Spiderweb Software is a household name for any RPG fan worth their salt, as Jeff Vogel’s small indie studio has been in the business since 1994, releasing classics such as the Geneforge or Avernum sagas over the past two decades. Today, the veteran developer revealed a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a Geneforge 1 remaster (titled Geneforge – Mutagen), since the original game is almost 20 years old.

The Geneforge Saga is a true cult classic of indie games, a groundbreaking role-playing series with ideas that are still fresh and bizarre today. We started it wayyyy back in the year 1999, with the goal of breaking every design rule we could think of.

Want to use trickery and diplomacy to win the game without ever even attacking a foe? Sure. Want to blast through the game barbarically killing every single person you meet? Seems reasonable. Want a ton of different factions to pick from to help, some of which are actually insane? Why not?

Want to meet the final evil boss of the game, find out he’s actually reasonable, switch sides and join him, and still get a good ending to the game? You can do that!

And, of course, whatever you do, you can create your own army of custom-made mutant monsters. 

The goal for this crowdfunding campaign has been set at US$30000, and considering Mr. Vogel’s experience (and previous work with Kickstarter, as Spiderweb Software has already funded Queen’s Wish: The Conqueror this way), I’d say that this is pretty much a safe bet for any RPG fan looking to dip their toes in the risky waters of crowdfunded projects. Should the campaign get more US$30k, there are two stretch goals, one which involves adding a new creation to the game (partly designed by the backers), and another which consists of a completely new storyline, set in a new region with its own characters, quest lines and loot. The first of these stretch goals should be achieved at US$50k, with the second one coming in at US$75k.

Pledge tiers range from US$20 to secure a digital copy of the game, up to US$1000 to be able to create a new quest (and get everything else in between those two tiers). If you ever pirated a Spiderweb Software game, then there’s a Scroll of Absolution that looks quite tempting at the US$75 tier…

Should you decide to back Geneforge – Mutagen for US$20+, you’ll get access to a DRM free copy of the game for Windows/Mac on release (plus a Steam key, though that depends on Valve not changing the way things currently work). An Android port is in the cards, though it would depend on the amount of funds raised. Sadly, Spiderweb Software team can’t port the game to Linux, though all their previous games work fine through Wine/Proton.