Stoneshard Coming to Kickstarter Soon

Stoneshard, an RPG that looks like a mix of a roguelike and Oregon Trail, will be hitting Kickstarter in Q1 2018, according to a recent press release. Developed by Ink Stains Games, Stoneshard will allow you to lead a caravan across dangerous lands, gather followers, manage resources, and fight “hundreds of enemies.” It will be quite easy to fail and die, but each time you start a new game, you’ll find new encounters, followers and quests in a true roguelike fashion but with a touch of persistent progress.

Here’s the official reveal trailer that shows off Stoneshard’s pixel art:

And the game’s feature list:

Stoneshard is a turn-based RPG that presents classic roguelike gameplay in a new way, welcoming for both newcomers and veterans alike.

You start out as an ordinary mercenary. Mighty forces have clashed over your once prosperous homeland, now ravaged by war, feud and famine. The Grand Magistrate is about to fall, when mysterious stranger makes you an offer you can’t refuse. Travel across the lands as a leader of the Caravan of Companions, as you gather followers for your cause. Along your path not only will you face hundreds of enemies, but also struggle with hunger, fear and pain – as well as internal conflicts within your company.

• Travel across the lands of Aldor
  Explore procedurally-generated lands and cities, liberate villages, plunder caverns and dungeons for fame and loot.
• Lead the Caravan
  Find new allies and persuade them to join you as you build up the Caravan of Companions. Keep the morale high enough to avoid quarrels, and remember – each follower has his own goals, views and traits.
• Become a true warrior
  As you progress, your character will develop attributes, learn helpful skills and obtain traits and talents. Build a hero in a unique way that matches your playstyle!
• Survive the overwhelming odds
  Getting cut in half by a skeleton’s broadsword or having a ghoul rip your throat out are just a few among many ways to die in StoneShard – struggle with hunger, thirst, injuries, fear, insanity and various maladies.
• Fend off invaders
  Try out the vast arsenal of weapons, equipment and enhancing potions. Take part in a fair, face-to-face combat, hunt down your prey using stealth, or cast mystical spells to vanquish those who stand in your path.
• Pray for victory
  Maintain balance between several rival deities or choose a single patron – and receive astonishing power for a terrifying price.
• Die… to fight another day
  The player character only has one life, but his death won’t mean the end of the game – continue your journey with another hero as a leader of the Caravan, keeping part of your progress.

Furthermore, the game already has a Steam page and if you poke around its Community Hub, you’ll find plenty of development updates. If you’re interested in the game, you might want to check them out. For example, here’s an excerpt from the latest one that goes over the game’s injury mechanics:

Greetings!

Today’s journal is not the biggest one.The topic was only casually mentioned in one of the past devlogs about health. So, injuries – what is it, how to get them, and how to get rid of them.

Injuries are a special type of effects, which can be randomly obtained in combat. The chance of getting injured depends on how much health has been lost by a single strike. With each lost HP the chance that your skull, leg, hand or any limb gest heavily damaged increases. You won’t be satisfied, you know. The other top 2 ways to get free injury – recklessly step on the trap or try to disarm it unsuccessfully. By the way, injuries are almost always accompanied by the prolonged bleeding. That will hurt, remember my word.

All injuries are divided into zones: head, torso, hand x2, legs, one possible injury for each part of the body, and they have three severity degrees light, medium and heavy. A slight head injury will decrease Perception and pain level will start to grow. However, with a more dangerous wound effects will be much more deplorable, besides Perception, Will and Intellect will also be affected, in the end, you will stop passively restoring mana and lose the ability to cast spells. Also, the craniocerebral injuries do nothing good, they cause sanity decrease, and that can drive your character into a madness very soon.

Now, short guide how not to lose too much blood, fall unconscious and be eaten by fauna. If it’s a flesh-wound, then I have two news for you: good and bad. Good is that if your health level is high enough, it may regenerate. Bad – if the health is low, very soon it gets worse, and medical aid becomes necessary . Fortunately, we have come up with many ways to heal injuries: tires, salubrious ointments and surgical instruments, each of which has its own specific.

So, you smell like a salve, look like a salve, you used a tire or even sutured. What’s next? Injury does not disappear immediately: it simply stabilizes, and you will have to wait some time before it is fully healed. During stabilization, you have to think about every step and be cautious: a new wound will reset the stabilization, and you have to do everything again.

Not the best perspective, isn’t it? Well, your enemies don’t like the way game works also, because they will suffer the same hardships. Many abilities will focus on maim, injuries, suffering, pain, humiliation, hatred, traumas and etc. (only the best feelings for your foes).

Such a positive ending for such a cheerful topic. See you soon!