Richard Garriott Kickstarts 'Shroud of the Avatar'
Richard "Lord British Ice Cold 3000 de Cayeux" Garriott is working on a new fantasy role-playing game, "hearkening back" to his most famous creation, the Ultima series. Naturally, Shroud of the Avatar is being funded through Kickstarter, because that's what Kickstarter is for now: throwing tons of money at reboots of old PC games.
The details are unclear, but Shroud of the Avatar is intended to return the focus of RPGs to "role playing" over grinding. "Players may choose to follow the life of the adventurer or, if they prefer, focus on exploration and discovery," reads the Kickstarter description. "Players may even choose the life of a homesteader; either nestled within the safety of the settled lands, or on the dangerous but potentially lucrative frontier. The world is full of opportunities and challenges!" It features both online multiplayer and solo offline play, with a persistent online world for those who want to play online.
Or, at least, it will, pending the $1,000,000 Kickstarter drive. If, for some reason, you want to give Garriott's company Portalarium $10 out of the goodness of your heart, or "if you ever pirated an Ultima game or used an exploit to grief other players in Ultima Online," you can opt for the "Guilt Pledge" tier, which promises delivery of your cleared conscience in October 2014.
Other reward tiers give you real things, starting with the game and alpha access at just $25, all the way up to a trip to Garriott's house Britannia Manor and a copy of his first game, Akalabeth.
