The last time we heard from Guido Henkel, one of the original producers of Planescape: Torment, it was in connection with his Thorvalla Kickstarter. That particular effort fell significantly short of its funding goal, but Henkel has bounced back with Deathfire. It's a first-person, real-time RPG described as similar to Legend of Grimrock, and will be a more linear, story-driven game made with a smaller team and scope than Thorvalla would have required.
"The work load on [Thorvalla] would have been enormous, requiring us to build a team with over twenty people to get it done right," Henkel wrote on his personal blog . He went on to express that he "always loved to make games in an intimate environment."
"The games I consider my best were created with small teams, sometimes extremely small teams, even," he wrote. "There is something to be said about having the agility of a small team and the ability to rely on your team members on a personal level."
What we know about Deathfire so far is that it will be first-person, 3D, and a focused experience (unlike the Infinity engine, free-roaming style of RPG that is experiencing a resurgence through the likes of Obsidian and inXile). The player will be able to choose from six races and eight classes, customizing a few dozen skills along with the usual Dungeons & Dragons Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma attribute spread. You will also have the option to take positive and negative traits, such as phobias and superstitions.
There's no word yet on when we might see Deathfire, nor whether Henkel might throw his hat back into the Kickstarter ring with a less daunting goal. You can read more about what has been revealed so far on his blog .
