The Ballad Singer: Knights Templar

📍 Milano, Italy (IT)

🏷️ Video Games

English, Italian, Latin, Chinese, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Russian, Indonesian, Turkish, Swahili, German, Filipino (Tagalog), Malay, Dutch, Afrikaans, Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian.Step into the role of a Templar Grand Master and forge the destiny of your Chapter in the Holy Land. Every decision matters: manage your holdings, lead your council, and forge alliances. When circumstances demand it, lead your Brethren into battle. Unleash their unique skills, but remember, they are prepared to die for the cause. All of this is brought to life by the stunning illustrations of Federico Musetti, which make every card and story moment feel alive. Your choices will write the ballad.The heart of our combat is the Highlight system. The flow of battle freezes to focus on the single moment two warriors cross blades. The duel is resolved through a card game, where every move is influenced by the fighters' unique weapons and skills. The outcome of this exchange is not temporary: a successful blow can mark a unit with a permanent maiming for the rest of the campaign. Once the clash is resolved, the action returns seamlessly to the strategic map, where other units continue to move, awaiting the next duel.Every battle is a direct consequence of your narrative choices. Your decisions will determine the objectives to achieve, the difficulty of the clash, and the rewards at stake, creating ever-different scenarios. The Highlight duel system is woven into these missions. In some cases, such as during patrols, your Brethren's unique skills can even influence the course of the encounter, opening up new tactical possibilities. You can get this fantastic 3D printable miniature in the Castellan tier.The gameplay experience revolves around three pillars: Chapter Management, Narrative Choices, and Combat.
Each of these pillars deeply influences the others: a choice made in the story will impact your management and the outcome of your battles, creating a unique campaign.

Chapter Management: Coordinate your Brethren across eight different activities to develop your settlement and strengthen your forces.

Narrative Choices: Make crucial decisions that will affect your resources, your relationships with other factions, and the units at your disposal.

Combat: Assert your Order's dominance on the battlefield. You won't just face Saracens, but also mercenaries and rival factions standing in your way.Beyond the Holy Land, you must also manage your relations with the three great powers of Europe: the Papacy, England, and France. You will interact with them as early as the prologue and, throughout the campaign, you can earn their favor to unlock powerful benefits.

Your allegiance will be tested: the story will lead you to choose one of three main narrative paths, each tied to one of these factions and featuring unique developments. But be warned, it is impossible to please everyone. Every choice will have consequences, and you must decide whether to follow your ideals or be tempted by the rewards they have promised you.The battlefield is contested by three main factions: your Templars, the Saracens, and the unpredictable Mercenary companies. The latter are a double-edged sword: you can hire them for coin to gain an advantage, but your enemies will do the same to stand in your way!The Templars are the playable faction, and we have prepared a ton of features for them, including: a Grand Master's skill tree divided into three areas of expertise; an individual skill tree for both Sergeants and Knights; buildings that really existed with their related upgrades, and much more!The Saracens are the main adversary you will face during the campaign. Strong and organized under local rulers, they pose a threat to all your military and patrol operations in the territory. Based on the choices you make, you will have different interactions with them.Mercenaries are part of free companies that can be hired by you or your enemies. When neither side hires them, they may turn to banditry or, when numerous, outright raids. Some of the Grand Master's perks will modify your interaction possibilities with mercenaries.

Strategy also extends to mounts. Horses, mules, camels, and other saddle animals are not just a means of transport, but a tactical resource available to every faction. Each has unique traits, can be bred, and will proudly display the barding and colors of the faction that rides it into battle.Chapter Management is the heart of TBS: KT. Knowing how to use the right activities at the right time is key to ensuring the Order's prosperity. Each vigil, you will draw two available activity cards from a deck: it's up to you to choose which one to undertake to follow your strategy. By visiting the market, you can purchase essential goods or sell your surpluses. Goods for sale can come from your production buildings, the spoils of war, or donations from your Brethren. Keeping your coffers full will often prove to be a wise choice. This activity allows you to organize your forces, either to move your entire army into a field battle or to send a detachment of men on patrol. In the case of patrols, the individual traits of the chosen Brethren will directly influence the chances of success, the rewards, and the difficulty of any potential clash.In a Templar Chapter, even the Brethren contribute to daily labor. If a knight had a useful profession before joining the Order, his former skills will provide unique bonuses. This activity lets you both assign workers and Brethren to production buildings and employ masons to construct new structures or upgrade existing ones.Many production sites are located outside the Chapter's walls. It is therefore necessary to organize caravans to transport raw materials to your warehouses. You will need to assign workers to specific sites, and their efficiency can be boosted through a skill-based minigame.The Council is the administrative and disciplinary heart of the Chapter, an organ that encompasses six vital functions.

Recruitment: When a new member asks to join the Order, you can summon them for an audience to assess their skills, equipment, and the dowry they intend to donate.

Promotion: Upon reaching a certain level of experience, your Brethren must be promoted to unlock new skill trees and abilities. The Council will handle the ceremony.

Discipline: Not all Brethren abide by their strict vows. The rules and penalties, based on the actual Templar Rule, will have tangible in-game effects to ensure maximum historical fidelity.Expulsion: The role of Grand Master involves difficult choices. You may have to dismiss a Brother who has become unfit for combat, or whose conduct threatens to corrupt the Chapter's morale.

Activity Support: This option allows you to send general aid where it is most needed, without choosing a specific site. It is a flexible alternative, useful when other Council activities are not a priority.

Appoint Councilors: You can appoint trusted councilors who will provide you with bonuses and assist in management. The downside is that, being busy at your side, they will have less time for manual labor.This activity allows you to focus your attention as Grand Master on two critical areas, choosing to: Supervise a production building of your choice, optimizing its efficiency and increasing its yield; Order the repair and maintenance of weapons and armor, ensuring your Brethren's equipment is always battle-ready.Michael Firmont is a German composer known for creating soundtracks for films, video games, and documentaries. He began his musical journey later in life and studied film composition at the ArtEZ conservatory in the Netherlands. In 2015, he co-founded the composer duo Hempel & Firmont with Lars Hempel, collaborating on international productions. Firmont has won several awards, including the international "Film Music Contest" in 2019, establishing him as a notable voice in contemporary film music.

Our rewards are designed to let you choose what suits you best, while helping us improve the game with the funds raised. Higher-level Tiers also allow you to introduce something of your own into the game, so that anyone who buys the game worldwide will interact with elements created by you!
I've included some detailed descriptions of the rewards. Please read them, as you might find these additional details interesting.

Receive the full version of the game, including all DLCs unlocked through stretch goals. Future DLCs will be priced between €5 and €15 each, so you'll save a significant amount with this Kickstarter version.

Get access to the Beta version of the game! Play early and have your say on game balance. I plan to release the Beta in June 2026. At that point, the game will be polished but still open to balance adjustments, allowing you to take part in that process. Reaching this Beta milestone depends on a successful and intense Alpha phase.

This isn't just "early access." This is a genuine invitation to help our micro-team shape the game at a critical stage. I will personally read every piece of feedback to make the game better.
The Alpha is planned for March 2026. You will be the very first person outside of our team to play the game, with a special, unlocked build that lets you see everything from start to finish. The experience will be like delving into a raw, undiscovered dungeon: thrilling but challenging. Expect bugs, rough edges, and unbalanced gameplay. Your mission is to help us forge it into a polished experience.
Please know that while your input is vital, core game mechanics will be locked. After backing, you'll get a private Discord invite to work directly with the team.

You can add one or more copies of the game to your pledge at the campaign's base price. Right after the campaign ends, we'll send you a digital postcard that you can use to tell a lucky friend about their gift. You can even give them the postcard as a "pre-order" of the game, without having to wait for the final release!

The soundtrack for TBS:KT was performed using authentic instruments from the Templar era. Composer Michael Firmont conducted extensive research to create a sound that is simultaneously entertaining, original, and historically accurate. The OST includes 5 tracks, all presented in high-fidelity, lossless audio. You can listen to them in the Soundtrack section above. The reward includes also the in-game score that features 18 tracks.

Adorn your screen with an iconic piece of art from TBS:KT. This breathtaking 4K illustration, created by Federico Musetti, comes with his digital signature, making it the ultimate wallpaper for any fan of the game.

This artbook features a curated selection of our favorite illustrations and concept art created for the game, complete with a digital signature from artist Federico Musetti. It's a fantastic way to appreciate the game's artwork in full detail, away from the distractions of gameplay.

While Alpha and Beta backers will have direct text-based communication with me, this Q&A is a unique opportunity to connect in a live, interactive session. More than just a chat, this is a chance for us to share insights and ideas together in a more personal setting.

During character creation, you'll be able to choose a unique, exclusive portrait for your Grand Master. This cosmetic DLC features a hand-drawn portrait by artist Federico Musetti, created especially for our Founder-tier backers as a special thank you for your incredible support.

This stunning miniature, sculpted as an exclusive for the project by Reconquer Design, depicts a Templar Knight in full armor astride a prancing warhorse. Consider following his socials, he is really talented and you will find great medieval miniatures there!

The model was based on a 2D concept by artist Federico Musetti and has been brought to life as a highly detailed 3D sculpt. We will open a dedicated channel on our Discord server for you to share photos of your printed and painted miniatures. We'd also love to see your take on other monastic military orders!
This printable file is also our way of offering a physical item at an affordable price, without the logistical complexities and costs of manufacturing and shipping.The miniature was painted by Marco Bariselli, who also crafted the diorama. The miniature does not come painted and is without the diorama.This image shows the 3D render (digital sculpt) of the reward before printing and paiting. This is what you get from the reward.
The miniature was printed by Uppsala Miniatures, a fantastic Italian printing service. We highly recommend contacting them to get your 3D model printed!

Noble Houses are a key feature to customize your run in TBS:KT. During character creation, players choose which house their Grand Master hails from, gaining unique campaign bonuses. With this reward, you will collaborate with us to create a brand-new Noble House that will become a permanent part of the game.- You Name It: You will choose the name for your noble house.
- You Design It: You will describe your custom, medieval-style heraldry.
- You Shape It: We will provide a framework for you to assign its unique gameplay bonuses.
Artist Federico Musetti will then create the official, stunning artwork for your house's heraldry. Your creation will be included in every copy of the game, for players all over the world to select and lead into battle.

This is the ultimate way to leave your mark. You will be forever immortalized as a playable character portrait in the game. Send us your photo, and master artist Federico Musetti will transform your likeness into a legendary Templar Grand Master. With only a few other portraits available in the base game, your face will be seen and chosen by players across the globe for years to come. Don't want to use your own photo? A detailed description of an original character is also welcome.
(And yes, if you somehow have written permission from a celebrity; say, you're good friends with Jake Gyllenhaal, we could totally do it.)

The game features a procedural naming system that uses regional "clusters" to ensure historical accuracy. For example, this system prevents an English first name from being matched with a Spanish surname. With this reward, you can add a new first name and surname to one of these clusters. These names will then be used to procedurally generate new characters in the game, meaning knights bearing your chosen name could appear in anyone's campaign! The system can even generate family members, creating brothers or cousins who share your submitted surname.
Requirement: To maintain the game's authenticity, we ask that you please research your chosen names to ensure they are historically appropriate for the cluster you wish to add them to.

Your Templar chapter's power extends far beyond the Middle East. In the game, you will manage vast holdings across Europe, from imposing castles to small enterprises, that serve as the economic engine for your holy war. With this reward, you get to create one of these permanent locations.
- Choose a Location: Select a medieval European city for your holding.
- Define its Nature: Decide if it is a mighty castle or a profitable enterprise.
- Propose its Effects: You will fill out a design sheet to propose the unique gameplay bonuses it provides to its owner.
Your creation will become an ownable location in the game for all players. I will personally handle the final stat balancing to ensure it integrates perfectly with the overall game design.

Become a quest designer and add your own unique story to the game! Side quests in TBS:KT are branching narrative events where players read a scenario and make critical decisions. With this reward, you will create one of these quests that will become a permanent part of the game for all players to experience.- I will provide a design framework to ensure your quest integrates perfectly with the game engine.
- You will write the main story text, presenting a unique situation to the player.
- You will design the choices and their outcomes, including potential rewards, penalties, and bonuses (typically with 1-3 layers of depth).Historical authenticity is mandatory for all side quests. However, with a bit of imagination and common sense, it's quite simple to create a compelling and plausible scenario. If you do wish to include lesser-known historical elements, I just ask that you provide sources to support your concept.

This is my ultimate expression of gratitude. As a backer at this level, you will receive a free copy of every future game we ever release. We are a small, passionate team, so while we can't promise a large quantity of games, and being independent each game release is a fight with the expenses, I can promise that each one will be crafted with the same dedication and love as this one. This is our way of saying thank you, not just for this project, but for believing in our journey.

This is more than a portrait; it's a statement. The Emperor Portrait is an exclusive cosmetic item that allows you to display your incredible support for everyone to see. Though an Emperor never led the Templars historically, this stunning piece of art imagines that powerful "what if" scenario, rendered in a completely authentic style by Federico Musetti. It offers no gameplay bonuses, only the pure prestige of having one of the rarest and most visually striking portraits in the game.
While you wait for TBS:KT, play our first video game: The Ballad Singer! Successfully funded on Kickstarter, it set the Italian record for a video game on the platform. The game features the amazing illustrations, music, and story from the same artists as TBS:KT, making it a great way to discover their earlier work. You will receive a Steam key right after the campaign, which you can freely give as a gift. We'll also include a digital postcard to make your present even more special.This digital artbook features a curated collection of our favorite illustrations from The Ballad Singer. All the art is by Federico Musetti, the incredible Italian artist known for his work on many of the most popular cards for the Flesh and Blood TCG. This artbook is the perfect companion to the Steam key, making for an even better gift for your friends.Relive the adventure with the original soundtrack for The Ballad Singer. This cinematic-quality score is a masterpiece masterfully crafted by composer Michael Firmont. The soundtrack includes 43 tracks, all presented in high-fidelity, lossless audio.With a series of three special rewards, I want to introduce evil incarnate. TBS:KT is a medieval game where you won't find monsters, demons, or other fantasy creatures (with one narrative exception I won't spoil). But the Devil is real, and he manifests by leading us into temptation. Three demons, embodied in forms of your choosing, will tempt the Grand Master and his followers through a series of dedicated quests. Each demon will command a narrative arc of 6 unique quests; by unlocking all three, you will unleash their full "666" potential.

This reward is special because it's effectively a mini-DLC that, with your contribution, you'll be gifting to all Kickstarter backers and future players. You will provide the direction for the demonic artwork that will accompany your demon's six narrative elements. To make things more interesting, this artwork should depict the demon in its true, demonic form. While the demon will appear in human guise within the written narrative, the player will always see its demonic portrait. We will collaborate to bring this short narrative arc to life, but the core ideas will be yours. My role will be to guide you within the boundaries of what's possible in the game. And, of course, you will be immortalized in the credits as the demon's creator.
The three demons are fully customizable, and it would be very interesting to maintain some biblical or traditional characteristics.

Special Stretch Goal: If all three demons are unlocked by backers, I will commission a metal band (send me a message if you are part of one!) to compose a dedicated theme song for these three incarnations, to be included as a bonus track!"And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads." - Revelation 13:1
"This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666." - Revelation 13:18

The holder of this title is not the Beast itself, but the one who commands it, wielding power over it. The title suggests an even greater, almost divine authority and malice. This is a figure of supreme, dark, and terrifying power."How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit." (Isaiah 14:12-15)

Whoever among you chooses this reward doesn't simply want to be "the bad guy," but wants to embody a complex, charismatic entity with a deep history. Narrative hooks could be: a former Grand Master who betrayed the Order out of pride, or a supernatural entity that tempts the knights by promising them lost power and knowledgeAnd he asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many." - Mark 5:9
Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He said, "Legion," for many demons had entered him. - Luke 8:30

This man's possession represents the most extreme case described in the Gospels. The sheer number of demons inhabiting him underscores a state of absolute evil, which has completely annihilated the individual's identity.

Important note:

Your pledge does not include taxes/VAT, this will be added and handled by the Kickstarter pledge manager after the campaign ends, since its different for every country.Federico Musetti - Senior Artist
Federico Musetti is an Italian illustrator, concept artist, and digital painter known for his work in the fantasy and science fiction genres. Hailing from Parma, where he was born in 1982, Musetti has cultivated a distinct and evocative style that has led to collaborations with prominent clients in the publishing and gaming industries. His portfolio includes illustrations for book covers, role-playing games, and card games, with notable contributions to projects for clients such as Fantasy Flight Games, Monte Cook Games, and Legend Story Studios for their popular trading card game "Flesh and Blood." Musetti's work is characterized by its dynamic compositions and atmospheric storytelling, bringing to life the imaginative worlds and characters that are hallmarks of his chosen genres.

Alberto De Stefano - Writer
Alberto De Stefano is an Italian author known for his work in the fantasy genre. He made a significant debut with "L'ultimo eroe del Klaidmark". His major success is "La Saga dei Kalesin", published by Acar, on which the story of the video game The Ballad Singer is based. His writing blends classic epic fantasy elements with a focus on character-driven narratives, exploring themes of destiny, magic, and the conflict between light and shadow. De Stefano is recognized for his ability to build intricate worlds and complex magical systems, drawing readers into richly detailed and immersive settings.

Michael Firmont - Music Composer
Mauro Piccillo - English Translator
Stefano Sfondrini - Italian Narrator
Michele Giacomello - Italian Audio Engineer
Mike Anthony - English Narrator
Justin Guild - English Audio Engineer
Marco Pennacchietti -  Tiles Artist
Emanuele Carbonara - UI/UX/SFX Designer
Jin Xia Lin - Combat Animation Artist
Matilda Wheatley - English ProofreaderKickstarter has a special place in our heart since is the way we were able to launch the fist game, The Ballad Singer, making the record for an Italian videogame on Kickstarter. I know that going though a KS is really demanding and there is the risk of not succeeding, but the project can only shine with the support of the community. For this reason I kept the custom of creating tiers where the backers are able to customize the game, in this way the game will be also part of the community.
Since this game has so many features, it is a challenge (and really expensive) to polish and test everything. The money is going to help us polish the game and the test phases are created to help us improve the game receiving valuable feedback regarding balancing and give you, our backer, a preview of our work.

The first playable version has been produced with the support of Creative Europe - MEDIA Programme of the European Union.

All the stories included inside the game reflect only the writer and the author’s view.
The Agency and the Commission are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

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