Stefan Barkow

I'm currently working on a 'Mad Max' sort of game and frankly it's hard to not just make a worse F&F 😅

...but one goal of it is definitely to be easier to learn and get on the table. Luckily some other cool stuff has come up in development to differentiate it as well!

It's astoundingly better than I expected. All the systems work so well, once you get what you're supposed to be doing and how it runs.

It's an easy trap to fall into! We spend so much time with designers and then you actually sit down with players and the conversations and experiences are drastically different. Gotta keep in mind; if they're having fun, then it's working.

I haven't played it but I understand that's the premise of 'Stay Cool'; you try to accomplish a variety of simple-but-simultaneous tasks in real-time.

Beyond real-time, no (unless you count that many games have multiple systems and things to keep track of, in which case, yes)...

Oooooo 😮

Congrats!

Such a cool idea. I'm trying to resist the urge to start designing something with those restrictions myself, but it's difficult

I love the look of this one!

This is so awesome, congratulations on the milestone! It's a great little game, and always has been.

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!

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...

Eh, I could hear it again.

👀👀👀

I think I need to re-read The Lathe of Heaven, I know I read it but I hardly remember it at all.
If you want similarly idea-heavy to Dispossessed, check out The Left Hand of Darkness. If you want something great but lighter, Earthsea for some good quick fantasy.

What a coincidence! I just read that for the first time as well. It was great, I loved the whole structure and how it was tied in with his 'simultaneity'. Have you read anything else of hers?

That's not easy to do; I struggle to let go of ideas that aren't working because of the vision in my head of how cool it would be.

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 😆.

That cover looks awesome!

This game is great, and wow that cover art looks fantastic!

Overthink and consider starting over with an entirely new core loop 😅.

Looks great, good luck!

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!

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😅.

My big thing has been 'approachability'; making games that players can learn quickly/at least see fairly easily how to play, and games with bigger, more frequent moments. I think I went too far down the design hole on 'clever' designs and need to get back to pure fun 😅.

Great premise! It's been a long time since I played cribbage but used to play all the time in college. Just got a new board for Christmas to get back into it, so I'll be keeping an eye out for this in the future!

Congrats, Mike! Looks really great, not surprised it's a finalist!

That's exciting! But yeah I know...takes a long time...

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...

Looks great, good luck!

Good luck!