Some people think that Steam is the spawn of Satan and will on principle not touch it with a 10 foot pole.

I think it is a bit silly attitude, but I would also not make anyone compromise their own principles.

They never said it was going to be a split launch either. Thing is. Surely anyone backing a project would have *some* expectation to receive their reward at same time as everyone else right?. Some will have backed it solely for the drm free reward and some would have held off buying the game til it comes to GOG (why many of us are here).

anyway the waiting is a pain.

A simple answer: I don't support systems, that uses DRM! If I buy this game on Steam, I would support Steam! 30 % of my money goes to a company, that promotes DRM in games.

If I understood correctly, the most complains here are from backers. So playing on Steam does not mean that they support Steam.

So I guess the main problem is for people that do not want to play on Steam at all and want to play the game right now. I personally don't really care about playing it right now (I backed it) because I like to play my games patched. And I don't care about Steam : I like to have DRM-free copies of my games but I like the ease of use of Steam (select, download, play).

I am starting to get a little frustrated. It has been over a week. I guess it is the uncertainty that is getting to me. A little more communication would be nice.

I am not a backer for The Banner Saga (I didn't know Kickstarter back then), but I backed some other games months after, and while I could use the Steam keys which were provided (yet alphas or betas), I refuse to use them, and not because those games aren't officially released. If they were released as The Banner Saga, I wouldn't play them on Steam either. Why?

Because:
- I personally hate everything of Steam UI, and I don't want to install its client to install and run games,
- I don't want to be included in statistics against DRM-free, because someone (from Valve or the developer) could say that data from Steam early access or Steam release are sufficient to delay DRM-free version on more and more games, because every backer even wanting DRM-free version will play Steam version first if provided. I think that if someone really wants to have DRM-free releases at the same time than Steam releases, one shouldn't play, buy or whatever, games released on Steam first. Buying DRM-free versions after buying Steam won't change anything concerning that point.

Couple of weeks since patch that fixed initial problems
I don't use steam. I don't want to install steam on my pc. I backed a game that was drm free so I didn't have to. I would play the steam version if I didn't have to install steam to run it. I have enough crap on my computer as it is

But maybe in a week there will be something and what is a week measured by the average duration period of playing the game.

One should be a bit more patient, but I guess Stoic also poorly communicated this delay. Probably they forgot to mention that Steam will come out much earlier. Let's just wait one or two weeks more and then if they don't deliver.. call them whatever name you can imagine. :)

I'm a backer and while I'm not with the "don't use Steam at all" (for whatever reason) crowd, I do want the DRM-free release, too.
However, a few things should be perceptible by all:
- 3 guys team, apparently 1 guy doing the programming.
- game was build upon Steam (factions / beta) with additional build-in incentives like achievements / trading cards (as useless as one might see them).
- for backers complaining here: why is it, that the thread about the DRM-free release on the official Stoic board in the kickstarters section has currently only 14 posts, when so many are raising their voice here? Can it be, that most complaining / demanding here, aren't coming from backers at all?
If not - yes you can claim bad communication from Stoic's side. But please check your own game, before criticising others for theirs....

Speaking of the Banner Saga coming soon to GOG, does anyone know if Broken Age is coming here too? I'd rather get it here, since I'm starting to find it more convenient than Steam, but if there's no plan for a GOG release then I'd rather not keep waiting.

I think it will come on GOG eventually, like the other DD titles did.

OK, that's good enough for me, thanks for the answer!

Nearly two weeks passed and still no news . This is from their KS Page

THE GAME

Our first priority has always been to make a role-playing game that feels and looks fresh, and plays like the classic tactical strategy games of our childhood. It's not about defeating the villain and saving the day. It's not about grinding to get past the next fight. The Banner Saga throws you into the end of the world and asks "how do you deal with this"?

DRM-Free, and available on PC and Mac
Not another generic fantasy: Drawing heavily from Norse culture while creating its own identity and mythology, The Banner Saga takes a low-fantasy approach to viking themes. Giants: yes. Horned helmets: no.
Strategic combat: Recruit a large roster of unique characters throughout the story, each with different abilities that interact in combat in a deeply tactical way and personalities of their own. The Banner Saga harkens back to classic turn-based gameplay with a strong emphasis on tactics over brute force and endless grinding.
Travel across gorgeous landscapes: The choices you make as events arise have a huge affect on how the story plays out- who survives, who dies, and what's worth saving. Add people to your caravan as you travel, or lose them when tough decisions arise. You're not just fighting to save nameless strangers, you're fighting for your neighbors, your family and your way of life. We want you to care what happens to them.
An emphasis on story: Your choices in dialogue and throughout the game truly affect the story and the people around you. A mature story for adults means forming relationships and making tough decisions; not sex, violence and swearing.
Play online: Though the single-player campaign is our focus, The Banner Saga provides a deep multiplayer game; build a unique party of characters and battle friends and enemies in multiplayer combat. Upgrade your party over time and devise new strategies.
Risk in gameplay: A lot of modern games play it safe- you know you'll defeat the evil and save the day. In The Banner Saga you can't take anything for granted. We want it to feel like a good tv mini-series; the world doesn't revolve around you, it's about how you deal with change.

What does "Chapter 1" of the full game mean? We've added an explanation in the faq below.

And still people angried when I call them liar . It's too funny :)

*ouch*