With Bard’s Tale IV‘s Kickstarter less than 100K away from it’s lofty 1.25 million USD goal (Not a hard goal to hit when inXile is involved), inXile’s Brian Fargo has released a new Q&A video in the game’s latest update. The video, which answers some of fan’s most asked questions, touches upon the dynamics of combat, party member limits, and the random encounter system among other things. The one that is due to create the most debate online is the idea of limiting save points. At least, preventing the player from saving “anywhere”, perhaps denying the ability to create checkpoints in difficult areas to, as Fargo says, “Create tension”.

Also revealed in this update is news on the game’s first stretch goal, something they’ll probably hit before the end of the week if their current daily average persists.

Another question was regarding stretch goals. Where are they? We certainly have a number planned and ready but it just doesn’t feel right to put them out before we know we’re going to fund. Now that we’re comfortably heading to being fully funded we can no longer resist sending the first of these your way!

At $1.3 million, we will add an enhanced companion NPC system and add 2 more CNPCs, including Lioslaith the Shadow, a legendary Spear Daughter of the matriarchical Fichti people, the dark haired, woad-painted nature worshippers who live in the deep forests far to the northwest of Skara Brae.

With this enhanced companion NPC system, all recruitable NPCs will have unique personalities and backstories which will open up interesting side content and add rich and surprising reactivity to your adventure. In addition, these CNPCs will voice their thoughts and asides, giving their take on the people, places and events that you encounter as your party moves through the world. No two CNPCs are alike and they carry their own reputations with them. While they can add some additional firepower to your party, some might even get you into more trouble than you were expecting…

Bard’s Tale IV is a strictly PC game, but with so many of these CRPG games being announced for the consoles lately, you have to wonder if inXile might do the same for this title as well. Such plans haven’t been completely ruled out either.