A spiritual sequel to Planescape Torment

January 9, 2013 2:55 PM

"Rumours have been swirling for years about a possible sequel to Black Isle’s legendary and powerful roleplaying game Planescape: Torment, but the closure of the original studio and the jealous guarding of the Planescape rights by owners Wizards of the Coast seemed to have put paid to any comeback. But with original Interplay boss Brian Fargo very much back in the RPG business with current studio inXile’s wildly successful Wasteland 2 crowdfunding, everything changes. He and his team have come up with a way to make a new Torment game: this is really happening."

Set in Monte Cook's recently crowdfunded RPG setting Numenera, many of the people involved in the creation of the Planescape setting and Planescape: Torment are on board: Colin McComb (second designer), Adam Heine (scripter), Dana Knutson (concept artist), and Ray Vallese (writer for the RPG).

Planescape: Torment previously: Last Rites; What can change the nature of a man?

posted by Paragon (17 comments total)

The Lady of Pain is pleased.
posted by schmod at 3:06 PM on January 9, 2013 [1 favorite]

Thanks for the post! I went to support the team and ended up donating towards the development of Wasteland 2, something I usually consider foolish.
I look at the Planescape: Torment box sitting on the top shelf and I smile.
posted by hat_eater at 3:07 PM on January 9, 2013

Don't trust the skull.
posted by The Whelk at 3:08 PM on January 9, 2013 [4 favorites]

So there are two spiritual successors to Torment coming out, neither of which is actually set in the planes. We live in a strange time.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 3:17 PM on January 9, 2013 [1 favorite]

A possible sequel without the original's setting, system, characters, lead designer, studio... so just another potential new game trying to improve its Kickstarter haul through unwarranted nostalgia?
posted by kithrater at 3:30 PM on January 9, 2013

A possible sequel without the original's setting, system, characters, lead designer, studio... so just another potential new game trying to improve its Kickstarter haul through unwarranted nostalgia?

It's a "thematic sequel", apparently. I'd probably throw in 20$ for the kickstarter, especially since I missed out on Wasteland 2, but I'm more excited about the prospect of Baldur's Gate 3 if the Enhanced Edition sells well. Don't think Im not tempted to buy an ipad just for BG:EE.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:31 PM on January 9, 2013

Isn't Project Eternity already the spiritual successor to Torment?
posted by Justinian at 4:48 PM on January 9, 2013

I think Project Eternity is more intended to be Baldur's Gate -ish.
posted by juv3nal at 4:51 PM on January 9, 2013

It's got Avellone in charge, they're saying combat will be more or less optional throughout the game, and the setting seems to revolve around navelgazing about the nature of souls. Sounds like Torment to me!
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 4:57 PM on January 9, 2013

My pleasure at reading this far exceeds any sort of logic and reasoning.

(eeeeeeeee!)
posted by dinty_moore at 5:08 PM on January 9, 2013 [1 favorite]

I think I can handle two Torment-ish games. Although they've got a high bar to clear, these days.

Bioware, despite the corruptive influence of EA, has still managed to get out some pretty amazing stuff. It's not like it was twelve years ago, when we were kind of blown away by an RPG with a lot of actual voice acting. We've gotten used to (spoiled by?) the idea of having ALL the dialogue delivered by human actors, not just some of it. And fully voicing Torment would have been fantastically expensive. It would still be fantastically expensive.

I'm okay with partially-voiced games, but I wonder if the broader market will be.
posted by Malor at 8:18 PM on January 9, 2013

Oh, and it's been thirteen years since the original was released. There's no way there could ever be a real sequel anymore, because the team that made the first has long since dissolved, blown to the four winds, and the technology has eclipsed the old standards so completely. Because of shifting technologies and teams, computer-game sequels need to come in fairly short order, or it's largely meaningless to even call them a sequel.

Thirteen years later, I don't want to play Torment anymore, but I'd sure love to explore worlds based on similar themes. And it sounds like these guys are working on exactly what I want to see. Both teams. Just, dear Lord, I hope they do a better job with combat than the later editions of D&D. I've really disliked every one so far. I don't like the way combat works in 3E and later. I'm not sure exactly what I want, but I know 3E+ is not it.

D20 was quite good, in KOTOR 1 and 2. I liked that system a lot.

tl;dr version: there can never be a true sequel. All there can be is games in similar vein. And we can handle two of those at once. If copyright wasn't such a mess, things might be different.
posted by Malor at 8:27 PM on January 9, 2013

Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish: "It's got Avellone in charge, they're saying combat will be more or less optional throughout the game, and the setting seems to revolve around navelgazing about the nature of souls. Sounds like Torment to me!"

Avellone has "urged me to work with both Colin McComb and Kevin Saunders for this project and he has given us his blessing for another Torment" - not quite the same thing as working on it himself.
posted by dd42 at 8:52 PM on January 9, 2013

Holy Zarquon was talking about project eternity, dd42.
posted by juv3nal at 11:20 PM on January 9, 2013

I don't like the way combat works in 3E and later ... D20 was quite good, in KOTOR 1 and 2. I liked that system a lot.

I'm curious if you could elaborate on this. The D20 system is 3E. Literally, what is referred to as D20 is just D&D 3.x without WotC's setting-specific IP in it. The system used in KOTOR 1 and KOTOR 2 is just that with some additions for Star Wars-specific options.
posted by tocts at 5:09 AM on January 10, 2013 [2 favorites]

Good to hear Colin McComb will be making his game after all. As long as you can chat your way through the story towards power and reams of characterisation, I'll be a happy punter.

Thirteen years later, I don't want to play Torment anymore

What can change the nature of a man?
posted by ersatz at 6:04 AM on January 10, 2013

Don't think Im not tempted to buy an ipad just for BG:EE.

Don't bother. BG:EE is buggy as all hell on the PC (although they are working to fix bugs diligently) and the iPad version is apparently even worse in that respect.
posted by mightygodking at 6:49 AM on January 10, 2013