Early Bard's Tale IV backers will get a choice of three free games

The Bard's Tale IV

The Bard's Tale IV Kickstarter begins tomorrow, and if you're giving thought to backing it, you might want to do so within the first day. Why? Because anyone who does so will be given a free copy of The Witcher, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, or Wasteland 2.

The first thing I thought after I read about this offer is that if you're the sort of person who might back the new Bard's Tale on its first day, then the great likelihood is that you already own all of these games. But maybe the post-apocalypse isn't your bag, or maybe you missed The Witcher when it came out—it was eight years ago, after all.

Whatever your excuse, this is a good way to snag a freebie while doing something you were going to do anyway. And if you do happen to own all three, you can always opt for Wasteland 2 on Steam (the Witcher games are being offered exclusively through GOG) and gift it to someone who hasn't yet had the pleasure.

"This is our way to show our gratitude to those who continue to support us," inXile boss Brian Fargo said. "We’re also very happy to be working with our friends at CD Projekt, who have shown they understand the right way to treat your fans!"

Fargo said in a May interview that The Bard's Tale IV will be a proper sequel to the original, 80s-era trilogy, but promised that it will appeal to modern gamer sensibilities as well, despite its old-school roots. The free game offer will be available during the first 24 hours of the Kickstarter campaign, to anyone who pledges at the $20 tier or higher; the games will be distributed once the campaign has ended and pledges have been collected.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.