Craig Stern from Sinister Design emailed me this weekend to let me know that everybody’s favorite indie RPG, Telepath RPG: Servants of God, has received an update which not only fixes a whole slew of bugs, but also adds a new clan as well as a few new characters. It looks like a fairly meaty update.

Sinister Design touts Telepath RPG as the first hybrid Japanese tactical RPG / free-roaming Western RPG. I’ve added an extra “brid” since the game has a Middle Eastern steampunk fantasy setting. If overhead RPGs are your thing, check out all that Telepath RPG: Servants of God has to offer:

• Tactical turn-based combat where positioning and planning are key

• Different races and factions, each with its own agenda

• Dozens of different psychic and physical abilities to manipulate and decimate your enemies

• A variety of characters that you can choose to recruit, grow close with or alienate

• A narrative about identity, the nature of the mind, and the existence of God

I got the Middle Eastern and fantasy bits from the trailer, but I felt like the steampunk was a little bit missing in action. I haven’t had time to dive into the demo, so I figure I could be wrong, my perception of steampunk is askew, or the trailer predates the steampunk influence.

I followed up with developer Craig Stern about my possible oversight. “Steam technology appears in the game primarily via the influence of The Mechanics, a large and well-funded mercenary group that hires itself out to various factions. They use steam-driven automatons in combat, as well as crossbows and a sort of primitive version of power armor. They aren’t the main antagonists in the game, but they do get hired by them. They don’t make an appearance until about three missions into the game.

“Steam technology also powers various lights and moving traps in the game, since there is no magic in the game world. The steampunk touch is a lot subtler than what you see in most games that employ it, but it’s there.”

So, there you have it! With only one day left to pre-order the full title at 20% and a free demo to try, I figured I would do DIYGamers the favor of learning about title before rather than after the discount. I will note that I am partial to Sinister Design’s company name and, well, sinister looking company logo!

Let us know what you think of the demo in the comments below.