Haunts: The Manse Macabre - Another Intriguing Kickstarter Project.

I'll admit right from the off - I'm writing this post for partly selfish reasons. I've already backed Haunts: The Manse Macabre, and I really want to see it get made, so I'm going to promote it to the best of my ability in an attempt to ensure it is successfully funded and I actually get to play it. However, I also have valid, non-selfish reasons for posting this - Haunts looks like it could shape up to be a really interesting game, and so I think it's only fair that I should give you all a heads-up. I'm good to you, aren't I?

Haunts is a 'turn-based horror game that allows you to play either side of the haunting - the dangerous denizens or the intrepid intruders'. It is slated for a PC/Mac/Linux release before Halloween 2012, and 'can be played versus another player or versus the AI, online or all alone'. But here's the bit that got me excited - 'Scores of maps combined with variable goals, customizable rosters, and a variety of opponents offer endlessly unique and re-playable games.' Endlessly unique and re-playable? Probably an exaggeration, but an undoubtedly enticing prospect.

The Kickstarter page has reward tiers going right up to $250, but even investing at the base level of $5 gets you a DRM-free downloadable copy of the game at launch. For every further $5 you pledge, you get another copy of the game, so $10 gets you two copies, $15 gets you three, etc. This is presumably an attempt to get people gifting additional copies to friends to play the multiplayer component.

The developer of Haunts, Mob Rules Games, is a collaboration between Rick Dakan, Jonathan Wills and Austin McKinley. Dakan was the lead designer on the popular MMO City of Heroes and a writer of Pen and Paper RPGs, Wills has worked at Cryptic Studios on City of Heroes/Villains alongside Dakan and McKinley is an illustrator and designer who has worked on indie comics and magazines. An interesting line-up.

The art style is cool too. The team have limited themselves to only one colour - red, which they use sparingly. Aside from this, the whole game is in striking monochrome.

At the time of writing, Mob Rules Games have achieved $16,843 of their $25,000 goal with 18 days to go. It's looking promising, but funding is by no means guaranteed for this intriguing project. You should chuck 'em a couple of quid to help them on their way. For more insight into the development of Haunts, you can listen to the Pod Macabre on the Mob Rules Games website.