Galena Games is a tabletop game company founded by Jake Abernathie.

Hitting a creative block on a project late one night, I wandered downstairs in search of liquid inspiration and found my brother in a similar state at the kitchen table. We had both had hit a point of burnout with our particular mediums that evening, but there was still a fire alight in need of a creative outlet. So, in the small hours of the morning with a bottle of bourbon between us, what became the concept for Alkaheist was sparked.

There had been other ideas that came before, even a game that helped to overcome writer’s block. Though I’m not one who spends much time gaming myself, I have developed and workshopped numerous games to varying degrees of doneness since childhood - the act of creating a game becoming a game itself. Alkaheist was the first project to truly go through the process of becoming a fully fledged game, with years of designing, testing, and tinkering. Even though it has yet to be released, it has been played hundreds of times in dozens of countries across the world (thanks beta testers).

Galena ore is the main source of lead, and Alkaheist is the result of an unrefined idea being turned into something special. Like in alchemy where transmuting lead into gold was a great aspiration, I too hope to transform good ideas into even greater games for all to enjoy.

-Jake