Ealdorlight is a new kind of RPG which merges procedural generation of history with a story-focused goal, a realistic damage model and turn-based combat. It launched on Kickstarter on June 6th!
It combines elements of Mount and Blade and Dwarf Fortress: Adventure mode gameplay with up to date graphics and a compelling story that guides and gives focus to the player.
The game is set in a medieval kingdom where magic is rare and mysterious. You discover at the beginning of the game that you were found lost as a small child, and the identity of your real family is unknown. Soon after, you meet the Ealdorlight, a legendary supernatural being not seen for centuries, who tells of darkness in the kingdom and invites you to take the King's place. You must leave your adopted home and travel the land, gaining connections, title and influence in order to discover your real family, and to win the throne: through honour, intrigue, or force.
The game has turn-based combat with a realistic damage system that models bones, muscles and organs. It also procedurally generates an new kingdom history, society and people every game. Each time you play you'll meet different characters with different backstories.
Ealdorlight builds on the tech from my previous game Sol Trader, which was successfully kickstarted in 2015, and my years of industry experience working on AAA titles such as Republic: The Revolution and Evil Genius. I'm very excited to be back on Kickstarter after the hugely positive response last time round!
Gameplay summary
You start by generating a character and make all your significant life choices from the age of three to twenty. The world generation will continue to run as you do so, generating all the other game characters alongside you. This allows your character to grow up in the world with everyone else, making friends, having adventures and experiencing joy, loss and pain.
You'll also get to choose your appearance after you generate your character, which will directly affect the appearance of your real parents and family.
Once you discover your true past, you'll start by travelling between villages and towns on the edge of a randomised kingdom map.
You might craft simple items and farm crops, selling them at the market, all the time asking for information about your family from tinkers and travellers passing through.
You can take on quests from the townsfolk, and be rewarded with reputation, gold, and ancient items. Alternatively, you can steal money or items from them.
Work for someone with the right contacts, and you might also gain introductions to more powerful characters.
Impress the right people, and be granted lands and titles as you get ever closer to the King.
You can recruit characters with different skills, abilities and contacts to aid you in your struggle.
Along the way you may discover who you are and where you came from, and why you cannot remember your past.
In the end-game, you’ll earn access to the court of the current King, and work out how to take his place.
You might win over the ruling nobles through tales of your great deeds and your strength of character.
You might cause a scandal which causes the court to lose faith in the the King - he might have one or two skeletons in the closet which you could discover and expose.
If he refuses to step down, you can hatch a plot to arrange the King's untimely death, with you lined up to take his place.
If all else fails, you can storm the castle and take the throne through force in a bloody military coup.
You might use a combination of these methods to take the throne: but how do you stay true to your character in the process?