Last fall Sinister Design, creators of the excellent ‘Telepath RPG: Servants of God’, launched a Kickstarter for its ever-expanding game Telepath Tactics that would allow Craig Stern to properly complete the game with all of the desired features. That effort failed to gain proper support, but Stern he had learned from the attempt and knew what to do going forward. Now he is back as Sinister Design Re-Launches Telepath Tactics Kickstarter!
For a while now developer Craig Stern has been talking up the progress on his turn-based game Telepath Tactics – and now he has launched a Kickstarter effort in order to deliver a game with a robust single-player experience and more graphics content than the original simple turn-based multiplayer game he planned.
Project Title: Telepath Tactics game for PC/Mac/Linux
Status: Active *UPDATE*: after 3 days the campaign was successfully funded, so now it is on to stretch goals!
Closing Date for Funding: 4/16/2013
URL of the Project: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1426761469/telepath-tactics-a-strategy-rpg?ref=category
From the developer Craig Stern: Telepath Tactics is a turn-based tactical RPG in the tradition of Fire Emblem and Disgaea. It features a single player campaign with well-written characters embroiled in a tale of war and political intrigue, as well as 2-to-6 player multiplayer with support for hotseat play (i.e. you and your friends playing together in the same room, Super Smash Brothers style). Telepath Tactics is being developed for Windows, Mac and Linux.
Why I think you should back this effort: Telepath Tactics derives from the Telepath RPG and classic ‘tactics’ style games. Craig Stern has already shown an aptitude for developing games that are polished, interesting, and offer something unique. He is incredibly responsive to fan feedback without pandering. I am impressed with what Telepath Tactics offers already and can’t wait to check out the full version!
Setting
Telepath Tactics takes place in a fantasy-steampunk universe that averts most of the tropes you’re used to from these sorts of games. Magic doesn’t exist: instead, there is psionics and steam-powered technology reliant on a volatile, crystalline substance called vibra. Cavaliers don’t ride horses: they ride giant, armored praying mantises. There are no elves, no dwarves, no goblins, no dragons: it’s just humans and a few other, entirely original sentient races (such as the shadowlings, disembodied floating heads that quite literally feed on human suffering).
Gameplay
Telepath Tactics takes a highly deterministic approach to combat mechanics. Attack damage is 100% predictable, and attacks always hit unless there is some intervening factor (such as the attacker having been blinded, or the target having some special defensive status effect). In this regard, it is very much a game of skill akin to chess—chance will seldom determine the outcome of a battle.
Telepath Tactics borrows liberally from the best tactics games around to provide a wide variety of available strategies. Throw enemies off of cliffs; push enemies into water or lava; fling friends across gaps; set your enemies on fire; freeze them; blind them; cripple them; stun them; use hit-and-run tactics with cavalry and bowmen; teleport; grab item drops; stick your ranged units on the high ground to boost their effectiveness; the list goes on and on.
Here is an updated look at the game:
For more info and to keep up-to-date on Telepath Tactics progress:
Sinister Design’s main site
Sinister Design’s Facebook Page
Sinister Design’s Twitter Page
And of course head to the Kickstarter page to get more information about how you can support the game!