Realms Beyond: Ashes of the Fallen, by Ceres Games, is an in-development RPG that bills itself as a “classic single-player RPG featuring a party-based character system and tactical turn-based combat evolved from the SRD 3.5e ruleset.” For those unfamiliar with that last acronym, it refers to the “Revised System Reference Document (SRD) covered by the Open Game License v1.0a (OGL) by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.”

And, at present, Ceres Games is attempting to crowdfund the game on Kickstarter, whereat the offer this description of it and its inspirations:

Realms Beyond: Ashes of the Fallen is a fantasy computer role-playing game with turn-based combat and a party system that allows you to control up to six characters at any one time. Whether you yearn for an open world to explore at your own pace, tactical combat that allows you to plan your moves carefully, or want to lose yourself in the rich fabric of our world, trying to survive and make your mark, Realms Beyond offers endless choices, lands to travel, monster-infested dungeons and a host of storylines to follow.

Realms Beyond: Ashes of the Fallen is inspired by the classic RPGs of the 80s and 90s, taking the best elements of the beloved old classics and reforging them into something new in a powerful modern engine. In Realms Beyond, you will find the tactical turn-based combat of the Gold Box Games, Temple of Elemental Evil and Dark Sun, the world exploration and camp management of Realms of Arkania, the interactivity and living world of Ultima, the choice-driven quests and reactivity of Fallout and Arcanum, and the rich NPC interaction of Baldur’s Gate and Planescape Torment, along with fresh new features that haven’t been seen before in the genre.

Realms Beyond is an RPG true to its roots, knowing that in order to reach the skies, it must stand on the shoulders of giants. But it is more than just a simple throwback to the old days: it’s a new take on classic concepts of the genre, taking the best ideas of the past and adding its own fresh concepts to create a unique game with its very own atmosphere and personality.

Character race and class options follow the Dungeons & Dragons standards, as does the stats system used by the game.

As you can see from the screenshot above, the game engine — evidently a custom-built piece of tech — outwardly looks not unlike the various Infinity Engine games. However, Realms Beyond differs from those games in a few key ways. For one, the engine is somewhat tile-based, and the game will (if funded) ship with a full-fledged editor:

Along with the game, we will also release our editing tools (the UrWelt Engine) to the players so they can create their own worlds and campaigns. Modders will be able to use the very same level editor and dialogue editor that we are using to create the game, allowing them to forge new campaigns and even new worlds with the same level of complexity as our own.

It is also possible to import your own character models, objects, textures and sounds – so a dedicated team of modders could create a completely different game scenario. We want our modding tools to be as flexible as possible, comparable to the legendary toolsets of Forgotten Realms: Unlimited Adventures and Neverwinter Nights. The core of the UrWelt framework is the level editor, which allows you to create your own maps – from small ones with 48×48 tiles (about 5,000 m²) to gigantic ones with 512×512 tiles (about 600,000 m²). The ground can be raised or lowered to create a flat or hilly landscape, and textured and decorated with decals. Buildings can be constructed from modular walls and objects can be placed freely on the map. To create an encounter, just place a group of enemies on the map and set them to hostile. You can also place sources of light with adjustable intensity and shadows, impressive visual effects, flocks of birds, shoals of fish, lively critters, and ambient sounds to spice up the atmosphere of your map. The editor is easy to get into, and extremely powerful once you master it.

The game also features a dual-scale world design; there’s a world map which can be explored, and points of interest will then be on their own separate maps. The world map is “persistent and dynamic”, and various terrain types will affect movement speed. Players will — as one might expect — be able to impact the world through the choices they make as they explore and progress along the story.

Additionally, the game’s engine allows for a lot of interactivity:

Due to our fully interactive environments, almost all objects in the game world can be picked up or manipulated, and even have spells cast on them. Maybe you can open that gate by casting a telekinesis spell on the lever on the other side? Experimentation is key, and an inventive player will unearth many secrets in the depths of our dungeons.

The game has been on Kickstarter for only a few days as of this writing, and has just under a month left to go. It has raised €33,942 of its €100,000 funding goal, and so is well on its way to crowdfunding success. The minimum spend to get a copy of the game is €25; that’ll get you the digital edition. A box copy will set you back €75, and starting at €125 you’ll be able to get your name in the game (on a tombstone).

(Hat tip: Infinitron Dragon)