Stoic is an independent game developer based out of Austin, Texas, formed by Alex Thomas, Arnie Jorgensen and John Watson after working together for half a decade on Bioware's Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Travel through stunning landscapes straight out of an animated film as your party escapes what could be the end of everything. Battle painstakingly hand-animated foes in strategic, turn-based combat. Make decisions with real consequences in conversations with people you'll actually care about.

The Banner Saga is a mature game aimed at gamers who appreciate art, story and strategy.

The pre-order exclusive offer, aptly named the ‘Insane Viking Pack’, arms fans with an exclusive character, ability item and three exclusive tracks from the game’s original score, created by Grammy nominated composer, Austin Wintory. Pre-order customers will also be able to take advantage of the special pre-order discounted price. Kickstarter backers will also get the ‘Insane Viking Pack’ automatically with their copy of the game. 

The exclusive pre-order character is a Viking named Tryggvi. With a reputation as a trouble maker, Tryggvi holds his own in combat as a skilled spearman and is sure to prove useful in any hero line up. Tryggvi comes with his own exclusive necklace, made with a pearl and matching full and half-moon symbols, which grants a 10% chance to do 2x damage in combat.

The Banner Saga is available for pre-order through Steam, GameFly and GameStop.

Key Features:

• DRM-Free, and available on PC and Mac
• Not another generic fantasy: Drawing heavily from Norse culture while creating its own identity and mythology, The Banner Saga takes a low-fantasy approach to viking themes. Giants: yes. Horned helmets: no.
• Strategic combat: Recruit a large roster of unique characters throughout the story, each with different abilities that interact in combat in a deeply tactical way and personalities of their own. The Banner Saga harkens back to classic turn-based gameplay with a strong emphasis on tactics over brute force and endless grinding.
• Travel across gorgeous landscapes: The choices you make as events arise have a huge affect on how the story plays out- who survives, who dies, and what's worth saving. Add people to your caravan as you travel, or lose them when tough decisions arise. You're not just fighting to save nameless strangers, you're fighting for your neighbors, your family and your way of life. We want you to care what happens to them.
• An emphasis on story: Your choices in dialogue and throughout the game truly affect the story and the people around you. A mature story for adults means forming relationships and making tough decisions; not sex, violence and swearing.
• Play online: Though the single-player campaign is our focus, The Banner Saga provides a deep multiplayer game; build a unique party of characters and battle friends and enemies in multiplayer combat. Upgrade your party over time and devise new strategies.
• Risk in gameplay: A lot of modern games play it safe- you know you'll defeat the evil and save the day. In The Banner Saga you can't take anything for granted. We want it to feel like a good tv mini-series; the world doesn't revolve around you, it's about how you deal with change.