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.

As is all the rage these days Stoic launched a kickstarter campaign to seek funding for The Banner Saga, looking for $100,000, and after merely two days the developer has already more than surpassed it's goal reaping in no less than early $150,000. These extra funds will allow Stoic to:

• A bigger, richer world. More characters in combat, more animation, more diverse landscapes, more music, engaging animated cutscenes, and more multiplayer options. We have a huge story we want to tell and this will let us deliver it in the most compelling, meaningful way.
• Porting to more devices. Our first release will be on PC and Mac, but funding would allow us to convert the game to iOS, the Kindle Fire, consoles like XBLA and PSN and maybe even portable gaming devices like the Vita.
• Localization (translation) in more places. Viking culture is huge in Europe and turn based strategy is big in Japan. We'd love to bring The Banner Saga to both of those places and anywhere else we find significant interest.
• The game the way we think it should be. By crowdfunding this project we won't be tied to publishers telling us to change the giants to orcs or dumbing the story down for children. We think this means a better game for everyone.

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.

The Banner Saga will be released in two steps, the first will be a free to play turn-based combat game, with a full story mode edition to arrive later in the year.