Penny Arcade's successful Kickstarter is now available on their webstore for you to pre-order. You will be able to delve into their graphic novel adventure game, Thornwatch, for two to five players.

So, what is Thornwatch?

"Players are manifestations of the Thornwatch: scarred veterans of the Eyrewood who now live as spirits summoned by the ancient ritual of tying a knot of thorns around a birch tree. The Thornwatch summoned to a particular tree do not necessarily know each other or the true nature of the problem they've been called to resolve; all they know is that they've answered the call, and they're bound to see it through.

Thornwatch bestows upon one player the role of the Judge, who enacts the will of the Judging Wood. Each other player plays a Thornwatch character: the Blade, Briarlock, Greenheart, Guard, Sage, or Warden. The game begins with the Judge selecting a storyboard in which the Thornwatch manifest before a tree adorned with a knot of thorny brambles, surrounded by conflict. If the players overcome this first challenge, the Judge offers choices that lead to new storyboards and further adventure."

I love the idea of a game which is narratively driven in this fashion and has the players going up against one 'Judge' in a new take on the cooperative adventure format.

The game actually lays itself out in a comic book format as you'll see above with the 2D elements creating the story in front of you. The base mechanics of the game are also tuned towards cooperative play and working out the best way to link your powers and abilities together to overcome your foes.

Expansion

As well as the base game there is also the Dark Of The Wood Expansion available to snap up.

Included in this set you'll find...

"Recruit five new cursed adventurers and battle through nine new storyboards in this expansion to the graphic novel adventure Thornwatch. Add the Briarlock, the Dark Courier, the Unsundered, the Weave-Weald, and the Woldsen to your game and battle through foes old and new."

The game obviously carries the wonderful artwork of the Penny Arcade crew and some of their superb writing too. It really does look like a game which fully immerses you in their world and offers up a new way to play your 'one-versus-man' games.

Are you going to be giving this a go?