch goals, except for this: The more people get it, the lower the price goes *for everyone*.

Add-ons include a playmat & solo expansion.

www.thegamecrafter.com/crowdsale/cr...
November 18, 2025 at 2:47 PM
I just backed NIGHT SOIL by @jontexmo.bsky.social! I've been waiting for this game to be published for years, it's very fun to play, and the final version looks great. Definitely check this one out: www.kickstarter.com/projects/gra...
Night Soil
Night Soil is a very mature game about sanitation in Tudor London. Clean the streets to earn your living under the cover of darkness!
www.kickstarter.com
April 30, 2025 at 2:48 PM
It's a 'relief' to see this coming out soon! I got to playtest it a few times over the years and it's a really great game with such a specific theme. It's either my 'number 1' or 'number 2' most anticipated game 😆.
#NightSoil is coming to #Kickstarter in one month! Check it out! This is a really serious game about sanitation in Tudor London!! www.kickstarter.com/projects/gra...
#boardgames #jeuxdesociete
March 25, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Great meeting this morning for work-in-progress "Dream Machine," a puzzle-y game where you try to influence the Dreamer and make sure they have a good dream.

The game is in a great spot and we're starting to build up to a crowdfund campaign. More info to come!
March 24, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Made Mario Day a big thing this year for no reason. Kids had fun; Mario Legos, Mariokart, and Mario-themed cupcakes.

My Mario-themed cupcakes turned out exactly as planned and nothing at all went wrong in the execution of my vision. As I'm sure you can tell, this is a piranha plant beside a coin😅.
March 11, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Reposted by Stefan Barkow
Did you know we offer support for designers who are working on a contract with a publisher?
We have a checklist, free resources, and even more for members. If you have a contract, or want more information, you can find it on our website.
www.ttgda.org/contract-bas...
Contract basics for game designers
Contract basics for board, card, and RPG games from the Tabletop Game Designers Association
www.ttgda.org
February 21, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Opportune 1st Contact playtest this morning! I tried out a significant change to the Conversation Track. I think it did what it was supposed to; made things smoother, more direct effects, & more of an 'arc' to the game experience. Co-design with @CrimsynSeraph & @CoffeeLghtWght
November 2, 2023 at 4:31 PM
Game night last night! Melissa got Mental Blocks off the shelf, and I had forgotten what an under-appreciated game this one is. We had a blast trying to assemble the correct builds.
October 27, 2023 at 5:16 PM
Playtested the latest build of First Contact yesterday. This game has really come a long way and is playing well. Next step is working on developing more of an 'arc' to the gameplay, so the end of the game feels even more satisfying.
October 25, 2023 at 2:35 PM
It's taken a LOT of work (and a willingness to blow things up and re-imagine entire systems), but First Contact, our 2-player co-op about different animal-inspired species trying to reach Understanding, is now playing the way we always wanted.
October 20, 2023 at 7:08 PM
Anyone know if there are co-operative line-manipulation games? There are plenty of competitive ones, but I'm curious if someone's made one where you work together. Thanks!
September 26, 2023 at 4:55 PM
Protospiel Chicago was amazing!
Thank you to all the players and designers; every game I got to the table is going to improve based on the feedback!
I'm especially happy that First Contact, which was massively overhauled a week ago, performed so well.
Plenty to update this week!
September 18, 2023 at 3:18 PM