Knights-Errant announced

Developer Chandler S. writes in to announce a new tactical RPG / strategy roguelike hybrid he’s working on called Knights-Errant.

…let’s play that back again, because if you’re like me, that genre description may not have computed. Knights-Errant is a tactical RPG with a series of procedurally generated overworld maps–maps which are themselves littered with procedurally generated turn-based tactical battles. So we’re talking something like Master of Magic, but with a stripped-down strategy layer, a beefed-up tactics layer, and individualized characters in lieu of generic legions.

Chandler writes that at the start of the game, you select a faction and are then matched against another, randomly selected faction. You select which battles to fight by moving your force around the overworld:

The game plays out in two parts. The overworld, and the battle map.

Each enemy unit you see on the overworld represents and encounter. When you walk into a unit on the overworld you get put into a battle where you gain experience, loot and gold.

Each overworld has a city or castle guarded by an enemy general that you are suppose to defeat. After clearing an overworld you move on to the next one, where the encounters are stronger and the loot is better.

Chandler states that the narrative premise changes somewhat based on the faction you play, but the general contours remain consistent. To wit:

In Knights Errant you play as a vassal stripped of land and title by an invading empire. It’s up to you to free your kingdom’s land and people from the invaders!

However, you can’t accomplish your quest alone… Along the way you’ll recruit mercenaries and train volunteers for your liberation army. Watch as your individual units grow and level up through a dynamic class system.

The combat system looks promising, with action points, flanking damage, elevation effects, and defense based on percentage resistances. The developer cites the roguelike Dungeon Crawl: Stone Soup as his primary inspiration here.

Knights-Errant is being developed for Windows, with possible Mac and Linux releases based on demand. The planned release date: “Hopefully 2014.”