Dear Backers,

You're awesome. Thanks again to everyone who has carried is over our funding goal, and then straight past our first two stretch goals! What a project Heroes of Steel has been! We are so proud and humbled at the same time. Our gaming community has given us such support, energy and love during these 30 days, and we thank you for it!

Be sure to check out Update #15 - the Epic Platform Pack (stretch goal to get us to Android, OUYA, iOS) which is the next stretch goal up the ladder! With just hours on the clock and only a few thousand dollars, let's stretch together!

Our deepest gratitude,

Andrew and Cory

Update #21 - The Thief Serina

Update #20 - Down to Hours!

Update #19 - Node Maps and Wall Maps

Update #18 - Stretch Goal Character Concept Art

Update #17 - The Enemy

Update #16 - Live Broadcast

Update #15 - Epic Platform Support - New Goal

Update #14 - Diversity of Characters and Replay Depth

Update #13 - Your Hero's Equipment

Update #12 - Heroes of Steel is Born!

Update #11 - The Calendar of Steel

Update #10 - Art Update!

Update #9 - Let's Stretch Together

Update #8 - The Outlander Hagaen

Update #7 - Venerated Gift Item

Update #6 - Character Concept Design

Update #4 - Mighty Starter Items

Update #3 - Cleric Character Design and Artwork

Update #2 - Alpha Access

Update #1 - Game Play

Our Stretch Goals

Every stretch goal that we can hit will expand the scope of Heroes and increase its replay value.Let's stretch together!

$14,000 - World of Steel Node Map (Achieved!)

We will release a World of Steel Node Map to for every Heroes of Steel gamer. Check out Update #19 - Node Maps and Wall Maps and the inspirational image:

http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/12/21/network-chart_custom-e885bff49aaf364aa76de1fe69be1b4286de8a68-s6-c10.jpg

$16,000 - Character Expansion (Achieved!)

If we reach this stretch goal, we will include 4 extra characters in the game (total of 8): the Soldier, Bard, Rogue and the Priestess.

The Duelist is a versatile warrior who can mix and match a defensive and offensive style as needed. The duelist is capable of using a variety of light armaments include blades, thrown weapons, shields, and lighter armors. The duelist relies on his superior speed and blade work to overwhelm his enemies in combat.

is a versatile warrior who can mix and match a defensive and offensive style as needed. The duelist is capable of using a variety of light armaments include blades, thrown weapons, shields, and lighter armors. The duelist relies on his superior speed and blade work to overwhelm his enemies in combat. The Bard hails from an ancient tradition of minstrel mystics who learned how to tap into the winds of magic through the rhythm and call of music. The Bard brings a versatile set of mystical abilities to bear, but must stop and weave the magic with her music, which can make her vulnerable at times. To protect herself and the group, the Bard can train in the combat-dance of light blades and bows.

hails from an ancient tradition of minstrel mystics who learned how to tap into the winds of magic through the rhythm and call of music. The Bard brings a versatile set of mystical abilities to bear, but must stop and weave the magic with her music, which can make her vulnerable at times. To protect herself and the group, the Bard can train in the combat-dance of light blades and bows. The Rogue is a swiftly moving shadow who strikes from a distance, using his superior range and deadly arrows to deal with threats. In order to infiltrate enemy positions, the rogue is both stealthy and capable of handling locks quietly.

is a swiftly moving shadow who strikes from a distance, using his superior range and deadly arrows to deal with threats. In order to infiltrate enemy positions, the rogue is both stealthy and capable of handling locks quietly. Trained by one of the few orders which survived the rising of the Four, the Paladin is both a mystic and a warrior. The Templars of High Kallas dedicate their lives to the mission of Cortias, the 8th born Child, the protector and Home-Guard. Known for their mighty prowess, unstinting sacrifice, and pure souls the paladins of High Kallas are few in number, but highly valued.

$20,000 - Epic Platform Pack (Achieved!)

If we reach this new stretch goal, Trese Brothers will use the additional funding to on-board and embrace and new underlying game engine. We are targeting a number of cross-platform engines that will fit our needs and all of them would allow us to simultaneously produce Heroes of Steel for your Android, OUYA, and for the App Store so that it will be available on your iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. This is huge!

In addition, if we are able to make this goal and on-board a new engine then all future Trese Brothers games will be developed using that engine and will have the same platform reach. Not only that, but the platforms we are evaluating also support more platforms such as HTML 5 for the web browser, and Windows, Mac OS, and Linux desktop. If we reach this stretch goal, we are not promising to hit these additional platforms, but the capabilities are just around the corner.

$22,000 - Honor Classes

If we reach this stretch goal, we will add the Honor Class system, which is a character progression that allows you to change your character’s classes during the course of the game. As the character matures and reaches a certain point of power, they will be able to select one of their two Honor Classes to reach their pinnacle of development. For example, the Outlander will be able to select between the Berserker (an all-offensive whirlwind of destruction) and the Behemoth (a heavily armored, heavily armed unstoppable tank). Each Honor Class will introduce two additional talents that the character can raise and use in new and exciting ways to augment the tactics of the entire group.

$28,000 - Epic Character Expansion

If we reach this stretch goal, we will include 4 extra characters in the game (total 12): the Hunter, Sorcerer, Assassin, and the Paladin.

The Hunter is a deadly from a distance, but if pressed is capable of holding his own in melee combat. Being effective at range requires mobility, and so the hunter focuses on light weapons and armors.

The Sorcerer’s magical talents focus on the crackling elemental powers of ice, air, and lightning to hinder his enemies or to empower his companions. When the Sedolla Bastions collapsed into a bloody civil war, one of the casualties of the war was an ancient mystical order which had made its home in Sedolla for ages. The sorcerers are the descendants of that long lost order, who draw their mystical teachings from the remnants of grimoires recovered from the disaster.

magical talents focus on the crackling elemental powers of ice, air, and lightning to hinder his enemies or to empower his companions. When the Sedolla Bastions collapsed into a bloody civil war, one of the casualties of the war was an ancient mystical order which had made its home in Sedolla for ages. The sorcerers are the descendants of that long lost order, who draw their mystical teachings from the remnants of grimoires recovered from the disaster. The Assassin strikes with a fatal combination of stealth and melee prowess. Trained for speed, aggressive combat, and stealth, she is perfect for sliding through, or picking apart, enemy defenses. While the assassin boasts deadly offensive capabilities, she lacks the constitution to stand up to punishment in combat.

strikes with a fatal combination of stealth and melee prowess. Trained for speed, aggressive combat, and stealth, she is perfect for sliding through, or picking apart, enemy defenses. While the assassin boasts deadly offensive capabilities, she lacks the constitution to stand up to punishment in combat. The Monk is trained from an early age in both spiritual and physical hardening. This discipline and focus allows her to channel her connection with the 13 Children and especially with the Ellista, the Seer-born, the meditative. The Monk combines both stunning speed, mighty stopping power in melee, and the ability to tap into the mystical energies to heal and protect her companions.

$34,000 - Epic Monsters

If we reach this stretch goal, we will introduce gigantic monsters into the game. These monsters will take up more than one square/space. This opens up the door, allowing us to add giants, wyverns, dragons, and other massive creatures of dark lore and legend. Also, if we reach this stretch goal any backer who chose to Design a Dark Race will be invited to create an epic monster for their newly spawned race of evil!

$40,000 - Darker Powers Storyline

If we reach this stretch goal, we will add a multi-chapter storyline that allow you to play a group of four characters who serve of the Darker Powers.

Our Story

“Delve deep into the earth, strike deep into the heart of evil and hold deeply to your conviction that you are the All-Father’s right hand of retribution.”

- Captain Andreas Kole, Templar of High Kallas

The Trese Brothers, creators of the mobile games Star Traders, Templar Assault and Cyber Knights are back and on the case! This time the goal is to create the mobile fantasy RPG you’ve been waiting for. Heroes of Steel is a squad-based turn-based tactical RPG set in the grim fantasy world of Steel, and it will challenge you with both an immense world and a deep and engaging game system. As lifelong gamers, the Trese Brothers loved and gamed in the great predecessors to Heroes, starting with the tabletop greats such as Heroes Quest and then into the digital age with games like Castle of the Winds, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Diablo I and II. Inheriting a dark and gritty fantasy world from the Treses’ pen-and-paper game worlds, Heroes will bring retro computer games and fantasy role playing together on mobile Android platforms in a unique and exciting way!

The Trese Brothers are a pair of brothers on a mission -- to build the best RPGs for mobile devices, to build games that we love to play, and hope that you love to play too. We can’t compete with the big game shops and their slick rendering and graphics, and frankly we don't want to. We take our productions in a different direction, where we produce and faithfully support deeply complex and challenging mobile games that go far, far beyond “casual.” We listen closely to our community of fans, gamers, and critics on how to improve the games and continuously push new updates and improvements into all of our games. We have literally shipped hundreds of updates to our three games over the last two years. And we have fans who have played our games for two years and still love them. Talk about getting your few bucks worth! Try them yourself --

Star Traders - command your ship and travel the immense galaxy in this epic space-opera RPG

Templar Assault - control your squad of elite soldiers in this tactical space-combat game set in the Star Traders Quadrant

Cyber Knights - fight, hack, and perform acts of espionage in this futuristic cyberpunk RPG

We want to bring this same love, challenge and excitement to the fantasy RPG genre, and Heroes of Steel is our first foray. We hope that you will help fund the Heroes project so that we can provide you with a gaming platform for truly epic adventure!

From the notes of Yazad Novian, Historian born under the 16th moon, Cassandra Waxing

All stories such as this start with the downfall. We remember our history, the history of people. Or at least fragments of it before the fall. The kingdoms of Trentan, and High Kallas, the plains of Relliar and the bloody civil war over the Sedolla Bastions. We strive to remember all that was lost. But the druids, the Dhrogas, they remember the Gods and how the world was born, and how it crumbled.

They tell us, in story and in song, that the All-Father birthed 13 sons and daughters of his own hands. In the shadow of the Children, He created humanity in his likeness. But, we forgot both Him and the Children, as we got caught up in our own ways, the chaotic way of great Kingdoms, and the clink of coppers and silvers. Of course some part of us remembered them. The old temples, our calendar, the names we give our children--they all pay heritage to the Thirteen and to the All-Father.

In our own ways, some say that before the fall, we were already blindly following in the path of the four Children who rose up. The four Dark-Born who plotted against the other Children, who dared to plot against the All-Father himself. Such was their combined power that together, they captured the All-Father in a mighty snare, and shattered him. The world and many of our dreams broke with him.

The kingdoms burned, and many turned to follow the Dark-Born with eyes wide open. Men and kings turned on their neighbor, turned to worship the daemons of the dark, and turned into beast under the touch of the Corruptor.

It was in this dark hour that the Dhrogas, the ancient druids, led some of us out of the Lands to escape destruction. They led by instinct, by prophecy--not by knowledge. They led us down into the earth, into the great chasms wrought by the shattering. They led us here, to these hollows, vales and tunnels, causeways and ancient structures discovered under the earth. No one knows who created them, or for what purpose, but we have made them our own. Not even the Dhrogas know.

We have scratched out a living under the earth, established a few strongholds, and fewer cities. The Dark Four have ravaged the world, and now their minions surround us, chipping at the fragile framework of our world. We are all that is left, the remnants of our world has formed into small isolated towns and villages. The six remaining Barons hold to their fiefs, to their castles and protect their lands, promising some degree of safety from the dark. But we lack the power to fight back, to turn the tide--we can only dig in and try to survive. We must look to our youth, to our brightest and strongest, and hope that heroes will emerge.

In Heroes of Steel, you command a party of four heroes with a diverse set of backgrounds, skills, and abilities as you strive to protect the shattered remains of civilization from dark powers. Your adventure will follow the heroes through a sprawling story that will start a few years after the shattering and covering the legendary struggle against the dark. A rich world full of sub-plots, quests, and diversions will be wrapped in and around the main story, allowing you to enjoy the world of Steel to the fullest depths.

The world of Steel, as you will know it, will feel like an endless series of dungeons, underground lairs, lost highways, and buried cisterns. The druids led the survivors into the under-deep, and they have been forced to settle there and scratch out a life beneath the surface. Much of the action of Heroes of Steel will occur below ground, but there will be brief glimpses of the surface, when nearing a town or traversing open ground, when the weak light from the sun slants down through the chasm to the stony floor.

As you progress through the game’s story, you will uncover many secrets of the world of Steel and its splintered pantheon of gods. The main plot and the web of subplots will deepen your understanding and appreciation for the rich world, and the forces of evil that threaten to overwhelm it. The courageous acts you will undertake in Heroes will become the core stories, myths and legends spread by humanity in future games within the trilogy of Steel. Taking inspiration from the pen and paper role-playing games developed by the Trese Brothers, you will find grim themes running through the storylines and a focus on human problems.

When creating your party you can choose from a variety of distinct characters to form a balanced group. Heroes of Steel will provide four unique classes from which to choose, each with their own abilities and special powers which you can further develop. Taking inspiration from other classic games, each class will have its own tree of special abilities allowing you to choose how each character evolves. This depth of customization will allow you to create characters of the same basic class who function very differently within your party. Will you build a purely offensive sorcerer wielding fiery wrath, or spread your talents to enable a team-player or a defensive caster? In Heroes, you have that flexibility.

As you traverse the sprawling world, your party will be faced with myriad challenges such as deadly traps, extensive mazes and fearsome enemies of all varieties. Heroes of Steel will features hundreds of monster types, organized into thematic and deadly monster families. To combat the powers of darkness your party will accumulate and use hundreds of unique pieces of weapons, armor, and accessories. As the story continues and your power levels increase, your strategy of combining the effects of your magical gear and character’s powers will have a distinct effect on how your character copes with the highest level and most dangerous threats later in the game.

As your party explores the dungeons, cities and crypts of the world, you will decide the strategy and approach your team takes. You could build a team of tightly integrated specialists who perform optimally within earshot of each other and confront dangers back to back. On the other hand, your characters could be developed to be self-sufficient adventurers who strike out alone, sneak through enemy lines, split into smaller groups or face challenges individually. If we reach our funding goal, Heroes of Steel will start with four characters to form your group, equip, train, and specialize:

The Outlander is a powerful melee combatant, focusing on high physical endurance and immense offensive power.

is a powerful melee combatant, focusing on high physical endurance and immense offensive power. The Wizard is a mystic trained to support the war against the Dark Four and all their agents. His training has prepared him for the widest variety of challenges.

is a mystic trained to support the war against the Dark Four and all their agents. His training has prepared him for the widest variety of challenges. The Cleric follows the venerable and holy path of the All-Father, employing powerful magics to heal and empower her companions, holy blessings against the dark powers and her training by the Temple Brethren to fight with light melee weapons and armors in battle.

follows the venerable and holy path of the All-Father, employing powerful magics to heal and empower her companions, holy blessings against the dark powers and her training by the Temple Brethren to fight with light melee weapons and armors in battle. The Thief is a master of stealth, deception, and cunning. Her myriad of talents include picking locks, detecting and disarming traps, and slipping past enemy defenses undetected.

An epic fantasy role-playing game featuring multiple classes, unique skill tree, piles of magical loot from which to pick and choose, and an arsenal of enemies and monsters to face, resulting in almost endless replayability? We hope you are salivating just like we are!

Trese Brothers is on a mission to make the best old-school RPGs for Android mobile devices. But we know we can’t build these games alone! We rely on you (our community) to help us develop the best games out there. How do we do that? Well, we listen on all the channels, we respond and we discuss. And often, you will see your suggestions or requests appearing in our games after a few more updates. We have built a small but excited community around this model and believe that Star Traders, Templar Assault, and Cyber Knights are some of the best (and still improving) games on the Android market because of your feedback!

Heroes of Steel will be built on the same model. A critical component of our strategy which allows us to truly listen to you is that we “release early and release often.” We will release Heroes of Steel to our alpha testers (see Rewards) as soon as it is playable and fun--way before it is finished. Heroes will make it to the Android markets (Google Play and Amazon) a short time later, with much of your alpha feedback incorporated within the game. Even then, we know Heroes will continue to evolve and improve. We will hammer it with updates from both our game design plan, and also from our active community suggestions until it is as rich, deep, complex and immersive as is possible on the Android platform. So, please help us fund Heroes of Steel and you’ll have the opportunity to join us on our forum, Facebook, and blog to lend a hand in building one of the best tactical RPGs on the Android markets (Google Play and Amazon). Our community-driven games give every contributor a chance to get involved!

KickStarter is a great way to grow our community of gamers who are excited about what Trese Brothers is doing. We are unique breed of game designer … we want to build games for you and with you. KickStarter funding allows you to get involved and help drive the game development, and in turn, your funding helps us invest the time and resources into making an amazing game. If we can fund the Heroes of Steel project, then it will open up the door so that we can create this game, and gather all the feedback from our alpha testers, and community so that we can be sure to make a game that you love.

Backer Rewards

If you join us on KickStarter as a backer, here is an in-depth explanation of the rewards that can await you! Please help us fund the Heroes of Steel project!

$1 - Our Thanks!

Backers at this level will be kept in the loop during every step of the production and receive a personal thank you on Twitter from the creators. This includes a first look at new artwork, plot teasers, and game mechanics.

$5 - Forum Badge "Heroes of Steel Supporter"

Backers at this level who are members of our Trese Brothers community forum will gain the unique “Heroes of Steel Supporter” badge which can only be obtained via KickStarter. Wear it proudly! Plus you will get a personal thank you on Twitter and be kept in the loop throughout every step of production.

$10 - Wallpaper Pack

You will receive a wallpaper pack for your computer or device which includes two large scale images featuring character and concept art for Heroes of Steel. Plus, you will receive all gifts from the lower backer levels!

$15 - Your Name in the Credits

Your name will appear in the credits for Heroes of Steel as a KickStarter supporter. Plus, you will receive all gifts from the lower backer levels!

$25 - Digital Art Book

Before Heroes of Steel is released to the Android markets (Google Play and Amazon), you will receive an exclusive digital art book of the game's art and concept art in PDF form. Plus, you will receive all gifts from the lower backer levels!

$40 - Mighty Starter Item

You will receive an unlock code that will allow your lead character in a new game to receive a unique item specifically crafted for his or her class. The Mighty Starter item will give you a distinct advantage in the early stages of your game, especially on harder difficulties. These items are only available through KickStarter! Plus, you will receive all gifts from the lower backer levels!

$75 - Venerated Gift Item

You will receive an unlock code which will allow any party that successfully completes the first Chapter to receive an additional rewards -- the Venerated Gift. The Venerated Gift item is unique to your lead character’s class and will give you a powerful advantage as you advance into the second and third Chapters. These items are only available through KickStarter! Plus, you will receive all gifts from the lower backer levels!

$100 - Alpha Access (limit 100)

More than a month before Heroes of Steel is released to the Android markets, you will gain access to the game for our alpha testing program. You will be able to download the game onto your devices, test out the game, the story, and mechanics, and most importantly you will have special access to the Trese Brothers developers and artists to give early feedback and help drive the game evolution. Plus, you will receive all gifts from the lower backer levels!

$150 - Steel Map Wall Poster

When the game is released, you will receive a high resolution wall poster of the map of the world of Steel printed at 10 x 18 inches. This exclusive map will include all the critical locations throughout the Heroes of Steel storyline. Plus, you will receive all gifts from the lower backer levels!

$200 - Exclusive Heroes of Steel T-Shirt

When the game is released, you will receive the exclusive Heroes of Steel t-shirt designed by our art team and only available on KickStarter. Wear it proudly! Plus, you will receive all gifts from the lower backer levels!

$350 - Epic Boon Item

You will receive an unlock code which will grant the Epic Boon Item to any party when they complete the seventh Chapter of Heroes of Steel. The Epic Boon item is unique and is so mighty that one of your characters will want to wear it throughout the end of the game. The Epic Boon item is only available through KickStarter! Plus, you will receive all gifts from the lower backer levels!

$500 - Join the World of Steel as an NPC (limit 10)

You will join the World of Steel as an NPC! Work with the writers and art team to design an NPC, including providing a portrait, your name (if you so choose) and character traits. Plus, you will receive all gifts from the lower backer levels!

$750 - Design Your Own Subplot (limit 10)

Before the release of Heroes of Steel, you will work directly with Cory and Andrew to design a subplot or subquest in the world of Steel, including the backstory, challenges, and ending. Plus, you will receive all gifts from the lower backer levels (excluding Joining the World as an NPC).

$1,000 - Immortalized as a God (limit 4)

You will join the ranks of 13 Children of the All-Father. Your portrait will be immortalized as one of the 13 Children who will be featured throughout Heroes of Steel and the entire Steel trilogy. Will you join the epic trilogy of Steel as a power of Light or Dark? Note that the names and traits of the Children are already set, but you can pick among them. One of our first updates will provide more details! Plus, you will receive all gifts from the lower backer levels (excluding Joining the World as an NPC and Design your own Subplot).

$2,000 - Design a Dark Race (limit 2)

Work directly with the Trese Brothers artist and a designer to create your own race of monsters within the world of Steel. You can work with the Trese Brothers team to determine their place in the world, special powers, and weaknesses. Once designed, you can help us create four different varieties of this monster (for example, Orc Ratkin Warrior,Giant Rat, Ratkin Shaman, Ratkin Assassin). And, your personal monster race will be featured in all future games within the trilogy of Steel! If we reach the Epic Monsters stretch goal, you will be invited to add an Epic Monster to your race of monsters (such as, Ratkin Stone-Serpent Rider)! Plus, your name will appear in the credits and you will receive the unlock code for the Epic Boon Item, an exclusive Heroes of Steel t-shirt, a wall poster map of the world of Steel, early access to the game for alpha testing, the unlock code for the Venerated Gift item, the unlock code for the Mighty Starter item, a digital art book of game art, a digital wallpaper pack, a Heroes of Steel Supporter badge for our forum, a personal thank you on Twitter and we will keep you in loop at every stage of production.

What are the other Trese Brothers' games I can try?

To understand the time, detail, and attention to community feedback that Trese Brothers give to their games, you should try them out! We think you will be impressed. If you are having any doubts about backing the Heroes of Steel project, just pick up one of our games and join our community forum to see if you enjoy our style and fanatical customer service.