Tactical Simulations Interactive (TSI) launched the Kickstarter campaign for their planned epic RPG, Seven Dragon Saga, today. The basic — and very point-by-point, it must be said — description of the game goes as follows:

The Touched, chosen elite of the emperor, able to wield powers of Chaos both awesome and terrifying. A band of six martial specialists charged with removing the greatest threats to the empire from even the farthest flung corners of the known world.

How they choose to remove these threats is up to you!

Seven Dragon Saga. It’s been far too long since you played an RPG like this!

A six-character party of heroines and heroes of your design, under your complete control.

An empire that exists to unify and defend civilization against the primeval forces that seek to destroy it.

A breed of adventurer, The ‘Chaos’ Touched, who exist to ensure the survival of the empire by any means necessary.

The power to change the world!

In this first installment of Seven Dragon Saga you shape the wild and dangerous Drakelands with your choices. Impress with noble deeds. Coerce with threats and violence. Or simply lay waste to the empire’s enemies without mercy or regret.

Tactical, turn-based combat.

A dramatic central storyline to follow with side quests and explorations aplenty.

Wilderness and ruins.

Savage clans and diabolical beasts.

Swords and sorcery and secrets.

Seven Dragon Saga, an empire of RPG immersion.

There aren’t any work-in-progress screenshots to show off as yet, but here’s a still I was able to grab from the video:

Basically, if you played any of the Gold Box RPGs that SSI put out way back when, Seven Dragon Saga can be thought of as a modern successor thereto. Certainly, Richard Garriott is excited by the prospect:

“It is great to see these masters of the early games industry return to lead once more. SSI was always a great inspiration to me in my work. I look forward to the magical worlds TSI will create for us to play in once more!” – Richard Garriott, Co-founder, CEO, Creative Director – Portalarium

Since the campaign just started today, it’s not yet possible to really gauge how it will perform. But, here’s the initial Kicktraq data anyway:

It’s not the most auspicious of starts, but TSI seem happy with it even so. The minimum spend to get a copy of the game is $25 USD, and the $40 USD reward tier includes a digital copy of the rulebook for the pen-and-paper version of the game. And the $55 USD tier features some cross-promotion with Shroud of the Avatar…right off the bat:

All For the Empire rewards + the code wheel, the Journal, and the map. the Clue Book, the soundtrack, and the Artbook + if you also pledge(d) to support Shroud of the Avatar at the Immortal Adventurer level or higher ($55), you receive an exclusive in-game Dragonshroud Blade in Seven Dragon Saga, and an exclusive in-game Cloak in Shroud of the Avatar.

It’s nice to see Portalarium steeping in to boost this project from the get-go; expect to hear more about the cross-promotion in Friday’s Update of the Avatar.