Welcome to SKALD!
SKALD: Against the Black Priory is a classic, turn-based RPG. It's set in a dark and gritty fantasy universe: full of tragic heroes, violent deaths and eldritch, Lovecraftian horror.
With a dark, immersive plot and inspired by legendary titles such as Ultima and the "gold box series", this is my love-letter to classic roleplaying.
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The project was a huge success on Kickstarter in July 2019 where it was backed by 450 awesome RPG-fans. Now SKALD is coming to Indiegogo.
This means that if you missed the Kickstarter, now is your chance to back the game and secure either a discounted digital copy or one of the exclusive physical editions for yourself!
The campaign will stay open until the end of 2019.
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SKALD: Against the Black Priory is a tile and turn based roleplaying game where you lead a party of up to six characters on an epic and perilous quest.
The game features:
- Vintage graphics using the glorious Commodore 64 color palette (complete with optional CRT filter)
- Complex level-based character development with abilities, skills and features
- 5 core classes with several sub-classes per class.
- Grindless tactical combat
- Divine and arcane spellcasting
- "Choose-your-own-adventure" system and dynamic, tree based dialog.
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The game will release on Windows first with releases for handheld devices down the line. NOTE: The demo and BETA version is for Windows only!
Estimated release date is September 2020 but you get the demo right away!
Rewards
The rewards for backing SKALD: Against the Black Priory span from digital copies of the game to awesome feelies and special rewards.
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The Game
Backers who recieve the game, get a DRM-free version of SKALD: Against the Black Priory for Windows or Mac shipped digitally and / or on a custom USB card.
Demo and BETA
Backers will get access to the vertical slice demo in early 2020.
The closed BETA commences in late 2019. Backers who qualify will receive invitations as well as access to the "BETA tester" Discord channel.
Game Map
The map will feature the games overland area. It will be hand-drawn and full color. Depending on tier. backers will receive it digitally, as a folded paper print or as a luxurious cloth map.
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Manual and Campaign Guide
The manual and campaign guide will, at a minimum, be a 32-page. soft-cover booklet with black and white illustrations. The manual will explain the rules and gameplay, whilst the campaign guide will serve as an introduction to the SKALD universe with an emphasis on the Gallian Empire and the Island of Idra with its locations and surroundings.
Besides providing hints and context for the main game, the campaign guide will contain enough information that it will be possible to use the setting in a tabletop RPG campaign.
The manual will be available in print and / or as a digital file depending on reward tier.
Design Rewards
At certain tiers, backers will be invited to participate in the design process for in-game content. Certain terms and conditions apply however:
The backer must be able to participate before the deadline of May 2020
The creator retains full creative control and retains the right to refuse all and any content not suitable within the game and setting
The creator may alter any submitted content as he sees fit
The backer will be credited if any content is used
Exclusive In-Game Content
"The Hermitage" is a small Imperial safehouse in Idra where you will gain access to exclusive items, recruitable NPCs and story content.
"The Lord of Idra" will give you access to a sea-side estate that will give you access to unique resources and characters.
Both pieces of content may be released as add-ons to the original game down the line.
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T-Shirt
T-shirt sizes will be requested and must be provided within the deadline (approx. May 2020). Failure to provide a size before the deadline means we may not be able to guarantee the size of your choice.
RPG-Sessions
For Deity and Dark-Lord backers you'll get an invitation to participate in a Skype-based RPG session set in the SKALD universe. For Deity backers I'll put together a play group consisting of other backers. For the Dark-Lords I'll GM for whomever you want.
Become Part of the Community!
After the Rock Paper Shotgun interview, SKALD is getting a lot of attention. I’m getting daily requests from people who want to know how they can support the project and if it’s still possible to get their hands on a physical edition of the game.
This is fantastic and I would love to swell the already awesome community even more!
Adding more funding will also allow me to take more time off of my full-time dayjob. This means that the game will be much more polished at release and that post release features (such as modding support) will arrive much sooner!
Risks & Challenges
With any project there is always a risk of the project failing to complete or severely under-performing. For SKALD the biggest risk stems from this being a solo-project. As a result, if something happens to me, there is nobody to fill my shoes and finish the project.
That being said, during the entire development process, I have adopted a stance of risk aversion.
The game is developed on Unity 3D: A leading and well established game development tool. Unity 3D is well supported in terms of having a large community and a robust technical support system. There is also every reason to believe that Unity 3D will remain supported in the future.
Furthermore, an advantage to developing a retro-style game is that mechanics and graphics are considerably easier to produce for small teams. I keep a very strict line on avoiding feature creep, and the graphical constraints limit bloating on the production of art assets.
The same can be said for backer rewards: the focus is on keeping the (physical) rewards limited and easy to handle. My goal is, first and foremost, to bring you the actual game!
Finally, development on SKALD: Against the Black Priory is already well under way and I maintain a playable build at all times. The project has successfully undergone a semi-open alpha and moves into beta-testing in early 2020.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you can't back SKALD right now that's totally fine! There's other ways to support the project!
The most important is to share this campaign wherever you hang out online! Honestly that means more than most people realize! Also check out SKALD on twitter or on the SKALD devlog!
Finally, wishlisting SKALD on GOG.com goes a long way of putting a DRM-free version of SKALD on GOG!
