Kickstarter seems to be as good a place to reveal details about a new game as any. Loot Drop co-founders Brenda Brathwaite and Tom Hall have revealed more details about the story of their Old School RPG (a placeholder title) that they will make if they get enough crowdfunding donations.
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The project will have no digital-rights management and it now includes a stretch goal to create a Linux version. The story begins on Aug. 6, 2526, on the planet Antera. The protagonist, James Connelly, works for Shaker, a so-called Bridge corporation between time and worlds. He can be anyone you want him to be, like a human warrior or a cyborg psionic. He disappears without a trace on Antera, a medieval planet amid a sci-fi setting. So begins the description for the storyline of the game that San Mateo, Calif.-based Loot Drop will build if it hits its Kickstarter target. The game has a large cast of characters, all traveling through space to different settlements among the stars. The first game focuses on Connelly, while the second game will take place on the planet Tenerus and star Darien Cole.
The $1 million target is a big one for Kickstarter, where fans donate money in exchange for rewards such as a copy of the game (in which case the donation is a prepayment) or a free T-shirt. But seasoned game developers have such large followings that they can raise a lot more money. Tim Schafer and Double Fine Productions paved the road for crowdfunded games earlier this year by raising $3.3 million on Kickstarter. Brian Fargo and InXile raised nearly $3 million for a Kickstarter for Wasteland 2. ShadowRun Returns raised $1.8 million, and Leisure Suit Larry raised more than $600,000.